alnifolia | OPEN POST;

I said--

[ She steps in closer, and--she gently grabs onto the fabric of his shirt, much like she did the night before, looks up at him, and says, much like the night before: ]

Peter.

[ Fuck it. ]

Kiss me.

[ ... okay well that's a little harder to ignore.

On the bright side, Peter's pretty good at taking direction, so he hesitantly closes the gap. It's chaste and soft, like he's testing the waters. ]

[ Okay, well, the fact that he didn't say "Kasumi, you're still drunk," is good, right? And the fact that he does kiss her is even better.

So while the kiss is indeed chaste and soft, because she's testing the waters too, whenever they eventually pull away, the look in her eyes spells, "more."

Apparently this is what happens when neighbors who are attracted to each other and become really good friends let their sexual tension build up over the span of months. ]

[ He licks his lips when he pulls back, notes the look in her eyes, and he moves forward again--

-- and he suddenly wonders if she's just looking to-- blow off steam with him, or something. Given his reputation and what she must think of him (especially since their first main occasion to speak had been him hiding out from a one-night stand), that wouldn't be surprising.

So he hesitates. Because if this is just a one-off, then-- that's not what he wants. ]

What are we doing here? [ He asks it slowly, not quite looking her in the eye. ]

[ She'd braced for another kiss when he moved forward again, but when he stops, her brows knit together in slight confusion, and--oh. There it goes, the "what are we doing?" question.

Kasumi herself doesn't even know the answer to this question. There's a part of her that would totally be fine if this ended up just being another one of Peter's one... morning stands, and one of hers, too, but--she knows that if they did that, they may as well say goodbye to being friends. Because she's not sure that she could keep seeing Peter bring other people home if that happened, not sure she could do something like let him hide from whomever the next morning.

(And there was one time that she actually had to talk to one of his conquests from the night before, the next morning--before she and Peter became friends. Kasumi herself had just been returning from a night out, and happened upon the girl in the hallway right as she was stumbling out from Peter's apartment, this glazed look of euphoria on her face, and she must have been slightly drunk, still, because she smiled at Kasumi and said, "He said he's gonna call me!"

Little did she know. In any case, Kasumi would definitely not be able to do something like what she'd done, which was smile courteously and say, "That's nice.")

There's a part of her that wouldn't mind being friends with benefits, either. In fact, that may even be preferable, since she's not sure she could slap a "girlfriend" label on herself at the moment--but then there's a part of her, too, that thinks that maybe that wouldn't actually be so bad? Being Peter's girlfriend? They have a great dynamic, after all. But she's never seen him bring back the same person more than a few times, so she has to wonder if he even does relationships.

What she does know is that she likes Peter. Really, really likes him. As more than just a friend. And she's not sure when that happened. ]

I don't know, Peter. What do want us to be doing here?

[ Woops. She'd gotten accustomed to deflecting this type of question with more flirting--to distract from the matter at hand--with other people. But Peter isn't other people. He's... He's really important to her. ]

That came out wrong--I just. I really don't know. I just know that I'm really into you. And... not really platonically.

[ There it goes. ]

[ He's not entirely sure if that's encouraging or not. "Into him" can mean a whole lot of things, after all -- could mean she just wants a quick one-time deal, could mean she actually likes him, could mean anything.

So he backs up a step, arms crossed over his chest again, like he's closing himself off. Even then, he tries for nonchalance. ]

Well, is this-- do you just want this to be a one time thing, or--?

[ She looks at him carefully, as though she's trying to find her own answers from him in his body language, because she wants to hear what he thinks, too.

But to his question, if she had to be honest to herself... ]

I really don't. But if you think that's a bad idea... [ judging from the track record of his that she's seen ]

[ He can't help his quiet sigh of relief at her answer, but when she continues, he shakes his head. ]

No, I just-- I thought maybe you weren't into the idea of-- dating, I guess.

[ After all, he'd never seen her with another guy, and early in their friendship he had wondered at that. But he never asked, seeing as how that seemed like a seriously personal thing to ask. And kinda douchey. "You're hot. How come you don't have a boyfriend?"

So he just assumed, figured she wasn't interested, and-- that was dumb, wasn't it? He should've asked. ]

[ --Dating. He might be right in that regard. Sure, she's had a few one-night stands, but she'd only ever really come close to actually dating someone twice since Keiji. One, with a guy her friend set her up with--he was nice to look at and all, but far too dry for her tastes. The moment he mentioned kids (even though it was harmless and indirect, it was their, like, second date), she decided they needed to stay friends. Then there was the guy who teaches her kickboxing class, and he was even nicer to look at, but. It just didn't work out, somehow. Probably more on Kasumi's part than his.

She never brought these things up to Peter because, honestly, even if he asked, she might have deflected, or turned the question right back to him.

Which, sadly, is exactly what she's going to do now. ]

I thought you weren't into the idea of dating.

[ He pauses, since, well, she's got him there. And that nervous tick comes back, biting on the inside of his lower lip, and he glances over at the stove top.

Another breath in, another out, and he says with obvious hesitance, ]

Not usually, but with you...

[ He trails off. It seems too sappy to admit it aloud, but he wanted to say, "with you, I wouldn't mind." ]

[ That--he doesn't say it, but her mind fills in the blanks, and honestly? She hasn't felt this stupidly giddy in years, it's actually really embarrassing, and the way her cheeks flush is a dead giveaway of that. And she's so giddy, in fact, that she steps in closer again, all but ready to just kiss him again, but--she hesitates.

How could she possibly, actually date him when he doesn't even know that she--should she tell him? Is "by the way, my last boyfriend died in a terrible accident," something you should tell someone before or after you start dating them? What if he decides he didn't sign up for her baggage when he learns, and changes his mind?

She'll just. Keep it to herself for now. Maybe it'll come up later, or something. She really doesn't want to ruin this moment. So up her hand goes, again, idly toying with the hem of his shirt. ]

But with me... what, exactly?

[ He winces a little, mostly because he really doesn't want to drag those words out into the open air. It's sappy and weird, and he's not a sentimental sort of guy, most of the time.

But that sort of giddy look on her face makes him relent, and while he's still not looking at her, he finally mumbles it. ]

I-- with you, I don't... mind trying.

[ She thinks he sounds hesitant--very hesitant, but she figures this might be new territory for him. It is for her, too, because she's never gone from being really good friends with someone to something more than that. It's always been "fall fast and hard" and see if it works out, and so far that had only really worked with one person. Still, she can't help but smile all the same, her hand now trailing up to rest on his shoulder. ]

You know, I feel the same way, Peter.

[ Only when her hand is on his shoulder does he finally relax and glance up. A lot of the rigidness goes out of him with a single exhale, and he ventures a small smile. ]

Good, then. That's-- good, right? We're on the same page.

[ peter "love expert" quill, ladies and gentlemen. ]

[ her smile widens. Fortunately for the both of them, she's got a little bit more experience than he does when it comes to the realm of dating. ]

Yup. We agreed that we'd both be cool with dating. I'm pretty sure that's a good thing.

[ so, hey, forget pancakes, she's just gonna tiptoe up to kiss him again, and this time she's not testing the waters. ]

[ but pancakes.......

Alright. I guess this is an acceptable alternative. I guess. He rests his hands on her waist, and he's nice enough to hunch down a bit, making it easier since, you know, she's so small. ]

[ The common theme between these two across universes is apparently 'play first, food later,' so no worries she'll get to pancakes eventually...

(This disrespect for her height, however, is totally unacceptable.)

She raises her other hand to rest on his other shoulder, but it doesn't take long until she moves her arms, lacing her fingers together behind his neck as her kissing turns feverish. ]

[ He hums quietly when she deepens the kiss, and he shifts his hands, placing them on her back to pull her closer.

So. This is a pretty good morning, so far. ]

[ And it'll probably only get better from here.

Because it's kind of driving her mad how much she's liking this, how much she's wanted this. She'd always been attracted to Peter, but she's been attracted to a lot of people. She doesn't know when it was in their progression into friendship that the attraction turned into outright wanting, but obviously by last night it had become impossible to hide in her drunken state, and by this morning? It's all boiling over.

Her fingers find their way into the tresses of his hair when he pulls her closer as she continues to kiss him. She only pulls away for a moment to open her eyes and cast a fevered look at Peter before she smiles, pushing herself closer to him still as she leans into whisper into his ear, ]

So, your place or mine?

[ Because apparently she can't resist being a smart-ass even in the heat of the moment. ]

[ The comment actually makes him laugh, but it's a quiet, breathy thing. ]

Well, seein' as how we're already here...

[ He trails off, then answers her question by dipping down, capturing her lips again. He lifts one hand to cup her face, his thumb brushing lightly against her cheek, his other at the small of her back, and he deepens the kiss.

There is tongue. Tongues are involved. Alert the press. ]

[ We have just received exclusive, breaking news that Peter Quill, also known as Star-Lord but possibly not in this universe, and Kasumi Goto, mysterious and enigmatic art curator, are french kissing. More at 11.

And she practically purrs at this, moving her arms so she can drag her fingers down his back. ]

[ When he feels he feels her fingers moving down his back, he surprises himself when he makes a strained, needy noise at the back of his throat. His hand at her cheek moves to tangle into her hair, and he pulls back briefly, flushed and panting. ]

So. [ He swallows audibly, eyes dark. ] Bed?

[ She likes that noise. And she likes when he plays with her hair, and--when he pulls back, she opens her eyes and she lets out an airy breath. Her cheeks are similarly flushed, and she bites down on her lip to suppress the grin across her lips.

When he asks--she just thinks, thank god. She lets her held-back grin turn into a smile as she pulls her arms back so she can untie her apron in the back and start throw it off as she responds, ]

God, yes. I thought you'd never ask.

I mean, as appealing as sex in a kitchen is--

[ Once she has the apron off, he leans down to kiss her again, after which he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her easily. Hope you've got a steady grip, there, because he'll be walking the two of them to the bed. ]

[ She can't help but laugh at his comment, and if given the chance, she would have responded with, "Why not sex in a kitchen?", but any start she might have had on her words turns into a surprised little noise when he lifts her up. Don't worry, though, her grip is gonna be pretty tight, as she wraps her arms around the tops of his shoulders and her legs around his waist. ]

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OPEN RP POST ① Pick a character ② Pick a prompt (or DIY) (shamelessly and selectively pilfered from bakerstreet's Random Scenario Meme) ③ Do the thing!. table code by betterdolphin