[stanley kowalski voice] BELLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[hydesout]

you know what, much like the AUs I'm just going to put down a catchall post for anything we want to do with them

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[hydesout]

[It's been coming for a while, really, so it shouldn't catch him by surprise. And yet it does. He seizes up, but for all that it shocks him and for all that Robert is just so shy about such intimacy, he still craves it - has for a long time now. His hand grips the table in front of him at first, but soon it finds Bella's waist, the other her shoulder.

The real problem is the way his head spins so he can hardly tell what's happening.]

[alamob]

[He's not permitted to check out of reality. What's happening is Bella stoops over a seated man at an obscene hour of the morning, the day's last meal flavoring her mouth. His hands are on her, and in a rustle of fabric, hers support the upward tilt of his head. They help him tip back, and be closer.]

[hydesout]

[He feels as if he can't breathe, and when he does, it's only her perfume and the heat of her mouth that fills him. And even though his hands pull her closer and he so willingly accepts the suggestion to tilt his head toward her, in another moment he pulls away.]

Bella -- I'm not sure that this is alright.

[He's seen she's no lightweight, but he doesn't know how much she's had to drink tonight. If she's not in her right state of mind, he shouldn't even be party to any mistakes made in kissing her.

much less sex.]

[alamob]

[Who said anything about sex? (She's thinking of sex.)

Bella pants, chest heaving and forehead braced against his. The angle's not fantastic for her back, but the discomfort is the furthest thing from her mind. The Hell does he mean, is it all right?]

Don't say you've bloody lost your nerve or had another revelation, or proposed, God forbid. Not after that.

[hydesout]

Hah, yes, well, I don't think that I had any nerve to begin with.

[At least he has a small laugh for that. But then he stands, taking her hands in his.]

I mean that I don't want to take advantage of anything.

[He doesn't want to ask if she's drunk because that seems rude.]

[alamob]

[The accusation disguises the thin line of tension running through her, the anticipation of another slap to the face. Bella's brush with heartbreak scalded and poisoned her ability to lay herself open for any other person.

But that tenseness vanishes, and she snorts outright. Her. Having too much. Bella arches her brows up at him; even heels can't bring them eye level.]

I look taken advantage of?

[hydesout]

I don't know, it's very sudden!

[LOOK HE'S JUST CHECKING.]

...And I've already done you wrong.

[But his heart still pounds in his chest, his fingers still twitch in anticipation of pulling her close.]

[alamob]

[She clucks.]

Not tonight, though.

['Night' is generous. First light hasn't broken and that's everything that can be said of the time. Blood rushing and her pulse hammering in her throat won't allow Robert to dither and delay another crushing kiss.

It ends with her arms constricting behind his neck and head, but Bella catches a breath and then it goes on.]

[hydesout]

[That's it, that's all she wrote, he can't argue the point any more whether he wants to or not, when he wants so badly to accept her kisses. One arm wraps around her back, but the opposite hand travels up her arm, to her shoulder, neck, and finally resting on her cheek.

Do they need to breathe? He doesn't think so.]

[alamob]

Only air she needs comes in the half-second adjustments when her lips are too slick and slide to the corner of his mouth, too emphatic and hungry. They're not separating for a while.

Although a hand disengages from Robert to smack into the tablecloth, relocate the edge and flat surface. It runs everywhere. Shoves his plate onto the seat cushion and the same for hers, which misses and clatters onto the flooring. Bella ignores the clamor.

[hydesout]

He pulls back for a moment, hand falling to her waist, when he hears the clatter of the dishes, to see what's going on (maybe someone's walked in?!), and flushes when he sees what she's done. Part of him would like nothing more than to lean her against the table and lift her skirt, the other part is entirely too intimidated by the very implication. His eyes shift back to her, a mix of anticipation and fear.

[alamob]

Sorry, is he not the same nasty man as Hyde where it counts?

Evidently. She's swung them around so that her ass pushes into the table, fingers looped behind the base of his neck for leverage. That's as far as things degenerate when he looks at Bella like a cub with its paw in a trap.

"-- What's that?" That terror. What gives? Hasn't he wrecked her pussy before?

[hydesout]

Suddenly he wishes he hadn't used so much of the serum. Maybe it would have been better if Hyde had taken over, at least he could get through this with confidence. "I-" am absolutely terrified, of the very concept, of disappointing - "don't really know?" what he's doing, that is. It's just different when it's Hyde, he's different when he's Hyde.

He's also just plain scared because he's a weenie and too uptight. But he doesn't really have the words for that.

[alamob]

Oh.

Figuring his trouble out's not hard (like Robert!). The cold feet aren't from any lack of desire, she's sure. They're fired up, hot-blooded, kissing for what feels like the first time. Her chest rises and falls more and more slowly as the buzz of wanting subsides. "Got ahead."

[hydesout]

He's definitely not having trouble in that department. Another reason it should be clear he certainly has the desire... "Yes," he may as well squeak.

There's one more problem he hasn't mentioned, Hyde might be fine with casual and frenzied affairs, but Robert is much more sentimental. Waiting for marriage would be the ideal, but he can relax on that boundary for the right reasons. That's why he still doesn't let go or back up. But he does feel as if every part of them that's touching burns, especially his hands on her skin. "...I love you, you know." That's the right reason. But only if she knows, best if it's shared, too.

[alamob]

First he says he loves me, then he ...

Maggie Kendall's tunes stuck with everyone, even decades after she left the Empire. Says he don't. Her fingers tap, tap, tap like a clock ticking on the thickest part of his neck. She won't meet him eye for eye.

"Dunno if I'm ready to admit to that." Never has. Never did before he sunk that old knife in, but that didn't stop Bella from making it easy to get hurt. Still. The words sound dangerous, final. Most frighteningly, they are an invitation. Her survivalism screams to say nothing.

[hydesout]

He nods. "Right. I don't expect you to. But - but I do." And having her know that makes a big difference for him. It feels more acceptable, even if she can't say the same. "And I - well I wouldn't if I didn't." Wouldn't even consider banging her on this table.

[alamob]

Whether he means the kissing or fucking, Robert is an open book in his sincerity. Bella likes that expressiveness in him, when he can't be duplicitous even if he tries.

Her nails trail a path over his skin to ultimately cradle that sweet, vividly earnest face. It's upsetting. "I could've told you loving is a mistake."

But the way she says it, she's missing the bite of real belief.

[hydesout]

"Oh, I know that." If he didn't before Lily he certainly learned. Even before her big reveal it was a mistake because he loved them both. "But through all history it's never made much difference."

Maybe he's too earnest really. But he so doesn't want anything to be a mistake. And he wants her to know how sorry he is, too.

But at least it gives him the boldness to take another kiss. Not entirely innocent, but not quite so heated as the last either.

[alamob]

Her eyes close and they reconnect. It's good. He tastes like the rich brandy, too. One arm readjusts to slip over the junction of his neck and shoulder-- leisurely, enjoying the scenery. Better if he had no shirt on.

Robert's hair curls excessively if mussed out of its shape. She takes pleasure in raking them free and gently, cautiously getting a grip to encourage him into something deeper.

[hydesout]

Despite how often she sees him without a shirt, he really doesn't go about shirtless normally. Sorry to disappoint. Hyde might be willing to give it a go, though.

He doesn't want to mess up her hair, as nice as it would be to comb his fingers through, he knows she takes great care and it would be an awful shame. So instead he finds the base of her neck and jaw, a few fingers just slipping into her hair. With another hand on the small of her back, he presses closer and pulls her to him at once, evidently receptive to that encouragement.

[alamob]

Less of the table jabs at her bottom with the change. He could have tousled it up some without angering her later, with the hour what it is. They have to sleep eventually.

"Robert," she murmurs between one kiss and the next, right on its heels. They're relentless. She's not helping. God, if he'd just lay her out and ...

[hydesout]

He's suddenly not sure if he's ever heard Bella call him by name. It's always 'you' or 'boy', maybe surnames once in a while, even that is rare. Almost like she avoids it. That makes hearing it all the better.

It takes longer for his hands to begin to roam than it would with Hyde, but it still isn't long before he drags the hand on her back up her side, palm brushing just shy of her breast. He's not quite that bold. But the other on her thigh might be a different story yet.

[alamob]

'Doctor Jekyll' when they're professional or distant. Meanwhile, only strangers or enemies refer to her as Miss Charming.

Professionalism and distance aren't under discussion. He'll feel the quick smile that widens into a grin, and the hand vanishing down the back of his collar. Five little pinpricks dig in around his spine. He'll certainly feel it when the thigh he's exploring lifts and slides affectionately high between his legs.

[hydesout]

His breath quickens when he feels her nails, but hitches when her thigh presses against him. And with it, his jaw and the muscles in his arms and chest tighten, paralyzed with fear for a moment, before it seems to give him more confidence instead. Enough to grip the back of that thigh to sit her on the table, and to then seek out the hem of her dress.