guise, n

Lance lets out a low whistle as Bobbi holds up the scrap of black lace, nodding his approval with a wolfish grin. "Do I get a preview too?" She rolls her eyes, turning with a smile playing on her lips, and lets him follow her into the stall, his warm hands on her swaying hips.

He hooks the ends of the bra together expertly behind her back, I don't only know how to tear them off, you know. He lets his hands linger and drift over her shoulder to trace the edge of the cup, his fingers a hair's breadth away from the creamy skin of her breast, and looks up at her when she sucks in an involuntary breath. She scowls at his grin and smacks his hand away, placing her hands on her hips. "So I take it this passes the test?"

He drags his eyes slowly up her legs, and she has to clench her jaw to stop the shiver that runs through her body even though her veins flood with sudden heat. But then his gaze moves up to her hips... waist... breasts... She nearly bites through her lip to stop from moving when he meets her eyes, pupils dark and ravenous, promising something more. She swallows and nods once, turning round to escape the heat of his gaze, but he spins her back around, hands hot on her flesh, matching the fire beneath her skin that twists and twists in her belly. He nibbles her earlobe, hands splayed on her smooth back, and nudges her legs apart, settling himself between them with a contented hum.

"Lance," she says, and it comes out more throaty than she'd intended. She feels the effect it has on him against her thigh and clears her throat, but her body betrays her like it always does when it comes to him, and her head tilts back to offer him access to her neck. She bites back a moan as he backs her into the flimsy wall of the stall, strong hands gripping the back of her thighs, and the next moment the door shakes with heavy-handed raps.

"Hem hem. Excuse me. No carnal activity in the stalls." The voice pauses in irritation. "There's a hotel just next door."

They burst out after Bobbi changes hurriedly, all elbows and knees, faces flaming red and giggling like teenagers instead of the dignified adults they'd intended- they were supposed to be- and turn into the next lingerie shop in the mall.

"You know, you haven't told me why I've been given this special honour," he hums fondly, thumbs hooked in the loops of her jeans as she holds up a selection of increasingly revealing undergarments. She averts her gaze for a split moment, smile faltering, hands dropping just the slightest inch, but it's enough. Lance lets go of her, and takes a step back, head in his hands. "No," he groans. "Bob, you didn't- No."

-o-

"No."

Bobbi holds up another hanger. "No." And another. "No."

She growls in frustration. "Hunter, you've vetoed everything in the last three shops! Will you only be satisfied if I go on the mission in granny panties?!" Her eyes narrow to slits when he actually contemplates it.

"...No. Too much leg, and your legs are..." He drifts off with a sigh and pauses for a moment. "Maybe pantaloons."

"What?" She doesn't even know what that is, probably some stupid made-up word that's a synonym for a full Hazmat suit that only her ridiculous ex-husband could come up with. Ex-husband, she wants to remind him, ex, but that would just invite a full-blown argument in the middle of aisles of sexy lingerie. She can feel a migraine building behind her eyes, the one she terms The Hunter.

"Pantaloons," he says with a thoughtful air. "Women used to wear them in the... I believe it was the 1800s. They went up to here," he points to his knee helpfully. "Those would be alright, yeah. Cover enough leg."

"Argh!" She slots the hangers back on the rack with more force than necessary. "I shouldn't have asked you along. 'Take Hunter!', they said. 'Maybe he'll be less upset!' they said. Yeah, right," she scoffs. "I'm not wearing goddamned pantaloons, Hunter. Listen, I'm going on that mission whether you like it or not, and I'm going to seduce that disgusting man whether you like it or not." She shudders, scrunching her face up in distaste. She picks a random bra set off the racks and turns back to him, a lashing on the tip of her tongue, but she softens at the expression on his face.

"Hey." She reaches for him. "I can take care of myself," she says, lacing her hand with his. She hesitates, not knowing if what she was about to say was appropriate or necessary given their ambiguous relationship. "I'm not going to sleep with him," she offers, and he looks up at her, looking more pained than she'd expected, the memory of the times she'd done all she had to for duty stark in his eyes. "You don't know that. You would, if it were necessa-"

She shakes her head vehemently, tightening her grip on his hand. "I won't. I promise," she says quietly, and she knows they're both thinking back to the promises she's made and broken, and hopes he'll believe she'll do what it takes to keep this one, this time.

Lance mimics her movements slowly but starts to pull away. "You don't have to," he mumbles, "We aren't-"

"I want to." She squeezes his hand until he looks back up at her, a forced smile on his lips, and returns the pressure.

-o-

He curls a hand around her waist possessively, marking territory he knows he has no business marking and not giving a damn. She doesn't stop him, turning to lean into his body instead. "I still want to see you in that," he says quietly as they walk toward the deceptively ordinary vehicle to head back to base. His breath is hot in her ear, and trails down the side of her neck. You're doing that on purpose, she accuses, a half-growl and half-whine she can't believe is coming from her mouth. She squirms in his grasp, and the low chuckle reverberates against her side.

She pulls away before she does something stupid like push him against the wall and maul him, and stalks ahead of him, throwing a foxy grin over her shoulder.

"We'll see."

A/n:
guise, n
an external form, appearance, or manner of presentation, typically concealing the true nature of something

Based on the tumblr prompt: "things you said while we were lingerie-shopping".

Two updates in one day! \o/ to make up for being MIA the past few weeks- I have a few pieces in the works, just too lazy/ no inspiration to get them done. Soon, fingers crossed! :)

/edit 22/6: Hi guys, I took down the previous chapter (swerve, v; n) bc I was uncomfortable with it. My apologies if you liked it!