Kevin & Laura - Art (Backdated to the 10th)

[x-twenty-three.livejournal.com]

Kevin finds Laura at an art gallery. Life happens. The good kind of life.

Silently, Laura tilted her head to the left. Then to the right, and then to the left again, but the huge thing made of metal with the hooks and the wires and the...metal thingies didn't really look any differently than before. Was it art? Was it rubbish? Was it going to wake up and conquer the world? At this point she wouldn't care if it started dancing the Cha-cha-cha, as long as it made more sense to her eyes.

"Maybe you have to put a coin in somewhere..."

In the quiet gallery even Laura's words to herself seemed to travel through the open area plan. Kevin was near the back talking quietly with the owner of the gallery when he caught the sound of the vaguely familiar voice. He didn't think much of it until his conversation concluded shortly after and he was headed through the room toward the door. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of a slender brunette. He was nearly past her when his brain clicked into place and recognized her.

He crept up behind her and stopped a few feet away so he didn't risk getting startled claws in his gut or something. He'd been injured enough for the next five years already, thanks. That quota was filled. "Chaos of progress," he told her quietly.

"More like progressive chaos, but what do I know about it?" She didn't seem surprised for him to be there. Well, Laura was surprised about Kevin being there, but she had sensed him the moment he had moved away from the other man and passed next to her, so no accidental stabbing for him, anyway.

Without turning (it was oddly enticing to keep talking to him like that for some reason), she shrugged a little. "How was your travelling? And you know I'm not asking about the flight, but the part worth talking about."

Attention had been paid to her posture, but Laura seemed utterly at ease so he stepped in closer to her. Proximity made speaking quietly easier. It also meant he could snake an arm around her waist because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Kevin was so very touch oriented and admitted it so infrequently. He didn't think she'd mind, or possibly care at all. "It was good," Kevin told her with a small smile even though she obviously couldn't see it. "There's only like thirty-five hundred people in Nome and Ah went out to an island with just two real small villages on it and saw glaciers. It's quiet there. Peaceful. Almost didn't come back."

She didn't mind the hand. She liked it there, and Kevin would feel how her muscles relaxed under his fingers. She was just too easy when it came to show how she was feeling through her body. She would purr, but it was a public place and that, somehow, would be wrong. She wasn't sure of how exactly, but it was better not to risk it.

"Quiet, I like how it sounds," Laura said as she smiled as well, focusing on his hand over her waist. "You could have sent a text, and I would have travelled all the way there, so we can fish in a hole in the ice and cuddle in the middle of a snow storm." It almost sounded like a wonderful thing.

With his free hand Kevin made sure his hood was pulled as far over his head as possible. Sure of its position, he leaned his head to the side, the cloth of the hood the only separation between her hair and his temple. It was extremely comfortable to stand here with her like this, but Kevin didn't think too much about it. Rather he smiled at what she said about ice fishing. "If Ah knew you'd come then Ah mighta told you where Ah was. Next time Ah run away to Alaska Ah'll pack you, too, okay?" There was a note of amusement in his voice, but the offer was sincere.

The only reason she didn't hit him on the ribs was the fact the whole conversation plus touching action felt pretty good for her, too. "You better," she answered with a small, light giggle. She wanted to close the distance, feel his chest on her back, but at the same time, she wasn't going to move at all. Even the sweet torture of wanting more and wanting to stay the same felt good to her. "Was the nice man from before telling you good news, by the way?"

"He was telling me Ah need to get my sculptures here at least a week before the show openin' or he might try to skin me for his stress." He was grinning. "Ah found out Ah got in the show the same day Ah got my freedom from court. Ah showed Angel and her mom when we went out to dinner but then Ah disappeared." He pulled his head away from hers enough to nod sideways toward the back. "There's somethin' up on the wall in the back listin' upcoming shows. My name's on it and everything." The pride in Kevin's voice was near palpable.

Laura grinned as she listened. Usually, she would have already tackled the person telling her about his success, but with Kevin she would need to wait until it could be better coordinated. Still, happiness. "Oh, we got to go and see right now, then. I don't think this Transformer will wake up any time soon, anyway." Or maybe it will, but she didn't care. The movies sucked. Laura made a small rotating movement, as if Kevin were the one making her spin, his hand over her head until she was facing him. "Damn, how do I kiss you without making you freak the hell out?" wondered out loud before moving to a side, pulling Kevin along by almost the tip of his gloved fingers. "Are there picture? Do you appear with champagne, a Ferrari and semi naked women?" Her pride, it was pretty damn palpable.

He had been smiling a bit from her twirling herself, but the expression vanished for one more akin to curiosity when she asked how to kiss him without freaking him out. He ended up dragged along, though. "Nah, it's just my name." Her lading him by the tip of his finger had his glove starting to pull off so Kevin shifted his hand until his fingers laced through hers. His grip on her hand was loose enough that she could easily pull away if she wanted to. When they go to the back of the gallery Kevin pointed out the posting of upcoming shows for Laura to gravitate toward.

"And it depends where, but generally carefully, for the record. Real carefully."

If she had ruled the kissing question too fast, it might have been intentional, but Laura was already more focused on the display of the things to come, hand's grip becoming stronger, enough so she could pull him around, keep the glove on, and actually allow blood to pass through; as if Laura would ever let go of his hand, but Kevin and his delusions were free to delude themselves. The thing in and of itself wasn't really as flashy as she had thought, but Laura was happy none the less. "So you are like, famous or something now?" she asked as she turned around, trying to tell from his expression how he would take the whole fame thing. "Do you get to firm autographs or something?"

"Ah'm pretty sure no one wants my autograph. And Ah'm not famous now." He was trying really hard to keep the stupid grin that wanted to spread off of his face. The best he did was downsize it to a smile. "But Ah guess Ah could be if someone famous bought one of my sculptures that ended up here. It's just a step, that's all. Just a real, big, important step. Never been in a gallery or showin' or anything before, y'know?" And he was even a little nervous about it.

She gave his hand a little squeeze. Laura was no good at downsizing grins, so she was still showing most of her teeth. "You'll do great. I mean, look at me; I don't know a thing about art but out of the few pieces done by you that I've seen, I can tell it's good. Really good. It makes me feel..." And look at her, unsure of what to say for once in the whole day. Damn you, art. "...something, I don't know, but it feels good. Now imagine some folk with fancy words, and money to get one of your works. You will do great." She nodded, and then used Kevin's hand to make a little twirl again as she moved around the place slowly. And of course, she was going to try to make Kevin spin now.

"Thanks. It's good to know someone's got faith in me," Her apparent fondness for twirling around was sort of cute. Kevin was not a twirling sort, though. There was just nothing twirly about him. But he did follow her around, attached at the hand, while she drifted from one sculpture or painting to another and occasionally twirled her on his own between pieces. When they came to a metal sculpture of dancers that was five feet tall and six and a half feet wide Kevin grinned a little. "Even someone as self-proclaimed ignorant about art as you can get the point of that."

The twirling made her laugh like a little child having the best of times. Laura was serious when it came to the no emotional filter policy. She did stop and went all 'oooooh' at the dancers. "Well I can certainly see what was the point of this one", said as she cocked her head to side anyway. "To make something like this out of steel...or marble, there's an extra plus for the effort, I guess?" Even if Kevin used his powers, it would be a lot easier to make a fancy sketch and be done with it. "Do you want me to come when the big opening happens? In a dress and high heels and all lady-like?"

Kevin's eyebrows shot upward at that mental image. Laura was beautiful, of course, but he always saw her in jeans and casual clothes. Never in dresses. Not that he doubted she wore them. She seemed like a skirts kind of girl. But a dress. And possibly not a casual type of dress. That was something else entirely. "You'd do that? Come in a dress and heels and all lady-like?"

Her smile was a strange mix of tease and pure evilness. "Every soon-to-be-famous artist needs a nice girl to stand next to him and dazzle everyone, right? And I've been stuck in boys clothes for months now. If I could go and train in skirts, you bet I would, so any chance to use a pretty dress will be gladly accepted." Who was she to refuse an opportunity to show off anyway?

"There's a difference between a nice girl and a pretty girl." His smile took on a distinctly smirking quality. "You think you qualify as a nice girl? 'Cause, Ah mean, Ah'd give you the pretty girl hands down. But you seem a little too mischievous to qualify for a nice one." He twirled her around again and pulled her in toward him when she came around full circle. "But, yeah, Ah want you to come. All heels and a dress and lady-like."

Laura breathed slowly in, and out, distance suddenly gone. Looking at him with her eyes half closed and a smile on her face, she had to wonder just from where was she getting so much self control. Nothing good would come out of that line of though. "Oh, Kevin," she purred as she cocked her head to a side, feeling how her hair cascaded slowly. "For this kind of thing I would like to consider me a woman, not a girl. Bigger impact, and everyone will be looking at the young man that certainly won the lottery." She was perhaps exaggerating, but for Kevin? It was fair enough. "Then I'll be here, with you. I can be incredibly lady-like when needed."

"Ah've got real high standards for 'lady-like,'" he warned her, voice low and quiet so it went no further than the two of them. "Ah'm from the South and all. Standard of well-mannered is much higher down there." His eyes watched the fall of her hair, making sure it didn't get so close to his throat that he'd have to shift. Kevin's gaze slowly moved from Laura's hair up her throat and back up to her eyes. "If you're gonna be so well behaved, though, Ah think you should be considered a lady, not a woman. Anyone can be a woman, that's just gender. Can't everyone be a lady, though."

She considered in silence, lips pursed a little, and then laughed, but in such a way it didn't really leave her throat; it was more a low chuckle as she smiled at him. "I like that. A lady. I won't disappoint, honey." She then twirled away, slowly so her hair didn't go flying off everywhere and stood with her arm, and his arm completely extended. Laura wasn't a dancer, but she had taken some classes, and was naturally predisposed to that sort of thing. She knew Kevin wasn't of the dancing type, though. A shame. "What are you doing later, mister artist?"

He looked down their extended arms at her. Kevin preferred her closer rather than farther, but he was also incredibly tactile. Not that he would say anything about it. Sure, he could have pulled her back, but he suspected he might have been skirting the edge of that line where Laura kind of froze up. Actually, he might have hit it right before she spun herself out and away again. "Art, probably. Ah don't really have plans for the rest of the day so art's pretty much where Ah end up. Or watchin' something on TV or a DVD or somethin'. Ah'm real exciting that way."

The distance, Laura didn't take account of it until they were apart, so she took a couple of steps towards him, and stopped; Kevin was the most difficult person to approach she knew. "Can I watch? How you make...art." She hadn't tried to sound like she did, but it happened anyway; it sounded way more serious than she would have usually asked about something, partly because Kevin + Art = Serious Business, and she didn't want to intrude, as much as she intruded in many other things, personal spaces included. "Hey, I could even strike a pose and be a pretty model, if you do that sort of thing." Although she wasn't sure if she could just be still for whatever it took.

"Yeah, you can watch." He hoped his tone lightened the feeling of the topic. Kevin took art seriously and he was more dedicated to it than anything else, but he didn't think it was something that needed the kind of gravity Laura had in her voice. "And I do that sorta thing sometimes. If you wanted to, Ah could draw you. Ah'm not as good with painting people. But Ah draw 'em really well. You won't be watching much, though. And a lot of people get uncomfortable with being looked at that way." He pulled her closer with their clasped hands. Kevin's gaze at once seemed to gain a sort of weight as he looked at her. "Like you're the most singularly beautiful and interesting thing in the world. Like you're all that exists." He closed what space was left between them with a single step. "'Cause you would be all that existed. From start to finish there'd only be you. It's...intimate. Lots of people can't take it. Can't take the thought of their flaws being found out. Of being memorized. Can't take bein' someone's world and having that focus all on them, even for just a few hours."

Laura looked down, carefully placing a hand over Kevin's chest. She listened in silence, trying to keep a straight face, although she didn't look up at any time. "It's kind of...not fair," she said at last after Kevin was done talking. "How can you say...those beautiful things and I can't do a thing about it." She bit her lip, wondering what point she was trying to prove there; Laura felt her words were just coming out without any order in particular. She went silent for a moment, struggling with feelings she wasn't sure she had had a moment ago. "But...I think I would like if someone looked at me like that, if it's just for a moment." She nodded a little, and then went silent a little. "You would have a chance to see me blushing all the while, too, so I guess it's not such a bad business in the end?"

The thought of actually being able to make her blush again left Kevin with a bare trace of a smile on his lips. His grip on her hand became a little more firm before his free hand came up. A single gloved finger touched under Laura's chin and tilted it back upward until she was looking at him again. "What do you wanna do about it? The only one who says you can't is you." His thumb found the edge of her lower lip and traced the line of it. Kevin's attention was on that movement until his thumb stilled, but did not pull away. He started to sketch her in his mind, the bow of her lips, the line of her jaw, the depth of her eyes. Kevin was already trying to memorize her and from this close there was nowhere to hide from the intensity of that attention.

There was an inner battle inside of Laura, although from the exterior she was suddenly quiet, almost as if she were frozen there, every bit of her attention on the finger tracing her lips and on Kevin's eyes. Half of her wanted to lunge towards him, kill the distance and send every little precaution she always took around him to Hell; she wanted a kiss so badly she was a little surprised she actually didn't want anything else. Not right there, at least. Her other half was screaming, warning her she couldn't allow herself that, beseeching her not to freak the only man she had grown to like in ways she wasn't aware she could. Right there, Laura felt like her own worst enemy, so she stood still, eagerness present on her eyes as she tried to remember she still had to breathe like everyone else. But she couldn't just shut up her feelings, and if she wasn't going to move, she was going to speak then.

"Right now? You. I want you." She cocked her head to a side ever so slightly. "Which kinda blows because we were doing so fine..."

Kevin couldn't help the small smile and laugh. "You want me and that blows?" His thumb slid from her lip to her jaw. He didn't have to watch his gloved hand move up along her jaw until his fingers slipped up behind her ear. Watching her expression was far more interesting. "So if Ah kiss you...? Ruins everything? No more friendship, no more movie nights, no date for my opening and no drawing you?" His thumb traced over her cheek. "That does blow. 'Cause Ah want all that. And Ah wanna kiss you."

"Hm."

Laura frowned a little, confused by the answer. There was no freaking out, or at least it wasn't evident. Odd. Something warm started to go up from her stomach, all the way up to her lungs, her chest, her throat. No, it wasn't blush, but it probably felt equally weird. It was a sense of lightness she didn't remember possessing, not even when she was in the middle of some acrobatic jump. She was perhaps getting a little dizzy, too. So odd. "Not sure," Laura whispered as she took a tiny, microscopic step towards Kevin without noticing. "You would need to be really careful not to make a mess out of me, and trust I wouldn't jump you right away." She was already making promises in her mind to be quiet, to stay still but this wasn't really happening, right? "Friends with...kissing benefits? Is that a valid term? Would that still ruin everything?" Her brain was slowly shutting itself down as she spoke. "Why are you so far away then?" she whispered as she looked at his lips for a moment before going up again. She was dreaming, of course.

In response to her question, Kevin let go of her hand. His now freed hand went to her hip, then around to the small of her back so he could pull her in closer. Their bodies met, lightly pressed together from thigh to ribs and his hand went up her spine until it stopped just below her shoulder blades. But he didn't let go and the hand cradling the side of her face hadn't moved. "Who needs a term?" he asked very quietly. Kevin was soft spoken normally, but now his words were barely loud enough to be heard. From this distance, though, he was certain she could hear him. "Friends with kissing benefits, valid parameters."

Kevin's head tilted to the side and then paused. He wanted to make sure she was paying attention and wouldn't move. Laura was beautiful, but she'd be a lot less beautiful without a nose. And that would really ruin the mood. So he waited until he was sure, then he closed what distance was left until his lips found hers. Kevin was, as always, very very careful to not press in too close. Only their lips touched, but it was scant millimeters of space that kept cheeks, noses or chins from brushing the skin of the other person. Kevin had considerable practice, however, in kissing so carefully but not letting that caution diminish the kiss. And he had it on good authority that he was very good at kissing.

By that moment, Laura would have agreed with anything Kevin had said. Anything as long as he didn't move any further from her. Even with the gloves and her own clothes in the way, his touch burned on her body. And only that. No second thoughts, no sudden need to remove her clothes. It was...different. Simpler, and more complicated. Before Laura could reach a rational answer to her little discovery, he was kissing her. Carefully, and also passionately. Laura kissed back, softly; even with her eyes closed she knew exactly where he was and where she shouldn't move. She didn't move at all, anyway. It was such a good kiss to waste on details. Her other hand went up, too, so both of them were against his chest for a moment, before going slightly higher, fingertips over his shoulders. He was a really good kisser, alright, and it wasn't even a deep kiss.

Not one to rush just about anything, Kevin took his time with that kiss. It was slow and simple, but it didn't want for feeling or that intensity Kevin always seemed to pour into such contact. When all you could safely do the normal way was kiss you learned to make it count for something, and Kevin had. Without ever having deepened the kiss, Kevin was still a little short of breath when he let it break. Distance wasn't really something he was interested in, so when their lips broke from one another he only pulled away enough to be able to look at Laura without her having to worry about accidentally losing a nose. "Still blow to want me?" he asked with a touch of humor in his voice.

The first response Kevin got was a somewhat broken sigh as Laura exhaled quietly. She wasn't going to get tired of telling herself that nobody had ever kissed her like that and that for a second she had felt like crying a little -exactly why, she wasn't too sure, but it less to do with the actual kiss and more with the things she remembered once it ended. It actually made her think of what she had been doing so far. Slowly opening her eyes, she gave him a simple smile, although her cheeks were slightly pink now. "I think," Laura started very slowly as she picked her words, one by one. "It can't really get any worse." Her smile grew a little then. "I'll pose, for you alone. In whatever you want me to use, for as long as you need to." And she knew she would love every second of it.

"Good to know we've hit rock bottom already," Kevin joked. His thumb shifted, moving over her pinkened cheek. He said nothing about the flush, just appreciated the sight silently. A level of tension seemed to have dissipated between them. They'd both wanted one another, but until now had said and done nothing about it. Kevin swore she felt more relaxed in his arms, but he felt more relaxed, too. "Anything Ah want? Might just want you as you are." He gave her a quicker, lighter kiss. "All flushed skin and quiet contentment and that look Ah can't quite name that you've got on your face right now."

She let a short, silly giggle escape her lips before he kissed her again. Yes, very, very good kisser. Laura found she didn't care about not being able to move and squirm as much as she wanted, because that was usually what she ended up doing when the kiss itself wasn't good enough. Or just enough. This was different, and she wondered if she had been missing something all this time about kissing people. Laura felt relaxed -not melting, which was good, considering she was already close to him- and felt his grip on her to be less tense and more...caring. It felt good. "Always asking for the most difficult things," Laura said without raising her voice at all, so only he could hear; she wasn't even sure if there were people again; Kevin had made her deaf to the entire world for the time being. "But you can have that, too. Might have to kiss me before you start drawing though."

"You drive a real hard bargain there." The smile on his face was more than enough indication he was kidding. "Ah dunno how Ah'll manage to deal with all this kissin', but somehow Ah think Ah'll get through." Kevin was already a big fan of kissing Laura. It had been a long time since he'd kissed a girl aside from the two times he'd kissed Yvette and that had been different for a number of reasons. Mostly he was used to guys. Either Jay who was slender and even sort of bony, or Jean-Paul who was mostly firm muscle. But Laura was soft against him. Her lips were softer and her face was more narrow. In a lot of ways, it was easier to kiss her without running into skin contact issues. Something being easier than usual was enough to make Kevin want to keep it up, but he was fairly certain if he kept kissing her then he might not stop and that would just be rude to other people.

"You got plans for the rest of the day or can Ah steal you?"

"I only bet to be the winner," she said with a smug little grin as she listened to him. She knew what was happening; her brain was slow and she was acting purely on the pheromones of the kiss...but in a way her mind seemed to be working faster than ever, which was truly disconcerting. She supposed that given the moment they were having, it was better to focus on the happy, shiny things and let her usual worries aside. She didn't shake her head -too close-, but gave him another smile. "Steal me away. I had no plans so I guess nobody should miss me much if I don't come back to the mansion." And for all she cared, Kevin could be as rude as he wanted to be.

That answer got her a kiss pressed to her temple. Kevin was very affectionate and very tactile and not having Jean-Paul in a couple weeks meant that he'd had no outlet for that. He was in tactile affection withdrawal and Laura seemed just fine letting him take that out on her. "Ah'll bring you back to the mansion. Eventually. Ah make no promises that anyone else but me'll see you when Ah do, though." He didn't exactly let her go or even make things easier for either of them to move. He just took a step sideways in the direction of the door and pulled her along with him.

"So, you really need full disclosure here." It was entirely possible this would kill the mood, but Kevin was too responsible to not give her full disclosure. "Ah'm assumin' you know Jean-Paul and Ah broke up and that you're not thinkin' Ah'm kissin' you while still in a relationship with him." He wasn't one to announce his personal business and it had just occurred to him that Laura may very well not know that.

Laura laughed as she followed him easily. "Then I guess the mansion will need to deal with it." They needed to move, after all. She took a few seconds of silence after he talked again, though, but her mood didn't seem to change much. "Well, I had the fleeting suspicion you weren't the kind of dirty double-timer bastard that dates both a guy and a girl at the same time, so." She shrugged a little, and then smiled at him. "I just want us three not to end up on an emotional war of sorts or something."

"Ah don't think you're in any danger of emotional warfare. But it's complicated with me and Jean-Paul." He pulled her out the door of the gallery and onto the sidewalk where the noise of the city helped drowned their conversation out for those walking nearby. Kevin didn't get them very far onto the sidewalk before he stopped again and continued to explain. "We didn't break up because we don't want each other. We didn't break up because we don't care about each other anymore. We broke up 'cause a relationship with one another just ain't what either of us needs right now. But that definition's all that's really changed. There's a lot that we do still give each other and still need from each other. Some of it's sexual but a lot of it's affectionate. And it ain't as easy as saying sexual stuff's just sex. It's not with us. And Ah'm not willin' to take that away from either of us for anythin' short of somethin' serious and committed and monogamous with someone." Wow, that sounded so...inflexible.

"Ah like you. A lot. And Ah know you like me. And Ah know you're sorta terrified of guys with emotions so Ah'm assumin' you're just fine with my preference for no terms or definitions of whatever with us. Ah don't wanna rush anythin' with anyone. But you got a right to know that things with Jean-Paul are just as open and fluid and affectionate and sexual as anything that could develop with us. And if something serious starts to happen, well, then boundaries start to get set with Jean-Paul, but until then Ah'm not really lookin' at definin' anything with either of you." Kevin looked down between them and took her hand in his again. His eyes then moved back up to meet hers. "Still interested in non-defined friends with whatever?"

Laura took a moment to listen quietly, because this was sort of important to take into account. When it came to something that was more or less close to a real relationship deserved her full attention. "Look, we like each other. I can't say I have liked anyone in the last...years." Putting a number might not do good for her in the long run. "And I have, eh, needs, I've always had, and the last thing I want do is impose any of my cravings on you, because I think I know my limits, and your limits." She was going to make an effort not to think about Kevin and Jean-Paul doing...whatever they did, because she liked them both and it was better if it stayed that way. "Look, you need to sort things out in your life, and you have choices to make. You have a life now that you are free, so do whatever you need to." Laura smiled a little before giving him a soft bump with her hips. "I'll tag along for the ride as long as you want me to." And as long as she could define what she wanted with him, in the end. "And you are so not getting rid of me for the opening party, so you better get one of those 'For Mr. Kevin Ford and Ms.' kind of invitations, or whatever they put in there."

"So, in sum..." he trailed off, thinking about how to phrase this. There probably wasn't any good way to phrase it, actually. "We have a thing. That we're not defining or labeling or putting any rules on. And until we want to...we are both entirely cool with each other...well. Basically having sex with other people. Right?" Kevin wanted to be very clear on this because he did not want anyone getting pissed at him. And both Laura and Jean-Paul could do considerably more damage to him than he was likely to do to them so he'd really like to not incur anyone's wrath on this.

That alone, the carefulness of his phrasing, made Laura snicker at him. "Yes and no", said with a tiny evil smile "We do have a thing, and we aren't labeling or putting rules on it right now. And yes, I guess we are going to be doing the 'sex with other people' thing...but as soon as you think you are ready to be exclusive with me, if it goes that way, I think we will be pretty much set then." It wasn't that she didn't like to sleep around, but that she wouldn't mind at all to do it only with Kevin. Was he ready for that? She didn't know, but Laura supposed she was already willing to wait for him, as long as she could cuddle and kiss him as much as she wanted. "I know what I want, Kevin, that's what sets me apart from most girls. But I also know that sometimes you have to be patient. I can do patient." It just didn't mean she wasn't going to have fun while she waited.

"You," a gloved fingertip came to rest on the tip of her nose for a moment, "are also the girl who runs and hides when Ah get serious usually, so Ah'm pretty sure it ain't just a question of when Ah'm ready." He gave her a knowing sort of smile. Laura had gone from not knowing what to do with a guy who had actual emotions to being willing to wait until Kevin was just hers in a matter of a couple months. Either he was magic or she wasn't as ready for exclusivity as she thought. "Besides, Ah go from zero to really committed in like a week usually. Ah'm thinkin' the scenic route could be nice." He brushed her hair away from one side of her neck and placed a careful kiss there. "The view's real nice, after all," he whispered near her ear. "Don't see any point in zoomin' by it."

When he pulled back Kevin had the edges of a smile on his lips. He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders so they could leave the wall he more or less had her up against while they'd talked. "So, you're not plannin' on just showin' up and distractin' me to death? You're claimin' date status for yourself?" He didn't sound at all bothered by that.

There was a little amused roll of eyes from Laura. "Would you ever believe me that I was mostly sure I would never have a chance with you? Then it was both tempting and fun. But this, this is kind of different. If it's you, by now I'm pretty sure I can show my feelings and don't fear they will get crushed and tossed aside." It wasn't the same as saying that Kevin would take her without doubt, ditching Jean-Paul right away, no. But even then, Kevin was pretty damn good at making her feel...cared for. She could live with that. He was also perhaps magic, too, but she wasn't going to feed his ego right away. Although he could receive some praising with that kissing technique. Even in the middle of the street, Laura had no qualms at closing her eyes and tilting her head a little to grant him better access to her neck without the risk of touching. "Scenic route it is. I suppose I need to learn more about this stuff anyway."

She let him pass his arm over her shoulders, a little grin of pure glee on her face as they walked. "I could be the fashionably late date, if you want, arriving in a limousine and giving a hard time to the valet parking personnel." It even sounded fun. "And then I would distract you to death, of course. And hey, a girl's gotta have initiative, right?"

"And risk lettin' me get distracted by someone else?" He quirked an eyebrow up at her as they walked down the sidewalk. "Besides, then you take away my chances of seeing everyone give me that look when Ah come in that clearly wonders how someone like me ended up with someone like you on my arm. Would you really make me give that up?" To be honest, he felt much safer arriving with someone. It wasn't exactly casual fare and a hoodie just wouldn't fit into an appropriate ensemble, which meant Kevin would be a little twitchy about anyone getting near him and trying to watch all sides of himself at once. Joy. "For the record, though? Ah'm not sure Ah'm very good at the crushin' and tossin' aside thing."

Another hip bump. "I would never deny you of making everyone else in there envious of you. We arrive as one, that is decided now." She wasn't of the jealous kind, but if there were pretty girls there, Laura would certainly not mind making them want to be in her place. "And you need someone to snuggle all the time, so people aren't trying to get too close and pinch your cheeks or ruffle your hair." And as soon as she could get Kevin-proof gloves there would be much hair ruffling in her agenda. Turning around to face him, she raised the hand that wasn't over her shoulders and kissed it through his glove before looking up at him, an odd shine on her eyes. "And that's why I think you got me a long, long time ago."

"So Ah stole your heart by needing a bodyguard?" He was grinning, partially because she had at least slightly taken to one of the ways he worked around his mutation. Pretend the gloves weren't there. Everything he had that was Kevin-proof was so thin and almost satiny - or so he had been told - that he felt most contact fairly well through the cloth and the sleekness of the material caused a sensation all its own that Kevin had come to associate with touch in general. Laura had no way of knowing what significance that silly kiss on his hand held for him, but she got points for it anyway. "You're right about needin' someone to watch my back. Ah get really twitchy when Ah don't have a hood. The more of me that's exposed 'round people who don't know any better the more my anxiety sorta skyrockets. Don't be surprised if Ah try to hide in a corner. Literally."

"What can I say? You're classy like that." It wasn't that she liked the hopeless, needy kind of protection -okay, maybe a little- but Kevin had a lot of certain somethings she was strangely attracted to. It made it all the more exciting and terrifying for her. She had no idea about the whole "pretend there's no clothes" things because she was more the kind of person that would remove her clothes if it came to that...although she had tried the whole clothes on thing once. She wasn't a fan though. Then again, she had no idea of what she was going to end up doing with Kevin. Exciting and terrifying, yep. "Don't you worry, I'll make sure to be all over you so anyone tries to get close... And I'm all for cozy corners."

Kevin grinned down at her. "My hero. My hero in a corner, though? Even better." Who could possibly argue against Laura and a corner?