irisnetwork | un: xspire

[And now, even though he isn't having a painful coughing fit anymore, it still feels like his insides are shredding up. This is... Mav grumbles softly to himself and shakes his head, trying to sort out his thoughts, but when that fails, he pushes himself closer. Hesitates.]

I don't know you that fucking well, but I know you drive me crazy. You're such a little shit. And that -- that I...wouldn't change that, because I like you, and wanna keep getting to know you and how much of a little shit you can be. Whatever the fuck that's worth...

[They blow out smoke on breath they don't need, hesitating as they listen to Maverick.

It's...

It's not something they can grasp, immediately. They don't have any sort of frame of reference or experience with things like this. It's strange and foreign to them and they kind of regret asking, now, because...Because they don't know what to do with the information they've been given.]

It's worth more than nothing. [They hesitate, again, taking another drag.] I'm glad you like me.

[And...they think that's true. They think that's the feeling they're feeling. Whatever it truly is, it's something...warm.]

[Mav’s relieved his shitty explanation is accepted, anyway, and that it doesn’t seem to have caused any more damage.]

Good. Or else I’d have to knock some sense into you.

[There’s a lot he wants to ask, about what that means to Rover, or jokingly(?) if that ruins his chances, or any manner of things that don’t matter at all, really. Instead, what comes out after an awkward pause is,] Uh. Do you live with your dad, or...?

[there was a thought process]

Hah! I’d like to see you try.

[It’s a challenge, as they smirk up at Maverick.

At his question, though, they raise an eyebrow.]

I have a dorm on campus, all to myself. Why, you wanna check it out?

[rover pls he already has enough complexes about losing, don't be so adorable and yet kick his ass despite that being your express purpose..........

He hums vaguely, resting his arm on the back of the bench now that he's sitting sideways on it. That was something he expected, really, and if he said he didn't have a motive for asking, it would be a lie. There's the obvious -- aha, a place where they can be alone, how nice -- but there's also...a worry. So Rover is just...alone, thinking these kinds of thoughts.

It must be hard to be a robot with something like feelings. It was hard enough being human, where you're supposed to have them.

But back to being a useless pansexual: he raises a playful eyebrow and hovers his cigarette close to his lips. Just gonna ignore the odd, inferior ache he feels when he asks.]

That line work on a lot of people, so far?

[They don't mean to kick ass!! It's just what they're built for!!

They smirk, but it's a little shy.]

I've only tried it the once.

[And so far they don't know if it's working!! They can't tell. They can't get a read on Maverick, but...he says he likes them. They don't think that's a lie, so...

He probably wants to go back to their room, they think.]

[The odd ache stutters out, replaced by something disgustingly hopeful despite his confusion. He probably looks like a dope, staring blankly at them like he is. Um.]

Why...? I mean, I'm -- w-why me? Or is it just...

[Convenience, maybe? Or specifically using this question? Because he isn't anything special, so even some robot with faulty programming shouldn't find him particularly interesting enough to focus on... If he's been singled out, it doesn't really make any sense to him.]

[He might look like a dope, but he's a cute dope.]

I...don't know if I could explain it. You were interesting from the start.

[Maverick was a curious person, and Rover was a curious thing. They can't deny part of it was just on a whim, and they probably would have said the same to any other...but Maverick's reactions were what kept it going.]

[Maybe it isn't the most flattering answer, but it feels honest, and that matters a lot to Mav, who had so many doubts. Even without his mind tearing him down or holding him back, there was...the mess that was everything else before all this. He couldn't even claim he'd completely crawled out of that.

He swallows and looks at the ground, embarrassed to find his mouth dry, heart awkwardly thumping away, and brain scrambling to pick out words that weren't ridiculously stupid. He nods numbly, going back to his cigarette, but after his next exhale, he peeks over at them again.]

Yeah. If it's cool with you, I wanna, uh, see your room.

[Gently, so as not to startle the Maverick -]

I wouldn't have offered if it wasn't cool.

[They snuff out their cigarette despite the fact they've barely smoked it, hesitating for a moment before they push themself up off the bench.]

Hopefully it's not too boring.

[yeah, that's fair. He's kicking himself over that, but he's still feeling sort of floaty as he does it. The cigarette is a waste -- but then, Rover smoking at all was a waste, wasn't it -- and Mav's glad his own had burned down much more so he doesn't have to have yet another excuse for mental kicking when he abandons it in favor of joining the other.]

I guarantee you I've seen rooms way more fucking boring, no matter what the case fucking is with yours. Don't you fucking worry.

[They shake their head, fond, before leading Maverick. They live in Lumiere, right on the first floor. They lead him to 101, and their room is...

Well. They were right about the room being boring. There's absolutely nothing in the room besides two strange devices on their desk. Rover looks back at Maverick, before shrugging.]

Make yourself comfortable.

[True to his word, it's not the worst room he's seen, in terms of personalization. This made sense in a way that wasn't immediately depressing as hell, too, so that's a bonus. Kano's room had appeared unlived in, anything unusual tucked away in secret compartments he'd created through the years or shoved into the closet.

Maverick wanders over to the desk, absently shrugging off his coat in an effort to assert himself into the space and follow Rover's invitation. A coat hung on the back of a chair normalizes the room more.]

Sooo... Charging station, or...?

Hm?

[They sit down on the bit, pulling their legs up onto the mattress and crossing them underneath themself. They look at the devices on their desk, before nodding.]

Oh, yeah. Apparently Dad doesn't want to foot the bill for charging me so he made me a station that doesn't hoop up to the school's electric. The other thing is for systems analysis.

Huh. Stingy.

[Not that he thinks he’d want to pay for that either, but cost is something you’re suppose to consider before you commit to having a kid!!! What an irresponsible dad. Systems analysis is...also weird...but ultimately not something he’s going to concern himself with right now, instead shoving his hands in his pockets and heading over to plop himself down next to Rover.]

Sssso, uh...

[wow so fucking smooth doing GREAT]

Apparently I need a lot of power.

[They shrug. They're pretty sure it's faster using the reactor Rex built than plugging into the wall.

They look at Maverick, smirking after a moment.]

I think this is the part where you put the moves on me.

[ s c r e a m

As if he wasn't already feeling too warm and awkward on his own, that only furthers the stuttering out his brain is doing. For all the regret he'd had over his drunken decision last time he slept with someone he sure could use something to grease the wheels right about now, before he wound up disappointing them by not being able to deliver. He sighs at himself, which probably isn't that flattering, oops, then leans his weight onto his hand so he can bring himself closer. With his other hand, he reaches out to hesitantly cup their jawline and hopefully have them meet him in the middle on this whole leaning thing. He's better at doing than thinking, at least he can be confident about that.

He has to remind himself there's nothing to compare him to when he worries over his kiss being too stiff, or his lips too chapped -- both problems much more exaggerated in his mind than what he has to offer in reality anyway -- and that it'll get easier. Unless they taste overwhelmingly like metal or are freezing cold, that might swing it back into not so easy territory.]

[Rover's not expecting for Maverick to actually make a move. They're half expecting him to freeze up, or protest, or something like that. They're half-certain Maverick has no interest in them, and is only barely tolerating them at the best of times.

Apparently, they're very wrong about that.

They meet him halfway, hesitant and awkward in the way only the truly inexperienced can be. They are warm, though, and they taste like...not much at all, really. They don't know what to do with their hands, so they cover Maverick's with their own.

This is...nicer than they were expecting.]

[It feels...normal. Normal, and weird, and sort of familiar in its foreignness. It's not nearly as clumsy as his first kiss, thank god...and it's got that thrill of knowing someone else was floundering as much as he was. Of course there was the fact that Rover had a much more legitimate reason to not know what the fuck they're doing, but he's going to choose to not think about that!

He's grinning crookedly when he draws back, giddiness putting him at ease. For a second, he brushes his thumb along their cheek, then carefully wiggles his fingers into place between Rover's so he can encourage them to lace together, because as nice as kisses are, he's painfully weak to the simpler little acts of affection. To be held is to be secure and to be wanted.

The bed creaks low as Maverick shifts again so that the next kiss can come more easily than the first, though he pauses after brushing his pierced lips against Rover's.]

This still okay?

[If they had a heart, it would be pounding in their chest. As it stands, Rover still feels more than a little overwhelmed. They're not sure why something like a kiss is effecting them so deeply - it's just lips against lips. It's nothing that special.

But...they feel adrift at sea, and Maverick is a grounding presence. They squeeze his hand, gently, blinking at him.

Slowly, they nod.]

It's more than okay.

[They're so uncertain of what they're doing, but...They want to see where this goes.]

[It's gonna go places, that's for certain. Once assured, Maverick scoops up their lips again and works to ease their back down against the bed, their joined hands moving so he holds it above Rover's head. He knows that if at any point they change their mind, they could easily just break his wrist and that would be the end of that, nothing to worry about, but he keeps his grip light and tentative all the same. He was already going faster than his usual comfortable pace, shifting to hover over Rover as he trails kisses down from their mouth down their chin and neck.

He exhales, a little breathless laugh of disbelief. This is his life now, huh? Well. Could be worse. It feels good to be this close and to be leaving tender kisses rather than something hungry from loneliness.]

[The further down Maverick's kisses go, the warmer Rover feels. All the heat seems to be coming from their core, and there's a faint whirring sound as Rover tries to relax.

They...were not expecting this. They probably should have - someone was going to make them put their money where their mouth is - but they didn't, and now that this - whatever this is - is happening, they're completely overwhelmed. They cover their face with their other hand, laughing softly.

Perhaps the strangest thing is, though, that they can feel it. They aren't sure if they were made to feel pleasure, but they feel pleasant and warm and they can feel each brush of Maverick's lips against them.]

[From anyone else, the giggle probably would have triggered a mess of hurt feelings, but knowing the other's inexperience with...every aspect of this conceivable, and keeping in mind that might account for an unexpected reaction helps to temper his insecurity. That soft internal hum is reassuring, too, when not completely weirding him out.]

Feel good? [He murmurs it close to Rover's ear, and while he'd like to sound like a smug bastard, he doesn't quite have that much confidence that he's interpreting their reactions correctly. There's uncertainty there, along with an unasked, hopeful, You can really feel this?]

Yeah. [They peek at Maverick through their fingers, feeling shy. Exposed in a way they've never felt before. (Which...they've never done this before, and they weren't built to do this, of course they've never felt like this before.)

They wonder if they should be doing more. They move their hand, brushing it through Maverick's hair in an awkward pet.]

I wasn't expecting to.

[Hmm!]

Gee, that little faith in me, huh?

[Or his skill, which was, you know, not extensive, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that he's feeling comfortable enough to tease, and he tips his head to lean into the touch. Pauses to study their face.]

...You're really beautiful.

[It's a dumb thing to say, he feels like, but those are the words that fell out when he opened his mouth. The shyness is charming, too, like he's being trusted with this. Trust...is nice. Another award-winning observation, good work.

Maverick kisses them to distract from his blush, hopefully, then pushes himself up onto his elbows, securing some space between their upper bodies, although it must be glaringly obvious that he's getting hard, with his pelvis against the other.]

You, uh...aren't gonna overheat on me if we keep going, right?

un: xspire

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jazz hands, we really in that warning territory now, folks

sorry folks it's all downhill from here

stay on this path to enter the bone zone

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