Shinobi & Vex (At Kitty's Party)
Apr. 13th, 2019 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainShinobi and Vex flirt at Kitty's party and share a few surprising moments. Shinobi dedicating a romantic song to Vex in front of their friends ranks high on Vex's wtf list.
Having just finished his latest turn at karaoke, Shinobi was perspiring lightly and more than a little parched. Fortunately, their generous hostess had provided for those needs with uncommon largesse. His burgundy suit jacket long ago abandoned who-knew-where, he'd unfastened the top two buttons of the burnt-orange dress shirt he'd paired with the darker color, tie of alternating black and electric blue stripes hanging loose around his neck. He made for the refreshment table with more-than-typical alacrity, face splitting into a wide grin as he immediately recognized one of the faces lingering in that vicinity.
A very welcome sight, indeed.
"Vex, darling!" he gushed, perusing the liquid offerings until he found something he was reasonably certain had been fortified with something stronger than the straightforward punch or soft drinks arrayed elsewhere on the table. "Delighted to see you made it this evening. And with such a fetching escort, too! I'm honestly not sure which of you I envy more, just now."
Vex paused in her snack reconnaissance to glance at Shinobi. "Hello, Shinobi." She took in his ensemble, lingering on the shirt. While she'd spotted him earlier his blazer had toned down the burnt orange of his shirt. Without it, she was overwhelmed by his colour palette. "Only you," she commented idly. "Having fun?"
His beaming expression implied that he took her observation as a compliment, and he was quick to answer her question with all the enthusiasm the topic deserved. "Oh, I never met a party yet I didn't like," Shinobi said, taking a liberal sip from the cup in his hand. "And I feel like I owe it to Kitty to give this one my best. She's had a very eventful last few months, after all. And a place like this, well, it just begs for a proper Christening, don't you think?"
Vex's lips quirked at that. "I'm not sure you understand the word 'proper', darling."
"True, improper is more usually my preference," he conceded agreeably, resting his hip against the table. "So it's not at all impossible I may fall short. Still, I should get credit for trying, neh?"
She reached to tuck his hair back affectionately. “Good effort. You do try.”
He leaned into the light touch like an affectionate kitten, eyes narrowing into ecstatic slits at the praise. "One does one's best," he purred. "How about you? Enjoying the festivities thus far? You're certainly in excellent company, if nothing else."
Her fingers strayed down his neck before she withdrew her hand. “I’m enjoying. Yana and I were overdue a girl’s night out, and what better way to enjoy it than celebrating Kitty?”
"A better girls' night out could scarcely be conceived," he agreed, dark eyes open again and regarding Vex from beneath the artfully disarrayed fringe of his hair. "But I had no idea you were one of Illyana's familiars--did the two of you meet after she'd already left the school?" The timeline was a bit fuzzy in Shinobi's head, but it seemed she'd departed for her new associations ages ago.
“Before, actually. When my brother was here, but I was in London. She brought him to see me.”
Shinobi hummed, "Sou ka," and gave Vex a considering look. "I can see how that might have helped the two of you become close. You and Vax'ildan have very few notable weak points, except for each other. The forced separation was inconvenient, I'm sure."
Kind of him not to see her other weaknesses. “Inconvenient,” she agreed. “I’m sad she’s left, but glad she has a quick way back.”
"Teleporters have a considerable advantage over the rest of us, in that regard," he grinned. Shinobi glanced back at the karaoke station, where Blink was gamely singing her way through something Calypso-y and tropical. "I know Nolan and Clarice have some sort of arrangement for ferrying him back and forth between his corporate headquarters and the school. I've thought of broaching the possibility of something similar when I begin taking college courses--I'd hate to let passable grades and a lifetime of plutocratic expectation get between me and a living environment I've come to enjoy."
“So you’re staying, then, after graduating?” Why hadn’t Vex asked that sooner? The weeks would be duller without Shinobi around.
"If everything goes according to plan," he said. Then, glancing from side to side conspiratorially, he covered the side of his mouth with his hand and added in a loud whisper, "Confidentially, I've stacked the deck to ensure it will. You all won't be getting rid of me that easily."
“Good.” She fiddled with his tie. “I was just starting to see your merits.”
"Merits?" His expression turned quizzical, though amused, and he shifted as Vex toyed with his tie to give her better access under his collar. "I wasn't aware I had any of those. I suspect you've simply grown enchanted with my vices."
“I mean. Yes. Half your merits are considered vices.” She grinned. “But the company you keep points to a good heart. I mean, look where we are.”
He wrinkled his nose. "Please don't suggest such things where we might be overheard," Shinobi pleaded. Arguing the point would have been fruitless, as he couldn't recall having done anything genuinely corrupt in the recent past. Or even amoral. In fact, his recent behaviors were beginning to edge very slightly into territory that could be considered altruistic. The thought gave him a shudder.
"I've worked very hard to build my reputation over the years, and I would hate to have to start over again because of a little idle party gossip," he added.
“Is this really the group you’re cultivating that reputation with?” Vex questioned. “Kitty. Nolan. Do you think they see you as a feckless danger to society?” Her fingers trailed down the tie. “Or are these your people?”
Now that was a series of questions to give him pause. People. Did he actually have people? By now he took for granted that Nolan was probably not going to up and abandon him anytime soon. And Warren and Kitty and Lu all exerted a fairly steady influence on his life. Even his relationship with Vex, which deftly writhed out from underneath any label that could have been applied to it, was unconventional more than dangerous. "Yare yare," he sighed, fingertips drifting over the back of her hand where she continued to toy with his necktie. "What a thing to suggest. It's much too early in the evening for me to be considering such a dramatic shift in the tenor of my life."
Vex smirked. “Resist me if you want, darling. I see good things in you. Well. We’ll get there.” She leaned and kissed his cheek. “Enjoy yourself.” She released him and grabbed a drink for Yana and herself.
"I always do," he said, not really certain how to respond to the rest. People didn't usually say things like that to him. Well. People who weren't trying to sell him something, anyway. It left him at an uncustomary loss for words. Shinobi did smile as Vex retrieved her drinks, however, and, after taking a moment to finish his own, hurried back to the karaoke machine. He felt another song coming on.
* * * * * * *
A few songs were in the queue before Shinobi took his turn. Vex wasn’t paying attention until she heard his dedication.
She turned from where she was chatting with Yana, eyes widening. “Did he just...” Dedicate a vaguely romantic song to her in front of all their friends? Yes, he did. When the song ended Vex sighed. “Excuse me, darling. I need to go strangle that boy.” She went over to Shinobi.
As he handed off the microphone to the next karaoke enthusiast in line, Shinobi had the appearance of one who knew fully well that he was in trouble, but was also completely impenitent. "Good things", indeed. Vex's expression suggested she might be rethinking that earlier assertion. "Enjoy the music?" he asked mildly, so mildly it could not be anything but impudent.
Vex smiled and took his hand. After his announcement this no doubt this looked cute and domestic. Vex tugged him out of the room.
"You have a lovely voice," she told him, equally mild.
"So I've been told," he nodded. When no visible sign of irritation was immediately forthcoming, his look grew tinged with worry. Normally, being pulled into private by a girl whose company he enjoyed could only be a good thing. In this case, however, Shinobi had begun to wonder if he hadn't miscalculated, and what he'd intended as affectionate teasing had instead given actual offense. "I took lessons."
He supposed he would find out soon enough.
"Of course you did." She led him into Kitty's room. With internal apologies to the birthday girl, who likely didn't want her inner sanctuary invaded, Vex shut the door and pinned Shinobi back against it. "In the grand scheme of things, this barely ranks compared to making a pass at my brother."
"In my defense, he was in your body at the time," he protested, still solid and pressed into the door. "So your reaction could be described less as 'exasperated amusement' and more simply 'exasperated'? And I thought I'd chosen a tribute that was sentimental without being embarrassingly mushy. I suppose this speaks to my ability to gauge such nuance."
"It's a combination," she said. "But also a transparent attempt to goad me. You reap what you sow." Vex kissed him, soft and sweet.
Shinobi immediately tensed, though he managed not to jump backward through the door. He and Vex had kissed before, certainly, and often enough that he knew he enjoyed it ... but she'd never kissed him like this. Nobody had ever kissed him like this. This was something different. Familiar, but different. Something that made it very difficult to think rationally and coherently about the tender press of her lips against his. His hands went to her waist, hesitated, then folded comfortably, loosely around her middle.
Vex expected him to freeze up, and she wasn’t disappointed. She lingered long enough to give him a taste of tenderness. Vex never expected him to find his balance. She gently withdrew from the kiss and brushed her lips along the curve of his ear.
“If you want to play, then we’ll play,” Vex murmured. “There are so many ways I can drive you crazy, Shinobi. Don’t underestimate my creativity.”
"Never," he breathed, and was surprised to realize he actually meant it. It was rare for him to be so completely disarmed; rarer still for him to be uncertain what the next move was. She'd said they were playing, hadn't she? And Shinobi Shaw was an expert, when it came to the games people played. Especially when wit, charm, and daring were the mechanisms of scoring. All the same ... it took him a moment to find a reply.
"Nolan has invited us to a party in the Hamptons after Memorial Day," he ventured. "I demurred on your behalf, initially--I was fairly convinced, at the time, that you'd prefer people not make those sorts of assumptions about us. But now, I think it might actually be an enjoyable time. If you've the slightest interest, of course."
“You just announced your intentions toward me to a party,” Vex pointed out dryly. “Assumptions aren’t the issue. Who would be at this party?”
"Nolan, Shaun, probably Kitty. Somebody named Felix? And a wide assortment of Hamptonite rabble, I suppose. I didn't actually get around to inquiring much after a detailed guest list, since it's all the same to me. But I can certainly check again, if it matters at all to you. We could even make suggestions, I'm sure." Shinobi kept an arm loosely around Vex's waist, regarding her with a sort of bemused fascination. "Also, I don't think I was a was as obvious as all that. Especially not in this crowd."
“You underestimate subtlety.” Vex loosened his tie and leaned to brush her lips along Shinobi’s throat. “Figure out who’s all going first. Also ask Nolan what the sleeping arrangements might be like. We need to stop defiling Kitty’s sleeping quarters.”
"We do seem to be developing a routine," Shinobi chuckled, raising his chin to allow her better access to the sensitive skin of his neck. "Probably should change it up before anybody accuses us of being boring." He ran his fingers up her side, adding, "I'll text Nolan for more details. I'm sure I can prevail upon him to be accommodating."
Vex slid a hand between them, intentionally feeling out Shinobi's interest and bringing them a step closer unseemly activities in Kitty's personal space. With one final squeeze Vex let go and stepped back. "Sounds good. Catch me up when we get back to school."
"Your wish is my command," Shinobi told her, resting a hand over his heart and regarding Vex intently. "I take it, then, that my chastisement is concluded?"
She smiled. “For now. Hold that thought until after the party.”
Having just finished his latest turn at karaoke, Shinobi was perspiring lightly and more than a little parched. Fortunately, their generous hostess had provided for those needs with uncommon largesse. His burgundy suit jacket long ago abandoned who-knew-where, he'd unfastened the top two buttons of the burnt-orange dress shirt he'd paired with the darker color, tie of alternating black and electric blue stripes hanging loose around his neck. He made for the refreshment table with more-than-typical alacrity, face splitting into a wide grin as he immediately recognized one of the faces lingering in that vicinity.
A very welcome sight, indeed.
"Vex, darling!" he gushed, perusing the liquid offerings until he found something he was reasonably certain had been fortified with something stronger than the straightforward punch or soft drinks arrayed elsewhere on the table. "Delighted to see you made it this evening. And with such a fetching escort, too! I'm honestly not sure which of you I envy more, just now."
Vex paused in her snack reconnaissance to glance at Shinobi. "Hello, Shinobi." She took in his ensemble, lingering on the shirt. While she'd spotted him earlier his blazer had toned down the burnt orange of his shirt. Without it, she was overwhelmed by his colour palette. "Only you," she commented idly. "Having fun?"
His beaming expression implied that he took her observation as a compliment, and he was quick to answer her question with all the enthusiasm the topic deserved. "Oh, I never met a party yet I didn't like," Shinobi said, taking a liberal sip from the cup in his hand. "And I feel like I owe it to Kitty to give this one my best. She's had a very eventful last few months, after all. And a place like this, well, it just begs for a proper Christening, don't you think?"
Vex's lips quirked at that. "I'm not sure you understand the word 'proper', darling."
"True, improper is more usually my preference," he conceded agreeably, resting his hip against the table. "So it's not at all impossible I may fall short. Still, I should get credit for trying, neh?"
She reached to tuck his hair back affectionately. “Good effort. You do try.”
He leaned into the light touch like an affectionate kitten, eyes narrowing into ecstatic slits at the praise. "One does one's best," he purred. "How about you? Enjoying the festivities thus far? You're certainly in excellent company, if nothing else."
Her fingers strayed down his neck before she withdrew her hand. “I’m enjoying. Yana and I were overdue a girl’s night out, and what better way to enjoy it than celebrating Kitty?”
"A better girls' night out could scarcely be conceived," he agreed, dark eyes open again and regarding Vex from beneath the artfully disarrayed fringe of his hair. "But I had no idea you were one of Illyana's familiars--did the two of you meet after she'd already left the school?" The timeline was a bit fuzzy in Shinobi's head, but it seemed she'd departed for her new associations ages ago.
“Before, actually. When my brother was here, but I was in London. She brought him to see me.”
Shinobi hummed, "Sou ka," and gave Vex a considering look. "I can see how that might have helped the two of you become close. You and Vax'ildan have very few notable weak points, except for each other. The forced separation was inconvenient, I'm sure."
Kind of him not to see her other weaknesses. “Inconvenient,” she agreed. “I’m sad she’s left, but glad she has a quick way back.”
"Teleporters have a considerable advantage over the rest of us, in that regard," he grinned. Shinobi glanced back at the karaoke station, where Blink was gamely singing her way through something Calypso-y and tropical. "I know Nolan and Clarice have some sort of arrangement for ferrying him back and forth between his corporate headquarters and the school. I've thought of broaching the possibility of something similar when I begin taking college courses--I'd hate to let passable grades and a lifetime of plutocratic expectation get between me and a living environment I've come to enjoy."
“So you’re staying, then, after graduating?” Why hadn’t Vex asked that sooner? The weeks would be duller without Shinobi around.
"If everything goes according to plan," he said. Then, glancing from side to side conspiratorially, he covered the side of his mouth with his hand and added in a loud whisper, "Confidentially, I've stacked the deck to ensure it will. You all won't be getting rid of me that easily."
“Good.” She fiddled with his tie. “I was just starting to see your merits.”
"Merits?" His expression turned quizzical, though amused, and he shifted as Vex toyed with his tie to give her better access under his collar. "I wasn't aware I had any of those. I suspect you've simply grown enchanted with my vices."
“I mean. Yes. Half your merits are considered vices.” She grinned. “But the company you keep points to a good heart. I mean, look where we are.”
He wrinkled his nose. "Please don't suggest such things where we might be overheard," Shinobi pleaded. Arguing the point would have been fruitless, as he couldn't recall having done anything genuinely corrupt in the recent past. Or even amoral. In fact, his recent behaviors were beginning to edge very slightly into territory that could be considered altruistic. The thought gave him a shudder.
"I've worked very hard to build my reputation over the years, and I would hate to have to start over again because of a little idle party gossip," he added.
“Is this really the group you’re cultivating that reputation with?” Vex questioned. “Kitty. Nolan. Do you think they see you as a feckless danger to society?” Her fingers trailed down the tie. “Or are these your people?”
Now that was a series of questions to give him pause. People. Did he actually have people? By now he took for granted that Nolan was probably not going to up and abandon him anytime soon. And Warren and Kitty and Lu all exerted a fairly steady influence on his life. Even his relationship with Vex, which deftly writhed out from underneath any label that could have been applied to it, was unconventional more than dangerous. "Yare yare," he sighed, fingertips drifting over the back of her hand where she continued to toy with his necktie. "What a thing to suggest. It's much too early in the evening for me to be considering such a dramatic shift in the tenor of my life."
Vex smirked. “Resist me if you want, darling. I see good things in you. Well. We’ll get there.” She leaned and kissed his cheek. “Enjoy yourself.” She released him and grabbed a drink for Yana and herself.
"I always do," he said, not really certain how to respond to the rest. People didn't usually say things like that to him. Well. People who weren't trying to sell him something, anyway. It left him at an uncustomary loss for words. Shinobi did smile as Vex retrieved her drinks, however, and, after taking a moment to finish his own, hurried back to the karaoke machine. He felt another song coming on.
* * * * * * *
A few songs were in the queue before Shinobi took his turn. Vex wasn’t paying attention until she heard his dedication.
She turned from where she was chatting with Yana, eyes widening. “Did he just...” Dedicate a vaguely romantic song to her in front of all their friends? Yes, he did. When the song ended Vex sighed. “Excuse me, darling. I need to go strangle that boy.” She went over to Shinobi.
As he handed off the microphone to the next karaoke enthusiast in line, Shinobi had the appearance of one who knew fully well that he was in trouble, but was also completely impenitent. "Good things", indeed. Vex's expression suggested she might be rethinking that earlier assertion. "Enjoy the music?" he asked mildly, so mildly it could not be anything but impudent.
Vex smiled and took his hand. After his announcement this no doubt this looked cute and domestic. Vex tugged him out of the room.
"You have a lovely voice," she told him, equally mild.
"So I've been told," he nodded. When no visible sign of irritation was immediately forthcoming, his look grew tinged with worry. Normally, being pulled into private by a girl whose company he enjoyed could only be a good thing. In this case, however, Shinobi had begun to wonder if he hadn't miscalculated, and what he'd intended as affectionate teasing had instead given actual offense. "I took lessons."
He supposed he would find out soon enough.
"Of course you did." She led him into Kitty's room. With internal apologies to the birthday girl, who likely didn't want her inner sanctuary invaded, Vex shut the door and pinned Shinobi back against it. "In the grand scheme of things, this barely ranks compared to making a pass at my brother."
"In my defense, he was in your body at the time," he protested, still solid and pressed into the door. "So your reaction could be described less as 'exasperated amusement' and more simply 'exasperated'? And I thought I'd chosen a tribute that was sentimental without being embarrassingly mushy. I suppose this speaks to my ability to gauge such nuance."
"It's a combination," she said. "But also a transparent attempt to goad me. You reap what you sow." Vex kissed him, soft and sweet.
Shinobi immediately tensed, though he managed not to jump backward through the door. He and Vex had kissed before, certainly, and often enough that he knew he enjoyed it ... but she'd never kissed him like this. Nobody had ever kissed him like this. This was something different. Familiar, but different. Something that made it very difficult to think rationally and coherently about the tender press of her lips against his. His hands went to her waist, hesitated, then folded comfortably, loosely around her middle.
Vex expected him to freeze up, and she wasn’t disappointed. She lingered long enough to give him a taste of tenderness. Vex never expected him to find his balance. She gently withdrew from the kiss and brushed her lips along the curve of his ear.
“If you want to play, then we’ll play,” Vex murmured. “There are so many ways I can drive you crazy, Shinobi. Don’t underestimate my creativity.”
"Never," he breathed, and was surprised to realize he actually meant it. It was rare for him to be so completely disarmed; rarer still for him to be uncertain what the next move was. She'd said they were playing, hadn't she? And Shinobi Shaw was an expert, when it came to the games people played. Especially when wit, charm, and daring were the mechanisms of scoring. All the same ... it took him a moment to find a reply.
"Nolan has invited us to a party in the Hamptons after Memorial Day," he ventured. "I demurred on your behalf, initially--I was fairly convinced, at the time, that you'd prefer people not make those sorts of assumptions about us. But now, I think it might actually be an enjoyable time. If you've the slightest interest, of course."
“You just announced your intentions toward me to a party,” Vex pointed out dryly. “Assumptions aren’t the issue. Who would be at this party?”
"Nolan, Shaun, probably Kitty. Somebody named Felix? And a wide assortment of Hamptonite rabble, I suppose. I didn't actually get around to inquiring much after a detailed guest list, since it's all the same to me. But I can certainly check again, if it matters at all to you. We could even make suggestions, I'm sure." Shinobi kept an arm loosely around Vex's waist, regarding her with a sort of bemused fascination. "Also, I don't think I was a was as obvious as all that. Especially not in this crowd."
“You underestimate subtlety.” Vex loosened his tie and leaned to brush her lips along Shinobi’s throat. “Figure out who’s all going first. Also ask Nolan what the sleeping arrangements might be like. We need to stop defiling Kitty’s sleeping quarters.”
"We do seem to be developing a routine," Shinobi chuckled, raising his chin to allow her better access to the sensitive skin of his neck. "Probably should change it up before anybody accuses us of being boring." He ran his fingers up her side, adding, "I'll text Nolan for more details. I'm sure I can prevail upon him to be accommodating."
Vex slid a hand between them, intentionally feeling out Shinobi's interest and bringing them a step closer unseemly activities in Kitty's personal space. With one final squeeze Vex let go and stepped back. "Sounds good. Catch me up when we get back to school."
"Your wish is my command," Shinobi told her, resting a hand over his heart and regarding Vex intently. "I take it, then, that my chastisement is concluded?"
She smiled. “For now. Hold that thought until after the party.”
