Sabastion's House

A simple classic little cottage with an over run garden located in an older neighborhood of Athens Harbor.



The next morning, Emily was awake early, as usual. Even on her days off, Emily rarely slept past eight in the morning. This morning, Emily had showered quickly, made her bed, and started on breakfast while she waited for Sebastian to come down. She was smiling and dancing a little, her phone on the counter playing some songs from a playlist called "Springy." She sang along, but kept her voice down to the same level of the music so as not to be too loud, and flipped some eggs in the pan on the stovetop. Some toast popped up from the toaster and she went to buttering the slices, shaking her butt to the music and bouncing on her toes a little as she did. She couldn't stop thinking about last night--the walk on the beach, and after in Sebastian's room when she'd tried to get him to go to bed. He said such kind things to her, beautiful things, and he touched her so gently. Her cheeks reddened and she smiled to herself.

The front door opened with the sound of a key in the lock, followed by the door closing and the keys behind left on a hook near the door. A slightly breathless Sabastion strode into the kitchen. He wore a simple white tee and athletic shorts with a pair of running shoes. He was a little damp from sweat and flushed in the cheeks. When he saw Emily though, he smiled in that way one does when they are trying very hard not to laugh. "Good morning," he greeted, just firmly enough to be heard over the music. "As energetic first thing in the morning as always I see.," he added as he walked to the sink, grabbing a glass from the cabinet as he did so and enjoyed a long drink of water before refilling the glass again and turning to Emily again, slightly more calm now as he leaned against the counter. "I didn't expect you to be awake just yet. I apologize if I woke you on my way out."

Emily jumped at the sound of his voice over her music, but as he was getting his drink, she quickly turned her music down and smiled bashfully. "Um... no, actually, you didn't. I didn't even know you were gone." she said honestly with a shrug. "You have great timing though, breakfast is about ready. I hope eggs and toast and some bacon is okay?" she offered, showing him the pan of over-easy eggs still sizzling. "Or I can make you something else..." she offered quickly, tucking a stray layer of ink-black hair back from her face.

"I am grateful for a breakfast obviously cooked with such care," Sabastion assured her. "Thank you. Honestly I am a little surprised you are already so comfortable using all of my food though," he commented and took another drink from his glass but didn't raise it far enough to break his eye contact, watching to see if she picked up on the fact he was teasing her.

She didn't at first, and looked at him with panic akin to a mouse trapped in a corner by a cat. Her blue eyes went wide and her face paled a moment, a few stutters slipping past her lips, before, slowly, the realization dawned on her. "O-oh... yes, well..." she stammered with an embarrassed little smile. "I can pay for groceries next time, if it bothers you that much." She obviously wasn't used to teasing in return, as her tone sounded all too sincere.

"Oh yes, terribly so," Sabastion replied while making an almost disgusted face, but his tone was soft. "Living with someone kind enough to make me a delicious meal?" He heaved a heavy sigh. "What a bother." He finished his water and gave her a quirk of his lips again before he gave the glass a quick cleaning and set it in the drying rack. "Come. I think it is a good morning to eat outside." He accepted his own food and motioned for her to follow him out the back door. There was a patio area made of old stones in the ground, grass working its way through the spaces. a small bistro table with two chairs were near the center and Sabastion took care to set his food down and pull out her chair for her first.

Emily smiled gratefully at him, very carefully cradling her plate of fresh food in both hands, and sat in the proffered seat. "Thank you," she said, setting her plate down. She looked up and around at the beautiful garden with an appreciative smile. Everything was so colorful and smelled so good. Hummingbirds and bees whizzed around busily, and the morning breeze ruffled the branches and leaves just enough to make them shimmer. "I love your garden," she told him wistfully, leaning on her elbows on the table. "It's almost like you peeled it from a storybook."

"I always thought something similar," Sabastion replied idly as he took a moment to observe the garden as well. "Like an illustration from a beautiful novel. Alice in Wonderland when I was very young, Secret Garden as I grew older. Even now it strikes me as a little piece of Eden. I've painted here many, many times." His lips quirked up fondly as he recalled laying paint to paper in hopes of mimicking the softness of the petals and the warmness of the breeze. After a moment he picked up his fork and began eating with careful manners.

"You're very lucky," Emily agreed with a nod and a smile. She turned her eyes on him now, admiring the way the sun warmed his skin and hair, how it made his eyes brighter. She also lifted her fork and started to eat. "So did you sleep well last night?"

"I did, thank you. I had the strangest dream though.. " His lips quirked up a bit but he lowered his head in a sign of embarrassment. "I could have sworn I fell asleep at my desk and yet when I awoke I was in my bed, no memory of when I moved. I supposed when you are so tired nearly anything can slip your mind. What of you? This is your first night here. Did you sleep well?" He speared a bit of egg and chewed it almost demurely as he looked at her, his pale eyes attentive.

Emily's eyes had snapped to him at his mention of a "strange dream," and she almost looked... Disappointed? He didn't remember their interaction at all? She blushed and looked down, chewing on her bacon. That was just her luck. They had a dream-like encounter, and it ended up being just that--a dream. At least for him anyway. Her smile returned when she reminded herself that she would always know that it had been real. "I slept well, actually. That bed is really soft and it took some getting used to, but I slept very heavily once I was comfortable. I, however, didn't have any dreams." she teased lightly. She tilted her head at him. "Care to share?"

Sabastion regarded her for a long moment, wanting to continue talking but unsure how to word it. In the end, he slowly returned to cutting up his eggs. "A vision in black and white came to me in my room, and I did not mind it being there," he explained simply, but didn't seem willing to share more than that. He placed a bit of egg on the corner of his toast before lifting it to take a bite. The beginning of the dream had been so innocent. It was the rest that had his ears burning. "I am very glad you slept well," he added once he had swallowed and worked on adding more egg to the last bite of his toast.

Emily couldn't help but smile at his vague description of his "dream." She returned her own attention to her breakfast and finished it quickly, swallowing down the last of her orange juice last. She stood and started clearing the plates when her phone started ringing in her pocket. She jumped and nearly sent a glass toppling, but managed to catch it and fumble her phone from her pocket. She frowned down at the screen. "Its the hospital." she said and answered it as it got to her ear. "Hello? Bethany? Hey, whats-" she stopped and listened. "Oh gods... No, no, it's okay, I can come in. No, I'll get dressed right now and be there as soon as I can. Oh, don't bother, he's right here, I can tell him. Its a long story, I'll explain later." she said and then said a quick goodbye and hung up. She looked at Sebastian. "There was a bad road collision just outside the city... The patients are in the ER and there are too many for the two doctors on shift. They would like us both to come in and help out."

Sabastion nodded, already rising from his chair. He carefully took the plates from her. "Go get ready, I'll meet you in the car in five minutes." It was in this moment how much Sabastion relaxed around Emily became immediately evident. He was serious again, his mouth set in his professional neutral line, carefully measured. He first took the dishes to the sink to rinse them for easier cleaning later, then hurried upstairs where he promptly dressed and came down the stairs almost at a jog. Just under 5 minutes had them in the car and starting on their way to BotO Athens Hospital.

---

Emily was all too grateful when Sebastian pulled the car into the driveway of his quaint house. She smiled and got out, leading the way into the house--excitedly utilizing her house key again--and headed straight to the kitchen once they were inside. She went to the counter, pulling off first her purse, and then the nurse's scrub too second. She wore a simple, black tank top beneath it, which was neatly tucked into her scrub pants. She left her dirty scrub top folded on the table semi-neatly and started to pull things out to fix lunch. "What kind of sandwich would you like?"

Thank gods she was looking away. She didn't see the way Sabastion was standing in the doorway to the kitchen or the way his hand gripped the frame to steady himself when she took off her top. "Fine- I- Sorry. Anything's fine. I need a shower." He was already heading upstairs purposely by the time she might have turned around. "I'll be back soon," he called down to her. This was day one, how was he going to survive life like this? Showers. A lot of showers. He removed his own clothing and left it in the hamper in his room, grabbed some trousers and a tee at random, then strode to the bathroom, holding the clothing low in front of him. A shower. He needed a shower.

Emily blinked at his quick departure and called out a surprised and confused, "O-okay!" She guessed she would just have to surprise him. She looked through the things in his fridge and cupboard and decided on cold ham and swiss cheese, with lettuce and mayonnaise, and some salty pita chips on the side. She made them each a sandwich, his with an extra slice of cheese and another layer of meat, and carefully placed them on plates with chips. She dished out a bowl of hummus and poured a couple of glasses of lemonade and set everything on the table before sitting down in her chair and drawing up one leg, starting to munch on pita chips as she waited for Sebastian, glancing at the stairs.

Upstairs, Sabastion hadn't even bothered to turn on the hot water, he just stood under the cold with his forearms and forehead against the cool wall of the shower. Was it always this difficult? Why her? Why now?? She was just a medical student. He was a doctor. He dropped a hand, making a motion as he tried to reason with himself. Although that made him look down and he realized he wasn't getting anywhere. He groaned, closing his eyes and hit his hands on the wall again. All he was doing was frustrating himself. She was just some woman, in his house. He couldn't touch her. Couldn't want to touch her. But she had asked to hug him, to touch him. But that was just friendly touching- hugging. It was hugging. She did well, she grew as a person and he was just there to make sure she acknowledged it. That was all, he was just a friend. Just a room mate. Just some guy to her. He clawed his hands then fisted them, growling to himself. Why did she have to be so attractive?! He took a few breaths to calm himself. She was just a woman, he was just a man. This was natural, it was going to be fine. A couple more breaths. Ok, this would be fine. Just, take care of it, then go downstairs. It would be fine, as long as he was calm around her.

It was a good ten minutes later before Sabastion actually made his way downstairs, a towel around his neck to keep his damp hair from wetting his shirt. He gave Emily the gentle little quirk of his lips again before taking the seat where she set a plate for him and picked up a singular chip. "Thank you. It looks delicious. Do you have ideas for the rest of the day?"

"Um, no," Emily said around a pita chip between her pink lips. She was looking down at her plate. "I suppose I can just finish my homework that's due next week." she mumbled thoughtfully, and mostly to herself. She raised her blue eyes to him, her black hair--now released from its ponytail--falling around her face. "Unless you had something you wanted to do..? Well... I mean, for both of us... if you want to go off and spend time alone, that's perfectly okay too." she shrugged, looking down again.

Gods almighty... Sabastion swallowed hard, glad he could pretend it was a bit of chip he was chewing. "I think it's best you do your homework," he replied finally. "I think I will read in the garden for a while, as long as the weather is nice. It's supposed to rain this evening."

Emily stayed silent a moment, then said, "Right... okay." She tried to give him a smile, but something was clearly bothering her. She didn't have to wait for him to probe her though. Instead, she asked, "Was I out of line..? With the hug at work? Was that... inappropriate?" she asked, her tone soft and her expression somewhat scared. She was hoping he said no. "I didn't make you uncomfortable with it, did I?" she asked quietly. She hadn't been able to help but notice how quickly he'd pulled away from it, and how he seemed to be avoiding her a little now. He just felt... different since the hug. "I'm sorry if I did... if you have issues with personal space, I can respect them, I promise. I would just like to know."

That was a long string of questions. Which one to start with. He shook his head. "You didn't make me-" He stopped. That was a lie. Let's try again. "Emily, as a doctor and a colleague, yes it was pretty inappropriate. Physical contact is fine in moderation but hugging in the locker room? Seems a little... more intimate than is typically allowed." He paused and took a breath to brace himself for the rest. "But as your new room mate and friend... you didn't make me uncomfortable. I actually rather.. enjoyed it." He sighed. "Maybe a little too much. That said, I meant what I said at the hospital, it's ok. Really. You can hug me if you want. I don't have any known issues with personal space. I want you to be comfortable with me, whatever that is. I will let you know if I am uncomfortable. I won't keep that from you. If we're to be friends, we need to be honest with each other."

Her cheeks flushed at his initial lecture--or maybe that wasn't the right word; information? That was better--about the hug being at work. She nodded in embarrassed but sincere agreement. It had been out of line for their workplace, between colleagues. The color didn't return to her cheeks even as he went on, and her eyes stayed down on her plate. Gods, listen to me... LOOK at me! I'm acting like some kind of clingy girlfriend, or a stalker or something! What the hell is wrong with me?! It's okay if he doesn't want to be hugged, and it's okay if he wants to spend time alone, for gods' sakes, we're both adults and we're just roommates, colleagues, friends! That's it. Nothing else. I need to cool my heels. she scolded herself mentally. She finally looked up at him and smiled again, the effort to look sincere a bit too easy for her despite her inner monologue. "I'm sorry. You're right. Just forget I said anything." she said lightly and reached for another chip to help shut herself up. Her fingers over-extended however, and knocked her glass of lemonade over, sploshing the table, chair, and floor with ice and pink liquid. "Oh gods! There I go again!" she whined, exasperated. She got up quickly and went to fetch some towels.

She didn't make it that far. Sabastion was out of his seat instantly to do the same but, as she got up, his intent was clearly not to clean up. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his arms, hugging her tight. "Just forget it a second," he insisted. "Emily, stop. Stop worrying like that. Stop... being so uncomfortable around me, please. Hug me if you want, k-" He cut that off quickly. "Smile, laugh, trip, stumble-" He jerked his chin at the cup she tipped over. "Make a mess, it's O. K. Relax, please." He released the hug to place his hands on the side of her head instead, making her look up at him. "I won't be mad, but I need you to relax. You're making me nervous." He smiled, one of those rare smiles, bright but shy from the infrequency of use, and was very proud that he kept his eyes on hers and didn't look at her lips. "Now, I'm going to go get a towel. That is not a reflection that I am upset, I'd just rather stop it from getting any further." He finally let go and strode to the linen closet under the stairs to get a thick fluffy towel, returning after just a moment to start cleaning the floor.

Emily was clearly struck shocked by the embrace, as she was still standing in the same spot where he'd grabbed her before he'd released her to clean up the mess. She was blushing, almost shaking, tears almost burning at her eyes. She watched him, a little confused, a little scared, and mostly embarrassed, but also incredibly grateful. She watched him clean up the mess for her, staying out of the way, and thinking about what he'd said to her. His smile was mesmerizing when he used it. When the floor, chair, and table were finally clean and her glass was righted on the table, she approached him again and fell against him, this time hugging him from behind tightly, her head against his back. "Thank you." she said softly.

"You are... most welcome, Emily," Sabastion said softly, carefully placing one hand on hers where they rested on his stomach. Her hands were so much smaller than his. She felt so good against his body. He sighed, but did not make a noise, just trying to internally calm himself. "Emily," he said quietly, once she had been hugging him for a moment. "I need to put the towel in the wash..." Well, he supposed it could wait. He carefully set the damp towel on a clear spot on the table so a dry area was on the bottom, then turned in Emily's arms so she was hugging his front, resting his arms around her gently. "So are you feeling more comfortable with me? I am sorry I sometimes... don't come off as very friendly. I don't mean it that way-"

"No, no," Emily said quickly, but quietly against his chest now, "it's not that. I know what you're like... I've been working with you for a while now." she said and then smiled up at him. "It's my fault, really. I am clumsy around you not because I'm uncomfortable with you... but because I want you to be comfortable with me, and I think I kind of just... swung too far the other way." she sighed. "I sound crazy, huh? Like a stalker... I'm creeping myself out." she laughed lightly, blushing. She pulled away from him slowly. "But thank you, for the hugs. It's been a while since anyone has hugged me. I guess I just really needed one."

"You are welcome to as many as you need or want. And it's very flattering that you think I'm something to work so hard for, but it's very unnecessary. Show me who you really are." Sabastion smiled at her, letting her leave his arms. "I want to get to know her. Now, please excuse me." He picked up the towel, showed it to her, then went to put it in the washing machine. He should throw in the other towels while he was at it, and some other things. Make use of the time...

Emily watched him go with a small smile and nodded, then looked at her mostly unfinished lunch. He hadnt had much chance to finish his lunch either before she'd made her mess. She poured herself another glass of lemonade, then carried her plate into her room, setting everything on her desk to eat while she did her homework. She sat down and tucked her headphones into her ears, leaving her door open as she plugged her headphones into her phone and started up her playlists. She drew up one leg and tapped her foot against the seat of the chair to the music as she began to read and write notes.

Sabastion checked on her as he returned to the kitchen and, seeing her settled into work, went briefly upstairs to get a book, then returned to take his lunch outside at the patio they ate at that morning, tucking into his book as he nibbled his way through the food.

It was a (surprisingly) productive few hours of work for Emily before her phone switched tracks from "Springy" to "Love Fest." The first love song in her album came on as Counting Crows' Accidentally in Love, a song she vaguely remembered as having a music video with an animated rabbit. She smiled and tapped her foot to it, bouncing a little in her chair and staring at her book without really reading it. She ran her tongue lightly along her bottom lip. The usual splits there from her biting had already started to heal with Sebastian's persistent requests that she not chew them. She blushed and her smile broadened. She pulled her ear phones out of her ears and unplugged them from her phone, allowing her music to fill the room, and she boldly started to sing along with it, confident he was still outside reading as she hadn't heard--or at least had not noticed--him come back into the house yet.

The good doctor might be outside but he wasn't deaf. He had finished his sandwich and carefully gathered some bread crumbs left on his plate to toss them on the patio stones for the birds, which they happily accepted. He had a few on the ground and one on the plate next to him enjoying the breadcrumbs while he read when he heard he music start. He paused in his book to listen, hearing Emily's voice join it. He chuckled, shook his head, and went back to reading, letting the unfamiliar tune pass over the garden. Although he was used to, and preferred, the sound of birds and general silence, he supposed it didn't bother him so much to hear her finally relaxing in his- their- home.

It wasn't long before the song shifted over to something a bit slower, going through Boyz II Men, and Brittney Spears, and then finally picking up again with Backstreet Boys' I Want it That Way. By this time, Emily was out of her seat and jumping around her room, singing happily along with the music and using her pencil like a microphone, swaying in front of her body-length mirror in the bathroom. She spun out back into her room and jumped up onto her bed, but in the effort to do a semi-dramatic knee-drop, she suddenly tumbled off of the bed with a loud thump and a yelp of, "OOP!"

The birds scattered at the thump from inside and Sabastion looked up again, listening. Well, he didn't hear groaning, but as a doctor, he should probably go check on that. He marked his place in his book and returned inside, poking his head into Emily's room. Well, she seemed fine, but he frowned anyway. "Excuse me, I heard you... I'm not sure. Fall? Are you ok?" Nothing appeared to be bent at a weird angle at least.

Emily winced as she looked up at him from where she'd landed on her butt--thankfully, rather than her knees--on her floor by her bed. She gave him an embarrassed smile and a thumbs up, but she started laughing. "I'm okay!" she said above her music, which had switched to Miranda Cosgrove's Kissin' You. She mentally scolded her phone for its perfect timing and tried to turn off her music from the floor, but only ended up switching the song to Simple Plan's I'd Do Anything. She started to look panicked and finally got her music stopped, letting the room flower with a sudden silence. She panted from her private dance session and gave Sebastian another sheepish smile. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your reading." she said, giving another little laugh as she pulled herself to her feet finally.

Sabastion had taken to leaning in the doorway while she struggled and at her words he merely raised an eyebrow. "Is that so," he replied, his tone very clearly indicating he didn't believe her. He was beginning to think that, should he ever be able to ask to paint her, she wouldn't sit still long enough for it. She reminded him of a bird, far too restless. "You have an interesting idea of romance," he added. Then, seeing she took it wrong, he pointed to her phone. "You enjoy that. Those lyrics but the very.. energetic music." If that was her idea of how relationships should go, he was beginning to formulate a hypothesis of what she would be like intimately.

She blushed and glanced at her phone, then back at him. "Yes, I like the fast beats, upbeat tones... colorful music videos... It's half of what love should be: fast and exciting and makes your heart go crazy." she shrugged and smiled, her cheeks pink. "It's about taking risks and being a bit crazy. Don't get me wrong, I like the slower, more romantic songs, too... the intimate ones you listen to in the bedroom..." she said, biting her lip as she looked down and away, "but those are... I dunno... different."

"I believe 'fast, exciting, and 'makes your heart go crazy' is a description of lust," Sabastion replied. "All of those singers, if I'm not mistaken, are unmarried and younger than you. Or, most of them, at the time of the recording. i think passion is important to a relationship, but I do not think it's what love is. I prefer 'Na beregu neba'." It was only when he spoke Russian that Sabastion's accent, and sometimes odd diction, made sense. His lips quirked up and he leaned his head against the doorframe. "Very amusing to listen to you though."

Emily looked at him, and though she greatly admired and enjoyed his Russian, her smile faded away. She shook her head insistently. "No, that's not true," she said, taking a step towards him. "Lust can be slow and passionate and deep, too. It doesn't have to be fast and crazy. Lust is just... short-lived, easily sated, but it can be either fast or slow. Love can be both, too... and it should be both. One should feel the fast and unexpected adrenaline of the first experiences--first glances, first dates, first kiss... first time together intimately," she blushed, but continued, "unexpected gifts like the prescence of your loved one when you least expect it... A rush when you look at them even after fifty years together." Her blush deepened and she chewed her lip, her hands starting to ring in front of her a little as her eyes seemed to glaze over briefly. She shook herself out of it quickly and focused on him again. "Don't you think..? And who says you have to be married, or of a certain age to be in love?"

"I trust the opinions on love of people who have been married those fifty years over those of single people under a quarter decade old," Sabastion answered simply. "So many of those exciting moments you stated are firsts. Could it not be said that the thrill is in falling in love, not being in love? That I can believe. After all, Ты самая красивая женщина, которую я когда-либо встречал . Иногда мне трудно дышать. Still, I look. Sometimes love is worth it." Oh that felt so much better. Saying it made things so much easier. Why hadn't he thought of that before? He knew he wouldn't actually die of repression, but the fear had been creeping in nonetheless. This eased it. "When I fall in love, I hope it is driven by more than the desire to kiss and hold one another. I hope it is, as you have said, for that moment when I look over 50 years later, and she still makes my heart beat quicken." He reached out and brushed his fingers on her jawline, his thumb touching her lips. "And please stop doing that," he added. He wasn't stressing it any more or less, it was like he knew she sometimes needed to be reminded.

She withdrew her lip from between her teeth, blushing at his touch, but her brows were still delicately furrowed as she looked up at him. "But those fifty years have to start with those risky, thrilling, unexpected firsts, Sebastian," she whispered, determined, unmoving in front of him. "Otherwise... how else will that person know you intend to love them?"

"How indeed. You'll have to take those firsts though." He removed his hand and leaned forward a bit so he was looking her straight in the eye, his own face calm but curious. "Which one would you start with?"

The color in Emily's face deepened, and her eyes quickly flicked over each defined feature in his face, trying to take it all in at once. Her pale blue orbs finally settled on his lips and her breathing sounded light, her expression a bit dazed. "I feel like this is a trick question..." she admitted in a whisper, "because I want to kiss you, but I'm afraid that will be the wrong choice to make with you, after everything you've just told me you believe." Her heart was pounding in her ears, that adrenaline she was just describing to him buzzing in her fingertips and behind her cheekbones.

"I said I do not believe what they sing about is love," Sabastion replied, staying very still but did not seem in the least bit uncomfortable. Part of his brain, a more primal part, was screaming rather loudly but he ignored it. "I did not say that lust and love are separate, or that one could not become the either, or that lust was inherently a bad thing. Desire is important for any healthy relationship." He tilted his head a bit to the side, making it seem as if his lips became that much more accessible. "Tell me, Emily," he said softly. "Do you think this is healthy?"

Her blue eyes finally broke away from his lips to meet his darker orbs, taking them in before she breathed out, "Sebastian..." His name left her lips like a plea, soft like a whisper, but light like a scream. She closed the gap between them, her slightly chapped, plump, pink lips pressing against his and molding against them almost too perfectly. His lips were warm, and soft, the perfect place between wet and dry, and not so scarred like hers. Her pale hands came up against his face on either side, not necessarily holding him in place should he pull away, but cradling his strong jaw and feeling the late-afternoon stubble on his skin.

Lightning shot through him. It was the only way Sabastion had of explaining the tensing of his body and the instant moment he felt rooted to the floor. The world came to a pinpoint focus on the pressure on his lips and he groaned softly. Hadn't he just taken care of this? What was he doing?? He tempted fate and it landed him here, kissing his junior by nearly 4 years in his own home following a surprise emergency shift at the hospital and good gods did it feel good. His arms found their way around her and held her close as he kissed her back, letting his eyes fall closed as he did, bringing the physical act into even brighter focus. With confidence Emily felt as tall as himself, but here and now he was all too aware that she was at least a few inches shorter than him and minimum fifty pounds lighter. His hands lay flat on her back, feeling across her shoulder blades, followed the inward curve of her sides, feeling her heartbeat just beneath the skin, then settled on her lower back, his last fingers resting on the hem of her scrubs through her shirt. He was not unsure he would explode if he made contact with her skin. That thought in mind, he had to break the kiss, leaving himself a little breathless. "Emily..." he breathed in return to her saying his name earlier. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.. Well I did, but... Don't feel obligated-"

Emily was staring up at him, looking like that same lightning had knocked her dizzy. And it had. Her lips were still tingling, and her skin felt hot, her arms covered in gooseflesh. She shook her head at his words. "No obligation... just healthy desire." she assured him and smiled, her hands still on either side of his face. She led him back down and kissed him again just as firmly as before, giving her own breathy moan in response to the shockwaves it sent down her spine to her heels. Her hands moved from his face to his shoulders, looping behind his neck so she could attempt to pull her body closer, flush against his.

Sabastion gripped her, losing himself to the pleasure of the kiss. His cheeks were flushed and muscles in his body prepared for something a lot more physical. The tension building in his body made him break the kiss again. "Emily!" he said a bit more firmly, his voice breathy. He leaned back a little to encourage her not to distract him again, but he hadn't yet regained enough control to remove his hands. Did he even want to? No, he needed to stay focused. Worry about that in a minute, or several. "Emily I'm sorry, we can't- We can't do this- I- God-" Ok he lost the battle and his lips connected with hers again, this time carefully leading her backwards toward the bed. She was used to falling right? She'd be fine, surely. Their legs connected with the bed and he was careful to lay her on the mattress, one knee on it supporting him as he lay over her, indulging in the kiss. There was so much of her though, so many distractions. What had he been saying? His lips were moving now, kissing the creamy skin of her cheeks, softly pressing to her neck- Wait, that was it. "Emily-" he slightly gasped her name, finally managing to pull himself back to look into her eyes. Nope, nope, that wasn't going to work. He kissed her again, deep and lingering, painfully forcing himself to stop it again. "I'm practically your boss-" he managed, but it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself. He tried again. "You're still a student-"

Emily was giving breathless little laughs between the broken kisses. Every time he tried to stop himself, distract himself, tried to justify why this was wrong and lost the battle again and again, she had to laugh. She, of course, had the same fears and doubts--was this appropriate? He was her mentor, her professional elder. And yet... She grabbed his face this time, not just cradling it, but directing it back to her mouth. This time, when she kissed him, her tongue graced his lips, seeking depth. She had dreamt of this, fantasized about this very moment, this intimacy with no one else but her idol, Doctor Panas. He smelled fantastic, his weight over her felt exactly how she'd imagined, and the way his mouth was on hers was enough to make her heart explode in her chest. "If you keep talking, you're going to give me a panic attack," she whispered playfully and then rested back against her mattress, looking up at him fondly while they both just breathed, her hands on his forearms. She licked her lips slowly, sensually, and said, "Please?"

Sabastion practically felt his eyes dilate at just the sight of her like that. "Thank god we're both doctors," he said with finality, honestly not caring that wasn't one hundred percent correct. He captured her mouth again, more than willing to allow her the entrance she had been seeking. HIs hands shifted and deft fingers slid her shirt out of the way and he felt lightning again as he made contact with her bare skin. Every part of him was aching and the dozen protests he started didn't seem to have the strength to fully form in his mind any more. Gods she was warm, and soft, and here, and willing, and it felt very much like his heart were a drum, loud in his own ears. He leaned ever so slightly so his body lay flush against hers, but it only made him all too aware of a barrier. Borderline agitated he sat up again, reached over his head, and tugged off his shirt, absently throwing it aside to the floor before he captured her lips in a kiss again, hands once more under her shirt, resting splayed on her sides on top of her delicate ribcage. Other worries about hurting her or not being good enough attempted to come to the fore of his mind but like all of his protests they were barely more than a wisp of a thought, gone before he could even consider what was being said.

Emily was lost in his touches. His hands were warm, and large, and anchored her by where they settled on her body. She loved how heavy they felt, yet gentle with her, as if she were some fragile thing. She had a few brief moments between kisses when he removed his shirt to admire his body, feeling a sort of odd vindication that his body type beneath his clothes was exactly what she had envisioned every day that she had seen him with clothes on--which had been always. He was pale, but not unattractively so, and healthy though not overly muscular, but average had never been a negative thing to Emily. To her, his body was already perfect, and she'd only seen the top half. Her thumb roamed over the sun-shaped scar on his forearm, a subtle shudder bristling under her skin when their tongues connected between their lips, firing up nerve endings and sending them spitting off like firecrackers straight to her toes. She released his arms and hooked her fingers under the hem of her tank top, slowly pulling it up and away from where his hands had already planted themselves beneath it, before parting from him just long enough to pull it up and off, and away into the room. She wore a simple black bra beneath it, decorated with the barest hints of lace on the cups that cradled her average B's, and that was a stark contrast to her own pale flesh. She swallowed, nervous of his scrutiny, but still so excited to continue. Her hands next moved to the hem of his trousers, tugging almost imperceptibly, while her lips smacked light kisses on his neck just below his earlobe. 

Sabastion's breath caught in his throat. Spilled ink across a pristine page, and oh how he wanted to make a mess of her. "You'll be the death of me," he whispered in her ear just before one of his arms wrapped around her legs just under her bottom and, with surprising ease, he shifted her up the bed so she was laying the correct direction and in the center of it. She made it hard to focus, she made reason escape his grasp, she made the world fade away and seem all too bright at the same time, and she was all he could think of. He carefully took her hand away from his pants and pressed a kiss to the palm before removing the clothing himself. Hands slid under her to take the hem of her scrubs and slide it down and off of her back side before continuing down her legs and it would be an absolute lie to say he did not enjoy the newest expanse of pale flesh exposed to him. His hands found her legs but so did his mouth, first pressing a kiss to her inner knee and working gently up her inner thigh as his hands mapped out every dip and rise of any part of her body in reach. And from that moment, he lost himself, and for the first time, he really didn't care to find it.

---

The world slowly came back into focus as his blood pressure returned to normal. He was breathing hard, but from what he could hear so was she, and they were both damp with sweat, the blankets haphazardly draped around them, pulled with exhausted limbs but a growing remembrance of decency to cover their more private areas. He closed his eyes for a moment, slowly returning his breathing to normal, but reminded himself not to fall asleep. It was still fairly early in the afternoon. He looked over at Emily curled in the crook of his arm against his side, his breath still a little spiked but at least he could speak. Of course, he couldn't think of anything to say. What did one even say right now? Anything? Until his thoughts got back into straight lines, he settled for idly stroking her back with his fingertips, trailing from her shoulder down her side to just above her hip, then back up in almost a figure eight pattern.

Emily was completely numb, limp against him, one arm draped across his chest and the other lazily folded between them and the bed. Her left leg crossed his, resting between both of his on the bed, trying to keep herself close to him as she regained her breath and her heart rate. She hadn't stopped blushing since, oh about two minutes ago, when she'd let herself fall into the bliss of a sexual high she'd never quite known before. She smiled dreamily, staring off into the room. She would be looking at Sebastian if her head were not so comfortably nestled on his shoulder and under his cheek. His fingertips tickled her hip where it met the small of her back and it made her gasp lightly, a sound similar to the ones she'd been making for a while now, and that seemed to make his blood boil in all the best ways. Like him, she was fighting inwardly, her mind debating with whether or not to say something, anything, in that moment, or if it would be better to just let the silence lie.

"Emily." Her name was barely a whisper and Sabastion stilled his hand on her shoulder. "It is too early for us to sleep... I think we must get up and do.. something-" He paused, and frowned. "My book is still outside." He was still half whispering, but some of his mental functions were clicking back on. So was his common sense and the feeling that it was very wrong to be in bed with a medical student was growing rapidly. Well, he had been the one to encourage her to be honest with him, he just hadn't expect this to be the truth. He turned his eyes so he was staring at the ceiling. One did one even do now? Typically it was sleep but it was far too early for that. Emily had homework she could return to but it felt intensely rude to separate so soon afterwards. "Would you... like some help with your homework?" he offered, unsure what else they might be able to do other than lay here until they slept. He made no effort to move however. Speaking seemed more than enough for the moment.

Emily lay there in silence for a moment. She was trying not to overthink the words coming out of his mouth. She was trying not to fall back into that panicked mode where she assumed what he was saying meant that he didn't want to lay there with her any longer because he was regretting what had happened, but instead that it was because he was uncomfortable with the silence, or the idea of simply doing nothing together. She swallowed back the dryness in her throat from her exuberant sounds of earlier, and slowly shifted to lean on her elbow, looking down at him. The tilt of her head made all of her black tresses slip to one side. She looked him in the eyes, then focused on his mouth again, her own lips tipping up at the corners a little. "What did you say to me? When you spoke in Russian earlier?" she asked softly, deciding not to acknowledge his fumbling attempts to switch gears.

Sabastion's own mouth tipped down at the corners in a frown, but he made no attempt to escape, instead letting his finger splay across her lower back where they had lowered to when she sat up. "You are bold now," he commented. She never would have said something like that before this. He filed that away, then attempted to think back to what he said. "It was... 'You are so beautiful, it is hard to breathe sometimes', or close."

Emily looked surprised, then blushed and smiled sheepishly. "Oh... That's really what you said? I thought you were just lecturing me in another language... I was going to see if I could quote it back to you as being applicable to this moment." she admitted. "But thank you...." She admired him a moment longer, then her smile fell from her eyes before she slid from him and out of the bed altogether, grabbing up her clothes and laying his on the bed. He didn't seem very interested in just laying with her now, and she wouldn't force him to. But she was disappointed. She had wanted to bask in the moment and just be with him a little longer.

"Если я останусь , я буду спать . Если я сплю , я буду скучать по тебе," Sabastion rolled off to her, frowning as he sat up on the bed. He reached out and took her hand, brushing his thumb over the back. "Позвольте мне проснуться , ваше лицо достаточно сон." Very carefully he shifted out of the bed to stand with her, taking little notice of his own nudity as he simply focused on Emily's face, reaching up with his free hand to cradle her cheek. "Это жестокая вещь, чтобы отказать мне это." He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then add quietly in her ear, "Я скажу что-нибудь для вас, если вам это нравится." His last words were slower, clearly more suggestive, but whatever he meant, he kissed her hair and reluctantly let her go so he could dress.

Emily had stayed still, watching him, listening to him, trying to understand what he could be saying. She instead closed her eyes when he cradled her cheek, and smiled when he whispered in her ear. As he pulled away, she turned to watch him and said, "that's not fair." Her tone was light, teasing. She came up behind him and slid her arms around his middle, her hands flat against his middle and pressing her face into his back, similar to the hug She had given him before, but far more intimate in their nudity. "I love hearing you speak Russian, Sebastian... But I'm at a loss as to how to respond. You're clearly taking advantage of me here." she purred against his back.

"It is only things that need no reply," Sabastion assured her, resting his hand on hers where they lay on his torso. He idly rubbed her fingers, letting her take the time she needed while he thought about it. Was this really ok? What would it be like at work? He didn't think his professionalism would make her all that happy anymore. From what he knew after starting a relationship- was that what this was now?- women didn't tend to like that sort of thing. They expected things to progress. He frowned. He'd let this get the better of him, he really should have resisted. Emily was a stunner and he was lucky enough she had an interest in him, but did he want this to progress? Maybe it could just be fun for now but the way she acted... And he did enjoy time with her, simply talking, but would it be this now? Would it progress? Did he want it to? The idea of a wife left him feeling a little chilled inside. To be honest, he still didn't know Emily very well and she still had school and residency. She was still young, comparatively. Not in years but experience. Not THIS experience, he had no idea where she lay on that spectrum, but life in general. "Emily," he said finally, his voice quiet but serious. "What do you want of me?"

That question felt like a blow to her gut. She pulled away from him slowly, looking a bit confused and a little hurt. He had wanted this, too, hadn't He? Had they not just had a conversation about love and lust and relationships and that's what had led to this? She paled. She had gotten so caught up in the lust of the moment that she had not stopped to consider that it may not be more than that to him. Was he trying to make sure that she wouldn't turn into some clingy, obsessive, lovesick roommate that he wanted nothing to do with? Or maybe, she hoped, he was just feeling her out for her own boundaries on a prospective relationship. She might not have been clear about her feelings for him past the physical intimacy they had just shared. She felt so lost. That question was so open and vague and made her need to think about more than she wanted to at the moment. She released him slowly, drawing in on herself a little instead. "Nothing you aren't willing to give... And everything you are." she answered, trying her hardest not to seem hurt or confused. She gave him a light smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, then turned to grab up her clothes.

Released, Sabastion turned and sat slowly on the bed, watching her. "That's a lot," he replied, the most basic of answers to her question. She wanted everything he was willing to give? He supposed that was a lot. "Emily I think you're misunderstanding me. You're always so quick to think I'm rejecting you when it really isn't the case. You're young and beautiful and have an incredibly bright future." He leaned back, supporting himself with his hands on the duvet. "I'm old and settled at this point. I don't know what you want, that is the truth. I can't begin to imagine what you want because you seem to have observed me a lot and- no, no, no, don't take that the wrong way! It's flattering, really it is, but I'm trying to be honest to say I have not been able to observe you as much, and that I have not done so. I don't know what you want. You have to tell me. You have to speak to me." He sighed and let himself fall back on the bed, covering his face, muttering to himself. "Я звук , как полный идиот . Я ничего не делаю , но рыть себе яму и позволяя ему заполнить с дождем. Я взрослый здесь, и я не могу даже говорить правильно. Это нелепо..."

Emily watched him, visibly frowning now, and hugging her clothes to her chest. He seemed frustrated. With her? With himself? She sighed audibly, light and lost. "I want a relationship with you," she admitted, blushing, and not looking him in the eyes. "I always have, ever since I started working at the hospital two years ago... I just never had the bravery to consider asking you out because you're so professional at work, and I didn't want to take away from that. Plus, I'm not even done with school... I wouldn't have been able to contribute a lot of time to a relationship either... I still don't, and won't for a while." she mumbled. She looked at him. "But I still want to. I wouldn't dream of asking you to change anything about you for my sake. You are an amazing doctor, which is why I fell for you in the first place. I wouldn't dare ask you to change anything about that for me. So if you're worried about workplace awkwardness, you shouldn't be. I'm a professional as well, and I know how to leave my problems at the door." She shrugged and looked down again, chewing her lip. "I just... I don't know... I want you."

"Опять же с губой!" Sabastion half-cried and threw his hands up after seeing her bite her lip yet again. He sat up on the bed again. "Emily, you barely know me-" He reached out and took her hands, guiding her to stand in front of him so he only had to look a little upwards to meet her eyes. "You may get to know me, you may have what you wish, but I need you to understand, it might not be what you expect or what you want. If you can accept that and be honest with me anyway, trust rather than running away or worrying, then we can try, but don't assume it'll fail before you learn about me, and I will do the same for you. You're young, you are busy, and you don't have a lot of time for me, that is fine. I don't have a lot of time either. I'll have shifts at the hospital, you'll be home alone all night. Find me when you have the time and you want me. See me then. Do not, for anything, fall from your studies. They are most important. I will be here, whether we work or not, but don't stop being the girl I can not ignore."

She had flinched visibly when he suddenly and sharply spoke Russian at her again, unable to help but feel like this time it truly was directed at her. She allowed him to take her hands, dropping her clothes in the process, and looked down at him with an expression that was part confusion and part fear. She couldn't stop the tears from welling in her eyes. She was just so confused, and he seemed so agitated, even if his words contradicted how he was saying them. She could only nod quickly, sniffling and pulling one of her hands from his to quickly wipe away her tears. "I'm sorry, it's not your fault I'm crying, I'm just so confused," she said, shaking her head. "I can't tell if you're telling me you don't want a relationship or if you do, or if this is just some kind of fast and loose thing, or..." she trailed off, starting to get frustrated, too. "I'm sorry. I'm starting to sound crazy again and I'm sorry."

"I don't know," Sabastion replied, pointedly ignoring the last part. He let go of her hand with one of his to help wipe away the tears. "I don't know. That is all I can say. I don't know. I don't know you, so I do not know if I want a relationship or not. I don't think you really know either. You know me as Dr. Panas, an ideal- for some reason I still don't fully understand- and that's very flattering but the reality is I, like anyone, do stupid things sometimes, or say things that make beautiful girls cry-" He motioned to her with his now damp hand as if to indicate case in point. "I think we should just accept it for what it is, and if it works, then it is a relationship, but until then I think we are just two people and this is nice. Can you please.. can you at least give me that much, Emily. You asked me to give everything I wanted to give, I promise you that's everything I can. But in return all I ask is that you give me what I want as well: time to figure this out."

Those were terms Emily easily understood and she gave him a weak smile through her tears and an understanding nod. "Yes, I can do that." she said softly, weakly. She finished wiping her face, using her tank top from work to dry the last tears away from her eyes without smudging her already day-worn makeup, and sniffled thickly. "I'm sorry again... this wasn't a great start to things. I must be making such a great impression as to why you should date me..." she chuckled wryly. She looked up at him with blue eyes made vibrant by her salty tears, and asked, "Can I still kiss you? I like kissing you."

Sabastion took in her messy hair, her tearful eyes and stained cheeks, messy make up, and felt he echo of his earlir thought. Oh how he wanted to make a mess of her. The corners of his lips quirked up and it was an exact reflection of the face she saw a hundred times at the hospital, but rather than sterile lights and a lab coat, he was nude, sitting on her bed, the room lit only by sunlight. It was quite the contrast. "Yes. You can still kiss me."

Emily's smile brightened significantly, and she abandoned her clothes in a mess on the floor once more, leaning down in front of him to kiss him softly. Her eyes closed over, lips melding to his perfectly once again, and she let it linger with a soft, grateful hum. Her hands rested on either side of his neck, thumbs stroking his collar bones, then rounded to his back and into his lighter hair as she boldly and carefully slid down to straddle his lap, just wanting to be close to him again. With her knees on either side of his thighs, she held herself slightly off of him, but kept herself close to him, bare chest to bare chest.

Sabastion indulged her for a few long moments, his arms wrapped around the backs of her thighs to support her even easier, but he was starting to smile against her lips and it was making it difficult to keep kissing. "Do not start this," he said, but it was more like a request, or a plea, than a demand. He kissed her again, shorter, more chaste. "I won't distract you from your work, Emily." Yes, he could already foresee the challenge ahead. Thank gods they still had separate rooms.

"I'm a week ahead on homework..." Emily mumbled against his lips in return with her own playful smile and a blush. "I have time to spare." She kissed him again, lightly running her tongue along his bottom lip like before, requesting that he deepen the kiss with her while her hips gave just the smallest twist in his hands.

Sabastion gasped at the motion, effectively breaking the kiss, which worked in his favor because it was starting to get a little fuzzy around the edges of his vision again. "Then let me paint you," he whispered, bumping her chin with his nose before kissing her throat carefully. "I haven't stopped thinking about it since I saw you in the twilight-" He removed one arm to support her lower back with his hand and in one smooth motion stood and flipped them so she lay pinned under him. He gave her a deep, but all too short kiss, then opened his pale gray eyes to look into her blue ones, lightly touching their noses but not letting their lips meet again. "I have given you what you want-" His lips quirked up and he shifted just slightly so his lips brushed hers as he spoke, his words only a whisper. "Теперь дайте мне то, что я хочу."

Emily's cheeks pinked deeply and she gave her own little intake of breath at his words. She smiled up at him, admiring his face where it hovered so close to hers, her hands still tangled in his hair gently. "Okay... you can paint me." she whispered, her breath warm on his lips. "But can we do it after...? Please?" she begged, wriggling beneath him again. "That way I'll be all relaxed, and you can paint me while I lay here high on you."

"I will not die before we can again, and nor will you," Sabastion answered and gave her a last kiss before releasing her to get up. Before she could protest, he had already picked up his boxers and was putting them on again. "You can wait. I only mean a portrait, you can be clothed for that, and I would recommend it as I would really prefer it in the garden light-" He paused, holding his pants in preparation of buttoning them. He gave her a curious look, one that was sincerely not joking. "Unless you are an exhibitionist?"

"I don't consider myself one, no," Emily giggled from the bed, after she had laid there giving playful whines about being denied. She sat up and looked at him, clearly admiring, then stood and pecked his cheek with a kiss. "I'll just clean up and wear something more befitting of a portrait, then I'll join you outside. Okay?" She slid away from him and headed, still naked, into the downstairs bathroom by the kitchen.

He was going to die young and that girl was going to be the death of him. He could see it already. Realizing he was staring after her he quickly fastened and zipped his pants, tugged on his shirt again, then went upstairs to gather his painting things from his bedroom. As he padded outside again, he waved at his neighbor, an elderly woman in a large sun hat happily watering her garden, then set up his easel in relation to one of the bistro chairs he wanted Emily to sit in. The canvas he found was small, but it didn't matter. It was an exercise of curiosity, not a photorealistic commission. Whatever the outcome, he just had to get it out of his system. He paused in laying out his brushes and pallet knives. What would he do with it when it was finished? Surely he couldn't hang it in the house, that felt terribly awkward. He frowned at the blank canvas, mulling that over in his head while he waited for Emily to return.

It took Emily about ten or fifteen minutes to emerge from within the house again, but when she did, it was obvious the wait was worth the result. She had cleaned up her hair and makeup, so that her hair fell in soft waves around her shoulders and to the middle of her back. Her lips were freshly painted in a pale pink gloss, and with new powder on her nose and cheeks. She was wearing a white, lacy summer dress, with cap sleeves and a low but still modest box neckline. It fit her body in all the right ways, hugging her bust, thin waist, and subtly bowing hips, before fanning out into a semi-pleated skirt that ended an inch or so above her knees. She stopped in the doorway of the kitchen and cleared her throat to get his attention, blushing a little as she awaited his approval. "Is this okay?" 

At the sound of her voice, Sabastion looked over his shoulder at her, eyebrows raising a little, but when he realized the question, he let his lips quirk up again. "It's a very pretty paint and fabric you wear, but I think it is difficult for me to think it does anything but cover up the beautiful young woman I know lay underneath." And yes, he every bit meant the double entendre. He motioned to the chair he had pulled out for her. He had taken his plate inside earlier but his book still lay on the table. He would have to take that in later. "If you would please. Find a comfortable position and please let me know if you need a break."

Emily smiled at him lightly, shaking her head at his response to her dress. She moved to the bistro seat and sat down carefully, her hands smoothing out the seat of her skirt so that it bloomed out on either side of her and hung off of the chair in a flowing half-circle. She folded her hands in her lap and leaned into the back of the chair, not quite slouching, but relaxed rather than rigid. She closed her eyes as the sun warmed her skin and the breeze cooled it again gently. It was such a beautiful day... a perfect day, she mused, smiling to herself.

Earlier was a bad idea. Yes, he was back on that side of the fence. Why, this time? Because as he looked at the tidy girl in front of him he couldn't get the image of exposed flesh desperate for kissing, splayed hair, flushed cheeks and parted lips letting out such delicious noises- Yes, earlier was a bad idea because he couldn't focus now. Something was off. He tilted his head, thinking about it, then picked up his easel and moved it a foot or two to the side of her so he could better see the shadowed side of her body. That was better. She was beautiful darkness and light, and he preferred it that way. It made him feel less like he was ruining something perfect. That thought securely in the forefront of his mind, he picked up a broad brush and set about blocking out the background that would frame her. 

Emily had never sat still for a portrait before. No one had ever wanted to paint her before. She opened her eyes and watched Sebastian work. He had such a concentrated look on his face, but it also somehow looked at ease. This was something he enjoyed, much like his work at the hospital. It was something he was passionate about, and she was glad to be a part of it, even if it meant staying rigorously still throughout. She was dutiful in that endeavor. Aside from breathing and blinking, she didn't move. And though there were many beautiful things in the garden to admire during her stillness, she instead meditated on Sebastian's face, catching his eyes on the occasional glance up, her lips continuously turned gently upwards in endearment.

It was roughly half an hour when Sabastion spoke up. "You'll get stiff if you don't move," he said, never ceasing his repeated checking and touch ups, occasionally frowning and mixing a new color because the old didn't match quite right. The canvas was only eleven by seventeen inches but it was predominately her, from head to toe, a delicate curve between the stark structure of the patio set and the dreamlike greenery behind her. "Take a stretch," he instructed and worked on detailing the table and bushes.

"If you say so," Emily said, though she was honestly grateful for the opportunity. Her neck had started to ache a bit, and her butt was numb from the stiff iron chair. She stood and groaned as she stretched tall and twisted this way and that so her back would crack. Blood rushed to her toes and brain at the same time and she sighed happily. She turned to look at him. "May I see what you have done so far?"

"No." The answer wasn't clipped, it was just simple. "You make a lot of requests," he pointed out, raising an eyebrow at her as he paused with the painting, referring to her earlier request of painting her after, rather than before, activities, and now this, and to kiss him, and to hug him. He didn't seem mad, he was just making an observation and he went back to painting a moment later. "I have made one. Please endure and I will give you a yes to whatever your next request is. Please take time to think of what you would like it to be." He dabbed at the red and started adding roses to the painting, his mind not fully on what he was saying but also not feeling any particular concern for what she might ask for.

Emily couldn't help feeling a bit scolded, despite that that wasn't his intention. He had not yelled at her, or even spoken remotely harshly to her. But the fact that he said she made a lot of requests--even though they had been simple ones, small ones, she thought--made her feel... rude, she supposed. She eased herself back down onto the seat and looked down at her hands in her lap, contemplating this feeling. Was she rude for wanting affection? She wasn't so upset about not seeing the unfinished portrait. Most artists greatly disliked sharing their work before its completion. If she had not known Sebastian as long as she had, or worked with him for as long, or had she been anyone else looking in, she would have seen that comment as some sort of mental abuse, a man asserting his control over a woman by limiting her requests. But she knew him better than that. Didn't she? He was merely making an observation of her. And here she was, yet again, overthinking it. She took in a breath, settled herself back down into the chair the exact way she'd been before, and resumed her stoic position, meditating this time on a small potted rose plant just behind him.

"Your expression has changed," Sabastion noted as he started with the lowest part of her and worked on detailing as he moved up. "Please tell me what's on your mind. I don't know what I've led you to believe but I'm not going to hurt you or be angry at you for just saying what you are thinking. I might be confused," he admitted as he continued working without pause. "But I wouldn't be angry. And I feel like I just said inside I wanted you to be open with me, just as I intend to try and be open with you." He might say it in Russian, but he'd still say it. He just wasn't the sort of person who was comfortable, or interested, in gushing in public toward his partner. He supposed he preferred to keep that at home. Judging by how dangerous being inside with Emily felt right now, he definitely believed that. The fresh air and exposure of the back yard quelled his heart somewhat. Sunlight always made him feel more at ease.

"I just am not sure how to feel about your observation about my many requests," Emily admitted, her eyes focused on him again. "It makes me sound demanding... rude. Unthoughtful of you and your needs. Do you think I'm like that?" she asked, not incriminating him as such, but authentically curious. "Am I like that?" she asked, this time more of herself.

"No," Sabastion replied again in a near identical tone as before. "At least, I don't think of you that way, but I can only speak for myself. And what is so wrong with being demanding? I wish you were more so. You are always seeking permission. That is my comment. You make a lot of requests, not a lot of demands. You ask permission. Let me see..." he trailed off as he mixed another color, then, seeming to make a mental decision, he went back to work. "I give you permission to eat my food, live in my home, use my bathrooms, both of which are now yours as well. I give you permission to touch me, hug me, kiss me- Although I would prefer you do none of those at work for professional reasons. I give you permission to seek my time and my help, should you need it, and I give you permission to be honest with me without fear of reprisal. I think that covers all the basics. Now, all of that said, if I have a very real problem with you Emily I will most certainly let you know. Like now-" He paused to pin her eyes with his. "I have a very real problem with you biting your lip. I would like to be the only one who does that from now on so I would appreciate you refraining from scarring it further." He turned back to his painting, pointing at her with the end of his paintbrush. "Now you," he instructed, continuing with his brush strokes.

Emily's cheeks reddened and she smiled at his comment about her lip, as well as felt satisfied by his clarification of his observations. She wanted to lick her lips, tease him slightly, but she also didn't want to ruin her gloss. The teasing could wait, she supposed. She sat still now, her expression back to the endearing and appreciative smile it was before. "Thank you, Sebastian," she said honestly, "for giving me permission to be in your home, and touch you and kiss you," she said playfully.

"Emily," Sabastion conceded. " I believe that whether I gave you verbal permission or not, it would not have been long before I was physically requesting you do so." He shook his head but the way he wasn't look at her seemed to indicate he was doing it to himself not to her. He muttered something to himself in Russian and sighed. "And I feel I should let you know I do feel a little ashamed by my thoughts of you over the last two days." Had it only been two days? Well, just over a day and a half he supposed. Had he really been so weak? He supposed it didn't matter, whether it was today or 6 months from now, it was bound to happen with the two of them living together. No, no it wasn't, but with his will in this situation, he would have had to concede defeat. He just wasn't that strong and he wasn't that good. "I'm supposed to be your mentor and I couldn't stop imagining touching you."

Her smile became something more mischievous then, but also sympathetic. "And I'm supposed to be your student, and yet I couldn't go a single day without daydreaming about you kissing me, or touching me, or envisioning you naked." Her eyes flicked up and down his body unabashedly, and her smile grew. "So it seems we're both violating the standards of professionalism."

Sabastion glanced up from his painting and caught sight of her expression and instantly stiffened. He looked down his nose, giving her a disapproving look in return. "Cease," he ordered, pointing the paint brush at her again, then went back to his work. Seriously, the death! "Why do you even have an interest in me? You could have any young man you want. I must have looked like an impossible goal. Why would you do that?"

Emily responded to his chastizing with a closed-lipped smirk, blood still in her cheeks. She shrugged at his next question. "I do not want any other young man. I love how compassionate you are... how skilled in your field, how determined. Helping others is your passion, and I greatly admire that because I sympathize with it. At first I just idolized you because of what a fantastic professional you were--and still are--but after a while it became... something more. A desire to know you on a deeper level." Her emphasis on the word "deeper" was almost subtle enough to miss.

He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly to try and bring himself under control again. "So... you took an interest in me... because my attention was entirely on my work? What an odd trait to choose," he commented mildly. He supposed he could understand that but if she hadn't come running up to him, breathless, asking about being his room mate, none of this would have happened. He might not have noticed her in any other light than a colleague. Well, a potential future colleague. Back then he did not know she planned on staying with the hospital. "I'll finish later," he ended and set aside his supplies. He picked up the painting, careful to keep it turned away from her so she couldn't see it yet. "I don't want to make you sit there any longer." He turned to carry the painting inside and up to his room to put it safely aside for now, then returned to start gathering his other things. "Thank you for letting me paint," he told her. "I had not done so in a while and it is nice to exercise skills every now and then-"

She had remained in the chair when he'd taken the unfinished painting upstairs rather suddenly. Had she pushed him too far? Annoyed him? Her smile was gone again. "I'm sorry, did I ruin your concentration? I didn't mean to... I can be quiet if you want to keep painting." she insisted gently. "I know you said you would tell me if I am bothering you, but if I've pushed you too far-" she said, standing and looking genuinely contrite.

Sabastion paused in cleaning up to raise an eyebrow at her, taking a serious minute to think about what had just happened to cause her shift in mood. "You distracted me," he answered finally. "It is quite enough for today in any case, I can resume another time. It will take a while and it is torture to ask you to sit there as long as necessary. Now, as promised-" He motioned to her with the hand not holding paint supplies. "What is your one request?" he asked, continuing to clean up as he listened.

Emily watched him quietly. She had a harder time reading him than she thought she would. At work, it was like mind-reading. They were so in sync and flowed together perfectly. But here, in the privacy of their home, it was like a blind guessing game without any clues. She had loved how open and passionate he had been upstairs in the throws of their physical intimacies, but now he seemed so closed off again and she was trying to figure it out, to no avail. She resisted the urge to chew her lip, knowing it annoyed him, and instead rolled her tongue over it lightly before saying, "I would like it if we-I don't know-snuggled...? On the couch? Maybe read together?" she asked, watching him. "And I promise, no funny business."

That seemed like a rather simple request considering what she had just been doing, and certainly not what he expected. Nonetheless, he nodded, but it was somewhat hesitant. "That sounds very pleasant," he assured her and offered her that familiar quick of the corners of his mouth, trying to put her at ease. He might not have much experience with relationships, but he had a lot of experience with people and he could tell she was either confused or upset. Perhaps both. Her last words, however, had him mentally stifling a snort. He could guess that, no matter what she promised on that subject, they would descend into something different. He was naive before but now that he knew, he was all too aware of the intimate click they had. He gathered his things and took them inside, returning them to their proper place before once more coming downstairs to meet Emily and retrieve his book from outside to join her on the couch in the living room, all the while considering how he could make her relax. Just because he didn't show it didn't mean she was offending him or upsetting him. He just wasn't very expressive. At work he had a clear focus and an utmost understanding of professional boundaries. He had been intimate before, of course, but Emily was new territory. The last girlfriend he had was a few years ago in medical school, not that he considered Emily a girlfriend just yet, he has said that much, that he was still trying to feel this out, but the only way he could do that was by interacting with her and having her, in return, interact with him. He wanted to get to know her but he did that by observation, and he had a bad feeling that observation was coming off as disinterest.

As Sebastian had been putting his things away and retrieving his book from outside, Emily had taken the time to change her clothes into something more comfortable--a long, slate-grey cotton t-shirt with a deep V-neck, and some pink and grey plaid sleeping boxers--despite the early afternoon hour, and get her own pleasure-reading medical text. She hugged it to her chest, the title, Warburton's Medical Encyclopedia, 11th Edition blared off of the red cover in yellow cursive from behind her pale arms. She smiled at Sebastian and led the way into the smaller parlor living room and moved to the couch, sitting down carefully and leaving enough room for him to join her, if he wanted.

It was only a few minutes later Sabastion joined her. He was shoe-less but didn't bother changing. He took up a seat on the end of the couch furthest from her, but not because he wanted distance. His back set against the arm of the couch, he brought one leg up, the other hanging off the couch along with a hand holding his book. Other arm on the back of the couch he beckoned her to lean on him and, spotting her medical text, he raised an eyebrow at it. "An interesting choice, though I can not honestly say I am surprised." His lips quirked up again. He might be nervous, uncertain of how comfortable to be with her just yet, but he could try, and stay alert, to see where she became uncomfortable. Obviously keeping a distance hadn't worked.

Emily's face brightened appreciatively, a blush creeping over her cheeks at his mention of her book choice. She shrugged lazily. "I enjoy it," she admitted openly. She then scooted closer to him, and with her back to his chest, wedged her hips between his thighs and leaned back so her head was comfortably nestled against his shoulder. She snuggled into him a little and closed her eyes, enjoying his smell very briefly before she set about opening her book to the last place she'd read; which, now that she was in the S's of the book, was a chapter on shin splints neatly separated into subcaptioned sections about symptoms, treatments, and long-term care, alongside vivid photos and drawings. She instantly set to reading, taking her time to absorb every sentence and turn the pages slowly. Her face settled from the light-hearted smile she usually wore into something lightly concentrated. She crossed her ankles on the couch ahead of her and relaxed further against Sebastian.

Sabastion admired her from his vantage point safely out of her line of sight for a moment as she relaxed into him, then lifted his own book to read one handed. He had a much smaller book than Emily, it was leather bound and hand written with a ribbon book mark, no apparent title or page numbering, apparently a journal of some sort. The two of them settled into a comfortable silence, the only sound the quiet flip of a book page.

They enjoyed each other's company this way for another hour or so, and Emily was deeply satisfied with it. She felt close to him, intimate with him in their most favorite--well, maybe second-most favorite--way. She finished another chapter, then lightly closed her book and leaned her head back against Sebastian's shoulder lightly, being careful of his face and not to block his view of his own book. She yawned gently and rubbed at her face with her free hand, the other meticulously keeping her fingers pinned on her place in the book. She settled against him again, her head still back on his shoulder, and didn't lift her book again. Instead, as she was admiring the way he felt against her back, she started to drift in and out of sleep.

It was a few minutes before Sabastion lowered his book, pausing as he took a moment to fully take in what he had noticed a little while ago. Emily was dozing off. Her weight against him had increased incrementally as her body relaxed, her breathing had evened out to a steady rise and fall of her chest, even her face, which he could see by carefully lowering his eyes to look down at her, had gone slack. He admired the weight of her against himself, lifting his eyes to look around, or more precisely listen to his quiet home around them. The occasional bird whistled or chirped outside, the warm early summer breeze would rustle a few tree leaves, and he thought he heard the Richardsons' dog barking a block or so away, too distant to make out clearly. Perhaps Mr. Richardson was getting home from work, he supposed it was about that hour. Other than those, all he could hear was the quiet whisper of Emily's steady breaths as they passed her lips and ghosted along his collar bone. Carefully, he tilted his head to rest his lips against her hair, letting the natural smell of her to fill his senses as he closed his eyes, imagining warm blankets, a dark room lit with nothing but moonlight, this girl- young woman- nestled in his arms. Lifelong ambitions his grandmother had of him having a wife made his heart ache and, to another degree entirely, stutter with nerves. Yes, it was too early to think of that with her, this wasn't that serious, but what was he doing? He was thirty years old and had a steady, respectable career. People like him, they didn't just... take on lovers. It was almost juvenile in his mind, but did he want to pursue something serious with her? Could she be considered someone like that to him? Could he imagine daily life, children, hell, even a wedding, with Emily? His face shifted to something uncomfortable and he forced himself to relax. It was still too new to think of such things. Yes, it was juvenile, and it made him feel silly, but he could have a lover for now and see how he may feel later on. Emily was young, in five years, or perhaps even one or two years, she would be a full fledged doctor and woman and he would no longer be able to deny that she could be a potential fiancé, if they lasted that long of course. The novelty of him would no doubt run thin by then, he would be some school crush and no doubt be just some old man once she fully grew into her own, so for now, all he had was this juvenile, passion filled... romance? Whatever one would call this. He could not deny she was very much his lover now, she had no intention of seeing it as a one time thing, and he felt childish if he tried to fight back, to deny this. No, he had to be the adult here, he had to just take responsibility, and care for her. Yes, that much he very much wanted to do. He pressed a soft kiss to her hair. Caring, it was something they undeniably had in common and something that he had to admit made him see Emily as a real woman, not a student, and the core of those first thoughts of something more serious for their potential future.

Emily's mind was feathery light as she drifted in and out on his lap. She was vaguely aware of him kissing her head, and it made her lips curl up just slightly at the corners before vanishing again. Her dreams were short and inconsistent, but good. She liked this feeling, here in his lap. He was comfortable, and he smelled wonderful, and it put her mind at ease. His second kiss to her head brought her closer to consciousness than the first one had. She took in a slow breath, her lips parting just a bit more from their sleepy pout, but her eyes remained closed. "Mmm.... 'Bastion..?" she mumbled sleepily, shifting to nuzzle her head closer under his chin, "...may I sleep in your room tonight?" Her mind was not entirely in touch with the question she was asking of him, but that did not make it any less genuine. If napping with him felt this sublime, what then did sleeping in his bed with him feel like?

Sabastion smiled against her hair, thinking of the actual definition of a 'bastion'. When she continued to speak, it took all his self control not to tense up. He took a moment to think about it, hoping she would nod off again, but judging by the weight of her and her breathing pattern, she was half awake and wasn't in danger of tipping one way or the other just yet. "That depends..." he said slowly, hoping he worded this correctly. "Did you intend for me to be there as well, or commandeer my space? And," he added, a touch more teasing. "Did you intend to actually sleep in my room, should I agree?"

This time, in response to his queries, a wider grin split her full lips and a blush rose to her cheeks. "I want you there," she said to answer his first question, and to his second she responded, "and yes... eventually." She tilted her head back a bit so she could look up at him, her eyes only half-open and the blue within her irises clear and bright as her pupils retracted to the afternoon light spilling in through the window behind him. She admired his face like this a moment, in her sleepy state when he seemed surrounded by an ethereal puffiness around the edges, her smile staying on, but softer now. She closed the brief gap between them and with a hand lightly looped behind the back of his neck, her fingers latticed in the ends of his lighter hair, she brushed her lips against his. This was not a playful kiss that served as any means to an end. In fact, it was rather chaste compared to their earlier actions. She had just wanted to taste him, wanted to feel his lips on hers. And, well, his lips were rather kissable. She had imagined kissing this man every day since the day she'd met him, if she was honest with herself, and she wanted to enjoy it every chance she got.

The kiss was returned with a featherlight touch, lingering a half second longer than was perhaps necessary for such a tender moment, but pure nonetheless. Everything about her, from her soft skin under his fingertips to the oceanic blue of her eyes to the curve of her body no matter how she lay, she was the beautiful, living embodiment of so many paintings. She was an ornate work of art, almost too perfect to touch and yet enchanting. He felt like he could admire her beauty for hours with his eyes and, he thought guiltily, his hands. "I'll take eventually," he replied, equally quiet so as not to disturb the peace of the moment, his lips quirking up in that familiar expression of amusement. "I wonder..." he continued softly, skillfully keeping the teasing tone out of the words. "What the expression on the faces of the nurses will be when I must answer why I am so tired tomorrow morning..." He titled his head to let his lips brush across hers as he spoke. "Or would you prefer to explain?" he asked innocently.

Emily gave a soft giggle, her breath warm against his lips. That rosy color stayed in her pale cheeks. "Who says we have to tell them anything at all? Let them wonder." she whispered lightly. It was he, after all, who had insisted on remaining professional while at work--and with good reason. The other nurses didn't need the scandalous distraction of their romance. "Besides... I want to keep you to myself for a while. Just this... just us." she whispered, looking him in the eyes, her own more alert now. "Is that okay..?"

"Yes..." Sabastion practically breathed the word back before capturing her lips in a sweet, soft kiss, lasting only a moment but it was a slow break, as if he was hugging her, comforting her, with the minuscule contact. "If you want me, I am all yours, and only yours," he replied. For a while. Until you bore of me. It was better anyway, he supposed, not involve others in the knowledge of their... unprofessional affair. When it ended, it could end quietly. If they worked in different departments in the hospital, it wouldn't even be terribly hard to avoid each other at work. It could be what it was until it wasn't. For now, it was rather flattering to have a beautiful young woman so interested in personally possessing him, albeit confusing.

His answer made her very happy. Those butterflies in her stomach that she'd become so accustomed to when he was around rose aflutter in her torso again. As much as she didn't want to separate herself from him and the comfortable position she was in with him at that moment, she moved. She set her book on the nearby table, and turned her body, laying over him on her stomach now so she would not have to continue to crane her neck to kiss him. But her kisses continued to be sweet, light, not driven by hunger or lust. She just sincerely enjoyed kissing him. This time, when they broke, she said, "Will you teach me how to speak in Russian some day? Or would you rather I remained oblivious to whatever you tell me?"

Sabastion frowned and carefully set his own book aside with hers before loosely wrapping his arms around her waist. "I enjoy your confusion," he admitted, seemingly unashamed to do so. He didn't really feel he should be ashamed of the truth after all, he wouldn't want her to be with him. He met her eyes, frowning a bit further. "It would take a long time to learn," he told her, but the statement was separate, not a refusal but more of a warning or an explanation.

"Most good things do, don't they?" Emily asked, tilting her head just a fraction, her smile slight. "Time and effort... persistence and consistency... that's how we learn a lot of things. Like how to care for people, doctor." she whispered, her voice almost a purr. She kissed him again just to punctuate the sentence. "I want to learn. We can start slow... with single words. Baby steps. Please?"

Sabastion sighed, looking at her as if considering, but he was clearly defeated. He nodded at last, keeping his eyes on hers. "That is for the best. It may be years before grammar will make any sense to you." Ah, no, that was probably not the right way to say that. Emily was smart, she could get the basics in six months to a year, surely, though he wasn't sure he wanted to hear his lover speaking 'baby Russian'. Looking at her face though, he knew he wouldn't be able to say no to anything she was directly asking of him, no matter his verbal protests. "Поцелуй," he whispered, the word rolling out of his mouth possibly more natural than English, and he gave her a sweet kiss to punctuate the word. "Perhaps the most useful word you would like to know. Pot-soo-wee. Potseluy," he repeated and kissed her again.

Her face lit up with delight. She kissed him again and repeated, slowly and a bit chopped, "Pot-soo-wee." Her lips went from the popping enunciation of the P to the puckered elongated O's and then back to her smile as she stretched the long E's. She blushed and kissed him again, her body giving a happy little wiggle on his lap. "That's a fantastic first word to teach me. Potseluy."

Sabastion gave her a doting upward quirk of his lips and shifted one arm so he could lay his hand on the side of her face, fingers brushing back her hair and his thumb caressing her cheek. "Красивый," he whispered, this time not kissing her, but he was admiring her face. "Kris-ee-vee. Krasivyy." It didn't punctuate like 'kiss' had. It ran together, each letter a cascade after the one before it. Although he said each syllable to help her hear it, when he said the full word they did not separate like the pronunciation, making it sound almost a completely different word. "Красивый," he said again, more as a compliment than for her impromptu lesson.

Emily stared back at him, holding still and admiring his hand on her face. She wasn't sure if this was a word he was trying to teach her, or if he was just complimenting her, so she opted to repeat it. But this word was harder for her than the first had been. Her syllables did not flow together as effortlessly as his did, but she tried. "Kris-ee-vey," she said, then her brows furrowed as she concentrated and tried again before asking him, "What does that one mean?"

Again, that same quirk of his lips. No, perhaps they weren't ready for something serious, but he could admire the project she was, and that open thirst she had for learning that would shape her into what would surely be a force to be reckoned with, when the project was complete. Looking at her now, he hoped that day would never come, he wanted to see her helpless and in need of him, at least for a while. Perhaps it wasn't need though, perhaps it was just want, but, and he had to be honest, he enjoyed it just the same. "Beautiful," he answered, the word both an answer and a compliment. "Kr'seevee," he tried again, slower, but without breaking the word up. "Красивый."

Her smile fell into a look of innocent shyness, and she pressed her lips together in a thin smile. Her expression softened and she rested a hand on either side of his neck so her thumbs could trace his jaw on both sides, and this time she whispered the word back to him slowly and without error. "Krasivaya." She admired his face as a warm silence bled from her lips on the back of that word, then leaned down and kissed him again.

Sabastion returned the kiss easily, removing his hand from her face so he could wrap his arms securely around her and hold her close. Мягкий. Тепло. Чувственный. Отвлекающий . Новый . Потребляя. Words ran through his head like lightning, finally settling on the lukewarm feeling of 'xорошо'. For now, it just felt 'right' and 'good'. He could explain the difference between 'beautiful' and 'cute' another time, she had been right enough, and 'cute' was probably more useful in her day to day life anyway. He mentally made a note not to laugh if she said it regarding the flowers or butterflies in the garden.

She was all too happy to let the kisses linger like that a bit longer, but before they could get too carried away, she pulled back and looked at him again, sitting up a little more. "Okay, one more. Teach me something I can tell you--and you better make it good." she said, pointing a finger at him in a mock sternness, her smile betraying her tone.

The doctor frowned at her, a little unhappy with the kisses ending, but more in contemplation of her request. Something she could tell him? Well it would be rather vain having to say it himself, for himself, the first time around. What did he want her to say to him? What did he want to hear her say? A single word- or simply something short- he wasn't sure what that could be, and it took him a long moment of thinking, once or twice preparing to say there was nothing, before he finally answered. "'Да, я согласен'," he quoted for her. "'Da, ya soglasen.' 'Dah. ya-so-gl-aye-sen.' 'Da, ya soglasen.'" He watched her to see if she caught it. He said it as slowly as he could, but the slower something was the harder it was to say. Russian rolled and broke, it cascaded, it wasn't something that halted easily. "It is not something you will need to say yet," he explained. "But it is something I would like you to be able to say."

Her smile melted away as she listened to him say it again and again, those delicate black brows knitting together between her eyes in concentration as she listened. She got the first syllable down easily enough, and even the second came easy. They were single syllable words. But the third word was harder and she tried to roll it over her tongue slowly and silently rather than trying it aloud this time, for fear of butchering the pronunciation too much. "I'll work on it, I promise." she said with a brighter expression. "But for now... I want to go back to the beginning." She leaned in and planted a kiss on his lips, "Potseluy," she whispered, then kissed his cheek and said it again, then pressed her lips to his neck just beneath his ear and repeated it lightly against his skin.

"You're a quick study," he complimented and titled his head to allow her better access as he enjoyed the attention, hands splayed over her back and playing idly with the hem of her shirt. "Are there words you wish to know? What would you like to say to me?" he asked, the second question more pointed and curious than the first. "Я мог бы поговорить с тобой тысячу солнц и лун прохождение, но никогда бы не было слов , чтобы сказать, как ты прекрасна," he told her, still making no effort to stop her exploration. "I listen no matter what or how you say things."

Emily blushed and withdrew from her affections to his neck, sitting up and looking down at him. "There's a lot I want to say to you, actually... but.." She trailed off and her bottom lip very briefly stuck itself between her teeth in thought before she remembered to not allow that to happen. She shrugged and looked down. "You'd think me silly. I'm a bit of a hopeless romantic, I'm afraid, and it's kind of early in our... um... relationship? For stuff like that." She shrugged her shoulders again in a soft bounce, looking down at her hands in her lap now.

Sabastion gave her a curious raise of the eyebrow and a calculating look, then removed his hands so he could scoot himself up on the couch a bit further to remove the slight slouch he had sunk into. "Emily, I won't fault you for learning," he assured her. "You want to learn to say things, I will say them to you, you can choose when, or if, you want to say them. Of course, if you don't want to learn to say them, then I wouldn't force you to tell me what it is. You can have secrets, if that's what you want." He was still giving her that same look, as if waiting for her to say something despite that he was speaking. "Perhaps I can guess," he wondered. "'Я люблю тебя,'" he spoke gently. "'Будете ли вы со мной навсегда?'" he asked, his voice soft, almost as if he was actually asking rather than trying to guess. "'Ты выйдешь за меня?'" Of course, he knew she wouldn't understand what he was saying, but maybe that's why he was saying them. He kept his eyes on her, kind, patient, steady. Maybe some day he would get to say them when she would understand. "Да, я согласен," he answered the questions, offering something familiar. It might not be the answer this moment, but if she became the woman he felt she could, then perhaps he would mean it, some day.

She lifted her head as he spoke, her blue eyes studying him from behind the soft black tresses framing her face. She listened to him in awe, and when he fell silent again, she smiled. "I love listening to you speak like that," She admitted. Even if she couldn't understand him yet, his words sounded kind, honest, sincere, and wise. She thought about it briefly as her fingers toyed with the hem of her night shirt, then asked, "how would I tell you, 'you amaze me'?"

It took a long moment of thought while Sabastion contemplated the best way to word it, thinking what she might mean more than what she said. Finally, he said, "'Вы оставить меня в трепет.' Vy ostavit' menya v trepet.' 'Vy 'sta-vit meanya v'treevet'," he tried, slowing it down each time. ".... You'll learn the tumble," he assured her. "'V'treevet,'" he repeated the last part to explain. "It is.. not exact, but I think it is more what you mean."

Again, she rolled the harder words along her tongue in silence, trying to get a feel for how she would pronounce them aloud. She finally tried to repeat him aloud, and pleasantly only found herself a couple vowels off. She beamed at him, proud of herself.

Sabastion gave her a doting little upward quirk of his lips and nodded, as if to say 'well done'. "Russian doesn't really suit you," he commented conversationally. "You're too soft and gentle. Perhaps French?" he suggested, then seemed to reconsider and made a face. "I would not want you to be French."

She laughed at him lightly, good-naturedly, and shook her head. "I don't want to be French either--nothing against them, of course." She smiled at him sweetly. "I just want to be Russian with you." She brushed her hands down his chest and they settled a bit lower on his ribs.

"I want you to be Emily," Sabastion countered and took one her hands with his own to lift it and kiss her wrist just below the palm, the touch gentle but firm with years of medical training in patient care. Although, of course, he'd never treat a patient this way. "And Emily is American." He wondered if her opinion would be different if she had met his grandmother, a woman with high expectations and the stern face to drive them into him. Maybe it was just that she wanted a connection with him no one else had? But.. hadn't they had that earlier? Maybe that wasn't it, or perhaps not the right connection. He raised his grey eyes to meet her blue ones with a steady gaze, as if trying to guess what was on her mind.

Emily watched him back, almost shivering at his kisses to her wrist. "Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't learn new languages and cultures; especially that of the man I've been admiring for quite some time." She pulled a playful pout. "Do you not want me to learn?"

"I want you to learn whatever you want to learn," Sabastion replied mildly and released her wrist to return his arm around her waist with the other. "If you admire me so highly, I am a little surprised you did not learn on your own before now," he pointed out, his tone still conversational. "At least a little. But, I suspect it is because of your studies that you had no time for it and that I find admirable. I love your dedication to and passion for our profession."

Another smile upturned her lips and brightened her expression. "Good, I'm glad." Here, she leaned in and brushed her lips against his, not quite kissing him so she could say, "I want you to teach me how to tell you to make love to me."

Sabastion stopped breathing for a full three seconds as his mind drew a blank. Or, well, more precisely, supplied an image and not words. He forced himself to focus on the request, not the body, and try to answer the question. Not many would know this, but when one is stuck thinking of one image, while thinking of what to say, and then trying to change what one is trying to say into a different set of words entirely, well, it is a very difficult thing to do. Still, he took a few slow breaths while he thought about it, getting his reactions under control before he even attempted to speak. "Возьми меня в постель," he replied quietly. "Voz-mee menya v'postel. Voz'mi menya v postel'." He wasn't sure he was ready yet to call what they did 'making love', and he had explained to her that he needed time to figure out what this was and she had seemed to understand that much at least. For now, this would do. He could change it when she learned more. When he learned more.

She listened, all too aware of his breathlessness and struggle at her request. His reactions made her redden, made her tingle. They were adorable and made her feel just a bit powerful for once. "Voz'mi menya v postel." she whispered back, her body scooting a bit closer to his as she slid her arms around his neck and kept their faces close.

"Хотите, чтобы я?" Sabastion muttered back against her lips, his hands on her back sliding down to rest on the hem of her pants. He visibly swallowed, though it was not too hard. He clearly still had some composure at least. "You'll be the death of me," he repeated his earlier statement. He had a feeling she was going to make him say it a lot. "Вы будете моей смерти." And every syllable was punctuated by his obvious submission to the inevitable.

She giggled at him, red-faced, then pulled back and shrugged. "Well, if you don't want to..." she trailed off teasingly, starting to pull away from him, but in a way that rolled her hips down against his lap. "I guess we could just go back to reading."

Sebastian was quick to grab her hips and keep them from moving any more. "Emily," he started seriously, looking into her eyes again. He was clearly trying to maintain at least a little self control. He wasn't really old after all and she was very pretty and really what she was doing was rather cruel if he thought about it and he tried very hard not to think about it. "What else do you want?" He could keep the conversation going. He wanted to learn some things himself too. "For us," he clarified. "What other things did you want to do with me?" He paused and let out a sharp sigh. "Sorry, not, like, as if I was an object. I mean, with, together."

Emily hesitated, her smile quickly melting. She settled on his lap chastely and her hands rested in her own lap as she looked at him. "I want to do lots of things with you. I've envisioned traveling with you and working with you, cooking together, eating together, sleeping together--where we actually sleep," she added at the end with a modest smile. She shrugged again. "I want life with you, Sebastian. But you're not just an object to me, you know that, right? I just... I waited such a long time for the chance to kiss and touch you and... Other things... I'm sorry if I'm getting a bit carried away."

In reply, he simply shook his head. "I just wanted to know," he explained, then wrapped his arms around her waist again, pulling her into closer contact. "We can get it out of your system first," he said, his doctor voice securely in place, his steady gaze holding hers. "Then with a clearer mind perhaps you can tell me what you would like next. So far, it has been very nice getting to know you." One corner of his mouth quirked up, never looking away. "Maybe a walk by the ocean before bed, if there's time?" he suggested.

Her smile returned slowly. "I would like that very much. I feel like there's still a lot I have to learn about you, and a walk on the beach would be perfect for that." she said, running her hands up his chest and around the back of his neck up into his hair. She pulled herself closer to him and leaned in as if to kiss him again, but paused just before his lips and said again for good measure, "Voz'mi menya v postel." This time she sat back from him and off the couch, grabbing his hands and pulling him with a playful expression on her face, her smile shimmering in her blue eyes.

Sabastion followed her physical ministrations and stood, but sighed once he was on his feet. "Net," he clipped to her, but leaned in and placed a soft kiss to her forehead to ease the worries he knew would follow the statement. "If you will indulge me instead, I would prefer the walk," he told her and leaned back a bit to look into her stunning blue eyes, his own pale grey ones asking her to please agree.

Emily paused at his resistance and blinked up at him in innocent confusion. Her expression was brief. She relaxed when she saw the plea in his eyes and a softer smile returned to her lips. She nodded in agreement. "Let me go change," she told him sincerely, motioning to her plaid boxers and t-shirt. At the very least, she could put on jogging pants or sweatpants, and some comfy walking shoes. She stood on her tip toes to kiss him lightly and quickly, and then scooped up her medical textbook and vanished from the parlor and down the hall to her room.

Sabastion waited until she was out of the room to rub the back of his neck and sigh heavily, careful not to let it make noise. If she was like this now, how would she be in the summer without studies?? He wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle her then- But perhaps this was just because it was so new? She had mentioned liking him for some time, perhaps this was simply the pressure exploding and once it was released she would calm down? Or lose interest? He paused, thinking about that a moment. What if she realized this wasn't everything she had been aching for? Would she want him to change? Would she like this instead? He carefully looked toward the doorway she had disappeared through. He supposed he could only continue on and see how it went, but would she calm down enough to actually get to know him as more than 'a good doctor'? He might have only had a few relationships but he knew if someone didn't like you at your most boring they certainly weren't going to stay around very long. The majority of anyone's time was spent being boring, he thought. He let out a smaller, quiet sigh, then went to the entrance hall to get his shoes, sitting on the stairs to put them on. He was too worried about himself. Emily had been observing him and while he had been observing her as well, he was pretty sure it wasn't in the same way. He needed to focus on getting to know her as a person as well if he hoped for her to do the same, that much was fair.

Emily was currently lost in very similar thoughts as she maneuvered throughout her room. He had seemed open to the idea of going a second round mere seconds before changing his mind. Was she being too forward? Too clingy, already? She tried not to chew her lip, knowing how he disliked it, but the plump flesh somehow found its way back between her teeth. She changed out of her sleeping shorts and into some form-fitting, black sweatpants that flared out a bit at the bottoms. She grabbed some black socks and her black and blue running shoes and after donning everything, she worked on restraining her ponytail on top of her head as she walked out to meet him in the front hallway. She smiled at him when she was done, tugging her shirt down and righting it, and then opened the door for him. It was still early in the afternoon, and the sun was warm on her back. The sounds of his neighborhood were peaceful. She admired him, stooped over on the stairs so he could tie on his shoes. Her eyes traced how the muscles in his arms moved, from his hands to his shoulders. She admired the way the sun shone down on his lighter hair. She blushed again, squirming away more impure thoughts. They were getting ready to go out. She breathed and looked outside instead. "Ready?" she asked idly.

Sabastion finished with his shoes and grabbed his keys as he stepped outside with her. "And eager," he agreed and gave her that familiar quirk of the corner of his mouth before locking the door behind them. He held out his hand to her. "Tell me, Emily," he inquired as they started their walk, his medical tone back in place as if he were having a differential with her. "Do you deliberately wear clothing that gives me no choice but to imagine the girl underneath?"

After taking a brief moment to let her surprise at his offered hand pass, she slid her hand into his and laced their fingers with a bashful little smirk of her own. She shrugged one shoulder and said, "not intentionally." She smiled up at him with those big blue eyes behind long dark lashes. She looked ahead again. "Should we be holding hands in public..? What if we run into someone from work? This is a small town, after all..."

"It's likely we will," Sabastion confirmed as he motioned with his free hand for her to walk with him and they started on the way to the beach. "Would you prefer to limit our physical interactions to the interior of my home? To me that would imply that we were doing something wrong and attempting to hide it. Although young, we are both adults and we are permitted to a social life outside of the hospital, to spend our free time however we wish and with whomever we wish," he continued and while his diction was clinical his tone was gentle so she would know he was not chastising her or attempting to boss her around. It seemed he was simply discussing the situation, which was true. No, he didn't know what he had with Emily just yet besides 'fun', but as long as they were professional while at work, who he had dinner with or walked with or did any other activity outside of work with was hardly a concern of the medical board or dean of medicine or anyone else. His discomfort with the beautiful young woman with him was his own and had very little to do with what he felt his coworkers might think. He did not pry into their social lives beyond what they wished to share (which wasn't a lot, his demeanor didn't imply he was the social type, after all) so they had no ned to pry into his. Married doctors could work in the same hospital with no qualms, and Emily would be a full fledged doctor soon enough. There should not be an argument about it. Of course, there would be, but he would deal with that as calmly as he would anything else. Worry over that situation could come if and when it arose. But perhaps it wasn't that. Perhaps she just didn't want people to know she was... seeing him? Is that what he would call it? He could understand her not wanting her friends to know about him. He wasn't exactly "boyfriend" material after all. "But if it makes you uncomfortable..."

Emily quickly shook her head--after bobbing it along in agreement to a majority of what he said. "No, no, it doesn't make me uncomfortable. I like it..." She admitted. She gave his hand a squeeze and looked ahead. In fact, holding his hand in public made her feel rather boastful. She was holding hands with a handsome, smart, funny, sexy, conpassionate, and accomplished doctor; he was arguably the best doctor in this little town. She couldn't help but walk with a confident stride and a lift of her chin. He wanted to hold her hand in public. She could almost jump for joy. She was so elated, in fact, that she gave very little thought to what might happen to either of them should they be caught by anyone of importance. Though she could always claim that Sebastian was holding her hand for the purpose of keeping her from wandering into traffic, which was plausible considering how clumsy she was. But right now she didn't feel the least bit clumsy or foolish. Instead, she was brimming--glowing, even--with confidence.

Sabastion chuckled very quietly, observing her with that same fond little upward quirk of his lips. She was rather spriteful. Even if things were not as they were, she would have been very interesting to observe. "I am glad," he admitted. He wasn't exactly sure why she liked it so much, but it wasn't like she wanted to romp on a crowded beach so he had to admitted he was very, very grateful she was content with such a small gesture. "Do you feel you will gain an expertise in your studies?" he asked conversationally. He didn't have one himself, it hadn't really mattered and he had wanted to begin work as soon as possible, but someone as intelligent and enthusiastic as Emily seemed to be, she could be head of their hospital by thirty-five if she wanted- Not that he thought she would want. She seemed too much like a people person to be a paper pusher.

"You know... I haven't thought about it. I don't think I'd like to be anywhere other than the emergency room. I like working there. I like being around the patients and seeing the relief and gratitude on their faces. I like interacting with people. I feel like getting an expertise in something might take me away from that." Emily mused for a moment, watching the sidewalk pass under her trainers. Her lips twitched like she wanted to bite them, but she withheld. She looked up at him. "What about you? Do you see yourself doing anything other than the ER?"

"I typically work wherever I am needed," Sabastion answered calmly as they continued their leisurely walk. He kept his eyes forward so he could think about the question, but kept his hand in hers so she would know he was not ignoring her or distracted. "That is usually the ER, but it is the clinic and the OR as well, ICU, burn ward, children's ward. I did a stint abroad as well early on, cleft palates. I love Athens Harbor, but I worry I could do more if I worked elsewhere."

Emily tilted her head as she listened to him, admiring him in the mid-afternoon sunlight. "You do so much already for Athens Harbor, though... and you could do so much more." she smiled. "You're a hero here. You're my hero." Her tone was very matter-of-fact and she beamed up at him, leaning into his side and hugging his arm to her chest.

Sabastion looked down at her to give her that same upward quirk of his lips and squeezed her hand gently in reply. "You flatter me. I suspect you will become a better doctor than I ever could, however, Emily. I do not share your intellectual passion for it. It comes easy to me, but I must admit I am much more leisurely about my continued education outside the hospital. You devour textbook after textbook. I admire that in you."

Emily blushed lightly and reached up to tuck some inky black hair behind her ear. "I just enjoy reading them... it's fun," she mumbled shyly. She kept herself hugged into his side as they walked, admiring the green of the grass and the fresh coolness of the breeze. There was a storm brewing far out to sea, visible on the horizon in the form of purplish clouds and flashes of lightning. She sighed happily.

Fun? Medical texts? What an odd girl. Sabastion looked down at her as they walked, pondering her a moment while they traveled in silence, only the ambient sounds of the neighborhood around them and their shoes scuffing on the sidewalk to fill the lull. Still, it was pleasant, silence. Emily seemed full of energy normally but when she studied, she was so focused, so intense, it was a little mesmerizing. And so they continued their silent, comfortable walk to boto the beach.

---

"A few years," Sabastion had replied to Emily's question regarding his familiarity with Jade. "She was one of my first patients, in the first dozen or so I think. She comes in semi frequently, usually because her staff forces her to. She is a hard worker. Hard work comes with scrapes and bumps," the doctor explained as they continued their leisurely stroll home. He and Jade were not neighbors by any means, but the walk wouldn't be far. Sometimes his morning jog would find him at Jade's on a day off, if he were early enough, and he would enjoy a drink of water while Jade kindly took the time to have some juice before rushing off to the marina. That was every few months or so though. She was usually out by the time he got there, or he had work and couldn't not stay. "I feel I know her a great deal better than she knows me- but then again, I know her height and weight in numbers. I doubt she could do the same for me." His lips quirked up at his own joke.

Emily giggled audibly at his jest and shook her head at him in a way that made her inky hair sway like black waves. She held onto his hand as they walked and up until they reached his front door, then released him so he could set about unlocking it. "So... I suppose we should have a quiet and productive evening for the rest of the night, Hm?" she asked, sounding only a tad disappointed. "You go do your thing, and I'll go do mine?"

"If you have things to do," Sabastion replied agreeably. As the door opened, he stepped back to let her in first, then closed and locked it again behind them. He glanced at a clock on the wall and frowned thoughtfully, then turned his attention back to Emily. "Will you need me again? I wouldn't want you to think I was avoiding you. It's.. a small house," he added for assurance. "I would not be far."

Need? Or want? Emily wondered. She wouldn't need him again, no. But want was something else entirely. She politely shook her head. "No, I think I'll be okay. I'm sure you have things to do or sleep to catch up on... You know where to find me, likewise." she said with a light smile. She stepped up to him and pecked a quick and chaste kiss on his lips, then turned and headed towards her room quickly.

Even threatened within an inch of his life, Sabastion would never admit how long he watched Emily walk away with his eyes focused on her rear. Living together, and suddenly lovers, but still sleeping apart. But what to do about that? She didn't seem to like the dull upstairs rooms that suited him just fine- he was a practical man after all- but where she lay now was his grandmother's old room. His face soured. Oh gods, what they did in there... Well, the teenager in him was still celebrating but the present day adult that encapsulated him felt acutely ashamed of that. Mentally shrugging it away, he started up the stairs. A change of clothes, nightly routine, and laying down with his book for a bit before dozing off seemed a fine, stress-free end to an otherwise very.... eventful day. It was not long before the doctor had concluded his waking hours, his room dark but for his nightstand lamp that illuminated a pale chest that rose and fell with each shallow breath, covered mostly by a open book, forgotten but for the fragile grip of a limp hand.

Emily was still awake long after Sabastion had fallen asleep, her eyes on her medical textbooks, but her mind elsewhere. She thought about him and would occasionally glance at the bed where they had spent most of their day, and a blush would rise to her cheeks again and again. She smiled to herself and bit her lip, feeling those familiar butterflies in her chest and stomach. She had to take a few deep breaths even just to feign determination to get back into her homework. She checked her chapters and huffed about how far ahead she already was. She decided to close her books and tuck her homework away for now. As she was brushing her teeth, and after she was changed into some cozy pajama pants and a simple t-shirt that hugged her torso in blue a shade just off from her pale eyes, she contemplated how she had asked Sabastion earlier that afternoon, when they had been reading together in the den, if she could sleep in his room. It occurred to her that even though she remembered asking the question, she couldn't remember the answer he had given. She had been half asleep then. She frowned and looked towards her ceiling, at about the area where Sabastion's room would be above hers. After a couple moments, she looked at her own bed and felt a sinking in her chest. She finished brushing her teeth, combed out her long jet black hair, and then headed towards her bed to sleep. But tucking back the duvet and sheets made the bed seem only more empty. She hesitated, chewed her lip, and shifted a little in both ways, unsure. Finally, she threw the covers back over, grabbed her cell phone (purely to make use of her alarm clock in the morning), and very quietly headed upstairs. She made her way into Sabastion's room, and smiled fondly at how he snoozed with the book open on his chest. She very carefully retrieved it from him, made sure his page was marked, and closed it on his nightstand. She headed around to the other side of the bed and crawled into it with a childish sort of caution, like a toddler climbing into her father's bed on a stormy night. She tucked herself in beside Sabastion and with her hands folded under her head, she laid facing him, and watching him sleep. She very quickly started to doze after that, her breathing light and warm beside him.


BotO Athens Harbor
Blood of the Olympians