Lip Nibble

A.N. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS!!!

He nibbled on his bottom lip in such a way that she found herself watching him through the corner of her eye.  It was his tell.  Whenever Casper was thinking, worried or even nervous he'd curl the bottom lip in towards his mouth just enough to press his top front teeth down onto it.  He did it quite a lot in lessons and she was starting to notice just how distracted she became whenever it featured prominently during a particularly focused lesson.  They'd be conducting an expierment and he'd nibble on that lower lip while concentrating on pouring the liquid to the correct measurements, or they'd be jotting down notes and the teacher would be talking too fast for Casper to keep up and he'd nibble on that lower lip out of irritation.  Before she was able to convince herself that it was just a factor of his personality; that Casper and his lip nibble were part of the package.  But now things were different.  Barney knew more about him and she knew there were more times when that nibble came into play.  When confronted by it, she was almost completely helpless to his wishes.

It was his tell, and Barney liked it that she was now able to distinguish each particular nibble when combined with the expression on his face.

She was currently faced with the nervous, slightly ashamed and just a little bit cheeky nibble as Casper stood outside her dorm trying to be all innocent despite it being after hours.  She couldn't smell any alcohol which meant he had decided all on his own to come without the aid of any Dutch courage.  Leaning out her door to check up and down the corridor to make certain no one had spotted a boy in the girl's dormitory and then grabbed his hand, quickly pulling Casper into her room.

"You're lucky I don't have a room mate," she told him as she walked back over to her desk and sorted through the papers, books and pens scattered over the surface.  "Make yourself comfy, I'll be with you in a minute."

As she tidied everything away she heard him flop down onto her bed, followed by the sounds of him shuffling about in order to get comfy.  She smiled to herself, her back to him.  While she was working her phone buzzed in her pocket.  Frowning, she pulled out the phone and checked the message.

It was from Casper.

"You can talk to me," she informed him, dropping the phone atop the stack of books and turning around.  He was laying on his stomach on her bed, arms wrapped around the pillow beneath him.  She gave him a grin and walked over to her bed.  "Just because you're my boyfriend now doesn't mean I'm going to put my homework aside whenever you get the urge to come sneaking into my room.  You could have at least tried the window first, instead of just knocking."

"The direct approach was safer," he said, grinning back at her.  "I wanted a pillow fort, but I don't have enough pillows in my room, and you make better forts anyway."

With an overly dramatic sigh, Barney flopped down onto her bed and Casper at the same time, bringing out an "Oof!" from her landing pad.  Crawling up properly onto the bed, she pulled herself to lay on her front beside him, giving him a playful shoulder nudge with her own.  "That's why you came?  Because you wanted a pillow fort?"

"And to see you, of course," he added with a cheeky grin.  "I haven't seen you in ages."

"You saw me in class."

"That was ages ago."

She laughed and leaned up on her elbows, brushing their shoulders together once more.  She didn't really know how she was supposed to act now that she had a boyfriend; she'd never had one before.  Not a real one, anyway.  There had been that boy in her class when she was about eight who proclaimed she was now his girlfriend and that they were to hold hands all day.  It quickly fizzled out as all things involving eight year old boys did, and the lad decided that playing tag and kicking shins was much more fun than hanging out with a girl all day long.  With Casper things were different.  They were still friends, and she liked that she could still fall back on how they had acted when they were 'just friends', but it was doing those things that boyfriend and girlfriend did that she was still feeling a little unsure about.

She wanted to kiss him.  She wanted to kiss him a lot but she was worried she wouldn't know when things should stop.  Casper was good, he never did anything that was too fast, but how did she know if they were going too slow?  They'd only been together for about two months - where should they be in the terms of relationship status by now?

Another sigh, this time less dramatic and more solemn.  Closing her eyes she leaned her head against his shoulder.

"What's the matter?" he asked.  She could feel the vibrations of his voice through his body.

She sighed again, and nuzzled into his arm.  "Are we...In the right place?"

Casper seemed to take a few moments to think about he answer, and Barney chanced a glance at his face in hopes to catch him chewing on his lip again.  "We're in your room - on your bed.  Shouldn't we be?  I know I shouldn't be, but you let me in."

She chuckled, leaning over and kissing his cheek fondly.  "I meant 'where are we' in the girl code for 'is this relationship going okay'," she explained.  She had made her mind up to just tell him she liked him, and ran with it.  Everything had turned out okay that day.  She really should stop thinking so much and just go for it.

Shaking her head, she smiled at him.  "You know what, nevermind."  Pushing him until he rolled over onto his back, she sat up and then sat on his stomach, legs either side of him.  Grabbing several pillows and the one he had been laying on, Barney set about turning Casper into the base of the pillow fort while ignoring his protests.  She couldn't pin his arms down and every pillow she set up he pulled away until they were all on the floor and the two of them were both laughing and panting.  Swallowing the lump that had formed in her throat, she leaned up and over him, looking down at his face.  Her red hair slipped forwards and framed her face.

Silence, destroyed only by the sound of their breathing filled the room.  Casper was holding his lip between his teeth as he reached up with one hand, brushing his fingers through her strawberry blonde hair, pushing it back and tucking it behind her ear.  She smiled down at him.  It didn't matter to him how fast or slow they went, and she could see it in his eyes and read it on his face.  He was fine with exactly where they were.  "Cas?"

"Yeah?"

She leaned in closer, bringing their faces merely inches apart.  With him suitably distracted, she reached out with one hand and willed one of the lost pillows into her hand.  Just as their lips were about to meet, she quickly sat up and dropped the pillow onto his head, laughing at his exclamations that she had cheated.  Flicking her hand, she removed the pillow to rejoin the others on the floor once more.  Without another word, she leaned down and kissed him properly, catching his bottom lip and nibbling on it with her own teeth.

cyborgs

I NEED TO THINK OF SOMETHING TO DO WITH THIS CHARACTER!

Gaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

A little sway and a wiggle and everyone knows what you mean

Once upon a time, Vincent would have given anything to have a life filled with love, laughter and family.  He would have done anything to have true friends and people who had an active interest in his life.  To know that there were people out there that thought about him, and even sought him out to actively converse with was something he had once desperately wanted.

Today, however, he would have given anything to go back to the days where he could skulk off and be left in peace.

"And just when I thought 'Hey, I've got a normal kid,' it turns out that he's even weirder than you."

How his father had managed to find him, Vincent didn't know, but the man had unceremoniously invaded his personal space and plonked himself down on the park bench right beside where Vincent was sitting.  The only greeting he had given his son was a grunted "S'up?" before he launched into what he actually wanted to say.

Needless to say, the content Alex chose to use had Vincent narrowing his eyes at him.  "And what, may I ask, is wrong with me?"

Alex faltered, chuckling awkwardly to himself.  "Well...Err...You're...You know," and he swayed his head from side to side.  "And you're also...Y'know," he added, waving one hand in the air.

"I'll never know which one you think is weirder: that fact I'm gay or the fact I'm a werewolf," Vincent replied.  "I had originally thought that you didn't hold a dislike for either, but that you were more....apathetic...to my entire situation of being interested in a guys and about once a month I grow in size, grow fur and generally lark about in the shape of ferocious animal."

"So does this mean I'm automatically on Team Werewolf and we hate Team Vampire, right?"

"I'm not a character out of Twilight.  Most of the vampires at school would laugh themselves hoarse if you went about comparing any of them to anything to do with Twilight."  He would have said 'half to death', but that metaphor didn't really work when vampires were concerned."Just because I don't like the majority of them doesn't mean you have to dislike them too - and if you ever insinuate that I am part of 'Team Werewolf' I will personally come and stalk you during a full moon."

"But won't you worry about biting me?"  Vincent had informed Alex that he wasn't exactly in a normal and sane state of mind whenever he was forced to change under the light of the full moon.  Vincent was finding some control, but it was hardly enough to protect his father from the primal urges that still lingered in his heart.

Vincent let out a heavy sigh and sunk to his elbows resting on his knees.  "You're annoying sometimes."  Giving up arguing with his father, Vincent tilted his head to look up at Alex.  "So what did you want to complain to me about while insulting me?"

"What do you think of Jesse?"

"I tried to attack him when I first came in contact with him," Vincent pointed out.  Alex hadn't been there to witness the scene, but as they all sat in Yumiko's sunny yellow kitchen he'd been told what had happened in the cafeteria.  Jesse then explained everything.  Vincent hadn't liked the fact that there was another family before his that Alex had abandoned, but he hadn't actually abandoned Jesse - he hadn't even known about Jesse's existence.  He would have gone on never knowing about Jesse if the man hadn't decided to just turn up one day with nothing more than to just say 'By the way, I'm your son'.  He hadn't skirted around telling Vincent they were half brothers.  "There's something...unnerving...about him.  Kind of like the feeling you get when there's a vampire in the room, only not quite the same."  He shrugged, unsure himself of the explanation.  "I don't hold any malice towards him anymore.  He gets on quite well with Yumes though.  They were handing out cupcakes and condoms the other day.  If it wasn't for the fact she'd hit him with a frying pan I'm sure he'd try and use her in one of his Sex. Ed lessons."

"I saw him the other day....Only it was him not being him."

"Is he...y'know?"

"I think he might be, but that's not the point.  He was...Well...He was her."

Vincent shrugged nonchalently.  "So he likes cross-dressing.  You're only his father by genetics, he doesn't need you to be his Dad and fret or worry or generally bother about what he does in his spare time.  Just because your guilt compells you to doesn't mean you have to make up for all those years you didn't even know you missed.  Focus more on the kid you're going to have rather on the one you never knew existed."

"You didn't involve yourself in that statement."

With a heavy sigh Vincent sat back, bringing his feet up onto the seat of the bench and wrapping his arms around his legs.  He pushed his chin into the the space between his knees and allowed his eyes to close.  His nose worked better when his eyes were shut, and he could smell the anxiety Alex held, and how guilty about everything he felt.  If he had never met Yumiko Vincent wondered if Alex would feel the same level of guilt and shame as he did now.  He was good at hiding it around everyone, but to his werewolf nose Vincent could still trace the scent on him.  It was lessening now, as he slowly came to terms that he couldn't change what he had done and focusing on not being the same man he had once been for his baby.

Maybe it was more than just Yumiko affecting him though.  There was Uncle Julian, and to some certain extent, Vincent's own presence was buffing that resolve.

"I like what we have now," he admitted.  "We never had that father-son relationship you see on T.V. and in the movies when I was a kid.  When you were there you were never really there.  It's nice that you're trying to be a proper Dad with me, but I much prefer us being as we are now."  He lifted his head and gave his father a small, brief smile.  "You may be my Dad, but I quite like you being my friend, even if you do say the wrong things sometimes."

"But still...Jesse sometimes is a She!  And he said he wasn't...Nnnnn, you know...like that!"

Secret Smile

The blind date had turned out to be nothing but a gigantic failure.  With no real concept of what kind of person she looked for in a man, Yumiko had placed her newly discovered single life in the hands of the adults she knew.  Dion was off limits as her usual go-to-guy, and Tayler was still dealing with the fact that his best friend and his cousin had divorced.  He was doing his best not to give her that "I told you he was gay" look, but she could see it lingering in the handyman's eyes whenever the mere mention of Dion's name cropped up in conversation.

With no knowledge of how to act on a date in these modern times, or what kind of guy she found interesting Yumi given in to the blind date.  The guy ended up being the direct opposite of what she didn't even know she was attracted to.  As she skipped out on him, she had briefly wondered if he would ever come to realise his date had become nothing more than a dinner for one? 

Those thoughts were put out of her mind when she entered the club.  It was the youth scene, but she was still young enough to get away with being in a place directed mainly at teenagers.  The way she looked she doubted if any of her students would even recognise her.  But the man she had recognised knew who she was, if only that was because she was a patient and something like the practise of dentistry was on a much more personal and private level than teaching.  She had barely even had one drink, but there she was, pulling him onto the dancefloor the moment a song called out to her.  They'd talked, joked, laughed and somewhere there was a connection.  At least Yumiko hoped there had been a connection when they finally parted ways.

She'd removed her shoes in the taxi home and walked barefoot up to her front door.  Once she pushed it shut she leaned against it and smiled to herself.  It wasn't her sunbeam smile - it was just a small and personal smile of a happiness that she didn't want to share with anyone else.  She had kissed him - just before climbing into the taxi - small and quick, pressing her lips against his in what her daughter affectionately called 'Fairy Kisses'.  She'd tasted alcohol, smoke and something she didn't recognise on him, even in those few brief moments where she stood on her tiptoes to reach him.

Poppy had noticed a change in her the next day as they ate breakfast together.  She'd asked how her mother's date had gone, and if the man was nice.  Yumiko didn't lie to her daughter, but she ommited certain facts when it came to her telling her daughter the tale.  She didn't mention how she had left the guy hanging, nor did she tell her daughter just how arrogant she thought the man was.  She just honestly and sweetly told her that she ended the date early but instead of going home thought she'd go to a club.  Poppy was a smart girl, there was no point in trying to make a nightclub seem innocent just because she was six years old.  Yumi told her how she had met Dr. Lyall there.

Once again, Poppy's ability to spot things even before her parents did amazed Yumiko once more because the little girl giggled at the mention of their dentist and told her mother "I knew you liked him, Mommy, you smiled at him in that way you smile when someone makes you happy by just being there, rather than making you happy to see you smile."  It was confusing at first, but once she thought about it, Yumi was glad for her daughter's insight.  There was a nervousness inside her though - what if Alex didn't like her back?

When Friday came around, though, her worries slipped away when her phone rang and his voice rumbled over the line.  She pressed her back against the wall near her phone and smiled that personal smile again while she talked to him.  It wasn't formal in the way a dentist would call to check up on his patient.  It was him calling her up to ask her if they wanted to do something over the weekend.

She still didn't know what type of man interested her, but as far as she was concerned she didn't need to spend much time thinking on it anymore.  She wasn't settling for the first thing that came along that showed an interest in her - she was spending time with a man who liked her and who she liked back.  If it didn't last then it didn't last.  There was a wedding ring set as a link in a bracelet around her wrist that reminded her that she could be strong in the face of loss.

It must have been around the fifth 'date' or so that she invited him back to her home.  She'd been unable to filter out what was a date and what wasn't for the times they had met up, and so just classed the times when it was just the two of them as dates.  If she were to include the times it was a stroll in the park while Poppy fed the ducks, a chance meeting up at the school because Alex had been called in for a 'catch up review' of his son's progress and even the dental appointment for him to bear the bad news that one of Poppy's milk teeth was causing her adult teeth to grow in crooked and therefore it needed pulling.  Poppy hadn't been too pleased with the diagnosis, so Yumiko suggested that to make  up for being the bad guy, Alex come with them to the playcenter and pay for her to get in.  Poppy was then happily distracted by slides, swings and a giant ball pit while Yumiko sat happily with Alex in the little area set aside for parents.  They had held twined their fingers together under the table while they sat side by side and talked endlessly about everything and anything.

They had been out for a nice little meal in a cafe one of Alex's other patient's had recommened and instead of going their seperate ways, Yumiko asked if he'd like to go to her's.  She even tempted him with a lemon marble cake and added that Poppy was at her father's, meaning it would just be the two of them.

When they arrived, Yumiko could sense just how nervous he was.  She had to admit though, she was pretty nervous herself.  This was her home; it was a family home and she was sure he was worrying over that fact.  Vincent had told her that Alex hadn't been the World's Best Dad, but she had reminded him that she wasn't interested in Alex for his talent (or lack thereof) as a father.  From what she could tell he was good with Poppy and she could tell that somewhere inside him she could tell that Alex wanted to repair that broken relationship with his son it was just that he didn't know how to go about it.  She wasn't nervous about the same things as Alex though.

Dion had been her one and only experience.  Unable to get anything out of the physical relationship for himself, he had induldged Yumiko as physically and mentally as he possibly could.  Alex was so far on the side of different compared to Dion that she had no idea what to expect.  As she lead him through her hall she thought about hiding her nerves under smiles and laughter, but thought better of it.  She had never been very good at burying emotions.  As she set the slice of cake on the coffee table, she sat down facing him and placed her hand on his knee and told him that she was feeling a little nervous but that she was also sure that she wanted to take their relationship a step further.

Then she shared that little private smile of her's with him.  It had just bubbled up from the warmth inside her and slipped onto her face.

Serenity

It had been a busy few weeks.

He had a new commision to work through.  Some of the people who employed him for his art skills he had never even met.  It was all organized over the Internet and by phone.  Eventually he'd get a manuscript through the post and he had to then work out what parts were best illustrated.  Then the finished item would be posted to the one commisioning him.  A lot of the work he did were for faceless people, but it suited him just fine.  When he didn't have work for other people he focused on his own.  Most of the time his personal projects would end up pushed aside when a new job came in, but he needed to get one done by a specific date.  Added on top of that workload was the commision and Raleigh was swamped to the point where he barely got five minutes with Elliot.

Not to mention the poor boy had things of his own to deal with.  Exams, coursework, soccer training; it all added up and kept him from seeing Raleigh as much as Raleigh's work kept him from seeing Elliot.

When he had completed everything Raleigh was worn out.  Collapsing on the sofa (instead of the bed that were a mere few feet in the other direction) and stretched out and draped his arm over his eyes.

When he awoke it was dark in his apartment, he wasn't surprised that he'd slept through the entire day.  What did surprise him, however, was the weight curled against him.  Some time while he'd been sleeping, Raleigh had rolled over onto his side.  Some time after that, Elliot had joined him.

Wrapping his arm tighter around the blond, Raleigh kissed his soft hair.  He gave him a quick squeeze before loosening his hold when he heard the other rousing from sleep.  "Nnmmm...Raleigh?"

"Yeah?" he was surprised at how gravelly his voice sounded and he nuzzled into the sleep-warm skin at the back of Elliot's neck.

"I've missed you," he said, grabbing the hand at his waist and linking their fingers together.

"Missed you too."