[Voice]

[notintehkitchen]

It feels great to be back in my own body! I've missed using my hands so much. Now I can eat bacon and open things again! Really, those two things are very important!

[There is a squeak in the background.]

That's right, Jell-O says he is happy to see his mother back too. I wonder who was taking care of you while I was gone?

[A few more squeaks come across the feed.]

No one? Did you behave yourself?

[There is no more squeaking.]

I'm taking that as a no. Alright, who's brain matter do I have to clean up?

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[Though he started to protest vocally as she picked him up, Sniper didn't fight too much, concerned he'd end up injuring himself and setting back his recovery by another week. With the way things were going, he couldn't afford that kind of misstep.

He rubbed his hand down his face, knowing he wasn't getting out of this bath thing now. He just had to take control of the situation. Put his foot down. Not break her heart or anything, but make her aware he wasn't interested in anything like that with her, and that what he'd thought he was admitting to Chibi was... something else entirely. The plan was still a work in progress.]

As much as I'm goin' to get, I expect.

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[With that, she nodded and headed out the doors. Surprisingly where they were going didn't seem to be quite far off. For Sniper, this would save him the embarrassment of anyone in public seeing him being carried by a woman.

When they arrived at their destination, the sky surrounding them seemed to become steamer and steamer. The heat was enough to get Pyro letting out an audible moan that may or may not of sounded a little inappropriate.

When they reached the gated wooden doors surrounding the spring, Pyro set Sniper down and began to undo the lock before pushing the gate open. Inside was a large and rounded hot spring that was surrounded with rocks and a stream of never-ending hot water pouring into the spring.]

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[Glad to be on his feet for a change, Sniper did his best to completely ignore everything that was making his face burn: the fact that she knew exactly how he felt about her and he got the feeling she was toying with him, the upcoming situation of them bathing together, the thought of her in that dress and then out of it. That moan she'd let out on her way in took his mind to a very inappropriate place indeed.

He limped through the gate to the spring's edge, feeling the steam rising from it. At least the water wasn't terribly clear. Small miracles.]

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[Dumping out the contents of her backpack near the edge of the water, Pyro hummed away happily. Everything was set up nicely before the young woman turned to Sniper with a shy grin and threw a towel at his face.

Standing back up, she began to pull up her dress off her body before letting it fall to the ground. When it came to the undergarments, Pyro didn't really need a bra, so there was none to be found with. Underwear however, well... Pyro was just getting used to wearing ladies panties again. Before all this she had strapped her breasts down out of paranoia (not necessarily necessity) and worn boxers. Slipping them off, she didn't attempt to hide them or anything. Underwear were just that to her. They were a piece of clothing made so no one could see your privates if you wore a skirt. Come to think of it, she pondered why men wore them now...

Getting into the water, she was overcome with giddy delight as the warmth engulfed her whole frame. As she stood up in it, the water appeared to only go to her navel at the depth she was in.

Wrapping her arms around her front side, she shivered with a pleasure that confused her as much as it made her crave more.]

Aah... Kimochi...

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[Without any sort of warning, Pyro started to strip; Sniper turned immediately, any and all mental preparation he'd made tossed away in an instant. He waited for her to dip into the water before stealing a glance, only to turn his eyes from her once more as he realized she was only half-submerged.

With his back to her, his own movements were mechanical: he started with the sling first, pulling the cord over his neck and removing his arm from it. He slipped his sleeve over his cast, then the other over his good arm; with a moment's hesitation, he pulled the hooded shirt over his head, revealing his bare torso. The sling went back on- he'd have to be careful to not get too much water on it.

There was another moment where he paused, fumbling with the belt of his pants.]

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[She wouldn't turn around until she heard him getting into the water. It looked like she understood that Sniper wanted some level of privacy so she was willing to give it to him until he removed all his clothing and felt safe in the water.

Bringing her arms up above her head, she stretched before falling backwards into the water and letting herself drown in the hot depths of the spring. When she opened her eyes and looked up through the spring and out into the night sky, she felt very content. This could be a nice way to die. It wasn't the fiery death she craved, but it was hot enough to make her skin tingle.]

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[He resisted the urge to turn at the sound of a splash, tossing his belt aside and slipping out of his pants. With one more peek to make sure she wasn't looking, he took off his underwear. Last to go were his watch and glasses, carefully tucked into his pockets.

Getting into the water when he was unable to walk on his leg or use his arm was tricky, and he hadn't fully prepared himself for the temperature: in comparison to the cold air around them, the water was nearly unbearable, the heat intense at it enveloped his limbs as he eased into the spring. With the water taking pressure off his bad knee, he hobbled a little easier, his muscles relaxing as he breathed in the steam.]

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[When she finally resurfaced, she seemed to leap out of the water like a giant fish. Shaking her hair back and forth, several droplets of water shook off of her before she turned her slick, wet nude body towards him with a smile.

With about half her chest exposed out of the water, she had gotten further in but not enough to kill the awkward tension he might of felt.]

That's more like it! See, it feels good doesn't it?

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[Finding a particularly spot off to the side completely and utterly riveting, Sniper avoided looking at her, listening to her approach instead. Even without seeing her body, he could picture it easily enough, his imagination filling in the gaps. He felt his face flush, and hoped the heat would cover for him.]

Right. Good.

[He took another breath, steam filling his lungs.]

Let's get this done with.

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[Why did he make it sound like it was a chore? Hot springs were so nice!

Sighing, she came over to him, grabbed one of the washrags and began to lather it in soap. As she came up behind him, her eyes immediately took to the scars on his back she could see through the steam. Blinking, she immediately found herself entranced with touching them.]

Pretty... Sniper's back... can I feel it?

[Lightly fingering over one of the scars before receiving a yes or a no, she found herself transfixed on that certain one.]

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[Her odd request gave him pause; it was interrupted by a brief shudder as she ran a finger across his back, her light caress, wreaking havoc on his attempt at composure. It was regained quickly enough, though he felt his face burn again. She was hard to read- were her actions that of the childlike arsonist, or of the woman to whom he was admittedly attracted on a physical level?

He inched away from her, trying to get out of reach of the fingers that graced him.]

Just the wash, if you don't mind.

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[Whimpering at his refusal, she backed away slightly and began to press the small cloth to his back. As she scrubbed away, she decided that him hinting no didn't mean she couldn't stare at his beautiful back.

Every so often, there would be an abrupt pause in her movements. She wouldn't say what she was doing outloud, but the panting coming from the mouth and squeaks might give a clue to anyone that wasn't her.

Her cheeks began to feel heavy from sustained heat, the hotness overflowing as she worked on his back while eyeing the scars. Suddenly, she felt her head move forwards without any way to stop herself with her lips pressing up against a long knife scar across his back.]

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[Some things were easy to block out: the heat of the water numbed the throbbing in his knee, dulling it to nonexistence for the time being; the steam made it impossible to smell the scent of shampoo and cigarettes that colored her presence. Even the soft motion of her washing his back, not as awful as he'd expected, was easy enough to forget as he focused on that spot at the edge of the water, listening to the ambient sound of water rushing into the pool.

That sound, and one from her, a panting that caught his attention easily enough. It surprised him to the point of nearly breaking his concentration- he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This wasn't so bad, he told himself. She was... well, he decided he'd rather not think too hard on it. She did say she liked the heat.

What finally pushed him past a breaking point was another sensation against his skin, her lips branding him with the heat of a flame. The breath that followed was sharp; he turned to her, intent on putting her in her place for touching him again when he'd specifically told her not to.

Instead, his eyes fell on her face, the color in her cheeks matching his own. His lips were dry; his tongue sought to fix that problem as he swallowed down his anger. He was left with a baser instinct in its wake.

The hand that moved to her jaw was beyond his control as it tilted her head higher, stepping toward her and bringing his lips to hers.]

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[She saw all his actions coming but she couldn't stop a single one of them. Deep down, she knew she didn't want to. There was a woman underneath her childlike persona she put on that craved attention that couldn't be satisfied at a level she could remember what it was called. As her face was tilted up and his lips moved closer to her it did nothing to stop her flushed face from residing. The moment they pressed against hers, she closed her eyes, brought up her hands to rest against his shoulders and responded by satisfying her need for affection.

Pyro doubted she'd ever forget that moment. Without fire it was the hottest she had ever felt. The steam of the spring was nothing compared to the heat the feeling of a man so close to her tickling her face with scruffy kisses did.

What she thought would only be a single kiss back turned into several from her. Even at a time where her brain told her to stop, she couldn't resist continuing. Hands trailing down his sides gently, she then brought them behind him and rested them on his back. Pushing him a little closer, her front side pressed up against his.]

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[Three kisses, then four, each stronger than the last as his body craved more of her- his hand moved again, from her face to the back of her arm, fingers pressing into her flesh as he pulled her as close as she could be. Her front pushed against him; he felt her heartbeat as it matched the thundering rhythm of his own beating in his ears.

Five- his body moved on pure instinct, having shut out the concerns that howled from the back of his mind. They tried to stop his madness, and with good reason; however, he couldn't hear them over the sound of running water, the throbbing in his head, or the gasping for air between the embrace of their lips.

Six, and they were slowing down as his greed called for him to savor her as much as possible. His grip on her arm tightened briefly, as though the squeeze were a threat to keep her there, before his hand strayed again. His palm passed across her breast, pressing against it before making its way to her backside.

Tension built in him, his self-control getting louder as it called again for him to come to his senses. It was ignored with kiss number seven, the taste of her lips satisfying something in him.]

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[She knew the more they kissed the harder it would be to stop. The man who was supposed to be her comrade who she faithfully protected was embracing her and making her feel that comrade might not be the proper word to express what the two of them were to each other.

As his large hands trailed over her frame, there was a shudder as it pressed over her breast. Pulling away from the kiss, she whimpered and buried her face against his chest.

It was too much, if he touched her like that; she was going to faint.

The sound of heavy pants escaped her lips as heat radiated off her cheeks. Attempting to find words to properly express herself, she was surprised at what came out.]

... Too good. I'll... I'll do something obscene if we continue.

[Her lips felt moist, she wanted them to remain that way but that required kissing Sniper again. If she kissed him once more, she might end up going too far. It was temping however... ]

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[Having been unable to pull himself away seconds before, RED was grateful she parted from him, his senses returning to him in an instant. His body still ached for her, pushing him toward continuing; however, without her against him, it was easier to listen to reason, to that caution and code that kept him in check. He stifled the second of mild horror over his actions, though the prevalent thought rang in his ears: what did he think he was doing? This wasn't proper between them in any way. He chastised himself inwardly- so much for not giving her the wrong impression.

He wiped his mouth with the side of his hand, still catching his breath. His arm moved around her automatically as she buried herself into his chest, his eyes affixing themselves on that point in the distance again.]

Right. It's best we stop.

[His nerves were shot; he blamed the medication for his behavior. He was better than this, he told himself. That was just one misstep- good thing nothing worse happened. What had transpired was awkward enough. After a moment of hesitation, he let her go, heading for the water's edge, no longer all that concerned with her seeing him in the nude.]

Well, I think I'm clean enough now. We should head back.

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[When he responded, she didn't know if that was the answer she wanted to hear or not. Even if she had stopped herself from going too far, she felt she wanted something different.

The moment he pulled away from her, Pyro placed her fingertips over her lips and lowered her head. The heat from her face still existed but it seemed to be subsiding slowly, she didn't like that.

With the sound of desperation in her voice, the woman tried to find a way to get her heat back.]

I... we can continue if you'd like. If you don't mind--I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to do.

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No, you're right. We don't need to pursue this. It's, ah. Hm.

[He kept his back to her, hearing the tone of her voice and recognizing the hint of longing in it. It only made him burn more furiously- he'd never had much of a way with women... or people in general, to be fair.

He didn't even hesitate as he pulled himself from the spring, the heat that consumed his entire body— both inside and out— only a moment before plenty to fight back the biting cold of the air as he hobbled toward the towels. His body was tense as he dried himself off, his mind elsewhere. It was taking everything in him to fight his own selfishness, his personal standards keeping it at bay. It pained him to admit it even inwardly: in that moment, he wanted her, carnal urges pushing out everything else.]

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... But if we both like it, isn't it alright?

[She certainly didn't dislike being touched. The feeling of Sniper's hands against her body still lingered on her skin.

Glancing up finally, she showed a look of disappointment.]

You made me feel like I'm on fire. I want more.

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[The towel was wrapped around his frame as he limped toward the clothes she'd brought for him. He licked his lips a second time; he could still feel her against him.

He tried to push himself to deny her, to insist he didn't like it or that she was getting the wrong idea; however, as he opened his mouth to speak, nothing came. She already knew exactly what he thought of her, so there was no pretending anything otherwise- not that that stopped him from trying. As for him not liking what had just happened... well, his reaction told her all she needed to know. No hiding that, either.

A deep breath, in and out. He found his voice.]

We're teammates, Pyro. This sort of thing ain't proper between us.

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Who are you afraid of being scolded by here? There's no one to stop you. There's no one to stop us from doing as we please.

[Coming to the edge of the spring, Pyro stepped out and went for her towel. Wrapping it around her body, she tied it in a knot before sitting back down near the entrance of the spring and dipping her legs in.]

Am I not a good kisser? Jell-O seems to like my kisses.

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[Sniper fumbled with his clothing, still shaking from the effort required to maintain his composure. It was becoming easier with each passing breath, the flush of his face dissipating. He grabbed his glasses and watch from the dirty pile, feeling more secure behind his tinted frames.]

It's not that. You're ver—

[He cut himself off, taking another breath as he rotated his shoulders, trying not to think of that feeling of a hot flame against his lips.]

Look, even if we didn't work together, this wouldn't be appropriate. You—

[Another cutoff. Suggesting she find someone her age in Paradise seemed laughable, given that most people he'd met were older than her or talking animals. Somehow, he didn't think either of those was any better than the two of them. At least they understood one another, both being mercenaries. She knew how important the job was to him, that he wasn't just some crazed gunman hellbent on murder.

He caught himself rationalizing an unprofessional relationship with her. Shaking his head, he tried again.]

Well, when we get back—

[And another stop- when was the key word there, but it could easily be replaced with if. There was no guarantee they'd get back to Sawmill and their time at all, or if they'd go together or even remember their time in Paradise if they did. It didn't really matter what he did then, did it?

He shook his head again, alarmed at how easy it was to bat away his concerns when the temptation of having her pressed against him danced in front of his eyes. He wasn't weak, he told himself. This was ridiculous.

He was silent another moment, trying to put together a good defense, or a plan, or anything.]

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[Kicking her feet into the water as she listened intently, she noticed the sound of hesitation and possible confusion in his voice. When it was her turn to speak, her voice lowered to something less sweet and more adult. It was a rare occurrence in Pyro, one that was usually trapped inside her due to the image she had built up in order to protect herself.

Between Engineer, Medic and now Sniper; those walls seem to be breaking down her childlike personality at times.]

You seem to be having trouble with your words. If you are unsure yourself, perhaps you aren't doing something so bad after all.

Sniper doesn't have to be around me if he doesn't want to. It just seems he does with the way he responded to me. If you thought what you did was a bad idea, wouldn't you not act that way in the first place?

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[He bit back his immediate response; pointing out she had yet to take no for an answer when he requested to be moved to another room or just be left alone in general wouldn't solve anything. It certainly wouldn't undo how he'd reacted to her, nor would it take back the feeling of her body against his, the intense heat between them deadening all other senses.

And she was right, of course- he was unsure, as much as he loathed that feeling and admitting to it. For every excuse he had to avoid getting involved with anyone- her in particular- a reason it was acceptable to cave to his carnality cropped up, raw desire conflicting with the standards he put before himself.

He sighed audibly, his breath rattling out of him as his body shook from a combination of the cold and pent-up frustration.]

I need time to think.