smilestopscars | A House, Currant, Maine, Saturday

He most definitely knew how to kiss her. Even now as she did her best to keep their kisses light, almost chaste, she couldn't deny that heat slid pooled in her lower belly at the touch of his mouth on hers.

One day, she hoped things would be less fraught between them. She was doing her best to make it so, even. But until then, she wouldn't give these kisses up for anything.

Ezra also hoped things would one day be less fraught between them. He also hoped for a lot of other things, however, including that people would stop moving into an almost literal hellhole he couldn't bear to follow them to.

You couldn't always get what you hoped for.

But there was still this. The softness of her lips against his, the warmth of her under his hands, through the fabric.

She understood that hope. She understood it very well. And she hoped that one day, he'd work up the wherewithal to try again, to find their house would be open to him, too.

And if he never did, she'd keep taking portals to his place, bearing smiles and baked goods, because she wasn't going to let a stupid city break what they'd been working so hard to build.

At last, she pulled away, resting her forehead on his, and couldn't help but smile.

Ezra didn't smile. But at least his expression was open enough, somehow bordering on a little lost, and he was looking into her eyes.

He exhaled a breath silently, slowly.

Kathy ran the backs of her fingers over his face, eyebrows quirked in silent question. But she didn't ask, leaving him to decide to answer or not.

But she wished she could take that expression away. She knew she couldn't, but that didn't mean she didn't want to.

He didn't answer. He wasn't sure what the answer was. There was just a lot about their situation that he didn't really know what to think about. Even after two years.

So he just closed his eyes again, and bumped his nose against hers, and tried to be silent but present.

"Gnome kisses," she teased, rubbing her nose back. And-- "Oh! Did you get my presents? For Valentine's Day?"

That holiday would always be a little rough for Kathy, and Ezra had played his own role in that. But she'd still sent him flowers and treats, determined not to let those memories win.

"I did," Ezra said, and just for those two words his voice sounded heavy with something. Not quite like a threat of tears, but also not entirely unlike it, either. And then it was gone again. "Cupcakes were very tasty."

"Bet they didn't last much past the morning," she said, like she hadn't heard that heaviness. The concern in her eyes said otherwise, but if he had brushed it aside, he likely wouldn't appreciate her doing anything but the same. "I'm glad you liked them."

"Ava had one."

No, he wasn't going to be acknowledging his slip-up. Nor opening his eyes before he'd be sure he wouldn't find her staring at her with her eyes all full of warmth and concern.

"Lock had half of one."

"Aww, you shared!" Kathy said, chuckling. Mostly to let him know she wasn't giving him illegal eyes again. "I'm proud of you."

"Sometimes, I can be generous," Ezra quipped. He dared to open his eyes again, now. She'd laughed, it felt like a signal of safety on that front. "Rare, but it happened."

"I mean, I'm still going to need photographic proof or a notarized account of this taking place, but still, very proud." And then, a little tentatively because Kathy was always conscious of what people thought of her... "Did they like them, too?"

"Yes," Ezra replied, with the lightly chiding tone of someone who thought she should've known better - but who also knew she couldn't help herself. "They thought they were delicious, too."

She really couldn't.

As far as Kathy was concerned, Lock and Ava probably saw her as Ezra's weird friend who slept on their porch and sometimes hurt his feelings. She couldn't help but want something to tilt the bar in a favorable direction.

"I should bake while I'm here sometime," she mused. "They might have a chance of getting their share if there's a batch of cookies for you and another batch in the oven."

It was both a little simpler as well as a little more complicated than that. But then anything to do with Coterie folk usually was.

"I seem to have inspired a slight over-confidence in my ability to share," Ezra noted. "Because all I'm hearing is two batches of cookies. Both of which I will eat."

"But then you'll have to take it out of the oven," Kathy said, blinking in innocent. "With an apron. So either way, I win."

"The apron is not necessary," Ezra told her, although maybe there was a little quirk to his lips that said he was halfway proud of her for how she'd played that. "Stop trying to force your odd fantasy on me, darling."

"But you're so pretty in it!" Kathy protested, laughing in his lap. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

Ezra tsked lightly, and shook his head. He was finding it in himself to be a little more like his usual self, apparently. "I'm pretty in everything, that's no excuse."

"Well, yes," Kathy agreed, because obvious facts were obvious. "But I've seen you in a lot of different things already. Not this, though."

"There also many other things you haven't seen me in," he retorted. "Yet you're fixated on this one."

"Yeah, but most of the other ones I fantasize about but haven't seen you in are straight up obviously sexy," Kathy said, amused. "This one has points for subtlety."

A beat and then, "Why? What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking of anything particular," Ezra replied, which was true, "but I can tell you, for example, that Sparkle is making me a thing to wear for my end of class showcase. That's a thing you haven't seen me wear before that definitely won't be an apron."

"True, but I also don't know enough about it to imagine it," she pointed out. "It could be anything." After the showcase it would likely fuel her imagination, but until then, it was a cypher. "Aprons, though, especially a frilly little one around your waist? That I can imagine."

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