driftfleet | Let's all hold hands and sing Kumbaya

No, I mean, it's not - [and he falters for a moment as the images pass through his own mind. He'd rarely seen Charles' memories, and while he knew about how they met, seeing it - like this, and feeling the things behind it, he can't help but think he's seeing something he shouldn't be. Even if it makes him smile. He's always felt that way about it when it happened in Kyriakos and it's no different now, regardless of who he's with.

He can't deny that it makes him long for Westchester, though, the safety and security of the mansion he's come to consider a real home in the last few years. As big and lonely as it could be at times, he'd never felt anything but safe, there. A sense of belonging.

He goes with the tug and leans down to press a kiss to her forehead, huffing out a noise. This whole empathy thing was going to be trouble, in so many good and bad ways]

I don't mean because of that.

[ She knows as soon as Hank has seen her memories, and for a moment something like uncertainty prickles at her. It makes her feel uncomfortable and she shifts a little, but... She doesn't mind sharing these things. She doesn't mind offering those parts of herself to Hank; Hank already has her heart and her body, why not her mind as well, the little bits they can share? She knows that, growing up with Charles, it was hard for her - her big brother was a telepath and that meant she had nothing of her own, not really, when she was already adopted and brought into his house - but she's learning.

She's getting so much better.

Tilting her head up, Raven softens a little before her arms wrap around Hank, tucking under his so they can link around the width of his body, leaning against him and breathing out. ]

Because of what, then?

[ She can understand that their shared feelings might become overwhelming, especially in those moments when they can't quite control themselves. It might even get dangerous, but... They'd manage. ]

[maybe it's cheating, but he tries to think about it being okay, that he's more than okay with seeing her memories and that he's okay with her seeing his. Sure, there's the ones that aren't as happy as first meetings and a sense of family, but it's like the rest of their relationship - taking the good with the bad and dealing with it as it comes along. They're good at that, and getting better every day.

He rests his chin on top of her head and brings his arms around her, holding her close. The answer is muttered into her hair, with only the faintest tone of embarrassment]

It's overwhelming.

[he figures she can pick up on what he means. He'd been able to cheat that in Kyriakos, thanks to not needing the serum there, but here? He's good at controlling his own feelings, but when it's twice as much . . . that'll be a challenge]

It is, isn't it?

[ Raven says it quietly, voice low and soft, and she tilts her head up to look at Hank. She does want to go to the beach and she does want to walk around hand in hand with her boyfriend, but there's something more important than that. His comfort is the height of importance for her, and she wraps herself around him and holds him close, resting her face against his body before she breathes out a soft noise. ]

We can take our time and get used to it. There's no hurry.

[ And she means that, too. If they have to do it step by step... Well, it would probably do her some good as well. She still feels a little bit like she's floating on their emotions and she leans up, giving Hank another gentle kiss before she breathes out, cupping his cheeks with both her hands. ]

I quite like having you all to myself anyway.

[he doesn't want her to think he's unwilling to go out and spend time with her, or that he wants to hide away the entire time because he's too worried about overwhelming himself. That isn't the case, even if it is a tempting thought. He wants them to go out and enjoy themselves, he wants her to drag him around and figure out what they can do here together, without his stupid insecurities getting the better of him.

He'd much rather learn to get used to it than try to work around it]

I know there isn't.

[he can't help but lean into her touch, leaning over a little to do so. It's something else entirely, knowing that she can feel exactly how he feels when she's like this with him, understanding and wonderful and accepting; almost embarrassing, because he's so incredibly in love with her and here it's right out there in the open, every time they touch. He has no idea how to hold any of it back and he isn't sure he wants to]

Don't you already have me all to yourself most of the time?

[ They're so close and so intimate that it feels as though all the emotions spiralling through them are being shouted into her ear. She can feel almost everything she's sure Hank is feeling, the joy and the slight trepidation and of course the love and affection... It's almost overwhelming in how wonderful and frightening it is. It's baring herself entirely to someone else, letting them see parts of herself that had been hidden, too; the worry, the lack of confidence, the wonder she feels as she gets closer and close to Hank and closer to a world she'd thought she'd left behind.

She's just as insecure as Hank is, just for a handful of different reasons.

It's far more intense than usual, and Raven basks in it for a moment just because she can; just because right here, right now, they're as close as they can possibly get, at least mentally. She's a little afraid of it, of what it means, but at the same time she knows that it's beautiful and incredible -- it's wonderful and she is glad that, even for just a handful of days, they were able to share this with each other.

Her love for him is the most explosive force inside of her, and she wonders how she isn't drowning in it. ]

Technically... Maybe I do. But I'm selfish.

[he feels like he's drowning, and his fingers tangle in the back of her shirt, tightening as he presses his face into her hair and just breathes for a moment. He suddenly doesn't want to go on a walk, or leave for that matter; sitting down or going to lay down and just letting himself get overwhelmed with everything seems like a much better option, rather than trying to fight everything off. So he can be himself and bask in everything she feels, and let her feel the same in return.

Good god, but they won't make it out the door at this rate. He his voice comes out as a weak mutter, just a touch strained and rough. She can actually feel what she does to him, how hard it is to keep everything in check and how weak he is to her, how his heart feels like it'll explode at any moment] There's nothing wrong with that.

[he can't help but huff out a weak laugh]

We're not going to make it out of the damn door at this rate.

[it's saying a lot that he's actually cursing about it]

[ Raven hadn't anticipated just how intense being around someone she cared about as desperately as she cared about Hank might actually do to her; it's almost as if they're relearning how to just be around one another and she burns with it, breathing out a soft noise and tilting up and pressing close, her fingers moving to let her fingers run through his hair in return. The idea of moving away from Hank and parting from him makes her want to frown and break a little and, so, she doesn't even consider it.

They're both awkward and slightly insecure, but they're working on it. Raven can feel it, and she shivers a little before she tilts her head up, nudging close and turning her face to rest against his skin, breathing him in and basking for a moment. Oh, she can definitely see how they might have trouble leaving - she's already second-guessing her own choice to go wandering on the beach with how lovely this feels. ]

No, there's not.

[ She kisses his neck before she leans back, smile soft even as she fights her laughter. ]

Is that a problem? The beach isn't going anywhere...

[ Raven nudges him gently, uncertain. ]

[it certainly hadn't been this intense the last time he'd experienced something like this, but then again it hadn't been with someone he's so hopelessly in love with, either. He can't help the shiver that goes down his spine as she kisses him, like everything is over-sensitive. And in a way it is]

It's not a problem.

[and - he usually the one instigating things, and he certainly isn't the one to take charge, but he drops his hands to her hips suddenly and turns her around, backing her carefully towards the bedroom]

I think the beach can wait. [and he gives in to lean down to kiss her, because he knows she won't argue with the idea]

[ There are no complaints from Raven about either of them taking charge or not; usually they end up working up to doing things together, though she's certainly the one more likely to nudge and tease to draw out other sides of Hank. The fact that she can feel almost everything he does makes the moment almost disastrously incredible and she breathes out a soft noise, tilting herself closer and pressing her body along his before she speaks. ]

I didn't think it would be, but...

[ The hands on her hips make her squeak, almost embarrassingly, but she moves back towards the bedroom without hesitation, her eyes dancing over his face and her lips turning up into a wide, pleased smile even as she waits for the moment where she can wrap herself around him again and bask in how wonderful he feels against her, body alight with her own desires mingling with what she's sure she can feel from Hank, too. ]

There are loads of beach days.

[ And, yes, she is far more interested in kissing him, and she leans up, wrapping herself around him and drawing him close, pressing into the kiss as she grabs at his shirt. ]

[sure, right, beach days. Plenty of those, when they can manage not to touch each other long enough to make it through the door. He's pretty sure he mumbles "plenty of beach days" in response, though he can't be sure, preoccupied as he is with kissing her and getting them both through the bedroom door without banging into anything.

Idly, he thinks about how even if they'd made it out the door somehow, that they could do this out in public and no one - at least, not the locals - would even spare them a second look. But then again, he's going to end up blue sooner rather than later and he has yet to gauge how accepting the planet is of that. So maybe it's a good thing they're giving the beach a pass.

Especially because sand in unpleasant places and etc and so forth. That'll be his excuse]

[ As it stands, Raven has no complaints about how she and Hank seems to have planned their afternoon around - she's more than happy to count this as another date, another moment of shared personal time, something for the two of them and no one else. She wants to let herself enjoy this, let herself thrill in what it means for them to do this, and she does. A few months ago she'd never have dreamed that she and Hank would ever be this close and the fact that they are... That's exciting too. It's more than exciting - it's just phenomenal.

They might have managed to get to the beach and get some food, but at the same she also thinks she might never have been able to keep her hands to herself. It's hard enough here when they're just talking - it would be thousands of times worse in public with hand holding and the excitement of another date.

It's much better - and easier - to lean in and kiss Hank, to lean back and let him kiss her and hold her and bask in that. It's wonderful, really, and she thrills at it even as her fingers find their way to his hair, her own love and want almost disgustingly thick in her throat - because she wants him, she wants him more than she can say, and she's more content than she's ever been in her life, able to tug Hank closer and press into the spaces of his body, basking gleefully. ]

[he feels like he can't breathe, there's so much shared between them and he has to break the kiss and press his face into her neck, already completely breathless and they haven't even reached the bed yet. He has to be amazed at how strong this planet's effect on them is. That just this alone is more than enough, and yet he can't help but want more. Want her.

She leans into him and he leans back, just enough so he doesn't topple them both, and he feels like they're as close as they can get and then some. The noise he makes is half-muffled into her skin, amused and a little strained, overwhelmed almost to the tipping point.

. . . but hey, he has nothing to lose and they're both utterly content that he simple picks her up to carry her the rest of the way there. Because that makes total sense to do when they're so connected.

He's quick about it, at least, knowing how she feels about it, and he lays her down, crawling on the bed to hover over her, eyes bright]

[ It is overwhelming, and Raven isn't handling it as perfectly as she thinks it might appear. The buzz of emotions and the pull of what she's feeling tied up with what Hank is feeling is intense, in a good way, and she feels it run down her spine like a shiver, something delicious, yes, but also startling and new. Her body feels alight and all she wants is to give into him, to keep close and let her body feel his, to give into the warmth and the tenderness and not worry about the rest of the world.

It's always been a little bit like between them, but the planet is making it more and more intense. Everything feels like more and it's heady and addictive no matter what she does she control herself, to try and calm down - not that she really wants to. They're sharing this together and neither of them are nervous or afraid and that's good. It warms her and makes her more comfortable than she's been outside of the room, knowing she's safe here in Hank's hands.

Of course, he lifts her and puts her down and it comes with a rush of desire that she can't fight back, the kind that she's sure is strong enough for Hank to feel it too with how connected they are. Maybe now he'll understand just why she likes the strength in his arms and the care she feels when she's wrapped inside them, the wonderful feeling of his strength pressing through her.

His eyes are beautiful, she thinks, and Raven wraps an arm around his neck and draws him down, pressing a kiss to his forehead before she moves down to his cheek and his jaw, teasing her way back to his mouth. ]

[of course picking her up backfires incredibly - in the best way possible, and the curse he hisses out is testament to that. He still doesn't quite understand it, and he probably never will, but he isn't going to be teasing her about it in the future. Hell, he might even do it more often if she likes it this much.

You know, if he ever feels like being bold again.

He braces his hands near her shoulders, and he's about to tell her that maybe they should take a moment, but then she's kissing him again and the thought is briefly derailed as he can't help but kiss her back. He reluctantly breaks it after a long moment, head ducked down as he catches his breath]

Wait, wait - [he shifts so he isn't touching her, to give them both a chance to gather some of their wits. As breathless as he is, he still somehow manages a laugh] I need a moment.

[ The feeling of being connected to someone is heady and intense and Raven wonders absently if this is something that Charles feels all the time with the people he trusts and who trust him - there's something delicious and addictive about knowing that her feelings are reciprocated and that she doesn't have to worry about being unloved or unwanted. She hadn't ever felt like that until before Shaw, not really, but the awkwardness of her own life and her own issues had shattered her view of the world and it was only just starting to come back together.

There's no hesitation now when she kisses Hank or when she lets him move close or away; the headiness and the wonder she feels are warring against the sheer mass of emotion rushing through the both of them, so of course it might come to the point where they need a break. It surprises her, really, that it's taken this long but she's glad to see both their controls gaining strength; she hadn't even considered dropping her form her.

She shifts carefully, moving to give Hank a little space before she breathes out her own little laugh, reaching to push her hair from her face and turn to look at him, cheeks flushed and her eyes wide and delighted. ]

This is... Something, isn't it?

[he doesn't move far, at least, just enough that they aren't touching and can take the time they need before they jump back into things. He still feels warm all over, the sensation still there even if the intensity of it all is starting to fade away. He only pulls away for a moment to take off his glasses, and even then he just drops them to the bed for now, loathe to move any further than that.

He has to wonder too, if this is what it's like for Charles. He once had a chance to experience Cerebro the way Charles did, and it was the most amazing feeling he'd ever had. This was certainly topping that, not that he was biased at all, but in a different way. It was far more personal and so much more deeply connected. There was no room for doubts when everything she was feeling was on display for him to feel, too, and the other way around]

It's - yeah, it's something. [he can't help but smile at her] It's . . . really different from what I was expecting. [and what he'd already experienced elsewhere]

[ The slight space between them is more than enough, she thinks, and it gives them the room they need to calm down and breathe. She really hadn't anticipated just how intense it might be, being close to Hank on this planet; everyone else seemed to get by with a gentle dose of empathy when they touched people, but it was different for them. Was it because they were mutants? Or from the same world? Or was it because they were so close already that the tumbling feeling of their emotions were already linked and there was no going back?

Either way, it's intense and she's still trying to get used to it. The sudden empathy she feels for Charles feels ironic and hypocritical somehow and all Raven can do is shake her head, turning her body to angle back towards Hank, her expression soft and gentle. The thing was... There was no reason to be afraid or nervous when she knew that all the things she felt were echoed in Hank; it might be different, if they were feeling opposite things or wanted different things, but right now...

Tilting her head, she hesitates before she nods. ]

Maybe you're not as close to other people as you are to me.

[aside from the locals, he had been going out of his way to avoid touching people; more to keep himself from getting overwhelmed than any real aversion to the planet's effect, and again he would have assumed it would have been like the last time he went through something like this. But that hadn't involved touching; it had been proximity, and he'd been blue, and he'd lucked out and ended up connected to people who were more than okay with what he was. It had been intense, sure, and one of them had been family, but it was still nothing like this. He had to wonder if it really was because they were so close, or maybe . . .

He reddens a little, and there's nowhere to hide this close so he just stays there, but maybe it's because he's always trying to express how he feels to her through his actions. To make up for a lot of the things he still can't say as easily as she does. It would make sense, that the this effect would take that desire and amp it up to what it was, leaving them both wanting and breathless. Because it would be a lie if he said he didn't want her - he always did.

Either that or the planet just worked really well for people who couldn't stop touching her each other. Who knows, but he'd figure it out later. Maybe]

I'm not close to a lot of people, mm. But I haven't exactly - touched a lot of people to test it, either.

I'm not close to anyone but you, really. Maybe that's what's making it intense.

[ The fact that she didn't touch anyone, really, other than Hank, not willingly. She's even reserved when it comes to Charles and Erik, still learning and testing the boundaries, and whatever touch they inspire within her tends to be quick and fleeting, as if she doesn't dare let it rest for too long. There have been times, of course, where she had cuddled up to her brother and lain with him, basking in the comfort, but it's not exactly something she feels as though she can compare to the intimacy of being around Hank and loving him the way she does.

She misses touching him already, and she wonders, absently, if it's a side-effect of the planet.

Either way, she makes herself comfortable, considering for a moment. She's not exactly thrilled with the nature of the planet, the way it tugs and pokes at your mind and shares your feelings without permission, but with Hank she thinks it's okay. If it was anyone else she would have shouted and stormed off, refused to speak to them until she was sure it was safe, tried to block her mind off entirely - but it isn't anyone else. It's Hank, and she trusts him and has faith that no matter what is shared between them it will stay between them. ]

You can go and hold Erik's hand later.

Or maybe it's because you're my girlfriend and I—you know how I feel about you.

[it comes out as gentle teasing, but there's truth to it, too. Without the effect he knows how she feels about him, that they've grown so close so quickly to make up for lost time and explore their feelings now that they have the opportunity. It's always been intense on some level with them. He had to wonder if any other couples were experiencing it the way they were, though. Maybe he'd build up the courage to ask someone.

He does have his fears over what will end up being shared, especially if memories are being thrown into the mix. He still clings to the past at times, and what that will drag up is an odd worry to have, but even with Raven he knows it's their past, for the most part. And they've been nothing but happy with each other since they arrived, so the likelihood of something else cropping up is . . . low. He hopes, anyway.

Idly, he wonders if he can cheat the planet somehow and share things on his own terms. Another thing he files away to test out at another time, once they're used to this.

He huffs out a laugh, even as he makes a face. That would go over wonderfully]

I'll pass, thank you.

You know how I feel and I know how you feel. Maybe it's intense because we know and it's just stronger.

[ She thinks that he has a point though. They do love each other and they'd said it, and there's no hiding how entangled they are. Raven has had issues with her relationship with Hank in the past, but they're working through they're problems. It's almost as if they've been a couple for a long time, not just the handful of weeks they've been given. She wonders what might happen in a few months, and her conversation with Erik prickles in her mind.

Not that she's going to focus on that for now.

It's difficult not to lean over and kiss Hank, but she's happy to wait. Their control is going to slip more now and she feels like that means they have to be extra careful. She's not going to push and she isn't going to force him or back him into a corner; they've got all the time in the world here. Instead of pushing she softens, inching closer. ]

He'll be heartbroken.

That seems more likely.

[you know, if he had actually had the brain to think it out more than he already has. He finds that, at least for now, he doesn't want to. It's firmly set as a "magical" effect in his head and going deeper into trying to understand it always results in a headache, and that's the last thing he'd want to share with her. Love and ridiculously sappy feelings were perfectly okay, though. He had plenty of those.

Worse comes to worse, he knows being overwhelmed isn't a matter of "if", but "when", and if they do decide to take a walk on the beach later, he has the serum down here with him and plenty still on the ship. It isn't much of a concern here, alone with her - it never is. And he feels warm just thinking about that, that he can loosen the grips he has on his control enough to enjoy being with her and put most of his worries aside.

It's hard not to give in and lean down to kiss her. So he does, quick and gentle and soft]

He'll survive. He has Charles to hold hands with.

We can look into it later if you want.

[ Because right now they're a tiny bit distracted. It's a magical effect that they hadn't really had much experience with - or, really, she didn't - and it's unusual and odd and different. Trying to think of the logical scientific side is difficult when it just screams magic and dangerous things for when she's around someone she doesn't know. She's safe here, of course, there's no one else she feels quite as safe with, but outside the walls and away from Hank... She's not sure what to expect, not really, but at least she's used to that phenomenon.

There's no fear about losing control or losing her mind, at least. She might be prickly about the empathy and it might be enough to irritate her, but she can handle it. There's nothing to worry about when she's here with Hank and they're taking each other, and that calms the whirlpool around her and inside her, little emotions that are tangled up with all the rest. She knows that Hank won't judge her and she knows that Hank would take care of her - and she would also take care of him.

Leaning forward, she gives Hank another kiss, soft and gentle, touching his cheek with the bare tips of her fingers, the pads brushing along his skin. ]

You're much better at it, though. No bias at all.

Mm, maybe. If I can think straight long enough to manage it.

[putting logic and science to it would require him to stay away from her long enough to manage it, and even now, even if they're not touching he doesn't think he could manage it. Like the moon they've managed to find their own private, little space and he wants to take advantage of that however they can, when they're done with their work and there aren't any other obligations.

He immediately tilts his head into her touch, lips quirking in a faint smile. Brief touches like that aren't as intense, but she'll still be able to tell he's incredibly content, and that her comment makes him feel just the tiniest bit shy. It isn't intense but it's still something, and he doesn't mind sharing the little things with her, either. They're far past the point where acceptance is an issue]

Oh? How do you figure? Ignoring your bias that you don't have.

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