Who: Nic and Lem When: late afternoon, Tuesday, June 5th Where: outside, his house Warning: NSFW Status: complete
It was raining. A lot. Lem liked the rain, especially during warmer weather like this, when you didn’t freeze to death if you went out in it. It was like the most giant shower, cleansing from the sky, and she loved the way it felt on her skin. So since it wasn’t freezing out, she’d decided to go out and play in the rain and mud and just generally enjoy herself.
She was doing more of that these days, as life settled back into something resembling normal. Their life was never totally normal, which was fine by Lem, because that would be boring. But Vex was home and acting like himself again, and Lem’s depression fog had mostly lifted away, so she was feeling much better than she had for months and months. Maybe not perfect, because nothing was, and she’d been in a deep hole for a long time, but better. So much better.
She put on some bike shorts and a sports bra and went outside in the back yard. She was instantly soaked, of course, and it did make her cold, but it was a tolerable level of cold. Well worth it to flop down onto the grass and let the rain pelt her all over for a while. That didn’t last too long before Lem felt restless, so she got up again and ran around the yard a bit, building up some happy energy in herself. Some people liked sunshine, Lem liked rain. She’d been out there a while when she got the hankering for company, and without thinking too much about it, Lem walked over to the Castells’ house. She wanted to see what Nic was up to. She opened the front door without knocking first and stuck just her head and shoulders inside, so she wouldn’t drip everywhere. “Nic!” she called into the house. “Nic, you home?”
The days had been running together lately, though the pattern that Nic had kept up from winter to spring had shifted once Vex returned home. Nic no longer had to remind Lem to eat, which was good, but it also meant he didn’t have a daily reason to visit. The role he’d played was no longer necessary and it left him unsure of where he fit in her life now, or if he did at all. Things had changed and, while they were for the better, Nic didn’t know what to make of them. He’d never been good at talking though, so he’d just tried to give Lem her space and feel things out. She seemed so much better, whereas most days Nic just felt the aimlessness he’d felt most of his life. He got up, went to work, came home, slept, and repeated it all the next day. It was boring in the worst way, draining the life out of him one day at a time.
The rain broke up the monotony, disrupting his day from the start. He was soaked by the time he got to work, but he’d always loved the rain and wouldn’t complain about it. He could be dry in an instant, after all. When he returned home, he was tempted to open all the windows, but doubted Zania and Gabriel would appreciate the mess that would make, so he stuck to his room, breathing in the fresh summer air as rain splattered on the window sill and the floor. He was laying on his bed, half reading a book and half dozing when he heard the door open downstairs and Lem call his name. He rolled quickly to his feet, hurrying down the stairs in sweatpants and a t-shirt, heart beginning to race as worry took hold. “Coming!” he called, bare feet pounding on the wooden staircase. He caught sight of her as soon as he hit the ground floor, his features a wash of confusion and concern. “Is everything okay?”
The alarm on Nic’s face was surprising for a second, before Lem remembered everything about the past four or five months. She gave a comical sort of wince and a squinty-eyed apologetic smile. “Yes, everything’s great, sorry!” she said. “Didn’t mean to scare you.” She pushed the door open a bit wider and straightened up, but still stayed outside since she was dripping wet. “Want to come outside with me? The rain feels good!” She wasn’t very good at interpersonal relationships and she never had been, but she wasn’t completely oblivious to how things had changed between Nic and herself ... she just didn’t know what to do about it. They’d initially bonded over crazy stuff outside, so maybe it would work again. Not that a thunderstorm was very crazy, but playing in it was, to most people. They just weren’t most people.
Nic’s expression softened and he laughed softly at the sight of her, completely drenched and splattered with mud. She looked more like the Lem he remembered from months ago, happy and carefree, doing whatever she damn well pleased. He’d seen a glimpse of that girl the moment that Vex arrived home and hadn’t known what to do about it. He wasn’t sure how he fit in her life anymore, if at all, but if she wanted to play in the rain, who was he to deny her that joy? He walked slowly towards the door, pretending to consider her offer. “Is it cold?” he asked, raising a brow. That wouldn’t stop him, nor would it actually bother him. When it came to water and the cold, Nic found he could be near freezing and not even notice.
Lem liked to think she was a simple girl -- she was who she was, and she needed her people around her. For a long time, her ‘people’ had just been Vex, so she’d been devastated by his loss ... but now he was back. And now Nic was one of her people too, and she needed him as well. It just wasn’t an easy thing for her to say clearly. Lem grinned as he got closer, then let out a dismissive ‘pfft’ sort of sound and gave him a Look. “Like you care,” she said playfully. She knew he didn’t get cold, especially in water. As soon as he was close enough, Lem snagged one of his hands and put it to her cheek so he could feel that she was slightly chilly but not freezing. “It’s that cold. So no biggie. Come on, the puddles are so huge!” Lem tugged at him a little.
The only reason Nic ever cared about the cold was how it affected other people. If Lem’s teeth had been chattering, he might’ve had cause for concern, but that didn’t appear to be the case. It wasn’t like there was snow outside, and sometimes the best part about getting good and soaked through was warming up afterwards. It was nice to touch her, to cup her face in his hand, and he smiled as he ran a thumb across her cheek. “But I don’t have my umbrella,” he laughed as he let her tug him out the door, before leading the way, not even bothering with shoes. Stepping outside felt like a breath of fresh air, but stepping off the porch and into the rain was exhilarating in a completely different way. He took a deep breath, then grinned back at her, perhaps the biggest smile he’d shared in months. He felt good out there, and he doubted it would’ve felt near as good without her.
Lem knew he could be his own damn umbrella if he wanted to, so the line just made her laugh even more. She went with him off of the porch and back into the rain, turning her face up to it with her eyes squeezed shut for a moment. It was like tiny happy pinpricks all over her skin, and she wanted to get totally naked in it. That was against the law or whatever though, so her minimal clothing would have to do. She wiped her face -- which didn’t really do anything in such a downpour -- and flashed Nic a return smile that was just as bright. It was unspeakably good to see that expression on his face after who knew how long. Judging by the bit of soreness in her cheeks, it had been a while since Lem smiled so much too. With a light laugh, she smacked Nic’s ass, yelled “tag!” over the rain, and took off through the front yard.
Nic laughed, hesitating for only a moment before he took off after. Immediately he could feel the strain it put on his body. Months of laying around, barely doing more than working, eating, and sleeping, had worn away some of his form. But it felt good to move, even if he’d feel the pain of it later, and he sprinted after Lem as the rain soaked him through. She was quick and little, but his long legs still gave him speed compared to her and it wasn’t difficult to catch up with her. “Tag!” Nic grinned as he caught Lem around the waist, giving her a spin instead of just tagging her. As he set her back on her feet, he felt his own slip out from under him, and he was down on the ground within seconds. His ass hurt and if he’d been a prouder man, his dignity would’ve been damaged, but Nic just laughed. He felt out of shape for having fun, but the pain was worth it.
Lem was young enough that all the inactivity hadn’t had too much effect on her physique, but she could feel the difference when she ran. That was okay, it just meant she needed to run more. She squealed when Nic lifted her off of the ground, the noise dissolving into wild giggles almost immediately. She gave another little squeak of sympathy when he fell immediately after, trying to dodge out of the way of those long legs. Lem didn’t slip, but she wanted to be down there with Nic, so she half-collapsed, half-pounced on him, giggling all the while. Because they were getting dirty anyway, she scooped up some mud and tugged Nic’s shirt up to smear it on his stomach, then tried to scoot herself out of reach. Not that she wanted to go very far from him, but retaliation was coming, she just knew it.
“No! Don’t you—shit!” Nic laughed, as he tried to bat away Lem’s hands unsuccessfully. In truth, he wasn’t really working at it, but he wasn’t going to manhandle her just to avoid a little mud on his chest. He was left panting when she scooted away, then pushed up on his elbows to look at her before pulling his shirt over his head. It wasn’t serving much of a purpose anyways and once it was gone the rain washed away the worst of the mud. Nic grinned at her, then pounced, rolling around with her until he had her pinned beneath him. He knew it wouldn’t last long, but as quick as he could he smeared mud up her stomach and onto her chest. His hands landed on either side of her head as he laughed, not even bothering to run this time. It felt so good to laugh with her and he wanted to enjoy the moment for as long as it lasted.
Her goal hadn’t really been to get him to take his shirt off, but Lem wasn’t going to complain about it. When he pounced on her, she cried out a “no, no!” that was full of giggling and completely insincere, and happily wrestled around with him on the slick ground. Lem didn’t mind being pinned in the slightest, and the cold mud in new places made her shriek and laugh some more. They hadn’t played around like this in ... well, she couldn’t even really remember. But damn did it feel good. She had no idea how to apologize to him for the past few months, or how to tell him how much she appreciated everything he’d done for her, but this felt like a good start. Still grinning and giggling as the rain beat down on them, Lem hooked both hands behind Nic’s neck to pull him down into a kiss, her legs wrapping around one of his thighs.
While the kiss was welcome, it caught Nic off guard and it took him a second to properly respond. They hadn’t kissed in so long that Nic hadn’t even been sure the chemistry was still there, but it came so naturally now that it was hard to believe it had left. He’d missed her terribly, had felt the loss even though she was still there, because the shell that remained while Vex was gone was but a shadow of the Lem he had fallen for. Things were different by the time she returned and Nic hadn’t been sure how to reconcile the two, but this felt like a start. He relaxed into the kiss, not wanting to stop, almost fearful that he’d lose her again if he let her go. They felt so fragile and he hated it, but he didn’t know what else to do but push through and hope that fear would fade, if it was real to begin with.
They hadn’t explicitly talked about it, mostly because Lem hadn’t been in any shape to talk about anything, but she knew their relationship had changed over the past four months, turning into something empty and sad. Now that her head was mostly out of the muck, she couldn’t even express how appreciative she was that he’d kept caring about her, kept showing up, kept making sure she ate and her basic needs were met, even when she had made things unpleasant for him. That was real selfless love, regardless of whether he still wanted to be her boyfriend. And if he did? Lem hoped they would come out stronger for it. At least now he had seen her at her worst, depression wise. It made her heart race to feel Nic kiss her back, like more and more of her was being woken up, and Lem ran her hands over the wet skin of his torso, loving how warm he was even in all the chilly rain. She lingered there as long as she could, and once they had to break the kiss to breathe, she murmured, “I’m so sorry.”
As much as Nic wanted to tell her that sorry wasn’t necessary, he needed to hear it. It acknowledged something had broken between them and opened the door to actually fixing it, even if he couldn’t put his finger on what it was. And it made it easier for him to apologize as well, even if he felt like he’d done it a thousand times and it had never been enough. Rylee might never forgive him for what he’d done, nor Caius or any of the others, but if Lem did then maybe he could let it go. “Me too,” he muttered, shifting his weight onto his forearm so he could lightly stroke her cheek. He’d tried to be there for her, to be everything she needed, but he wasn’t enough, and he’d been dealing with his own mountain of guilt in the meantime. “I missed you,” he said softly, tipping his forehead to touch hers. “I missed this.” And everything else. Her smile, her laughter, her presence as a friend. She hadn’t been herself and he’d never thought he’d have her back.
Most people probably wouldn’t think so, but lying in the mud while it poured down rain around them felt like the perfect spot and moment to have this conversation. Or at least start it. Lem felt insulated from everything bad, surrounded by and soaked through with Nic’s element, like this was their own little wet world. His head and shoulders were blocking most of the rain from getting into her face and eyes, and she felt sheltered and safe under him. It was almost symbolic of how she’d felt while Vex was gone -- she was still soaked and dripping with bad, but Nic was sheltering her from even more of it. It was hard for her to articulate how she felt, especially when her emotions got even more complicated, and she wished she could just project them at him so he could feel them too. “I missed this too,” she told him, clinging to him a bit harder with her arms and legs. “You were the best anyone’s ever been to me, besides Vex. I love you like I love him, you know that, right?”
Nic’s brows drew together as he tried to make sense of that, not sure if it was good or bad or just confusing. Maybe it was because he didn’t fully understand the relationship she had with Vex, but he didn’t think they were lovers. And if they were, he wasn’t sure what that meant for him and Lem. It was a hard comparison for him to take in after months of feeling like he wasn’t enough. “We’re not the same though,” he said, lightly running his hand over her hair, his eyes focused on hers. “I can’t—I can’t give you what he does. I don’t know how. I don’t know—anything.” Vex was her world and he was just… the man who had taken him away. He wasn’t even responsible for bringing him back. Nic knew he was getting lost in his head, possibly connecting the incorrect dots, but when it came to Lem he’d been in a fog for so long that was struggling to find his way out on his own. She was helping now, but it wasn’t near as easy as he wanted it to be.
Lem felt a wave of frustration inside and her brow furrowed too. It wasn’t aimed at Nic, it was more an internal frustration that she couldn’t say what she meant well enough for him to instantly understand. “No, not the same way, nobody’s the same, I mean ... on the same level, the same muchness,” she said. “He can’t give me what you do either, and I just ... I need you both, okay? I need you both.” Losing Nic in such a way would have been just as destructive to her mental health, Lem knew that deep down. She just wasn’t sure how to convey that to him in a way that wasn’t scary. She could hear the therapist voice that lived in her head droning on about co-dependency and unhealthy dynamics and all that shit, but Lem ignored it as well as she usually did. She gave him a little squeeze like that might help communicate it, her eyes searching his intently.
Nic may not have gotten it the first time, but he got it the second. His eyes softened and he smiled down at her, hoping to ease her frustration. He wasn’t much better at this than she was, and knew that oftentimes his own issues got in the way of hearing what she had to say, but this time it clicked. “Muchness. I like that,” he said, the water dripping down his face as he continued to shield her from the rain. “I need you, too.” Maybe not on the same level, but Lem brought a light to his life that he’d been missing for years. Even if he could get by without it, he didn’t want to. He wanted her there with him, playing in the rain, mixing people’s jackets up at parties, and as a companion as the world spun out around them.
While Lem knew that Vex needed her to some degree, they didn’t really have heart-to-hearts about it, so she didn’t hear those words out loud a lot. Hearing them from Nic -- brilliant, magical, independent Nic -- made her feel all choked up but smiley at the same time. With the kinds of issues she had in her brain, Lem was glad he didn’t feel like she was a burden or anything. It would have been so easy for him to leave her alone when Vex disappeared, but he hadn’t. Everybody had their limits, she didn’t know what would’ve happened if Vex had never come back, nor did she really want to think about it. She just wanted to be with him and enjoy that things had turned out like they did. Lem lifted her head to clunk it gently against Nic’s. “I know it might take some time, but I want us back,” she told him. “I missed you. And like, being me.”
The last few months had been some of the hardest Nic had ever lived through, in large part because he hadn’t been able to see a light at the end of the tunnel. There had been no chance of reprieve, no way to fix such a massive failure on his part, except for some miracle. Nic didn’t like the lack of answers, that still worried him, but having Vex and the others back had lifted a crushing weight off his shoulders, making reparations possible again. “We can get there,” he told her, even if his confidence was shaken. That she still wanted him gave him hope. He might not bounce back as quickly as she had, but he was working on it. Sometimes he knew the key was to focus on the future, rather than be distracted by the past. It was hard, but easier to do if they both wanted it. “You seem more like you today. Just wet,” he smiled, then smeared a line of mud down her forehead to the tip of her nose. “And dirty.”
Lem had the mindset that as long as both parties were all in, they could accomplish anything together. It just had to be the right parties, and she knew deep down that Nic was one of those people for her, one of her people. Confident or not, hearing him say they could get there was reassuring. Nic was smart and had a good head on his shoulders, Lem trusted him. And that was all they had to say, to her. They’d stated intentions, now they could just make it happen. The streak of mud down her face made her laugh, and the cool tickle of his finger felt nice. “I like being wet and dirty,” she told him with a wicked little grin. “But maybe you should clean me up? Wanna take a bath maybe?” As nice as Nic’s body heat was, she was still getting cold, and lounging in a hot bath sounded kind of incredible.
Nic was fine not having a long, drawn out conversation, especially since what they needed was time. She still wanted him, and had forgiven him, so he just needed to try and move on to where they wanted to be. Embracing the moments that felt more like them was a good start and Nic hoped they’d have more opportunities to play in the rain as the summer progressed. It was cold and wet right now though, and Lem’s grin had that twist to it that woke something inside him that had been quiet for months. “What if I like you wet and dirty?” he smirked. A hot bath sounded amazing, or even a shower, but he just couldn’t help himself when she said it like that.
The positive response made Lem’s stomach flutter a bit, and she squeezed him harder with her legs. “You can dirty me up again after we get clean?” she suggested, then grinned and wrinkled her nose at him. “Just as long as it’s warmer, ‘cause I’m totally cold now.” Well, maybe not totally cold, because there was a bit of extra heat between her legs, but cold enough that she wanted to change environments now. Their sex life had obviously tanked for the past several months, but Lem had found herself daydreaming and desiring that closeness again more and more often. If Nic was ready to reconnect on that level, she wanted to.
Nic wasn’t all that sure what he was ready for, but he enjoyed being close to Lem right now and he wanted to see what would happen if he let things keep going in that direction. Even if they just warmed up and cuddled, it would be better than where they’d been yesterday, though he hoped it would amount to something more. He’d missed that connection between them. “Let’s go,” he said, climbing off Lem, then offering her a hand up. Though he didn’t really feel it himself, he knew it was chilly out there and that he needed to get her warm. “I promise it’ll be warmer inside, and even more in the bath.”
Lem used his help to hop up out of the mud. Her feet and hands were freezing, and she rubbed the latter together while she flashed Nic a little grin. “There’s a fire witch inside, I totally believe you,” she told him. Even if Zania wasn’t technically home, the Castell house always seemed warm and cozy to Lem. Climbing into a hot bath to snuggle up to Nic sounded beyond perfect. Nic could even keep the water from going cold while they were in there. Maybe they could have dinner together too, if they didn’t end up just snoozing in bed together. She started walking with him back toward his house, squinting against the rain that was still driving down.
Nic wished it had been a tad warmer out, just so they could enjoy the rain a little longer, but that would have to wait until later in the summer. For now, he knew he needed to get Lem inside and he did his best to shield her from the rain until they were on the porch. With a swipe of his hand, the worst of the water dripped off of them and onto the floor, allowing them to step inside the house without tracking water all the way up to his room. Even though Zania wasn’t home, the house was definitely warmer, and it would be better in the bathroom, where the water would be hot and as abundant as he wanted it to be. “Come on,” he said, taking her hand. “I need to close the windows upstairs, then we can warm up.”
It was always just so cool when he did stuff like that, Lem giggled at being mostly dry by magic, like a big invisible towel had been passed over her. It was strange but neat not to even feel anything. Already feeling warmer as soon as they stepped inside the house, Lem padded along with Nic toward the steps and up them, feeling more content inside than she had in a long time, she was pretty sure. She knew that there would probably still be issues in their relationship, unresolved crap that always happened because people were people, but Lem felt more settled. They both wanted to work on it, that was clear now, and that made her happy. She could be a full person again and hopefully help Nic through whatever his feelings were about everything. She wanted that. Once they were in his bathroom, she didn’t hesitate to peel her sports bra and bike shorts off, more than ready to exchange cold rainwater for hot bathwater. What was the saying? Water water everywhere, and not a drop ... “So if we were like, stranded in the desert or something, you could just make water to drink, right?” she asked curiously.
One of the things that Nic appreciated about Lem was that she didn't have to stay on a subject once the issue was resolved; she was comfortable moving on, even to something completely unrelated. All their problems might not be fixed by one short conversation, but they'd said what they needed to say and now Nic needed to sit with it a bit. He felt immensely better about where they were, but rehashing it over and over wasn't his thing. Discussing his ability to generate water in the desert was much more enjoyable. "Yeah," he smiled, watching her strip as he readied the bath. "Basically, I can create water anywhere the other elements are present. Because there's water in everything. Even if we, as humans, can't physically extract it, it's there. If you want to get scientific about it, there's almost always hydrogen and oxygen around. Except in space. I don't know that I could create water in space."
Lem saw no reason to dwell on things that were upsetting. They’d said enough for now. She just wanted to be with him in a way that felt some kind of normal. Normal for them, anyway. Lem smiled at his answer, thinking that made sense. It was kind of cool how magic and science seemed to intersect sometimes. Not that she knew a whole lot about either. Lem didn’t really know how much of anything worked in the world in general, she only saw the effects of it. “That would come in super handy during like, a zombie apocalypse. Or any apocalypse, really,” she said with approval in her tone. Finding a source of water was always important in some terrible sort of situation like that. “Can Zan make fire underwater?” Lem asked. Now that the bath water was running and hot, Lem climbed in to sit down on one end of it, her eyes on Nic.
“I like to be prepared for all eventualities,” Nic said with a little smile, though he knew how impossible that was at this point. He’d not been at all prepared for what had happened with Vex, his magic had been useless, so he felt lucky that it had somehow worked itself out. The thought of Zania making fire underwater made him laugh, though he recognized it was a good question. Their abilities often defied the laws of science, so it was good to know what they could and couldn’t do. “It depends,” he said as he stripped and climbed into the opposite end of the tub. “Fire has to have air to burn. Or some kind of fuel. If she started a fire underwater, it would be like when I have a ball of suspended water just hanging in the air. It’s pure magic and has to be maintained. She couldn’t leave it without it going out, just like my water would fall to the floor and burst. Incidentally, our elemental magic doesn’t seem to work against each other, like some kind of weird twin defect.”
Lem was listening, but it was impossible not to get a tiny bit distracted as Nic stripped his clothes off. She hadn’t seen him naked for months, and vice versa, though he had patiently escorted her to the bathroom more than once to make sure she took a shower while Vex was gone. He still looked good to her, now that she could actually think again, so Lem counted that as a good sign. Both of them were a little skinnier from all the stress, but that was okay. She was sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, and she scooted in a bit closer to him once he’d settled, with all of his long limbs. “So you can’t douse out her fire and she can’t like ... boil your water away? Is that what you mean?” she asked, curious. “Is it like that with all witches, or just you two?” Under the water, Lem reached out to run her hand lightly down his shin.
Normally Nic wouldn’t have found the touch to his leg distracting, but after months of absolutely no sexual contact, apparently even the lightest touch caught his attention. He’d never actually had to bathe Lem while Vex was gone, for which he was grateful. Usually guiding her to the bathroom was enough. But it meant that there’d been very little casual nudity in his life as of late and taking his eyes off Lem seemed impossible. The bath helped, distorting all that fell below the surface, but he found himself quickly wanting more than just those light touches. “Exactly,” he said. “I can’t put out her fire. She can’t melt my ice. It’s just us, probably a circumstance of our birth. And it doesn’t apply to our bodies. I can still burn just fine. And I’m pretty sure she’d drown, but we’re not gonna test that one out.”
“Yeah, let’s not,” Lem agreed with a faint chuckle. She didn’t really want to ask how Nic knew that Zan could burn him. It was interesting that they had some funky magic dynamic going on because they were opposite-twins, but it kind of made sense to Lem at the same time. It kind of made her wish she had a twin, somebody so different who could still understand her perfectly. Maybe the idea she had of the two of them in her head didn’t always match reality and they had plenty of misunderstandings, but that was just her romanticized impression. Lem quirked a faint smile. “Now I want to say some corny pickup line about how I can melt your ice,” she murmured, watching Nic’s eyes as her hand ventured a little further up his leg. “But you’re more watery than icy, to me. Inside.”
There were times when Lem’s perception of Nic and Zania wouldn’t be far off, but others when their differences drove each other crazy. Nic didn’t think like his sister, would rarely make the choices that she did, but he’d been with her for so long that he could get into her head if he had to. And she could his. Their point of views didn’t match, but they understood. Nic knew it was rare and had grown to appreciate it. The closest he’d come to finding something like that with anyone else was Lem, who was also wild and somewhat unpredictable. He didn’t mind corny pickup lines and the idea made him smile. “Most people would say I’m cold,” he said, using his other leg to pull her a little closer. “So maybe you’re special. You get me all… slushy or something,” he laughed softly.
Lem laughed too, and it felt so good to do. This felt like what she’d needed the most, some normal activity with him where they talked and smiled at each other and made little jokes and touched. It was all making Lem feel much more human -- something that Nic had always excelled at. Lem adored Vex and they were partners for forever, but life with him was strange and sometimes even he forgot he was a person too. Nic was good at making her feel grounded again. Real. That was especially important for her these days. “Slushy, that’s kinda sexy,” she said, grinning a bit. Lem shifted her position so she could get even closer, taking his urging as an invitation to drape herself over him, laying her chest and stomach against his, bringing their faces close. “Like a gas station slushie, all full of sweet syrup and ready to be nibbled on,” Lem murmured, her lips quirked upward.
The image of Lem with a slushie in her hand, the straw between her teeth, was an easy one for Nic to conjure in his mind and he decided they should make a trip for one later, when they were both dry and cozy. It was just an excuse to get out of the house, but one they probably both needed, especially for fun. "Blue Raspberry or Wild Cherry?" Nic asked as his arms wrapped around her and his hands slid down her back. It sometimes amazed him how perfectly she fit against him, being so much smaller than he was, but Lem had often seemed larger than life, like her personality made up the difference in height. That had faded when Vex was gone and she'd suddenly seemed fragile, but now she seemed more like herself again, small but strong against his chest, a cozy blanket in the warm water.
“You are definitely Blue Raspberry,” she answered softly, smiling a bit wider. “Which was always my favorite. I love having blue lips.” While she’d been on the road with Vex, they’d often stopped for gas station food, and Lem had fond memories of slurping down a bunch of frozen sugar and then sticking her bright blue tongue out at people they passed. Especially the old biddies who got all shocked at the sight of a petite young-looking punk girl with her tall old man companion. It made her wonder a bit if she could make Nic’s dick blue, alternating between slushie and blowjob, since the cold didn’t bother him, and Lem giggled softly. She didn’t even like giving head, but that might be fun enough to try sometime. For now she was happy and warm in the water, with his solid body under hers and his arms around her, and it all felt good. Lem dipped her head to slowly kiss at the side of his neck and the top of his shoulder. She’d all but forgotten how nice his skin felt against her lips.
“I should’ve known,” Nic smiled, and now he had to make it happen. They would have to make a slushie run just so he could see her blue lips in person. It would be an excuse to kiss her, just to taste the raspberry, though it didn’t look like he really needed an excuse. Nic’s eyes shut as her lips touched his skin and he sighed happily as he let his hands drop to cradle her ass. After all they’d been through over the last few months, he hadn’t been sure that the chemistry was still there. He’d become her caretaker more than her boyfriend, and he couldn’t revert back with the flip of a switch. But as her nude body pressed against his, a familiar arousal spread inside of him and his desire became more apparent. He didn’t want to rush things, but damn had he missed this. It felt like she was finally waking him up from that fog filled dream that started all those months ago.
Lem wasn’t in any rush either, though feeling Nic start to get hard against her thigh gave her a little thrill low in her belly. It was a good thing to feel, a normal thing that she wanted to feel for her boyfriend. He’d seen her at her absolute worst now and she’d leaned on him heavily, so she wouldn’t have blamed him for needing time to be attracted to her again. She had no plans in mind on where to take this bath, she just wanted to be with him like this, naked and comfortable and warm. It felt like being truly present with each other in their most natural state could help them heal and really see one another again. Lem kept kissing him, slow and soft, working her way across his collar bones to the other shoulder, then up his neck to his jaw. Lem nuzzled there for a moment, then softly murmured, “Can I kiss you again?”
It would’ve been easier to take things slow if they weren’t nude in a bathtub together, but Nic wasn’t regretting the choice in the least. It was nice to know he was still attracted to Lem, something his body was better at telling him than his brain, and maybe this was an opportunity to replace some of the less enjoyable memories with better ones. “I’d like that,” he smiled, and pulled her closer so that he could kiss her this time, even though she’d been the one asking. It made his arousal more pronounced as his excitement began to grow, and even though he told himself that this might not go anywhere, he knew these were all good signs for their relationship. What they had wasn’t completely lost, just broken like the rest of them, nothing new and totally something he thought they could handle together.
Sometimes it was nice to just get turned on and stay in that space, Lem had found, especially if it had been a while since she’d felt any arousal ... and this was one of those times, on steroids. She’d felt no stirrings of anything sexy while Vex had been gone, down too deep in her dark hole for that kind of light. She was thankful that Nic hadn’t tried to push anything onto her, either. They wouldn’t have been where they were now if that had been the case. She kept the kiss slow and leisurely for a while, not in any rush to get anywhere specific. Lem just wanted to get to know him in this way again, and she relished the feel of his heart thudding under her chest just as much as the needy warmth of his cock. He tasted good and familiar, and his lips felt the same, and it was sort of a comfort. Not everything had changed.
It was kind of weird to be so turned on, yet not feel any of the desperation that normally came along with it. It kind of reminded Nic of early high school, when he might make out with a girl for hours, hard but knowing nothing was going to come of it. This was different, of course. They could do whatever they wanted, no one was going to stop them, and they were naked in the bath, so it would be so easy to let things progress, but Nic was enjoying this for what it was—reconnecting. He loved the taste of her, the way kissing and holding her made him feel like everything was right for the moment, and maybe it really was. Nic stopped when he finally needed to catch his breath, but then stayed close, his hands lightly stroking her sides as he tried to decide what he wanted. “Can I wash your hair?” he asked with a little smile.
Lem very much appreciated the lack of pressure. That wasn’t Nic’s style, of course, and she knew he was a good man who would never make her do anything she didn’t want to do ... but it was nice to not feel like she was disappointing because she wasn’t riding him into oblivion already. It felt like they were on the same page, and that was really nice for once. Sure, her body was feeling overly sensitive and pleasantly warm and aroused, but Lem wasn’t overcome with lust either, she just wanted to enjoy those good feelings. She licked her lips and gave a slow smile at his question. How could she turn down the chance to feel his hands on her even more? And being bathed in any capacity always felt good. “Of course,” she murmured back. “Not much to wash, but if you want to ...” Lem pressed another kiss to his lips, then one more to his chest as she leaned back and sat up. She scooted and turned herself until she was within reach with her back to him.
There were times in the last few months, especially early on, that Nic had thought he would have to bathe her, and he'd always been relieved that it never came to that. This was completely different, making the encounter an intimate one, rather than care and assistance. It gave him an excuse to touch her without encouraging his arousal, something he was happy to ignore for the time being, especially if she felt the same way. "That makes it easy," he smiled as she turned around in the tub. Nic took a moment to pour shampoo into his hands, then rubbed them together to start a lather before rubbing them into her hair. "Has your hair always been short?" he asked curiously.
Nic’s long fingers felt nice immediately, and Lem lifted her arms to rest her elbows on the edges of the tub, relaxing into it. She closed her eyes and let out a tiny sigh. “Not always,” she answered. “My mother always wanted it long, so I had long hair until I was a teenager. Then I cut it like, in a short bob. She hated it. But then I shaved my head in the psych ward and I’ve been keeping it super short since then.” She knew it wasn’t what most people thought of as super feminine, but Lem didn’t care. She liked her hair. Being unfeminine was sort of the point ... and it was harder for anyone to grab onto and hurt her. Lem didn’t like thinking about why that was part of her reasoning, it just was.
“It’s hard for me to picture you with anything more than a few inches,” Nic smiled as he massaged her scalp for a moment. That was always his favorite part of getting his haircut. There was something so soothing about it and if he closed his eyes he always thought he might doze off. “Do you cut it yourself?” He had the feeling that the answer was yes, or that Vex cut it for her, but if not, then he should suggest she visit Gabriel’s salon, just for the experience. His hair was nothing special, and probably a bore to cut, but business was business. “Rinse,” he told her when there was more shampoo on her head than hair. If he’d thought ahead, he’d have brought a cup with him to pour over her head, but this whole day had been unexpected.
“There are pictures somewhere,” Lem murmured with a soft chuckle, enjoying Nic’s fingers rubbing her head. “But yeah, myself.” It wasn’t hard, she just put a guard on the clippers and cut it all one length, and it worked well enough. She did Vex’s hair too, though his was a touch more complicated with the fade on the side. Lem had gotten good at it, but that was harder to do on one’s own head. Plus she liked the messy, pixie way her short hair fell. When Nic told her to rinse, she scooted forward toward the other end of the tub, then dunked herself backward, legs lifting up out of the water as she submerged her head between Nic’s splayed thighs. Lem held her breath and rubbed at her sudsy hair until it felt rinsed, then sat up and turned to smile at him again, wiping her face off. “Best wash I’ve had in a while,” she added.
Nic laughed softly as she dunked herself beneath the water and scrubbed her head clean of the shampoo. He needed a bigger tub, or maybe just a pool, someplace where they could really stretch out and swim. Or maybe just a hot tub, since that was something they could use all year. Though he thought they’d still end up all tangled together, no matter how big the space. “Thanks,” he grinned back at her, thinking about how nice this felt, just hanging out. He couldn’t remember the last time he was so relaxed. “You ready to get out? Maybe watch something or, I dunno, I could cook something.” They could stay in the water as long as they wanted, but eventually they’d get all pruny and he was feeling kind of hungry himself.
Lem enjoyed being in the water, no matter what kind it was. That feeling of being buoyant and nearly weightless and surrounded by gentle pressure was soothing. She had fond memories of swimming a lot as a little kid and pretending she was a mermaid. Being in water that Nic could keep nicely hot without hardly thinking about it was doubly nice. Lem hummed thoughtfully as she slid her way closer to him again, wrapping her arms around him to lay against his chest for another moment or two. Was she ready to get out? There was shampoo in the water now. They could be cozy and dry at the same time too, she supposed. “Just as long as I still get cuddles,” she said, lifting her head to look at him with a smile. “Then yes. Food and watch something.” Hopefully with clothing still optional ... maybe not for the cooking, but after. Now that she was nude and comfy with him, Lem wanted to stay that way.
Nic could probably stay in the tub all evening, had even fallen asleep in it from time to time, but he thought that he and Lem might be more comfortable snuggling somewhere else. The tub was big, but he was tall and it was hard to stretch his legs out with Lem in there with him. It was nice, but the bed would be far more cozy, or even the couch. Whatever Lem preferred. “Cuddles are a requirement,” he promised with a smile. “If we wanna cuddle in bed, I’ll make popcorn or something that’s quick and not horribly messy.” He didn’t really want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen right now, but something to snack on until dinner would be nice. One of the nice things about Gabriel moving in with them was that he could almost guarantee that someone else would make dinner.
“Yes!” Lem said with enthusiasm. “That sounds perfect.” She probably wouldn’t even have to get dressed, then, just wrap herself in a towel. Not that she’d had many clothes on in the first place. If Zania’s boyfriend wasn’t living with them now, she wouldn’t have given it a second thought to walk down the hall naked to Nic’s room, but Lem wanted to be mindful of Gabriel’s presence. Lem kissed Nic softly one more time, then pulled away to stand up and reach for a towel. She stepped out of the tub and started to dry off, turning to smile at Nic. “How’s it going living with Zan’s boyfriend?” she asked curiously. “Do you guys get in each other’s way or is it cool?”
Nic watched with a smile as Lem got out of the tub, then dunked himself under the water and gave his hair a rub. It wouldn’t get it clean, but it would at least get any of the dirt from outside out of it. When he came up for air, he brushed the water out of his eyes, ran his fingers through his now wet hair, and reached for a towel. “It’s okay. We don’t really get in each other’s way, and he's an awesome cook, but… I’ve been kind of thinking about getting some place for myself. But that’s about as far as I get.” All he really did was think, unsure if he really wanted that or not. Maybe living alone was the grown-up thing to do, but it often made him feel isolated to think about, like he’d be cut off from all the social contact he currently had in his life.
He was cute all wet, and Lem wanted to ruffle his hair, but they were both busy doing things, so she didn’t. The thought of Nic moving out and going somewhere else made her stomach drop in an unhappy way. She liked having him so close. “Oh really?” she asked, trying to keep her voice neutral. Nic had done so much for her already, trying to keep him somewhere he didn’t want to be anymore was probably asking too much. Point Pleasant wasn’t big, and she didn’t think Nic intended to leave town, but she did like just being able to walk over and see him. “Like, an apartment or another house close by, or ...?”
“I dunno,” Nic said with a little shake of his head. “Everything just seems so… far away.” Nothing was far away in Point Pleasant, but he was used to his sister being in the room down the hall and Lem being just next door. He liked where he was and he didn’t really want that to change, but there were also times when it felt weird to still be living with his sister, especially now that Gabriel was living with them. This had always been more her house than his, but getting something of his own always felt like too big a step. “I’d move across the street, but that just seems silly.”
Once she was dry enough, Lem wrapped the towel around her small body for the walk down the hall and picked up her soaked clothes from the floor. “Yeah ... but I mean, why spend the money if there’s nowhere specific you want to go?” she offered, shrugging a shoulder. “Everything is far away compared to like, next door.” Lem gave a faint smile. “It’s not up to me, of course, but I like having you so close by. Obviously.” Maybe she would feel differently if she lived with a sibling, or she just wasn’t that mature yet, but Lem had never really had a mindset that she needed a place of her own. She didn’t see anything wrong with Nic and Zan living together, or herself and Vex, for that matter.
"I guess, it's like, I don't want to go, but... I also don't want to stay," Nic frowned as he toweled off, aware of how little sense that made. "I want to stay close to you, and to Zan. But it's also weird living with her now that Gabriel lives here, too. They've never said anything, and I know I'm welcome, but... I feel like we step on each other more than we used to." It was a different dynamic now that he was living with a couple and he knew it wasn't really a long term solution. Maybe it worked for some people, but there were times it felt awkward and he had the feeling it would only get worse over time. He didn't have to do anything about it now, but it was something to think about.
It was on the tip of Lem’s tongue to invite him to come and live with her and Vex, but something told Lem that wouldn’t work out well either. They weren’t a couple like Zan and Gabriel were, of course, but both of them were difficult to live with, and it sounded like Nic needed some space of his own. “I get it,” Lem told him with a small smile. “It’s okay to just want your own place, and I bet they’re like, gross and kissy all the time around the house.” She giggled a little and wrinkled her nose. If she lived with Nic, she would be gross and kissy too, so it wasn’t a criticism, just an understanding that Nic probably didn’t want to see his sister doing that all the time.
"Not all the time," Nic smiled, and drew closer to Lem, stopping just short of kissing her. "But maybe I want a place where I can be gross and kissy and not worry about my sister walking in." The house was big, but the walls were thin, and neither one of them was good about throwing up a silencing spell every time they needed one. It just wasn't something either one of them could do at the drop of a hat. It was something Nic could live with short term, but Gabriel lived with them now and he got the feeling that wasn't going to change any time soon. He was happy for his sister, but there were times it was clear they needed their own space.
Lem grinned, her hands settling on Nic’s hips once he was close enough. She personally had never fretted over Zania being in the house when they were having sex -- it hadn’t happened since Gabriel moved in, but Lem was pretty certain she wouldn’t care about that either, in the moment -- but she knew she was weird and lacked the modesty most other people had. Lem would get naked in the kitchen if Nic wanted to fool around. That probably wouldn’t happen until he had his own place though, so maybe it would end up being fun even with the distance. “I know of one place she won’t walk into,” Lem told him, tilting her face up to his and rising up on her toes so she could brush their lips together. “It’s right down the hall.” Zan at least wouldn’t come into Nic’s bedroom without knocking first, especially if they locked the door.
Nic didn’t care about much once he and Lem got going, but he knew that fooling around in shared spaces wasn’t polite and there were times when moving the party up to his room was such a nuisance. It hadn’t been a problem lately, obviously, but he really hoped that they could have that kind of fun again eventually. And he really liked the thought of fucking wherever he damn well pleased. “She’s not even home right now,” Nic murmured, kissing her back as his hands skimmed up her sides. He couldn’t recall them ever being so lazily sexy together, short of waking up together. Nic wanted her, but there was no desperation, just low simmering desire. It was a good feeling, one that left his lips tingling every time they kissed. “Bedroom’s still more comfy though,” he smiled lazily, taking her hand to guide her down the hall and towards his room.
There was definitely a chill sexiness going on between them that Lem was really enjoying too. She didn’t feel any pressure to do anything, she could just feel how she felt with him, and at the moment it was all very warm and fuzzy. A huge change of pace from how things had felt between them for the past few months. Lem knew that didn’t mean everything was instantly fixed, but it was a good step, and she wanted to prolong it as long as she could. Lem squeezed his fingers a little as they moved down the hall and into his bedroom. She’d missed it here, in the most Nic part of the house. Lem shed her towel as soon as the door was closed and went to climb into Nic’s bed. “Did you still wanna get snacks?” she asked, flopping over onto his pillow and shooting him a little grin. “Or take more advantage of the empty house ...?”
Nic’s room had always stood out from the rest of the house, monochrome and modern as opposed to eclectic and bright. He liked it because he could change it to fit his mood, throwing up a bit of glamour when he felt like it, but even on its own it was fitting for him. Today it reminded him of a raincloud, except cozy, the big down comforter inviting on their bare skin. Nic hung his towel, and hers, on the back of the door, then followed her into bed, nudging her a little to scoot over as he did so. “Snacks can wait,” he said with a little smile, his hand finding her hip and pulling her closer. “I’m kinda liking where I am too much to leave for popcorn. Though… seems a shame not to take some advantage of the privacy.”
Lem scooted when prompted, beaming as Nic joined her in bed. She slipped her own arm around his ribs and pressed in close when he pulled at her. She tittered a bit and raised one eyebrow at him. “It does seem like that, doesn’t it?” Lem pressed a soft kiss against Nic’s chin, hooking her leg around his to keep him close. “Got something in mind?” As comfortable as she was right there in bed, Lem was not opposed to taking the party elsewhere in the house either. She wasn’t going to fret about being caught if Nic wasn’t worried. Lem wasn’t positive if that was what he meant though, and she would be happy with whatever he wanted to do.
“No,” Nic chuckled, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. “I’m kind of enjoying being lazy. Here, with you.” There were plenty of times where the couch or the kitchen table would’ve been a lot of fun, but Nic wasn’t in the mood to go out of his way just because he could. The point of having his own place was that he wouldn’t have to move if he didn’t want to—and right now he didn’t want to. He thought Lem would understand, especially with how cosy they were right now. He liked the way her legs wrapped around him, how she could feel his cock, still half hard, pressed up against her thigh. His hand slid up her side, thumb flicking the piercing on her nipple. “I missed touching you,” he murmured softly. Even if he hadn’t really been in the mood for it all those months, he’d still missed it.
She understood perfectly what he meant -- Lem hadn’t felt any stirrings of libido in the months that Vex had been gone, but now that the weight had been lifted from her, she could feel how much she’d missed this intimacy. It wasn’t even all about the slow-burn throb that was currently between her legs, it was feeling so present and connected to someone she cared about. Maybe they would have gotten back to it eventually, but it would’ve taken a lot more work and wouldn’t have been this soon, she was sure. A pleasant little tingle ran down Lem’s body from the touch to her nipple, and it drew tighter around the small metal bar as her thigh hitched up a bit higher on his. She smiled faintly and nuzzled her nose to Nic’s, her own hand running down his upper arm and around to his chest. “I missed touching you too,” she whispered, her lips quirking up a bit. “And being naked and lazy with you ... everything, really.”
“Everything,” Nic agreed with a lazy smile as he pressed closer to her, a small roll of his hips that sent a shiver down his spine. He didn’t want to get caught up in it, but having her this close, all naked and warm and in his bed, was waking up a part of him that had gone dormant the last few months. He could ignore it all he wanted, but he couldn’t stop the way his heart sped up when her thigh wrapped around his. Nic knew they weren’t a conventional couple, but Lem had connected with him in a way that no one else had. Losing her had been devastating. She’d been here, every day, but so far out of reach. It felt so good to have her back, but Nic wanted to be careful, to make sure he didn’t ruin things in an effort to repair them. They’d talked about not rushing, and yet there he was, growing hard against her again. He laughed softly, pressing a light kiss to her lips. “It’s really hard not to get turned on when you’re so close.”
Lem knew logically that they hadn’t just slammed a reset button on their whole relationship, or time-traveled back to before Vex disappeared. She was sure there were parts of Nic still hurting from the abandonment and wary about getting close again in case badness repeated itself, and she should be careful with that ... but god, did it feel good to be with him like this. She liked feeling his erection against her thigh, knowing that his body still wanted hers. Lem trusted Nic completely so there was no threat in it for her. If she said ‘no,’ he would honor it, and vice versa. It was perfect and warm and she wanted him too if he was ready for it. She smiled into the kiss and slipped one hand between them. Lem stroked her fingers against herself first, then wrapped them lightly around the head of Nic’s cock so he could feel how wet she was. “Me too,” she whispered, smiling faintly at him, her eyes on his. “I think it’s good. Unless you feel rushed?”
Nic had never been one to automatically associate sex with a relationship status, nor did he think it made a very effective band-aid when things were wrong, but reconnecting with Lem on a physical level still felt like a step in the right direction, so long as they both wanted it. Any doubts he had about her desire for him slipped away when she wrapped her hand around his cock, her fingers slick as they slid across the head. "No," he groaned, then brushed another kiss across her lips, his teeth catching her bottom lip. "It's nice to know you still want me. I wasn't sure, after... everything." There were still plenty of other things he wasn't sure about, but being able to check this one off the list felt good. She felt good and the closer they got, the more he wanted.
The nip to her lip drew a tiny sound out of Lem, a tiny shiver working its way down her spine. Now that she was humming with arousal, it was hard to understand why Nic would doubt it, but she knew what he meant. It just made her heart ache for him a little. Lem kissed him with more pressure, slowly tracing the curves of his cock with her fingers. “You were never the problem,” she whispered softly against Nic’s lips. “I hope you know.” She couldn’t say that she’d wanted him for the past few months, but Lem had barely wanted to keep breathing, much less had space in her for anything else. She closed the small gap between their lips again, deepening the kiss as she gave Nic a firmer stroke or two. She wanted him now, that was undeniable, and she wanted him to feel it.
Nic wasn’t entirely sure he believed her, since he was to blame for Vex being gone from her life, and he knew that he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Forgiveness came a lot easier now that everyone was back safe and sound, but the weight of all those months had left an impression that wasn’t as quick to heal. In his attempts to save everyone, he’d hurt people he cared about. That it had impacted his sex life was expected. But it was nice to know that Lem wasn’t holding it against him, and that whatever issues they might still have unresolved didn’t stop her from desiring him. Now didn’t feel like the time to argue, since the last thing he wanted was for her to stop. “Lem,” he moaned against her lips, every stroke of her hand making him rock closer to her. “I want… What do you want?”
While she wished that he had finished that sentence -- because his wants were important to her too, now that she had the capacity to really think -- Lem was fairly sure she knew what he wanted. It was in the way he kissed her and the sound of her name in his throat and the hardness of his cock in her hand. Still, she knew that bodies could want things that brains didn’t, and brains were more important, so it was probably best to be clear with each other. “I want you inside me,” she murmured to him. “I want to be with you again. Do you want that too?” Lem’s hand slowed and loosened around him, though she kept rubbing gently with her thumb, because it felt good to touch him so intimately again. “We can go slower if you want to,” she added, so he knew she wouldn’t be disappointed if he said no. “I just want to feel good with you.”
“I want that, too,” Nic hummed against her lips. “I want you.” Maybe there were parts of their relationship that he still might need to ease back into, but he felt like this was just right. The pace and timing felt perfect; he’d just been concerned that he was rushing her. It would probably take a while before they stopped handling each other with kid gloves, but right now it was fine. They just had to communicate, something he knew neither of them were fantastic at, but he felt like they were doing a good job at the moment. He wanted her, and she him, and that was what mattered. Nic kissed her again, then rolled them so that she was beneath him, his cock rubbing between her legs. “Still feel good?” he asked, a hint of a tease in his voice. “I can go slower.” And even though he knew that wasn’t what she meant, his hips slowed in their movement as a smile tugged at his lips.
Not a lot of people in Lem’s life had been cautious with her and considerate of her feelings, especially when it came to sex. Granted, she was usually a bull in a china shop herself when it came to social interaction, but the way Nic was gentle with her meant a lot, even if she couldn’t put it into good words. Lem’s stomach clenched happily when he rolled on top of her, and she wrapped her legs around him, a tiny moan escaping her as he rubbed against her slickness. Gods, she loved that feeling. “Nooo, no slower,” she whined, even as a grin crossed her face. Lem clung harder to him with her thighs and rocked her hips against him. Her hands moved to cup Nic’s face and pull him down closer for a kiss. “I need you, please.”
The noise Nic made was half a laugh, half a groan, his interest in teasing her fading as she rocked against him. Her plea was all he needed to give in, and he kissed her again as he positioned himself as her entrance and began to push in. He filled her slowly, but didn’t stop until he’d filled her, and then began to rock his hips in slow thrusts that were more about the union between them than actually getting off. He wanted to hold back on that for a moment, wanted to make sure Lem was feeling as good as he was, certain that he could get off quickly and easily as soon as she was there herself. Just having her under him, begging for him and clinging to him, was a huge turn on. After everything that had happened, she truly did want him, and seeing her body reflect her words was hotter than everything else.
The sensation of Nic slowly pushing into her was exquisite, even though it stung a tiny bit. She was plenty wet and ready, it had just been a long time since they’d last done this, and Lem’s body wasn’t used to being filled. That faded quickly as Nic started to move. Gods, she had missed that feeling, far more than she’d thought. Lem gasped softly, her fingertips pressing harder into his back, glad that he wasn’t headed toward a goal just yet. She wanted to spend some time just feeling him too. Lem kissed him between breaths, her lips clinging to his just as much as the rest of her, that pressure of emotion in her chest growing and getting hotter. She’d never really known if she was capable of loving anyone in a romantic way, but Lem certainly had feelings for Nic that felt like love sometimes. She moved with him as much as she could from underneath, rocking up against him for that sweet pressure that sent happy throbs through her core.