Long Time No See

If there was one thing anyone knew about Alexander Dawson, it was that he was entirely too tall for his own good. He was awkward, he was innocent, and he was tall. That was all anyone really knew, if they'd never gotten to know him.

Sitting with his arms slung around his knees, he waited for the sunset on the same little patch of grass in front of Miss Mad's house, eyes on the familiar horizon. Humming, he gave absolutely no thought to the small creature currently curled into his hair, the small black and white kitten purring its assent and simply staying silent - for once - its wide eyes closed as it simply stayed curled there.

It was a bit chilly, the wind still had the slight bite of winter hanging on for the last time, but Zander had never worn anything but his usual worn t-shirts, and maybe a sweater at one point. His jeans were worn and an ordinary, faded blue. He was simply what he was; simply how he lived. A little less than ordinary, but almost there. Almost normal.

So lost was he in his thoughts that he almost missed the sound of approaching footsteps.

Juliet frowned at the mess she had somehow managed to make her room; standing in the war zone of clothes and textbook carnage that it had become in stripped pajama bottoms, and a matching red t-shire - nothing on her feet - she looked around at it all rather helplessly. She had only been back from school for a day (And this was not even all her things, it was nothing more than half term, not summer) and yet she had already gotten the area into a state that would be practically impossible to right.

It was so bad, in fact, that she decided to ignore it, in favour of the view that was growing out her window. The sky was turning a beautiful orange of the dying sun. With a sigh of longing, Juliet picked her way over textbooks and underwear, to get a better look, all the while thinking of the boy she use to spend this hour all summer with; he'd sent letters, but it had been far too long since she'd seen his face. A little smile crossed her face as she thought back to those nights, she could still hear the conversations, she could still see...

A frown crossed her face, eyes lingering on a lone figure figure sitting on her front lawn. She blinked, confusion crossing her face as she thought, but surely, surely it wasn't... he was still...

She was out the front door, her bare feet running across the cool ground until she was beside him - or well more like on top of him for her excitement wasn't happy with just sitting down. Throwing her arms around the boy she grinned into the crook of his neck where her face had ended up.

"Zander!" there was excited laughter in the greeting. "What are you doing here? I missed you."

It was simply a blink, and then he was on his back, Juliet having thrown herself over him in some expression of happiness. He grinned, even as the kitten gave a displeased huff and leapt off his hair just in time. "Juliet!" He answered, his Italian thickening as his arms caught her on instinct and pulled her close. "How are you, my friend?"

"I have missed you as well. We have much to speak of, do we not? Many things to catch each other up on." He ran his fingers through her hair, propping them both up on his elbows. His eyebrows furrowed, even as the pesky fur ball that had become his companion wormed his way between them and climbed to Zander's shoulder, before hopping onto his head. Sniffing at Juliet, she gave a pompous little mew before curling up in Zander's hair again with barely more than a wave of a paw and how do you do.

Brown eyes looking fondly up at the creature, Dawson sighed. "How have you been, Juliet?"

Laughing slightly, she looked at the kitten with something like surprise, before a playful pout took over her place, as she settled herself back against, him snuggling slight, as much for fondness as for the fact that she had now realized that spring did not mean the same thing as summer - and she was not dressed for the former season (She'd never say anything about it though), "I don't think I got a fan in your little friend."

The cat was cute, even if it was being a bit of a diva; it reminded her of Iggy, the cat their family had owned, though for the longest time it had been acknowledged as hers. Juliet didn't even know the last time she had seen her pet - Iggy had been getting old, he could have passed on and she'd have no way of knowing; she never really went back to check anything any more.

"We do, especially since someone stopped writing me," the playful pout she had on her face turned into one slightly more genuine. Although she was trying to hide it, there had been some pain and worry mingled into the complete stop of the constant letters that she had formally been receiving. Being a rational being, Juliet had found perfectly logical reasons for the stop - but even the most logical ones, if they didn't involve a danger befalling him, then it involved an ignorance of her. "I was starting to think you'd forgotten about me."

There was some tension in her body as she admitted this; it had been a thought that she had been close to holding to the truth until this moment - after all, she was just some little girl who had clung to him over summer. He had been bound to make better friends, nicer people, prettier girls, closer to his own age, in his own school. Now that he was here, part of her was ashamed for doubting him, and the rest of her was wondering if he'd disappear on her as if he'd never been there - a blip of her imagination, a will-o'-the-wisp, here now, gone in a blink of an eye.

"The little rascal doesn't like much of anyone, really." Zander admitted, glancing upward again. "Not quite sure why he's stuck on me, but I suppose I'll endure it. Better than being alone, in any case." His hold on her tightened, and he frowned down at her. "Aren't you cold?"

"I kinda-" He offered her a sheepish grin. "I uh, I went on holiday. From everyone. Ondrea wasn't pleased in the slightest, especially since I didn't tell anyone." He frowned. "I didn't take anything to write with, or on. Sorry."

A crease formed between his eyebrows, and he cocked his head to the side. "Forgot you?" He asked curiously. "How could I forget you? You're the first friend I've ever had." His hold on her tightened, and he grinned at her. "I could never forget you, nor would I want to." Laying back, he once more forced the kitten from his hair, causing it to give out a disgruntled mew before snorting once more. He traced a finger down her spine, trying to get her to relax. "We are still friends are we not? I think of you as my very best friend."

"You don't need a kitty to not feel alone, although he's a very cute companion; I'll always be around somewhere, annoyingly and obnoxiously reminding you that you can't be alone," the grin on her face was teasing, as she glanced at the prideful little creature again with merry eyes, "I had a kitty once... miss that crazy little guy."

At his question she looked down at her bare arms as if seeing them would be the only way for her to answer that question, she blinked for a moment before shrugging and cuddling slightly closer, "I'll manage."

"Oh," she relaxed against his touch slightly, a goofy grin crossing her features as his words managed to make her forget his first admittance for a moment. After a moment she nodded her head, trying to straighten her expression into something more serious - though she failed, "Well, good then; I'm rather to completely fond of you, and didn't like thinking I was being forgotten. So, don't do it again."

The 'glare' she shot him held almost no force at ever, thought it did offer her mind the perfect lead way to remembering his first comment, the real reason she had had not gotten any letters from him. In truth it sound a lot like the older boy well... ran away.

"And so she should have been, Ondrea... she's the wolf one, right?" she didn't take much stalk in Zander's odd names, she just ran with them. "People worry when they don't get told you know." In fact, Juliet was rather glad she had just thought he had forgotten her; if he had just disappeared completely...

She wasn't sure what she would have done with that kind of panic. It wouldn't have been fun, healthy or pretty.

The girl hummed slightly before raising an eyebrow, "Do you want to tell me what you were running away from?" The way she asked stated that he was completely free to say no. She wanted to know, she wanted to know if she needed to worry, or if she needed to tell him he was being silly, but she also didn't want to push. Juliet didn't want to chase him away when she had just seen him again. She would only ask for what he was willing to give.

"I won't do it again." He promised sincerely. "I would not want you to worry about me. I don't want anyone to, really." He furrowed his eyebrows a bit, contemplating something that seemed a bit off to him. "I still do not get why people worry so much about me, but I suppose it can not be helped, yes?"

"Yep. My wolf in a tree." Something flashed across his face, something unreadable due to the fact it was not an emotion that usually crossed his expression. "But don't call her that okay? I don't know if she would appreciate it much."

He blinked up at her, brown eyes warm and not the least bit hesitant. "My friend told me everyone would be happier if I was not there, so I left." He shrugged a shoulder. "I was gone for about a month before Ondrea found me, and she was not happy." He frowned. "He was wrong about the others too. Everyone was worried. It was the farthest thing from what I expected. If I had known that would happen, I wouldn't have left at all."

Idiota sniffed the kitten. Zander jolted and looked at him, but the small cat didn't seem to be paying him any attention anymore.

"You should really go inside or something. What if you catch a cold?" Worry crept into his voice, and his hold on her tightened further. "I would have to nurse you back to health. I am not that good at caring for people." He would try his best though.

"Good," she nodded her head, content with such a response, "And people worry because they care, silly; when you disappear they think something's happened to you, and they'd be sad if that were true.I'd be sad if that were true." She poked his chest lightly, punctuating her following words with each a tap, "So don't make it true."

She didn't think that she would be very likely to meet this "Ondrea" and stated so, "But, I wouldn't dream of calling her anything but her name."

Something almost close to a glare crossed her face at the meant ion of this "friend". There was something close to that burning anger she had had trouble controlling only a few years before sparking in her. What kind of... dunderhead, though that that was a good thing to say to a person. Part of her was even made at Zander for believing him, having so little faith in himself, in other people, but that part wasn't the one that spoke up.

"He doesn't sound like much of friend, if he's going around saying such lies like that." What he sounded like was an obnoxious ass, but Juliet didn't think that she needed to beat a dead horse - the insults were part of her personal anger, not a practical argument.

Then in all miracle her anger dissipated in a laugh, warmth from his concern spreading through her, "I'm not going to get sick, though I'm sure you'd be a fine nurse." She paused for a moment, looking around her before a sharp breeze caused a shiver she couldn't hold back, "Tell you what, I'm only going to go inside if you come with me. Otherwise, no deal."

"People keep telling me." He mused, blinking up at the sky for a moment. "I think that Julian was just confused. If I had as many friends as he does, I would be protective as well." Rolling, he pinned her beneath him, arms still around her, though he made sure to keep most of his body weight off of her. "I only have you and Drea."

The kitten made short work of that, making it's way off of Zander's hair to his shoulder blade. Hopping down to Juliet's collarbone, he curled into a ball and pawed at her throat, before giving Zander a look and staying exactly where he was.

"I'll go inside then. Will there be cookies? Can we make cookies? I'm good at baking. I'd cook for you."

Blinking slightly, a confusing mix of reactions at finding herself in a new position. There was part of her that was feeling warmly flustered underneath him, and the rest of her was wondering what was wrong with that part. It was just Zander, just her friend.

Taking a quick breath, she focused on the latter, more rational thought than the other one, "I don't know much about Drea, but I have to say, I always like to think that I'm a pretty damn good friend, enough for anyone, worth any old run of the mill friends." She flashed a teasing smile, eyes dancing mischievously even as something else might have been flashing behind her gaze at a deeper level, "But then again, that might be my ego speaking."

Giggling slightly as the soft fur of the kitten brushed against her, she glanced down at him for a moment, wondering what brought on the sudden affection for herself instead of the boy above her. Wiggling slightly, she pushed up against him, only trying to move, not thinking about any other results.

"You're going to have to get off of me, if we want inside," she smirked slightly before letting out another giggle. He was so completely childish at times, it was endearing beyond belief, "If we have whatever you need for cookies, we can make cookies. Though you better not let me near them, unless you want them ruined before we even start." Cooking and baking were not something Juliet had ever had a talent for.

"You're the best kind of friend." Zander chirped, a grin taking over his lips. "I'm glad your ego speaks for both of us then." He teased impishly, grinning down at her.

His gaze followed the kitten's movements, until he was deterred by movement of an entirely different kind. His breath caught in his throat, and he was suddenly looking at her in an entirely different - well in all honestly it wasn't that different - way. He bit his bottom lip, glancing up at her before pressing his lips against hers, leading a short, albeit lingering kiss.

He pulled away slowly, blinking. "Sorry." He breathed, almost automatically. "If I hadnt- would have distracted me all day probably. I mean-" he flushed, then shook his head, sitting back on his haunches and holding out a hand to help her up. The kitten automatically leapt upon it, scampering up to his shoulder, and then to his hair, curling up again.

"I can teach you how to cook." He offered with an easy grin. "It isn't that difficult, once you think of it the right way."

It was a good thing the kitten too the offered hand before Juliet had the opportunity. She was busy blinking away the odd sort of awe that had washed over her at the contact his lips had created. This had not been the first time Zander had kissed her - he had in fact done it one of the first times they had met, however this time it had seemed...

Not entirely unwarranted, but most definitely unexpected. Still, it only took the time for the kitten to take its place on his head once more before she had gotten a grasp on herself again, pushed away the confusion and thus the threat of resulting over thinking, aside and took the offered hand, allowing herself to be pulled to her feet.

"Well, perhaps then you'll be able to do what thousands before you couldn't," her grin was impish as she pulled him behind her, yet to have let go of the hand, through the front door and into the small, formerly neat house. Though as she glanced around she could see that it wasn't as bad as it had been before she had ran out of the house - Kirrin had obviously been well at work trying to erase her presence in the small place. When they got into the organized, clean white kitchen it became apparent that the house elf hadn't quite made it all the way around, the stack of text books, mostly charms, an occasional defence book mixed in there, and on top of all of them (the one that looked the most worn) wasn't a school book at all.

It was a folded copy of a novel that announced a name of Divergent in large letters. Giving a sheepish grin Juliet let go of her friend to go move her books into some sort of order that made it look like someone in the house cared about cleanliness.

"Sorry, I sort of, spread out," running a hand through her hair she let out a breath and then looked around, "Right, well... I have no idea what one needs to make cookies so, feel free to look around. Tell me what to do, I suppose."

Pulling her to her feet, Zander was immediately tugged after her, following her lead into the neat house. His eyes swept the place in obvious awe. It had so much more space than he was used to, so many little touches that made it obvious a woman - or at least a trusty house elf - lived here. Another tug on his hand and they were in the kitchen. His eyes swept the prestine place with even more awe than he'd had in the rest of the house.

What may have been simply a kitchen to Juliet was quite like heaven to Alexander Dawson.

Moving the moment she gave him permission, a small part of him deflating as she let go of his hand. He opened and closed cabinets, checking the contents and making sure they had everything needed. One he was familiar with the contents, he began pulling things out, ready to make everything from scratch.

"Come'ere, Julie, Imma show you how to make cookie dough." He called happily, once all the ingredients were set out on the counter.

The way Zander explored the kitchen, looked behind each door with the wonder that she herself took to reading, looking for the mystery of the words behind each page. It was a feeling she could relate to in a sense, but never here, never in the kitchen where she personally felt she was trapped in a living hell, each machine taunting her about the mere fact that she could never get any of them to do what they were made to do.

Namely cook.

Shaking her head, forcing herself to stop watching him move around she picked the books off of the counter, looking around for a better place to set them (somewhere that wouldn't be in the way) and finally settled on the window sill. There she got stuck, entranced by watching the last few rays of light seep out of the sky - that was when his voice, as happy as she could recall hearing it, called her back towards the room behind her.

The grin on her face was counteracted by the wary look in her eyes - she may have joked about it as much as she liked, but when it came down to it, Juliet was simply a disaster in a kitchen, and it always made her a little nervous to step in one - a little ashamed to admit so.

"Its going to be your funeral," she joked half heartedly as she pulled up beside him, looking at the ingredients, waiting to be told what to do with them all.

"So," she mused softly, looking for a distraction as her hand played with the bag of flower, "I've heard about Drea, and this oh so great Julian... that leaves, oh bugger all, these French names always go past me," she scrunched up her face in concentration as she tried to think of the friends her friend had yet to mention, "The Ette's... You were dating one of the Ette's weren't you Nini... Nooo not the N one, so the other Ette, Lisette? That was it wasn't it?"

She tilted her head towards him, watching him add things, listening to his instructions while she continued to talk, "Whatever happened with this Lis person? You'd think the first person a man wants to gush about is his girl."

"Don't look so glum about it, eh? It is only food!" Up to his elbows in dough, he offered her a grin, cocking his head to indicated her adding sugar. "And good food too, you will see."

Bumping her lightly with his hip, he waggled his eyebrows. "Take a bite of the dough, I will tell no one."

He sobered up a bit at the mention of Lisette, confusion taking over his expression. "I- I'm not sure. We are on break. She was confused. It was for the best." He nodded.

Following the unspoken direction, Juliet took painstaking care to add the right amount of sugar, not too much or too little, even as she let out a snort at his words, "It will only be good if you watch me like a hawk; you overestimate my abilities."

As if too prove that point there was a tiny squeak from the door and Kirrin stood there, the creatures eyes looking wiry as she eyed her mistresses charge in the kitchen, "Miss Juliet?" He had returned to pick up the books she had left there, and was now concerned to see her doing something in the room that was more advanced than making toast (which she had burnt earlier that day, so even that was too advanced for her).

"Don't worry, Kirrin. This here my friend Zander, he assures me he'll keep me out of trouble in here," she grinned sheepishly as the elf still looked wary. However he bobbed politely in a greeting and wandered off to grab the books from where Juliet had put them. It was only as the creature was about to leave them that she remembered the state of her room, "Oh Kirrin, don't take those into my room, will you? Just... leave them outside, or something, please?"

The elf left with an "of course Miss" and Juliet gave Zander another sheepish grin, "I fear the poor thing would have a heart attack if he actually saw how messy my room was."

Now that they were alone again, she followed his request, an impish grin as she stole popped the dough in her mouth, only to almost choke on it later as she took in an intake of breath at his response. Coughing suddenly, she only took a moment to clear her airways again.

"Confused?" She asked incredulously once she had caught her breath again. "What is there to be confused about? If she was too confused to see how perfectly wonderful you are, then you're right it was for the best. You deserve someone that appreciates you without being confused at all. Anyone else is just, just..."

She shook her head, taking a moment to calm down the almost irrational anger she was feeling. With a calming breath she looked back at the boy, trying to see if he really was upset, and turned sympathetic anyway.

"I'm sorry Zander."

Zander paused, looking over at the house elf and smiling at the small creature. He had never seen one at such close quarters before, and he found them most endearing. They knew what they wanted to do in the world, and spent their whole lives helping people. What more was there to like?

He offered a dough-covered hand in greeting before returning his attention to the task at hand, and the girl next to him. He shot her an alarmed look, realizing she wasn't choking or dying only after she began to speak. His relief was short lived however.

"I could tell she was confused. That's why I decided to let us both have a break. We are not girlfriend and boyfriend right now... that is how it works yes? I am not exactly learned in how exactly... I mean I haven't really dated anyone until now, or then really, but I-" He paused, eyebrows furrowing again. "I don't know where I'd find someone like that. No one is around me enough to get to know me, and when they are, I am not enough for them. I am used to it."

He blinked, cocking his head to the side and gazing at her curiously. "What are you sorry for? You are the one who hasn't done anything. You should not be the one apologizing."

"That's not true," she stated without really thinking about it. Her arm and wrapped its way around her middle, tapping her foot on the ground. She was uncomfortable with the way that he thought about himself, that was definitely it, "I mean, I've stuck around haven't I? I think I know you pretty well, again... maybe I'm just thinking more of myself then is true but..." she shrugged her shoulders again, worrying her lip and was finding the swirls in the counter top the most interesting thing in the world.

Her finger reached out and swirled around the pattering, "Maybe I'm apologizing that it happened; that no one else is apologizing? Because I can... maybe I could be apologizing that I couldn't stop it."

The fingers that were tracing the table top switched to drumming, tapping slightly. Tilting her head, the light bounced off her cheek making the faint shadow of the almost heeled bruise - the last reminisce of her fight a few days prior - became evident for the first time. She had completely forgotten it was there.

"Do you still want to be boyfriend and girlfriend? A break usually implies that you might get back together... instead of just breaking up. Or, that's what I thought." Truth be told she hardly had any more experience with boys than Zander was saying he had with girls.

"But you wouldn't date me, would you Juliet? You have other options that are much better than me, as does everyone else." He paused, looking over at her, and shook his head. "We should not talk about this anymore. It is confusing you. I don't have a good record with the girls I confuse." The unspoken words were there as well, a lesson he had learned the hard way.

The confused ones need space, and he wasn't sure if they ever didn't want space.

"I-" He looked down at the counter as well, before giving a one shouldered shrug. "am not sure. I never did think that it would last. A relationship with me is doomed from the start. Lisette would probably be happier without me." With a frown, he looked over at her, using the back of his hand to gently guide her gaze to his. "This is not a subject that makes you happy. Let's talk of-"

Something changed.

His eyes narrowed, and suddenly the fact he had dough on his hands meant absolutely nothing. Holding her chin between his fingers, he leaned closer, all thoughts of anything else gone from his mind. His spine straightened, and worry was nearly cloaked in fierce protective instinct. His mouth fell into a straight line, his shoulders no longer hunched as his focus was deterred by the smallest hint of a bruise on her cheek.

"What happened?"

"I'm not confused," she protested half heartedly, the truth was, she was confused, she just hadn't quite realized it yet. "And I don't know where you think I have all these better options; I mean the last boy I convinced to stay around... didn't, you know... stay around."

It still sort of sat in a bad way with the girl that she had no idea where Dimitri had disappeared to. Their relationship had become nothing more than a childish crush in her mind now - the mysterious boy who pushed her away - but it still hurt that she didn't know what became of him, not really.

Not one to fight, she grudgingly allowed her gaze to be pulled back to Zander's, "I don't see why she'd be any happier without you; I don't think I'd-"

The change in his poster distracted her completely. This time she was evidently confused. What had brought on this change? What had she done? Juliet felt inclined to look around her to see if there was anyone else around, but his grasp was firm enough to cause her not to want to try to move. It was on the tip of her tongue to state that she "What happened" was a perfectly good question and that he should tell her, when she remembered.

A hand went up to her cheek and touched the spot softly; there wasn't much pain from it any more; the bruise was nothing but discoloured skin now.

"Oh," she breathed softly as her expression became sheepish, "I got into a fight."

His eyes stayed on the shadow of the bruise. Leaning even closer, he brushed the back of his fingers along it, blinking when some of her complexion seemed to come off as well.

Make-up.

Tucking the hand not holding her chin underneath his shirt, he made a makeshift napkin and gently wiped away the rest of the skin colored whatever-girls-called-it. His frown deepened as more and more of the bruise came into view, revealing its true colors and shape.

"Someone punched you?" He asked. Something was wrong with his voice. It almost sounded... angry. That, of course, was utter nonsense. Zander was not the type of person to get angry. "That's a fist. By the way it's colored it's obvious that you were on your back, or it wouldn't be as bad. Plus, the force behind it... it was a guy, wasn't it?" His eyes flicked up to hers, and then back to the bruise. "...this was a really recent 'fight' hm?"

"I don't like fighting." He murmured, voice softening. "Does it hurt?"

Her skin tickled as his fingers brushed over it; worrying her lip she knew the make-up covering the darker sections was wiping off already, and she fidgeted slightly as he wiped off the rest.

"Three... maybe four days ago; Noah always was a stuck up prick; worst loser ever." Was the muttered response she gave, voice soft, almost reassuring as the sharp tone of his voice - was that anger? - drew her gaze back to him. "It was my own fault anyway. I should have just left him alone." But she couldn't have done that. No one got to say bad things about her friends (whether they might have been a little true or not) and certainly not pricks like Noah Samuels.

She gave a half smile, and shook her head a little in his grasp, "Nah, honestly forgot it was there until you noticed it." She decided it best not to add that it had hurt like a bugger at the time; ice had helped greatly though.

A soft sort of sound was thrumming from his chest, almost a growl of sorts, unnoticeable until it stopped. "And this Noah punched you?" He asked, frowning. "A man should never hit a lady. Ever. It's not alright." There was still that something in his voice, something foreign and different. "And it's not your fault either. No matter what anyone says, hitting another person is not okay."

"You shouldn't have put ice on it. It makes the bruise go away slower. Stops the swelling, but that's it." He mumbled something about blood cells, and sighed. "I do not like that you have been hurt. It makes me-" He frowned again, unfamiliar with the emotion and therefore unable to put it to simple words. "I want to- make it better by-" He frowned again, quite confused. He'd never wanted to hurt anyone before, and that was enough to derail his 'anger'.

It had no logic behind it; there was no distinct moment where she could say she that she went from thinking about it, to making the decision; she couldn't even say she ever even thought about it. There was merely one moment upon which she was standing there, listening to him, an odd tingly, warm feeling spreading from her stomach, and the next she was closing the distance (hardly an effort since he was already close, examining her cheek) and pressed her lips softly against his. It was an innocent kiss, soft and chase - affectionate. It wasn't the hungry desire ridden kisses she shared with Mars, born of nothing more than lust (they barely knew each other enough to form any other emotions) but one born of a deeper intensity of emotion. When she pulled away, there was a little grin on her face, and she met his gaze with a steady one of her own.

"You're sweet, thank you. But, you don't have to do anything, you already made it better." She kissed him again, this one quick and fleeting, before stepping away slightly, leaning against the counter and the baking that they had started but never finished. It was only then that she thought about what she had done, worried about why she did it, what it meant... if it would do anything, "And maybe he shouldn't have hit me, but I did engage him first; he was telling rude lies about my friend, I couldn't just let him continue saying them."

Clearing her throat slightly she glanced over at the boy and grinned, "So, cookies, should we..." she raised an eyebrow and inclined her head to the dough.

It was quite unexpected, but never unwelcome. He leaned into her slightly, eyes closing slowly as he kissed her back, an arm wrapping around her waist with slight hesitance before he pulled her closer. Entranced with the feeling of her lips against his, he would not have recognized the warm feeling spreading from his gut if he had time to look back upon it anyway.

As she pulled away, he blinked a few times, completely floored as his gaze went from her to her grin. "I- uh." He leaned into her second kiss, but didn't let go until she pulled fully away from him. He licked his lips, then opened his eyes again to look up at her, straightening slowly. "You're welcome?" He asked, before smiling. "Okay. Cookies."

He stepped beside her, looking down at the hand still covered in dough, and shrugged. "I can make cookies. They're really easy. So can you, of course, not that you believe me, but you'll see."