[gravesend] it's coming up lavender

The guttural, soft noise he could feel from her throat as they anchored to the pool's edge was a pleasure he knew that he was not afforded. Harlan had to check himself before getting too lost in his own thoughts. Senna moved against him and he adjusted, his hand wrapping around her back in an attempt to both be closer and to stop the concrete from actually doing any real harm. His fingers explored the fabric of her dress that was dripping off her skin at her ribcage.

Senna shifted again to give him access to her neck and Harlan took it like it a thief. He focused on her neck for a moment before moving back to her jaw, her mouth, then back again, The way that they were shifting had become something of a frenzy; though the nagging voice in the back of his mind didn't quite disappear.

They were at a birthday party. With families. Just outside the threshold of the indoor pool.

Jesus Christ.

"Fuck," Harlan breathed roughly into her neck, stopping himself from doing anything too detrimental. They couldn't exactly go for it. Not there. Not then. A soft laugh escaped his lips, exasperated and frustrated at the same time. His hands still explored the places they had wrapped around her though more slowly than before. He was torn between not wanting to stop and knowing he had to.

A soft smile flitted across her lips in between his kisses as he moved his arm in between her back and the pool's edge. It gave her the freedom to revel in him, let go of any thoughts and just feel. She liked feeling that untethered, tied only to the current, fleeting moment before it passed and then falling into the next over and over again.

Senna felt the flutter of her breath skip a beat as his fingers skated over her ribs, her fingers gripping his hair a little tighter as she pushed herself against him, wanting more. The moment felt heady and good and so unexpected that it still took her by surprise even as she reveled in it.

His whispered curse against her neck made reality seep back in and she fought against it for a moment before she was smiling then grinning widely and then laughing, soft and sweet. It was a reprieve but not a break, she could still feel the roughness of his stubble against her neck, but she didn't regret a second of it. "Oops," was all she murmured, not an ounce of actual apology in her tone, as she leaned her cheek against his, not wanting to give up the flow they had between them yet, her hands still tracing the muscles of his shoulders freely.

It was precarious and she appreciated that, but she had liked it too.

Harlan's pause had created room clarity, just. Senna's hips pressed against him and her hand at the back of his neck clouded his frame of mind over and over again with every shift. He felt them like a god damn earthquake. Tucked under her neck still, Harlan made no sudden moves to break the contact. There was a lingering sensation there that he didn't want to part with just yet— an aftershock.

"Right, oops," He repeated with a laugh though his tone was dry, verging on sarcastic, and still pressed to her.

Harlan pushed back a strand of wet hair from Senna's neck out of his way. His lips grazed the exposed skin but stopped short of going for it. He was sure if he allowed himself any more indulgences, it would be impossible to stop. "Read that on my palm too?" He teased, eventually standing more upright, anchoring himself with his palms at either side of her on the ledge of the pool.

If she had seen it coming, that would certainly explain the pool detour, anyway.

Her skin tingled from his touch, from his very breath against her skin, from the rumble she felt against his chest from his laugh. She knew it was coming, but she didn't want to let go either. It was, at least, a little easier to breath normally as he straightened a bit, her mind still a little hazy as she drifted back towards the thinking sectors and less of the feeling sectors of her brain, laughing with him as he teased, her eyes bright.

"I would say yes, butttt I'm pretty sure I kissed you first," she said with an impish smile as she gazed up at him, her hands dancing lightly along his arms, trailing down from his shoulders to his forearms, where she hooked her hands not wanting to let go of him just yet. And even though there was space between them now, Senna felt like it was warmed by the heat of what just happened, still traces of the two of them tangled, oozing possibilities.

She tilted her head to lean her forehead against his arm, biting her bottom lip as she shook her head, smiling faintly. "I knew I was going to like you."

Senna hadn't laughed but he could have sworn he heard the sound of it reverberating softly over the surface of the pool water. Maybe it was just the smile on her face that had him hearing things. Again a shiver ran up his spine as her fingertips moved slowly down to his forearms, his neck stretching involuntarily in return. Harlan steeled himself forward in an attempt to keep his focus.

"You did," He confirmed with a smile despite the fact that hadn't explicitly asked. That much he was sure of, at least.

He watched curiously as Senna leaned into his forearm from where he had anchored himself over her shoulders. It was comfortable, and verging on alarming. She bit her lip, another pleasure he knew he ought to not have been afforded but he didn't avert his eyes. She knew she was going to like him. An insidious feeling swirled in his chest.

"Don't do that to yourself," Harlan was still smiling softly but it didn't quite meet his eye as it had before.

His hand found its way to the underside of her chin to coax it up with two of his fingers, his thumb brushing the place just below her bottom lip. The act had been two-fold, and both of his intentions were selfish. With their limbs less entangled, Harlan narrowed his eyes on her own briefly before stepping around her to pull himself out of the pool.

They were asking to be caught, and they were already on borrowed time.

Senna smiled as he confirmed her claim. It hadn't been needed, but somehow his agreement made her smile wider. Maybe because she liked the idea in her mind that she had surprised him, that she was someone he was intrigued by just like she was with him. Perhaps it was too much to ask of this near perfect stranger but she wasn't shy about what she had felt. She leaned into them as much as she was leaning against his arm, her gaze on him, her honey eyes warm as they traced the features of his face.

And because she was already looking so curiously, she saw the subtle shift in his expression and it was like he had pulled away even though he was right in front of her. A small frown touched her lips even as he touched her chin, her lips parting as he brushed his fingers against her. "Why?" she asked in confusion and curiosity, her hands floating back into the water as he stepped away, already sad to give up this little moment they had made.

"Wait," she murmured without a thought as he pulled himself out of the pool, water sluicing off of him, and she clung to the edge, looking up at him. Frowning, she wasn't sure what to say next or why she had even said that in the first place, but she didn't want to let it go yet, whatever this moment was, even though she knew it was all very fleeting.

That time, her words were real; they floated over the tips of the waves Harlan had created from hoisting himself up to the ledge, subtle and melodic even despite the confusion that was evident. He half-paused with his forearms stretched in front of him, halfway out of the pool before proceeding to lift the rest of himself up. The 'wait' was a distant expression and he knew better than to go against his better judgment.

If he stayed, there was no going back.

Harlan ran his hand over his jaw as he stood upright to push away the excess water. Immediately, he was all too aware of the wet clothes that clung to him. "We should go," And he suspected she knew it too. It was only a matter of time before someone stumbled upon their private party. As opposed to reaching for his wand to dry himself off, Harlan took a step toward Senna and the ledge, holding out his hand.

"Unless you plan on staying in there all night?" He quirked an eyebrow, a hint of a smile in his eye.

"We don't have to," she replied easily even though she could understand to some extent why he wanted to. She could hear the laughter of party goers and the clink of glasses just beyond the doors of this room, but it was something she could easily ignore. Maybe he couldn't.

Senna watched him, noticing how his clothes clung to him out of the water showing every line of muscle and she appreciated each one. Maybe getting out wasn't such a bad idea after all. She smiled up at him as he offered a hand and shook her head. "Not all night it seems," she said as she reached up her hand to grasp his.

Her smile grew and her honey eyes glinted just before she braced her feet on the wall and pulled back on his hand. Not enough to pull him in (as if she could even do that considering how much muscle he had on her), but she hoped just enough to catch him off guard. Just the idea made her laugh, the sound echoing softly around the room as she let him pull her out of the water.

Her midnight, flowy blue dress seemed more black and clingy now with the weight of the soaked material and the cool air was such a difference to the warm pool water that it made her shiver as she touched her hair and wrung some of the wetness from the silver strands. "Wand?" she asked him after realizing she hadn't brought hers in here, eager to get warmed up as goosebumps ran down her arms. She wondered where she had left her wand anyway.. maybe with Rheya..

Harlan held his hand out expectantly despite the half of a question as to whether or not they actually had to leave; they both knew that they did. Well, he did, anyway. Her attempt to pull him in the pool was laughable but good-natured, his brow quirked as if to ask if she really wanted to go down that route. Senna laughed and he found himself grinning in return, shaking his head as he easily pulled out up and out of the water.

For a moment he was distracted again by their proximity, until, wand—

Right. He eventually glanced over to where his forgone beer, wallet, and wand sat at the edge of a pool to their left. "Just there," He indicated with a nod as if he didn't fully intend on collecting it himself. It was a quiet form of retaliation, though short-lived.

After leaning over to collect said wand, Harlan stood upright to face Senna again. She looked the same as he felt, cold and wet. "Do you mind?" He asked, more tentatively than he had before, though still firm. There was something inherently intimate about using magic on someone that he had always appreciated. In some ways, it felt closer than when they were in the water, their limbs intertwined and his mouth on her neck.

She glanced over her shoulder, a smile still on her lips, as she clutched her elbow in the cold. She hated being cold so she was happy when he bent to collect it, still feeling the cool drip of water sliding down the small of her back, making her shiver. Senna kept her eyes on him, gazing up at him, her eyes on his mouth, thoughts elsewhere..

Blinking at his question, she gave him an automatic smile and an immediate nod. "No, of course not," she said with a little wave of her hand, taking a half step closer. It would feel.. different to have him do magic on her, but it was something she very much welcomed, adding a new layer of familiarity that she both curious about and craved.

Sen gave him a little nod. "Go on, I'm freezing," she said with a huff of a laugh, impatient to be warm again one way or another, as the pool water reflected light across her cheek.

The impatience painted over Senna's posture, the way that she let out a huff of a laugh, was cute, Harlan thought. Despite the obvious fact that wielding that kind of power for himself was the next on the long list of things that night that were entirely too indulgent. His eyes narrowed on hers as he tapped his wand down to her forearm idly, stopping at the inside of her wrist.

"No please?" He wondered teasingly, turning it on himself with a grin.

Magic never ceased to amaze Harlan, even after all those years. His clothes went from sopping wet and stuck to his skin to dry as a bone, pressed and all. He waited another breath to push Senna that bit further, running his hands over the linen of his shirt that was absent of any wrinkles to even adjust. Payback, he figured, for stumbling into his evening.

"I'm joking," He finally added, letting out a sigh of a laugh before turning his wand on her.

Senna glanced down at the touch on her forearm, feeling the soft touch of the tip of his wand as it traced her veins and sent echoing zings through her body. Such a simple touch but it seemed like she felt it everywhere, especially when she glanced back up at him and thought she saw a familiar emotion in his eyes that she guessed might be mirrored in hers. She licked her lips as she gave him a hint of a smile. "Are you expecting me to beg for it?" she asked impishly.

But that was before he turned the wand on himself and charmed himself dry first. She grinned, amused, watching as he transformed back into the polished professional, all crisp lines and slicked back hair, but a thought flickered through her that she preferred the man who had jumped into the pool and swam with her in his party clothes. Either way, she was still freezing.

She moved her feet a bit, soft slapping sounds against the wet concrete beneath her toes as she danced impatiently in front of him. "Harlan, come on. Cold," Senna said, reaching out to touch his wand hand wrist before he gave in. Senna sucked in a breath as his magic worked it's way over her, drying her dress and hair in an instant and she sighed out a little breath as the cold stickiness of wet fabric clinging to her became just a memory.

Her midnight blue dress floating around her legs again and her silvery blonde hair fell down her back. "Not too bad, captain," she said, tucking her hair behind her ear with one hand, her other still touching his wrist.

"Better I don't answer that," Harlan said, only half under his breath. Any further down that road and they would be back in the pool, he figured.

He watched with interest as her clothes transformed and her hair fell with a silky swoosh down her back. "You're welcome," He quirked an eyebrow despite the explicit thank you; it was evident and that Harlan looking for any opportunity to continue the banter. Besides, it was fun to tease her a bit. And Senna was more than capable of giving it back.

"Suppose that's why they call me captain," He said with shrug before collecting the rest of his things.

"I'll go left, you go right?" Harlan inclined his chin to the large, ornate double doors they'd come from, blue eyes scanning the imagined corridors behind them. He was kidding, of course, but they would need to come up with some explanation for their absence, he supposed. He was slightly better off given his propensity to wander off in larger groups.

She heard him grumble under his breath and while she didn't hear his exact words, the tone was clear enough. Senna could only smile wider. She liked to tease. "Well, thank you," she said with emphasis, prompted only by his 'you're welcome' in a reverse of the classic rhythm. Her eyes strayed to him as she drifted over to toe her feet into her shoes, standing an inch or two higher how, careful not to slip against the wet concrete as they neared the doors. Senna knew they "should" return to the party, but there was this question hanging between them that was so intriguing to her: what if they didn't..

Nearing the doors, she sighed out a little breath, not bothering to bring the cupcake plate back out with her, hesitating as he did at the doors, a clandestine smile on her face before it fell a bit. I'll go left, you go right? Her brow furrowed as she gazed up at him in question, wondering if he had meant it like she was assuming. Like he didn't want to be seen with her? But for all that had happened in the pool, she was feeling the reality of the fact that she didn't really know him that well.

"Joking?" she checked, her voice soft and questioning as she thumbed the hem of her long, sleeves that fell over her hands.

Instinctively, footsteps slowed as they approached the threshold. The muted sound of the party just on the other side was louder than when they were in the pool — Harlan wondered if he heard it all then. The idea of not going back was enticing, but it wasn't possible. Their little secret haven couldn't last all night, and he was nothing if not a realist.

Senna asked if he was joking and for the first time Harlan realized how far his sense of humor stretched. His smile faltered as he looked over to her, his eyes narrowing for a breath. "Joking," He confirmed, his brow suddenly furrowed. And he thought it had been obvious.

As she played with the hem of sleeves, there was a peculiar feeling that settled in his chest. Guilt? Or was something more existential? Either way, he was aware of her feelings, and his effect on them. He ran his hand over where hers had just been thumbing at her sleeve, touching the back of his wrist to hers in a subtly (he hoped) comforting way. "If they ask, maybe we can say we found the library..."

Harlan hummed a thought. A library would have meant more trouble.

fin