[SH] The First Time - Part the Second (NC-17)

[shepcrew]

[We uh...we kinda broke the customized comment pages comment buffer. And I like having the custom comment pages because they look better. So, um, yes. Continued from here.]


He's beaming at her until she catches the slight slip of the tongue and the smile turns into an 'aw shucks/so busted look'.

Oops.

He can't lie to her now. It was easy to pretend when she had first arrived, since she had no reason to believe otherwise, and he was nervous enough that his body language masked the lie.

But now..."You, uh. You weren't supposed to find out until I took you back there. To uh...to check on the status of the paint drying."



She may or may not be suppressing a giggle; since she does it successfully it's hard to tell. But she is grinning. "Well, since you've managed to keep me out of your room, the surprise is still intact, even if the knowledge that there is a surprise isn't."

And he's being adorable again. Although, really, he's almost always adorable now, so it sort of goes without saying. So she smiles softly, brilliantly.



"Well, I hope it doesn't lose too much of its impact, now that you know there's another surprise," he says, grinning sheepishly.

And that's about the time when the music being played turns into a fair rendition of the song they first danced to. It's also when he stands and moves to her side of the table.

"May I have this dance?" he asks, holding a hand out to her.



"I can't imagine it..." Oh. Oh. "... would."

Oh.

So she stands and takes his hand, because the answer is "Of course." but it comes out in barely a whisper between smiles and shy blushing. She was way more poised when they first danced.

And then again, when they first danced, she had no idea with whom she was dancing, or what it would turn into. Knowing, now, she wonders what it will turn into this time. If she could possibly love him any more than she does at this moment, as she keeps her eyes on his and she smiles, blissfully happy.



He returns the smile as his fingers close round hers, and he tugs her away from the table. She may or may not notice Lorne call someone over so they can remove the chairs, along with the table and its contents so the couple can have the entire balcony to move around. And that marks the end of Lorne's part in tonight's festivities.

John's eyes never leave Inara's as he pulls her into the opening steps of the dance, holding her slightly closer than he had the first time.

Comments

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

Normally John is there to catch his lover as she tumbles, his own control allowing them to both get the most out of it and still make it be mostly about her.

But there is no him and her this time. It's just them and when she trips, he's holding her hand and jumping. He clings to her tightly as the hazy world explodes around him. The tiny fragments pierce him and he cries out, her name first and foremost falling from his lips.

And when the fragments coalesce, it's a reshaped world which seems more vibrant and colourful than the one he left behind.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She could never have possibly imagined this in a thousand years.

Her body still trembles just a little from the aftershocks. Every brush of his body, his skin against hers just helps it along, prolongs the shivers.

There is no part of this moment that is not exquisite. Nigh painfully so because it is a moment, and it will fade, and yet the glow and happiness it brings won't, she thinks, fade. Or something like that. It's all jumbled up in her mind but the gist of it is that this moment is beautiful, and he is beautiful, and she loves him so very much. And it shows in her smile and in her eyes.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

The term 'insanely happy' was never something he ever thought could be attributed to him, but he supposes that's what one would call the highly triumphant, and all at once shaky mess that he's become.

His lips are up-turned in some odd combination of his shy smile and his goofy grin, and his eyes never leave hers as he kisses her.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She can't help but smile back; she almost laughs with sheer delight, but then he kisses her and it's all she can do not to pounce him right there.

So happy. A different kind of happy now, but no less overpowering. A new kind of joy, and the wonder of discovery along with it.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

The kiss breaks into several kisses on her cheek, and then he's hugging her close and burying his head in her shoulder.

He also attempts to roll them over so he's not squishing her, seeing as how he's starting to lose the battle of propping himself up.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She rolls with him easily, snuggling into him with a happy little sigh, tracing her fingertips down his cheek. Over his shoulder, over his collarbone and down his chest.

Everything about this moment makes her glow and tremble with happiness. This moment, all the ones leading up to it. It's a fullness of emotion that leaves her almost overflowing with it.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He's still breathing hard, but it's evening out slowly. He lets out a shaky, happy sigh and gives her a gentle squeeze.

"...Wow," he barely whispers, voice still a bit raspy.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"Mm-hmm..." She's all about snuggling up against his side, tracing through the planes of the muscles over his chest, still sort of amazed that they're here. That he's here. That he loves her, wants her.

That any or all of this is happening. Wow does about sum it up.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He takes a deep, ragged breath as he stares up at the ceiling, his lips resting on the crown of her head. He swallows thickly and gives her another squeeze as something really does sink in.

"...Love you," he whispers, his face in the scrunched expression of one who's brain has finally caught up with his heart and and his tone that of one once more blown away by the intensity of things he's been feeling for a very long time.

"God, I love you..." he repeats, with more conviction as he holds her close. And holy crap, those can't be threatening tears stinging his eyes. Nope. John Sheppard does. Not. Cry. ...Ever.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

"I love you," she says, and even her words hold a kind of happy glow. A kind of breathless wonder. I love you, I love you, I love you.

It's as though the feeling could pick her up and fly her away, except the only place she'd fly to is right here, in his arms.

"I love you, John Sheppard, as the sky loves the sea." It's a turn of phrase that, she thinks, sounds less silly in the original Mandarin, but since he doesn't speak it. "Love you so much..." And now it steals her voice away and the only thing she can do is smile, almost laugh, breathless and giddy.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He has to laugh softly, too, or else he will cry. He gives her yet another squeeze, this one a little more on the lingering side.

He runs his hand up and down her back and looks down at her. He smiles, sighing softly.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She closes her eyes at his touch, pressing into him, snuggling. It will, she suspects, amaze her for a good while longer that she can feel this way. She'd just gotten to a happy little equilibrium of joy too. And then he goes and gives her an evening that...

Inara looks up at him, tracing the line of his jaw and back up withthe backs of her fingers soft against his cheek. Her own eyes are glittering with unshed tears of wonder and love and happiness.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He captures that hand in his own and brings it to his lips to kiss delicately.

It occurs to him that all the planning and fretting, the nervousness and tension, the exertion and endorphines should have him passing out right about now.

But he doesn't. He sighs happily once more, settling down and only feeling a flirtatious touch of fatigue.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

She's settling down a little, but even that light kiss sends a tingle up her spine again.

But she is settling, so it's onyl a little tingle. A bit of a shiver and a grin and a happy little sigh as well.

"D'you know how perfect this whole evening has been?" she asks, apropos of absolutely nothing but a sudden surge of that sentiment.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He holds her hand against his cheek lightly, nuzzling a little.

I think I have a fair idea is his first reply to her question, but he bites the words back and instead replies with, "Tell me?"

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Her thumb brushes a light caress against his cheek as she watches him, fair to glowing.

"Everything... the... the sunset, the shuttle, the supper..." she's alliterating. A reflexive last-ditch effort to be eloquent when she's all fluttry. It makes her giggle a bit. "It's like a fairy tale."

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He smiles shyly. "So are you," he whispers. "My very own dream come true." He turns his head to kiss the palm of her hand. "And I'm thinkin' this is where happily ever after starts..."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Of all the emotions she had ever felt so strongly, love and happiness were not among the ones she would have thought would evoke a tearful response. And yet when he says that she can't stop either the joyful smile or the one or two tears that spring forward.

"I'm thinking you're right about that..." she whispers, because she can't make her voice any stronger. "My noble prince, come to sweep me away to a land of dreams."

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He reaches up to cup her face. "My princess, here to create the dream and make it a reality."

Here to save me from myself...

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Okay, so maybe she's blinking back tears a little. And maybe it's a cliche to cover his hand with hers, to kiss his palm. But it's a cliche because people never get tired of it, and she doesn't think she will either.

"If this is a dream I don't want to wake up," she smiled as she whispered it, whispered it because she couldn't make any louder sound the way her throat was tight. "And if this is the reality I don't want to go to sleep ever again and miss a moment of this, for no dream could possibly compare."

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

"Don't be afraid to fall asleep," he whispers back. "I'm not going anywhere."

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

Okay, maybe a couple of tears did fall at that. She hugged him a little tighter, smiling to say she loved him because words were failing her at this point.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

He strokes her hair as he returns the hug, kissing whatever part of her is closest to his lips at the moment.

We're pretty sure that he's run out of words at this point, too.

[sevenvirtues.livejournal.com]

There's something magical about this moment that doesn't require words. Just the intimacy of the way they touch each other communicates it all.

She really hasn't ever been this blissfully happy, she thinks. Again.

[shepcrew.livejournal.com]

Another kiss is dropped on the top of her head, and John finally closes his eyes to settle for the night. All the things that adrenaline and euphoria had been keeping at bay are starting to reassert themselves, and a wave of exhaustion hits him.

He has a feeling he won't be haunted by nightmares tonight...