[exsilium] contact

[5055034455]

№ 150



❝ This is Saul Goodman. Leave a message. ❞

Comments

[controlledvariable]

I am pretty sneaky.

[Which is why she's drumming her fingers against his side again.]

And you're a sap.

[5055034455]

I am.

[Squirming again, he makes a gentle grab for her hands. If he laces their fingers together, she can't tickle him...!]

Don't tell anyone that either, okay? It'll ruin my badass image.

[controlledvariable]

[Fine, fine, she'll hold his hands.]

Hey, I have a secret for you...

[and she leans in to whisper it in his ear, since it's a super important secret.]

Everyone already knows.

[5055034455]

[If he tries really hard, maybe he can hide that shiver.

...nope.

He can't.

He can frown disapprovingly, though.]

They do not! Maybe, like... five people, tops. Or... seven...

[Okay, maybe a dozen. But no more than that.]

[controlledvariable]

[Heh.]

It's definitely everyone.

[She kisses his cheek before settling her head back on his chest, laughing to herself just a little.]

[5055034455]

[Insistently:] No! Not everyone. I don't even know everyone.

[Technicalities, Saul.]

[controlledvariable]

That doesn't mean they don't know you.

[Maybe she should stop laughing.

Nahhh.]

[5055034455]

[Maybe he should let go of her hands and unleash his own tickle attack?

Yes.

He should. And does.]

That doesn't even make sense, unless you're suggesting I'm under surveillance.

[controlledvariable]

[Saul.

Saul.

You know she's not ticklish.]

I'm talking about the network, dumbass.

[As she casually ignores his attempts at tickling her.]

[5055034455]

[YEAH WHATEVER HE'S GONNA DO IT ANYWAY because maybe she's lying or maybe he just likes touching her.]

Wow. That's real nice, baby.

[controlledvariable]

[sigh]

I never said I was nice.

[so he doesn't get to complain about that.]

[5055034455]

You have your moments.

[And since it's definitely the latter, he gives up after only a few seconds, hands settling on her lower back.]

Like with Ahiru. You're really good with her.

[controlledvariable]

[Ugh no why; she hides her face in the crook of his neck.]

Shut up, McGill.

[5055034455]

[He chuckles.]

We're really lucky we've got you, Steph.

[controlledvariable]

[It's nice to hear, especially right now. It's easier to be okay with being in Exsilium if she knows she can make it better for other people.]

I'm sure you'd manage without me. [but she presses a kiss against his jaw, and adds:] Thank you.

[5055034455]

[File under: Things he'd rather not think about.

The kiss makes him sigh, happily, and then he moves his hands up to rub between her shoulder blades.]

Welcome.

[controlledvariable]

This just makes you more of a sap, for the record.

[It seems important to mention.]

[5055034455]

Here's another secret: I'm okay with that.

[Sort of.]

[controlledvariable]

If you say so, baby.

[making fun of him is too easy]

[5055034455]

Would you rather I be less sappy? Because I could totally stop doing things like this —

["This" being the way he rolls the two of them over, cups Steph's cheek, and kisses her.

It'll take a few seconds before she's able to answer, though, since Saul seems so keen on really making his point.]

[controlledvariable]

[Well.

She's not really inclined to argue, unless laughing against his lips counts, since kissing makes a pretty good distraction from - everything, and he's right, anyway. She doesn't want him to be any less sappy, even when it occasionally makes her blush; it's reassuring to know how much he loves her.]

[5055034455]

[He wishes he had a better way of showing her, but he's never been one for grand romantic gestures; this is the best he can do. Be sappy, tell her that he appreciates her, make her laugh, kiss her and hold her and try to tickle her even though she's not ticklish.

Steph isn't the only one unnerved by today. Saul knows he'll be thinking about it for weeks to come, the fact that she's been here so long — maybe someone's going to decide there's a limit, push a button, and send her back to Gotham.

Maybe that's why it feels like he's making up for lost time whenever he's with her, except it's more like time they might not get.

He pulls away just long enough to take a breath and smile down at her, then leans in for another kiss. A slower one, this time.]

[controlledvariable]

[It's enough.

Eventually the laughter fades, since it's a little tricky to properly kiss him while she's laughing, and one of those things seems more important than the other. And she's content with just the kisses, though after a little while she does wind her arms around his middle, so that she can break the kiss and hug him properly.]

Thank you.

[For staying, for cheering her up, for distracting her. For being there.]

[5055034455]

[The hugs always catch him off-guard. Kissing is one thing, but hugging somehow feels more intimate.

And when she gives him a taste of his own medicine —

It's too sweet. Saul blushes, dipping his head to lightly kiss her neck so she won't see. (He knows she knows anyway, though.)]

My pleasure.

[controlledvariable]

We should go for a walk later.

[She's explored the city ("city") thoroughly, and she's spent plenty of time hunting in the woods, but she hasn't even explored just for the sake of it. She hasn't had a lot of down time, but she has some now, and Saul's here, so it might be nice to just do something simple.]