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.
He decided he loved the small of her waist, how easily his arm fit around it and left his hand free to slide further up her side. He loved the temptation of her lips, drawn in and seducing his senses with ease. Delighted in how oddly flattering it was to have her hand sliding up his back and curling over his shoulder; how now that he was standing, he could guide her back further and fulfill the urge to slot them together from ankle to chest.
Eleven pressed harder against her mouth in a fruitless attempt to expend and satisfy the reignited passions swirling through his chest.
Happy to be pulled flesh against him like that, Lily rocked forward on the balls of her feet leaning into him heavily as he gathered her up in his arms.
Whatever composure she might have regained in the short walk from the gondola to painfully close to the staircase leading up was tossed aside in favor of enjoying their newfound closeness all over again.
Tilting her chin down, she broke away enough to mumble his name against his mouth, brushing the tip of her tongue against his lower lip before she kissed him again.
She really was terribly alluring. Eleven was almost sure she could talk him in or out of most anything if she just kissed him like this. He met her kiss wetly, thrilling in the touch of her tongue to his. The banked desire from before threatened to return far more readily this time.
He broke off from her mouth with a sharp, wet sound.
"I.. uh, if you want to go, we probably should now."
Breathing raggedly all over again when he broke away she nodded, aware that she was steps away from bringing them against the wall at her back to spend the rest of the evening feeling him pressed against her.
"Yes," she shook her head as if to clear it and gave him another nod, confirming. "You're very right," detangling herself from him again was almost as saddening as it had been in the gondola, but they needed to get ahold of themselves and make it to the surface.
Distracting herself from kissing him again she pushed her hair back, resolving to give up and just braid it once they got up into the light of the street. "We should absolutely go, but," she grinned dazedly, tilting her chin up at him. "Merlin's beard, you're really something else."
He let her go and stepped back with a hard breath, dragging a hand across his mouth like it might help erase the memory of her lips and thus, temptation.
Eleven caught her eyes with a sheepish grin, inordinately pleased with himself.
"Just following your example," he admitted, smoothing his hand down his front again. "Certainly was an inspiring one."
"My example? I just talk rubbish," she smoothed down the front of her dress again with a little sigh, wondering if she was ever going to get rid of the tiny creases in her skirts left behind from being crushed up against him.
"You however seem to be taking to being rather dashing," her eyes narrowed at him in the dim light and she grinned, leaning in just enough to bump her hip against his playfully before hurrying past to get up the stairs.
The sooner they reached the street, the sooner she would get to stop wondering whether or not they ever would.
A pleasant heat washed over him, grinning to himself in the dark for a moment before he took up to follow after her.
As expected, the evening air proved wonderfully refreshing; a reminder that there was more to the world than being pressed up against Lily, as wonderful as that had been. Eleven hummed a pleased note, bright with energy like he could swim the length of the canal or race all the way back to the palace without too much trouble.
It wasn't until he looked at Lily that he recalled what they probably looked like, and fidgeted as that energy morphed to nerves. Naturally, she wasn't looking any more put together now.
Eleven laughed to himself. "Seems even I'm faring better than Macaluso is."
As they reached the top of the stairs and the first cool brush of night air hit her Lily finished plaiting her hair in a thick braid before she fished the mask she had been wearing when they met by the canal out of her pocket. Frowning a touch at its rumpled state she gave it a shake before pulling it on over her eyes.
Laughing at his remark Lily gave her dress one more smoothing over before she stepped closer to him and took his arm. "I think we wouldn't be the first two people to walk down these streets after falling into a bit of, er," she tilted her head to the side.
"Quality time." Quality did not do it justice as a description.
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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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Eleven pressed harder against her mouth in a fruitless attempt to expend and satisfy the reignited passions swirling through his chest.
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Whatever composure she might have regained in the short walk from the gondola to painfully close to the staircase leading up was tossed aside in favor of enjoying their newfound closeness all over again.
Tilting her chin down, she broke away enough to mumble his name against his mouth, brushing the tip of her tongue against his lower lip before she kissed him again.
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He broke off from her mouth with a sharp, wet sound.
"I.. uh, if you want to go, we probably should now."
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"Yes," she shook her head as if to clear it and gave him another nod, confirming. "You're very right," detangling herself from him again was almost as saddening as it had been in the gondola, but they needed to get ahold of themselves and make it to the surface.
Distracting herself from kissing him again she pushed her hair back, resolving to give up and just braid it once they got up into the light of the street. "We should absolutely go, but," she grinned dazedly, tilting her chin up at him. "Merlin's beard, you're really something else."
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Eleven caught her eyes with a sheepish grin, inordinately pleased with himself.
"Just following your example," he admitted, smoothing his hand down his front again. "Certainly was an inspiring one."
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"You however seem to be taking to being rather dashing," her eyes narrowed at him in the dim light and she grinned, leaning in just enough to bump her hip against his playfully before hurrying past to get up the stairs.
The sooner they reached the street, the sooner she would get to stop wondering whether or not they ever would.
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A pleasant heat washed over him, grinning to himself in the dark for a moment before he took up to follow after her.
As expected, the evening air proved wonderfully refreshing; a reminder that there was more to the world than being pressed up against Lily, as wonderful as that had been. Eleven hummed a pleased note, bright with energy like he could swim the length of the canal or race all the way back to the palace without too much trouble.
It wasn't until he looked at Lily that he recalled what they probably looked like, and fidgeted as that energy morphed to nerves. Naturally, she wasn't looking any more put together now.
Eleven laughed to himself. "Seems even I'm faring better than Macaluso is."
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Laughing at his remark Lily gave her dress one more smoothing over before she stepped closer to him and took his arm. "I think we wouldn't be the first two people to walk down these streets after falling into a bit of, er," she tilted her head to the side.
"Quality time." Quality did not do it justice as a description.
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