expiationnet | text; un: shades

Entry tags:

text; un: shades

[Scott's been feeling all kinds of ways since returning to Aldrip. A little off his feet? Not upset exactly, not when he remembers everyone important to him, but it's still a lot. Kind of weird that he's actually older here than back home, and that's not mentioning suddenly getting almost two years of memories shoved inside his head that he completely forgot about until now. But he's trying. A part of him wants to just lie on the bed with Kotone and just take more time to himself, but he figures that he should say something to his friends.

Maybe focusing on them will help. Better than thinking about Alex or how Apocalypse sort of ruined everything back home.

He breathes in, fiddling with his tablet. Something in him wants to change his username from 'shades' to 'cyclops,' but maybe not right now.]

hey, i'm back now. sorry if i worried anyone. a lot happened, like, back home. yeah i went home and came back. i'm okay though.

[None of that sounded super awkward, right.]

if you wanna meet up, i'll be at the diner. you're paying though.

[ooc: Scott's back from his canon update and just Dealing with Stuff. Totally open to threading Scott meeting others in person! Also, he'll be back in regular clothes for the time being, but he will be wearing his visor for now.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Is it just the suit, or does he look more fit? He said it's only been a couple of months, but maybe it's the way he carries himself that makes him feel even more mature than he was already. He must have been through a lot back home, huh...?

Her hands fall to his shoulders as he starts typing, following the curve of his biceps and then up and along his shoulder blades. It's definitely protective armor, but it fits him really well! Her hands trail down to the small of his back, then lift for just a moment.]

It really is a good uniform! [she compliments, right before smacking his butt. It's right there! No imagination required!]

Edited 2025-03-21 11:40 (UTC)

[As her hands slide to his shoulders, they reflexively ease beneath her grip, and probably delaying his response because it's pretty hard to concentrate like this. What?! He'd like to see anyone else try to remain composed when the girl you love very much is exploring you like this. They were separated for the first time since they really got here (well, if you don't count the time she died), so... he's happy to let her take him in again.

He's not sure if he's really more muscular, since he's already been training here, but he's certainly gotten more perspective. He's a X-Man and--]

Kotone!

[His voice jumps to a higher pitch, accompanied by a squeak that he will forever deny making. Phoenix tilts her head from her spot on the bed, before making a noise herself that sounds a little bit like a laugh. What a funny sound her host made!

But yeah, Scott certainly felt that smack, armor or not.]

[Her laugh is loud and unashamed, only redoubled by Phoenix's own little noise of amusement. It's good to know she can still get to him like this, even with whatever's happened to him back home! Still laughing, she wraps her arms around his waist and leans up to rest her chin on his shoulder, peering down at the message he's composing as if she's completely innocent.]

What? I was trying to decide what my favorite part of the armor was!! [she teases, kissing his cheek the best she can from this angle. It means she's all but hanging off his shoulders, but she trusts him to not to let them fall.] I think I found your weak spot, Mr. Summers~

[Uh-huh, innocent his ass. Just like the part she slapped.

Still, Scott slowly recovers, his cheeks just slightly red from not only her action, but just how she wraps her arms around him again, chin on his shoulder in a manner that makes him feel comfortable-- like she alone is the home he's found here. He really loves her, so much. Even when she teases him like this, maybe especially so.

What happened to writing his message again? Don't worry about it.

He doesn't let them fall, stance steady as she continues to hold him. He'll never let her fall-- well, unless he wants to see her faceplant into the bed or something. But not right now.]

That's so cheating. [He laughs though, hands paused still on his tablet because he really can't help but just press their faces together, despite the somewhat odd angle.] It's like finding the weak spot in your battle armor.

[Which. He still can't believe that something like that counts as armor. How is it protecting her at all????]

[She giggles at the reminder of her high-cut armor, letting her arms slip down to make it easier for him to get back to typing his message. It's best not to question how armor in Tartarus works too much -- besides, it was just funny to see how the boys reacted when she wore it! Even if it's only Scott who would see it now, that's more than enough.

For now, she just drops back down to the bed, sitting and waiting for him to finish up so he can join her.]

We could trade! [her eyes sparkle with the obvious tease.] I could wear your armor and you could wear mine!

[Wouldn't that be a sight? Scott in thigh-high metal heels and a metal bikini... hilarious. It's hard not to laugh herself at the sight, and it's only literal years of teasing him that keeps her from bursting out laughing early and ruining the joke of a section.]

What-- me in a bikini?

[His voice takes on something a little higher pitched, with Phoenix snorting a laugh and snuggling against Kotone's side. Don't worry, she's just keeping this space warm.

Kotone's really making it hard to complete this message though. Scott's had to backspace and rewrite stuff multiple times at this point, because it's either full of misspellings or it just doesn't make sense. Honestly a part of him is tempted to just post something like that to everyone, but he knows that he would make everyone just be even more worried about him. And that's really not what he's going for.

But really, it's super hard tying out 'I'm back, don't worry. See you guys tomorrow' or something among those lines!]

Y-yeah, you'd like something like that. [He's trying to tease her back, despite his flushed cheeks.]

[Kotone's fingers immediately find purchase in Phoenix's feathers again, stroking her as a reward for playing along with the joke. Good birdie!!]

I think I'd rather see you in nothing! [she fires back, a giggle escaping her lips in spite of her best efforts.] So hurry up!! Change clothes!!

[Finish that message, Mr. Summers! Your girlfriend is waiting to cuddle with you!!]

[Scott thinks that he should be rewarded that he even managed to finish the message at all, the mutant not bothering to proofread it before hitting the 'send' button. Really, it's a miracle he got that far. But with that done, he haphazardly tosses the tablet on his desk before he starts tugging at his gloves, pulling them off and also throwing them behind him as he starts working on his uniform. Yeah he's making a mess, but he doesn't care!!]

Geez, so bossy.

[But has he ever wanted to take off his uniform as quickly as now? Not really. Not even when he was all sweaty and gross after a training session. Kotone sitting on his bed with that teasing smile is more incentive than like. Anything ever. It's probably more comical than anything else with how quickly he tugs his X-Men suit off, even as a lithe body that's she probably still very familiar with is revealed out in the open. He definitely has muscle definition now, but it wasn't like he was slacking off in Aldrip either.

It's not long before Scott's just standing in compression shorts with his armor scattered on the ground. He'll pick it up later. Scott starts climbing on the bed next to her, before he smirks and lightly tackles her down, arms wrapped tight as he laughs. Yes, this is much better, hugging her like this. Their bodies being able to be pressed so closely together without his uniform in the way.

Luckily, Phoenix got away just in time, she's going to her nest, thanks.]

[She feels her own tablet buzz in her pocket when he sends that message, but she doesn't bother to read it, just tossing her tablet aside. While he's stripping out of his uniform, she'll at least get herself out of her farm overalls, adding them to the pile of armor on the floor that she'll eventually ask him to pick up. Nothing fancy underneath for her, just shorts and a long-sleeve shirt that she'll eventually pull a skirt up over, but for now, as long Scott wants to stay with her, she'll just be happy not to get farm dirt on (more) of him.

It's fun to watch him strip, though, her eyes tracking every movement, studying his form to see if there's anything different about him -- or maybe just wanting to memorize every inch of his skin, holding this memory as close as any other. As simple as it is, he's back, right here with her, and she doesn't want to take her eyes off him for a second.]

You like it, though~ [she teases when he calls her bossy, laughing again -- and then laughing even more when he tackles her down to the bed, immediately scooting back with him atop her so she can tangle her legs with his and wrap her arms around him once again. Sorry yet again to Phoenix!! But this, right here, is the happiest she's been in recent memory. Her fingertips trace meaningless patterns up and down his bare back as she smiles widely enough that her cheeks hurt.] Comfy?

[It's official, Kotone could be wearing a barrel and he'd think she was cute. The farm overalls is honestly no different because he's not normally attracted to the farmer look, but seeing her there, dressed in just shorts and a long-sleeve shirt? Yeah, now she's like... super cute. Look he's having a hard time with words, let alone thoughts!!

It's why he wants to do nothing else but wrap his arms around her as he buries his smiling face against her neck, their bodies easily slotting together like nothing has changed and to him, it hasn't. Honestly it just reinforced how much he loves her, more than anyone else. Right now, he doesn't think he can love anyone as much as her. Just him and Kotone, like this... and not think about the future.

They have the present, this moment, just for them. Breathing her in, feeling her fingers move across his skin, with his own hand reaching up to gently undo the hair that's held up in a ponytail.]

Very comfy. [He agrees, voice filled with sentiment and undisguised affection.] This much better for you too?

[She lifts her head, just enough to make it easier for him to get the ponytail, before shaking it to help loosen up the bound hair. He's welcome to comb through it to fix it however he likes; he's one of the few people who gets to see her with her hair down like this in all of it's slightly frizzy, uneven glory. The sound of his voice makes her heart swell in her chest, that boundless affection and love that he gives only her making her cheeks flush pink as she laughs again.]

Yeah. Less pokey. [Meaning the lack of armor, that is. Her fingertips continue their gentle trace up his back, along his shoulder blades and down his biceps, taking her time to thoroughly map his skin that she can't quite see from this angle as she relaxes beneath him. It's easy to lose herself in the warmth and press of his body against hers, a feeling she'd missed so, so much while he was gone.] So you got new armor, a new visor... anything else?

[He honestly loves her frizzly, uneven hair. If he wanted to be metaphorical about it, something about being one of the few people in this world that sees Kotone with her defenses down-- past her bright smile that she gives everyone. But that feels kind of cheesy, even to him, because he also just likes to see her with her hair down! She's extra extra cute okay. He brushes his hand through her those strands, feeling them between his fingers, before he joins her in her laughter.]

I didn't realize how uncomfortable it was until you pointed it out. [He hums a little, keeping that piece of information. Probably not important for anyone else other than Kotone, but guess that's just motivation for him to just tug it off whenever he's done with a mission here. Or some other crisis going on. Which, ugh, will probably happen, but he just wants to relax his muscles and bury his face against her warmth as she continues to explore his body. Thoughts for later, not now, thanks.

She won't find any new scars or anything, nothing that really differentiates him from the teen from before. Scott just takes in the way their chests move up and down together, always finding comfort in the proof that they're both here and alive.]

Mmm, I got a new airplane. Too bad I can't show you though. It didn't exactly come with me. [He mumbles quietly, while one hand starts sneaking underneath her shirt to start exploring skin. Nothing hurried or overly heated, as he just wants to feel her, match all those memories that were slammed into him.

...And there sure are a lot of memories. It makes his cheeks turn bright red.]

As long as it protects you, that's the most important thing!

[And that, she definitely means, beyond a shadow of a doubt. It could be the ugliest or the silliest-looking armor in the world, but if it kept him safe...? That's all that really matters in the end. Now that he's a "real" X-Man, his life must be pretty dangerous, huh? But it doesn't feel like it's physically marked him just yet, at least, no obvious scars that she can feel.

She exhales a pleased little sigh when his hand slips beneath her shirt, shifting just enough to give him the easiest access without actually moving too far away from him. In the week he's been gone, there really aren't any changes for her, either, but she's more than content to let him take his time and remember again. It's been months, right? And while she has so many questions about what he's gone through, again, she doesn't want to push him too far. He'll tell her when he's ready.]

Airplane, huh? I bet it's faster than your motorcycle. [She drags a hand up his shoulder and cups his cheek, tilting her head with a grin at the sight of that flush.] What're you thinking about?

It does a pretty good job about that.

[He'll hand it to Professor McCoy again for inventing stuff that's really useful. His sunglasses, his visor, the uniforms... Hank really is a fucking genius.

But putting aside thoughts of the big furry blue mutant, Scott lets himself just quietly explore the body that he's so familiar and intimate with. Months for him, technically, even if those memories are now fresh in his mind. A week for her. He's 100% interested in uh, doing that again soon, but right now, he really is entranced with just tracing her skin and feeling those scars she's told him about. Letting his fingers rest there for a moment as he smiles at her.

Scott lets out a small affirmation of the airplane even being faster than his bike, before the heat from his blush starts sinking into her hand and--]

Um. You. Obviously.

[SMOOTH. What are the chances Kotone doesn't know what he's thinking about??]

[She laughs aloud, a little pleased that he's still so easy to fluster after all this time. It's cute, and she shifts her hand from his cheek to his hair, combing it free from its styled gel with obvious affection.]

Oh, good! [she teases, eyes sparkling because she knows exactly what he's thinking with a blush like that. It sooths a fear she hadn't even realized was lurking there; that maybe after his time away, he'd be less attracted to her somehow, or less interested. Looks like there's nothing to worry about on that front! So even if she's trying to tease, her voice still has an undercurrent of relief beneath it as she adds a little more softly,] I'm glad.

[She even leans up, seeking his lips for a kiss as if to prove it.]

[His hair uncoils as she runs a hand through it, strands falling to his face and maybe making him look just a little younger as he continues to smile at her. At least more messy! His hair no longer carefully combed but just ruffled thanks to her, but he'd have it no other way. It's just the two of them (and Phoenix) right now, their little moment in time away from everyone else.

He wants to commit this to memory. Also having this as his first full memory upon returning here? He wants nothing else.]

There's no one else who I'd rather be with, Koto. [He murmurs, some of the heat from his face fading as he smiles down at her, returns her kiss with ease. It really is like no time has passed, even though it's been a couple of months for him.]

That hasn't changed. [He brushes some of her hair away from her face, while gently rubbing his thumb against the skin of her hip.] It won't change.

[He wants to say it, despite the circumstances surrounding them. Maybe because it really has been the first time since they were separated from each other. Scott just wants to believe it as much as he can. For as long as possible.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

text; un: shades

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject