[ kate, for her part, is a little too busy trying to pass off as casual, breezy, to notice anything off about benedict. is she perhaps a little disappointed she hadn't managed to elicit a reaction out of him? perhaps. luckily kate only views failure as another challenge. ]
Is that what you consider all-out? That was just the tip of the iceberg, Benny.
[ she catches his look and his smirk and gives him the sweetest, most innocent smile she can muster. ]
[ Is that lucky, though? Maybe not for his reputation. He's finding it hard to really care right now, though, too flustered though he's managing to hide it well. ]
Well, when you do decide to go all-out, at least let me pull over, first.
[ The last thing he wants to do is pull a Princess Diana. It might sway the public's opinion in his favor, but neither of them will be around to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and he's rather attached to living, for some reason. ]
[ she chews on her lower lip in an attempt to keep her comments to herself, but all it does is remind her (very vividly) what it feels like to kiss someone so hard it hurts.
her hands, which she'd placed on her lap in an effort to behave, twist the hem of her sun dress' skirt. ]
[ Feeling a tad bit steadier now that he's not actively being mauled, Benedict glances over just in time to watch Kate's fingers worry at the hem of her dress, inadvertently pulling the fabric up just enough to display her thighs to great effect.
Mindlessly turning onto a different road, he clears his throat. ]
[ kate licks her lips, weighing her options here carefully. on the one hand, benedict in her friend. her good friend, one of the few who know what she does and doesn't give her a hard time about it. that kind of trust is priceless. certainly not worth risking anything for.
...on the other hand, he smelled so fucking good.
and was it her imagination, or did benedict just pull into a deadend street? ]
[ Not just a dead-end street, but the kind of dead end that's erected for the start of a public walking trail, with a small little gravel and pavement area for a car or two to park and one lone rubbish bin that marks the start of the trail. It's thankfully deserted, which means the fact that he winds up idling at such an angle that absolutely no other cars could even try to park beside him isn't such an issue.
What is an issue is the fact that he's no longer driving.
Which means... ]
I... [ He's being ridiculous. He's a grown man who's dealt with being shot at with more aplomb than this. How is it that a bullet tearing through the meat of his shoulder doesn't make his palms sweat as much as a pretty girl setting her teeth to his throat?
It's tempting to equivocate, to answer her question with another question of his own, to make some sort of quip to try and dispel the tension. If he never admits to wanting anything, then it won't bother him when he doesn't get it, or when it's taken away from him. That's how he's managed to live most of his life, after all, never quite committing to anything that could make him vulnerable in an effort to keep himself safe.
But it's just Kate. She wouldn't do this to him just to mock him, not after committing to the ruse for so long. Right?
Right. ] Yes.
[ Gods. Why is he so scared? This is ridiculous. Grasping desperately for anything to dispel some of the tension, he forces a smile. ] We should probably practice before tonight, anyway.
[ she listens to the car idle (barely a sound above a whisper, to be honest, that's how quiet it is between them) and glances out her window at the trail. not a soul for miles, save for that blue toyota who hangs back at the other end of the road, somehow less innocuous there than if it followed them in completely.
kate listens to the silence coming from benedict and fears she may have crossed a line, but when he responds she only feels a modicum of relief. ]
Hey.
[ she turns in the seat again, reaching out to rest her hand over the back of his. ]
It's me, okay? [ a gentle reminder that, no matter what, she is always on his side. ] I'm not going to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have nothing more to prove to these people.
[ How stupid of him, to think that asking her to accompany him to this fête was just to keep his aunt from bothering him and not actually because he's so desperately sick of being viewed as some sort of strange circus attraction, a freak of nature, pitiable and a little frightening like a bear riding a unicycle.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he shakes his head at himself and then visibly swallows down everything that's been churning in his gut so that he can turn to her and smile that placid, gentle smile he's so well known for, his expression clear. ]
[ it's a familiar smile, for sure, but kate doesn't know if it reassures her at all. she doesn't want him to have to force himself better for her sake, or anyone else's. ]
No, you're not being silly. Feel your feelings, Benny, they're valid. It's just you and me here.
Oh, stop with all this feelings nonsense. I'm British. We're allergic to feelings.
[ Benedict is never more stereotypically posh than when he's trying to distract himself from some uncomfortable emotions. Not that he's not painfully posh any other time, but it's a little bit less egregious when he's lazing about on her couch with his shoes off and a book in hand. Right now, in a small sports car that smells brand-new, with a soft sweater draped over his chest like it was made for him, it's a lot easier to remember that he comes from one of the oldest, and therefore wealthiest, families in Britain.
Sliding the car into park without actually bothering to park it sensibly at all — who else is going to try and join them here, at this time of day — he turns the ignition off and then turns to look at her. ]
Now. Are you going to kiss me for the paparazzi or not?
[ look, kate gets it. there's a time and a place for conflicted feelings about family, and for her most of that time is usually when she's alone. or drunk. she's not going to knock benedict for shoving such emotions away — we all cope in our own way — especially when it doesn't seem like making him confront them right now is going to do him any good.
so, as a good friend, it's only right she rolls with his attempts at distraction, right? ]
You really know how to romance a girl, huh.
[ she's going to pretend she hadn't been thinking about this the whole carride over. that she hadn't thought about it several times even before taking this trip. instead what she's going to do is unbuckle her seat belt and lean across that center console again, slipping a hand up to gently cradle the side of his face. it's seconds before the distance is crossed and she's pressing a soft, tentative kiss to his lips, equal parts terrified and impatient. ]
[ He smirks, his lip curling just enough that a flash of sharp canine shines through. ]
I'm famous for it.
[ Sarcasm, obviously.
It's somehow easier to do things that frighten him when he doesn't let himself consider what it is that's actually happening, and focusing on the paparazzi behind them, on the competitive nature of their friendship, allows him to meet her halfway as she leans over the console.
The first kiss is chaste in the extreme, just a gentle press of two closed mouths, but it still manages to send a gentle wash of warmth spreading through him.
Kate's a pretty girl, anyone with eyes could see that. Kate is, also, one of his closest friends, someone he willingly turns to when he's having a hard time because he knows that, even if she can't help him, she'll at least be sympathetic to his plight and support him through whatever hardships he's dealing with. If he had to choose a girlfriend, he'd want to choose someone like Kate, someone he could laugh with, who can laugh at him without being cruel, who's seen his vulnerable underbelly and still thinks he's worth her time.
He might be making a mistake, here, blurring these lines. ]
[ if mistakes of the romantic variety were pennies, kate would have enough money to rival her father's wealth.
alright, perhaps that's an exaggeration, but the fact of the matter is that kate has had her fair share of bad decisions, logic overtaken by a molotov cocktail of desire and impulsiveness. she's nearly ruined friendships in her youth, nearly ruined team dynamics, and though things wound up working out in the end it's not without a lot of hard work and sheer dumb luck. all this to say is: she should know better. she should do better than to give into desires that could jeopardize a friendship that means the world to her, and yet here she is surging forward, capturing lips with little more than a hope and a prayer.
it's the kind of kiss you could do in front of your grandparents and not have to worry about scandalizing them. but that lasts for only about two seconds.
now that they've done it, now that it's happened, why halfass it? so kate presses forward again, tilting her head at a better angle to fit her lips more comfortably over benedict's. this press has a little more pressure, a little more insistence, and then she's soon parting her lips to let the tip of her tongue slip out and trace the seam of his lips, taste the tea they'd just shared. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 05:51 pm (UTC)Is that what you consider all-out? That was just the tip of the iceberg, Benny.
[ she catches his look and his smirk and gives him the sweetest, most innocent smile she can muster. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 05:59 pm (UTC)Well, when you do decide to go all-out, at least let me pull over, first.
[ The last thing he wants to do is pull a Princess Diana. It might sway the public's opinion in his favor, but neither of them will be around to enjoy the fruits of their labor, and he's rather attached to living, for some reason. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 06:04 pm (UTC)her hands, which she'd placed on her lap in an effort to behave, twist the hem of her sun dress' skirt. ]
Is that an invitation?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 06:52 pm (UTC)Mindlessly turning onto a different road, he clears his throat. ]
Not while I'm driving, it's not.
[ But...maybe when he's stopped...? ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 07:22 pm (UTC)...on the other hand, he smelled so fucking good.
and was it her imagination, or did benedict just pull into a deadend street? ]
So... what about when you're not?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 07:54 pm (UTC)What is an issue is the fact that he's no longer driving.
Which means... ]
I... [ He's being ridiculous. He's a grown man who's dealt with being shot at with more aplomb than this. How is it that a bullet tearing through the meat of his shoulder doesn't make his palms sweat as much as a pretty girl setting her teeth to his throat?
It's tempting to equivocate, to answer her question with another question of his own, to make some sort of quip to try and dispel the tension. If he never admits to wanting anything, then it won't bother him when he doesn't get it, or when it's taken away from him. That's how he's managed to live most of his life, after all, never quite committing to anything that could make him vulnerable in an effort to keep himself safe.
But it's just Kate. She wouldn't do this to him just to mock him, not after committing to the ruse for so long. Right?
Right. ] Yes.
[ Gods. Why is he so scared? This is ridiculous. Grasping desperately for anything to dispel some of the tension, he forces a smile. ] We should probably practice before tonight, anyway.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 08:08 pm (UTC)kate listens to the silence coming from benedict and fears she may have crossed a line, but when he responds she only feels a modicum of relief. ]
Hey.
[ she turns in the seat again, reaching out to rest her hand over the back of his. ]
It's me, okay? [ a gentle reminder that, no matter what, she is always on his side. ] I'm not going to make you do anything you're uncomfortable with. You have nothing more to prove to these people.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 08:18 pm (UTC)[ How stupid of him, to think that asking her to accompany him to this fête was just to keep his aunt from bothering him and not actually because he's so desperately sick of being viewed as some sort of strange circus attraction, a freak of nature, pitiable and a little frightening like a bear riding a unicycle.
Closing his eyes for a moment, he shakes his head at himself and then visibly swallows down everything that's been churning in his gut so that he can turn to her and smile that placid, gentle smile he's so well known for, his expression clear. ]
I'm sorry. I'm being silly. You're right.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 09:10 pm (UTC)No, you're not being silly. Feel your feelings, Benny, they're valid. It's just you and me here.
[ a pause. ]
Well, you, me, and the squirrels.
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 09:32 pm (UTC)[ Benedict is never more stereotypically posh than when he's trying to distract himself from some uncomfortable emotions. Not that he's not painfully posh any other time, but it's a little bit less egregious when he's lazing about on her couch with his shoes off and a book in hand. Right now, in a small sports car that smells brand-new, with a soft sweater draped over his chest like it was made for him, it's a lot easier to remember that he comes from one of the oldest, and therefore wealthiest, families in Britain.
Sliding the car into park without actually bothering to park it sensibly at all — who else is going to try and join them here, at this time of day — he turns the ignition off and then turns to look at her. ]
Now. Are you going to kiss me for the paparazzi or not?
no subject
Date: 2021-11-12 09:53 pm (UTC)so, as a good friend, it's only right she rolls with his attempts at distraction, right? ]
You really know how to romance a girl, huh.
[ she's going to pretend she hadn't been thinking about this the whole carride over. that she hadn't thought about it several times even before taking this trip. instead what she's going to do is unbuckle her seat belt and lean across that center console again, slipping a hand up to gently cradle the side of his face. it's seconds before the distance is crossed and she's pressing a soft, tentative kiss to his lips, equal parts terrified and impatient. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-13 01:22 am (UTC)I'm famous for it.
[ Sarcasm, obviously.
It's somehow easier to do things that frighten him when he doesn't let himself consider what it is that's actually happening, and focusing on the paparazzi behind them, on the competitive nature of their friendship, allows him to meet her halfway as she leans over the console.
The first kiss is chaste in the extreme, just a gentle press of two closed mouths, but it still manages to send a gentle wash of warmth spreading through him.
Kate's a pretty girl, anyone with eyes could see that. Kate is, also, one of his closest friends, someone he willingly turns to when he's having a hard time because he knows that, even if she can't help him, she'll at least be sympathetic to his plight and support him through whatever hardships he's dealing with. If he had to choose a girlfriend, he'd want to choose someone like Kate, someone he could laugh with, who can laugh at him without being cruel, who's seen his vulnerable underbelly and still thinks he's worth her time.
He might be making a mistake, here, blurring these lines. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-11-13 09:29 am (UTC)alright, perhaps that's an exaggeration, but the fact of the matter is that kate has had her fair share of bad decisions, logic overtaken by a molotov cocktail of desire and impulsiveness. she's nearly ruined friendships in her youth, nearly ruined team dynamics, and though things wound up working out in the end it's not without a lot of hard work and sheer dumb luck. all this to say is: she should know better. she should do better than to give into desires that could jeopardize a friendship that means the world to her, and yet here she is surging forward, capturing lips with little more than a hope and a prayer.
it's the kind of kiss you could do in front of your grandparents and not have to worry about scandalizing them. but that lasts for only about two seconds.
now that they've done it, now that it's happened, why halfass it? so kate presses forward again, tilting her head at a better angle to fit her lips more comfortably over benedict's. this press has a little more pressure, a little more insistence, and then she's soon parting her lips to let the tip of her tongue slip out and trace the seam of his lips, taste the tea they'd just shared. ]