Piotr and Jester - Halloween Dance
Oct. 26th, 2019 08:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ax_mainAnd so the romance of PDAs everywhere all the time begins.
Piotr hadn't been sure about what to expect at the party but it wasn't long before he lost himself in the almost dizzying sights and sounds and energy of it. Technically the back-to-school party had been his first, but the atmosphere at the lake had been much different from this. Here almost felt like another world, vivid and spectacular. There were times where it was difficult not to stand back and gawk, almost like a tourist. Other times he felt himself caught up in it all, smiling and laughing along with everyone around him. He could hardly believe how much fun he was having, and there was so much more party left.
He wandered over to the buffet, more to get a better look at things than anything else. He couldn't really eat while in his steel form, after all. As he rounded one of the tables he caught sight of Jester, just on the other side. He'd already seen her from a distance, here and there, but now that he was up close he felt a brief flutter in his stomach. "Wow," he said, and for a moment words failed him as he looked at her. "You look wonderful, Jester. The costume suits you perfectly."
Jester might have just taken a sip of her drink, but her mouth suddenly felt dry as she looked all the way up Piotr's enlarged, gold-painted metal body, and up at him. She took another quick drink, then smiled, wide and bright. "Yes! I mean hi! I mean thank you!"
She'd applied enough pink body paint to turn her blue skin lavender, making her look even more like a relation of Molly's. But her long white wig itched, and the fake amethyst gem she'd Drawn on her chest wasn't always comfortable, both of them things she hadn't really paid attention to until she was standing in front of Piotr, in all his semi-naked glory. Now she felt awkward in her the costume she'd cobbled up, when he looked so effortlessly amazing in nothing but a drape around his waist and some body paint.
That was a lot of body on display, after all, even if it was his enlarged metal form. It was still him. Jester had known he got bigger, but she hadn't quite expected to feel this overwhelmed, up close.
"You too?" she added belatedly, because that was the polite thing to say, even if she wasn't sure what he was supposed to be. Some kind of Roman god, probably. Was one of them covered in gold?
"Thank you, Jester," Piotr said. It took a bit of effort not to shift awkwardly while she looked him over. Her costume was so detailed. She must have put so much thought into it, even using her own powers to to put it together, by the looks of it. While his was almost the literal definition of 'thrown on.' He was also suddenly once more aware of every measure of exposed 'skin,' made only more acute by the flutter in his stomach as he looked at her.
There seemed to be a question on her lips, however. He'd been asked about his costume a few times, so it wasn't difficult to guess what. "I am an Oscar," he said with a shrug.
"Oh!" Her expression cleared as she suddenly got it, and she laughed, and grinned up at him. "That is such a cool idea! But you should pose! People would understand it better if you posed. You know..." She mimicked an Academy Award statue herself, although of course it looked a lot less Oscar-like.
After Nora's earlier guesses, Piotr had been slightly concerned he was doing it wrong. Now that Jester was demonstrating, he was sure he'd gotten it right after all. "Like this?" Piotr said with a grin as he mirrored her.
Jester laughed and clapped, dropping the pose. "Exactly like that, yes!"
Piotr relaxed his arms and laughed softly. "I am glad you like it." He tilted his head slightly as he looked at her. "Did you use your Drawings to make part of your costume?"
"The gem, yes!" Jester confirmed with a bright grin, and looked down at the large amethyst in the middle of her chest. "I mean, I tried to glue it on but it kept falling so I just thought, maybe I can Draw it! And it worked!" She hoped she'd be able to Undraw it later, but that was a problem for later.
"A solution only you could manage," Piotr said with a nod. He smiled down at her. "That is brilliant, Jester. You do such amazing things with your abilities."
"Oh, that's nothing!" Jester assured him with a grin, although her cheeks were feeling a little hot again. "I can do so many cool things! But you made your power work for your costume too! That's very clever."
"Thank you," Piotr said. Looking sheepish, he added, "There is one downside I had not considered, however. I cannot eat anything when I am like this, and there are so many things I would like to try." He plucked a cupcake with spooky decorations on the frosting and held it out to Jester, easily reaching across the table. "Are these good?"
"Oh, very!" Jester assured him immediately. Of course she'd already sampled all of the cakes. She took the cupcake from him, and a plate, and started filling it with different cakes. "But that is very wrong. That you can't eat like this. I hadn't thought of that! What else would you like you taste?" She paused in her deft movements, looking up and over at him.
Piotr felt his heart leap to his throat when Jester looked at him like that, and he swallowed nervously. "Ah, well. These cookies look good," he said, gesturing to a plate as he moved around to the same side of the table as her. "And these." He wasn't really paying attention to the table anymore, and randomly gestured toward some nearby brownies. "And, ah..." His hand moved, almost with a will of its own, until his fingers hovered close to Jester's lips, almost trembling. He smiled nervously as he met her eyes. "...these."
Jester blinked a few times rapidly, now very glad that she had curbed the urge to snap her teeth playfully at his hand when it came near her face (it was instinct, okay?). Had he just said...? It felt like her cheeks had reached a new level of heat and might just catch fire any second. Really? For real? He was so smooth about it and Jester could only stare at him, like a fool, plate full of cakes balanced in one hand. She'd been staring for too long, she should say something. Anything. Anything.
Traveler, help me.
She picked up one of the brownies Piotr had pointed out and brandished the plate victoriously. "There we go!" Her voice sounded incredibly high-pitched. Her heart was beating so fast. Her palms were sweaty. "Now you have a plate full of things you can eat later! Or. We can sit down somewhere your, um, drape won't fall the second you shift back, and you can - have a taste - now?" She had been going to suggest that all along, but now it sounded - and it felt - like she was suggesting an entirely different thing! And why did she sound so breathless they were just talking.
It felt like Piotr's heart was hammering in his chest, even though that should have been impossible in this form. "I... think I saw some chairs over there," he said, nodding his head toward a (relatively) quiet spot away from the dance floor.
"Oh good!" Jester squeaked, and immediately turned that way to head there, tail shifting nervously behind her.
She had seen her mother do this countless times. The Ruby of the Sea was The Best at seduction. She knew how to put someone at ease, when to make the first move. She knew when to be brazen and when to be coy. Jester was pretty certain it never made her palms sweat. (She hoped it still made her heart thud a little harder, though. That part wasn't as bad.)
The point was, Jester's mother was a master at seduction, but Jester had no idea what to do. Had she even really heard him right? The music was loud, maybe she'd gotten it wrong. She probably had. What were the odds? But he did seem to like her! And he drew her all those things, and he liked the things she drew for him. And, well, he looked really really nice. Boys her age weren't normally this fit. Oh, Traveler, what am I supposed to do?
She sat on a chair and waited for Piotr to join her to hand him the plate, gulping when their fingers brushed. "I think you have a really nice sample there?" For some reason, words kept pouring out of her mouth. "I really like the ghost cupcakes. And the vampire cookies. Do you want me to get you a drink while you're going to be able to drink?" Her eyes widened. "Do you even get thirsty when you're like this?"
"Ah, Jester?" Piotr said as he caught up with the rush of words. He was a little surprised he could hear anything over the thud of his own heart and the slight roar in his ears. He was barely aware of the plate in his hand. All his attention was on her. He shifted a little to make sure it was safe, and triggered his power. A crackle of light surrounded him for the briefest of moments, and when it faded, he sat before her, flesh and blood once more. "Jester." He reached over and cupped a golden hand over hers.
This was it. He was really doing this.
He took a deep breath and met her eyes once more. "I... I like you, Jester," he said. He gave her hand a light squeeze. "I like you very much."
It wasn't like in the movies, where the music stopped, and everything slowed down. But it was definitely a moment in which nothing else mattered but Piotr's hand over hers (on the back of hers, thank the Traveler, so he couldn't notice how sweaty her palm was!), the look in his now back to blue eyes, and, oh yeah, what he was saying. Everything else was completely inconsequential. "...I really like you too?" Jester offered, sounding as uncertain and perhaps a little scared as she looked.
Piotr huffed out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled. He hoped she couldn't tell how nervous he was feeling. He swallowed, not sure what was supposed to happen next. All he knew was that right now he was with her, and she was looking at him with those beautiful purple eyes of hers, and she'd just said what he'd been hoping to hear from her for what seemed forever, and he didn't want any of it to end. "We can just talk, if you want," he said. "I like talking with you, and you look very pretty."
Should he have said that before he told her he liked her? Did it even matter when he'd already told her he wanted to kiss her? And he hadn't been able to stop thinking about kissing her since he'd said that, so he was definitely doing things in the wrong order. And when did the room get so warm, anyway?
Jester smiled at his words, and realised it wasn't just her cheeks going hot now, but all of her. And it was really, really nice. The same kind of warmth as she felt when the Traveler was with her, when he told her she was his favourite. "Thank you," she said, still feeling inexplicably nervous on top of warm. "You look... nearly naked," she settled on, with a crooked grin. "In a good way! You look very good nearly naked."
Piotr suddenly noticed it wasn't the room that was warm, it was him. His hand was still on hers, and it almost felt like a crackle of energy was passing up his arm, but in a nice way. He swallowed hard and smiled. "Ah, thank you, Jester." He glanced down, eyes catching sight of the plate in his other hand, and let out a soft laugh. "Oh, that is right. The tasting." He looked back up at her. "What do you think I should try first? Everything looks so tempting and sweet."
Oh my God oh my God oh my God. Was he talking about her lips again? Tempting and sweet were totally words that applied to a romance heroin's lips. "I think you should start with what you most want to taste," she told him, really hoping he would want to taste her lips most. Her heart was beating so hard. She would have turned her hand around to hold his back, but she was pretty sure the sweat situation there had not improved.
Did- did she mean...? What was he supposed to do? He'd never kissed anyone before. What if he did it wrong? What if he missed? "Ah, well..." Piotr gave her hand another light squeeze before breaking that contact to lightly brush the bottom of her chin with his forefinger. "This," he said as he slowly leaned forward. "What I most want is this." He was trembling, heart racing like it might explode out of his chest as his eyes began to slip shut and he closed the last bit of distance between them.
It's really happening really happening really happening was on a loop in Jester's brain, until it actually happened. At first she forgot to close her eyes, but that got weird fast, so she did, and then, well. She shifted her head a little because the angle wasn't quite right for her nose. And then she realized, all over again, that she was kissing Piotr, and Piotr was kissing her, and this was really happening. And it was making her toes curl in her white Amethyst boots. She was pretty sure if her Gem was a real one she would be manifesting something just then. Maybe some tiny winged pink unicorns flying around them both.
She never wanted it to stop.
But she broke away for air, and gave him a wide, nervous, hopeful smile. "How was it?"
Oh God she'd just had her first kiss.
Piotr felt a bit lightheaded as he looked at Jester, an awed smile on his face. It had really just happened. He'd just had his first kiss and... "It was wonderful," he said a bit breathlessly. It had been like magic, feeling her lips against his. Like a dream he never wanted to wake from. "What about for you?"
"It was really nice!" she confirmed immediately, and then smiled again. "I'm glad you shifted back." Kissing metal could not feel as good as warm, soft lips.
"So am I," he said. It wouldn't have been the same. Not even a little. He liked the way it had felt, being so close to her. The warmth of her lips, softer than he would have thought possible. He knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life. He gave her a soft, nervous smile. "Do you want to do it again?"
"Yes!" Jester agreed at once, and then grinned again. "We can get even better at it!" It had been good, but, well, everything she had read seemed to agree that practice made perfect.
Piotr grinned back. It was so easy with Jester. It always had been. "I like this plan," he said softly. The hair of her wig was in the way, a little, so he reached forward to brush some of it over her shoulder. As he drew back, his hand slid lightly across her cheek, and a warm surge of electricity traveled up his arm at the contact. It felt right there, like it belonged, so he left it there, gently cupping her cheek as he bent forward. When he was just a breath away he paused for a fraction of a second, remembering how their noses had momentarily gotten in the way last time, and tilted his head slightly before his eyes slid shut and his lips touched hers.
The kiss was brief and light. Just a little taste, and her lips were sweet. So very, very sweet. He stayed close, their lips still connected by just a feather of contact.
"Mmm."
He kissed her again, just as swift, just as soft. A pleasant tingle passed through him and he let out a quiet chuckle of surprise.
Another quick, tender kiss, still hovering close, and a soft sigh escaped before he sank fully into the next. This time he held the kiss, surrendering himself to it while the world seemed to condense to only her. He wanted it to last forever.
His head felt like it was spinning when he finally broke away. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Oh, Jester," he said, voice barely more than a whisper.
"That... felt... wow," Jester blurted out. "Wait, let's try..." Gingerly, she laid a hand high on his chest, over his collar bone (that was safe, right? he was practically naked), and leaned up into another kiss. But this time, her tongue licked at his lips, hoping he would respond in kind.
All the best kisses involved tongues, okay? She wanted to try it!
Piotr hadn't known what to expect, and his brows jumped slightly, but his eyes remained closed. It was different, but nice. Catching the hint, and now curious himself, his lips parted and he tentatively licked her lips in answer.
Jester's lips ticked up at the corner, but she reined in the smile to focus on this next part, shifting the angle of their heads to slide her tongue against his, this time. It sent a thrill down her spine, and she sat up a little straighter, pulling back with wide eyes. "Wow." She immediately leaned back in for more.
He would have agreed with her, but before Piotr had a chance they were already kissing again. Pulse racing, he lost himself in the dance of their tongues. He put his hand on her shoulder, almost as of to steady himself. He pressed closer, deepening the kiss and sliding his hand up the back of her neck to gently comb his fingers through her hair.
Jester had always thought that her mother's profession was really cool. But now that she knew what kissing felt like? It had to be the best, if the rest of it felt anywhere near as good. She made a small sound into the kiss when Piotr's fingers brushed her nape, closing the kiss off to catch her breath before going back in for more.
If she had her way, they would keep kissing for a good long while, party be damned.
Piotr had no idea kissing could be like this. That it could feel this good, but he was quickly catching on. His tongue moved with more confidence now, eager to taste and explore. A pulse of excitement from that little sound Jester had made. He was breathing a bit heavily when he finally broke the kiss, but he didn't pull away. "Wow," he said, smiling as he gazed into her eyes. He placed a little kiss on her lips. He needed a moment, but he had no intention of stopping altogether. "That was unbelievable." Kiss. "And your hand on my chest." Kiss. "That felt nice, too." Kiss. "Is there anything else you wanted to try?"
"I mean," Jester admitted, briefly tilting her head to the side. "There's a lot I wanna try. But maybe not in public?"
Well, he had asked, and she had grown up in a brothel. Of course she had plenty of ideas to try next. Her gaze dropped to his lap, and she looked back up at him with a smug little smile. Given the tent in his sash, those ideas would be totally doable.
Piotr had been staring, slightly stunned as he processed Jester's words. Had she really just said...? Oh god she did and he should really do something or say something but he had no idea what.
And then the rest caught up, and he was looking down at the way Jester was smiling at him. First there was a wave of heat, much different from before. Then all the color drained out of his face. Not that any of that showed beyond his expression. He was still just as golden as ever (minus a few smudges and little patches of pink body paint). He was basically naked, in public, with the evidence of his desire barely covered by nothing more than a sash. "Bozhe moi!" He closed his legs and curled forward, hands moving to cover himself. He was too embarassed to look out on the dance floor and kept his eyes fixed on Jester. "We should get out of here," Piotr blurted in a hoarse whisper. Except he couldn't move. Not without giving everyone a free show. He needed to cover himself, but with what? "Jester, can I borrow your wig?"
Jester laughed, not meanly, but because it was funny, what could she say? "I'll go find you something better. I don't think holding a wig to your crotch would be very discreet, you know?" She stood, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and walked away, smiling like the cat who got the cream.
It wasn't long before she'd found an abandoned cloak on the back of a chair, and she brought it back to him triumphantly. "Ta-daaa!"
He'd spent the time while she was away trying to will, or alternatively, beg his arousal to subside, even a little. It did not. Would it go away if he changed? But then, what if it didn't? God, that was a slightly terrifying thought.
And then Jester was there, and he looked up at her with open gratitude. "Thank you, Jester." He quickly draped it over himself and adjusted it as he rose to his feet. Just then the new single from Alison Blaire everyone was talking about began to pump through the speakers, and a few cheers rose up around the dance floor as people began to jump around and dance. Piotr looked down at Jester and took her hand. "Now is our chance."
Jester laughed at how serious he sounded, but squeezed his hand and proceeded to sneak out of the gym all the same, with his plate of cakes in her other hand. "Elevator, I think," she remarked once they were outside. Erections had always seemed so impractical to do anything but sex with.
Piotr nodded. "Yes, the elevator," he agreed. He struggled to keep up with Jester without getting in his own way as they crept through the halls. With every step he half expected someone to burst out of one of the doors and catch them. Jester, on the other hand, moved with a practiced skill that guided him along and helped him avoid bumping into anything by accident. As soon as they were in the elevator he pressed the button for the second floor and breathed a sigh of relief when the doors slid shut. He looked down at Jester, smiled, then laughed at himself a little. That had been scary, but also kind of thrilling, to sneak around like that with her. He bent down for another kiss, figuring they had enough time before the elevator stopped.
Jester leaned up into the kiss, going on tiptoe to meet it, then drew Piotr back down with her. Would she ever get tired of kissing? It was the best thing ever, and she couldn't wait to tell the Traveler all about it! She hoped he wouldn't be jealous; he would still be her #1 forever! But, well, this was really nice, and she pushed all thoughts of the Traveler aside to focus on the slide of Piotr's tongue against hers, hands stroking up his arms, and then back down. Under the cloak, of course; she liked the feeling of his skin under her fingers.
When the elevator stopped and the door opened, she broke the kiss reluctantly, feeling warm all over. "We should abandon your cloak in the common room. Its owner can find it there and wonder how it got there," she stated with a smile, drawing him out and down the hallway. She hadn't stuck around to figure out who it belonged to.
For once, Piotr wished the elevators didn't move so quickly. Following Jester down the hallway, he smiled at her suggestion. "Okay, let's do that," he said. He felt a little bad about just grabbing someone's cloak the way they had, but it was for a good cause, and at least Jester was thinking of ways to make it fun for whoever it belonged to. Or at least mysterious, which was a kind of fun. Piotr removed the cloak when they got to the common room, pausing for a moment as he glanced at Jester and laughed a bit nervously. She'd already seen everything, of course, but now it felt like he was stripping in front of her. He held it in one hand and considered just tossing it blindly, but then his eyes caught sight of an interesting addition to the common room.
Someone had propped a life-sized skeleton decoration on one of the chairs, posing it to make it look like it was watching the television. Piotr went over to the chair and placed the cloak over the skeleton's shoulders, hooking the clasp so that it was now wearing it. He looked up at Jester and smiled. "How is this?"
"It's perfect," she told him with a bright smile, and held her hand out for him to tug him down the hall before anyone could spot them here.
This was so risky. If they got caught now Piotr was certain he would die of embarrassment. Not to mention how much trouble they might get in. And yet Piotr couldn't stop grinning as they moved with cautious haste down the hall. His eyes darted about for any sign of someone approaching, but they always returned to Jester. They reached the door to Jester's room before he knew it, and yet it also felt like it had taken far too long. "I cannot believe we just did that," he said as the door closed behind them, but he was laughing and his eyes reflected his eagerness to pick up where they'd left off.
Now they had all the privacy they needed.
Jester didn't think it was very risky at all. Even if they got caught, they really hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were going to be doing things Nott probably wouldn't want to walk in on, however, and she smiled at Piotr. And probably Piotr wouldn't want her to walk in on them either. He seemed easily embarrassed so far. "Let me text Nott not to come in for a while," she told him, and handed him the plate of cakes back. "Here! Have some cake."
She swung her backpack down and got her cellphone from it, then sat on her bed as she text her friend. Piotr and I are making out in the room making out is amazing I'll tell you everything later I gotta get back to it byyyye.
As she finished, Piotr swallowed a last bite of the cupcake he'd selected. He'd eaten it in haste, mostly due to nerves, and there were a few crumbs of cake stuck to his fingers and a faint streak of frosting on his lips. They hadn't taken any napkins with them, so he just left it there for now. He wasn't thinking much about that anyway. "The ghost cupcakes are very good," he said. He swept his eyes over the room, even though he'd visited enough times to know what it looked like, and then looked back at Jester and smiled. "Is it okay if I sit down?"
"I'd like it better if you did," Jester assured him, patting the spot beside her with a little smile. He was really tall, okay? Making out would be easier if they were sitting than standing.
Piotr placed the plate with its pile of remaining treats on her desk and settled into the spot next to Jester, feeling a slight shiver as their arms brushed against each other. "The other cakes all look good, too, but there are too many just for me." He turned to lean toward her, hands moving to gently cup her cheeks. "Perhaps later we can taste the rest together," he said, barely a moment before their lips met once more.
Jester held him back gently, but only so she could lick the frosting from his lips, first. "Good frosting," she told him with a bright smile, then only kissed him again.
Piotr hadn't been sure about what to expect at the party but it wasn't long before he lost himself in the almost dizzying sights and sounds and energy of it. Technically the back-to-school party had been his first, but the atmosphere at the lake had been much different from this. Here almost felt like another world, vivid and spectacular. There were times where it was difficult not to stand back and gawk, almost like a tourist. Other times he felt himself caught up in it all, smiling and laughing along with everyone around him. He could hardly believe how much fun he was having, and there was so much more party left.
He wandered over to the buffet, more to get a better look at things than anything else. He couldn't really eat while in his steel form, after all. As he rounded one of the tables he caught sight of Jester, just on the other side. He'd already seen her from a distance, here and there, but now that he was up close he felt a brief flutter in his stomach. "Wow," he said, and for a moment words failed him as he looked at her. "You look wonderful, Jester. The costume suits you perfectly."
Jester might have just taken a sip of her drink, but her mouth suddenly felt dry as she looked all the way up Piotr's enlarged, gold-painted metal body, and up at him. She took another quick drink, then smiled, wide and bright. "Yes! I mean hi! I mean thank you!"
She'd applied enough pink body paint to turn her blue skin lavender, making her look even more like a relation of Molly's. But her long white wig itched, and the fake amethyst gem she'd Drawn on her chest wasn't always comfortable, both of them things she hadn't really paid attention to until she was standing in front of Piotr, in all his semi-naked glory. Now she felt awkward in her the costume she'd cobbled up, when he looked so effortlessly amazing in nothing but a drape around his waist and some body paint.
That was a lot of body on display, after all, even if it was his enlarged metal form. It was still him. Jester had known he got bigger, but she hadn't quite expected to feel this overwhelmed, up close.
"You too?" she added belatedly, because that was the polite thing to say, even if she wasn't sure what he was supposed to be. Some kind of Roman god, probably. Was one of them covered in gold?
"Thank you, Jester," Piotr said. It took a bit of effort not to shift awkwardly while she looked him over. Her costume was so detailed. She must have put so much thought into it, even using her own powers to to put it together, by the looks of it. While his was almost the literal definition of 'thrown on.' He was also suddenly once more aware of every measure of exposed 'skin,' made only more acute by the flutter in his stomach as he looked at her.
There seemed to be a question on her lips, however. He'd been asked about his costume a few times, so it wasn't difficult to guess what. "I am an Oscar," he said with a shrug.
"Oh!" Her expression cleared as she suddenly got it, and she laughed, and grinned up at him. "That is such a cool idea! But you should pose! People would understand it better if you posed. You know..." She mimicked an Academy Award statue herself, although of course it looked a lot less Oscar-like.
After Nora's earlier guesses, Piotr had been slightly concerned he was doing it wrong. Now that Jester was demonstrating, he was sure he'd gotten it right after all. "Like this?" Piotr said with a grin as he mirrored her.
Jester laughed and clapped, dropping the pose. "Exactly like that, yes!"
Piotr relaxed his arms and laughed softly. "I am glad you like it." He tilted his head slightly as he looked at her. "Did you use your Drawings to make part of your costume?"
"The gem, yes!" Jester confirmed with a bright grin, and looked down at the large amethyst in the middle of her chest. "I mean, I tried to glue it on but it kept falling so I just thought, maybe I can Draw it! And it worked!" She hoped she'd be able to Undraw it later, but that was a problem for later.
"A solution only you could manage," Piotr said with a nod. He smiled down at her. "That is brilliant, Jester. You do such amazing things with your abilities."
"Oh, that's nothing!" Jester assured him with a grin, although her cheeks were feeling a little hot again. "I can do so many cool things! But you made your power work for your costume too! That's very clever."
"Thank you," Piotr said. Looking sheepish, he added, "There is one downside I had not considered, however. I cannot eat anything when I am like this, and there are so many things I would like to try." He plucked a cupcake with spooky decorations on the frosting and held it out to Jester, easily reaching across the table. "Are these good?"
"Oh, very!" Jester assured him immediately. Of course she'd already sampled all of the cakes. She took the cupcake from him, and a plate, and started filling it with different cakes. "But that is very wrong. That you can't eat like this. I hadn't thought of that! What else would you like you taste?" She paused in her deft movements, looking up and over at him.
Piotr felt his heart leap to his throat when Jester looked at him like that, and he swallowed nervously. "Ah, well. These cookies look good," he said, gesturing to a plate as he moved around to the same side of the table as her. "And these." He wasn't really paying attention to the table anymore, and randomly gestured toward some nearby brownies. "And, ah..." His hand moved, almost with a will of its own, until his fingers hovered close to Jester's lips, almost trembling. He smiled nervously as he met her eyes. "...these."
Jester blinked a few times rapidly, now very glad that she had curbed the urge to snap her teeth playfully at his hand when it came near her face (it was instinct, okay?). Had he just said...? It felt like her cheeks had reached a new level of heat and might just catch fire any second. Really? For real? He was so smooth about it and Jester could only stare at him, like a fool, plate full of cakes balanced in one hand. She'd been staring for too long, she should say something. Anything. Anything.
Traveler, help me.
She picked up one of the brownies Piotr had pointed out and brandished the plate victoriously. "There we go!" Her voice sounded incredibly high-pitched. Her heart was beating so fast. Her palms were sweaty. "Now you have a plate full of things you can eat later! Or. We can sit down somewhere your, um, drape won't fall the second you shift back, and you can - have a taste - now?" She had been going to suggest that all along, but now it sounded - and it felt - like she was suggesting an entirely different thing! And why did she sound so breathless they were just talking.
It felt like Piotr's heart was hammering in his chest, even though that should have been impossible in this form. "I... think I saw some chairs over there," he said, nodding his head toward a (relatively) quiet spot away from the dance floor.
"Oh good!" Jester squeaked, and immediately turned that way to head there, tail shifting nervously behind her.
She had seen her mother do this countless times. The Ruby of the Sea was The Best at seduction. She knew how to put someone at ease, when to make the first move. She knew when to be brazen and when to be coy. Jester was pretty certain it never made her palms sweat. (She hoped it still made her heart thud a little harder, though. That part wasn't as bad.)
The point was, Jester's mother was a master at seduction, but Jester had no idea what to do. Had she even really heard him right? The music was loud, maybe she'd gotten it wrong. She probably had. What were the odds? But he did seem to like her! And he drew her all those things, and he liked the things she drew for him. And, well, he looked really really nice. Boys her age weren't normally this fit. Oh, Traveler, what am I supposed to do?
She sat on a chair and waited for Piotr to join her to hand him the plate, gulping when their fingers brushed. "I think you have a really nice sample there?" For some reason, words kept pouring out of her mouth. "I really like the ghost cupcakes. And the vampire cookies. Do you want me to get you a drink while you're going to be able to drink?" Her eyes widened. "Do you even get thirsty when you're like this?"
"Ah, Jester?" Piotr said as he caught up with the rush of words. He was a little surprised he could hear anything over the thud of his own heart and the slight roar in his ears. He was barely aware of the plate in his hand. All his attention was on her. He shifted a little to make sure it was safe, and triggered his power. A crackle of light surrounded him for the briefest of moments, and when it faded, he sat before her, flesh and blood once more. "Jester." He reached over and cupped a golden hand over hers.
This was it. He was really doing this.
He took a deep breath and met her eyes once more. "I... I like you, Jester," he said. He gave her hand a light squeeze. "I like you very much."
It wasn't like in the movies, where the music stopped, and everything slowed down. But it was definitely a moment in which nothing else mattered but Piotr's hand over hers (on the back of hers, thank the Traveler, so he couldn't notice how sweaty her palm was!), the look in his now back to blue eyes, and, oh yeah, what he was saying. Everything else was completely inconsequential. "...I really like you too?" Jester offered, sounding as uncertain and perhaps a little scared as she looked.
Piotr huffed out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and smiled. He hoped she couldn't tell how nervous he was feeling. He swallowed, not sure what was supposed to happen next. All he knew was that right now he was with her, and she was looking at him with those beautiful purple eyes of hers, and she'd just said what he'd been hoping to hear from her for what seemed forever, and he didn't want any of it to end. "We can just talk, if you want," he said. "I like talking with you, and you look very pretty."
Should he have said that before he told her he liked her? Did it even matter when he'd already told her he wanted to kiss her? And he hadn't been able to stop thinking about kissing her since he'd said that, so he was definitely doing things in the wrong order. And when did the room get so warm, anyway?
Jester smiled at his words, and realised it wasn't just her cheeks going hot now, but all of her. And it was really, really nice. The same kind of warmth as she felt when the Traveler was with her, when he told her she was his favourite. "Thank you," she said, still feeling inexplicably nervous on top of warm. "You look... nearly naked," she settled on, with a crooked grin. "In a good way! You look very good nearly naked."
Piotr suddenly noticed it wasn't the room that was warm, it was him. His hand was still on hers, and it almost felt like a crackle of energy was passing up his arm, but in a nice way. He swallowed hard and smiled. "Ah, thank you, Jester." He glanced down, eyes catching sight of the plate in his other hand, and let out a soft laugh. "Oh, that is right. The tasting." He looked back up at her. "What do you think I should try first? Everything looks so tempting and sweet."
Oh my God oh my God oh my God. Was he talking about her lips again? Tempting and sweet were totally words that applied to a romance heroin's lips. "I think you should start with what you most want to taste," she told him, really hoping he would want to taste her lips most. Her heart was beating so hard. She would have turned her hand around to hold his back, but she was pretty sure the sweat situation there had not improved.
Did- did she mean...? What was he supposed to do? He'd never kissed anyone before. What if he did it wrong? What if he missed? "Ah, well..." Piotr gave her hand another light squeeze before breaking that contact to lightly brush the bottom of her chin with his forefinger. "This," he said as he slowly leaned forward. "What I most want is this." He was trembling, heart racing like it might explode out of his chest as his eyes began to slip shut and he closed the last bit of distance between them.
It's really happening really happening really happening was on a loop in Jester's brain, until it actually happened. At first she forgot to close her eyes, but that got weird fast, so she did, and then, well. She shifted her head a little because the angle wasn't quite right for her nose. And then she realized, all over again, that she was kissing Piotr, and Piotr was kissing her, and this was really happening. And it was making her toes curl in her white Amethyst boots. She was pretty sure if her Gem was a real one she would be manifesting something just then. Maybe some tiny winged pink unicorns flying around them both.
She never wanted it to stop.
But she broke away for air, and gave him a wide, nervous, hopeful smile. "How was it?"
Oh God she'd just had her first kiss.
Piotr felt a bit lightheaded as he looked at Jester, an awed smile on his face. It had really just happened. He'd just had his first kiss and... "It was wonderful," he said a bit breathlessly. It had been like magic, feeling her lips against his. Like a dream he never wanted to wake from. "What about for you?"
"It was really nice!" she confirmed immediately, and then smiled again. "I'm glad you shifted back." Kissing metal could not feel as good as warm, soft lips.
"So am I," he said. It wouldn't have been the same. Not even a little. He liked the way it had felt, being so close to her. The warmth of her lips, softer than he would have thought possible. He knew he would remember this moment for the rest of his life. He gave her a soft, nervous smile. "Do you want to do it again?"
"Yes!" Jester agreed at once, and then grinned again. "We can get even better at it!" It had been good, but, well, everything she had read seemed to agree that practice made perfect.
Piotr grinned back. It was so easy with Jester. It always had been. "I like this plan," he said softly. The hair of her wig was in the way, a little, so he reached forward to brush some of it over her shoulder. As he drew back, his hand slid lightly across her cheek, and a warm surge of electricity traveled up his arm at the contact. It felt right there, like it belonged, so he left it there, gently cupping her cheek as he bent forward. When he was just a breath away he paused for a fraction of a second, remembering how their noses had momentarily gotten in the way last time, and tilted his head slightly before his eyes slid shut and his lips touched hers.
The kiss was brief and light. Just a little taste, and her lips were sweet. So very, very sweet. He stayed close, their lips still connected by just a feather of contact.
"Mmm."
He kissed her again, just as swift, just as soft. A pleasant tingle passed through him and he let out a quiet chuckle of surprise.
Another quick, tender kiss, still hovering close, and a soft sigh escaped before he sank fully into the next. This time he held the kiss, surrendering himself to it while the world seemed to condense to only her. He wanted it to last forever.
His head felt like it was spinning when he finally broke away. He opened his eyes and smiled. "Oh, Jester," he said, voice barely more than a whisper.
"That... felt... wow," Jester blurted out. "Wait, let's try..." Gingerly, she laid a hand high on his chest, over his collar bone (that was safe, right? he was practically naked), and leaned up into another kiss. But this time, her tongue licked at his lips, hoping he would respond in kind.
All the best kisses involved tongues, okay? She wanted to try it!
Piotr hadn't known what to expect, and his brows jumped slightly, but his eyes remained closed. It was different, but nice. Catching the hint, and now curious himself, his lips parted and he tentatively licked her lips in answer.
Jester's lips ticked up at the corner, but she reined in the smile to focus on this next part, shifting the angle of their heads to slide her tongue against his, this time. It sent a thrill down her spine, and she sat up a little straighter, pulling back with wide eyes. "Wow." She immediately leaned back in for more.
He would have agreed with her, but before Piotr had a chance they were already kissing again. Pulse racing, he lost himself in the dance of their tongues. He put his hand on her shoulder, almost as of to steady himself. He pressed closer, deepening the kiss and sliding his hand up the back of her neck to gently comb his fingers through her hair.
Jester had always thought that her mother's profession was really cool. But now that she knew what kissing felt like? It had to be the best, if the rest of it felt anywhere near as good. She made a small sound into the kiss when Piotr's fingers brushed her nape, closing the kiss off to catch her breath before going back in for more.
If she had her way, they would keep kissing for a good long while, party be damned.
Piotr had no idea kissing could be like this. That it could feel this good, but he was quickly catching on. His tongue moved with more confidence now, eager to taste and explore. A pulse of excitement from that little sound Jester had made. He was breathing a bit heavily when he finally broke the kiss, but he didn't pull away. "Wow," he said, smiling as he gazed into her eyes. He placed a little kiss on her lips. He needed a moment, but he had no intention of stopping altogether. "That was unbelievable." Kiss. "And your hand on my chest." Kiss. "That felt nice, too." Kiss. "Is there anything else you wanted to try?"
"I mean," Jester admitted, briefly tilting her head to the side. "There's a lot I wanna try. But maybe not in public?"
Well, he had asked, and she had grown up in a brothel. Of course she had plenty of ideas to try next. Her gaze dropped to his lap, and she looked back up at him with a smug little smile. Given the tent in his sash, those ideas would be totally doable.
Piotr had been staring, slightly stunned as he processed Jester's words. Had she really just said...? Oh god she did and he should really do something or say something but he had no idea what.
And then the rest caught up, and he was looking down at the way Jester was smiling at him. First there was a wave of heat, much different from before. Then all the color drained out of his face. Not that any of that showed beyond his expression. He was still just as golden as ever (minus a few smudges and little patches of pink body paint). He was basically naked, in public, with the evidence of his desire barely covered by nothing more than a sash. "Bozhe moi!" He closed his legs and curled forward, hands moving to cover himself. He was too embarassed to look out on the dance floor and kept his eyes fixed on Jester. "We should get out of here," Piotr blurted in a hoarse whisper. Except he couldn't move. Not without giving everyone a free show. He needed to cover himself, but with what? "Jester, can I borrow your wig?"
Jester laughed, not meanly, but because it was funny, what could she say? "I'll go find you something better. I don't think holding a wig to your crotch would be very discreet, you know?" She stood, pressed a kiss to his cheek, and walked away, smiling like the cat who got the cream.
It wasn't long before she'd found an abandoned cloak on the back of a chair, and she brought it back to him triumphantly. "Ta-daaa!"
He'd spent the time while she was away trying to will, or alternatively, beg his arousal to subside, even a little. It did not. Would it go away if he changed? But then, what if it didn't? God, that was a slightly terrifying thought.
And then Jester was there, and he looked up at her with open gratitude. "Thank you, Jester." He quickly draped it over himself and adjusted it as he rose to his feet. Just then the new single from Alison Blaire everyone was talking about began to pump through the speakers, and a few cheers rose up around the dance floor as people began to jump around and dance. Piotr looked down at Jester and took her hand. "Now is our chance."
Jester laughed at how serious he sounded, but squeezed his hand and proceeded to sneak out of the gym all the same, with his plate of cakes in her other hand. "Elevator, I think," she remarked once they were outside. Erections had always seemed so impractical to do anything but sex with.
Piotr nodded. "Yes, the elevator," he agreed. He struggled to keep up with Jester without getting in his own way as they crept through the halls. With every step he half expected someone to burst out of one of the doors and catch them. Jester, on the other hand, moved with a practiced skill that guided him along and helped him avoid bumping into anything by accident. As soon as they were in the elevator he pressed the button for the second floor and breathed a sigh of relief when the doors slid shut. He looked down at Jester, smiled, then laughed at himself a little. That had been scary, but also kind of thrilling, to sneak around like that with her. He bent down for another kiss, figuring they had enough time before the elevator stopped.
Jester leaned up into the kiss, going on tiptoe to meet it, then drew Piotr back down with her. Would she ever get tired of kissing? It was the best thing ever, and she couldn't wait to tell the Traveler all about it! She hoped he wouldn't be jealous; he would still be her #1 forever! But, well, this was really nice, and she pushed all thoughts of the Traveler aside to focus on the slide of Piotr's tongue against hers, hands stroking up his arms, and then back down. Under the cloak, of course; she liked the feeling of his skin under her fingers.
When the elevator stopped and the door opened, she broke the kiss reluctantly, feeling warm all over. "We should abandon your cloak in the common room. Its owner can find it there and wonder how it got there," she stated with a smile, drawing him out and down the hallway. She hadn't stuck around to figure out who it belonged to.
For once, Piotr wished the elevators didn't move so quickly. Following Jester down the hallway, he smiled at her suggestion. "Okay, let's do that," he said. He felt a little bad about just grabbing someone's cloak the way they had, but it was for a good cause, and at least Jester was thinking of ways to make it fun for whoever it belonged to. Or at least mysterious, which was a kind of fun. Piotr removed the cloak when they got to the common room, pausing for a moment as he glanced at Jester and laughed a bit nervously. She'd already seen everything, of course, but now it felt like he was stripping in front of her. He held it in one hand and considered just tossing it blindly, but then his eyes caught sight of an interesting addition to the common room.
Someone had propped a life-sized skeleton decoration on one of the chairs, posing it to make it look like it was watching the television. Piotr went over to the chair and placed the cloak over the skeleton's shoulders, hooking the clasp so that it was now wearing it. He looked up at Jester and smiled. "How is this?"
"It's perfect," she told him with a bright smile, and held her hand out for him to tug him down the hall before anyone could spot them here.
This was so risky. If they got caught now Piotr was certain he would die of embarrassment. Not to mention how much trouble they might get in. And yet Piotr couldn't stop grinning as they moved with cautious haste down the hall. His eyes darted about for any sign of someone approaching, but they always returned to Jester. They reached the door to Jester's room before he knew it, and yet it also felt like it had taken far too long. "I cannot believe we just did that," he said as the door closed behind them, but he was laughing and his eyes reflected his eagerness to pick up where they'd left off.
Now they had all the privacy they needed.
Jester didn't think it was very risky at all. Even if they got caught, they really hadn't done anything wrong. They weren't doing anything wrong. They were going to be doing things Nott probably wouldn't want to walk in on, however, and she smiled at Piotr. And probably Piotr wouldn't want her to walk in on them either. He seemed easily embarrassed so far. "Let me text Nott not to come in for a while," she told him, and handed him the plate of cakes back. "Here! Have some cake."
She swung her backpack down and got her cellphone from it, then sat on her bed as she text her friend. Piotr and I are making out in the room making out is amazing I'll tell you everything later I gotta get back to it byyyye.
As she finished, Piotr swallowed a last bite of the cupcake he'd selected. He'd eaten it in haste, mostly due to nerves, and there were a few crumbs of cake stuck to his fingers and a faint streak of frosting on his lips. They hadn't taken any napkins with them, so he just left it there for now. He wasn't thinking much about that anyway. "The ghost cupcakes are very good," he said. He swept his eyes over the room, even though he'd visited enough times to know what it looked like, and then looked back at Jester and smiled. "Is it okay if I sit down?"
"I'd like it better if you did," Jester assured him, patting the spot beside her with a little smile. He was really tall, okay? Making out would be easier if they were sitting than standing.
Piotr placed the plate with its pile of remaining treats on her desk and settled into the spot next to Jester, feeling a slight shiver as their arms brushed against each other. "The other cakes all look good, too, but there are too many just for me." He turned to lean toward her, hands moving to gently cup her cheeks. "Perhaps later we can taste the rest together," he said, barely a moment before their lips met once more.
Jester held him back gently, but only so she could lick the frosting from his lips, first. "Good frosting," she told him with a bright smile, then only kissed him again.
