Fifth Column: Lil and Peter, Epilogue

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Promises kept.


The bottle of palinka was long gone.

As were both of their shirts.

Straddling Peter's lap as the Hungarian sat on the couch, and careful not to aggravate his injuries, Lil traced a line from his bandaged shoulder, over his collarbone to the hollow of his throat with her mouth. She had helped him back to his place, making jokes about the 'naughty nurse fantasy' being universal as they went before helping the injured man get comfortable. A toast of the traditional fruit brandy to less exciting missions in both their futures was followed by another then another - though it was only the Canadian who partook in any actual drinking due to the medication still pumping through Peter's veins - until glasses were forgotten and mouths began to search out satisfaction for other desires.

Soft lips climbed higher, teasing up his neck with a delighted chuckle until they pressed sweetly to Peter's once again. Alcohol and post-mission adrenalin buzzed in her head, making it feel even more fuzzy when combined with his kisses and when they parted, Lil's smile was soft but dazzling. "Feeling better yet?" she asked, twirling the hair at the nape of his neck around her finger while her other hand ran over the scars that covered his bare chest.

"I don't think most one-armed men are allowed to feel this much better," Peter murmured, his accent thicker than it usually was. "Illegal. Most likely against doctor's orders, too." His lips twitched. "To hell with the doctor..."

Lil's chuckle was heavy and deep in the back of her throat before she lowered her mouth to his again and drew his bottom lip into her mouth for a playful suck and teasing nip. "Don't damn those doctors; they fixed you up so you could feel this good," she reminded him, letting her fingers explore lower, fluttering over the cut of his abdominal muscles.

"Then they told me to go home and rest," he pointed out, then added something that sounded derogatory in Hungarian before he kissed the side of her neck.

Eyelashes fluttering with pleasure, she lifted her chin to give him more room to work. "Not exactly doing anything strenuous right now, Peter," Lil purred, circling his navel with her thumb. The foreign words spilling from his lips made her smile and she buried her other hand in his hair, scraping her nails over his scalp. "You're home and kinda resting."

"I think this has the potential to turn very strenuous," he pointed out, fairly enough, and then found something better to do with his mouth.

Her laugh slid into a gasp and her fingers tightened in his hair. Arching closer, Lil pressed her chest to his, careful to keep too much weight off his shoulder as she dragged the lace of her bra over his pecs. "As tempting as that sounds, you are injured."

"Nonsense," he insisted. "Can do many things, one-armed. Disarmed a bomb once." He made a noise that was quite unmistakably a laugh. "Not nearly as explosive as you..."

Lil's breath caught and tugging playfully on his hair, guided his mouth back to her own for a long, drawn out kiss that left her a bit breathless when they parted. "Flatterer," she teased back, wrinkling her nose adorably as it brushed against his. "It's still a bad idea." For a number of reasons; most of which Lil had no desire to admit. If she could just focus on his injuries and leave it at that... "I don't want you doing any more damage to yourself."

It clearly took some real effort for Peter to focus. He eyed her for a long moment, almost curiously, then his lips twitched. "This is true," he said, and if he suspected that there was more to it than that, there was nothing even approaching a knowing look in his eyes. "Just because you can do something doesn't mean you should."

She nodded then kissed him again, this time lacking the urgency they others had contained. It was softer; full of affection and understanding. "Even if you really, really, really want to," Lil agreed, playing with his hair again while pressing her forehead to his. And she did; every hormone screamed to lead him into the bedroom, to satisfy the urge that had been building over the last six months. Everything was perfect - casual sex in a foreign country with no expectations, no strings and an incredibly handsome man who she enjoyed spending time with...

But he wasn't Madison. With the relaunch so close, knowing she could be called back to Canada and have to face him any day now - even if the technomorph hadn't asked about her - it was too much. Too much to risk, too much to put on the line for one night no matter how much she wanted it.

"I'm sorry," Lil whispered on a heavy breath, her eyes sliding shut before fluttering open again to meet his gaze once more. It wasn't fair to lie to him. "There are... issues back home. And until those are resolved, anything more than this is shouldn't happen."

"Imagine that," he said, reaching up and tucking blonde hair behind one of her ears. "Complications." He seemed perfectly good-humored about it, though. It wasn't that he wouldn't have preferred a different answer, bad arm or no bad arm, but it helped that she was being honest about it. And he was feeling very mellow, in general. Possibly the pain medication, or having survived the day, or a combination of both...

Her nose brushed along his jaw sweetly followed by a fleeting kiss. "Unfortunately, yeah. Ones I'm hoping to take care of soon." That Lil knew for certain: that either way her marriage went, the problem would be resolved. The blonde woman nuzzled closer, not yet ready for the encounter to end just yet. "If it's any consolidation, I would much rather be trying out some strenuous activities in your bedroom with you than trying to convince myself to go back to my room to get some sleep before tomorrow."

"Sleep is maybe not such a bad thing," Peter said, turning his head to the side for a moment to stifle a yawn of his own. "Although, given that you polished off that entire bottle of palinka, I half-think I should offer you my bed, and stay here on the couch..."

"You must be high if you're offering to sleep on your couch for me after I just turned you down for sex," she laughed, catching his jaw to coax him into one, final lingering kiss before sliding off his lap. "Need help up?" Lil asked, holding a hand out for him.

"A gentleman," Peter insisted - and took the hand. "Not high. Do men not have good manners, in Canada?" He was definitely listing to the side.

Lil guided him to his feet carefully then ducked under his arm to lead him to the bed room, leaving both their tops behind. "They do. But when pouring a bottle of alcohol down a girl's throat in hopes of getting her naked doesn't pan out, things tend to go sour," she replied with a laugh before helping him onto the bed, going so far as to remove his shoes and socks for him. "You gonna be alright?"

He didn't let go of her. "Seriously," he said a bit fuzzily. "Stay. Have half the bed. It's a good-sized bed. If you got hit crossing the street I would be very sad."

"So will the poor person who has major damage to their engine and hood after hitting an invulnerable woman," Lil chuckled affectionately. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek, giving his fingers a squeeze. "If you tell me where I can find a t-shirt and promise to keep your one good arm to yourself, I'll stay."

"Top drawer," Peter said. "And I promise."

Her fingers ghosted over his jaw, down his throat then lay over his heart. "Then, I'll stay. And I promise not to snore too loudly."