InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Killing time. Killing flies."

Connor (leconnortemple) wrote in vas_captio_rpg,
@ 2009-12-06 02:02:00

Who: Connor Temple and Kimberly Corman
What: Look, she's not dead!
When: Bright and early in the morning
Where: Their library hideaway
Rating: Slap a PG-13 on it for safekeeping
Status: Active

He was still reeling. Sure, it had been more than 24 hours, but that didn't stop it from hurting. It had been weeks since Cutter, and months since Stephen, and those still hurt. Well... Less Stephen now that he was...well, here. But it still felt weird. And now, seeing it the way he had, unable to do a thing, had been downright painful. It had felt as awful as if he were sitting by Cutter's side, being told to do nothing all over again. Only Kimberly hadn't told him to do nothing. Well, she had. Sort of. But only if Fate were playing its part. That wasn't fate. That was cold, calculated, twisted and manipulative murder.

Connor slowly and painfully woke up from his position where he'd clearly just been dropped off wherever the powers that be had chosen. Fuckers. The others that had been in that stupid pharmacy with him were there, too. Was he going to stop and chat? No. As soon as he got his bearings, figured out where he was, and grabbed his well-loved fedora off the ground, he took off.

At first he wasn't sure where to go. Going back to the gym sounded possible. Go back to where he was at least somewhat safe, where Chris and the others usually were. Or maybe he could go by the clock tower, where they'd first met. A proper mourning, really.

But his body must have known before he did where he was going. It would hurt, but he had to go back to their saferoom. The place he'd worked so hard on for her, to keep her safe. The place where only a few nights before, he'd lay curled at her side, hoping she was warm enough and worrying about the next day. Even walking in there would make him feel about two inches tall, but he had no choice, really. His journal was in there and what few supplies he had.

The door to the library made an extra loud squeak in the early morning silence and Connor froze before realizing no one was actually around for it to bother. With a mournful sigh, he walked the rest of the way inside, glancing towards the office they'd been using. He couldn't do it. Not yet. So he wandered instead. Browsing the shelves, glancing over books that hadn't entirely molded and fallen apart. Maybe one day he'd get the urge to actually read one. Maybe.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-06 02:59 pm UTC (link)

After a while of being unsuccessful, even with Van Helsing's help, Kimberly had given up hope of finding Connor alive. She didn't want to keep looking, because part of her was afraid that if she did find him, it wouldn't be in any shape in which she'd want to see him. She'd bid Van Helsing good night (although it was still daylight) and disappeared back into the library. Connor wasn't there and she knew it, but it felt like the only place to go, so however much it hurt, she went.

The previous night, Kimberly had laid on the floor, curled up in the tighest fetal position she could manage in order to keep warm, and she'd stared at the overturned bookshelves and small, now harmless piles of books. It was a safe room because he'd made it that way. Kimberly Corman, Queen of Death Proofing, had sat back, mostly, and let someone else to the job and honestly? Connor had done a damn good job. The longer Kimberly looked around the room, the more she thought about the day before the previous and horrible things came to mind.

While she'd tried to tell herself that Connor must be out there somewhere, because he must've broken the glass to get her out, Kimberly wasn't so sure anymore. Originally, she'd thought the only way she could've gotten out of the glass and, thus, been revived had been that Connor had finally shattered his own tank, then hers, and managed to bring her back to life before they'd been separated somehow. She'd thought maybe it was all there in her mind, but pushed back because interfering meant Connor put himself on the list and she didn't want to think about that. But, the more Kimberly thought about it, the more entirely another explanation seemed the right one.

All the water pressure had probably broken the glass of Kimberly's tank. She imagined the glass shattering and her unconscious self spilling out onto the ground. Her heart sank to think that Connor might still have had enough air in his tank to be alive to watch it happen. While she'd laid there completely useless on the ground - and she imagined the chick in the leather looking down at her with disinterest as she did - Connor would've slowly run out of air until he had nothing left in the tank to breathe except carbon dioxide. Then, because Kimberly had thought that letting herself die would free him, really, all she'd done is kill him. Had she put the water half and half the way he'd all but begged her to do, Connor might still be alive and keeping her warm, she thought, since it was so damn cold.

She'd cried herself to sleep, feeling guilty and alone. The one thing she'd wanted was for Connor not to get caught up in the very thing she'd been running away from for what seemed like an age. And that one thing she had wanted not to happen so badly...had been her fault because not only had her friendship with him put him at risk, but, in the end, her stubborn desire to keep him safe had killed him.

The sound of the door opening loudly woke Kimberly from nightmares she wanted badly enough to forget that her mind forced them out as soon as her eyes opened. Normally, she'd have hidden. Without anyone she really cared about left in her life, it didn't bother her to take the chance to see who was out there. If they were there to kill her, let them; she was sick and fucking tired of running, anyway. So, she forced herself to her feet and dragged herself across the room, her face drawn with exhaustion and grief, as she pulled the office door open.

It took a moment for Kimberly to find the source of the sound, but finally her eyes fell upon a man browsing the shelves of books. The hat gave him away. "Connor?" she breathed. When she craned her neck slightly, she caught a profile of his face and knew. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened before she all but launched herself at him. "Connor!" she half-laughed, half-sobbed as she threw her arms around him and allowed herself not to care that her momentum knocked them both to the ground.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-06 07:57 pm UTC (link)

When Connor first heard his name, he didn't dare hope that it was Kimberly. There were plenty of other women in the glass dome, some he was friends with. Not that he was really looking forward to seeing Selene just then. Deep down, he knew it wasn't her fault. The more he thought, the more he knew she had to have been under some sort of control. He could remember, just under the surface of his conscious, reading something Shannon or someone had written, about guards not knowing who they were or doing things that wasn't like themselves. Though he'd only met her once, he knew that hadn't been Selene outside those tanks. But that didn't mean he wanted to talk to her. Tonks, possibly, or Ilyana or Rose or Sarah Jane... He could handle those. But not Selene. Not yet.

But when he turned to see who had spoken, he forgot how to breathe. Almost literally. He actually had to gasp in a breath in order to return to normal breathing. But he didn't have time to dwell on that before Kimberly was in his arms and they were on the ground and she was laughing and crying and he didn't know what to say. Not that Connor was exactly a smooth operator when it came to speaking to girls anyway, but now he felt especially inadequate. For one, he was shocked to even see her, alive and well and breathing and not zombiefied or anything equally weird. For another, she had literally just knocked the breath out of him, as his clumsy self hadn't been prepared for her quite abrupt arrival and had fallen as soon as she'd pounced. But mostly, he had a gorgeous girl on top of him who he'd told more than once she was beautiful. And he wasn't exactly rushing to move.

"You're.... You're okay?" he whispered, one arm still tightly around her as he reached up to carefully touch her face. It wasn't so much a romantic gesture as a need to feel skin and know that she was warm or at least not dead-body-cold. In a minute or two, when the realization that she was alive and okay set in, he'd feel really, really embarrassed at his display of affection here. But he just couldn't quite get over it. "But how? You were... I saw you. You weren't breathing. God, Kimmy, it was awful..."

Would they make a clone of her? Send her back to torture him? He wouldn't put it past them. But hell, so what if they did? If it gave him a chance to be with her one last time, so be it.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 01:11 am UTC (link)

It felt good to have Connor's arm around her; it was much easier to believe her eyes when she could feel his touch. Sniffing and turning her face slightly into his touch - partially because it felt nice and partially so that the tears brimming in her eyes wouldn't fall on his face when she blinked - Kimberly let out a soft huff of relief. "I told you I'm a pro at cheating death, didn't I?" she joked feebly. Her weak smile faded slightly and she looked at him apologetically. "I'm so sorry..." For being stubborn. For making you watch. For everything, she thought.

Looking back at him again and lifting one hand to mirror his touch, Kimberly's fingertips slid down his cheek and then she rested her hand on his shoulder as she looked down at him. "I thought you died. I mean...I thought maybe you hadn't gotten out of the tank and suffocated. I looked everywhere for you yesterday, I swear, but I don't know my way around and the only person I came across had just woken up here that morning so he had no friggen clue either..." She paused and knit her brow just slightly. "I left you a note asking if you were okay...when I checked back and you hadn't responded, I kind of gave up," she admitted ashamedly.

Kimberly took a deep breath and made no attempt to move as she looked down into his eyes. She wet her lips and offered a small smile. "I'm really glad you're okay," she said sincerely. As Kimberly studied his eyes trying to find something - anything - that would answer her unasked question, she wondered if the things Connor had said that day were spoken so that she'd hear something nice before she died. Had he meant those things or was it just his way of trying to soften the blow?

At that thought, Kimberly chewed on her bottom lip and let out a soft sigh, resting her forehead against his and closing her eyes, her nose pressed against Connor's and her lips just inches from his own. She would need to push that thought away before it ate her up inside. "I thought I'd killed you," she admitted, breathless with remorse.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 01:33 am UTC (link)

She was close. Unbelievably close. Few women had ever gotten that close to him and not run away moments later and Connor didn't dare hope she'd be in that group. But to be honest, he didn't want to let go. He was scared to let go. And maybe it would shame Cutter and Stephen and Lester if he ever admitted how scared he was to lose one solitary life, but he hated death. And he thought he'd been about to lose her and then she was there and even if he knew it wasn't likely to help considering where they were, he held the irrational fear that if he let go of her in that moment, she'd be taken away from him all over again.

That didn't, however, mean his expression wasn't shy as Kimberly looked down into his eyes like that, leaning her face so very close to his. "I couldn't," he told her quietly, gently brushing the tears off of her face with his thumb. "They had me and a few others locked up in the drugstore. That bloke who thinks he knows everything, some Asian guy who had a bunch of his fingers broken, that crazy bitch you woke up here with..." Pausing, he gave a little laugh, realizing she knew all of one person he was talking about and likely didn't give a damn. Leaning up a bit, he impulsively nuzzled her face with his, knowing he'd likely regret being this sappy and emotional later when someone, likely Kimberly herself, called him on it.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. "I didn't have my journal. I thought you were gone... I wouldn't have come looking for you anyway. I must have passed out before they pulled you out and... Well, revived you, I guess." It was still hard for Connor to believe she was still alive, all real and somewhat warm and right there with him. "Don't worry, love. It takes a lot more than that to hurt me."

Which wasn't completely true. How many times, exactly, had he almost been eaten? But Connor was relatively sure this wasn't the time to tell her that. Hopefully, if this awful Management didn't go and take away this perfect moment, there'd be plenty of time for that later.

"I need to check in with the others," he said, though he was still in no rush to get up. Despite the majority of her slight weight resting against him, he hadn't been so comfortable in at least forty-eight hours. Absently, the hand that had been resting comfortingly against Kimberly's cheek ran through her hair, letting it fall between his fingers. Considering the last time he'd seen that hair it had been swallowed up by the water, giving her a ghostly mermaid look, he was just grateful it was there and dry and still perfectly soft.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 02:14 am UTC (link)

As Connor told her why he hadn't replied to her on the journal and went on to tell her who was with him where he'd been locked up, Kimberly joined him in a quiet laugh. "Told you she was batshit," she teased. Kimberly's smile melted away and she let out a soft breath when Connor nuzzled her face with his own. Swallowing thickly, Kimberly tried to ignore the fluttering in her stomach and the way that her heart raced. That was the point at which Kimberly really realized just how much Connor had come to mean to her in such a short time. It wasn't new for her to feel so much so soon, especially after Thomas, but she hadn't really realized that Connor made her feel that way. She knew she cared about him and she knew that he made her feel happy and safe, but she hadn't really put it all together until just then.

But then he moved on. Kimberly nodded and took another deep breath. "Right, yeah, might wanna do that. Make sure your other friends know you're okay," she agreed. For a moment, she just stayed in place, eyelids fluttering closed as she let out a soft hum of relaxation at the sensation of Connor's fingers in her hair. Her eyes opened again and she looked into his for a short moment. Clearing her throat, Kimberly gave him a sheepish smile. "I should, uh...move then, huh? So you can do that," she replied with a small smile.

Except, I don't want to, she thought. Kimberly laid still, her hand moving from his cheek and into his hair briefly before she gave him another small, sheepish smile and let her hand fall away. If that wasn't going to warrant some kind of response from him other than an agreement that she should get up so he could write his other friends, nothing was.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 02:49 am UTC (link)

God, mixed signals left and right, Temple. So many he was confusing even himself. He should get up and at least scribble a journal entry to Stephen and Tonks and Chris and Andy and see if they'd come out of the last three days. Or he should tell Kimberly that he'd meant every word he'd said, even if it had only been said when it did because he was afraid she'd never hear it again. He could gently move her or he could snog her.

And it was that last thought that had him flushing pink, glancing away from her searching gaze. How was he to know where her thoughts were right then? Hell, Connor didn't even know where his own thoughts were yet. But he did know he couldn't complain about having her so close. He liked it. A lot. In a way he'd only ever actually felt with Abby. Not even Caroline had given him that warm rush that was shooting through his body at that moment. So what made Kimberly so special that his eyes kept drifting to her lips instead of the rest of her face like a normal person?

So he settled on something in the middle. Not rushing to get away from her, but not pressing his lips gently to hers, either. "Want to explain to me why it scared me half to death when I thought you were gone even though I've known you, what, a week?" Because you were falling for her hard and fast, Temple, but lord knew he wouldn't be saying that out loud. Maybe.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 03:17 am UTC (link)

It was everything Kimberly could do not to ask him bluntly whether he was going to kiss her or whether she ought to just move and let him do whatever it was that he needed to do now that they were reunited. Connor's eyes moved away when she tried to meet them and that was enough for Kimberly. Right, well, that was settled. Kimberly looked away as well.

Except that Connor wasn't prodding her away...and he wasn't moving either. "Um...?" she stalled as she looked back up at him. "Maybe...you...felt like it was your fault when really it wasn't?" she suggested. Kimberly felt like her head was going to explode from the sheer curiosity. She really wanted to know why he'd said the things he'd said. So, just ask him, she thought. Maybe Connor was scared when he'd thought she was gone because he cared.

"Connor...all that stuff you said the other day..." she started awkwardly, her face growing hot and her cheeks going pink. "Um, I mean was that all just..." her voice trailed off and she looked back down at Connor, giving a small shrug against him. "You know, because I was dying?" She paused and replayed the words in her head, then barrelled on quickly. "Like, I mean it's okay if it was, I'm just curious," she added as casually as she could manage. Then, she met his eyes again to try and gauge his expression.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 03:45 am UTC (link)

Connor gave a hint of a smile that faded quickly. Of course he'd meant it. Did he have the courage to tell her that, though? He should. They'd sent him back to that day he'd almost lost Abby. He thought he had. He'd been so afraid that she would be gone before he'd ever get to say it that he'd blurted his feelings to her. And while he knew what he felt for Kimberly wasn't quite on the same level, he knew he cared. Deeply. Maybe it was only because they were in a life or death situation every single day. Maybe it was because she leaned on him, called him her hero. Maybe it was just knowing they may not have long at all to live and there he'd been presented with near perfection in his arms.

Dammit. If he didn't do it, he'd regret it. Chances were, he'd regret it if he did do it. What would Andy do? Or Chris? They sure as hell wouldn't let being scared stop them. How'd the saying go? Easy to apologize than ask for permission? Tilting his head just so, he brought his mouth against Kimberly's, breathing in just before their lips touched.

The second he pulled back, a flash of embarrassment ran through him. "Does that answer your question?" he asked, his laugh strained. "Look, sorry about that. Got a bit ahead of myself and all. Um. Right. Maybe I should go...uh. Do something. Look somewhere for...something." Oh, hell, he was a wreck. A completely painfully awkward wreck. If she rolled away from him in disgust he certainly wouldn't blame her. But he may as well bury himself completely before he finished. "You know I think you're beautiful. I've told you that before so uh... Yeah. I meant it. What I said in there."

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 04:06 am UTC (link)

However brief the kiss, it took Kimberly by a very pleasant surprise. She looked down at him and smiled slightly as he stumbled his way awkwardly through an apology and Kimberly shook her head. "I thought I'd have to wait forever, actually," she whispered with a small smirk. Chewing her bottom lip, she watched Connor's face as he confirmed that he'd meant the things he'd said, never mind the fact that she'd been dying when he'd said them. Mainly, because he'd reminded her that he had told her before that he'd found her attractive. Beautiful, actually, he'd said and that made her smile a little bit more.

"Then thank you," she said softly before pressing her lips against his again, smiling into the kiss. Her hands made their way into his hair again and she relaxed against him. Her kiss, too, was brief and when she pulled away, she looked down at Connor, searching his eyes. "I meant everything I said, too," she admitted quietly. Just after, Kimberly took a deep breath and pushed herself up, climbing carefully off of Connor and sitting beside him, looking down at him. "You should let your friends know you're okay," she whispered, sounding amused before standing again and wrapping her arms around herself against the cold. "And, for what it's worth, I'm really glad you came back here. To the library, I mean," she replied.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 04:16 am UTC (link)

A warm, peaceful feeling settled over him. Not only hadn't she kneed him in the groin, slapped him, and called him an idiot, she'd kissed him back. Just as gently, just as sweetly, but a kiss just the same. Never mind that she'd said she'd been waiting for him to do just that. Connor smiled even as she was pulling away, sliding off of him and moving to a standing position. For a moment he simply lay there, looking up at her with an almost smug smile. And really, he figured he deserved it. Connor so rarely made the first move. The few times he did, it was typically rejected. For once in his twenty-three years, he'd gotten it right.

Finally, he pulled himself into a sitting position, then slowly pulled himself to his feet. "You're freezing," he commented, standing in front of her for a moment, lightly rubbing her upper arms to help get a bit of feeling back into them. "Never mind, that's what I'm here for now." His smile was teasing though as he paused long enough to tweak Kimberly's nose gently before moving towards the saferoom. "Just think," he called out to her, "if I'd headed straight on in, you'd have had quite the wake up call."

A bouncy had been added to his ordinarily jaunty step as he returned to the main library with his journal in hand. "Never thought I'd miss this thing," he continued rambling, still a bit shy with this tiny nudge of their friendship into a new direction. Connor dropped into a chair at one of the library's tables and glanced up, offering her a smile. Lightly, he patted the chair beside him, silently inviting Kimberly to join him. Assuming she wasn't sick of him already, and who would blame her if she was?

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 04:37 am UTC (link)

Blushing slightly, Kimberly rolled her eyes playfully and chewed her bottom lip as Connor looked up at her smugly. Her nose wrinkled with embarrassment and she shook her head. "C'mon, get up," she laughed as he sat up. Following him with her eyes as he stood, Kimberly weakly smiled with gratitude when he stepped up to her and rubbed her arms to warm her, pointing out the obvious.

Given the fact that when she'd gone with him to the thrift shop, all she'd been thinking about had been shoes, Kimberly didn't have any other clothes and thus was still clad in her tank top and pajama pants. "Yeah? Good to know, because you're right. I'm freezing my ass off," she replied with a giggle as he tweaked her nose and moved away toward the office.

"Yeah, well, it would've been welcome," she called back as she followed him. She stopped again, though, hugging herself once again at his absence, when he returned into the main room with his journal. "Oh, yeah, right?" she asked with a small smile. Connor sat down at one of the tables and patted the chair next to him. His smile and the gesture seemed a silent invitation, but Kimberly shivered and shook her head.

"Thanks, but...I'm going back in the safe room. It's way warmer in there," she commented, looking up at the gaping hole in the ceiling through which the tree was growing before looking back at Connor with raised eyebrows. "But take your time, okay? Don't feel like you have to rush writing the others on my behalf; I'm not going anywhere," she added quickly with a genuine smile before backing away and disappearing into the safe room again to curl up in a ball on the floor where she'd been laying before. When he was ready, Connor would come back in, she was confident, so she could wait. Knowing that he was alive and in the next room made her feel far more okay with waiting for him than she'd felt the night before, anyway.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 05:23 am UTC (link)

Well if that didn't make him feel about two inches tall, nothing would. For a few minutes, he simply sat staring at the journal, wondering just what he'd done wrong. He'd have sworn she'd kissed him back. That second kiss, she'd initiated it. It wasn't too much, he was almost certain, and he was fairly certain it wasn't too little because at least it'd been something, right?

What if it hadn't been the kiss at all? What if he had said something wrong? Something about her wake up call, or maybe he wasn't supposed to want the journal back. Maybe she thought he was a rubbish friend for not going out there and finding them in person. Or maybe he was being a rubbish friend to her by taking the time out to write at all.

Sighing, he wrote briefly, journaling a few thoughts here and there as well as signing off on Stephen's roll call and checking in on a few others. No sign of Tonks, though, or Chris, and that worried him. He'd find them soon enough.

When he figured he'd given her enough time to stew over what classically stupid Connor move he'd gone and done this time, he gathered his journal and the pen he'd been using, plus a few of the books he'd found before she'd tackled him. Literally. He knocked lightly on the door to the safe room, poking his head in. "Peace offering?" he asked, giving a sheepish smile and waving the book in his hand. A very childish copy of The Wizard of Oz would be looking back at her, its smiling, happy cover offering her a cheerful read in the darkest of places.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 05:34 am UTC (link)

It seemed to take Connor a while to come back to the room and Kimberly wondered if maybe her having kissed him back was more than he had bargained for. Maybe it was too forward. Maybe Connor was one of those old-fashioned guys - ugh - who didn't like the woman to make any moves. Or, she tried to tell herself, maybe he had gotten a hold of one of his friends in the process of writing to another and he was taking a little longer to check in with them. She couldn't rightfully begrudge him that, could she?

When she heard the knock on the door, Kimberly looked up and smiled when he poked his head in. Immediately after his having spoken, though, she looked back at him, confused. "Peace offering?" she asked, raising her eyebrows in question. "Why? Did you do something I should be mad about?" she joked. Her eyes moved to the book and her expression lit up like a Christmas tree. "Oh my God, that's been my favorite book since I was, like, four and my mom started reading me all the Oz series books!" she squealed excitedly, sitting up again.

As she gushed about the choice of book he'd brought to her - seriously, peace offering??? she thought - Kimberly realized that Connor hadn't actually come into the room. "Uh...you can come in you know," she said with a small smile that didn't quite match her apologetic eyes. "I promise not to kiss you again," she added sheepishly, holding her hands up defensively. "I'm sorry if, you know, that was too much or whatever." Then, she paused and beckoned him in with two fingers. "Hurry up and close the door behind you, it's fricken cold out there," she added as a chill ran down her spine causing her to shudder and wrap her arms around herself again.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 05:52 am UTC (link)

Connor reveled in her praise, glowing at the knowledge that he'd made her so happy. It was as if he was a little kid who'd just gotten a gold star on a paper. And, as a little kid, he'd gotten quite a few gold stars on paper, so he knew what it was like to be proud of those. Even if most of the time his dad had just given him a pat on the shoulder and let it go, those shiny stars had been miraculous to Connor, and the expression on Kimberly's face did the same thing to him.

But then she kept talking. And apologized for kissing him? What? "No!" he blurted, at least taking the hint and stepping the rest of the way in the room and closing the door behind him. "No, it's not... I thought you wouldn't..." Oh, he was so in over his head. Where the hell was Stephen when he needed him? Though that would probably look pretty awkward, pausing to turn to Stephen to figure out what he should do in the middle of flirting. Or whatever it was he was attempting to do.

Taking a deep breath, he settled on the floor by his side, the book in his lap. It was old and weathered, but the weather hadn't had a direct impact on it thanks to the shelf covering it. "I thought... You left so quickly, I thought maybe... I mean, we didn't have to. We don't have to. I just thought..." His cheeks were flushing furiously and he stared down at the cover leading to the Emerald City.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 06:00 am UTC (link)

At Connor's quick and vehement response, Kimberly startled slightly, her eyes widening for just a moment in surprise before her brow knit and she craned her neck forward just slightly, trying to understand what Connor was trying to say. How cute are you? she thought, endeared. He has no idea what he's talking about, either, I bet...

Kimberly watched as he took a deep breath and settled beside her after having closed the door behind himself and letting himself all the way in again. As he stumbled through what Kimberly thought was maybe some kind of apology, she smiled back at him and shook her head, reaching over to touch his shoulder gingerly and give it a quick squeeze. "Connor? It's like four degrees outside and I'm wearing a tank top. There's a huge ass hole in the ceiling of the main room. Do the math, sweeite," she teased, winking.

So, she hadn't overstepped her boundaries, at least. That was a plus. Kimberly wasn't entirely sure she understood what he meant when he went on, though, so her smile faded into another look of confusion. "We don't have to...? You thought what? You're losin' me, Hero," she admitted finally, tipping her her just slightly to the side as she observed him looking down at the cover of the book.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 06:11 am UTC (link)

He was such an awkward mess. If he didn't get his act together, he'd blow it, right then and there. "We really need to get you some warmer clothes soon," he pointed out rather needlessly. As if she didn't know she was likely to freeze. "And maybe find some more blankets." Against his better judgment, considering the course of the conversation, he reached out, pulling her lightly against him, attempting to give her some warmth from his own body heat. He wasn't exactly dressed for ice and snow, but he was certainly dressed more warmly than she was.

"I'm just saying," Connor began again a moment or two later, "that... I mean, if that was...weird out there, or whatever... Don't worry about it. It doesn't have to happen again." As awful a thought as that was, Connor was, despite his lame attempts at trying to be the ladies man, a gentleman at heart. He would never push his limits with Kimberly, not if she didn't want it. Even if he did want to pull her into his lap and offer to keep her warm in other ways and...

Well. He was a gentleman at heart, not at hormones.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 06:20 am UTC (link)

"Yeah, no kidding," Kimberly laughed, shivering again. "Blankets would be so awesome," she breathed. When Connor pulled her against him, Kimberly took that initiative to nestle herself closer. While he wasn't dressed a whole lot more warmly, it was better than a tank top and a pair of thin cotton pants. He was warm and, once again, in spite of everything, Kimberly felt safe. She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, still tired from having such a restless night.

"It wasn't weird," Kimberly replied simply and matter-of-factly as she shrugged nonchalantly. "I wouldn't have kissed you back if it was, for one thing, and for another, I wouldn't have kissed you back if I didn't want it to happen. You know, for what it's worth," she yawned. "Oh, my freakin' God, I barely slept last night," she complained, shivering against him and cuddling closer still.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 06:35 am UTC (link)

Connor reveled in holding her there. It was a fantastic feeling, knowing she needed him. No. Better. Knowing she wanted him. She didn't just keep herself near him for warmth, she was practically cuddling. And he wouldn't lie. He loved the feeling of Kimberly's head on his shoulder and his arms protecting her chilled skin. But her words... No, those were what he really needed. Knowledge that she genuinely cared. That it hadn't been one sided, that impulsive kiss on the library floor. Awkward spot for a first kiss, but memorable at least.

Lightly, he touched his lips to Kimberly's temple, smoothing his hand over her hair reassuringly. "Why don't you try and get some sleep first? Then we'll go blanket hunting. Elliot even said something about the gym being full of food. Someone's got to try it first, but after that..." He gave her a hopeful smile. Who knew, it'd be almost like a real date, wouldn't it? Or not. Dates didn't typically involve grabbing food just because it was there and you were desperate for something with some flavor. It also typically involved a film or maybe some of that golf with the tiny putters and the neon colored golf balls. But still, it was something.

"Or, we could go grab you some blankets first," he offered, almost teasingly. "I can't possibly be all that warm and comfy."

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-07 07:08 am UTC (link)

Kimberly felt Connor's lips on her temple and she smiled weakly, yawning again. "K," she replied. Food sounded amazing, especially since she hadn't eaten anything of real sustainance in days, but mostly, sleep sounded better. A soft hum came from Kimberly as she nudged his neck with her head in her attempt to move into a more comfortable sleeping position. The cold, she could deal with. Kimberly was a New Yorker, born and raised, so she was no stranger to it.

Shifting away from Connor, Kimberly laid down on the floor, curling into the fetal position and resting her head in his lap. She let out another soft yawn and reached up for one of his hands, guiding it to her arm as if to demonstrate how he could still keep her warm but let her stay in a more comfortable position to do so. "You're pretty comfy," she refuted. "And I spend my whole life in New York; this is nothing. It's not too bad in here, anyway, because it's all closed up and little. Wake me up in, like, an hour?" she asked.

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leconnortemple
2009-12-07 06:52 pm UTC (link)

He never would've thought he'd be this comfortable letting somene, a girl, a pretty girl, nuzzle all up against him, but he was. And Connor actually enjoyed it. Besides, she was keeping him warm in the process. "Climates are probably pretty similar, I'd bet," he said quietly, running his fingers through her hair where it spilled over his knee. "England and New York. Both pretty far north and all."

Well, that was one way to get her to take a nap. Bore her to sleep. Always worked on Abby. A guilty little pang ran through his stomach at the thought of his blond flatmate, but he pushed it away as he looked down at the nearly asleep Kimberly. "You just get some rest, I'll wake you soon enough. Then we'll go shopping, make a day of it." With his journal open by his side so he could keep an eye on the incoming news, he opened the book he'd brought in and started reading it to himself. Kimberly was definitely too old for bedtime stories.

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cheatingdeath
2009-12-08 03:14 am UTC (link)

Yawning, Kimberly nuzzled her head against his knee. "I've never been to England. Or anywhere, really. I guess now I never will," she mumbled sleepily. His fingers felt nice in her hair and she started to really relax for the first time in months. For the first time since the night before she, Shaina, Dano, and Frankie were going to head to Daytona. "I love the way you make me feel," she murmured mostly to herself.

Connor's promise that he'd wake her, however vague, was enough for her. Connor being with her now would ensure her, she hoped, a restful sleep with no nightmares. It'd been a long time since the last time she'd slept without some kind of terrifying interruption to her slumber. "Thank you," she whispered and then hummed out a yawn as she tried to keep it to herself. "You're the best." With that sentiment, Kimberly let sleep take her.

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