howmuchtrouble | for duderaider

"Huh," he starts, leaning away from her just enough to reach for the bag of sticks. As he holds them up, he continues, "Lucky for us, then, that I've got these."

Please don't kill him for not mentioning that to begin with. He's trying to be smooth, here.

She's not going to kill him. She looks amused more than anything else, glancing from him to the sticks. Go figure he brought the sticks, but didn't bring the marshmallows to roast them on.

"Whadaya know. My hero."

"Yeah, well, y'know." He shrugs. That's what he's here for, and all that. "Wanna pass me one of those?" He's also here to put marshmallows on sticks.

She nods before handing the bag over to him, but not before she steals one to pop in her mouth. She holds the open bag out and to him and smiles.

"Knock yourself out." Appropriately garbled by the marshmallow in her mouth, of course. Very sexy.

The sexiest and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Elena.

Taking the bag from her, he juggles it and the sticks so he can pop a marshmallow of his own into his mouth. That done and equally sexily, he asks, "So, how toasty are we getting here?"

She swallows the rest of the marshmallow before shrugging.

"As toasty as you can get without it scalding off my tastebuds."

Which mostly might involve her controlling herself and waiting until it's cooled down a little more, but that is what she's looking for.

"Okay, I think I can do that," he tells her, fitting a marshmallow onto one of the sticks as he swallows. He pushes it into the fire, then, holding it there for several seconds, before ultimately pulling it out. Without taking it off the spit, he holds it out for inspection. "Think that'll work?"

She gives it a thorough inspection, before shaking her head. "I think it could be a little more golden."

"I thought you said you wanted to keep your taste buds," he shoots back. Never mind the fact that he dutifully returns the marshmallow to the fire. He's mostly just giving her crap because he can.

She rolls her eyes at the jab. "I said just below scalding off my taste buds. I do like to live a little on the edge."

"Okay, well. Don't say I didn't warn you," he breathes, like anything they're actually doing here is really that edgy. After another handful of heartbeats, he asks, "What do you think? Think it's ready now, Little Miss Fear Factor?"

She laughs, shaking her head at him. "Yeah. I think that'll do it. I'm ready to take the plunge."

Finally, he pulls the stick out of the fire, pointing it in her direction so that she can work the marshmallow off the top of it. "Pretty sure there was a wavier that said I take no responsibility if you burn you face off. You know. Just in case."

"Sure. You're not liable for the destruction of my tongue." She tests the edges gently with her fingers, just to get a gauge, before taking hold of the stick and pulling the hot marshmallow off and feeling it melt in her mouth. She makes a happy noise in return but ... is not capable of much else while her mouth is glue.

"Nope," Nathan chirps happily, taking the stick back, once she's worked her marshmallow off of it. He puts another one on it before returning it to the fire. "Or yep. Or -- yeah, you know what I mean."

She smirks at him as she manages to work her way through the marshmallow, before shifting to lean against his shoulder. "You did well. That was a nicely toasted marshmallow."

"It's one of my many talents," he tells her, pulling the stick back after a beat, to look at it. It goes back in, after a brief inspection, and while he waits on it and a little more seriously, he asks, "So, what're we doing tomorrow?"

There are Options.

"Hmmmmm."

She takes a breath as she considers. There are Options. Some of them probably more appealing than others, but she's willing to let him give his two cents as this is his honeymoon too.

"Well, we could wander into town. See if the locals know about anything interesting that doesn't appear in the tourist brocheures."

"Okay, have you ever met a local?" Nathan starts, teasing again. "They know, like, everything interesting." And for more than just where to eat.

Elena laughs. "Hence why they're the first thing that came to mind. I forgot that I have the local whisperer with me."

"That's what I'm here for," he agrees, proudly. A pause follows, largely for effect, and then he adds, "Well, that and my roguish good looks." That's totally why Elena married him.

"You do cut a very impressive figure." She smirks up at him as she leans in closer. "I can think of a few other good uses for you too." Given that it's their honeymoon and all.

"Oh, yeah?" he asks, as if he doesn't know exactly what she has in mind. The fact that he leans to meet her, mouth hovering near hers, now, doesn't help his case, either. "Like what?"

She grins as she tugs him that last bit closer, leaning in to kiss him like he's just gotten back off a plane from one of his crazy trips. Part of her can't believe that they're actually here, married, and that she's pinned him down for good - part of her knows that knowing Nate, somewhere along the way another shoe is going to drop.

But for now he's here, and she can't help but have faith that even if that shoe drops, they'll find their way together again.

There will come a time, that just who Nathan is, but at the same time and despite that, he'll keep coming home to her for as long as she lets him. He needs the adventure in his life, but he needs her, too, now. She's as much a draw as any old temple; she's as much a part of his heart as Sully.

He kisses her back almost desperately, that in mind, and when he pulls away (though he doesn't stray far), he's smiling, softly. "You, uh -- you wanna take this inside?"

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howmuchtrouble - 2021-08-18 02:59 (UTC) - Expand