"You are," she countered with a soft, dazed giggle. It wasn't the height of cleverness by any means, but it was difficult to think of anything beyond how wonderful it felt to be close to him, and seemingly miles away from any concern she might have been hanging onto.
Lily let her fingers comb through his hair as she caught her breath, her heart pounding against her chest hard enough she swore he was able to tell. She ducked her head, resting her cheek against his. "You're going to make it difficult for me to keep you from neglecting your studies," she laughed again before kissing his jaw.
Eleven huffed an amused breath and shivered, the warm-wet touch of her lips tingling over his skin in the wake of her laugh.
"Don't have anymore tonight," he assured, words feeling clumsy on his tongue. A part of his mind couldn't believe he had a hand on the woman's thigh and she wasn't so much as mentioning it. But given she was quite literally sitting in his lap-
Or no- don't think about that too much. Suddenly the burst of caution from moments ago made more sense. ..But for the moment, he was okay. Things were okay- manageable, at least.
For now, he let the hand on her waist wander up her back then brush down the length of her arm, silently marveling at its progress and the simple fact that he was allowed to touch her this freely.
At this rate, they were unlikely to ever leave this alcove, something that at present Lily took very little issue with. In fact, it was impossible to think about it, or anything else beyond the increasingly small amount of space the pair of them occupied in that alcove.
Curving herself against him as his hands skimmed up her back and along her arm, Lily kept herself as near as she could. She brought both of her hands up to affectionately brush over his cheeks before coming to rest against the sides of his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair again.
"I'm happy," she had meant to finish that affectionately mumbled phrase with 'to distract you,' but decided cutting herself off in favor of kissing him was the better way to go.
As their lips met again, Eleven decided he'd likely never tire of her hands in his hair. Or kissing her, for that matter. Or having her pressed so closely against him. Everything felt wonderful. He only wished he had something to lean back against to eliminate the part of his attention forced to ensure he kept them both from toppling backward.
But if that was the only thing he had to complain about, then things were pretty good. They could stay like this for hours, as far as he was concerned, kissing in the dark.. A heady thing.
Eleven's swelling lips slowed, eyes slotting open, and in a spark of muddled inspiration, tipped his head and dragged the touch of his tongue across her lower lip.
Inhaling sharply at the brush of his tongue Lily's legs tensed as a shiver ran down her spine, her knees squeezing his hips as her lips parted to kiss him again, letting her tongue brush against his.
One hand fell away from his hair, traveling over his shoulder and along the side of his body as her heart thudded away, sure he could notice but not caring all that much. Were they really supposed to do something other than this with their time? Lily had trouble recalling anything as worthy of her time as kissing El in their dimly lit alcove, and in truth, that suited her just fine.
Breathless she broke away just enough to exhale a low chuckle, dipping her chin down enough to catch his bottom lip in her teeth gently, tugging lightly.
Eleven lost a breath to a grunt of surprise. He was losing to the press of her thighs bracketing his body, warm and insistent. His hands dropped to her hips, dragging her further into his lap, then turned his face into hers in a clumsy bid to kiss her cheek, though it wound up more a drag of his lips.
"Lily.." he breathed roughly next to her ear. His blood was warming quickly- dangerously- and he found some regret in pulling her so close. Eleven swallowed, willing his body not to betray him too obviously. Wrapped up in her so sweetly, he didn't want it to end.
Following her example, Eleven leaned in to press a wet kiss to her neck.
Something about the sounds he made and the way he held her hips and pulled her closer tied Lily's stomach in knots she was certain were not going to loosen quite so easily - if they ever did. Her thighs stayed tight against his hips, unwilling to yield any of this newfound closeness and she felt almost tipsy.
When he broke that kiss off and turned his head to press his lips against her cheek instead, Lily drew in ragged, shuddering breaths, turning her head to rest her cheek against the side of his face.
"El," she replied in a whisper, tipping her chin enough to kiss the side of his face while her fingers combed through his hair, hoping he wasn't about to tell her he was ready to go get that drink.
Eleven tucked his head against her shoulder and breathed, willing serenity through the growing rush of want. He could be content- was content, even- nothing was promised; he knew that. But her body ran hot beneath his hands, curves soft against his chest, and terribly sweet with her affections while her hips poised invitingly over his lap.
Too much, too close.
His face colored rapidly through a burst of self-consciousness, regretting their position with no escape or ability to shift away in order to preserve his dignity as desire asserted itself over his lackluster attempts at distraction.
"S-sorry," he managed, the word strained as he ducked his head. Goddess, but he prayed she wouldn't think too poorly of him. "..I'm sorry."
Unaware that the heat between them had room to grow Lily flushed, caught off-guard by his apology. "What why? Are you alright?" Concerned that she had taken things further than he was comfortable with she shifted, moving back on his lap and putting some likely much-needed space between them.
Her hair looked a bit mad, even in the low light of the alcove, but she was oblivious to it, resting her hands on her shoulder as she shook her head. "You've done nothing I'd want an apology for El, this has been," she trailed off long enough to draw a breath, the concerned look on her face changing into one of delighted awe. "Wonderful. Utterly wonderful."
Eleven glanced up from beneath his hair to meet her eyes, just enough to catch her expression before the color deepened and he was forced to break eye contact again. His hands fell from her hips to curl his fingers around the seat beneath him, face hot and blood running hotter.
His mind addled and body wildly uncooperative while his insides positively writhed in a tangle of nerves, he felt like an utter mess beneath her gaze.
"I-I'm glad," he said, clearing his throat. "Nothing's wrong. You're- I- yes. It's.. very nice. ..Thank you."
He could have slapped himself. If Yggdrasil were merciful, She'd take his soul now.
"I just! Mean- that's, I never thought- I'm grateful for you."
Uncertain whether or not she ought to move, Lily hesitated awkwardly, her face red while he spoke. "Thank you too?" Lily tilted her head narrowing her eyes nervously, as though she wasn't sure if she was supposed to say it back or not. Oh heavens.
Brushing aside the flare of ambivalent energy that coming back down to earth had brought with it she leaned in and kissed his cheek while climbing off of his lap, suddenly sheepishly aware of how high up her skirts had been hiked by all that moving around.
"I'm very grateful for you, for a lot of reasons - though, this one is a particularly good one," she laughed slightly, attempting to stave off the wave of awkwardness that threatened. Thankfully her hair had been mussed enough that trying to put it back to rights provided a wonderful distraction.
Eleven's laugh came through weakly on a nervous breath. He missed her warmth, regretting the end of such a wonderful experience as she retreated, but all the same, found himself grateful for the space and cool air with which to work on calming down. If they managed this once, they could certainly do so again. Lily hadn't seemed to mind as much as he'd thought she would.
The heat in his face had yet to ebb, though he managed to raise his eyes enough to watch her try to put herself back together. Speaking of which- Eleven raised a hand to run it over his hair, almost able to feel the ghost of her fingers in the spaces and odd tangles he came across. He shivered pleasantly, then tried to focus.
"This was very nice," he reiterated, stronger this time, "I'm glad that- well, you enjoyed it, too. Again sometime, if- if you'd like."
Slowly her breathing returned to normal while she smoothed out her skirts and chased off the desire to dwell on how she had gotten this disheveled. His hands had felt wonderful.
"It's a bit difficult to imagine being somewhere like this with you and not taking advantage of the privacy." Lily's face turned redder at her own words and she was glad for the darkness yet again.
"I do finally see the merit in going out in search of a drink however, as nice as the dark with you is."
He grinned, pleased, if still a touch embarrassed. Already, he couldn't wait.
But the promise of a drink, while thoroughly unappealing only a few minutes before, felt sorely needed now.
"Yes," he agreed, looking himself over to smooth down anything else that might look out of place. At least through the straightened flaps of his long coat, there wasn't anything to notice. Still, he wasn't completely fine to move just yet, and pinched the bridge of his nose while he conjured a terrible memory in a desperate bid to regain control where temptation lingered.
Guilt crept through his veins in a slow and terrible victory over desire, but that at least he had practice carrying. Eleven fell forward to brace his elbows against his knees as he let the tension bleed from his body, then breathed.
"Okay," he said finally, raising his head. "..Whenever you're ready."
Seemingly oblivious to Eleven as he worked on putting himself back together Lily did much the same, still fussing over the creases on her gown as she tried to will the pace of her heartbeat to slow. The ridiculous feeling that she missed him, even though he hadn't gone anywhere needled at her, leaving her still giddy even after she caught her breath. Longing was its sort of exhilaration sometimes.
Breathing out slow when Eleven finally seemed to be ready to face the world Lily looked back at him and gave a nod. She reached for the shoulder of his coat, tugging on the corner to gree it from where it had gotten creased. "Alright, I think I'm ready."
Lily shifted in her seat preparing to give him space to rise before she fell back, and leaned back into him instead, kissing him once more - for the road.
"Now I'm ready," she added softly after, grinning at him in the dark.
Eleven tossed her a grateful smile, about to try and convince his body to stand only to find his space full of her and his lips occupied for a moment. A shot of elation spread through his chest in a sensation becoming slowly familiar and bubbled up through his throat in a laugh.
"Okay," he returned fondly, then finally pushed himself to stand. He offered her a hand up just as soon as he found his feet in the sway of the boat. "There's a set of stairs that lead up to a bridge. I'm sure we can find a pub around here without too much trouble."
Laughing quietly, though the reason for it was a bit difficult to single out - she still wasn't entirely clearheaded after all - Lily took his hand and got to her feet, raising her wand and illuminating the tip like a little flashlight.
It certainly made getting off the boat a good deal easier, though it also meant he could see her red cheeks and her still somewhat unruly hair.
"You ought to let me adjust your clothes so we can be a little less easy to recognize," she kept her hand in Eleven's as they walked away from the gondola, staying close to him while she lit the way to the stairs he mentioned.
Eleven tried not to stare as they walked, his stomach fluttering to see the state of her. She looked like... well, as though she'd been up to the sort of activities they'd just been up to. He drew in his lips for a moment, wondering if they looked about as red as hers, and threaded his free hand through his hair self-consciously.
"Ah, okay," he agreed, slowly to a halt to turn toward her. "But um, I think.. do I look like we were just..?"
"You look. Well." She stepped back, her breath catching in her throat at the question and the very fresh, very alluring memories it brought with it. She looked him up and down, doing her best not to think about the wall behind him, and how sometimes a wall could be a lot like a tree.
"Here, stand still," it was better than trying to voice aloud just what it looked like he was doing, or worse, nudge him back against the wall and show him. They needed fresh air, she knew this, it was just a damnably alluring idea. Focusing on magic helped, and she managed to use her wand to smooth out and change the appearance of his coat, altering the color and the cut of it enough that it was as distinctive as it had been.
"Is that alright? I thought the color would like nice with your eyes."
That she didn't truly answer the question but rather looked him over like she was considering... something, was all he needed to know, really. But then, maybe she'd just been considering how to alter his clothes.
Eleven glanced down at himself, touching the fabric, then colored. "Oh." Of course, he couldn't know if the color really did go with his eyes or not, but it was a flattering thought, and he quietly hoped it did. "Well, thanks."
Still, there was the matter of how they looked and the fact that once they emerged from the stairs, they wouldn't be fooling anyone.
He reached out to shift a strand of hair out of her face to fall in line with most of the others.
"Um, you look... somewhat improper still. Is- are you sure you want to be seen..?"
Lily brought her hand up to rest on his wrist without a thought, catching herself and feeling the back of her neck grow warm.
"I, oh, hm." It was almost ironic how it had been easier to speak while positioned in his lap than now in the aftermath. Their swiftly evolving familiarity took some getting used to.
"I think it might be safer taking our chances, I'd already rather be kissing you again." She knew he'd only reached for her to help her fix her hair, but the gesture struck a chord and she found herself taking a step closer.
Eleven swallowed. Though it was a small and innocent point of contact, the fresh memory of how delightfully warm she'd been against him echoed over his skin with just that reminder. Indecision winged through his chest, watching her step closer and tempted by the prospect of returning to her lips, crowding her and finding out just how close they could get.
Safer. He blinked, taking in a steadying breath. ..Yes, probably.
He let his hand fall.
"If you're sure," he said at last, "I'd be happy to escort you."
She wondered if he was stalling, or if she only hoped he was stalling. She reached up to comb her fingers through her hair, pushing it back over her shoulders to make it look less messy and more purposefully touseled. Or was she stalling?
Were they both stalling?
"I could be persuaded," she blurted out as her arms fell back to her sides, and Lily felt her ears go red, taking his hand again because she couldn't quite stop herself. It had been a while since her sense of bravado had run away with itself.
Fingers curling swiftly around hers, Eleven's face flushed. That was.. definitely an invitation.
He glanced up the stairwell, scenting a breath of the fresh air that lay beyond- the promise of sobering rationale- then looked back to Lily, a far more tempting vision. Heart in his throat, he took a slow step toward her. It brought him close enough to almost hear her breathing, and taking up shared space once more, his will to resist crumbled.
Eleven reached out to draw her in for another kiss before he could overthink it any further.
Her hand tightened in his as he approached, pulling him closer as he reached for her. Something akin to a very soft squeak escaped her as she was drawn in, all too happy to give a little more time to being lost in this little swath of secret space they had managed to carve out together.
After blindly stuffing her wand back into the pocket of her gown, its light extinguished in favor of having both her hands free, she brought her arm up and wrapped it around his middle, her hand running over his back and up towards his shoulder.
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Lily let her fingers comb through his hair as she caught her breath, her heart pounding against her chest hard enough she swore he was able to tell. She ducked her head, resting her cheek against his. "You're going to make it difficult for me to keep you from neglecting your studies," she laughed again before kissing his jaw.
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"Don't have anymore tonight," he assured, words feeling clumsy on his tongue. A part of his mind couldn't believe he had a hand on the woman's thigh and she wasn't so much as mentioning it. But given she was quite literally sitting in his lap-
Or no- don't think about that too much. Suddenly the burst of caution from moments ago made more sense. ..But for the moment, he was okay. Things were okay- manageable, at least.
For now, he let the hand on her waist wander up her back then brush down the length of her arm, silently marveling at its progress and the simple fact that he was allowed to touch her this freely.
"..'M happy to be distracted."
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Curving herself against him as his hands skimmed up her back and along her arm, Lily kept herself as near as she could. She brought both of her hands up to affectionately brush over his cheeks before coming to rest against the sides of his neck, her fingers tangling in his hair again.
"I'm happy," she had meant to finish that affectionately mumbled phrase with 'to distract you,' but decided cutting herself off in favor of kissing him was the better way to go.
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But if that was the only thing he had to complain about, then things were pretty good. They could stay like this for hours, as far as he was concerned, kissing in the dark.. A heady thing.
Eleven's swelling lips slowed, eyes slotting open, and in a spark of muddled inspiration, tipped his head and dragged the touch of his tongue across her lower lip.
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One hand fell away from his hair, traveling over his shoulder and along the side of his body as her heart thudded away, sure he could notice but not caring all that much. Were they really supposed to do something other than this with their time? Lily had trouble recalling anything as worthy of her time as kissing El in their dimly lit alcove, and in truth, that suited her just fine.
Breathless she broke away just enough to exhale a low chuckle, dipping her chin down enough to catch his bottom lip in her teeth gently, tugging lightly.
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"Lily.." he breathed roughly next to her ear. His blood was warming quickly- dangerously- and he found some regret in pulling her so close. Eleven swallowed, willing his body not to betray him too obviously. Wrapped up in her so sweetly, he didn't want it to end.
Following her example, Eleven leaned in to press a wet kiss to her neck.
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When he broke that kiss off and turned his head to press his lips against her cheek instead, Lily drew in ragged, shuddering breaths, turning her head to rest her cheek against the side of his face.
"El," she replied in a whisper, tipping her chin enough to kiss the side of his face while her fingers combed through his hair, hoping he wasn't about to tell her he was ready to go get that drink.
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Eleven tucked his head against her shoulder and breathed, willing serenity through the growing rush of want. He could be content- was content, even- nothing was promised; he knew that. But her body ran hot beneath his hands, curves soft against his chest, and terribly sweet with her affections while her hips poised invitingly over his lap.
Too much, too close.
His face colored rapidly through a burst of self-consciousness, regretting their position with no escape or ability to shift away in order to preserve his dignity as desire asserted itself over his lackluster attempts at distraction.
"S-sorry," he managed, the word strained as he ducked his head. Goddess, but he prayed she wouldn't think too poorly of him. "..I'm sorry."
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Her hair looked a bit mad, even in the low light of the alcove, but she was oblivious to it, resting her hands on her shoulder as she shook her head. "You've done nothing I'd want an apology for El, this has been," she trailed off long enough to draw a breath, the concerned look on her face changing into one of delighted awe. "Wonderful. Utterly wonderful."
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His mind addled and body wildly uncooperative while his insides positively writhed in a tangle of nerves, he felt like an utter mess beneath her gaze.
"I-I'm glad," he said, clearing his throat. "Nothing's wrong. You're- I- yes. It's.. very nice. ..Thank you."
He could have slapped himself. If Yggdrasil were merciful, She'd take his soul now.
"I just! Mean- that's, I never thought- I'm grateful for you."
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Brushing aside the flare of ambivalent energy that coming back down to earth had brought with it she leaned in and kissed his cheek while climbing off of his lap, suddenly sheepishly aware of how high up her skirts had been hiked by all that moving around.
"I'm very grateful for you, for a lot of reasons - though, this one is a particularly good one," she laughed slightly, attempting to stave off the wave of awkwardness that threatened. Thankfully her hair had been mussed enough that trying to put it back to rights provided a wonderful distraction.
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The heat in his face had yet to ebb, though he managed to raise his eyes enough to watch her try to put herself back together. Speaking of which- Eleven raised a hand to run it over his hair, almost able to feel the ghost of her fingers in the spaces and odd tangles he came across. He shivered pleasantly, then tried to focus.
"This was very nice," he reiterated, stronger this time, "I'm glad that- well, you enjoyed it, too. Again sometime, if- if you'd like."
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"It's a bit difficult to imagine being somewhere like this with you and not taking advantage of the privacy." Lily's face turned redder at her own words and she was glad for the darkness yet again.
"I do finally see the merit in going out in search of a drink however, as nice as the dark with you is."
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But the promise of a drink, while thoroughly unappealing only a few minutes before, felt sorely needed now.
"Yes," he agreed, looking himself over to smooth down anything else that might look out of place. At least through the straightened flaps of his long coat, there wasn't anything to notice. Still, he wasn't completely fine to move just yet, and pinched the bridge of his nose while he conjured a terrible memory in a desperate bid to regain control where temptation lingered.
Guilt crept through his veins in a slow and terrible victory over desire, but that at least he had practice carrying. Eleven fell forward to brace his elbows against his knees as he let the tension bleed from his body, then breathed.
"Okay," he said finally, raising his head. "..Whenever you're ready."
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Breathing out slow when Eleven finally seemed to be ready to face the world Lily looked back at him and gave a nod. She reached for the shoulder of his coat, tugging on the corner to gree it from where it had gotten creased. "Alright, I think I'm ready."
Lily shifted in her seat preparing to give him space to rise before she fell back, and leaned back into him instead, kissing him once more - for the road.
"Now I'm ready," she added softly after, grinning at him in the dark.
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"Okay," he returned fondly, then finally pushed himself to stand. He offered her a hand up just as soon as he found his feet in the sway of the boat. "There's a set of stairs that lead up to a bridge. I'm sure we can find a pub around here without too much trouble."
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It certainly made getting off the boat a good deal easier, though it also meant he could see her red cheeks and her still somewhat unruly hair.
"You ought to let me adjust your clothes so we can be a little less easy to recognize," she kept her hand in Eleven's as they walked away from the gondola, staying close to him while she lit the way to the stairs he mentioned.
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"Ah, okay," he agreed, slowly to a halt to turn toward her. "But um, I think.. do I look like we were just..?"
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"Here, stand still," it was better than trying to voice aloud just what it looked like he was doing, or worse, nudge him back against the wall and show him. They needed fresh air, she knew this, it was just a damnably alluring idea. Focusing on magic helped, and she managed to use her wand to smooth out and change the appearance of his coat, altering the color and the cut of it enough that it was as distinctive as it had been.
"Is that alright? I thought the color would like nice with your eyes."
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Eleven glanced down at himself, touching the fabric, then colored. "Oh." Of course, he couldn't know if the color really did go with his eyes or not, but it was a flattering thought, and he quietly hoped it did. "Well, thanks."
Still, there was the matter of how they looked and the fact that once they emerged from the stairs, they wouldn't be fooling anyone.
He reached out to shift a strand of hair out of her face to fall in line with most of the others.
"Um, you look... somewhat improper still. Is- are you sure you want to be seen..?"
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"I, oh, hm." It was almost ironic how it had been easier to speak while positioned in his lap than now in the aftermath. Their swiftly evolving familiarity took some getting used to.
"I think it might be safer taking our chances, I'd already rather be kissing you again." She knew he'd only reached for her to help her fix her hair, but the gesture struck a chord and she found herself taking a step closer.
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Safer. He blinked, taking in a steadying breath. ..Yes, probably.
He let his hand fall.
"If you're sure," he said at last, "I'd be happy to escort you."
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Were they both stalling?
"I could be persuaded," she blurted out as her arms fell back to her sides, and Lily felt her ears go red, taking his hand again because she couldn't quite stop herself. It had been a while since her sense of bravado had run away with itself.
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He glanced up the stairwell, scenting a breath of the fresh air that lay beyond- the promise of sobering rationale- then looked back to Lily, a far more tempting vision. Heart in his throat, he took a slow step toward her. It brought him close enough to almost hear her breathing, and taking up shared space once more, his will to resist crumbled.
Eleven reached out to draw her in for another kiss before he could overthink it any further.
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After blindly stuffing her wand back into the pocket of her gown, its light extinguished in favor of having both her hands free, she brought her arm up and wrapped it around his middle, her hand running over his back and up towards his shoulder.
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