towerofanimus | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Characters: Willow Rosenberg and AU7 Eridan Ampora
Setting: Floor 25 - the meadow
Format: Action
Summary: Eridan's got a little something to give Willow
Warnings: Cavity-inducing cute

[Eridan sits on a rise on the meadow, fidgeting as he waits for Willow. He has something burning a hole in his pocket, a little trinket he's spent the last several days working feverishly over. He's quite proud of it, but nervous about the reception it will get. Will it be good enough? Will it offend Willow in some way?

But he's determined to give it to her. He just has to hope that nothing horrible happens before he can do it. The last time he waited for Willow, he got attacked by the Grand Highblood Subjugglator and nearly died. Of course, they also became matesprits that day, so it could have been worse]

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Just bein' all nervvous and... wwell, convvinced that this is gonna go awwry real quick if I do anything wwrong. [He's not looking at her, his head turned away a bit and gazing at some point in the middle distance. He's holding her hand, though] I knoww it's silly, because you're not a cruel person. Wwith some time to get used to things, probably I'll get ovver it.

It is silly, but everyone thinks silly things sometimes.

[She squeezes his hand, wanting his attention back.] You've been so patient with me; I can be patient, too. That's the whole idea.

I don't knoww if I'vve been that patient. [He squeezes her hand back and gives her shoulder a nuzzle] But I can be, about, you knoww...most things. An I just wwant you to be happy, that's all.

You're too down on yourself, [she scolds.] You are patient, and considerate, and you lavish me with compliments, and look, you even give me jewelry.

Am I supposed to want something else from my boyfriend?

[He smiles, pleased at the praise, even if it came with a tiny criticism. It's probably one he deserves]

Wwell, I guess not. Wwhen you say it, it sounds pretty good. [He grins and gives her a light kiss, a little affectionate peck on the lips] And you're patient and kind and lavvish me wwith evven more compliments. I couldn't wwant anythin' more from a matesprit.

Are you sure? [He had coincidentally hit on the insecurity at the forefront of Willow's mind, and she bites the inside of her lip even as she reaches up to tug him down beside her again. Somehow it's easier to be self-conscious when he's right there next to her.]

I've just been doing what I'd do if-- if you were a human I were dating. Don't you want something, uh... pitiful?

[It's clear that she's not entirely sure how pity factors into this, but that it does, somehow.]

[Blinks in surprise, then he smiles again, cuddling in close] If you're doing wwhat a normal human wwould do wwith another human, maybe things aren't so different, after all. I'm just treatin' you like I wwould any troll, uh, other than explainin' things a bit more.

[Willow hadn't been kidding that seeing him smile made her want to kiss him, and since he'd kissed her himself earlier it was on her mind.

But she had one thing she did want to get out of the way, first, that had been on her mind for a lot longer.] Speaking of explaining things, [she says, compromising with herself by drawing his hand up and placing a light kiss across his knuckles in between her words,] can you tell me why pity is supposed to be a good thing?

[Once she understood this part, she thought she might be able to stop second-guessing herself about this. Well, maybe a little. She could at least keep her second-guessing to herself better.]

[Eridan cocks his head thoughtfully, trying to figure out why she would feel that pity wasn't a good thing. But after a few seconds, he begins to speak]

Wwell, there's a difference betwween contempt an pity, for one. Trolls are a vviolent species. Anyone you don't pity, you might use or hurt wwithout wworryin too much about it. But if you pity someone...

[He reaches out, cupping her cheek and pressing his forehead against hers, his voice dropping affectionately]

If you pity someone, then you couldn't bear to hurt them in any wway, because they're already so pitiable that you don't wwant to make it wworse.

[Oh that's a very good explanation, and charms the romantic in her completely. She giggles faintly at how obviously he's talking about her, and nuzzles against him, unreserved.]

Then if it's not entirely obvious, you are completely pitiable, [she says affectionately.] Eminently pitiable, even. If I ever hurt you I'd turn into a big wreck, it'd be completely embarrassing.

[He beams and snuggles in closer] Yeah, I wwould nevver wwant to hurt you, either. I mean, I don't think you're lowwer than me in any wway, but you're so...swweet, and kinda naivve in a lot a wways and somehoww despite bein' such a strong wwitch, you still wwant evveryone to get along and for evverything to be wwell. And I think you're afraid a yourself a bit, and lonely too, wwhich makes you just that little bit more pitiable.

That must be the strangest set of compliments I've ever received. [But she can't really deny any of it, either, and apparently it all just means that he'd never want to see her hurt, which is a sentiment she can get behind. So she just throws him an amused look.]

You're really romantic, aren't you? I mean I could tell with you bringing up serendipity, but I think it's cute.

[And now he blushes to the tips of his fins]

Wwell, yeah. I guess I am. But don't tell evveryone, okay? It's sort of embarrassin', but I believve that there are people you're just fated to be wwith.

Your reputation is safe with me, [she says slyly, scooting even closer. She's suddenly quiet and almost shy as she adds,] Because I feel that way, too.

[She just doesn't know if it was him she was fated to be with, because Tara is still too strong in her mind.

But she can't tell him that, so she needs a distraction, and she does want to kiss him. Which she does, soft but insistent against his lips, one hand creeping up to rest on his waist.]

[He warbles at the words, and returns the kiss sweetly and fervently, his arms sliding around her and holding her close. He doesn't try to push it further, but finishes the kiss with a little alien chirping noise.]

You're the swweetest girl there is.

[His alien noises are rapidly becoming endearing to her more than anything else. They're faintly cute on their own, but they're part of him, and that means Willow is already predisposed to be sentimental about it.]

I don't know about that. You just... make it easy. [Her hand slides up his waist, lightly over his rib cage because she knows his gills are there, and makes slow, meandering progress as she speaks. She hasn't forgotten that earlier she'd wanted to investigate his fins. He'd made the nicest little shiver when she'd touched them.]

Somehoww it doesn't wwork on anyone but you, practically.

[He smiles, shivering a bit as her fingers ghost over the gills on his side, and then she reaches his fin. He freezes, tensing just a little, then croons as her fingers brush against the fin.

They're definitely very sensitive, and it feels good, but he holds very still as she touches it. With a slight effort, he does force the spines to spread to show the webbing between, though, telling himself there's nothing to be nervous about.]

[Her fingertips flutter lightly over the webbing, careful and deliberate, and she watches what she's doing intently. It's an odd texture, but one she wants to get used to.

Her voice turns soft and murmuring with her concentration, and the fragility of the moment.] I think I like that it's just me. [Willow stills, and glances at his expression.] ... Is this okay?

[She hopes he knows that he can say no.]

[He's not entirely certain of that, but he doesn't want to say no, anyway. He opens his eyes, not having realized he'd closed them, and blinks at her, then smiles sheepishly]

Oh yeah... Better than okay. Just a bit of a sensitivve spot, if you hadn't already noticed.

[It's close enough to being just her that she doesn't mind if it isn't, exactly, because right now it feels like it is, just the two of them. This level was so big, and they were so low to the ground, it was hard to imagine anyone finding them even if they wanted to.]

That may have been my entire motivation. [Rubbing a little, then her hand slides up to where fin meets cheek and rests there.] I want to know all about you.

[He croons again and has to fight to keep his eyes open. He reaches up to ghost his own claws down the back of her neck]

Me too. Like wwhat sorts a sensitivve spots you havve. [He grins at that, joking a little.] You don't havve fins, so I don't evven knoww wwhere to start.

[She giggles faintly, surprised at the touch and hair prickling up. She has to admit she's pleased with herself to get expressions like that out of him.]

I could be persuaded to give you some hints. If you make it worth my while.

Oh really? [His fins prick forward with interest, quivering faintly like the ears of a cat. His claws play further down her spine] And wwhat wwould be wworth your wwhile, other than my swweeps a devvotion?

[She squirms just a little, reflexively, and pushes closer to him. It's a totally different feeling than doing this with Tara-- more like doing this with Oz, and Willow's surprised to find that she likes the difference.]

Hmm, that is a toughie. I do already have anything I could want, just about... Except, maybe, kisses. What do you think, hints for kisses? [She checks her enthusiasm for a second to ask, more genuinely,] Or would that be too much?

[As much as Willow loves flirting and making out and being soppy, she's far too considerate to forget his role in it, and she can't imagine that his reluctance from the other day won't appear ever again. Though he has seemed game for anything she wanted to do, today.]

[He IS game, maybe not for anything, but for this. Last time, the expectations he was putting on himself were too much, especially after nearly getting killed at the Grand Highblood's hands, and even now he's really not sure how he'll deal with it when it gets time to pull out the pail.

But right now he doesn't feel like Willow is likely to push him further than he's prepared to go. Instead, it just feels like...playing, like having fun, with no expectations or anything to fear, so even things that might have triggered him a bit - like touching his fins - are totally fine.

And she really is the cutest, sweetest thing in the world. Certainly, he has nothing to fear.]

Doesn't sound like too much. I think I get your hint... [He grins and leans in to press his lips to hers, all enthusiasm and sweet desire to please]