[ Wildly, she briefly considers throwing caution to the wind and simply bearing down with her weight because that sound is more than enough to wear considerably at her sense of reason.
The fact they hadn't managed to tear anything as of yet actually surprises her. It wasn't as if her dress was made of hardy material, after all—it was largely crafted for cosmetic purposes, not a functional one outside of the obvious—and they'd been twisting and turning and grabbing at one another the whole night.
If Nicole can connect the dots about what Varka is considering when he comments on the dangers of her attire, though… she doesn't. She does not connect the dots at present. ]
No one has ever gotten close enough to tear it.
[ That was the truth. Any would-be aggressors were far likely to be wiped off the face of the planet by her spellcraft before they ever got close enough to tear her dress.
As she had cautioned, the upper half of the dress effectively falls down the moment Varka undoes the clasp. She, at the very least, lifts a hand to prevent it from sliding down entirely, but it is a token effort at best. The dress had already bared at least a sliver of skin on either side of her chest but loose as it is, the whole side of her breasts are nearly fully visible if she angles herself.
Oh, that's right. She doesn't wear a bra. Dreadfully uncomfortable things, those are. ]
Was I meant to let it fall all the way off?
[ It is both a genuine question and a genuinely teasing one. She allows it to slip an inch more, fingers bunching the fabric. ]
[Varka's brows absolutely lift in anticpation, then swiftly draw together in disappointment when the full show isn't revealed. Not that he doesn't have plenty to marvel at. COnsidering everything they've done up until this point, he doesn't feel the slightest bit bad about letting his eyes rove over what skin has been exposed.
And judging by the toothy grin, he isn't going to pretend that he wasn't.]
I might have enjoyed it, if you did. But hey, I'll show you mine if you show me yours?
[He leans back, hurriedly undoing the remaining buttons on his shirt and tossing it aside. Only his necklace remains on his torso, swaying between his pectorals. As if they weren't already hypnotizing enough. Naturally, his chest is possessed of the same amount of scarring as the rest of him, a particularly vicious set of claws marring the left side of his rib cage, and suspiciously sword shaped puncture on the lower right part of his abdomen.
None of these bother him. He's practically showing them off as he squares his shoulders and meets Nicole's eyes.]
[ The moment Varka starts to unbutton his shirt Nicole knows she's made the right decision. She was a grand and beautiful and intelligent mage, after all. She would devise such nefarious and cunning schemes to ensure that Varka undressed in front of her far before she bared her own torso. Really, Nicole, her mind supplies, you are a visionary and strategist of the highest caliber and…
And then her train of thought sputters to an ungainly halt the moment Varka discards his shirt. Really, if Varka was unabashedly staring, Nicole's riveted gaze would make even the most stoic of knights blush. She had wholly anticipated Varka being well-built, both given his stature and his profession, but being confronted with the whole picture was…
Her eyes dart from his chest to his face and then… yes, back down again. Then further still, sweeping down the length of his torso in an effort to commit it all, burningly, to memory.
One of her hands frees itself from where it is clutching at the fabric of her dress to trace the lines of that sword-shaped scar with light fingers. Those fingers trace upward slowly enough to map out the ridges of Varka's abdominal muscles, then trip carefully over the raised skin surrounding the clawmarks on his ribcage. When she eventually finds her way up to his chest, she traces between his pectorals with the backs of her fingers rather than her fingertips.
…distracted as she is, she's still holding her dress up with one hand. Sorry, Varka. ]
[Fortunately for Nicole, Varka isn't in the right frame of mind to complain. The moment she makes contact with him, as her fingers slide down sensitive wounds and rigid muscle, all thoughts flee from his mind. He shudders bodily beneath her, gooseflesh rising in the wake of that wandering touch. His head tilts upward slightly, eyes locking with the ceiling as he bares his throat entirely.
He swallows hard, throat bobbing with the force of it. Neither his vivid imagination or most scandalous of dreams could have ever done this justice.
And all of that was before she made contact with his chest. All his attempts at keeping himself together fail in one instant, a low noise emerging from his throat. His head lolls back down, once more making eye contact with her. A strained smile crosses his lips, and a tight laugh rumbles through his chest.]
[ Oh wow, Nicole's mind chirps, bright and awed and assuredly definitely into their mental connection. Wow. Gosh.
While it is a blessing to know she isn't the only one affected, Varka's reactions are invigorating to a degree she was hardly anticipating. The way his body shifts beneath her touch, the flexing muscles and barely-suppressed shivers… if she weren't careful, she could easily lose herself in this.
The sound he makes when she touches his chest physically jolts her. Heat blooms in her stomach, and she feels pinned beneath the heady weight of his gaze. If she had wanted him before, it was a shade of the desire she feels now. If she had felt attracted before, this was… magnetizing. He is beautiful in a way that would have been difficult to envision before he granted her the opportunity.
A feeling not unlike reverence settles over her. Being called a tease only slightly disrupts it.
Her cheeks burn. With a visible swallow, she lifts her hand away from her dress and allows the fabric to fall away. While it pools and bunches at her waist, Nicole sets to removing her sleeves to even the playing field.
In stark contrast to Varka's, her skin is entirely unmarred. Her chest shifts with each breath, a hint laborious in the face of her desire. She glances away bashfully, finding the prospect of shared nudity to be a surprisingly intimate one. ]
[The idea of continuing to rib Nicole fades just as quickly as the fabric drops. As much as he enjoys their back and forth, making sure she feels comfortable in this situation is far more important. Thus, he shuts up when she reveals herself, focusing his attention on memorizing every inch of her form.
Her incredibly beautiful, undeniably perfect form. Some part of him thrills to know that this is a sight only he has ever witnessed. It is a miracle, and a precious one at that. Above all, it is something he refuses to squander.
His hands shift forward, settling against her hips at first. He does not hesitate to stroke upward, following the curve of her form, studying the firmness of her ribs beneath his. Only when he draws steady with her chest does he drag his touch inward, and only with one hand. He lays his hand above her heart (and yes, of course, her breast.]
Still with me? Can't have you burning up before we've had any fun.
[Okay, maybe a little teasing is in order.]
You're beautiful. Just in case no one's told you that before.
[ Nicole understands now why Varka was twitching so much.
She twitches the moment he touches her, then continues to when his hands start to move. A subtle tremble overtakes her as she vividly maps the sensation of his calloused palms on her bare skin. It isn't overwhelming – not in a negative way. She is finding the whole experience borderline dizzying, though.
A faint sound filters through the noise when his hand fits round her chest. Her lashes flutter. Her face is warm, but the embarrassment has fled in favor of something else, something deeper. Her mouth flexes around her next breath as she struggles to take it.
Was it going to be this devastating every time? They'd barely even touched one another! Wildly, Nicole begins to fret over whether she was going to embarrass herself by losing her composure over something as simple as skin-to-skin contact! ]
I'm here. [ She must be distracted indeed, given that she barely ruffles under his teasing. ] So are you… I was wondering if it slipped through the link, but it must have not.
Oh, I definitely heard you. [His smile turns a little sheepish.] Just got a bit distracted along the way.
[There's so much to keep track of; the flush of her skin, the noises playing out within her mind, the very look of her body. It's little wonder that a few things have slipped through the cracks.]
Here, let's get this out of the way, yeah?
[He slides his hands back down to her hips, then lifts her up. He hasn't missed how much she seems to enjoy being handled. To be honest, he enjoys it quite a bit himself. Besides, gently nudging the dress off to the floor helps her from getting all tangled up.
Especially when his next task is setting her on the bed proper. Yes, he wants nothing more than to run his hands over every inch of her, but if he starts too soon, he's going to get lost. Distracted.
I'm glad. [ She says it more fervently than she had initially meant to, but commits to it nevertheless. ] I want you to know. That I think of you that way. That it is the truth.
[ A frankly ridiculous thought spawns out of seemingly nowhere when Varka lifts her to help her out of her dress. Namely: should she have removed her shoes before stepping into the room? Putting her shoes on Varka's bed would be incredibly rude, and that is abruptly incredibly important.
Which is definitely why it falls by the wayside when he adjusts her again. Almost mindlessly, she lifts a hand to deposit her hat on the nearest flat surface, uncaring at the moment for where it does end up. She is far too focused on Varka.
Beneath the dress is… well, she might not be wearing a bra, but she is wearing clothing on the lower half! A pair of delicate white tights, sheer enough that the that her skin shone through the sparkling fabric. (As well as a pair of delicate lacy underthings, but don't focus on that just yet, Varka). Wrapped round one thigh was a delicate garter with a shining gem, threaded to a garter belt that sat higher up her waist.
For being a creature that was ultimately meant to stray from companionship, she had evidently decided she wanted to wear lingerie. It didn't hurt to look pretty! ]
I am concerned about my shoes being on your bed. [ Oh, she didn't forget. ]
[Though Varka doesn't verbally respond, the smile he gives her carries a promise: he hears her. He understands. And deep down, he treasures those words. He is not a blind man, nor is he a fool. He knows he is attractive, and he isn't ashamed to admit it. It's not a bad thing, to acknowledge your assets, thank you.
But knowing that Nicole saw him as such? That meant more than he could put into words.
That smile remains on his lips as he carefully arranges Nicole's body. He settles between her legs, holding both up so that neither shoe might touch the bed. He smirks are her "concern" before making a show of sliding one hand down the span of her thigh, then up her calf as he carefully undoes the boot there.]
I'm a professional, Nicole. I didn't forget about your shoes.
[He definitely did. He got so excited that he's now having to scramble. But don't worry, he can play it off.]
You know, I didn't think you'd dress so, uh... provocatively. Not that I'm complaining. I definitely like what I'm seeing.
[ Being laid out so carefully on the bed sets her heart to thrumming. The reality of their position sets in, punctuated by the weight of Varka's hand traveling over her leg. Six thousand years without intimacy culminating into a single moment. She has absolutely no idea what to expect. Reading saucy romance books was one thing, but experiencing the act yourself was… uniquely different. Abruptly overcome, Nicole lifts a hand to cover the lower half her face.
Her chest shudders exactly one time. Regardless of the fact that Varka is attending to both of her legs, she still tries to angle them closed. Shyly, not out of any discomfort.
It certainly doesn't help that he is pointing out her clothing! Briefly, she considers whether shoving him with her stockinged foot would have the intended effect. When he releases the first leg he had removed the boot for, she does just that.
Planting her toes against one pectoral, she lightly presses down enough to hopefully make him sway. It isn't nearly hard enough to actually shove him away—Celestia forbid—but maybe it would get the message across? ]
I look at this form every day. There is nothing wrong with dressing every part of it up, thank you very much.
[If Varka didn't want to be moved, he would not. The fact that he bends with the gesture should be enough indication that he's heard the message, loud and clear. And if not, his chuckle certainly would.]
Don't tell me you're getting shy on me now. We're almost to the good part.
[Untrue. If Varka has his way, then every part should be the good part. But if Nicole wants to tease, he can tease right back. He takes said foot into his hand and jerks it upward, then turns his head to -
effectively try to unhinge his jaw and bite her calf? Good lord. Is it the least horny thing he could do? Probably. But if it keeps Nicole in good spirits, he'll gladly do it.
And hey, at least when he releases her, he's happy to finish pulling her boot off.
Even if he is a little disrespectful by tossing said boot off to the side.]
You do a good job, dressing it up. [That... sounded incredibly lame, buddy.] But you don't really need much help. I think you'd be just as beautiful wearing anything.
[His brows lift.]
If you ask me, you looked particularly good in my jacket.
[ Varka is incredibly lucky that Nicole not only tolerates him, but likes him. Is fond of him, even!
Most would find their leg getting effectively levered into the air without warning startling without what he does next. When his teeth clamp down on her calf, Nicole flounders in such blatantly obvious surprise that, for a split second, she is entirely uncertain of how to react. Then she starts laughing, openly enough into the connection that it will at least be clear that she is delighted rather than put off.
What an incredibly weird couple they will make!
She's still laughing when he lets her go, and hardly has the wherewithal to keep her foot from thumping onto his lap. It has the intended effect of putting her at ease and, in truth, only serves to increase her anticipation. Something about being firmly kept in a good mood would do that for a girl, she supposes!
It is that exact good spirit that loosens her proverbial tongue. ]
If you are lucky, I might be able to be convinced to wear it a second time. Without anything else, of course, so that you may truly appreciate the sight.
[Delight blooms across his features, the mark of a man who is clearly satisfied with the response he's received. How terrible would it have been, if his actions had fully put Nicole off of him?
Not that he thinks it possible. For all her attempts to put on a mystical air, Nicole could be just as weird as he was. Her so-called "assassination attempt" had been evidence enough of that.
Nevertheless, that grin is mildly tempered by the offer she presents. He closes his eyes for a moment, clearly picturing it within his mind. His body trembles with a visible shudder.]
Don't threaten me with a good time, Miss Nicole.
[But they're getting sidetracked. It's a good thing, to keep the mood as light as it should be for something like this, but deviate too far and they were bound to lose track of what they were doing. Varka shifts himself to settle fully between her legs, far closer to the apex of her thighs than before. He lays his hands back on her hips, thumbing gingerly at the skin just above her leggings.]
[ Nicole was quickly learning that there was a successful and equally easy side path to her normal method of teasing Varka: teasing him with even an ounce of sensuality was proving incredibly effective. She makes a note of that for a later date, when she was truly determined to put him through the wringer. Maybe a flash of the thigh would be all she needed to entice him in the future.
The nature of that thought surprises her, but only for a moment. Yes, she decides, she wanted there to be more moments like this. Many more. She wanted to experience every facet of this potentially limited time with Varka. This assuredly included teasing him so thoroughly that he would hardly be able to walk straight before bedding her.
In present time, Varka is hopefully too distracted to notice that her smile had gone the slightest bit devious.
Besides: he's distracting her again. He nudges his way between her thighs and she sighs almost reflexively. The heat kindling in her stomach deepens, suffusing her from fingertip to ankle. She carefully brackets him with her legs, squeezing lightly. Encouragingly.
Which… feels better than she anticipated. Her breathing stutters. ]
[Indeed, Varka is blissfully unaware of the way he will soon be menaced. In the present moment, all he can really think about is how she looks. How she feels. And how desperate he is to touch her again.
And why shouldn't he?
Varka leans down, bracing his hands on either side of Nicole's head. His lips brush over hers, but only briefly. He is a man on a mission, kissing lower and lower still. There's so much of her throat that has been left unexplored, and this time, he doesn't hesitate to linger. He allows his lips to close around her skin, sucking a mark against her neck that will, mercifully, be covered by her dress.
But after that he drags lower still. His nose scrapes along her collarbone, only to pause as he presses a kiss into the hollow of her throat.
And then he drifts upward, following the curve of her breast.]
You feel... Mm. Would you kick me if I said you felt heavenly?
[His smile is almost too syrupy for the remark to sound at all teasing.]
[ If she thought kissing Varka on the lips was incendiary, this was… molten.
For the briefest moment, him bracketing her head flusters her more than any prior action had. Before she can even begin to conceptualize why, Varka's mouth alights on the side of her neck. When he begins to suck at her skin, a pulsing throb hums between her legs in time with each flex of his mouth.
It all feels incredible. She feels like a live wire. The desire blankets her so utterly that her brai nearly struggles to keep up, strung along through the growing sensation, the growing anticipation, the further down her body Varka travels.
She hardly realizes her breath is audibly fluttering in and out of her nose until he nuzzles into the hollow of her throat. It is embarrassing, but only for a moment. She cannot quite find it within herself to care overmuch about her conduct.
Varka's hand on her chest had felt pleasant. The barest brush of his mouth, the texture of his jaw – Nicole makes a sound that is dangerously close to a whimper. Her head tosses against the mattress. Instinctually, or perhaps out of a predilection to doing so, she lowers a hand to drag it through Varka's hair. She pushes it away from his face, mindlessly scraping at his scalp with her nails.
It shouldn't be possible, but she manages to sound breathless when replying to him. ]
N-no. [ A pause. She probably shouldn't simply leave it at that. ] I – couldn't kick you right now even if I wanted to.
[Similarly, while Varka thought Nicole's reactions were vibrant before, the way she squirms and sighs very much threaten to melt him into nothing. It's difficult to maintain his composure beneath the noise she makes. Once again, he finds himself wishing their connection were more mutual: he'd love to share his dancing thoughts with her without having to pause.
As her fingers slice through his hair, though, Varka does find it in himself to break for a moment. He angles his head into the touch, gaze shifting to peer up at her. He meets her eyes, hoping that she can see the mutual desire there.]
You know. I think I'll take that as a compliment.
[In theory, he moves in a way that shouldn't let her respond. Considering the nature of her communication, that remains to be seen. The point is, with his gaze still tethered to her own, parts his lips, allowing his tongue to graze over the peak of her nipple. Somehow, he finds himself as the one shuddering, if only because the taste of her is somehow better than he might have imagined.
That sensation naturally ratchets up as he draws her nipple into his mouth. A low noise leaves him, and he can only hope the vibrations naturally emphasize the moment. He complements the gesture with his hand, cresting the opposite side and palming over her, very deliberate about how his rough hands scrape over her skin.]
[ In her previous, limited forays into self-pleasure, Nicole had assessed and attended to her both with a largely efficient mind. She had catalogued what felt good and what inspired little reaction and made a note in the back of her head, for whenever she got the idle urge to try again. It had hardly been an involved affair, and she had only mildly touched her chest. The weight of her own hand had felt distantly pleasant, but it hadn't exactly been pleasurable.
It shocks her, then, how that first brush of Varka's tongue feels. The sensation is both bright and delicate; the weight of the gesture is riveted on Varka's eyes, heavy on hers. Nicole is already twitching before his mouth wraps round her nipple, and the thrumming of his mouth has her hand flying up to cover her own.
Not that the gesture was effective at muffling anything. She sighs falteringly into his head in spite of it at the warm rasp of his palm on the opposite side of her chest. It melts into a feather light moan.
Her body shifts at the waist as if restless. When she blinks down at him, her lashes flutter as though her eyes are struggling to remain open. While some might have found the texture of the callouses on his hand to be an unpleasant edge to a touch, it only serves to excite her that little bit more. It served as a beautiful counterpoint to his overwhelming gentleness.
The hand not covering his mouth finds his head again. She runs her fingers through his hair again, desperate to convey her appreciation and equally desperate to do something. ]
It's nice. [ She whispers to him, hushed in spite of the connection. ] Thank you.
[With his mouth otherwise occupied, and with Varka very much skeptical that Nicole wants him to change that, all he can really do his meet her eyes. That, and hum in response to her praise. She seemed to enjoy it before, after all.
Still, it's a good thing that his mouth is occupied. He is a prideful man, unopposed to gloating when the stakes were enough to allow for it. Given the way she trembles, the way her eyes seem to glaze over and unfocus with her pleasure, he'd probably take the opportunity to pat himself on the back. Not too much, lest she reconsider not kicking him, but enough to aggravate her all the same.
He's not one to remain idle, though. While he's remiss to abandon her chest so quickly, he also does not wish to tease. More than that, though, he wants to explore every inch of her. There will be plenty of time to linger later.
And so his mouth drifts further downward, tracing down the swell of her breast once more, then tracking toward her navel. He kisses around it delicately, flicks his eyes up to meet hers, before trailing down to the hem of her leggings. His hands meet him there, hooking under fabric, but not moving otherwise.]
[ It is assuredly a good thing that they do not presently have an open telepathic line between them. Not that Nicole would be upset over Varka's internal gloating, not at the moment: it was hard to argue the effectiveness of his touch when she was already struggling this much to maintain her composure.
Though she makes a faint noise in disappointment when he moves away from her chest, it is quickly overtaken by a fluttering at the warmth of his mouth traveling down the plane of her abdomen. It is a strange feeling. For a moment, she is torn between the desire to encourage his trajectory downward and to simply cradle his head against her stomach. He is so very warm, and she finds the idea of laying like that, with him, an incredibly compelling one.
Maybe it would be possible… afterward. Was it usual, for… lovers to spend the whole night together? She will have to ask.
She twitches bodily at the unexpected brush of his fingers just beneath the waistband of her tights. It isn't an unpleasant surprise by any means, but she is abruptly grappling with the idea of having the whole of her self bared to him. What unconcealed truths could be gleaned from the state of her once undressed? She worries, distantly, that it will be a boring affair for Varka. She surely would not last long, even with a simple touch, and they would likely not get to perform the act he had initially intended to prepare her for.
Nicole's brows knit faintly. After warring with herself, she eventually decides it will be best to be honest. ]
…I am concerned about… how long I will last. It will likely be over rather quickly, and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed…
[Well, Nicole gets her wish, somewhat. He's more than happy to wait until she's fully ready. That means he lays his cheek against her stomach, head angled upward. Is it a little ridiculous, peering up at her through her cleavage? Maybe. But Varka is a ridiculous guy.]
Disappointed? Me? [He tilts his head, laying a kiss or three against soft skin.] I'm having a great time. So you finish early? So what. We either wait a few minutes, or we try again tomorrow. And the day after that. And another day after that one.
[Varka might be grinning, but the edges are blunted by something gentle. Abandoning his current position, he leans back up toward her face, opting to kiss her directly on the mouth a few times as well.]
I'm not going to say I don't need perfect. I just think you misunderstand what my definition of perfect is. [He inches lower, laying a tender kiss upon her chin.] And that's you, just by the way.
[ Oh, goodness. Hello, Varka. Unable to resist, Nicole brings both hands down to run through Varka's hair. Whether this had become a self-soothing technique or was simply something she had come to expressly enjoy is unclear even to her. All she knows is that brushing Varka's bangs away from his brows sets her at ease… and also that she simply enjoys petting him. His hair is soft, and full.
But, hold on. Wait a few minutes? What does that mean? She is initially far too distracted by Varka's sudden appearance directly in front of her face to even mentally vocalize the question. She returns the kisses instinctively, tracing her fingers down Varka's shoulders.
He's sweeter than she expected him to be, but maybe she should not be all that surprised. Varka had never been brusque, after all… perhaps it was fully within what should have been her expectations that he is being so gentle with her.
Wait. She got distracted. She has a question to ask. ]
What do you mean by "wait a few minutes"? If it… ends, should it not… end? [ Okay, not being incredibly clear with what she means here. Maybe Varka will still understand, somehow. ]
[There is a note of confusion in his voice. He leans back far enough to angle his head, confusion writ upon his face, albeit tied intrinsically with that ever laid back smile of his.]
All those books of yours, and they never said anything about this?
[Maybe it makes sense. Books tended to exaggerate things, didn't they? A grand, passionate instance of lovemaking, and then on with the story? Pleasant and all, but hardly accurate.
For the time being, Varka shifts onto his side. Like this, it's easier to lay his hand against Nicole's hip, then trace it up to her rib and back down again. More than anything, he just likes touching her. He would never be so bold as to leave too many marks, but that doesn't mean he isn't mildly possessive in a different sort of way.]
Sure, guys like me need way more recovery time. They probably could only go once or twice. But uh... [He clears his throat.] Ladies need way less time to recover. You might be winded or tired, but if you wanted to keep going, you could.
Unless...
[His brow pinches.]
You didn't think I'd up and ditch just because I got you off once, right?
[ Nicole's confusion is genuine enough to overwrite any chance of embarrassment. And, besides… with Varka touching her so softly, it is nearly impossible to feel anything other than distracted. The more aware of his hand she becomes, the more she starts to shiver with each repetitive motion.
She turns her head to look him in the eye, hair bundled up under her cheek. It's surprising, how natural this kind of intimacy also feels. ]
Not exactly. There would be instances where the main couple would fall into bed with one another, of course, but it was often in moments of fraught peril. Even during moments of downtime, they only ever had enough time to wrap themselves up in one another the one time. I suppose I simply… extrapolated that that was the norm. And the books always had them both reach their, ah, climax, at the same time…
[ Sorry, Varka, you spurred her into a tangent without even realizing it. She's mostly thinking aloud, but it should as enough of an explanation.
She doesn't quite frown at him, but it is a close thing. ]
No, no. Or, at least, I hoped that you would stay here in bed with me afterward.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2026-03-12 05:04 am (UTC)The fact they hadn't managed to tear anything as of yet actually surprises her. It wasn't as if her dress was made of hardy material, after all—it was largely crafted for cosmetic purposes, not a functional one outside of the obvious—and they'd been twisting and turning and grabbing at one another the whole night.
If Nicole can connect the dots about what Varka is considering when he comments on the dangers of her attire, though… she doesn't. She does not connect the dots at present. ]
No one has ever gotten close enough to tear it.
[ That was the truth. Any would-be aggressors were far likely to be wiped off the face of the planet by her spellcraft before they ever got close enough to tear her dress.
As she had cautioned, the upper half of the dress effectively falls down the moment Varka undoes the clasp. She, at the very least, lifts a hand to prevent it from sliding down entirely, but it is a token effort at best. The dress had already bared at least a sliver of skin on either side of her chest but loose as it is, the whole side of her breasts are nearly fully visible if she angles herself.
Oh, that's right. She doesn't wear a bra. Dreadfully uncomfortable things, those are. ]
Was I meant to let it fall all the way off?
[ It is both a genuine question and a genuinely teasing one. She allows it to slip an inch more, fingers bunching the fabric. ]
no subject
Date: 2026-03-12 05:16 am (UTC)And judging by the toothy grin, he isn't going to pretend that he wasn't.]
I might have enjoyed it, if you did. But hey, I'll show you mine if you show me yours?
[He leans back, hurriedly undoing the remaining buttons on his shirt and tossing it aside. Only his necklace remains on his torso, swaying between his pectorals. As if they weren't already hypnotizing enough. Naturally, his chest is possessed of the same amount of scarring as the rest of him, a particularly vicious set of claws marring the left side of his rib cage, and suspiciously sword shaped puncture on the lower right part of his abdomen.
None of these bother him. He's practically showing them off as he squares his shoulders and meets Nicole's eyes.]
Well?
no subject
Date: 2026-03-12 05:26 am (UTC)And then her train of thought sputters to an ungainly halt the moment Varka discards his shirt. Really, if Varka was unabashedly staring, Nicole's riveted gaze would make even the most stoic of knights blush. She had wholly anticipated Varka being well-built, both given his stature and his profession, but being confronted with the whole picture was…
Her eyes dart from his chest to his face and then… yes, back down again. Then further still, sweeping down the length of his torso in an effort to commit it all, burningly, to memory.
One of her hands frees itself from where it is clutching at the fabric of her dress to trace the lines of that sword-shaped scar with light fingers. Those fingers trace upward slowly enough to map out the ridges of Varka's abdominal muscles, then trip carefully over the raised skin surrounding the clawmarks on his ribcage. When she eventually finds her way up to his chest, she traces between his pectorals with the backs of her fingers rather than her fingertips.
…distracted as she is, she's still holding her dress up with one hand. Sorry, Varka. ]
no subject
Date: 2026-03-12 05:39 am (UTC)He swallows hard, throat bobbing with the force of it. Neither his vivid imagination or most scandalous of dreams could have ever done this justice.
And all of that was before she made contact with his chest. All his attempts at keeping himself together fail in one instant, a low noise emerging from his throat. His head lolls back down, once more making eye contact with her. A strained smile crosses his lips, and a tight laugh rumbles through his chest.]
Tease.
no subject
Date: 2026-03-12 05:56 am (UTC)While it is a blessing to know she isn't the only one affected, Varka's reactions are invigorating to a degree she was hardly anticipating. The way his body shifts beneath her touch, the flexing muscles and barely-suppressed shivers… if she weren't careful, she could easily lose herself in this.
The sound he makes when she touches his chest physically jolts her. Heat blooms in her stomach, and she feels pinned beneath the heady weight of his gaze. If she had wanted him before, it was a shade of the desire she feels now. If she had felt attracted before, this was… magnetizing. He is beautiful in a way that would have been difficult to envision before he granted her the opportunity.
A feeling not unlike reverence settles over her. Being called a tease only slightly disrupts it.
Her cheeks burn. With a visible swallow, she lifts her hand away from her dress and allows the fabric to fall away. While it pools and bunches at her waist, Nicole sets to removing her sleeves to even the playing field.
In stark contrast to Varka's, her skin is entirely unmarred. Her chest shifts with each breath, a hint laborious in the face of her desire. She glances away bashfully, finding the prospect of shared nudity to be a surprisingly intimate one. ]
…not intentionally...
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:03 am (UTC)Her incredibly beautiful, undeniably perfect form. Some part of him thrills to know that this is a sight only he has ever witnessed. It is a miracle, and a precious one at that. Above all, it is something he refuses to squander.
His hands shift forward, settling against her hips at first. He does not hesitate to stroke upward, following the curve of her form, studying the firmness of her ribs beneath his. Only when he draws steady with her chest does he drag his touch inward, and only with one hand. He lays his hand above her heart (and yes, of course, her breast.]
Still with me? Can't have you burning up before we've had any fun.
[Okay, maybe a little teasing is in order.]
You're beautiful. Just in case no one's told you that before.
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:11 am (UTC)She twitches the moment he touches her, then continues to when his hands start to move. A subtle tremble overtakes her as she vividly maps the sensation of his calloused palms on her bare skin. It isn't overwhelming – not in a negative way. She is finding the whole experience borderline dizzying, though.
A faint sound filters through the noise when his hand fits round her chest. Her lashes flutter. Her face is warm, but the embarrassment has fled in favor of something else, something deeper. Her mouth flexes around her next breath as she struggles to take it.
Was it going to be this devastating every time? They'd barely even touched one another! Wildly, Nicole begins to fret over whether she was going to embarrass herself by losing her composure over something as simple as skin-to-skin contact! ]
I'm here. [ She must be distracted indeed, given that she barely ruffles under his teasing. ] So are you… I was wondering if it slipped through the link, but it must have not.
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:22 am (UTC)[There's so much to keep track of; the flush of her skin, the noises playing out within her mind, the very look of her body. It's little wonder that a few things have slipped through the cracks.]
Here, let's get this out of the way, yeah?
[He slides his hands back down to her hips, then lifts her up. He hasn't missed how much she seems to enjoy being handled. To be honest, he enjoys it quite a bit himself. Besides, gently nudging the dress off to the floor helps her from getting all tangled up.
Especially when his next task is setting her on the bed proper. Yes, he wants nothing more than to run his hands over every inch of her, but if he starts too soon, he's going to get lost. Distracted.
And right now, this is supposed to be about her.]
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:34 am (UTC)[ A frankly ridiculous thought spawns out of seemingly nowhere when Varka lifts her to help her out of her dress. Namely: should she have removed her shoes before stepping into the room? Putting her shoes on Varka's bed would be incredibly rude, and that is abruptly incredibly important.
Which is definitely why it falls by the wayside when he adjusts her again. Almost mindlessly, she lifts a hand to deposit her hat on the nearest flat surface, uncaring at the moment for where it does end up. She is far too focused on Varka.
Beneath the dress is… well, she might not be wearing a bra, but she is wearing clothing on the lower half! A pair of delicate white tights, sheer enough that the that her skin shone through the sparkling fabric. (As well as a pair of delicate lacy underthings, but don't focus on that just yet, Varka). Wrapped round one thigh was a delicate garter with a shining gem, threaded to a garter belt that sat higher up her waist.
For being a creature that was ultimately meant to stray from companionship, she had evidently decided she wanted to wear lingerie. It didn't hurt to look pretty! ]
I am concerned about my shoes being on your bed. [ Oh, she didn't forget. ]
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:42 am (UTC)But knowing that Nicole saw him as such? That meant more than he could put into words.
That smile remains on his lips as he carefully arranges Nicole's body. He settles between her legs, holding both up so that neither shoe might touch the bed. He smirks are her "concern" before making a show of sliding one hand down the span of her thigh, then up her calf as he carefully undoes the boot there.]
I'm a professional, Nicole. I didn't forget about your shoes.
[He definitely did. He got so excited that he's now having to scramble. But don't worry, he can play it off.]
You know, I didn't think you'd dress so, uh... provocatively. Not that I'm complaining. I definitely like what I'm seeing.
[Shut him up, please.]
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:59 am (UTC)Her chest shudders exactly one time. Regardless of the fact that Varka is attending to both of her legs, she still tries to angle them closed. Shyly, not out of any discomfort.
It certainly doesn't help that he is pointing out her clothing! Briefly, she considers whether shoving him with her stockinged foot would have the intended effect. When he releases the first leg he had removed the boot for, she does just that.
Planting her toes against one pectoral, she lightly presses down enough to hopefully make him sway. It isn't nearly hard enough to actually shove him away—Celestia forbid—but maybe it would get the message across? ]
I look at this form every day. There is nothing wrong with dressing every part of it up, thank you very much.
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:08 am (UTC)Don't tell me you're getting shy on me now. We're almost to the good part.
[Untrue. If Varka has his way, then every part should be the good part. But if Nicole wants to tease, he can tease right back. He takes said foot into his hand and jerks it upward, then turns his head to -
effectively try to unhinge his jaw and bite her calf? Good lord. Is it the least horny thing he could do? Probably. But if it keeps Nicole in good spirits, he'll gladly do it.
And hey, at least when he releases her, he's happy to finish pulling her boot off.
Even if he is a little disrespectful by tossing said boot off to the side.]
You do a good job, dressing it up. [That... sounded incredibly lame, buddy.] But you don't really need much help. I think you'd be just as beautiful wearing anything.
[His brows lift.]
If you ask me, you looked particularly good in my jacket.
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:20 am (UTC)Most would find their leg getting effectively levered into the air without warning startling without what he does next. When his teeth clamp down on her calf, Nicole flounders in such blatantly obvious surprise that, for a split second, she is entirely uncertain of how to react. Then she starts laughing, openly enough into the connection that it will at least be clear that she is delighted rather than put off.
What an incredibly weird couple they will make!
She's still laughing when he lets her go, and hardly has the wherewithal to keep her foot from thumping onto his lap. It has the intended effect of putting her at ease and, in truth, only serves to increase her anticipation. Something about being firmly kept in a good mood would do that for a girl, she supposes!
It is that exact good spirit that loosens her proverbial tongue. ]
If you are lucky, I might be able to be convinced to wear it a second time. Without anything else, of course, so that you may truly appreciate the sight.
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:37 am (UTC)Not that he thinks it possible. For all her attempts to put on a mystical air, Nicole could be just as weird as he was. Her so-called "assassination attempt" had been evidence enough of that.
Nevertheless, that grin is mildly tempered by the offer she presents. He closes his eyes for a moment, clearly picturing it within his mind. His body trembles with a visible shudder.]
Don't threaten me with a good time, Miss Nicole.
[But they're getting sidetracked. It's a good thing, to keep the mood as light as it should be for something like this, but deviate too far and they were bound to lose track of what they were doing. Varka shifts himself to settle fully between her legs, far closer to the apex of her thighs than before. He lays his hands back on her hips, thumbing gingerly at the skin just above her leggings.]
Now... where were we?
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:47 am (UTC)The nature of that thought surprises her, but only for a moment. Yes, she decides, she wanted there to be more moments like this. Many more. She wanted to experience every facet of this potentially limited time with Varka. This assuredly included teasing him so thoroughly that he would hardly be able to walk straight before bedding her.
In present time, Varka is hopefully too distracted to notice that her smile had gone the slightest bit devious.
Besides: he's distracting her again. He nudges his way between her thighs and she sighs almost reflexively. The heat kindling in her stomach deepens, suffusing her from fingertip to ankle. She carefully brackets him with her legs, squeezing lightly. Encouragingly.
Which… feels better than she anticipated. Her breathing stutters. ]
Um. You tell me.
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:59 am (UTC)And why shouldn't he?
Varka leans down, bracing his hands on either side of Nicole's head. His lips brush over hers, but only briefly. He is a man on a mission, kissing lower and lower still. There's so much of her throat that has been left unexplored, and this time, he doesn't hesitate to linger. He allows his lips to close around her skin, sucking a mark against her neck that will, mercifully, be covered by her dress.
But after that he drags lower still. His nose scrapes along her collarbone, only to pause as he presses a kiss into the hollow of her throat.
And then he drifts upward, following the curve of her breast.]
You feel... Mm. Would you kick me if I said you felt heavenly?
[His smile is almost too syrupy for the remark to sound at all teasing.]
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Date: 2026-03-12 08:13 am (UTC)For the briefest moment, him bracketing her head flusters her more than any prior action had. Before she can even begin to conceptualize why, Varka's mouth alights on the side of her neck. When he begins to suck at her skin, a pulsing throb hums between her legs in time with each flex of his mouth.
It all feels incredible. She feels like a live wire. The desire blankets her so utterly that her brai nearly struggles to keep up, strung along through the growing sensation, the growing anticipation, the further down her body Varka travels.
She hardly realizes her breath is audibly fluttering in and out of her nose until he nuzzles into the hollow of her throat. It is embarrassing, but only for a moment. She cannot quite find it within herself to care overmuch about her conduct.
Varka's hand on her chest had felt pleasant. The barest brush of his mouth, the texture of his jaw – Nicole makes a sound that is dangerously close to a whimper. Her head tosses against the mattress. Instinctually, or perhaps out of a predilection to doing so, she lowers a hand to drag it through Varka's hair. She pushes it away from his face, mindlessly scraping at his scalp with her nails.
It shouldn't be possible, but she manages to sound breathless when replying to him. ]
N-no. [ A pause. She probably shouldn't simply leave it at that. ] I – couldn't kick you right now even if I wanted to.
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Date: 2026-03-12 06:06 pm (UTC)As her fingers slice through his hair, though, Varka does find it in himself to break for a moment. He angles his head into the touch, gaze shifting to peer up at her. He meets her eyes, hoping that she can see the mutual desire there.]
You know. I think I'll take that as a compliment.
[In theory, he moves in a way that shouldn't let her respond. Considering the nature of her communication, that remains to be seen. The point is, with his gaze still tethered to her own, parts his lips, allowing his tongue to graze over the peak of her nipple. Somehow, he finds himself as the one shuddering, if only because the taste of her is somehow better than he might have imagined.
That sensation naturally ratchets up as he draws her nipple into his mouth. A low noise leaves him, and he can only hope the vibrations naturally emphasize the moment. He complements the gesture with his hand, cresting the opposite side and palming over her, very deliberate about how his rough hands scrape over her skin.]
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Date: 2026-03-12 07:21 pm (UTC)It shocks her, then, how that first brush of Varka's tongue feels. The sensation is both bright and delicate; the weight of the gesture is riveted on Varka's eyes, heavy on hers. Nicole is already twitching before his mouth wraps round her nipple, and the thrumming of his mouth has her hand flying up to cover her own.
Not that the gesture was effective at muffling anything. She sighs falteringly into his head in spite of it at the warm rasp of his palm on the opposite side of her chest. It melts into a feather light moan.
Her body shifts at the waist as if restless. When she blinks down at him, her lashes flutter as though her eyes are struggling to remain open. While some might have found the texture of the callouses on his hand to be an unpleasant edge to a touch, it only serves to excite her that little bit more. It served as a beautiful counterpoint to his overwhelming gentleness.
The hand not covering his mouth finds his head again. She runs her fingers through his hair again, desperate to convey her appreciation and equally desperate to do something. ]
It's nice. [ She whispers to him, hushed in spite of the connection. ] Thank you.
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Date: 2026-03-13 02:34 am (UTC)Still, it's a good thing that his mouth is occupied. He is a prideful man, unopposed to gloating when the stakes were enough to allow for it. Given the way she trembles, the way her eyes seem to glaze over and unfocus with her pleasure, he'd probably take the opportunity to pat himself on the back. Not too much, lest she reconsider not kicking him, but enough to aggravate her all the same.
He's not one to remain idle, though. While he's remiss to abandon her chest so quickly, he also does not wish to tease. More than that, though, he wants to explore every inch of her. There will be plenty of time to linger later.
And so his mouth drifts further downward, tracing down the swell of her breast once more, then tracking toward her navel. He kisses around it delicately, flicks his eyes up to meet hers, before trailing down to the hem of her leggings. His hands meet him there, hooking under fabric, but not moving otherwise.]
Still okay?
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Date: 2026-03-13 05:45 am (UTC)Though she makes a faint noise in disappointment when he moves away from her chest, it is quickly overtaken by a fluttering at the warmth of his mouth traveling down the plane of her abdomen. It is a strange feeling. For a moment, she is torn between the desire to encourage his trajectory downward and to simply cradle his head against her stomach. He is so very warm, and she finds the idea of laying like that, with him, an incredibly compelling one.
Maybe it would be possible… afterward. Was it usual, for… lovers to spend the whole night together? She will have to ask.
She twitches bodily at the unexpected brush of his fingers just beneath the waistband of her tights. It isn't an unpleasant surprise by any means, but she is abruptly grappling with the idea of having the whole of her self bared to him. What unconcealed truths could be gleaned from the state of her once undressed? She worries, distantly, that it will be a boring affair for Varka. She surely would not last long, even with a simple touch, and they would likely not get to perform the act he had initially intended to prepare her for.
Nicole's brows knit faintly. After warring with herself, she eventually decides it will be best to be honest. ]
…I am concerned about… how long I will last. It will likely be over rather quickly, and I wouldn't want you to be disappointed…
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Date: 2026-03-13 06:04 am (UTC)Disappointed? Me? [He tilts his head, laying a kiss or three against soft skin.] I'm having a great time. So you finish early? So what. We either wait a few minutes, or we try again tomorrow. And the day after that. And another day after that one.
[Varka might be grinning, but the edges are blunted by something gentle. Abandoning his current position, he leans back up toward her face, opting to kiss her directly on the mouth a few times as well.]
I'm not going to say I don't need perfect. I just think you misunderstand what my definition of perfect is. [He inches lower, laying a tender kiss upon her chin.] And that's you, just by the way.
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Date: 2026-03-13 06:18 am (UTC)But, hold on. Wait a few minutes? What does that mean? She is initially far too distracted by Varka's sudden appearance directly in front of her face to even mentally vocalize the question. She returns the kisses instinctively, tracing her fingers down Varka's shoulders.
He's sweeter than she expected him to be, but maybe she should not be all that surprised. Varka had never been brusque, after all… perhaps it was fully within what should have been her expectations that he is being so gentle with her.
Wait. She got distracted. She has a question to ask. ]
What do you mean by "wait a few minutes"? If it… ends, should it not… end? [ Okay, not being incredibly clear with what she means here. Maybe Varka will still understand, somehow. ]
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Date: 2026-03-13 06:36 am (UTC)[There is a note of confusion in his voice. He leans back far enough to angle his head, confusion writ upon his face, albeit tied intrinsically with that ever laid back smile of his.]
All those books of yours, and they never said anything about this?
[Maybe it makes sense. Books tended to exaggerate things, didn't they? A grand, passionate instance of lovemaking, and then on with the story? Pleasant and all, but hardly accurate.
For the time being, Varka shifts onto his side. Like this, it's easier to lay his hand against Nicole's hip, then trace it up to her rib and back down again. More than anything, he just likes touching her. He would never be so bold as to leave too many marks, but that doesn't mean he isn't mildly possessive in a different sort of way.]
Sure, guys like me need way more recovery time. They probably could only go once or twice. But uh... [He clears his throat.] Ladies need way less time to recover. You might be winded or tired, but if you wanted to keep going, you could.
Unless...
[His brow pinches.]
You didn't think I'd up and ditch just because I got you off once, right?
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Date: 2026-03-13 06:48 am (UTC)She turns her head to look him in the eye, hair bundled up under her cheek. It's surprising, how natural this kind of intimacy also feels. ]
Not exactly. There would be instances where the main couple would fall into bed with one another, of course, but it was often in moments of fraught peril. Even during moments of downtime, they only ever had enough time to wrap themselves up in one another the one time. I suppose I simply… extrapolated that that was the norm. And the books always had them both reach their, ah, climax, at the same time…
[ Sorry, Varka, you spurred her into a tangent without even realizing it. She's mostly thinking aloud, but it should as enough of an explanation.
She doesn't quite frown at him, but it is a close thing. ]
No, no. Or, at least, I hoped that you would stay here in bed with me afterward.
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