[ Poe hadn't given thought to the idea that there might be an awkwardness between them after all that, though maybe he should have at least considered it, but ultimately it turns out that those feelings come rushing back to him as if no time's passed at all. He's still so aware of how much admiration and respect he has for her, for everything that she's done and is still doing for the Rebellion, for the trust that she's put in him even when things have been tense between them. to say nothing of the much more personal emotions that have persisted and only gotten more and more difficult to ignore.
That's why this means so much to him, it's nothing like the casual flings that he's had before. That people expect of him.
He has to find a way to tell her that, even if she already knows, given her uncanny ability to see straight through him even on those rare occasions when he's keeping his thoughts to himself for a change. Yeah, he's definitely looking at her in a certain way, feeling his pulse suddenly kick up several notches as she moves toward him, her fingers trailing across the table as she goes. He's barely aware of what his hands are doing until his own fingertips are grazing across her jawline, crossing that last distance between them without hesitation. ]
Long enough.
[ He has the fleeting thought that he should probably get used to waiting, going forward from here, but he's not thinking about that yet. Not when she's here, and that anticipation is as high as it was before. He has been waiting a long time, he's not even sure when it occurred to him that he wanted this, but he's known for a while. But he's not immediately pulling her into another kiss, instead he's letting his fingers continue their path back to her hair, seeking out the pins that he knows must be keeping it coiled so perfectly. He's sure that pulling them free would set it all unraveling. ]
[ It wouldn't be completely honest to say that she's nervous; there's anticipation for the moment itself, maybe, a shifted awareness that exists between them now that wasn't always there before — or it just didn't have anything that was so easily defined, nothing she could specifically point to and name until he'd finally kissed her. Whether she'd been denying it to herself up until now is another thing altogether, but extending the invitation to him to come to her room has all but erased her ability to claim any naivety. This is happening now, between them, even if there's still time and possibility for either of them to take it back or withdraw.
Somehow, she doesn't think he will, though, not when he reaches up to touch her and it manages to be both warmer and more gentle than when he'd done so in the briefing room. ]
I — [ She hesitates for a moment, giving genuine thought to his question, although the sensation of his fingers threading through her hair, loosing her braids from their carefully-wound and pinned placement, is making it difficult for her to do any deep pondering. Instinctively, she tilts her head into the sensation of it, first as the braids themselves slip free to drop against her shoulders, and then as they begin to unravel to leave the strands falling almost to her waist, the soft sound of pins pinging against the floor at their feet.
No one on base has ever seen her hair down, unless they come to her room in the middle of the night with a crucial report, but even then she takes care to wind it up, not leave it flowing down her back like this. ]
I... don't think I was so certain of what I was waiting for until now.
[ She knows Poe too well to expect him to back down from anything. It's one of his qualities that can work out in his favor, but also definitely one that could use some tempering at times, when he really should reassess before doubling down, and she's good at that. As much as they might disagree in tense moments, he's learned to admit that they're both better for influencing each other — and so is the Rebellion. This is different in some ways, this isn't a battle and it only involves the two of them and not an army, but the trust and respect that's grown between them means that it's not completely unfamiliar territory either. It's just more honest and intimate than they've allowed themselves to be before.
At least before this afternoon. That moment broke through the tension, which was probably inevitably leading to that point, because honestly? He knows Leia doesn't back down either, not when she's got her mind set on something. She's just more cautious about choosing her battles, once she has chosen one she's equally unflinching. And neither of them was ready to let this go, whether she was admitting it or not.
He's wondered before if it's uncomfortable having her hair bound up so tightly all the time, even if she's used to it, and much like her constant state of awareness and involvement with everything down to the day to day business of running a rebellion it seems that at the very least it unwinds some amount of tension when she's temporarily released from it. Once it's tumbling freely down her shoulders and back he's gently massaging his fingertips across her scalp, pairing that with a soft, slow kiss that's as much about affection as it is seduction. He can't deny that he wants her, but just being this open with her in a rare, quiet and private moment like this is something he's needed. That they've both needed, he thinks. ]
no subject
That's why this means so much to him, it's nothing like the casual flings that he's had before. That people expect of him.
He has to find a way to tell her that, even if she already knows, given her uncanny ability to see straight through him even on those rare occasions when he's keeping his thoughts to himself for a change. Yeah, he's definitely looking at her in a certain way, feeling his pulse suddenly kick up several notches as she moves toward him, her fingers trailing across the table as she goes. He's barely aware of what his hands are doing until his own fingertips are grazing across her jawline, crossing that last distance between them without hesitation. ]
Long enough.
[ He has the fleeting thought that he should probably get used to waiting, going forward from here, but he's not thinking about that yet. Not when she's here, and that anticipation is as high as it was before. He has been waiting a long time, he's not even sure when it occurred to him that he wanted this, but he's known for a while. But he's not immediately pulling her into another kiss, instead he's letting his fingers continue their path back to her hair, seeking out the pins that he knows must be keeping it coiled so perfectly. He's sure that pulling them free would set it all unraveling. ]
Haven't you?
happy may the 4th
Somehow, she doesn't think he will, though, not when he reaches up to touch her and it manages to be both warmer and more gentle than when he'd done so in the briefing room. ]
I — [ She hesitates for a moment, giving genuine thought to his question, although the sensation of his fingers threading through her hair, loosing her braids from their carefully-wound and pinned placement, is making it difficult for her to do any deep pondering. Instinctively, she tilts her head into the sensation of it, first as the braids themselves slip free to drop against her shoulders, and then as they begin to unravel to leave the strands falling almost to her waist, the soft sound of pins pinging against the floor at their feet.
No one on base has ever seen her hair down, unless they come to her room in the middle of the night with a crucial report, but even then she takes care to wind it up, not leave it flowing down her back like this. ]
I... don't think I was so certain of what I was waiting for until now.
<3 <3 <3
At least before this afternoon. That moment broke through the tension, which was probably inevitably leading to that point, because honestly? He knows Leia doesn't back down either, not when she's got her mind set on something. She's just more cautious about choosing her battles, once she has chosen one she's equally unflinching. And neither of them was ready to let this go, whether she was admitting it or not.
He's wondered before if it's uncomfortable having her hair bound up so tightly all the time, even if she's used to it, and much like her constant state of awareness and involvement with everything down to the day to day business of running a rebellion it seems that at the very least it unwinds some amount of tension when she's temporarily released from it. Once it's tumbling freely down her shoulders and back he's gently massaging his fingertips across her scalp, pairing that with a soft, slow kiss that's as much about affection as it is seduction. He can't deny that he wants her, but just being this open with her in a rare, quiet and private moment like this is something he's needed. That they've both needed, he thinks. ]
I could guess, but it might ruin the mood.