InsaneJournal

Carrying a tote bag in the crook of her arm, Apollonia raised her free hand to knock on Iain’s door. She lost her nerve, carefully setting her bag on the ground so she could use both hands to cover her face and then run them through her hair. The first date was already out of the way and they’d been baring their souls to one another for days, so why was she nervous all over again?

Taking a stabilizing breath, she adjusted her top to show just enough cleavage and smoothed out her skirt before scooping up her tote. She marched back over to the door and knocked firmly before she could chicken out again. Putting on a smile, she waited for her Scottish dreamboat to open the door.

Had he been pacing? If anyone asked, Iain would’ve said no and averted his gaze. You know, like the liar he was.

Thanks for that, John Mulaney.

Leading up to the time Apollonia was set to arrive, Iain had at least busied himself with cleaning up his flat. While he wasn’t the messiest person, he certainly didn’t clean the bathroom as much as he should (sorry, Ma) or always put his shoes on the rack, that sort of thing. And with Apollonia coming over, he wanted to make a good impression, and there was the added bonus of being able to focus on something other than how fucking nervous he was, again, despite having already gone on a date with her and talking since then.

So yeah, you could say Iain was doing great.

He’d been scrolling through his phone, absently moving through his emails, when Apollonia knocked. Taking a second to steady himself behind the closed door, Iain stood up straight, squared his shoulders, wiped his palms on his jeans, and exhaled, and turned the handle.

“Hi.” The smile was instantaneous. “You found me. It.”

“Hey,” was her breathless reply. That smile sent butterflies through Apollonia’s stomach, with the added bonus of making her weak at the knees. Absentmindedly she reached up, wrapping a strand of hair around her finger. She realized how ridiculous she looked and dropped her hand, shifting the weight of her tote around.

“Are you going to let me in, or is this a hallway kind of date?” She smirked, batting her eyelashes at him; a trademark move now. “Either way, I can make it work.”

Iain’s eyes were bright with a laugh he was trying not to let out quite yet, and his lips quirked with the effort. “Shameless,” he shook his head knowingly, and reached for her bag, gesturing for her to move past him. “Get here in here, already.”

Setting her tote by the door, Iain shut it behind Apollonia, watching her take in the details of his life that adorned the walls of his flat. He shifted his weight in his stance, and tried to ignore his heart thumping unhelpfully quickly. “Pizza will be here in a bit,” he offered finally.

Apollonia took her time looking around, clasping her hands behind her back so she wouldn’t start touching things and asking questions. Being in Iain’s home was somehow thrilling, and she bounced on the soles of her feet once, twice, before getting control over herself.

She gracefully turned to look at Iain when he spoke. “Great, I’m famished.” The end of her sentence tailed off as she noticed a photo over his shoulder, something that looked like a family portrait. She pointed at the picture. “Is that your family?”

“Aye,” he dipped his head in a nod. “My parents, Callum and Davina,” Iain pointed as he went from person to person on the portrait Ma had insisted on, “And my brother Liam and sister Cat.” He had a fond smile on his face, a hand pausing on the faces of his ma and da -- they were overdue for a call, which was partially Iain’s fault. “It was before the three of us moved to the States.”

Apollonia moved closer to Iain, brushing up against his back to get a better look. He stiffened almost unnoticeably when she made contact, but quickly relaxed again under her touch, and resisted the urge to touch back. “Your mother is beautiful.” Her voice was warm and honey-sweet as she studied the portrait further, a small smile on her face. “I mean, good looks obviously run in your family,” she continued, now full of levity. Iain gave her an amused look, a fond one.

She stepped back, ignoring the disappointment she felt as she gave Iain space, and he instantly felt cold in the space she had just occupied. “I want you to come over to my place soon.” ‘My place,’ as she always described it, was an absurdly expensive townhouse, and technically her parents were on the lease. In a little over a month that would change, however, when she finally got access to her trust fund. “I want to share it with you. You never learn more about a person than when you first go to their home.”

Iain glanced back over his shoulder at Apollonia before turning to fully face her. “I’d like that, love.” He reached up to brush an imaginary strand of hair out of her face, rested his palm against her cheek. “I want to ken everything about you.”

At his touch, her eyes briefly fluttered closed. When she opened them, they were laser-focused on Iain’s face. “I have a feeling you will, sooner rather than later.” Apollonia placed her fingers over his, longing to pull his palm down, desperate to feel his touch everywhere else.

Instead she leaned into that touch, staring up at him with adoring eyes and a pounding heart. She moved closer, inching up. And then a knock at the door snapped her back to reality and she stepped back, out of Iain’s reach.

“That’s probably the pizza.”

Iain muttered something in Gaelic under his breath and glanced towards the door a bit murderously, but he winked at Apollonia and went to get their dinner from the pizza delivery person. Would American tipping culture ever not be weird? Unlikely, but at least it was already paid for. “Ta,” he smiled, and came back with their prize.

Well, prizes. There were also some mozzarella sticks because everything in moderation.

“What would you like to drink?” Iain asked, ducking into the fridge to get himself a beer, but he also had plenty of options for whatever Apollonia was in the mood for. At least the plates were already on the table, and his tv was queued up with their respective movies. He gestured for Apollonia to move towards him so she could see her options. And so she’d be close to him again.

“Just water for me.” Apollonia darted over to her tote before joining Iain, retrieving an item and holding it behind her back. With a flourish, she revealed a large bag of fun size Snickers, setting them beside their plates.

“I can’t watch a movie without a little bit of sweet,” she admitted, shrugging. She leaned close to him, eyes wide with genuine concern. “You don’t have a peanut allergy, do you?”

“I love Snickers,” he assured her, and eyed the bag with a wide smile, touched by Apollonia’s thoughtful contribution. They, and a water bottle, were added precariously to the stack of things that would be taken over to the couch, but everyone (and thing) made it safely.

While Apollonia took her seat, Iain busied himself with filling their plates, and then joined her...at first leaving a few inches between them. But that didn’t feel right, and he glanced at her hesitantly, before closing the gap and he could rest his hand on her leg if he wanted. If Apollonia wanted.

The closeness electrified Apollonia, whose heart was in her throat. She reached for her bottle of water but didn’t open it, twisting it in her hands as she stared at the food in front of them.

Woman up, she told herself, and set the bottle down. She shifted her position so that her knee was against his and their arms touched, and she completed her move by resting her head on Iain’s shoulder. Iain’s hand went to cover Apollonia’s, and leaned his head against hers for just a moment. “What do you want to watch first?”
Iain made a thoughtful noise, and reached for the remote on the end table, waking up the tv. “You want to do yours first?” He offered. Not like it really mattered. The only thing that mattered was that Apollonia was here.

Also, it was Twilight. They were probably better off getting that out of the way.

She grabbed his muscled arm in excitement, moving her head from his shoulder to look up at him. “Twilight, Twilight, Twilight,” she jokingly chanted, beaming. He smiled back, automatically. It was the only reasonable response to the way her face lit up. “I promise you’ll hate it. It’s amazing.”

Judging from the quick read he’d done of the Wikipedia article on the series earlier that day, there was no doubt in his mind that the movie would be terrible, but Iain was a man of his word. And he was already a sucker for making Apollonia happy, if that meant he’d see her smile again.

Apollonia leaned forward, her regret at moving away from Iain matched only by her desire for pizza. “Oh, by the way,” she said, picking up her slice taking a bite, chewing and swallowing before continuing. “I found a movie we can watch next time.” She allowed herself a dramatic pause, then smirked. “It’s called The VelociPastor.”

“That sounds awful.” Iain laughed, and reached for his own plate. “I’ll add it to our watch list.” Figuring they might as well start, he found the movie and pressed play, and chewed thoughtfully through the opening scene. Which was...something.

But he just wrapped an arm around Apollonia’s shoulders and snorted at what promised to be a ridiculous two hours of his life.

Two hours and six minutes of his life, actually. Apollonia spent many of those minutes explaining minutiae of the series to Iain while simultaneously making fun of it, and at one point — when Edward caught a whiff of Bella’s scent and looked like he was going to be sick — she laughed so hard she almost fell off the couch.

Apollonia was clearly very pleased with her pick, gleefully turning to Iain with a cheshire grin as the credits rolled. “Wasn’t that the worst?”

Iain had to admit he laughed a lot, especially when looking at the film in the lense of watching it specifically to make fun of it. He shook his head, bewildered, but laughing, too. “Why did anyone ever pay money to watch this seriously?”

It was a question for the ages, probably. “I see why you picked it,” he said, still enveloped in the warm feeling Apollonia’s smile provided.

“Because teenage girls are the largest, most profitable demographic and they rule the world. Don’t fact check me on that,” Apollonia commanded, bending down to pick up a wrapper that had fallen on the floor and clipped her head on the table on her way up.

“Holy fucking shit,” she exclaimed, Boston accent coming through strong, more surprised than anything. It didn’t really hurt, but the embarrassment stung as she carefully touched the area where her head had connected with the furniture, face reddening.

“Whoa, there,” Iain slid onto the floor next to Apollonia, and carefully took her face into his hands so he could check for a bruise. “Are you all right?” He inspected the tiny bump forming, but otherwise she seemed unharmed, and Iain could breathe again.

Apollonia, on the other hand, could barely breathe. Not with her face so close to his. Her eyes darted to his lips before meeting his gaze and trying out a reassuring smile. “I’m fine,” she managed. “Just wicked embarrassed.”

A thumb brushed across Apollonia’s cheek, and Iain smiled gently, soothingly. “Nay, ‘s’okay, love.” God only knew how many times he'd hit his own head on things. His hand slipped into her hair, and Iain marveled at how soft it was underneath his fingers.

Which only made him wonder how soft the rest of Apollonia was and how good she would feel in his hands.

His gaze swept across her face again, landing on her lips, and something in Iain crashed out like a dam bursting. He closed the gap between them and kissed Apollonia’s sweet mouth intently.

Apollonia had always thought that the whole notion of feeling fireworks during a kiss to be nonsense, something completely made up. This kiss disproved her theory, and for once she was fine with being wrong.

She returned the kiss with urgency and passion winding together, wrapping her arms around Iain’s neck, drawing him closer. Every part of her was electrified, wired just for him. It was bliss until she pulled away.

Taking a moment to catch her breath, she couldn’t help but laugh, cheeks red. “I can’t believe we had our first kiss on your floor.”

“I can,” Iain said with a laugh rumbling in his chest, and drew her legs into his lap for want of something to do with his hands. His rougher hands caressed her calves, smoothed her hair...now that they had kissed, it felt natural. Like he was allowed. “Considering I was ready to kiss you up against the door the moment you got here.”

She shivered, goosebumps spreading across her skin at his touch. Apollonia ran her own hands down his chest, appreciating Iain’s muscles underneath his shirt. “I wouldn’t have stopped you,” she practically purred, sliding a hand back up his chest to run her thumb along his perfect jawline. “But then again, I’m shameless.”

“Oh, aye, I ken,” he nodded seriously, though it was hard to focus on what he was going to say when Apollonia’s touch was short-circuiting his brain. Iain leaned in to kiss her again, enjoying how sweet she tasted, but it was chaste, and he pulled back only after a moment. There would be time later. “D’ye have another movie in you or not so much?” He cocked his head in question, a hint of a mischievous look in his eyes that offered other possibilities if Apollonia took the latter option.

Apollonia pretended to think about it, then broke into a smirk with a mischievous look of her own to match his. “Not so much. But I’m definitely not done with you.”

It was Iain’s turn to shiver this time.

The zombeavers would have to wait another day.

Iain was pretty sure they wouldn't mind.

He leaned over so he'd be right above Apollonia’s ear. “I want to hear all your ideas, but let's get off the floor first, hmm?”

She nodded in agreement, despite not wanting to untangle herself from him. Apollonia sighed as she rose, avoiding (and very briefly glaring at) the table this time — though in a way, she had it to thank for their rendezvous on the floor.

Though he likely didn’t need it (he did not), she stretched out her hands to help him up. It was all a ruse so she could pull him close again, coming close to pressing her lips to his. Instead she smirked and turned away smoothly, stepping out of his reach, never able to resist playing with her food… so to speak.

He took them, and an exhale of a laugh brushed past his lips as Apollonia played her little game. Considering how much taller and generally larger, it didn't take Iain more than a few steps to catch up with her and trap her against the kitchen counter. With one hand at her side, keep her in place, and the other under her chin to tilt Apollonia’s face up, Iain gazed down at her long enough to give her the impression he was going to kiss her again.

Rather, Iain smirked and hauled her over his shoulder into a fireman’s carry in one swift movement, causing Apollonia to gasp in surprise and delight.

“Was that everything you'd hoped it'd be?” Iain asked in a dry, humorous tone as he took a few more steps to the bedroom and dropped her on his bed.

“Everything and more,” Apollonia sighed dreamily, luxuriating on the bed, very pleased to be where she was. She righted herself, peering up at him with beguiling eyes that hid the nerves resurfacing. She didn’t know what to say, instead taking Iain’s hand and pressing his palm to her cheek, her piercing eyes still on his.

Iain didn't join her on the bed just yet, but let her take his hand. True to his word, he hadn't intended for anything more than kisses to happen before they were able to actually talk it through, and he wasn't going to go back on that now.

And as fetching she looked, with her big doe eyes gazing up at him like that, Iain swallowed. “What are you thinking, love?” He asked gently when his vocal cords started working again.

“I’m thinking…” Apollonia exhaled, trying to find the words. “I’m thinking about how right this feels, touching you, kissing you.” She brushed her fingers against her own lips, recalling the feeling of his. “I’m so drawn to you that it’s… it makes me nervous. I don’t…” She shrugged, unable to find the words. She averted her eyes, unable to meet Iain’s.

He stroked Apollonia’s hair before sitting on the edge of the bed with her so they'd be at eye level. “I've--yeah,” sighed Iain, pulling his hands into his lap and glanced down at them, trying to put into words all of the thoughts and feelings that were in his head at the moment. Trying to make sense of this instant connection when it was something he’d never experienced before Apollonia.

“This is new for me, too,” he said finally, looking up, hoping she'd look at him, too. And he took her hand and pressed it over his heart, which was, again, beating unhelpfully fast. So she didn't just have to take his word for it. “I didn't think I was supposed to feel this much so early.”

“This is crazy,” she blurted out, silently imploring him to agree. “Right? To feel like this?” It was only their second date and she was already starting to think about how much it would hurt if or when they ended things, and that was crazy. Retreating into her own head she chewed on her thumbnail, not particularly bothered about ruining her manicure.

“No, it definitely is,” Iain nodded, maybe with a little too much vigor, but what other explanation was there? It was their second date. They'd kissed once (and it'd been one hell of a kiss) and they could barely hold hands without shaking. He wasn't supposed to be this consumed with wondering about the next time he'd get to talk to Apollonia, even if it was just about the bloody weather.

But at least it wasn't just him.

And that helped.

“Hey,” he said softly, pulling her hand away from her mouth. “But I don't care if it's crazy. Maybe I should, but...I don't.” Iain covered her hand with his, trying valiantly not to think about what would happen if she did. If all of this ended just as quickly as it started.

Apollonia swallowed hard, heart pounding. She forced herself to look at him while she thought over her choices; do what was rational, or lean in. But who needed reason, anyway?

“I don’t care either. I just want to be with you.” A weight lifted off her chest as she said those words, and she finally felt like she could breathe easily again. “I don’t know what this is, and I don’t care. Maybe it’s just the height difference,” she said, deflecting with humor as she tried to stealthily wipe away a tear that dared to slip out. What the hell was going on?

Iain pressed his forehead to Apollonia’s, a hand resting on the back of her neck. “Then let’s hope you don't get any taller, because I can’t bear the idea of not being with you, either.”

Apollonia circled her arms around him, tilting her head down to bury it in his shoulder. She didn’t let go for a long time, unwilling to release the moment — and Iain. He held her close, burying his face in her hair and breathing in the fresh scent of her shampoo. When she finally ended the embrace she offered him a shy smile. “I guess this means there’s gonna be a third date.”

“And a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth,” Iain said conspiratorially, still dizzy with affection, still riding whatever high on steroids this was. “And lots more after that.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Apollonia’s head.

“I’m going to make a really bad joke and then kiss you to make up for it.” Her eyes lit up the way they always did when she was about to say something heinous. “Are you ready?”

Iain’s eyes sparkled with anticipated laughter. “Lay it on me.”

Apollonia looked him dead in the eyes, displaying no emotion but speaking very seriously. “You’re, like, totally the Edward to my Bella.” Before Iain could so much as groan, she practically tackled him, pressing her lips to his in a very eager kiss.

And he did groan, because Jesus, that was terrible. But then Apollonia was in his arms, on top of him, and any critical thinking went out the window. Iain responded with equal enthusiasm, hands moving down her small frame, wanting to keep her as close to him as possible. She was warm and pliant and bloody perfect. He just wanted.

When Iain had to pull back for a breath, he shook his head and tugged on a strand of Apollonia’s hair. “Absolutely terrible joke, worse than the movie, zero out of ten,” he said with absolutely no venom in his tone whatsoever. “I liked the kiss though.”

“Good, I like to cause you pain with my terrible jokes,” she informed him, running her fingernails up his arm and then over the back of his neck. “The most terrible joke of all being that you’re stuck with me now, sucker.”

Iain could feel the goosebumps rising on his skin, trailing after Apollonia’s touch. “Nay,” he said warmly, kissing her because he could. “That’s no’ a joke, it’s a privilege.”

“I’m telling you this because I care.” Apollonia leaned back to make better eye contact. “That was so cheesy, babe.” She kissed the tip of his nose. “Now I have to call you a nerd. You do this to yourself.”

“Get used to it, brat,” Iain just grinned, unbothered. “I’m only just gettin’ started.”

She gasped in faux offense, narrowing her eyes. “Awfully bold of you to call me a brat when I have the upperhand.” An extremely untrue statement, even if she was still on top of him.

“And what are you going to do about it?” He raised an eyebrow, still grinning in a teasing way.

“This.” And with that she tilted down to bite his throat gently, a love bite at best. “Has my dominance been asserted or do I have to go harder?” Apollonia quirked an eyebrow.

A quiet groan came out of Iain when Apollonia’s teeth made contact with his skin. “Dominance asserted,” he assured her, eyes glinting, “But maybe do it again. To be safe.”

“Hmm…” Apollonia pondered his request for a moment, slyly reaching for the hem of his shirt and slipping her hand underneath as she did so. Fingers splayed against his bare stomach, she dipped her head down again. “If you insist.” This time the bite came with more force, though she was careful not to hurt him.

He shuddered under her, and this time Iain’s eyes closed, obviously enjoying the pressure of her teeth against his neck. “Tha’s better,” he told Apollonia, his voice just a little bit raspy, and leaned back onto the duvet. A pillow was moved to prop up his head. If Iain didn’t create some space between them…he’d get distracted again, and this was too important to not discuss. “I do think we should...talk, before we do anything else, aye?

Apollonia frowned at the sudden distance, running her hands through her hair in frustration. She scooted further away, tucking her legs underneath herself and propping her chin up on her knuckles. “Then let’s talk. I’m listening.” It was hard for her to not reach for Iain, but she had enough restraint to let it be for the moment.

“Okay,” Iain started, and drummed his fingers against his stomach before sitting up properly. “I dinnae ken all that you're comfortable with. This isn't to be embarrassing, I just want us to be on the same page. Snogging, yes, we covered. I like when you touch me. And I like reciprocating. I've...I haven't had a sexual relationship with anyone in a few months so I'm clean.” He pushed a hand through his hair and exhaled. Clearly, this had been on his mind a bit. “I just don't want you to feel pressured, is all. About anything. And talking like this is the best way I ken how to do that.”

Despite aforementioned snogging and touching, Apollonia flushed as Iain spoke. What was it about genuinely talking about sex that made her feel so much more exposed than the act itself ever did? She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, taking her time before responding. “I, um…” She cleared her throat, still stalling. “How do I put this? I very much want to have sex with you, but it’s been a while for me and… I don’t know what I’m comfortable with.” She glanced at him sideways. “I wouldn’t mind figuring it out with you, though.”

He waited for Apollonia to collect her thoughts; there was no rush. And it was better to talk now than getting caught up in the heat of the moment. And maybe Iain was...overreacting, or worried about how he was older but Apollonia was only going to get the best of him.

“We can go as slow as you need,” Iain promised, and moved over closer to her so he could take her hands.

She leaned forward to kiss him, soft and sweet as it was brief. “Can you just hold me? Just for now.” It was a simple request, aided by a gentle, pleading look flashing across her eyes.

“Come here, love,” he pulled her into his lap and wrapped his arms around her, resting his cheek on the top of her head. Iain felt calm, calmer than he'd had the pleasure of experiencing in a long time, with Apollonia in his arms. “I’ve got you.”

She settled into his arms, closing her eyes and soaking in his warmth. For once, Apollonia didn’t have to brag or bolster. For once, she felt completely held and understood. She had no idea she needed these things, but now that she had them there was no way she was letting them go.