come crawlin' on back like in some old country song

[un_gloved]

Rogue had woken up tucked up in a patch of sun on the roof, which had probably seemed like a great idea when she could fly and thought she was seventeen, but a little older and even just a smidgen wiser and with a piece of slender useless wood in the sash of her tunic, it was lacking somehow in appeal.

It was all right, though, because she needed some time to be alone and deal with the previous day. There was Gunn, who was a swell guy and all, but he'd decked her in the face and the had the bruise to prove it. Of course, she'd elbowed him in the chin and left a hell of a mark herself. She had to apologize for that.

She also had to yell at him for kissing her, though. And letting her kiss him back. And to make sure he knew it wasn't gonna happen again.

And she had to apologize to Jamie.

And she had to find Ned.

His hair had the tell tale sign that it had recently been wet. He'd probably been swimming. She could smell the cigarette from where she was, and she wasn't even downwind.

She'd put the tunic and leggings in her room and changed back into her cutoff shorts and the long sleeved green hoodie, though she'd pushed the sleeves to her elbows, and she'd put her yellow boots back on though she'd kept the cowboy boots, too, and feeling that much more like herself she still felt in no way prepared to discuss the past day with Ned.

"'s a bad habit," she said, voice husky, like it was trying to avoid being used.

Comments

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

She lifted her hand as if to touch his, but held back, let her fingers hover before she drew them back.

"It didn't mean anything, to either of us, we don't- I'm not attracted to him. It was just... typical behavior from my seventeen year old self, which means not thinking an' taking advantage of any chance for a-" She ducked her head further. "To feel someone's touch."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned's jaw tightened. He thought about saying something about all she ever had to do was ask, but he turned his head away from her.

"Okay."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Ned," she said, leaning forward, trying to make eye contact, "I would never do that to you. You have to know that. I, me, as I am now, would never do that to you. I couldn't."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

"I said okay, didn't I?"

He had no...road-map for this, no idea of how he was properly supposed to deal with this. He'd never done it before, never dealt with this sudden ache in his chest, or he had, but that had been to do with the city, not one girl, no matter how beautiful she was.

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Ned," Rogue said, kneeling forward a little, reaching out to press her fingertips against his chest, "I know it isn't, 'n I know- I know it's a hell of a thing to swallow, and I'm sorry. Ned, I'm sorry," she said again, meaning it as hard as she'd ever meant anything.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Very slowly, very deliberately, Ned wrapped his hand around her wrist and separated them.

"I just..." He looked up at her. "Did I ever tell you how many times I slept with a girl I wasn't paying for before I met you?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

Rogue came from a place where prostitution was illegal, and besides which spoke to a certain kind of lifestyle that was not one she had even remotely associated with Ned Coates. Her eyes were extremely round and the hurt of being physically pushed away was temporarily outranked.

"What?" she said.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

"Before you," he said. "Seamstresses. Nice girls. Good to Coppers."

He shrugged.

"Easy, y'see? No ties. No..." he cleared his throat. "None of this."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

She understood what he was saying. It was difficult, at first, but she understood. She swallowed, looking down, frowning as she sorted through it.

"All of the closeness without bein' close," she said. "'n I had th'opposite. No, I had neither, cuz th'only other man I've ever loved couldn't tell the truth t'save his life and couldn't stay still t'save mine."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned winced and turned his hand, pulling hers back against his chest, pulling them closer together.

"My mother used to say that anythin' easy wasn't worth doing." His mouth tightened into something that was almost a smile. "My mother was a bitch."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"She may've had a point, though," Rogue said quietly, pressing her palm against his chest and ducking her head so her forehead rested against his shoulder.

"I love you."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

"I love you too, darlin'," said Ned, without a moment's hesitation, rubbing the back of her neck under her hair, just to touch her. "I really do."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"It's strange," she said, confided, really. "It feels too easy. Nothin' this good's ever happened to me so easy. If this place's juvenile tricks are all we're up against- I don't know," she said quietly. "Every time I think I've got somethin' as good as you in my life I've turned out t'be wrong. 'cept once."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

"It's this easy," said Ned, stroking his fingers through her hair. "Me and you. Exactly this easy. Always. Don't you worry about that, darlin'."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"I've missed sleepin' with you," she murmured. "Feels like it's been longer'n it has been. I missed you, 'n I spent a whole day not even knowin' you."

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

A tiny smile flickered across Ned's mouth.

"We could go to bed now, if you want."

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Kiss me first," she said, leaning back enough where she could look at him.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned hesitated for just a brief second before he lent in and kissed her, a little harder than he meant to, almost possessive.

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

She made a quiet noise against his mouth, and flung her arms around his neck, pressing against him, kissing him back.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned wasn't sure how he was ever going to let her go again...He was pretty sure that his arms had forgotten how. He smoothed one hand down her back and held her tightly.

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

Rogue sighed, sinking into the embrace, letting him hold her weight, arms twined around his neck and face tilted up against his, not breaking the kiss, not shifting away in any capacity.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned edged the tips of his fingers under the edge of her shirt and sucked lightly on her bottom lip.

"Okay?"

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"Yeah," she said, after making a little noise at pressure of his tongue and mouth.

"Loads better." She pushed him back a little, crawling forward until she was in his lap, and cupped his face and kissed him again, a few times, then nuzzled the crease of his cheek with the tip of her nose.

[pokerplayereyes.livejournal.com]

Ned slid his hands along the length of her thighs, settling her more firmly in his lap, combing his fingers back through her hair.

"Am I supposed to kiss that better?" he said, brushing his fingers down the side of her face.

[un-gloved.livejournal.com]

"I won't stop you," she murmured back, not quite wincing, then leaning fractionally into the touch.