notahawkingbird | [post-canon] outside a war is waging

[He hadn't planned on sleeping on Kate's couch without permission, nor had he planned on running to Italy to get her some authentic gelato to bribe her into letting him with, but it had been Kate's couch of a park bench, and if she found out that he was sleeping like a hobo he doubted she'd be pleased.

It had been another bad night at the Kaplan's and Tommy had just needed to get out and be somewhere else for a while, and now that he knew where Kate lived, he sort of auto-piloted there. The secretary and doorman had let him up as he had been such a familiar face as of late but all Tommy had in him was just to shove the ice cream in the freezer and collapse on the couch.

So this is where he was now. He doesn't notice Kate at first, his sleep pretty deep, but when she clears her throat Tommy stretches, rubbing his face into the couch cushion he'd accosted and groaning.]

Nnnnfivemoreminutes.

[ Kate doesn't like presuming, but Tommy's been hanging around a lot more and it's given her some time to observe the non-verbal tells. The speedster doesn't say much, but sometimes his body language tells her enough. ]

If you don't make room, I can't join you and offer cuddles.

[ She says it like a bribe, a little bit of morning flirtation because hey, this is Tommy and offering him bits of affection is easier than asking outright how things are back at home. ]

[Okay, he hears that. He gives another sleepy moan, and then goes to sit up, the blanket falling completely off of him. He looks up at her blearily, his hair all over the place and yawns loudly, making room for her.]

Mornin'.

[ Eyes on his face, Katherine Elizabeth.

She settles down beside him and picks up one duvet corner before arranging the thing over Tommy in what could pass for a motherly fashion. Ish.

And then she curls up beside him. In a not motherly fashion. ]

There is gelato in the freezer. You were bored, I gather?

[He rubs at his face as she moves beside him, and glances up, sliding a hand around her and tugging her close once she'd arranged the duvet over him. Tommy moves it across her too, and then rubs a hand through his hair to try and tame it a little.

He suddenly remembers what he'd done last night and laughs a little, leaning his head against the couch.]

Pretty much. You mentioned you liked it the other day and I was in the neighbourhood.

[if in the neighbourhood meant USA.]

[ She laughs and leans her head on his shoulder. ]

And you just figured speeding all the way to another continent would be a good idea.

[ There's an urge to nuzzle -- but lol, no. Tommy why are you shirtless ugh. ] I appreciate the gesture.

[He leans his cheek against her head, his hand moving closer around her waist so they were sitting quite comfortably. It's a pose they'd been taking up a lot lately, and Tommy's getting more practised at not shrugging her off as soon as he possibly could.

He gives a light shrug.] I needed the air and to stretch my legs. It's no big deal.

[ Okay, if you want to play it that way, Tommy, Kate can too.

She changes topics to let Tommy continue to pretend he doesn't have feelings. ]

So, I have not had breakfast yet, but I was going to whip up pancakes and oatmeal. [ She turns her face a little into his shoulder. ] You want anything added to that order? Because if you want me to fry bacon, I'm going to have to take a fresh pack out to make it thaw.

[He stretches his arms up and arches his back right up against the couch. Hi Kate, have a great view of all his chest muscles and everything as he yawns. He obviously didn't sleep that well. The couch was comfy, but it wasn't exactly the right length to sleep on. When he finishes stretching, his hand goes back to her waist.]

Oh man, that sounds amazing. I wouldn't say no to bacon.

[ Dammit, Tommy.

Kate is honestly thankful that going to school with the kids of socialites who have done some pretty outrageous things has left her with very little to blush about in the world.

But damn. She'd have to be blind and dead to not have her pulse pick up a little. The boy is without a doubt a fine, fine specimen of his half of the species, okay.

She goes with an approach that is both flirtatious and mildly wry. ]

Would you like freshly squeezed orange juice to go with that, bocchama? Maybe some French toast for morning dessert? [ She barely manages to hold back the smile in her delivery, and she has the random thought that Billy would probably find the insertion of the Japanese honorific a total kick. ]

[He can't help but smirk up at her, tilting his head a little so that he's angled her face pretty much inches from hers.]

If it's going. [He grins at her.] What? You offered. And what's a bocchama?

You should ask--

[ She catches herself right before the words 'your brother' leave her lips; it's been something of a deliberate point on her part to avoid mentioning Billy because she's well aware of how things at the Kaplan house have been stressing Tommy out.

She doesn't manage to stop the apologetic look that crosses her features briefly, but she attempts a save just the same. ] It's Japanese for "Young Master". [ She feels terrible for it, but she justifies bringing up the subject with a white lie and a wave of the hand. ] One of my classmates is nuts over that kind of thing.

[ It wasn't a total lie. She did have a classmate who was a huge fan of the stuff. But they didn't talk outside of comparing Calculus notes. ]

[He knows what she was going to say. Billy. And he's glad she doesn't. Coming here is his escape from all that. For five minutes he can pretend like none of it is happening and try and actually figure out how to stand on his own feet instead of trying to push Billy onto his.

There's a brief moment when he raises his eyebrow, almost like he's going to call her out on her little white lie, but he doesn't.]

Young Master? Like I'd join those weirdos. [Well, that's not entirely true. Coat wasn't a weirdo. Mostly...]

But if you want to serve me breakfast and call me Master, I'm not really gonna complain.

[ The tightening worry in her chest eases when she hears the smirk in his voice.

But still, she feels a little guilty for nearly slipping up so she gives into impulse and quickly leans over to plant a kiss on the corner of his mouth. ]

Go catch a bit more shuteye while I go pretend to be domestic.

[ She backs away quickly. That is most definitely not her heart pounding in her ears. ]

[Well. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He looks a little startled by what she did for a few small seconds before he leans forward to follow her, holding onto her waist a little tighter.]

Or... You could just do that again.

[He smiles a little, watching her cautiously.]

Forget breakfast and being domestic.

[ Get thee behind me devil. But oh, so tempting.

She slowly lifts a brow, and she chews a little on the inside of her cheek. Nervous habit. ]

We could... do brunch instead.

[ The last syllable on that last bit goes up a little, but it's most definitely a statement.

Hey, she's human.

And she'd like to think they'd been dancing around this for weeks. ]

[He sits up fully, facing her properly. That smirk is downright dirty but he's being very gentle about everything else. There's a part of him that's shrieking at him in his head 'Is this really happening oh my god you're about to make out with Kate Bishop again' but he manages not to let it show, and reaches forward, his hand running up into her hair and tugging her toward him, stopping before they were inches apart.]

Brunch sounds good.

[And then he closes the distance and kisses her lightly on the lips.]

[ This isn't the first time they've kissed -- but the circumstances when Tommy had egged her on encouragingly to steal back her bow from the Avengers hideout had made it easy back then.

All adrenaline, all the high of breaking rules.

This is different though, Tommy's kiss is feather-light, and somehow this makes her all the more nervous. It's been... awhile. Prior to the situations she found herself in -- Eli and Tommy had made moves on her in equal measure -- she hadn't. Not since...

And because she feels instantly guilty that she'd thought of Eli here and now while she's encouraging potential makeouts with Tommy, she lets her voice fall to a whisper. ]

I'm not really... that hungry.

[ She's really worried that her voice might shake over the words, but it thankfully doesn't and that gives her a little more courage to slide onto the couch, one knee finding the solidness of the seat as she eases her way onto Tommy's lap.

Breathe, Bishop. Just like riding a bike.

She presses her lips together and tries not to laugh at how terrible that sounds. ]

[There's something wrong. He almost doesn't want to say anything--maybe he's still actually dreaming and he's going to wake up with an awkward morning wood and Kate is going to tease him relentlessly for it--but as she whispers and slides into his lap Tommy moves his hands down to the small of her back and leans back against the couch, looking up at her.

He bites his lip, because god, even though she's only in PJ's and only just woke up, the way the morning light is catching her is just making her even prettier. Tommy just wants to lean up and kiss her deeper, but he can't shake the fact she's nervous. His fingers drum against her back, and he tilts his head, frowning.

It's like he's done something wrong. But he doesn't want her to... regret it.]

--You okay? We... don't have to, y'know. [BUT HE WANTS TO SO BAD.]

[ It's so weird. The air feels tense, like that moment before she lets the arrow fly from her fingers.

The imagery makes her relax a little and she lets herself slide her palms up Tommy's bare chest. One stops right over his heart where her fingers feel the faint pulse beneath the skin; the other continues up, past the side of his neck until her fingers thread at the strands of hair at his nape. ]

Have to...? [ She's not dumb. She knows what Tommy's probably getting at.

But... she is nervous. Skittish.

She leans in and brushes her lips over his. ] I'm a big girl, Tommy.

[His heart must feel like a hummingbird's compared to her own under her fingertips, and Tommy can't help but bite his lip a little as Kate runs her hands up his chest, his own drifting down to wrap around her hips so he could tug her forward, more into his lap.

He's glad she's not having second thoughts, because seriously, he wouldn't have been surprised. Not with her feelings about Eli still sort of up in the air, and this all happening pretty fast. He was worried he was reading it wrong.

When she kisses him again, he can't help but grin against her lips and lean up, kissing her right back. There's a bit more force behind it, and his tongue brushes up against her top lip, smirking still. Okay, now he's certainly feeling more confident about this. And stupidly happy it's actually happening.]

[ She sinks into him, taking that kiss as an open invitation. Her lips part, slanting over Tommy's as she sighs into his mouth and both arms come around his shoulders, fingers tangling in his hair.

She feels herself relax, it's easy to fall into the moment and how everything is just touch and sensation. When she dips her tongue into his mouth to curl against his, she shifts her weight so that her knees allow her some leverage for what she does next.

Her heart's pounding in her ears when she pulls back, and a little thrill goes through her as she tosses Tommy a mischievous smirk, keeping her eyes on him until the very last second when she dips down to press soft, chaste kisses against the center of his chest. Her hands... well, they're sliding back down so that her thumbs trace the solid planes of toned muscle that make up his stomach. ]

[God. Kissing Kate would never get old.

His hands sink lower with her as she sinks against him, finding their way onto her ass, his fingers cupping it to pull her closer. His tongue gladly wraps around hers, just enoying the touch, the heat, even being confined in this tight space. It's obvious that other parts of him are enjoying it too, and Kate would note that his boxers were tenting and he's trying really hard not to just grind up against her to get things moving more quickly.

He has to taking in a breath when she finally pulls away, his skin having gotten a shade pinker and he almost looks flustered when she gives him that smirk and can't help but give one back, hands tightening around her ass appreciatively.

And then she's kissing his chest. That's enough to get a small mumble at the back of his throat that he manages to stifle before it becomes a full moan, and he can't help but arch up against her kisses, licking his lower lip and looking at her with half lidded eyes.]

This is way better than brunch.

Mmmm. [ She nips a little against his neck, the heel of of her palm kneading slow circles on Tommy's hip.

There's a quip at the tip of her tongue about how Tommy definitely tastes better than whatever brunch she had in mind right now, but nerves are humming just beneath the surface and the last thing she wants to do is to stutter over her words. ]

[His breath hitches when she nips at his neck, and he tilts it away from her so that she's got as much room as she wants to keep doing that.

And he can't just help tilting his hips up against her palms, one of his hands pulling back and finding it's way under her shirt, fingers tracing her delicate curves and belly button before the finger pushed its way up against Kate's sternum, almost touching her breasts, but not quite. He's almost checking like it's alright for him to proceed, fingers just brushing against one.]

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