The walk was endless and painfully short all at the same time. Peter could feel his heart beating madly inside his chest as through the hallway to Olivia's door, clutching his phone in his pocket and picking at the numbers on the dial pad. The heavy clunk of his boots were reverberating against the otherwise silent corridor, matching perfectly in tune with the pounding inside his skull.
Just finished briefing Broyles. Can you come over? We need to talk.
The text message bothered him more than he'd like to admit. The feelings of unease returned whenever he sensed any lapse of control in his surroundings and thus were always grossly outweighed by the overwhelming urge to find higher ground; to escape and keep the feeling of self-preservation through distancing himself from anything uncomfortable. He'd never been stationary with the same people for this long of a time, and the thought of losing his little family unit was a little unnerving to him.
Since Olivia's return with him from the other side there were differences. Maybe not noticeable to someone who didn't know her well (and few did), but Peter picked up on them almost instantly. Blaming it on some profound metaphysical awakening from seeing her other self, she softened around the edges; loosening up the cold, business-like suit that she was so accustomed to wearing and replacing it with a devilish grin whenever she saw him. The haunted look her eye's often carried seemed to all but disappear and she now walked like a weight had lifted from her shoulders. Despite already being a prideful, slightly arrogant man, he liked to think this phenomenon had something to do with him.
He stared at her door, hesitating. 'Don't be such a coward,' he chided; pulling himself to his full height and knocked.
She answered almost immediately.
This was not a good sign, Peter thought as he took in the features with a detached amusement, waiting. Olivia stood, poker-faced, jaw flexing. Peter thought he saw a flash of something behind her eyes, but no sooner did he notice it, it was gone.
"Um, I lied to you." Olivia stated matter-of-factly.
Peter's brow furrowed, his mind whirling. What could she possible have lied about? Before he had a change to unravel the mystery, her hands found purchase in his jacket and she was pulling him across the threshold into her apartment.
"I don't want to talk." A wicked smile crossed her features and Peter felt the drop in his stomach as she pulled him against her and met her lips met his. He almost came unglued when she gripped him closer to rake her teeth across his lower lip, a husky giggle escaping her. This was not the Olivia Dunham he knew. The Olivia he knew would not be tracing her nails down his back as she assaulted his mouth with a ferocity that made even lucid thoughts impossible. Noticing in his peripheral that the door stood open, he swept a kick backward and heard the satisfying clang of it closing shut.
"Peter," she breathed, smirking as he groaned in response- the only thing coherent he could muster. His head was swirling in everything Olivia Dunham and the tantalizing things she was doing with her hands around his belt buckle. She took a step backward, towing him with her as she lured him toward her bedroom.
His brain clicked back on as he finally caught up with her.
"Wait," he mumbled against her lips, feeling his already weakened restraint deteriorate as she wrapped her arms around his neck as she pulled him back toward her. "Olivia, wait." He tried again. Peter's head was aggravatingly slow at the rapid development, but a nagging voice at the back of his mind screamed clear as day: too fast!
"Olivia," He started as she traced the curve of his jaw with her mouth, "it hasn't been much more than a month since we've gotten back from the alternate universe… from my universe," he corrected, but she muted his next sentence with a sweeping motion of her tongue against his.
They hadn't spoken much of her confession the night they came for him. She travelled to another dimension for Christ's sake to admit to him that she wanted him, something he could imagine would be near impossible for her to confide. But that little, analytical part of him was too clever not to consider the motivation of her actions; worried that if it was discussed she would reveal that she was instructed to say anything to return him and save their world from being destroyed. This uncertain doubt, as unlikely as it may be, kept him from pursuing this new relationship too aggressively, allowing her to take the lead and keeping a slow and steady pace.
Until now, there was very little physical interaction outside of accidently pumps or purposeful shoves. He thought back to the dance she coerced him into, twirling softly to Patsy Cline; her arms over her shoulder and his hands lying ostentatiously on her holster. This was a dramatic shift in the physical department that they've only just began to explore.
He pulled away from their kiss with the greatest of effort and mumbled something incoherent that could have been "wait," although he wasn't sure.
"Wait? For what?" Olivia's mouth pulled into a sly smile, her cheeks burning a brilliant rose color. She was looking up at him from under her lashes, toying suggestively with the button on her starched dress shirt.
Peter could feel heat on his face as he took her in. Completely uninhibited and confident, words were difficult.
"Um, this is… a little fast." Feeling like an asshole even as he said it. He could feel the flush as the heat grew on his face, and watched as she raised a suggestive eyebrow in mock ridicule.
"You're worried about… moving too quickly?" Her voice on the bridge of laughter now.
Yup, definitely an asshole. He smirked in spite of himself as he struggled for words. Not something he commonly had issue with.
"This… is just a big uh, you know, and if this thing with us doesn't work out-"He blurted, feeling a new sure of empathy toward Walter and his lack of articulation. He shook his head and gritted his teeth in frustration. This was not what he had anticipated in coming here. He felt grossly underprepared.
Olivia closed the distance between them and gripped his jacket and pulled his face down to place a kiss on his jaw. "Peter," she placed another on his throat, causing him to grip her waist in a jolt of electricity.
"Trust me." She whispered against his neck.
All carefully guarded boundaries he placed were shattered; his resolve completely coming unhinged as he leaned down to kiss her with renewed fervor, taking in every bit of her she would give. Something about those two little words, flicked a switch in him he didn't know he had.
This time when Olivia pulled Peter back toward her bedroom he followed without hesitation, pulling out the band from her bun and tangling his hands in her blonde hair.