[ Because of how familiar their routine has become, and how much they both like to touch one another when they're alone, almost as if they're saving up for when they have to be more careful out in public, the fact that Poe doesn't touch her right away is almost painfully noticeable. And while she understands why, when his fingers finally pass across her jaw, Clary feels a nearly tangible relief, leaning into the touch without hesitation.
She returns the kiss, as gentle as she'd been with the ones she'd pressed to his skin, and lightly bumps his nose with her own when it ends. For a long moment, she just stays like that, hands tangled with his and curled around the side of his neck respectively. Then she slips her hand free from his and wraps both arms around his neck, the arch of her back effortlessly shifting her body language from comforting to something a bit more tantalizing.
Maybe it's a little more forced than it's ever been with Poe, but it certainly won't take long for her own focus to shift from thoughts of what happened to just thoughts of him. ]
I would be more than happy to distract you. [ This time the lighter tone actually lands, though there's no playful grin to accompany it. Instead, she leans in for another kiss, stopping just before their lips meet to murmur there against them. ] For as long as you want; I'm not going anywhere, Poe. [ It's as much a promise for today as it is for the future, confirmation that Clary's not going to disappear on him just because the city decided to mess with his designation.
She was never interested in Poe because he was a fellow Dominant, and the line now stark and undeniable on his skin won't be enough to dissuade her from seeing him again. None of it ultimately matters except in how he's treated by the city, something she's keen to prove as she finally closes that minuscule distance, starting the kiss of gentle and slow but with the familiar promise off more. ]
[ Even if they wanted to pretend that nothing's happened, in an effort to shut the rest of the world out for a while, it wouldn't have worked, and that's not what Poe's going for anyway. He can't forget about it, not really, but what he can do is narrow his focus down to right here, to her, and leave the rest of it for afterward. This is important to him, she's important to him, and it's not actually all that hard to keep his attention here when she's so willing to just exist in this particular moment with him, pressing into his touches with as much relief as it offers him.
His need to reply isn't as pressing as the need to return another kiss, one which he leans into with even more warmth than the last, though it's still slow and deliberate rather than the wild, hungry sort of thing that they've been caught up in so many times before. This isn't that impulsive, and it's not really driven by the same desires either, at least not in the way it would be if they were just having fun together. This is soft, more needy and emotional in a way that's rare for him, and something new for them in particular. But that's not a vulnerability that he's afraid to slip into with her, not now, after everything they've been through together.
He's not exactly going to stop kissing her, or letting his hands roam over her back and all the way down to her ass, gripping and stroking while he's tugging her toward the bedroom — he couch is right there, but he's not stopping at it this time — even while he's getting a few words in there between moments when his mouth is preoccupied. ]
You're not a distraction, Clary. Not to me.
[ Those touches will eventually end up nudging underneath her shirt, and her pants if he can get his hands into them, though he's not in a rush to get her naked. That's kind of secondary to the need to touch more of her without anything in the way. ]
[ Clary feels the distinct difference between this kiss and the numerous others they've shared up to this point, how this time it feels heavy but in a way that makes her heart race fast and wild in her chest, makes her want to somehow hold onto this moment for as long as possible. And that's when it hits her: Poe doesn't want to get lost in this just to feel better and to get his mind off of things (which she never would have blamed him for and would have happily provided). He wants to get lost in her.
It's a realization that has her as breathless as the kiss does by the time they part enough to speak and stokes heat inside of her that is simultaneously familiar and as new as the vulnerability she recognizes in him now. She doesn't respond at first, almost taking a second to savor everything, eyes still closed while her hands move to cradle his face. ]
I know. [ And she does, truly. Had known, even, before today because they've always made it clear that despite how they met, despite the undeniable chemistry between them that they're both unwilling to fight against regularly, their friendship isn't just about the sex. More than that, Poe's never made her feel like she was just some piece of entertainment, something to do while he's waiting for Gwen or Finn to be available.
Opening her eyes, Clary catches his gaze as her hands travel down the sides of his neck and then across his shoulders, along the length of his arms until she finds his wrists. But she doesn't do anything more than touch him, not wanting to impede the movement of his own hands over her body. ]
I was just saying I could be one now, that I don't mind helping you get out of your head if that's what you need.
[ Getting back to the apartment wouldn't take long, all things considered, but Poe's reluctant to wait that long, especially when there's a reasonably comfortable, private cot behind the front office which will work for now. It's close behind him, a few more steps away, when he stops, his eyes locking on hers while his hands settle on her hips, giving them a gentle squeeze in another tangible reminder of just how grateful he is for all of this. Not just because of the current predicament he's found himself in, but for all of it — to say that he feels like he doesn't deserve this might not be an exaggeration. He doubts she would hear it though, especially now, so he won't dwell on it. Whatever they've gotten themselves into, they've done it together, they're both aware of that.
He pauses there, catching one of her hands in his and drawing it up to his mouth to press a slow, warm kiss against her palm, his eyes eventually flicking back up to hers as he follows that up with a few more scattered kisses trailing down toward her wrist. ]
Maybe I just need to show you how much that means to me.
[ After one more kiss that lingers against her wrist he'll let her hand go, not because he's done kissing her obviously but because she'll need to be able to free both of them for him to tug her shirt up and off. If she ends up unbuttoning his own along the way he'll slip out of that too, he's just more concerned with picking up with more kisses along the line of a newly bared shoulder while his fingers slide around to the clasps holding her bra in place.
It's far from the first time he's undressed her, it just might be the first time he's done it with such a gentle, almost reverent sort of touch, where he's not rushing or even fighting against that impulse. What they're doing right now is as important as anything that's going to happen later. ]
[ When he catches her gaze, even before his hand collects her own and guides it to his mouth, Clary feels her cheeks heat in something completely and entirely unrelated to arousal. Nerves flutter, too, in her stomach despite the fact that she's kind of lost track of how often they've ended up this close, how familiar the weight and warmth of his hand on her hip has become. She can see something else in his eyes — feel it in the charged space between them — and she simultaneously wants to bask in it and chase it away.
The former wins out, however, a fond smile curling her lips as his scatter kisses across her wrist, leaving her to idly wonder if he can feel the hammering of her heart at the pulse point there. Which only gets worse at what he says, as if her heartbeat is somehow tied directly to Poe's voice. It leaves her voice quiet and still breathless, though as undeniably fond as her the warmth in her own eyes, when she says, ] Whatever you need.
[ As if him doing that wouldn't be enjoyable for her.
Once her shirt is gone, Clary's hands do reach for Poe's shirt but her fingers just end up grasping the fabric when he dips his head to resume kissing her. Her head tips backward slightly as her eyes close with a soft gasp. Rather than getting too involved in removing his shirt, she decides to wait until he's removed her bra, though she does dip her hands beneath the fabric to seek out Poe's skin directly. ]
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no subject
She returns the kiss, as gentle as she'd been with the ones she'd pressed to his skin, and lightly bumps his nose with her own when it ends. For a long moment, she just stays like that, hands tangled with his and curled around the side of his neck respectively. Then she slips her hand free from his and wraps both arms around his neck, the arch of her back effortlessly shifting her body language from comforting to something a bit more tantalizing.
Maybe it's a little more forced than it's ever been with Poe, but it certainly won't take long for her own focus to shift from thoughts of what happened to just thoughts of him. ]
I would be more than happy to distract you. [ This time the lighter tone actually lands, though there's no playful grin to accompany it. Instead, she leans in for another kiss, stopping just before their lips meet to murmur there against them. ] For as long as you want; I'm not going anywhere, Poe. [ It's as much a promise for today as it is for the future, confirmation that Clary's not going to disappear on him just because the city decided to mess with his designation.
She was never interested in Poe because he was a fellow Dominant, and the line now stark and undeniable on his skin won't be enough to dissuade her from seeing him again. None of it ultimately matters except in how he's treated by the city, something she's keen to prove as she finally closes that minuscule distance, starting the kiss of gentle and slow but with the familiar promise off more. ]
no subject
His need to reply isn't as pressing as the need to return another kiss, one which he leans into with even more warmth than the last, though it's still slow and deliberate rather than the wild, hungry sort of thing that they've been caught up in so many times before. This isn't that impulsive, and it's not really driven by the same desires either, at least not in the way it would be if they were just having fun together. This is soft, more needy and emotional in a way that's rare for him, and something new for them in particular. But that's not a vulnerability that he's afraid to slip into with her, not now, after everything they've been through together.
He's not exactly going to stop kissing her, or letting his hands roam over her back and all the way down to her ass, gripping and stroking while he's tugging her toward the bedroom — he couch is right there, but he's not stopping at it this time — even while he's getting a few words in there between moments when his mouth is preoccupied. ]
You're not a distraction, Clary. Not to me.
[ Those touches will eventually end up nudging underneath her shirt, and her pants if he can get his hands into them, though he's not in a rush to get her naked. That's kind of secondary to the need to touch more of her without anything in the way. ]
no subject
It's a realization that has her as breathless as the kiss does by the time they part enough to speak and stokes heat inside of her that is simultaneously familiar and as new as the vulnerability she recognizes in him now. She doesn't respond at first, almost taking a second to savor everything, eyes still closed while her hands move to cradle his face. ]
I know. [ And she does, truly. Had known, even, before today because they've always made it clear that despite how they met, despite the undeniable chemistry between them that they're both unwilling to fight against regularly, their friendship isn't just about the sex. More than that, Poe's never made her feel like she was just some piece of entertainment, something to do while he's waiting for Gwen or Finn to be available.
Opening her eyes, Clary catches his gaze as her hands travel down the sides of his neck and then across his shoulders, along the length of his arms until she finds his wrists. But she doesn't do anything more than touch him, not wanting to impede the movement of his own hands over her body. ]
I was just saying I could be one now, that I don't mind helping you get out of your head if that's what you need.
no subject
He pauses there, catching one of her hands in his and drawing it up to his mouth to press a slow, warm kiss against her palm, his eyes eventually flicking back up to hers as he follows that up with a few more scattered kisses trailing down toward her wrist. ]
Maybe I just need to show you how much that means to me.
[ After one more kiss that lingers against her wrist he'll let her hand go, not because he's done kissing her obviously but because she'll need to be able to free both of them for him to tug her shirt up and off. If she ends up unbuttoning his own along the way he'll slip out of that too, he's just more concerned with picking up with more kisses along the line of a newly bared shoulder while his fingers slide around to the clasps holding her bra in place.
It's far from the first time he's undressed her, it just might be the first time he's done it with such a gentle, almost reverent sort of touch, where he's not rushing or even fighting against that impulse. What they're doing right now is as important as anything that's going to happen later. ]
no subject
The former wins out, however, a fond smile curling her lips as his scatter kisses across her wrist, leaving her to idly wonder if he can feel the hammering of her heart at the pulse point there. Which only gets worse at what he says, as if her heartbeat is somehow tied directly to Poe's voice. It leaves her voice quiet and still breathless, though as undeniably fond as her the warmth in her own eyes, when she says, ] Whatever you need.
[ As if him doing that wouldn't be enjoyable for her.
Once her shirt is gone, Clary's hands do reach for Poe's shirt but her fingers just end up grasping the fabric when he dips his head to resume kissing her. Her head tips backward slightly as her eyes close with a soft gasp. Rather than getting too involved in removing his shirt, she decides to wait until he's removed her bra, though she does dip her hands beneath the fabric to seek out Poe's skin directly. ]