To Red, the idea of someone sitting on the sofa necking with their sweetheart sounded like something teenagers did.

Teenagers in the 1950s.

(Before he was born, thank you very much.)

It wasn't ever really part of his adolescent experience, to be quite honest. He tended more towards dark hidden corners, cramped backseats of cars, under the bleachers during a baseball game that he couldn't play in because he injured his knee…

With Lizzy, though, it felt right. With Lizzy, a lot of things felt right that he never would have thought would apply to him.

Raising a baby in his fifties. Settling down, at least as much as The Concierge of Crime ever could. Being in love with an FBI agent. All of it was absurd, but oh so right for him, because of her.

Red knew he was head over heels for Lizzy again, that they'd barreled past the last of their barriers in the weeks since he effectively moved in with her. Familiarity, in their case, bred the opposite of contempt.

Over the past few weeks, goodnight kisses began to last a little longer and affectionate caresses lingered, Netflix nights involved more copious use of the rewind button because they missed entire segments of shows and movies while caught up in each other. Slowly but surely, Red and Lizzy's caution was giving way to passion. And necking. And nights like tonight.

In fact, nights like tonight were quickly becoming the norm, when Agnes was long since asleep in her crib and Red and Lizzy sat on the sofa in the living room and… kissed. They kissed like kissing was the end goal. And for a long time, it was—but Lizzy had never been a particularly patient person and while Red was, his capacity for patience was hard earned rather than innate. Dipping their toes into sexual intimacy again seemed less and less frightening as time went on, as their daily routine proved to be exactly what it needed to be to keep them on the road to domestic harmony.

It was easy to feel like a young man again on nights like this, to feel a thrill of excitement when Lizzy's hand, which had been sitting warmly on his thigh, began to inch upwards and inwards—caressing all the while—until she cupped him lightly through his trousers. He was already half hard from their slow, drugging, thorough kisses, and her curious fingers only exacerbated his predicament.

When he inhaled sharply, she grew bolder, stroking him firmly along his swelling length. He groaned into her mouth and she grinned against his, before maneuvering herself into a better position to continue her exploration.

It was easily the furthest they'd gone since they'd rekindled their relationship. As intimidating an idea as that was, Red didn't want to stop. It felt so good to be in love again, to not be so wary that his world would end at any moment. It finally felt like it was time. Like they were ready. Like they had settled into their partnership enough now that they could handle the added complexities sex could bring to their lives.

Lizzy had quite obviously reached a similar conclusion. She undid the button on his trousers and slowly unzipped his fly, and when he did nothing but grip at the fabric on the seat cushions next to him, she pulled his shirt out from his trousers and began unbuttoning it from the bottom up.

As soon as she brushed his shirt open, she leaned down to press a kiss to the center of Red's chest, and then another and another, meandering her way over to one of his nipples. She took a few moments to tease his sensitive flesh, nuzzling and licking and sucking, and she punctuated the attention with tiny, sharp nips of her teeth.

Red couldn't help the soft gasps he gave at the sensation, couldn't help the way the little spikes of pain thrummed down to his cock, ratcheting up his anticipation for when she would finally touch him there, unimpeded by clothing.

God, he missed the way she touched him—that particular mix of impatience and determination and quick-studied skill. She knew what she wanted and, by god, she'd get it. Especially from him. Where she led, he followed; it had served him well enough lately—and in the past, despite some missteps along the way.

By the time Lizzy trailed her fingers back down Red's abdomen, making his muscles clench and unclench in ticklish reflex, his cock was doing its damnedest to escape his tented boxers. Her hand came to a stop just above his waistband and she let it rest there while she kissed her way across his chest to nip at his other nipple, the damp path the left cooling pleasantly in her wake.

She made no effort to move her hand any further south, just traced her fingernails through his belly hair, over and over. His hips began to move of their own volition, rocking slightly with the stimulation, desperately seeking out more of it. She wasn't near enough to his erection for his movements to be of much use, though, so he spread his legs, giving her more room to explore his body, as well as the unspoken permission to do so.

Unhurriedly, her hand slipped under the fabric of his boxers to close around him and draw him out over the waistband. She worked her fingers up and down his thickening shaft, and when she cupped her other hand around his balls and started rolling them lightly between her fingers, he threw his head back against the sofa.

"Touch me," Lizzy said, a breathy mixture of a command and a plea which Red couldn't help but oblige—and then she lowered her head to take him into her mouth. Red saw stars. Weeks of slowly escalating anticipation hadn't done quite enough to prepare him for the reality of Lizzy leaning over his lap to suck his cock.

Something was always going to be the first act to step across their line in the sand, but of everything, he hadn't considered that it would be this. The opposite, perhaps—his enthusiasm for that particular activity wasn't exactly a secret. But he supposed Lizzy had been the one to make the first move as every juncture in their romantic relationship so far. Why should this time be any different?

To distract himself from the shock of the magnitude of the sensation, Red gently brushed Lizzy's hair back from her face, from the pale length of her neck, grateful for the dark contrast of her natural hair color against her skin. It was reassuring to have such a stark visual touchstone to keep him grounded in the present, to keep his mind from traveling back to the last time she'd done this for him. Or the first. It was better only to think of tonight, as much as he could. Both of them had been having an easier time keeping the past in perspective where it belonged, but they were in mostly uncharted territory now.

Red ran his fingernails lightly through the wispy hairs at Lizzy's nape and she shivered, moaning around his cock. If he knew her at all—and he did—he knew that her underwear would be drenched by now with her arousal. Just the thought of it, the thought of burying his face between her thighs, of tasting her again at long last… That alone was almost too much for him. Add to it the teasing torture of Lizzy's tongue and he found himself quickly at the precipice in the wet heat of her mouth. So much time had passed since Red had been with another person that he didn't—couldn't—last long.

"Lizzy," he croaked, his voice raspy, rough with arousal.

In an instant, she pulled off of him and pushed herself up so she could meet his eyes, a tiny hint of a furrow forming between her brows. "You're close," she said, clearly relieved that she found no evidence of distress in his own expression.

He nodded fervently, breathlessly. "But you don't have to—"

She leaned near enough that he could feel her breath on his face when she lifted her jaw and whispered, "And if I want to?"

Lizzy's question stood for a beat while all Red could hear was his heart in his ears. Once his brain managed to catch up and process that she had actually said what she said, he speared his fingers through her hair and angled his neck so their lips could meet, fierce and deep. He tasted himself faintly on her tongue, a discovery which made him leak even more fluid down his swollen shaft. She broke the kiss and deliberately held his gaze while she spread the fluid down the length of him with her fist; he swallowed hard and finally nodded his assent.

All of the air in Red's lungs left him in a rush as Lizzy bent down and sucked him into her mouth again, toying with the tiny slit at the head of his cock, pressing the flat of her tongue to that particular spot under the ridge. It was an all out offensive against his senses, as if she decided to challenge herself to see just how quickly she could bring him over the edge. She worked her hand in counterpoint to the rhythmic movement of her head, drawing moan after moan from his throat, not letting even an inch of him to go unattended for long as he raced towards completion.

When Red came, his hearing went, his senses dulled but for the feeling of the hot, wet suction of Lizzy's mouth on him. His name was the first thing he heard when he came back to himself. His first name, spoken in a voice low with something like hesitance and concern, sounding still like it came from a distance. "Raymond."

"I'm all right," he said. "I need a minute."

Lizzy offered him a languid, lopsided smile. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Red let out a breath of a laugh. Reaching out, he took her hand with his own still trembling slightly, and entwined their fingers; he brought her hand to his mouth to leave a kiss there. "Always."

There was still a strange sense of restlessness in the air between them, despite the leisurely ease of their companionable silence. Lizzy was still so very aroused. Her face was flushed a fetching pink that continued down under the neckline of her shirt. Her eyes held that lust-glazed look Red remembered so well as she studied what she could see of his body in the light of the side table lamp, greedy for every inch of uncovered, uninhibited flesh. Her lips were swollen and red; they were much warmer to the touch than they usually were when he brushed his thumb over her them with his palm resting against her soft cheek.

As soon as Red felt like his limbs would cooperate with his mind again, he shifted closer to where Lizzy knelt next to him on the couch, helped guide her to lay back against the couch cushions, and stretched his body out over hers, bracing himself on his elbows on either side of her head.

She was so lovely, gazing up at him like she was. Lizzy—his partner, the mother of his child, the love of his life… his way home. It was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that she was here with him, even more so that they'd returned to this point after everything.

Red moved at the same time she did, leaned down as she strained up, and captured her mouth in a searing, searching kiss. The taste of himself still lingered between them, more sharply now; he wondered vaguely if she enjoyed tasting herself on his tongue as much as he enjoyed this.

Red reached for the hem of her shirt to lift and slide the soft cotton up and off of her body. As soon as her upper half was uncovered, Lizzy slipped her arms inside his unbuttoned shirt, wrapping around his back and pulling him down so their naked chests pressed together. He held himself there for a long moment while she trailed kisses along the front of his shoulder, dragging her teeth along his skin, and traced her fingers along the scars on his back.

It would be so easy to stay like this, kissing and being kissed, but he so desperately wanted to reciprocate her earlier attentions, wanted to learn the new topography of her body that he'd only had chances to glimpse in passing since Agnes was born.

It was inevitable that Lizzy's body had gone through changes with pregnancy and childbirth; as far as Red was concerned, she was all the more beautiful for them. He kissed his way along a similar path as the one she'd taken on his own body, though since she was less fond of pain to enhance her pleasure than he was, he kept his ministrations less… sharp… than hers had been.

Lizzy, he knew, preferred solid weight and pressure, and firm, deliberate teasing. Too light a touch set her on edge and took her out of the moment, because she couldn't help but focus her attention on anticipating her partner's next move rather than simply enjoying the ride. Red thought perhaps having some semblance of predictability made her feel secure when the rest of her world had proven to be so unstable for her. His own predilections were certainly a balm to his sometimes tortured mind, a chance to allow himself be led in at least one aspect of his life when he usually couldn't afford such a luxury at all.

Red's lips chased a giggle down past Lizzy's navel, and she grabbed hold of him by the back of the head, pulling him closer so the contact would be less ticklish. When he finally reached his destination and helped her out of her sleep pants and underwear, she moved to rest her legs over his shoulders, pressed her thighs against each side of his face. He spread her open with his fingers before he let his eyes fall closed and, at long last, dipped his head to taste her.

She was just as exquisite as he remembered. No, even more exquisite… He slotted his fingers on either side of her clit, giving her some indirect stimulation to work against as he teased the organ itself with his mouth. She moved so fluidly under his tongue, hips rocking along with his attention, one hand again gripping his head and the other the edge of the couch cushion.

Lizzy inhaled sharply as he began to slip a finger inside her, clenched her muscles around it with a whimper. Another finger set off a low moan, the stretching of it pleasant rather than painful despite how long it had been since she'd been with anyone because of how worked up she was. She ground down against him as he rubbed firmly at her inner walls, the movement of her hips swiftly becoming erratic.

She drew her fingernails up the back of Red's neck, cupped his cheek to coax his attention back to her face. He leaned into the warmth of her hand and let his eyes slip closed again briefly, but she didn't speak until he opened them and met her gaze.

"Are you ready to go again? I want to come with you inside me."

Red lost his breath in surprise, remembering despite himself how it felt when she climaxed around him, how her gripping heat would clench around him rhythmically on the rare occasion they had allowed themselves to stay joined until either of them finished.

"Well, if I wasn't, I am now."

A brilliant grin spread across Lizzy's lips and Red's heart skipped a beat, the marrow-deep affection he carried for her swelling in his chest. Good god, he had it bad.

He knelt back and shucked off his unbuttoned shirt; stumbling to his feet, he shoved at his trousers and boxers until they pooled on the floor and he could step out of them. He stood before her then completely nude, but had no time at all to feel self-conscious—or any reason to; Lizzy bit her lip as she took in the sight of him, her smile curving now in a sensual sort of mischief.

"Come here," she said, making space for him between her arms, between her thighs. He crawled up the length of the couch and settled against her, rocked his hips and rubbed his hard length through her wetness, dragging the blunt head across her swollen clit. She moved with him, writhing against the slick friction between them; before long, she reached down to align him properly.

They both gasped as he sank into her, holding each other's gaze all the while. Once their bodies were flush against each other, it felt like time stood still. All Red could hear beyond his heart pounding in his ears was Lizzy's panting breaths. She pulled his head down to kiss him, closed her teeth on his bottom lip as she pulled away.

"You good?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said, nodding. He rocked his pelvis forward, pressing hard against her clit, and she gasped out a laugh, almost in disbelief. "Yeah, I'm good. God. You feel so…"

"Good?"

She pinched his ass. "Yeah. Very. Now will you please start moving?"

"You mean slow and steady isn't what you were hoping for tonight?"

"For god's sake, Red, I was about five seconds away from climaxing before we—" He withdrew almost completely and pushed inside smoothly again, aided by her slickness. "Oh."

"Again?"

"Yes."

He snapped his hips. "Like this?"

"Harder," she bit out around a moan in her throat, and her eyes rolled back when he obliged. "Yes! Fuck!" Her fingernails dug into his forearms as their bodies thrust against each other, pricking his skin and drawing a growl from his throat. Lizzy tightened her legs around Red's waist, gripped him with her tight, wet heat every time he withdrew from her, rocked herself up to press hard against him when he returned.

As they rocketed along the path to completion, their movements grew less and less controlled. Lizzy reached her peak first, with a cry that she muffled by biting down on his shoulder; the unexpected ache tripped something in his mind and dragged him over the edge with her. He collapsed against her chest, panting, utterly and completely spent.

When Red came back to himself, it was to the sensation of Lizzy's hands, slipping slightly on his sweaty skin, maneuvering his head around so she could plant kiss after kiss on his head and his neck and his face, wherever she could reach with the weight of his trembling body restricting her range of motion. There was wetness on her cheeks where they brushed against him.

"Are you OK?" he asked, feeling his own eyes start to sting, but she just nodded fiercely and captured his mouth. He parted his lips with a whimper, allowing her in to deepen the kiss; tears started to spill over down his cheeks to mix with hers.

"God, I've missed this," she said into the side of his neck, in between pressing lazy kisses to the skin there. "I don't think I'll ever be able to explain how much I…" She trailed off, mouth moving wordlessly as she stared up into his eyes.

"I know, sweetheart, I know. Believe me, I understand."