Grab a blanket, some cozy socks, and a hot chocolate, because you're about to feel ALL the warm fuzzies. Enjoy!
James Griffin had lost track of how many times he wanted to kiss Katie Holt. All he knew was that it was starting to become the only thing he could think about.
To be fair, they'd been dating approximately three months now. It seemed to be an appropriate amount of time to wait, although who was he to judge? He'd never been in a relationship before, so his guess could be entirely false.
Either way, it was really turning into a problem.
"Come on! Come on!" Katie pleaded as she dragged him down the hall.
He knew they were headed in the general direction of her laboratory, but he had no idea why. She'd simply burst into the MFE hangar, started rambling about something, then grabbed him.
Not that he minded. He'd been getting a headache reading through the information packet on the new upgrades made to the MFEs.
When they finally reached her lab, Katie wasted no time in pushing him into a chair. James sat back and watched her run around with an amused smile. It must have been something truly spectacular for her to act like this. She had that sparkle in her eyes, the one she couldn't hold back when she'd just made a new discovery.
Before too long, she had brought a box over and was removing the lid. "Take off your jacket," she instructed.
James blinked, but did as he was told. Katie took it from him and set it down before she finally met his eyes for the first time since she'd dragged him away.
"I think I figured it out," she told him. "But I don't want to show anyone else until I'm sure."
He opened his mouth to ask what she was talking about, but before he could, Katie turned and pulled out a familiar translucent glove.
James' eyes widened. "The nanothermite tech? You got it to work?"
Her eyebrows furrowed. "I did, and I tested it on myself, but the pieces only connected when I used my Olkari gem, and I'm wondering if I'll be able to recreate it on someone else because I might be accidentally powering it with my quintessence and not just the power from the gem."
"I, uh…" James trailed off. He wasn't entirely sure what she just said. "So you…want to test it on me?"
Katie nodded enthusiastically. "If that's okay with you," she said. Suddenly, her eyes fell to the floor. "I…I don't want anyone else to know yet in case it fails," she admitted.
Upon seeing her dismay, James held out his hand. "I'm sure it won't," he assured.
Her eyes shined with hope. Katie slipped the glove on his hand, then reached into the box and pulled out another piece. She scooted closer, sliding what he assumed was the forearm portion onto his arm.
A finger reached forward to push the activation buttons, but she paused. "Quiznak, I hope this works," she whispered.
Frowning, James put his hand under her chin to lift her eyes to meet his. "It will, Katie," he said. "You're the smartest person I know. And if it doesn't work now, then I know you'll figure it out eventually."
Her face broke out in a smile, and she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "I love you."
James pressed a quick kiss to her nose. "And I love you, too."
Katie's eyes fell back down to the button. She bit her lip. "Well, here goes nothing."
She pushed the button, and the couple held their breath.
The pieces of armor came to life. The fluid metal wrapped around his hand, then his arm, but—
"It's okay, it's still doing that," Katie said when she saw his concern. She placed her hand over the disconnected portion at his wrist. "This is the tricky part."
He watched as she closed her eyes, her eyebrows knitting together in concentration. Slowly but surely, the gem in her bracelet began to glow. Then, piece by piece, the weaves of metal began to intertwine.
Katie peeked one eye open. "Is it connected?
"Uhuh," James nodded, awestruck.
Grimacing, she removed her hand. Then finally, she dared to look down.
It had stayed together.
"YES!" she screamed, punching into the air. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"
James couldn't hold back his laughter as she got up and began to jump up and down all around the room. He rose from the chair to join the celebration, catching her in his arms and pressing an adoring kiss to her forehead.
"I'm so proud of you," he chuckled. "I told you you were a genius."
Katie giggled in his hold, her arms coming up and wrapping around his neck. "Thanks for being my lab rat," she joked. "I might need to borrow you a few more times, if you don't mind."
And there it was. Whether it was their proximity, how her eyes were shimmering with delight, or the fact that he loved it when she teased him, it didn't matter. He wanted to kiss her. He could practically feel himself being drawn in, and it really didn't help that she was smiling so brightly up at him.
But James caught himself. Maybe it was too soon. After all, they'd only confessed that they loved each other a week ago.
He forced himself to resist the temptation, and thus for the next hour of sitting down and letting her use him as an armor model, the vision of her lips so close to his haunted him.
"Duck!"
"Good call— lean right!"
"Thanks, babe!"
"Babe?" James questioned as he landed a punch on the drone. "That's a new one."
He could hear Katie's eye roll in her response. "It just slipped out, okay!"
Snickering, he turned around and gave her a wink. "Whatever you say, honey."
"You're incorrigible," she claimed. The next second, she was throwing her bayard behind his shoulder. The electric shock told him she'd hit her target spot on.
James' expression showed how impressed he was. "Nice one, dear."
This time, he did see her roll her eyes. "I accidentally give you a pet name one time, and now I'll never hear the end of it," she grumbled.
James opened his mouth to tease her, but whatever joke he had in mind quickly evaporated when he saw a drone rise up behind her. "Katie—!"
She spun around. It was already too late. The drone hit her side with a hard smack, and James rushed forward, catching her before she could hit the ground. The velocity of her body slamming into his sent them to the floor, and they both let out a groan.
James blinked his eyes open…only to immediately freeze. Katie was on top of him, lifting her head slowly as she tried to regain focus. Their eyes met. Time stopped.
His heart was racing, but not from the training they'd just been doing. He didn't realize that one of his hands had moved to wrap around her waist, nor that the other had cupped her cheek, gently pulling her in.
Her eyes were half lidded, and he knew he just had to kiss her.
Then the shadow of the drone fell over them.
Thinking quickly, James grabbed her and rolled them out of the way, narrowly missing the sharp tip of a spear. He heard a hiss of pain, and he looked down.
Oh no.
Now he was on top of her.
James scrambled to get off of her, his face burning as he stammered, "I-I am so sorry!"
He glanced up just in time to see the drone winding up for another strike. "End training sequence!" he commanded.
The drone froze, then powered down. He let out a relieved sigh. His eyes went back to his girlfriend.
Katie was still on the floor, holding her side, her face screwed up in pain. James leaned down and took her in with worried eyes. "Are you okay?"
"Mostly," she grunted before she gave him a wry grin. "You're taking the blame for this one. You distracted me."
A little piece of his heart broke. "I'm sorry, I didn't see it until it was too late," he apologized sincerely.
She shook her head. "It's okay, James, really. But I might need help getting back to my room."
He nodded. "Of course." James slowly helped her to her feet. He guided her over to the door, grabbing her things as they passed, then began the trek back to her room.
That night, he couldn't fall asleep. He was angry at himself, obviously. She'd gotten hurt because of him. All because he'd distracted her. Not to mention she almost got hurt again because he'd wanted to kiss her.
James covered his face with his hands and groaned. This was getting to be troublesome.
Katie's footsteps pounded down the hall, and anyone with any amount of common sense made sure to not get in her way.
James followed behind his girlfriend calmly. He knew why she was upset— she had every right to be. Heck, he was, too. But it wouldn't do any good for both of them to be angry right now. It was affecting her the most, therefore she had priority over him.
They made their way to her room in silence, though he was pretty sure he occasionally heard her muttering through gritted teeth. When they finally reached her door, she threw it open, and he made sure to close it quickly.
The second he did, she exploded.
"I can't believe they said there's nothing we can do about it!" she shouted, already beginning to pace up and down the room. "There is clear evidence that there are many other planets who have faced similar problems to ours in regards to global warming, but do they want their input? No! It's like they won't even listen to it!"
James situated himself on the bed, purposefully keeping his face serene as he listened.
Katie's hands turned into fists. "There is plenty of science to back up all the solutions I've been researching, but just because it involves alien technology, they don't want to hear it!" Her eyes whipped around to meet his. "I mean, can you believe that?!"
He shrugged neutrally. "The Garrison and the UN have always been cautious when it comes to interacting with alien life," he replied. "This is just keeping in line with what their standard protocol is."
"But if saving the people of their own planet isn't worth trying to make those connections that could help us, then what is?" she groaned. Katie's shoulders drooped, and James sensed an opening.
He began to get up from the bed. "Katie, maybe you should talk to your dad about this—"
"And that's another thing!" she burst, resuming her pacing. "It's like they think we don't know anything, but we're the ones who have actually interacted with people! Quiznak, I even talked with Ryner just the other day, and it turns out that the Olkari used to have the same problem, and they solved it by planting more natural life to absorb the water!"
An amused chuckle escaped James' lips. He knew it was weird, but he found her strangely adorable when she was angry like this. He'd witnessed plenty of rants before, usually about her frustrations over an equation or about something stupid Lance said, but this one probably took the cake.
And for some odd reason, he found himself wishing that he could get up, walk over to her, and silence her by placing his lips over hers.
It's not that he didn't want to listen to her. Nothing could be further from the truth. He just had this incredible desire to do so, and he couldn't figure out why.
He knew it wasn't the right moment, though. He wanted their first kiss to be special and sweet, not a sudden thing like catching her off guard when she was mad.
Slowly, he rose from the edge of her bed. She was still rambling on and on, but she stopped when he stood in her path.
Chuckling, he opened up his arms. "Need something to punch?"
Her face showed her confusion, but then she quickly shook her head. "Yes, but not you," she muttered.
James shrugged. "I don't know, I've been told before that I'm a pretty good target," he said, then grinned as he continued, "but I know you'd never make it your aim to hurt me!"
Katie, as she always did whenever he was being purposefully ridiculous, rolled her eyes. Soon, however, an uncontainable smile appeared on her face. She looked him dead in the eyes. "I hate you."
He snickered before he moved forward and pulled her into his chest. "Mmm, no you don't."
"No, I don't," she confirmed. It was quiet for a moment. Her hands wound around his waist, taking ahold of his sweater. Then, Katie heaved a heavy sigh. "What are we going to do?" she whispered. "I want to help, but it's like they won't let me."
James leaned back so he could stare into her eyes, all the while trying to not glance down at her lips, which were far too close to his. "You keep trying," he told her. "You keep doing your research, you keep talking with other planets, and eventually, you'll have so much evidence that they can't not believe you."
Katie searched his eyes for a moment, then leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "You're the best boyfriend ever," she claimed.
"I try to be," he shrugged. "I'm mad about it, too. But I know how determined you are, and so I feel safe knowing the fate of the world is in your hands."
His girlfriend rolled her eyes. "You're so cheesy, you know that?"
Laughing, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "I know."
James was exhausted. Three nights, two days, almost no breaks. He understood the importance of this patrol, given the recent tensions between some of the Earth dwellers and their new alien visitors, but his brain could only take so much action with so little sleep before he had to shut down.
It took him a full thirty seconds to stand up from his pilot's chair. When he looked over at the other MFE's, he saw that his team was faring the same. Those seats weren't meant to be used over such long periods of time.
Stiff as a board, he made his way down the ladder, stretching his back as soon as he touched down. Something popped, and he sighed, closing his eyes.
He wanted three things: Katie, food, and a hot shower.
And it seemed as though his girlfriend had read his mind.
"James!"
When his eyes opened, he saw the most beautiful sight.
Katie was running toward him, eyes shining and hair flying, engulfed entirely by the sweater he'd left her days ago.
She looked ready to jump into his arms, but upon seeing seeing his tired expression, she thought better of it and simply tossed her arms around his waist. "I missed you," she said, squeezing tight.
After moving to hold her, James simply buried his nose in her hair and inhaled deeply. Had she just put on perfume, or had he just missed her that much?
"I missed you, too," he mumbled. "Missed you a lot."
Katie leaned back to look up at him. "You're exhausted," she stated.
He nodded silently, and she unwound herself from him to take his hand.
"Come on, let's get you rested," she said. Gently, she tugged on his hand, and he let himself stumble after her.
James wasn't sure how long it took to get to his room, probably because he was constantly struggling to keep his eyes open. Even when she opened the door with her key and brought him inside, it took a second for him to realize where they were…wait, what was that on his bed?
He walked over in a stupor, staring down at the clothes with confused eyes. Katie must have seen him, because she walked over, picked up the clothes, and handed them to him.
"I set these out for you to sleep in," she explained. James slowly accepted them, then Katie went up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. "They made your favorite at dinner tonight, and I saved it. I'm gonna go heat it up— you shower, okay?"
He wished he could properly express how he felt in that moment. He loved her. He loved her so much. And a portion of him (a rather big portion) wanted to drop the clothes, take her face, and press his lips to hers. Surely that could fix him as much as eating and resting would, right? He thought it probably could. After all, Katie had an often magical effect on everything she touched, especially him.
But James shook the thoughts from his head. He was barely awake. Their first kiss was something to be cherished, something to be remembered. He would wait for a better moment.
That didn't mean he couldn't still express his appreciation, though.
He set the clothes on a side table, cupped her face, and kissed her forehead. "You are wonderful, and I don't know what I ever did to deserve you," he murmured.
She giggled. "Everything, I assure you."
He hummed, then leaned down and kissed her cheek. Katie laughed again, and he was struck with an idea. James began peppering her face with kisses, accentuating each one with a soft "I love you."
By the time he was done, his girlfriend had tears in her eyes from laughing so much. She pushed a gently against his chest to get him to stop, saying, "Wow, you really are out of it."
And for some reason, his tired brain told him to put himself nose to nose with her. "No, you're just perfect, and I had to show you," he insisted.
Katie's eyes, now wide, blinked. It took her a moment to snap out of it, but when she did, she shook her head fondly. She picked his clothes up from the table and pushed them into his arms.
"Go shower, sir," she commanded. "I'll be back with dinner soon."
"Yes, darling," he replied.
He caught the sound of her laughing as she walked out, and when the image of her giggling as he littered her face with kisses filled his head, he found that he instantly regretted not kissing her.
James trudged back to his room with one thing and one thing only on his mind: he had to go pick up Katie's Christmas present.
He'd been so busy lately that he'd barely had time to think. Many Garrison employees had headed home early for the holidays, which left plenty of empty shifts. Given that he had no where else to go, James had decided to pick some up. He hadn't expected it to completely suck all the remaining time out of his schedule, though, and now it was the last day for him to pick Katie's present up from the store before they charged a late fee. The shop closed in thirty minutes, and he knew he'd just barely make it in time.
Speaking of Katie, he'd hardly seen her the past few days. She'd said she understood, of course, but he still felt awful about it. He would definitely consult her the next time he went to pick up extra shifts.
He determined that he'd see her first thing in the morning the next day. As much as he wanted to see her now, it was already far too late. He didn't want to bother her just because he missed her, even though he knew that she'd happily come over if he asked.
With the thought of grabbing his car keys and dashing out to the store in his mind, James opened the door to his room…then promptly froze at what was before him.
Katie was sitting criss-cross on his bed, stifling her laughter in her hands as she took in his expression. All around her were strands and strands of Christmas lights hanging from the walls. They provided the only light in the room, lighting her eyes in their warm glow.
"You…" he breathed. "You…?"
Snickering, she got up from the bed and walked up to him. "You hadn't decorated yet," she chided, intertwining her fingers in his. "So, I took it upon myself."
James couldn't form the words. He knew why she'd done it. He'd confessed a few days ago how he hadn't decorated for Christmas ever since his parents died. It hadn't felt right to celebrate without them.
But now, looking around the room, seeing Katie bathed in lights, her eyes twinkling, he felt overcome with an emotion he couldn't put into words.
Letting out a shaky breath, he leaned down and engulfed her in a hug. She held on tight, and he tried to not let out a little sob when her hand stroked up and down his spine.
"Thank you," he choked out. "I love you so much."
Katie snuggled into him more. "I love you too, James."
And for the first time, he wondered if this was the right moment. He could envision it now— kissing her in the glow of the lights, showing her how much this truly meant to him. It would be absolutely magical.
But then, she pulled back and gave him a sad smile. "I have to go," she told him. "I have to be up early tomorrow, and I promised Keith I wouldn't be late for once."
James forced himself to not beg her to stay. He thought this would be it, this would be their first…guess he had to wait a little longer.
Nodding understandingly, he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "Goodnight, Katie."
She leaned up and returned the kiss with one of her own. When she pulled away, the corner of her lips brushed his, and James' breath hitched.
"Goodnight, James," she whispered.
When she left, James fell back onto his bed in a daze. He laid there for who knows how long, daydreaming about what could have happened if he'd just kissed her already.
He would kiss her soon, he decided. With that set in his mind, he went to sleep with a smile on his face, his errand to the store completely forgotten.
Paying the late pickup fee was worth it.
"So…have you kissed her yet?"
Kinkade's question made James go stiff.
"Oh please," Rizavi snorted from her place on the floor, "Knowing him, they're probably way past that!"
Leifsdottir raised an eyebrow. "Actually, knowing him would indicate precisely the opposite."
James felt his mind freezing up. This was definitely not the conversation he expected post-training session.
"I-I, ah," he stammered. "T-That sort of information is between me and Katie."
His squadron traded a look before Rizavi loudly whispered, "Yeah, you're right, they totally haven't kissed yet."
A deep blush flooded James' cheeks. "Are we done here?" he questioned. Though he wasn't typically one to feel peer pressure, something about the look in his teammates' eyes made him sink low into a pit of humiliation. He knew he'd been taking things with Katie at an almost ridiculously slow pace, but their query made him feel like maybe he'd taken it too slow.
But then again, should it really matter what they thought? It was his and Katie's relationship. Why should anyone else be concerned about what they had and had not done?
Still, as James Griffin walked away, his teammate's eyes on his back, he couldn't shake the feeling that maybe he'd waited too long. Maybe she'd get the wrong idea. Maybe she thought he didn't love her, even though he constantly tried to show that nothing could be farther from the truth.
James held in a sigh. He'd decided that he would kiss her almost a week ago now, but there had been no good opportunities to do so (either that, or he'd get too nervous and bail).
He tried as best he could to shrug it off. They had a date tonight, and he couldn't let himself be so in his head. Katie deserved all of his attention. His anxieties could wait.
"You are the slowest un-wrapper I have ever seen."
James chuckled. "I like to make it neat, okay?"
"Why, though?" Katie argued. "The fun part is ripping the paper to shreds!"
He shook his head fondly. They'd made their way back to his room after their date, and she had insisted that he open his presents from her first. Her eyes showed a mixture of nervous energy and excitement. She'd been hinting at his presents for weeks, now, but he had never succeeded in guessing them correctly.
Finally, he pulled the last piece away, then took the top off the box. Under layers of tissue paper was something dark brown. His eyebrows went up.
"Ugh, just open it already!" Katie exclaimed, twiddling her fingers anxiously.
James pushed the tissue paper aside, his eyes going wide when he realized what it was. "A leather jacket?" he asked.
His girlfriend nodded. "It's the one from that store at The Centre you like!"
A wide grin formed on his face, and he slipped it on to see if it fit. Unsurprisingly, she'd picked the right size. James turned, posing a little. "Like it?"
"Looks good on you," she said smugly. "I have good taste."
"Clearly," he laughed, taking the jacket off. It was a bit too warm with his sweater, but he knew it'd be perfect for when they took walks outside. He scooted closer, taking her hand and kissing the back of it. "Thank you, Katie."
"You're welcome," she replied. She reached behind her and set a medium sized bag in front of him. "One more!"
This time, James made sure to not unwrap it so slowly. Within a few seconds, he was staring down at something fuzzy, and when he recognized what it was, he burst out laughing.
Katie giggled with him. "I couldn't not get it, okay? It was so cute!"
Chuckling, James pulled the teddy bear out of the bag, taking in its little pilot hat and badge. "It's perfect," he declared. "I will never ever get rid of it."
"You'd better not," she teased.
"I won't," he promised. A little jolt of anxiety ran through him when he realized it was his turn. He reached behind him and grabbed all three of her presents, setting them down between them so she could take her pick.
"Hmmm," she hummed. "Let's go biggest to smallest!" She took the first package into her hands and shook it. "It feels light."
"And you said I took too much time opening things," he commented.
Katie stuck her tongue out. "Guessing is part of the fun!" she claimed. When he rolled his eyes, she laughed and quickly unwrapped it. It took her a moment to read the package, but her eyes lit up when she had. "Is this one of those DIY bath bomb kits?!"
James nodded. "I saw it in the store and couldn't help it," he shrugged. "And I bet you can make them better than the recipes in the box."
"Oh totally," she agreed as her eyes scanned the writing. She looked up at him with mischievous eyes. "You know I'm dragging you in on this, right?"
"I might have been hoping you would," he grinned. "Come on, keep going."
Katie set the first box aside and reached for the next one. "Again, super light," she noted. "That makes it really hard to guess!"
James didn't respond, simply enjoying the look of surprise on her face when she unwrapped it.
"Where did you get this?" she gasped. In her hands was a new game for her Mercury Gameflux.
"Vintage store," he supplied. "They actually had a few more, but I thought you'd like this one best."
Katie hugged the game to her chest. "It's perfect! We'll play it tonight!"
He nodded, his eyes falling to her final present. This was the one he was most worried about. The other two he knew she'd like— they were silly and entirely her. This one was the one he really hoped she liked.
James picked up the little box and set it in her hands. She shook it, and a metallic clink sounded. Her eyebrows furrowed. "I have no clue what this is," she said.
"Well," he swallowed. "Go on."
Her eyes met his upon hearing his nervous tone. Her hand reached to squeeze his, then came back and undid the ribbon. She lifted the lid off the box. Her mouth fell open in a little 'o'.
"It's, um…" he searched for the right words.
Katie lifted the silver chain from the box. On the end of it hung a copy of his dog tags. They spun around slowly, the engraved "I love you" on the back glimmering in the lights.
She gazed at it in awe. James wrung his hands. "I, uh, I know you don't wear a lot of jewelry, and you already have the bracelet, but…I wanted you to have a piece of me with you," he explained. "Just— just because."
Several moments of silence passed before Katie tore her gaze away from the dog tags to look into his eyes. Her eyes were shining with unshed tears.
"James," she sniffed. "I— I love you, too."
His shoulders dropped in relief. James leaned forward and gathered her in his arms. She hiccuped, and he rubbed her back soothingly. He hadn't been expecting such a reaction, but he understood. Dog tags weren't taken lightly in their jobs.
The couple let themselves take in the moment, holding each other tightly and relishing in the emotion passing between them. James only let go when he heard the clinking of the tags, and he looked down to see that she was putting them around her neck.
"I'll never take them off," she promised solemnly. One of her hands came up and rested against his cheek. "Thank you, James."
His brain suddenly registered her face being so close to his, and his heart skipped a beat. Here they were. This could be it. The room was dim, save for the warm glow of Christmas lights. Her eyes were glittering. Her lips were right there in front of him. It would only take a few inches forward, and they'd meet his.
James felt his heart rate begin to speed up. After all these weeks of torture, he could do this. He'd told himself he would.
Swallowing nervously, he looked down and took her hands in his. "Katie, I…" he trailed off. "You know we try to be very open and honest in our relationship."
His girlfriend nodded, "Mmhm."
James forced himself to look her in the eyes. "I— I've wanted to kiss you for a while now, and…"
"And?"
…was he mistaken, or was that hope in her voice?
"And," he continued, his eyes darting back down again, "I didn't want to do it too soon or without asking your permission."
"Okay."
He blinked up at her. "Okay?"
Katie cracked a little smile. "I've been wanting to kiss you too, you know."
A thrill ran through him. "Oh."
Her eyes softened. "Yeah."
James gazed into her eyes for a moment, trying to figure out where they went from there. "I…I don't have much experience," he confessed. "Or any, actually. This is my first."
Katie ducked her head shyly. "Me too."
Slowly, his hands lifted to cup her face. Her lashes fluttered, and his heart rate increased once more. "I don't really know how it goes," he admitted. "And I don't want to do anything you don't want."
They were so close, and the air between them felt so thick with anticipation. He wondered if she felt as nervous and excited as he did.
"I know you won't," Katie whispered, and as if to prove her point, she closed her eyes.
This was it, he realized. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. He only wished he wasn't so terrified he'd miss.
To ensure he didn't, he kept his eyes open as he leaned in. Her lips, so soft and so pink, lay in front of him, waiting for his. James let out a shuddering breath, and he felt Katie shiver in his grasp.
His mind was racing. How did he do this? Didn't he need to tilt his head to make sure their noses didn't bump? Was there some sort of method to figure out? Should he—
"James," she murmured. "Stop overthinking it and just kiss me."
He obeyed.
James closed the distance between them, placing his lips gently on hers. His eyes fell shut at the sensation, and in that moment he wondered why he'd waited so long for this. It all felt so perfect. His lips molded against hers, moving slowly as he pulled her closer.
Katie's hands came forward to rest against his chest, then began to make their way up to his neck. One hand reached for his hair, tangling in the locks. Unbeknownst to him, he let out a little sigh.
Instinct told him to tilt his head and kiss her deeper. He did, and it felt like he was falling in love all over again. She shifted to press into him more, her hand fisting his hair, and he had to stop a groan from escaping him.
The tempo slowly began to build. His heart was pounding in his chest as their lips began to move faster, and he wondered why he felt like he wanted so much of her and that the need could never truly be satisfied.
Something was begging him to part his lips, but before he could, James suddenly became very much aware of the fact that he was running out of air, not to mention that the heat between their bodies was almost unbearable.
Reluctantly, he broke the kiss, panting lightly. James took in his girlfriend's face. Her eyes were still closed, and slowly, they blinked open, wide with pleasant surprise.
James's eyes fell down to her mouth, his thumb moving to smooth over her bottom lip. "Was…was that okay with you?" he asked.
Katie nodded, her cheeks turning red as she breathlessly replied, "Uhuh."
Her voice sent a wave of warmth through him. James shifted his attention from her lips to her eyes. "Can we do it again?"
She answered by grabbing his collar and crushing her lips against his.
James squeezed his eyes shut, happily letting himself fall back into the sensations of everything that was her. He hadn't known how completely different kisses could be, but he was sure their second kiss was even better than the first. His hands fell to her waist, tugging her closer, and he thought he would die of joy when she followed his lead, climbing up onto his lap and leaning in to be flush against him.
She wound up at an awkward angle, resting on him sideways. Their lips parted, and they both moved to turn their heads the opposite way. Suddenly, their noses bumped, and the couple burst out laughing.
"Sorry," he apologized hastily.
Katie giggled. "Shut up."
Their lips were quick to meet again, pressing into each other firmly, and this time, he wasn't afraid to let out a soft moan.
James thought he could never get enough of it. The way she let out little noises of joy, how she tasted like the hot chocolate they'd shared earlier, the fact that both of them were clinging onto each other desperately. Her grip on his sweater tightened, and James felt his heart soar.
This was the day he discovered the true meaning of bliss.
Nothing compared to it. Not the exhilaration of flying, not the thrill of a fight. Kissing Katie Holt was all he would ever need in his entire life to keep him happy, he was sure of it.
All too soon, Katie made to move away. James let out a hum of disappointment, but when he opened his eyes, he found honey eyes shining with adoration.
"I love you," she whispered. "I love you so much."
He couldn't help it— James captured her lips with his again, trying his best to pour everything from his heart into her. She hummed happily into the kiss, and he squeezed her tight.
"I love you, too," he sighed when they parted. "You're amazing."
Katie bit her lip, looking up at him shyly. "You're pretty good, yourself."
Words couldn't describe how he felt in that moment. James leaned in and set his forehead against hers, his eyes closing to let him just soak it all in. His hand moved to stroke her back slowly, and he felt her fingers drift over his cheek.
"You're all I ever want," James murmured. His eyes fluttered open. He took her in, already wanting to kiss her all over again, but a thought occurred to him. James released his grip on her slightly, his expression turning serious. "From here on out, you set the pace. We'll move as slow or as fast as you want. I want you to tell me what you're okay with."
Though she looked surprised, Katie nodded. "I…" she trailed off. "I think I like it just how we are." Her eyes flickered down to his lips for the briefest of moments. "We'll figure it out together, but…for the time being, let's keep it slow," she decided.
James inclined his head. His eyes searched hers for a few seconds before he asked, "So…can I kiss you again?"
She replied by leaning up and placing a peck on his lips. "You can kiss me whenever you want," she grinned.
Needless to say, he took her up on that offer.
Christmas came early! Also, if you weren't aware, I wrote a random Jidge one-shot a few days ago, so go check that out!
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