Disclaimer: Don't own Huntik: Secrets and Seekers
Rating: M (not a lemon, but has mature content)
Note: this is slightly out-of-character for Sophie ;) She'd never get herself stuck in a situation like this. Lok though, if it really came down to no other option, would do anything to save her; he'd just need to get past any embarrassment issues first. Sequel to A Moment Alone
Lok hummed a bit, unlocking the door to their apartment, a few things in one hand. "Sophie, I'm back!" he called lightly, locking the door behind him and walking into the room.
There was no answer.
"Sophie?" he asked after a few seconds, looking around their two-room apartment. It was a bit on the small side, but was plenty comfortable enough with a few 'rich' touches, courtesy of Sophie's family. He set the items on the table, and walked into the second room, looking around quickly for a note or something. "Sophie, are you here?"
"Lok! Is that you?"
He whirled around, and stared at what he saw.
From his angle, he saw Sophie from almost dead-behind, standing in front of the window... she would have been standing straight if she wasn't bent over, the window frame on top of her back. She had one hand on the inside of the apartment, able to move about freely (sorta), while the other appeared to be stuck on the other side.
"Sophie" he breathed, in shock more than anything else as walked toward her. "How did this happen?" he asked, looking at the window frame; the one that always gave them trouble, but nothing on this scale.
"I heard Zhalia and Dante calling from the ground, so I opened the window to answer them" she started, while he raised an eyebrow. Yeah, they were on a high floor on the building, but why hadn't they just simply visited in person?
"I had to lean down to hear a thing or two, but otherwise, we've made plans for next Saturday" she continued, then she struggled in place. "And then this stupid window slide down with a bang, trapping me, and it's stuck!"
"Is there anything I can do?" he asked in an instant, really concerned.
"Well" she said after a moment, her voice sarcastic. "You can start by getting me out of this window!"
He made a startled sound in embarrassment, then quickly took a close look at the whole situation. True to her 'stuck' claim, the window was stuck in it's frame, and there was barely an eight-of-an-inch's worth of free space for her to wiggle with. And on a side note, apparently she'd anticipated him walking in with her butt in the air... so she'd carefully slid her skirt a bit down her waist, so that it was still on but he wouldn't see anything.
He was relieved she'd thought about that; he had enough to focus on.
First, he tried to pull/push the window up higher, even if just the slightest amount... no luck; the thing wouldn't budge. "Ugh! This window's stuck tight, but I bet a Titan could break it easily"
"I'd rather we leave that as a last resort, Lok" she said, her words faintly distorted because they were coming through a mostly-closed window. "The damage would be expensive, and people might see whatever Titan you use"
He sighed, then looked up at the ceiling, trying to judge distances. "Yeah, plus I really think this apartment's too small" he said slowly, tilting his head. "I don't think any of my Titans could fit without breaking the ceiling, except for Kipperin and Springer"
He gasped; "That's it! Springer!"
"What about him, Lok?" she asked, her head twisted around to look at him, her trapped hand supporting herself there.
"Springer's excellent at solving puzzles and getting into tight places! I'll bet he can solve this issue easily!"
He saw her thinking it over, then sighed. "Well, this is definitely a tight spot, and a sort-of puzzle... it's worth a try"
"You got it!" he said, digging into his clothes for the amulet. "Here we go! Springer!"
On the other side of the window, Sophie lay stuck, her arm straining to keep herself upright. She made a little sound when she felt a furry little bundle hop onto her butt, but she didn't move; just let the Titan do it's work and get out.
There was a bunch of sniffing, and a few steps as he moved onto her back, standing up briefly... then to her surprise, he poked his whole body through the gap beside her, and climbed onto her neck for a look. "Hey" she said a bit lightly, waiting till he got off her neck before she glanced at him. He was busy inspecting the window frame, took several seconds to do so, then scurried through the gap on the other side.
After that, she heard or felt nothing, so she struggled a bit after a moment. "Lok? Anything?"
"Um... just this one word Springer clawed into a piece of paper: Relax" he said, sounding a bit confused.
"That's it?" she asked, feeling a little despairing; if Springer couldn't get her out, then they might actually have to break the window. "I thought he could deal with traps with no issues?"
"Well, it appears that this is one trap he can't break" he said, sounding disappointed. "Then again, maybe he doesn't consider a stuck window a trap"
"Well, he should!" she raged. "Especially since I'm stuck with it!"
"But he did give us a clue!" he said quickly behind her, probably to try and soothe her. "We just have to get you to try and relax"
She sighed, handing her head. "If it gets me out of this window" she breathed after a few moments. "I'm willing to try it"
Hours passed, and Sophie tried for the fifth time to slow her breathing, relax her mind and generally lose all tension in her body. The awkward position she was in didn't help matters, while behind her, Lok paced as he struggled to think of a way to relax her.
"This is ridiculous!" she thought, breathing slowly. "Why did that window have to fall right then?"
"Hey, Sophie?"
She opened her eyes; something in Lok's voice made her pause. "Yeah?"
"I have this idea, but I'm nervous here..."
She blinked, and blushed a little without knowing why. "What is it, Lok?"
"Perhaps I can... what is it called again? 'Messege' you?"
For some reason, she felt relieved that that was all he meant... along with a little disappointment, strangely. She ignored it as she said with amusement, "I think you mean 'massage', Lok"
"Yeah! That was how it was said" he said, sounding a little embarrassed.
She giggled a little, then shifted a bit in place. "Well, if you think it'll help, you can try" she whispered gently, which switched to firm. "Just take care not to let your hands wander"
He chuckled nervously, and she heard him step closer. "Of course not" he said, then she felt the first hesitant touch of his hands on her back, which deepened her blush. And with her permission, his fingers went underneath her shirt for her skin, with the condition that his hands be an inch away from her skirt AND her sides at all times.
After the initial blush, Sophie closed her eyes and tried to relax herself again. Secretly though, she was enjoying the feel of Lok's hands along her back, fingers dancing across her spine... it was very pleasant.
After about fifteen minutes of this, Lok tried to pull her out of there again. She budged a quarter of an inch in the right direction, but no more; she was still stuck tight. They both slumped with a groan.
"There's gotta be something else we can do!" Lok breathed, leaning against the wall. "I can't just massage you for hours and hope that we can move you a little at a time... what else relaxes the body?"
"Sleep" she said dryly, knowing full well there was no way that was gonna happen.
"Really?" he said, surprised. "But we can't just wait for you to fall asleep!"
"I agree, Lok, but I really don't know what else to try right now!" she said, at her wit's end.
Lok sighed, then was silent for awhile, and she began to regret yelling at him; he was only trying to help. "Well, Sophie, until we think of something new to try, is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"
She blushed a bit, and smiled, though her tone remained normal. "Actually, there is: can you help me switch arms through this window? The one supporting me is going numb"
"Of course I can" he answered, and as he struggled, he worried about how much longer she was gonna be stuck. He really wanted her out, for a multitude of reasons.
More hours passed, and though they managed another small fraction of an inch, they were no closer to real progress than they'd been at the beginning. And despite the burning ache in her arms, the night sky had fallen and her eyes were starting to droop. During that time though, her thoughts wandered to rarer moments...
Lok had never left her side while she was stuck in the window, something that reminded her a bit of their moment in Atlantis. Nothing had really happened then, but it was clear there was something between them; she'd even hugged him in a moment of instinct.
Maybe it was those moments that led to her occasional embarrassing dreams... Lok doing things to her, including sexual ones. And supposedly the pleasure from that kind of touch would truly relax her.
She shook her head hard, trying not to turn red. "What am I thinking?" she blatantly wondered. "We can't just touch in that manner merely to get me out of this window... we've only kissed so far! Plus other than that, he seems not to realize there can be more between us..."
Behind her, Lok stared at her, deep in thought. Despite himself asking if there was anything else that could fully relax the human body, he knew there was another way besides sleep... but he didn't want her to know he thought like that; she'd be disgusted. Granted, he preferred to think in terms of puzzles and traps, but he did have those thoughts from time to time.
"She's not gonna fall asleep like that" he thought, glancing away quickly. "Maybe... maybe there is no other way, other than breaking it. The question is, do I discuss it with her, or just do it regardless?"
He raised an eyebrow at himself; "What am I thinking?" he thought. "How could I even think of just 'doing' it to her!"
He sighed, rubbing his head, then glanced back at the window for a few more seconds. This was gonna be hard...
He approached her from the side, slowly placing his hand on her back, getting her attention. "Sophie?"
"Yeah?"
"At this point, I think we only have two choices" he said, sighing. "Break the window, or... well, uh-"
"Or what?" she asked, her voice softening.
He gulped silently, then closed his eyes as his hand moved slowly... when he finally stopped, her body jerked with a gasp; his hand was resting directly on her butt.
"L-Lok!" she cried, sounding both shy, mortified, and shocked all at once.
He quickly took his hand off (which he was gonna do anyway), and looked away. "Look, Sophie" he said quickly, to stifle any stutters. "We can't waste any more time, and we've gone down the list to extreme measures! But still, it's up to you; I'll do whichever option you choose, no matter what, I promise"
She was silent for so long that he started sweating... not really a surprise, considering what the other option entailed. They'd only kissed so far; why had it come to this?
Finally, she turned her head slightly, but her face was still hidden from his angle. "Lok" she stated, and he noted how strange her tone was.
"Break the window"
He stared at her, both relieved and surprised, but no time for that. "Uh... okay, yeah" he fumbled, reaching for his belt. "Come on, Freelancer!"
A short summoning sequence and command later, Freelancer dropped the lance and shield, then dug his hands under the window. He struggled, but cracks appeared in the window frame, along with an enormous creaking... then with a mighty CRACK, the window shot upward, the frame dislodged and loose in the cracked wall. He held it up while Lok quickly helped Sophie inside, slightly bent over not to brush the ceiling.
"Sophie, are you okay?" he asked quickly, Sophie staggering on her feet.
She held a hand to her temple, unsteady and leaning against him, her eyes half-closed. "Yeah... I'll be fine, I'm just... sore" she breathed, trailing off as her eyes closed. Next thing he knew, she fell against him, dragging him to the floor in his surprise.
Lok smiled gently, then held up Freelancer's amulet. "Good job, Freelancer" he said, the Titan returning to his amulet, then returned his gaze to the sleeping Sophie. Her steady breathing, the soft look on her expression, and her slightly-curled form; it was all so cute.
So, he gently propped her against himself, then stood up, holding her entire body in his arms. It was very close to bridal style, but he didn't care as he simply laid Sophie on the bed, covering her with the blankets. She deserved the rest anyway, after what she'd endured.
After another moment of gazing, he turned back to the window. Until they got that window replaced, air conditioning would be useless, and it would get cold at night...
Lok looked back at Sophie, thinking.
Yeah, the reason Sophie was stuck in the first place is a bit flimsy... but hey, it's only the buildup to more.
Still, enjoy!