RP: Trial and Error Who: Kit/Astoria When: Sunday, June 25 [way backdated, sorry!] Where: Astoria's flat What: Kit and Astoria spend some quality time together after her concert. Warnings: Snogging, blushing, absurd embarrassment?
There was no doubt in her mind that Astoria had just about hit the limit of social interaction she could handle for the day, though she was enjoying herself. After the crowd had begin to disperse, she'd gone home, put the flowers in a vase and set them on a table in her living room, and then changed into a dress that was probably a touch more fancy than something like this called for but was such a lovely shade of blue that she couldn't resist. She'd kept things simple with accessories, choosing only a pair of earrings and lightly touching up her neutral makeup from the concert.
That had been nearly three hours ago. They'd met up at a pub around the corner from the concert hall, and she'd been tremendously grateful when Kit had shown up. She was only mildly embarrassed that she'd held his hand under the table for most of the time they'd been there. She'd had a few drinks, but still not quite enough to truly relax in such a crowd of people, even if she'd known many of them for years through the orchestra.
Only after a couple of other people left did Astoria turn to Kit and say, "I think it's about time to head out. Would you escort me home?" Proper social etiquette wouldn't let her be the first to leave, but she felt it wouldn't be rude now to do so.
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Kit had been more than happy to go out with her and some of her musician friends after the concert. He liked the fact that she wanted to have him around her friends more than just in passing. One of his very few relationships had involved not wanting him around the friends, possibly because he'd been well liked. He didn't understand it, but it had been a red flag in retrospect.
It didn't stop him now from being charming and nice to everyone, and it helped that he was able to converse easily enough about music even though it wasn't his primary art that he studied. It was definitely nice that she'd kept ahold of him most of the time with a discreetly held hand, and he'd leaned against her, shoulder to shoulder, sometimes thigh against thigh, in a discreet way some of the time, affectionate without it being in your face. He'd glanced at her and made sure to include her in any conversation he had, using her as a benchmark for if he was behaving appropriately.
So far, it felt like she approved. And he rather liked her musician friends, which was nice.
He'd had a few drinks while out, probably one more than he'd intended given they just kept bringing them to people half the time. But he wasn't drunk, not by any stretch, just nicely relaxed. "I would love to escort you home," he said easily, and he rose and helped her to her feet, brushing another kiss on the back of her hand bfore turning to say his goodbyes alongside her to the others who were there.
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When he agreed, Astoria stood up and smiled at the kiss to her hand, then turned to give her goodbyes to her friends, though that was probably too familiar a term for them. They'd known each other for years, performed together many times, but she wasn't close with any of them. She had so few people she was truly close with.
"There's an apparation point just around the corner," she told him as she turned her hand in his so their fingers were entwined as well. "I was thinking perhaps you could stay for a bit tonight," she said once they were outside, feeling ridiculously shy at even attempting to flirt with him. They'd been dating, officially, for a month now, and she still felt like she had no idea what she was doing. But she did know that she wanted to kiss him, and not necessarily the sweet and gentle kisses hello or goodnight that they'd shared thus far.
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His fingers squeezed hers. He hadn't minded going slow so far; he preferred, it, as a matter of fact, and not feeling pressure to do or be more right away with a relief he didn't know how to voice. Pretending intimacy was one thing; actually being intimate was something else, and he had never liked being pushed too fast before he got to know someone. Odd for a man, he'd been told, but he didn't automatically think with his other head and never had.
"I would love to stay for a bit," he told her, flashing her a warm smile. "I even brought you some of your favorite wine, to celebrate with, if you'd like to open the bottle when we get there." Not that he was trying to inebriate her or anything, but he had brought it not certain if they'd be going out afterward or not. He knew a lot of people preferred to go straight home.
Himself, he'd like a chance to lounge around with her for a little while in privacy, for all he'd enjoyed going out. They weren't often alone-alone, honoring propriety and each other's enjoyment of privacy, though he was affectionate with her as much as he felt she was comfortable with.
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That smile had her stomach fluttering with nerves - the good sort, she thought, but nerves nonetheless. "Oh! Did you?" she said, immensely pleased that he'd done so. She did love a good wine, and he definitely knew that about her by now, and she adored that he knew her well enough to be able to choose one of her favorites. Normally she would have preferred going straight home, but concerts were one of the few times she made it a point of socializing publicly with her fellow musicians.
"Shall I?" she asked, offering to apparate them both when they reached the point. When he agreed, she pulled her wand and a moment later they were arriving in her living room with a pop. She slipped her shoes off and tucked them under the bench near the front door before tugging him over to the couch. Once he was seated, she sat next to him, curling her legs under her in a small gesture of how comfortable she was with him. She couldn't remember ever being so comfortable with a man in this sort of situation before, and it was something she was still marveling at.
"Oh! We'll need wineglasses," she realized a moment after sitting. She pulled out her wand and summoned two glasses from the kitchen and then held them out for him to pour once he had the bottle of wine out.
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"Yes. I thought you deserved it, especially after that solo," he said, a teasing smile lurking around his lips even though he would have had it for her regardless of how well she played. He tried to make a point of spoiling her, at least a little, in the only little ways he knew how -- attention and little gifts and things.
His hand slipped into hers. Probably best if she did it, he thought after a second, thinking he was probably just a bit buzzed at this point. Not dangerously so, but enough that it was better for her to take the wheel anyway. So to speak.
He followed her example and toed off his shoes. He'd already shed his jacket, for he had dressed to attend the concert, though he plucked the shrunken wine bottle, still perfectly chilled, from its pocket before he set it down.
One arm went over her shoulders comfortably as they sat, and then Kit grinned as she realized she'd forgotten the glasses. He had to remove his arm if only to deal with the wine bottle, resizing it and removing the cork, and he poured them full glasses carefully. "To a brilliant performance," he said, eyes warm as he lifted his glass and regarded her over it.
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Astoria's smile took an a shy edge at his compliment, though she did feel it was deserved. She'd worked hard for this concert, and she was quite proud of how it had turned out. She lifted her glass as well, clinking it against his gently. "Thank you," she murmured before taking a small sip from it.
"Mmm, my mum has been harassing me about having you over for dinner sometime soon," she told him. It was something they'd talked about here and there before, that both sets of their parents were going to want to have them over at some point. Honestly, she was amazed that her mother hadn't orchestrated something by now, considering it had been a month since that Birdie column had outed them as dating. She thought that perhaps attending the Gala together combined with their other public dates had kept her mother appeased that Astoria was taking the proper steps with him.
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He took a larger sip, though not wasteful as this was wine to be enjoyed and not wasted. "As my mother has said similar," he said wryly. She'd not been terribly subtle about it, either. But then, she didn't tend to be when she was talking to him about bringing a nice girl home.
Very pointed, those reminders. And the comments. His mother was a bit sharp tongued.
A bit being a mild understatement.
"I would suggest us doing one big dinner for all of them but honestly that might be juuuuust a bit much for us," he said, smiling down at her wryly.
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"I was actually talking to Callie about it this week. She suggested doing a dinner party, and it might not be a bad idea," she told him. She definitely agreed that one big dinner for them all would be a bit much, but perhaps two smaller dinner parties could be doable.
She bit her lower lip as she considered it. "I was thinking perhaps my parents and Daphne, I'd ask her to bring Draco along - my parents have always adored him." A bit too much honestly, considering they'd been negotiating a marriage contract between her and him. She couldn't help feeling extraordinarily grateful that Mr Malfoy had been taken out of the picture and those negotiations had been left unfinished. Burning that contract with Daphne had been somewhat cathartic.
"And we could do something similar with your parents as well, perhaps asking Terence to come along with his girlfriend." Not that she had any particular desire to be around Kit's brother. She was perhaps smarting a bit still from how rude he'd been in those messages last month.
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He hmmmed. "Not a bad idea." He would be all right with a bigger party... after they'd dealt with the families individually. But having two mothers gang up on them at one time? At this point? It would probably overwhelm the both of them. But a dinner party apiece? That was a good idea. He'd have to thank Callie.
"That would be a nice buffer to start with," he said after letting the idea roll around in his mind for a moment. He sipped his wine again. Though he never had the impression that Daphne actually thought much of him. Draco, however, he got on with well enough.
"That wouldn't be bad, if you can take Terence," he said, not having forgotten that bit of conflict. "But on the other hand, mother really doesn't care for Silviya very much... not a pureblood, you know," he intoned in that voice that implied a massive eye roll. "That will just make her love you even more."
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As he thought it over, Astoria waited patiently, not one to rush anyone because she absolutely despised being rushed herself. Giving things all due consideration was important to her, and she appreciated that he seemed to be similar in that respect. "I think so, as well," she agreed. At least it would split her parents focus a bit, anyway, which was her primary goal.
"If he can behave himself, we won't have a problem," she murmured, and she absolutely would not admit that she was pouting at all. She just really did not like being teased by people she was not close to, and even then she knew she could be a bit overly sensitive about some things.
At the mention of her blood status, Astoria did roll her eyes, and then she wrinkled her nose that it would make his mother like her more in comparison. "Would you think me awful if I admitted I wasn't worried about her liking me? More the opposite - I'm afraid they'll approve too much and become more intrusive in attempting to pressure us to progress at a pace not of our choosing," she admitted.
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Kit, given his druthers, preferred to think things through and consider them from more than one angle. He was the sort that liked a good plan, in the long run. Not pinned down to the last detail, no, but an outline at least.
"I can make no promises for my brother," he admitted with a sigh and a bit of a frown, and his fingers found and gently tugged a strand of hair, playing with it idly. "Terence is... Terence. I love him, but he's a massive pain in the arse as well." One he'd never, ever live up to or outshine. "I can ask him to leave be, but that might just make him go ahead and do it more." Because he was difficult that way.
He chuckled, just a little, under his breath. "Well, they won't push us faster than we wish, I promise," he said, tilting her face up and giving her a reassuring smile before dropping a small kiss on her lips to seal that promise.
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That was unfortunate, but Astoria had expected as much. She'd certainly gotten that impression from Terence when they'd been messaging. "Well then, perhaps it's best not to say anything about it to him, and just hope for the best." Though with any luck if he did agree to a family dinner and bring his girlfriend as well, the other woman would encourage him to be on his best behavior.
She smiled appreciatively at his reassurance and returned the small kiss. And then she took a sip of her wine, her cheeks tinging a bit as a thought came to her. "Are you... content with the pace we've taken thus far?" she asked him, feeling a bit silly at the butterflies in her stomach for broaching the subject. This thing with him though, pursuing this sort of thing with a man, was still so very new for her, and it made her nervous.
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"Silviya will take care of him if he gets too far out of hand," he did assure her. "She's a good sort. I don't know her as well as I'd like, but she's always been nice to me so far." And he hadn't gone on teasing her when she'd first gotten with Ter, either.
Kit looked at her in a small bit of surprised, fingers stilling from where they'd been playing with her hair. "I've been very happy with us so far," he told her after a moment to get his thoughts together, a little harder than usual given that he'd had a bit to drink. "I hope I haven't given you any other impression or disappointed you thus far."
Because that ... had been a problem more than once in the past. His slowness, his enjoyment of getting to know someone... criticized because he hadn't just wanted to grope them and bed them in the first few weeks.
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Well, that was a relief, as it paralleled her own thoughts on Silviya. Hopefully they would be able to convince her and Terence to join them for a family dinner when they caved and hosted it. And she did rather love that it was something they were both willing to do. She didn't doubt his interest in her, but it was comforting to know that they seemed to be on the same page that the other was someone they wanted to introduce to their parents.
She was almost disappointed when her question made him stop playing with her hair, as it was a simple thing that she rather enjoyed. She was quietly pleased with her answer, though, and it showed in her smile, the way it touched her eyes. At his next words, though, her eyes widened. "No! Not in the least," she assured him.
"Honestly, it's been such a relief to not feel rushed or pressured. I've enjoyed every bit of getting to know you better since Paris. I... Well, I've never really done this before," she admitted, glancing down at her wine and then peeking over at him through her lashes. "I'd never gone on a date with someone I felt comfortable enough with to truly date - until you."
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Her reassuring answer made him relax before he'd even realized he'd tensed a little, and his fingers started to play with her hair again, enjoying its softness between his fingers. He didn't tangle it, merely played with the lock rather idly.
"Oh good," he admitted in something of a rush of air. "I would never want you to feel either of those. It's... been an issue, in the past? Not me rushing, others... pushing faster than I'm always comfortable with right away." For all he could be immensely physically affectionate, he never pushed with it, and his hands with her had never strayed beyond what he felt she was comfortable with.
He hadn't wanted to make things awkward, or to rush, even though he found himself increasingly wanting to kiss her more, which was both surprising in some ways, given how slowly he warmed up at times, and a small bit frightening because it really had been so long since he'd really snogged someone and it meant something.
"I'm glad you feel that comfortable," he said quietly, and he brushed the end of her lock of hair lightly along her pinked cheek. "I hope you'll always tell me if I do anything to make you less so." The hair brushed over her lips softly.
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It felt good to see him relax that little bit, and she smiled warmly at him, pleased when he started playing with her hair again. She'd never really had that sort of casual intimacy with someone before, never let anyone get this close to her in this sort of way, and it was as nerve-wracking as it was exciting. "Ahh," she breathed at his admission. "I understand that feeling, and I would never wish to make you feel that way, either."
Because there had been several men in the past that she'd gone on dates with who, when kissing her good night, had attempted to push things further, and that was a terrifying thing for her, as her defensive magic was basic at best. It was part of why she'd very carefully not been alone with any men in the past aside from the few she counted among her closest friends, like Blaise.
The way he brushed her hair along her cheek tickled her a bit, and she blushed a bit more pink. "Of course I will," she promised, blowing softly at the hair he brushed over her lips. She was struck very suddenly with the thought that she wished it was his lips and not her hair there at that moment. While she still wasn't ready to push the physical side of things much yet, she could admit that she was curious about the way kissing him could set the butterflies loose in her stomach. "And in the spirit of that, I feel that perhaps it would be appropriate to admit that... well, I've wondered - thought about it quite a lot, actually - about kissing you," she admitted, her voice barely louder than a whisper, and her chin tipped down shyly.
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"You don't." She never pushed. Had yet to make him feel that awkward discomfort and self awareness that he wasn't normal. He didn't know if she could achieve that, unless it was on purpose. He was being more open than normal with her, or anyone, about this sort of thing. It left him, he knew, wide open for hurt in the future. But she'd never given him cause to distrust her.
For all his perceived outgoing-ness, reality showed Kit sometimes played his hand close to his chest, so to speak. This wasn't atypical for a Slytherin, though.
He let go of her hair but then his larger hand was cupping gently but firmly around her jaw, tipping it back up as she let him do so. Lips brushed lightly over hers, butterfly light, but he pulled back to speak for a moment before he did anything else.
"Seems we're much on the same thoughts," he said, a faint rumble of amusement in his voice, and he dropped another feathery kiss on her lips. He was a very good kisser, and also very good at teasing, it seemed. "You can have kisses whenever you wish, Astoria."
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As his hand cupped her jaw, she felt her heart begin to race, but she didn't resist when he tilted her head back up to him. Those feather light kisses seemed to take her breath away, and her entire body felt warm from it. How was that even possible? No one she had ever kissed had made her feel quite like this. The women she'd been with in the past, it had all been heat and passion, something hurried and explosive. This was something quieter but no less intense.
Her hand wasn't quite steady as she lifted it to cup his jaw in turn, returning the soft kisses. "Are we?" she asked softly. Had he too been wanting to explore more of this kissing thing, then? "Well then, I think I'd quite like them a bit more frequently," she admitted, feeling utterly silly actually saying the words. "And perhaps... even a bit... more." Gods, her cheeks felt so red!
It seemed that talking was only making her feel ridiculous, and so she kissed him, then. Her lips were soft and firm, leaving the feather light kisses behind for a moment as she tried to tell him without words the sort of kiss she was craving just then. Her lips parted against his as she sought to deepen it, her stomach positively fluttering in fear that perhaps that wasn't the sort of thing he wanted just yet.
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His lips curved against hers in a smile as she spoke. "Then you shall have them." Part of his more recent slowness, at least, was that he'd been attempting to figure out how she felt about more. But he wasn't always great about just... asking, because it took admitting he wasn't always good at reading a situation like this.
Despite being quieter, the passion was no less there in him. Not explosive, at least not just yet, but still there, igniting slowly but with the potential for so much more.
Fingers swept back and tangled in her hair as she kissed him, and he responded instantly in kind. His mouth slanted more firmly over hers and he sighed against her mouth, almost a moan.
Then as her lips parted, his tongue flicked over them, coaxing them even more apart, and swept into her mouth. She tasted like wine and something that was all her, and his tongue slid against hers in invitation to explore and play.
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Warmth curled in her belly when he returned the kiss, at the feel of his hand pushing into her hair. It was still pulled back, but his fingers had already loosened the style, making more strands spill out over his hand. And when he took her silent invitation and deepened the kiss, she was embarrassed by the soft sound she made against his mouth, something that sounded awfully close to a moan.
She was still holding the wine, though she'd forgotten all about it as he kissed her, as she kissed him back, marveling at how different and new it was from the kisses she'd experienced in the past. She didn't even realize that her wine was spilling on his lap until the glass slipped from her fingers, and she broke the kiss with a startled gasp and wide eyes.
"Oh gods, I am so sorry!" she squeaked, quickly pulling her wand out. But she was flustered and utterly embarrassed and not nearly as focused as she ought to have been, so when she cast the spell to clean the wine from his pants, more than just the wine disappeared, and she was soon staring at his bare legs and the shorts he had on underneath that covered him up but didn't quite hide the outline of him. She dropped her wand and covered her face with both hands, mortification turning her face a brilliant shade of red.
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Kit chuckled faintly and tried to tell her it was all right. It wasn't a big deal, and it could be easily enough fixed. Or he could always buy a new pair. It didn't bother him any. In a way it was a compliment given that she'd been distracted enough by their kisses to actually spill her wine.
"Don't worry, love," he said, and then his pants were gone and the air was cool against bare skin. He wasn't embarrassed, not really. It was a bit more self consciousness than he was used to feeling in front of, say, a camera, but he wasn't actively embarrassed.
His chuckle was soft and kind, and his hands reached up to press over hers on her face, trying to gently coax them down. "It's all right, Astoria. Don't worry." He leaned in a pressed kiss to the visible nose. "Come on, it's all right, I promise."
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Would the mortification ever fade, Astoria wondered, peeking very slightly through her fingers at him. He was chuckling though, and that had to be a good thing, right? She let him ease her hands down and forced herself to meet his gaze.
"I'm sorry. I know it's terribly ridiculous! I've seen you in less than this, but..." But this situation had been wildly different than the photo shoot she'd seen him at. "But I've... I've never done this with a man before," she admitted, and if her cheeks weren't already red before, they certainly were now. "And you make me so nervous! Not... No, not you-- you're wonderful."
She closed her eyes again, pressing her hands against her cheeks as if it would cool some of the heat in them. "I'm just terribly overwhelmed with how strongly I feel for you," she admitted, letting her eyes open again. Not to mention how overwhelming her curiosity was about how things might be with him physically--between Blaise and Daphne making comments, how could she not wonder?
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He felt a pang, as he'd never intended her to get this flustered or embarrassed. He wasn't precisely certain of what he could do in order to soothe her. It wasn't tears to pet or hug away. He could cope with those. But Kit reached out again, grasped a lock of hair that had fallen out of her up do, and played with it gently. He'd noticed she never seemed to mind when he played with her hair, and in fact seemed to enjoy it as he did.
And her admission told him that this was a conversation they needed to have, as awkward as it might be, and he only hoped he could handle it right because he really, really liked this woman at this point. He was developing some very intense feelings and he ... wanted to have them with her.
When she finally looked at him again, Kit gave her a gentle smile and brushed the ends of her hair over her fingers. "I know you've dated some men," he said. He knew from just general social gossip and all. "But I take it that has been mostly show?" Absolutely no judgment in the quiet question.
A small part of him wondered if he'd been a beard for her as well. But he pushed the thought away. She'd just admitted to feelings for him, and he didn't think she'd lie about that.
"I have strong feelings for you too," he said, still quiet and gentle. "And you know I'd never push you into doing something you're not comfortable with." He wouldn't be surprised at this point in his life if he found himself falling for someone with no physical interest in him; it would be ironically fitting in some ways. He thought, maybe, he could live with it, though he did enjoy sex. But it wasn't as if he'd had a lot of it the last several years and he could continue going without, he suspected, if the bonds he forged were strong enough. It wasn't as if casual sex was his thing anyway.
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At his question, despite the lack of judgment, Astoria glanced down again, but that only brought her eyes back to his bare legs, highlighting the fact that he was still missing his trousers. She squeezed her eyes shut, though she could admit she didn't dislike what she saw if only because it was him, before looking back up at him. "Not mostly - only," she admitted, not able to bring herself to lie to him.
Although she hadn't doubted that he had feelings for her too, it still warmed her to hear it now, and she finally lowered her hands from her face, nodding slightly at him. "I know you won't, and I'm eternally grateful that you're being so patient with me - or rather that we're both able to be patient with the other." Because he didn't seem inclined to rush into something physical either, and that was such a relief.
"Becoming your friend was effortless, Kit. That day at the Bestiary when I helped you save your sketches, I never expected it to develop into this, but I'm so very pleased that it has. I was honestly preparing myself for some loveless sham of a marriage like my parents have, and then you came along, and..." she trailed off, flushing all over again as she realized what she'd just implied. "It doesn't feel like the only possibility for me anymore," she finally finished her thought on a whisper.
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He nodded slightly. Given what he knew of her one night with Calypso, and now this, he could make a very educated guess as to her preferences, and he did wonder where he fit into that. If he did fit into that. It seemed as if he might, after all, but he wondered about it all.
"It is a mutual patience, I think," he agreed with a bit of a smile lurking around his expressive mouth. "I've... always preferred getting to know someone." Which, following that somewhat logically, explained largely why he didn't date much. Everyone else had moved on from their crushes by the time he felt his full force.
Kit took a brief moment to pull his wand and conjure himself a pair of more casual pants, not because he was truly discomfited -- he spent far too much of his time surrounded by people half naked or more in his life -- but because he knew she was. He caught them out of the air, put his feet in, and raised his hips to slide them on without ever getting up off the couch.
Then he caught up her hand and kissed the back of it after she whispered. Reassuring her. He knew that it couldn't have been easy to say any of that, not for her. It was no secret that for purebloods, marriage was often the end game; it had crossed his mind. It didn't surprise him that it had crossed hers. "That definitely doesn't have to be the only possibility for you, Astoria," he told her. "You deserve far more than that."
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That was a lovely way to word it, a mutual patience, and quite true in her opinion. At his next comment, however, she found an opening to broach the topic of what level of intimacy he had reached in the past. "So, you have, then? Gotten to know some people well enough in the past?" Her cheeks flushed darkly again, even if she couldn't bring herself to ask him outright if he'd had sex in the past. It would be such a relief if he wasn't as inexperienced at this sort of thing as she was.
There was a certain level of relief felt when he conjured a pair of casual pants to wear, though she didn't want to admit that her eyes darted down to his legs as he slipped into them so smoothly while barely lifting from her couch. Blushing again, she brought her eyes back up to meet his, feeling ridiculously shy that he might have noticed her looking.
Her heart did that silly melting-to-goo thing at the way he kissed her hand, the way he looked at her as he reassured her. "I want so much more than that," she admitted. "Do... you?" she asked on a whisper, terrified that it was too serious a question too soon. They'd only been officially dating about a month, after all, even if it did feel like so much longer with as much time as they'd spent together before Paris.
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He also blushed a bit, though he tried not to. After all, he was a grown man and a model and surely he could have a serious conversation like this without turning a bit pink. Apparently not, however, and he sighed mentally to himself. He wasn't certain what her preference was with his answer, but he gave her the honest one. "Well, yes," he admitted.
Kit did indeed notice her looking, but he didn't bring attention to that fact. He just wondered if she liked what she saw at all, if she was interested. Since he was, apparently, the first man she'd really.. done this sort of thing with. Which was mildly unnerving, honestly.
He tipped her head gently up a bit and met her eyes. "Yes, I do want more," he said quietly. He'd always vaguely wanted the whole real deal everything. But he had also always figured he'd never have it. He never panned out to be the lasting relationship sort, not for his lack but more because he was all in when he was finally in.
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At his short, honest answer, Astoria blew out a breath in relief, not quite able to hide her smile. "Oh, thank the gods," she murmured. And then she realized that response had been vocalized, and she blushed all over again. "It's just... better, isn't it, if one of us knows what they're doing?" There was no way the blush was going to minimize at this point, and she was close to giving up trying. Even if she had just intimated that they would end up having sex together at some point.
A swarm of butterflies seemed to have been released in her belly at the way he brought her gaze more fully to his and answered her in that quiet, sure way he had. "All right, then," she whispered. And then, she leaned back in and kissed him, thinking that was a much better way of distracting herself from her silly feelings. At least this time they weren't holding the wine and wouldn't have another spill, so she could kiss him to distraction without worrying.
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Kit had to laugh in quiet relief and an amused sort of delight at her words. Ah, so she wasn't going to be upset he did have a bit of a past! Well, he could see her worry there, someone really should know what they were doing. "I agree completely," he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling faintly in amusement as well.
He drew her more into his arms, one going around her waist to tug her closer, and he deepened the kiss this time with a little more assurance, knowing that she did in fact want him to kiss her and did in fact have some fairly serious feelings for him, which filled him with a quiet sort of joy he hadn't yet completely processed.
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When he tugged her closer, Astoria didn't even think about it, didn't question it, didn't second guess it, she just slipped onto his lap, one leg on either side of him as she kissed him. Her arms slipped over his shoulders, one hand pushing into the hair at the back of his head, the other holding onto the back of the couch. It was different than any sort of kissing she'd done before, different from kissing a woman, but she was pleasantly surprised by how much she truly enjoyed it. She didn't think she was ready to do anything more than this, but for right now, she was going to enjoy it.
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Kit's arms went around her but didn't push or pull. One hand merely settled firmly into the niche of her lower back as they snogged, keeping her right there unless she wanted to pull away. The other hand went into her hair, cradling the back of her head and enjoying the softness of the strands between his fingers. There was no rush, no push for more more more; he simply wanted to enjoy this exploration while it lasted, and he savored it and hoped she was enjoying herself as much as he was.
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Snogging Kit was completely different than kissing anyone in the past--with men, she'd never let it get to this level of kissing before, and with women, there'd always been a sense of urgency and secrecy. Neither of those were issues with him, and that was as exciting as it was terrifying. But she wasn't ready for more, not yet, and so after a while, once she was breathless and flushed from his kisses instead of her earlier embarrassment, she eased off his lap again, settling against his side and tucking her face against the crook of his neck. Unsure what to say then, she merely slipped her hand in his, squeezing his fingers gently.
⚜
Kit let her ease off and one arm went around her to tuck her close against him. The fingers of his other hand two new with hers and he lifted the hand briefly to press a kiss upon it. He cuddled her to his side, not pressuring her in any way for more.