[There's a wobble in her lip and a squeeze in her throat as he leans down to nudge his forehead against hers, so powerfully sweet when paired with his boyish smile that it wrecks her capacity for speech. Even if there are words for how precious this feels, how she's nearly bursting at the seams with affection for Arthur, she wouldn't be able to find them like this.
That buildup of energy reveals itself in the tension her hand takes over top of his, just the faintest suggestion of a squeeze. There's a beat where she doesn't say anything, can't say anything.
In the end, she doesn't. The only sound she can manage is another laugh, nearly delirious with delight, before she rises up onto the balls of her feet and takes fistfuls of the front of Arthur's shirt to meet him halfway in a fervent kiss. It's a motion both comfortingly familiar and thrillingly new, something she's done a thousand times painted in the fresh colors of something—up until now—undiscovered.
It's barely a moment before the rest of her body follows the forward momentum to press flush to him, finding even the scant distance remaining to be unbearable at a time like this.]
[ There's a sliver of concern, as he pulls away just enough to see her expression. Her eyes are glassy, a tremble breaking up the happy curve of her mouth.
Of course, he should've expected that words wouldn't be enough for her to express herself, since there's exactly two beats of his heart before she takes hold of his shirt, pushing up into a kiss. Immediately, he dips to meet it, everything else drowned out. And as the full lean of her body follows, he drops his jacket, looping his arms around her middle. Impulsively, he picks her up enough to spin them both, joy filling his lungs.
(Because it feels right, feels like home in a way he can't articulate.)
Gently, he sets her back on her feet but doesn't let go just yet, barely noticing the sticky discomfort of humidity like this. ]
Hey. Think I'm a little crazy for you. [ An understatement, the amused spark of which turns the corners of his mouth up, a lightness curving his eyes. Ducking, he steals another kiss, sighing into it and keeping her pressed close. ]
[A muffled squeak of glee escapes Kalmiya as Arthur wraps her up and twirls her, bursting into a giggle that she barely has the breath for when so much of it has been given to their kiss. Her grip on his shirt is abandoned quickly in favor of winding her arms over his shoulders, an instinctive motion to help stabilize her own weight and hold him even closer.
Her feet find the ground delicately, but she still hangs onto Arthur like a lifeline, savoring the pocket of heat that's created as she lets him bear her weight. She grins so brightly that her cheeks ache and the whirlwind of excitement kicked up in her lungs makes her feel near lightheaded. It feels like finding something she hadn't realized was missing—overwhelming joy and a relief she can't hope to describe. It's safe, it's right, it's a miracle.
An eager hum of acknowledgement accompanies the easy way she meets the second kiss and relaxes the entanglement of her arms so that she can run a hand through his hair as she lingers in the soft press of his lips. There's no bothering to make room when she quips back; she teases in the scant space of catching a breath, the tip of her nose still brushing Arthur's.] Only a little? I'm not sure that's crazy enough to be with me.
[ Where the first kiss had been full of sheer delight, excitement pouring off them both in waves, this one is a quieter joy. It's the feeling he gets when he wakes next to her, early morning light limning the lines of her body, illuminating the gold fan of her lashes and splayed waves of hair across her pillow. It's a sense of buoyancy, of anti-gravity, filling his chest and making him feel weightless with it.
He's smiling into the kiss and after it, eyes drifting shut like a contented cat as she combs her fingers through his hair. Contained as she was in the circle of his arms, he gives her a squeeze around the middle, still unwilling to part; the line of her body along his is a comfort. A huff of laughter meets her tease and he blinks his eyes open, nudging the tip of his nose against hers in a slow gesture of affection. ]
Maybe more than a little. [ Not like he needed to amend, but anyway, there's an important piece here: ] Let's get you fed and home, so I can show you exactly how crazy.
[Crazy is just about how she feels over Arthur's demeanor right now. It's hardly the first time she's seen him in a moment of peace or joy, but she treasures each and every one of those sights for a reason; as passionately as Arthur feels about things, his expressions tend to be a little more restrained. Especially compared to Kalmiya, who has made conscious efforts to feel everything as loudly as possible after such a long time stifling everything for the sake of other people.
So seeing him this content, this happy, is more than enough to cause pressure in her chest from the swelling force of her affection. Knowing that she's the one who made him so happy pushes it to near unbearable levels, as if her heart might burst from its inability to contain everything she's feeling for him.
A clear eagerness lights her face at his correction, followed by another quick kiss. She just can't help herself.] Arthur, are you telling me I'm going to get the full official experience?
[They already have such a strong connection when it comes to intimacy. Her heart races a little even thinking about how this development might intensify that.]
[ Her expression lights up, excitement palpable even before she says anything. Or rather, before she arches up for another kiss, this one brief but no less affectionate. They're both smiling into it, making it quite possibly one of the more chaste kisses they've shared. ]
Hey now, it's not like I've held back. [ No, he's too attentive for that. And giving her pleasure, watching her fall to pieces—he took those things seriously, because she deserves to experience those highs. ] But, I suppose, yeah.
[ Since, well, he does think there will be some changes. Small habits he's been holding close to the chest. He'd kept hold of them because he'd been worried about letting himself lean into their relationship too much. After all, he's talked himself out of asking her this very thing more than a few times, worried he was seeing something in it that wasn't there. Or that perhaps, he was too wrapped up in her easy love to know exactly how he'd felt.
Unfounded worry, he's found. But, this is what made them work; she pulled him along in her exuberance like a riptide and he made sure neither of them drowned.
Giving her one last squeeze around the middle, he reluctantly parts from her enough to pick up the jacket he'd dropped. Tossed over his shoulder again, he slips his arm around her waist, reeling her in to re-start their walk.
The rest of which is uninterrupted, aside from the occasional quiet laughter as their closeness and mismatched gait saw them gently bumping into each other. It's not long, from the exit of the park, to get up to the main drag and pick out the hole in the wall place he'd been thinking of for dinner. A cross between a pool bar and a hipster dive, it saw plenty of hungover clubbers and as promised, none of the patrons seem to care at all for Kalmiya's lack of shirt.
Tucked into a small, curved booth near the corner, they get their drinks and order food; Arthur watches with bemusement as a gaggle of tieflings excitedly choose tracks at the jukebox. ]
How was the party, earlier? [ Sometimes, he joins her on those. He'd missed out on this venture due to work. ]
[For all her exuberance, Kalmiya finds no trouble enjoying a content moment quietly; she giggles when they bump into each other as they walk, an occurrence made more common by the gravitational pull Arthur currently has on her. But otherwise she lets the silence be, happy to simply absorb the new lightness of the air between them, the exhilarating freshness after a fog lifts.
There's a small ooh as they approach the charming little dive, and she grins, head turning this way and that as she takes in the variety of patrons and the occupation of the pool tables. Given the shape of the booth, she wastes no time in scooting herself far too close to Arthur after they put their order in, insistently tucking herself against his side to get comfortable while she regales him with party stories.] It was lovely! Plenty of party favors; there were these delightful little marshmallow treats that made you more flexible when you eat them. And— you remember the one who collects games, with the autumnal hair? They'd brought Twister, of all things!
[A laugh carries through her exposition, buoying each word to playful delight, and she gestures with both hands when they're not too snug against Arthur.] I've never seen a more competitive tangle of people. I didn't stand a chance! And we had to stop because someone's favor wore off in the middle and they got stuck.
[Amused, she tilts her head to grin up at him, a sweet sort of longing in the crinkle of her eyes.] I missed you, though. It's always better with you.
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no subject
Date: 2025-08-23 05:31 am (UTC)That buildup of energy reveals itself in the tension her hand takes over top of his, just the faintest suggestion of a squeeze. There's a beat where she doesn't say anything, can't say anything.
In the end, she doesn't. The only sound she can manage is another laugh, nearly delirious with delight, before she rises up onto the balls of her feet and takes fistfuls of the front of Arthur's shirt to meet him halfway in a fervent kiss. It's a motion both comfortingly familiar and thrillingly new, something she's done a thousand times painted in the fresh colors of something—up until now—undiscovered.
It's barely a moment before the rest of her body follows the forward momentum to press flush to him, finding even the scant distance remaining to be unbearable at a time like this.]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-23 11:02 pm (UTC)Of course, he should've expected that words wouldn't be enough for her to express herself, since there's exactly two beats of his heart before she takes hold of his shirt, pushing up into a kiss. Immediately, he dips to meet it, everything else drowned out. And as the full lean of her body follows, he drops his jacket, looping his arms around her middle. Impulsively, he picks her up enough to spin them both, joy filling his lungs.
(Because it feels right, feels like home in a way he can't articulate.)
Gently, he sets her back on her feet but doesn't let go just yet, barely noticing the sticky discomfort of humidity like this. ]
Hey. Think I'm a little crazy for you. [ An understatement, the amused spark of which turns the corners of his mouth up, a lightness curving his eyes. Ducking, he steals another kiss, sighing into it and keeping her pressed close. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-27 11:53 pm (UTC)Her feet find the ground delicately, but she still hangs onto Arthur like a lifeline, savoring the pocket of heat that's created as she lets him bear her weight. She grins so brightly that her cheeks ache and the whirlwind of excitement kicked up in her lungs makes her feel near lightheaded. It feels like finding something she hadn't realized was missing—overwhelming joy and a relief she can't hope to describe. It's safe, it's right, it's a miracle.
An eager hum of acknowledgement accompanies the easy way she meets the second kiss and relaxes the entanglement of her arms so that she can run a hand through his hair as she lingers in the soft press of his lips. There's no bothering to make room when she quips back; she teases in the scant space of catching a breath, the tip of her nose still brushing Arthur's.] Only a little? I'm not sure that's crazy enough to be with me.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-28 06:11 am (UTC)He's smiling into the kiss and after it, eyes drifting shut like a contented cat as she combs her fingers through his hair. Contained as she was in the circle of his arms, he gives her a squeeze around the middle, still unwilling to part; the line of her body along his is a comfort. A huff of laughter meets her tease and he blinks his eyes open, nudging the tip of his nose against hers in a slow gesture of affection. ]
Maybe more than a little. [ Not like he needed to amend, but anyway, there's an important piece here: ] Let's get you fed and home, so I can show you exactly how crazy.
no subject
Date: 2025-08-30 05:29 am (UTC)So seeing him this content, this happy, is more than enough to cause pressure in her chest from the swelling force of her affection. Knowing that she's the one who made him so happy pushes it to near unbearable levels, as if her heart might burst from its inability to contain everything she's feeling for him.
A clear eagerness lights her face at his correction, followed by another quick kiss. She just can't help herself.] Arthur, are you telling me I'm going to get the full official experience?
[They already have such a strong connection when it comes to intimacy. Her heart races a little even thinking about how this development might intensify that.]
no subject
Date: 2025-08-31 07:24 am (UTC)Hey now, it's not like I've held back. [ No, he's too attentive for that. And giving her pleasure, watching her fall to pieces—he took those things seriously, because she deserves to experience those highs. ] But, I suppose, yeah.
[ Since, well, he does think there will be some changes. Small habits he's been holding close to the chest. He'd kept hold of them because he'd been worried about letting himself lean into their relationship too much. After all, he's talked himself out of asking her this very thing more than a few times, worried he was seeing something in it that wasn't there. Or that perhaps, he was too wrapped up in her easy love to know exactly how he'd felt.
Unfounded worry, he's found. But, this is what made them work; she pulled him along in her exuberance like a riptide and he made sure neither of them drowned.
Giving her one last squeeze around the middle, he reluctantly parts from her enough to pick up the jacket he'd dropped. Tossed over his shoulder again, he slips his arm around her waist, reeling her in to re-start their walk.
The rest of which is uninterrupted, aside from the occasional quiet laughter as their closeness and mismatched gait saw them gently bumping into each other. It's not long, from the exit of the park, to get up to the main drag and pick out the hole in the wall place he'd been thinking of for dinner. A cross between a pool bar and a hipster dive, it saw plenty of hungover clubbers and as promised, none of the patrons seem to care at all for Kalmiya's lack of shirt.
Tucked into a small, curved booth near the corner, they get their drinks and order food; Arthur watches with bemusement as a gaggle of tieflings excitedly choose tracks at the jukebox. ]
How was the party, earlier? [ Sometimes, he joins her on those. He'd missed out on this venture due to work. ]
no subject
Date: 2025-10-06 02:46 pm (UTC)There's a small ooh as they approach the charming little dive, and she grins, head turning this way and that as she takes in the variety of patrons and the occupation of the pool tables. Given the shape of the booth, she wastes no time in scooting herself far too close to Arthur after they put their order in, insistently tucking herself against his side to get comfortable while she regales him with party stories.] It was lovely! Plenty of party favors; there were these delightful little marshmallow treats that made you more flexible when you eat them. And— you remember the one who collects games, with the autumnal hair? They'd brought Twister, of all things!
[A laugh carries through her exposition, buoying each word to playful delight, and she gestures with both hands when they're not too snug against Arthur.] I've never seen a more competitive tangle of people. I didn't stand a chance! And we had to stop because someone's favor wore off in the middle and they got stuck.
[Amused, she tilts her head to grin up at him, a sweet sort of longing in the crinkle of her eyes.] I missed you, though. It's always better with you.