((Author's note: After finishing up Whiteout, and while waiting for the final episodes to premiere, I found myself craving a bit of fluffy cuddlefic. So I ended up writing this. As usual, I own nothing and hope that you all enjoy. Thank you for reading!))
The first time they kiss, her body is still shrugging off the effects of adrenaline. It is also busy with pushing away any left over chill to really focus on how the mouth to mouth contact feels…Save for how warm Conner's lips on hers are. And that the feeling of them touching is intoxicating, addicting, and relaxing all at once. Enough that it makes her muscles first seize up, before relaxing and letting M'gann slide back into her usual skin. That kissing makes something warm settle in deep her stomach and her chest, warm enough that any lingering cold in the air hardly seems to matter.
And that it is over before she can absorb all of it.
Afterwards there's a flight back to Mount Justice, reports to make, and an examination to make sure she doesn't have anything worse then a few shivers, and doesn't need to do anything other then rest up in order to fully recover. By the time that's all finished, M'gann finds herself back in her own room and stumbling towards the bed. The chill is well out of her body by then, but she still collapses into the sheets and wraps herself up in them. Her clothing also morphs into something easier to sleep in.
And despite all of that, and a genuine weariness seeping into her limbs, rest doesn't come. Instead M'gann finds herself looking up at the carved rock ceiling. If she chooses to, she could adjust her eyes a little in order to pick out the mineral patterns overhead…But her eyes don't seem to really want to focus on anything visible. In the same way, her thoughts don't want to slow down enough for her to relax.
And they keep wandering back to that one moment, just a few hours past.
M'gann runs a tongue over her lips, noting the feel and texture as her memories loop just how it felt. Before, it never really dawned on her just how sensitive they are; thin skin that feels soft and tight in equal turns. And that something about that kiss seems to linger on them.
One thing that has evaded her for the longest time, even after reviewing every single TV episode and instance she could, was how often people on the TV kiss. She'd imagined that there must have been something nice about it…But it never occurred to her, up until now, that there was something addicting to it as well.
Now, though…There's a lot about touching lips and brushing cheeks that suddenly makes sense.
It isn't very often that she feels like a stranger in her own skin. After all those weeks on earth, adapting to new hands, learning through experience how to use a more expressive face…Those had been good weeks, and until a few hours ago guaranteed that her understand is complete.
…Was complete. She pulls her tongue away from her lips, lightly chews on them with her teeth, but that does nothing to ease any feeling out of them. And while that light, almost electric feeling tickling at her mouth doesn't feel uncomfortable…She can't deny that it is unfamiliar. And no amount of staring at the ceiling is dislodging it from her head or her skin.
She takes a deep breath, holds it in her lungs (which feel suddenly very small, with how tight her chest goes) before letting it ease out through her mouth. As she exhales, M'gann lets her thoughts drift wide as well, and start to stretch out; first just to edge of her room, and then spreading past and into the passageways outside.
Conner isn't too far away, and easily within her range. Before she has to breathe in again, M'gann can just pick out his presence. His thoughts have settled down, relaxed from that sharp, hard ball they'd been bunched into for so long. They're also quiet, and she can barely pick out the sensation of calm drifting around in his head.
It would be so easy to push their link a little further, and see exactly what he's thinking. Be able to transfer thoughts and feelings between them in a heartbeat. She feels something digging into her palms at that, before realizing that her fingers are biting into her hands. M'gann can still remember how he'd pushed against her that first time, yelling OUT as his thoughts slammed into hers. And reminding her that this isn't Mars; that sort of connection isn't meant for here. M'gann starts to turn over, ready to drop the link and any contact when another thought flickers up.
Don't leave me. The memory echoes in her head, loud enough that it feels like Conner is speaking directly instead of her just remembering. That he'd actually pushed that thought towards her, reaching out instead of just responding. M'gann turns back over, half leaning on an arm as she makes her eyes drift shut…And focuses on keeping her thoughts calm and in order as she reaches again.
"Conner?" She keeps her mental voice at a whisper, just a slight tickle against his thoughts that he can only feel if he isn't sleeping. "Are you awake?" She doesn't have time to breathe before his thoughts snap out of that calm state and back onto high alert.
"Yeah. What is it? Something wrong?" Wary. Cautious…And far removed from that almost-calm that had settled over him like a blanket. A twinge of guilt runs through her, and M'gann hopes that he doesn't pick that up across the link. She hurries to fill that pause with her own thoughts. And not dwell on how her lips still feel oddly warm, and go into a small, thin smile when she hears him.
"Sorry; it isn't anything important…" Which doesn't feel fully true, but she coaxes her thoughts to keep moving. "But I was wondering…If could I talk to you?" There's a brief tickle of "Technically you already are," building in Conner's head, and she has to fight to keep from laughing too loudly, either in her throat or in her thoughts. It's a nervous giggle that keeps trying to slip out, and she swallows it before it grows too loud.
"What I mean is-" M'gann feels a bolt of that warmth slip between her thoughts, before she can stop it. That sensation of how their lips felt together, how her heart went fast when she felt his breath on her skin-
How she is certain Conner's heart and thoughts are suddenly speeding up as the sensation drifts between them and brushes up against him. He isn't pushing against or away from it, though, and his attention stays rooted to that shared feeling, before it dissipates.
"Can I see you?" She finally asks. A second later M'gann can hear the soft squeak of a door opening further down the hallway, and she pushes herself back out of bed as a set of footsteps start moving across the floor. By the time they pause outside of her door, she's already shifted her clothing back to a simple pink cardigan and skirt. (She can't help but feel that Megan would be more confident in this…But then again, Megan is also used to how human lips and skin feel.)
"The door's open. You can come in." She keeps her voice quiet, knowing he can easily hear her through the rock and steel. She's also worried about how her heart is speeding up, and that if she raises her voice any louder the words will come out shaky, and her chest will hurt worse.
The door hisses open, and when Conner steps in M'gann forces herself to look up and meet his eyes. She swallows, reminding herself to breathe, all while that squeezing sensation settles back in around her chest.
"Thank you. For coming." Her thoughts also feel strangely shaky and squeezed together, but she trusts them more then speaking. Conner simply nods as he takes a few more steps into the room, and M'gann lets herself float up off the bed and towards him. She sets herself down with enough distance to spare, while also letting the lights flicker on with another mental command.
"Not a problem." He's already washed the bleach out of his hair, which is almost dry. His bangs just stick to his forehead, and the eyes underneath his hair are giving her a half careful, half…Warm look, M'gann realizes with a jolt. Her throat gulps again without her input, a human reflex.
"I…" She's right about her voice. It feels thin and shaky as she speaks, and M'gann is grateful that Conner has such good ears. At least he has a chance at picking out what she's saying. "I…Is it normal to feel like this?"
When he blinks, M'gann lifts her fingers up to point to her lips. Not touching; they still feel oddly sensitive, almost swollen. And, cautiously, she lets another flicker of memory pass between them; of feeling their lips touch, how it makes her heart go fast and her thoughts start to slow down-
Or how that slow burn is settling into her stomach again. And unlike fire, she wants to keep it close.
"I think so. It…Feels normal to me?" Conner suggests, almost shyly, and M'gann wants to give herself a smart tap to the forehead; he doesn't know much more about this then she does. But realizing that does make her heart calm down a little, enough that she can breathe deep again.
"Well…I think I like it." Her feet move forward as she sends that thought out, and even though she's walking, it feels like her shoes touch nothing but air. "But, could I find out for sure?" M'gann glances down at his lips, and then her feet DO leave the ground when Conner looks at her, and gives a quiet "Yes."
She hovers just above him, before she can finally convince gravity to pull her back down so the tips of her feet touch the carpet, and so she is at eye level with Conner. While she looks at him, M'gann goes through a replay of what she remembers watching on TV; touching shoulders seems like a good enough place to start, so she brings her hands up to rest near his neck, feels the texture of his shirt under her fingers.
Conner doesn't stay motionless, either. The skin on her face tingles as his fingers brush over her cheeks. In some vague way, it is almost like that feeling of touching mind to mind as the sensation settles first on her skin, before easing past it and settling in bone deep.
In other ways though, it feels completely new. That sort of buzzing, almost electric sensation settling in past her skin…It isn't anything she's ever felt on Mars. And she can't help but wonder if THIS is how people on Earth get around the lack of telepathic communication, by having such sensitive touch and skin. It's almost like talking…And she nearly drops the mind link with how Conner's thumb traces a circle on her cheek, the motion as gentle and reassuring as any spoken compliment he's ever given her. Her eyes go wide as she soaks that in, watching him.
Their faces are so close together, it should be the easiest thing in the world to lean forward and bridge that gap. Touch mouth to mouth…Only it somehow ISN'T. Her breath comes out shaky, and her movements feel equally fluttery and unstable. She can't remember any television shows talking about the invisible barrier between two people's faces, so maybe this problem is something unique to those from Mars.
And possibly those from Krypton, given how Conner is hesitating as well. He brushes her hair fully back, and cups her face with his hand; supporting, but not pulling.
M'gann shuts her eyes, and while it doesn't make that barrier completely dissolve, it becomes easier to push against it and lean into him. She pulls forwards with her arms, and they both drift together. That first touch of lips is shy, hesitant; the same way she tentatively puts one foot down to test the ground while landing-
M'gann lets a quiet "Hell-o" slip into her private thoughts, since people on Earth largely don't fly. This can't be the right thing when it comes to kissing. She considers pulling back to try again, before feeling Conner's fingers curling and tangling against her hair. His other hand drifts down to wrap around her back, tracing over her spine. M'gann feels all her nerves in that spot quiver, almost like it wants to reshape itself as that electric feeling runs up and down her back in response to his touch. M'gann feels a low hum building up in her throat, deciding that this could be a right way to kiss after all.
The murmurs working their way out of Conner's throat also sound something like what she's heard on some episodes. And she's fairly certain she's seen people thread their hands through hair as well, move their faces together to make the most out of lips touching-
That's when their noses bump together, hard enough to sting, and it isn't quite the same as on TV. At least, not the same in anything she can remember seeing.
She's also quite certain that her lips aren't supposed to keep trying to lift up and show her teeth in a grin, but it's reflexive. Not that it makes things any easier when she tries moving her mouth a little, and her teeth pinch at Conner's lip.
"Sorry," she at least doesn't have to pull away to say that, which frees up her lips and gives her time to try again. When she kisses him a second time, M'gann takes care to keep her lips mostly in one spot, completely over her teeth…And finds herself just focusing on how it feels. That simple contact, mouth to mouth and with their cheeks brushing together. Her legs elect to go weak then, before she has the presence of mind to levitate herself, and they both stumble backwards.
It's a lucky thing the bed is close by, as they hit that instead of the floor. Conner doesn't pause regardless, doesn't even seem to notice that they're lower then when they started. Her head and back bump against the headboard of the bed as they half sit, half fall onto the mattress, and Conner doesn't come up for breath even once. Her heart continues to pound, that hot feeling in her stomach now starting to smolder in her veins-
"Conner?" She manages to center her thoughts long enough to send a solemn whisper into his mind. "I promise that if you don't give me a chance to breathe, I will hit you with one of the pillows."
THAT makes him pause over her lips, at least, giving M'gann a much needed chance to get those deep breaths of air and slow down her pulse. "Telekinetically if I have to." She adds. "I can do that, remember?"
He blinks at her, eyes wide for a moment…And then a stuttering noise comes out from his throat, centered deep in his chest. It's M'gann's turn to stare as that sound continues, and in another moment she realizes that he's laughing.
Or at least chuckling. It's also infectious once she figures that out, and M'gann giggles as well while pulling him down with her into the bed and to rest at her side. Her laughter flutters in her throat, and hearing him make the same sound does…Something to her skin. Makes it settle in around her a little more easily, and the nerves all fire properly. She curls up against him with a contented sigh, feels him smile as he kisses her on the cheek again.
"Yeah, I remember." A pause, and then a quietly offered. "Sorry. Still figuring this out, too."
"And it feels…Really good." His thoughts feel a little clumsy, but the warm feeling that floods into her mind on the heels of that is anything but awkward. And it's nearly a match for how his arms are tight around her back and waist. Both are comforting, and M'gann finds herself wanting to give some of that back. She winds one arm around his waist, while she keeps another on his shoulders with the fingers tracing small circles and patterns on the back of his neck. She remembers the sensation of fingers moving through her hair, and tries that as well with another hand, mimicking one more motion of his when she cups his face in another palm, as well…Which is when Conner pauses, pulls away and pushes himself up on one elbow to look at her. She can't really clear her thoughts enough to understand why at first, with how good it feels to have her hands on him-
More then just two hands, the realization hisses into her mind.
With a jolt, M'gann feels the extra pair of arms growing out of her sides, sees them resting on Conner, and feels her face start to burn. She starts to pull her hands back, tries to absorb them back into her sides. That's definitely not like anything she's ever watched on Earth.
"Sorry," she whispers again, looking down at his shirt instead of at his face. "I wasn't thinking-"
"Don't be sorry. It feels right to me." Conner murmurs. That calm feeling hasn't left him either. When she glances back up, M'gann notices he isn't staring so much as just watching, observing…And then taking one of those secondary hands and weaving his fingers into hers. A bright red settles over her cheeks at that, which she tries to cool by pressing her face back into his. "Feels nice, too."
She can just hear him give a low grumble at his own thoughts, and pick out a tickle of "It's not just nice, stupid" at the very back of his mind…But she leaves it alone, and tries to give him a little more space, at least when it comes to thoughts. Physically, there's barely room to put her hands between them.
They make that tangle of arms work anyway, the same way kissing is starting to feel easier and easier to do. Having those extra hands feels right as well, even if it isn't exactly a copy for what she's seen humans do. Conner is right, though; it feels normal, and satisfying to hold him with one set while cradling his head with the other. With their mouths busy most of the time, having a thought pass between them also feels natural and easy.
"Are you in a hurry to go back to your room?" Although even with that practice, her question still comes out tentative. It's in sharp contrast to how quick and sure Conner's "No," is.
"Not in any hurry." They break apart long enough for her to watch him, and see that his eyes are heavy lidded; tired, but also content. He settles into the mattress, and while she can feel a slight touch of uncertainty in his thoughts, about how this doesn't feel the same as his closet, it's quiet compared to how comfortable it feels to be pressed together.
M'gann settles back in against him, while telling the lights to go dim. When she falls asleep, it's while smiling into his chest as they breathe together, side by side.
