Understanding ( Asher )

[Asher LeBeau]

She waited for a moment, long done with her tasty snack as he neared her, just watching him walk towards her. It was a wonderful sight to see, and she wouldn’t deny it at all, merely happy to be here, with him. Chewing on her lower lip and making a show of thinking, she dropped her head back, tapping a finger against her lips for a moment before shrugging, draping her arms over his shoulders and leaning forward to rub her nose against his in a cute manner.

“There are several options, depending on how you’re feeling. Movie, bed, sex, whichever strikes your fancy the most at the moment,” she said, arching an eyebrow as she looked at him, leaning forward to place a light kiss on the corner of his mouth, almost as a tease.

Asher smiled at him, shaking her head at his pet name, laughing a bit. She was by far no angel at all and didn’t quite understand why he would keep calling her that. It was amusing, but for her she had to wonder why he would say that.

“I’m no angel, Talon. You should know that by now, but I can give you a different name to address me by,” she laughed, arching an eyebrow and highly amused.

Shifting slightly, she wound her legs around his waist, scooting to the edge of the counter before leaning forward to softly brush her lips over his, a feather light kiss before letting her hands trace down his back, idly massaging the muscles there.

[Talon Green]

He shivered softly at her touch. Her first set of words making his own brow arch up just slightly as he grinned that devilish little grin. Hmm...so many tough choices to make. What to do what to do?

As her nose brushed against his he would smile, his hand coming up to softly trace along her cheek. He was just so happy to be with her, and to have it official that nothing else really seemed to matter. But then she continued to speak after a teasing kiss to the corner of his lips.

Her pet name huh? Well the answer was all to obvious to him, but he let her finish as she scooted to the edge of the counter, his arms lightly wrapping about her waist as he tilted his head back just enough to look at her after she had kissed him.

"You don't know why I call you that?"

He shook his head, making a light tsking sound as he sighed.

"Remember when I took you to my place? I called it my little piece of heaven? Well, you are the only other soul who knows about that place and who has ever been there, and you are the first person to ever make me truly happy in a very very long time. So, therefore...you are my Angel."

He smiled, almost a dorky little smile before he gave her a quick peck on the lips, his hands caressing the small of her back as he shivered at her own roaming fingers.

"Not to mention you are only the second girl that I have ever been with..The first of which was just some girl who slept with me and then left me before I even woke up...I was drunk....and she probably just wanted to know what it was like to have sex with the freaky boy in school..."

He tried not to let it show that the thought had hurt him but his eyes never lied, not like he knew that but yeah....Shaking his head to be rid of the thoughts he would then look back at her.

"You made me feel different, needed....special...For that you will always be close to my heart...No matter what the future may hold."

He smiled that genuine smile once more and then leaned in, pressing his lips to hers once more and this time not letting up, just continuing to kiss her softly and tenderly.

[Asher LeBeau]

She took her time processing the words, a small, sheepish smile spreading across her lips as she wrinkled her nose, willing herself not to blush. To let that faint dusting of pink show up on her cheeks. She made a slightly embarrassed sound, catching her lower lip lightly before she released it, growing serious as he continued to speak.

It caught her slightly off guard. What would have been worse would have been if he’d said he was a virgin, but he may as well been except for a drunken one night stand. That was hardly sex, especially if he was supposed to be a little play boy. She frowned again when he called himself a freak, eyes darkening at the name and wanting to say something against it, but remaining silent and letting him speak.

Asher could see the pain in his eyes and frowned. She did not like it when he was upset or when he called himself a freak. He may have thought she was all fun and games, but she did have a much darker side to her. She knew how to hurt with words, something she’d picked up from her abusive ex-boyfriends. If she found out what he suspected was true, then, well, there would be hell to pay for that tramp.

The next moment her thoughts were derailed as he kissed her softly, tenderly and she melted into his touch, letting him do whatever it was that he wanted to do. Her own lips moved against his as she ran a hand through his hair at the base of his neck, trying to tell him silently that she accepted him completely, no matter what others thought.

Besides, who was she to throw stones?

[Talon Green]

That hand at the base of his neck got him to shiver slightly, just encased in the way she made him feel. Hell he was so used to being called a freak he honestly thought he was one. But then when that is what you are raised hearing you start to wonder if maybe they are all right. Heh. He had no clue it bothered her or else he would have tried harder to stop, but instead he felt that being honest with her was the best policy and he planned to keep it that way.

As he continued to kiss her, his hands slid around to her sides, just loving the way every curve felt on her and beneath his touch. He knew about her past, at least from her own words and what he had heard around here and there....But he could care less. She was with him now, she was his....and in his mind that was all that mattered.

She accepted him, the way she acted, the way she touched him, kissed him, all of it.......it spoke volumes about how much she did not care about his condition. It made him feel at peace with her, in a world where he was always so on edge.

Finally he broke the kiss, once more needing to breath and resting his forehead against her own.

"As much as I want you....To just take you right here and make love to you.....I would really like to just watch a movie for a bit and hold you....I know...not the typical guy answer.....but just having you in my arms eases me....."

If she got upset of course he would feel bad, but he was not going anywhere tonight, unless she ran him out, and there would be plenty of time for sex and play time later....They had their whole relationship to do that in....which was just pure heaven in his mind....But for now, after the night he had, he just wanted comfort....

Yeah, the big strong six foot tall guy wanted comfort......Why? Because it was the one thing he had never experienced in his life...To have somebody there to make it all better when the world turned against him......

Now he had Asher....and the selfish part of him just wanted to feel that sensation.....To know that everything was okay in his world.......That he was not some freak who nobody wanted......

[Asher LeBeau]

A slow smile spread across her lips at his answer, the Hawaiian leaned forward and gave him another delicate kiss before urging him back so she could slide off the counter. “That’s quite alright with me,” she said with a light laugh. “The movies are by the television, so pick out whatever you want to watch while I grab a blanket?”

The inquiry made her smile up at him from her tiny height on the kitchen floor. It was something that just seemed to work with her, the tiny height and the way everything around her seemed to move so fluidly. She brushed her hair off her shoulder, letting it trail down her back before moving into her room to grab the microfleece blanket that was on her bed.

It was huge, blue, and incredibly soft. Most things in her apartment had a blue or underwater theme to them. She couldn’t help it, blue was her favorite color. It was rather cute, if you thought about it. A little girl who loved blue but not pink. Not at all. No pink. Na-uh. Never.

She remerged holding the blanket and it seemed to be bigger than she was. In reality, it was a king size blanket on her bed. Her soft, comfy bed, covered in various shades of blue. She shook the thought away before flopping down on the couch and spreading the blanket out, so that it would manage to cover them both.

Ash didn’t mind giving him the comfort he sought, only because she was good at giving it. Like him, she’d never received any sort of comfort in her life, but for her, she would never verbally ask for it. She’d much rather show it physically with soft touches and heated kisses. She’d learned to not ask for it since that usually got her laughed at or shot down.

“Which movie did you want to watch?” she inquired as she moved near him. She looked up at him and smiled, taking his hand and kissing the back, the palm and the tip of each finger. “And Talon, you’re not a freak. Far from it,” she murmured against his fingers, eyes showing how much she didn't like it when he referred to himself that way.

[Talon Green]

He moved back to allow her to slide off the counter, turning to where she mentioned the movies being and heading over to pick one out. Honestly he did not know what to pick, it was hard because he was a guy that liked pretty much anything.

Listening to her shuffle about the apartment, doing whatever it was she was doing he ran his fingers over the movies until he found one that seemed like a good little snuggle up and watch flick. Action movie of course, one he thought was pretty damn awesome to be honest, and one he was sure she might like cause she had it. But ya know he had movies he hated that he had bought just to watch them.....

Gamer...yes....Gamer was a badass movie and he wanted to watch it...Hell even if she didnt like it, he was sure he could only snuggle her so long before he let his hands go roaming so they very well might not even finish it.

As she returned he had already figured out where to pop the movie in and looked about for the remote....Now moving to plop down onto the couch where she was seated laying one leg up against the back part of the seating area and keeping the other on the floor he would simply reach out and tug her into position between his legs, allowing her to rest back against his chest.

"Gamer...I like that movie....Hope its alright."

He would then let one hand snake around to lift her shirt up just enough so that his hand could rest palm flat against her tummy...Holding her against him as he settled into a comfortable position.

Once the movie was started he was glued to the screen...he was a guy after all, yet idly he had somehow managed to use his other hand to reach up and softly play with a bit of her hair, his fingers running through it softly. Just simply enjoying being with her.

"By the way. Have I told you how beautiful you are today Angel?"

A little grin before he leaned down to press his lips to the top of her head and then return to his idle motions and watching the movie.

[Asher LeBeau]

She sighed in contentment as she lay cuddled against him, the blanket wrapped around their forms. It was one of her favorite blankets and she was content to cuddle into the softness of it, letting it smooth over her and keep her warm as well as the man she was currently cuddled up against. Not that she minded or cared, hell she was in love with the position she was in. She lay back, content to watch the movie with him, leaning her head on his chest, wrapping her fingers around his.

His fingers sent tingles over her spine as he idly traced over her body, enjoying the sensations he gave her. Hers would never be like his, she would never understand what he went through when he was around her, but as long as he was happy, she could care less. It showed, when she leaned against him, careful to not hurt him, and instead bringing their joined hands up to kiss the back of his palm before returning it underneath the warmth of the blanket.

Asher was happy and she knew it. The only real question was if he would actually want to stay with her when he found out her past and what she’d been through. Most people wanted nothing to do with her once they started to find out the details of her past and what she’d gone through. Ward of the state at ten. Emancipated minor at fourteen. Sixteen, she’d gotten herself convinced she was in love with a boy. Then she’d gotten pregnant. That was her mistake.

She’d told him, thinking he would be happy, but instead he broke her. He beat her mercilessly until she’d had a miscarriage. There had been so much blood, so much pain. She hardly remembered screaming or the ambulance or the police that had taken him. All she knew was he was in jail for a very, very long time and she was happy to let it stay that way. No need to dredge up old memories.

But she couldn’t help wondering, as she shifted slightly against Talon, enjoying his presence and warmth and the fact he just seemed to genuinely care about her, would he reject her? He was afraid of rejection for something he’d been born with, but her issues were ones she’d put herself in, time and time again. No one liked a girl would couldn’t learn, a girl that just kept putting herself in harm’s way. They all hated that and hated learning that yes, once she’d been pregnant and then it had been viciously beaten out of her.

Closing her eyes briefly at the memory, she caught her lower lip between her teeth thinking for a moment, lost in her thoughts before she heard his voice. It took her a moment to process his words, her making an adorably indignant face as she turned her head to look up at him, rolling her eyes. “I’m not beautiful, nor am I an angel,” she said, smiling gently before shaking her head.

Ah, good old self esteem issues, what girl doesn’t have them? After all, if Talon had been told his entire life he was a freak, then surely he’d understand what it means for someone to be shown their entire life that no one cared, no one wanted them and that they were just something to pass the time with. An ugly little puppet for someone to jerk around on strings whenever it suited them.

And for Asher, that seemed to always be the truth. She was just something that people used for a time, so long as it suited them before they moved on to better things. She was a stepping stone and had been her entire life. It was almost unbearable for her, these thoughts coursing through her head. Reflexively, she squeezed his hand for a moment before keeping her head down and firmly facing the screen he was so enthralled with.

She just hoped that he didn’t see the look in her eyes from earlier. To her, it meant everything to hear him say that she was his angel, or that she was actually pretty. A compliment that was sincere got farther with her than one designed to get into her pants and so far, Talon had managed to become everything that she wanted.

And yet at the same time, he kept stirring up her own inner demons. The ones that whispered he was a rich boy, what would he do with a girl like her? Sure, her father had owned a company but she gave it all up, except for the salary that she had to live on and the shares in his company. A wise decision, but something that she needed to live on in the future. She would have the full amount of money when she turned twenty one, three years away. She still hadn’t decided what to do with her life yet.

The one thing that no one could shake about her, that no one could insult was her intelligence. She was smart and she knew it. Nothing could even come close to trying to shake that belief when all she wanted to do was pursue a double major in biology and chemistry at one of the most prestigious schools the country had to offer. Hell, she’d even been granted a full ride scholarship for four years of undergraduate study! She knew what she was doing and loved the challenge of it, but Talon? He may not like being around someone that smart.

So she covered it like she always did. Smiling, playing the fool, acting the slut that she could be. But now that she was in a relationship with him, she would turn everyone else down. Delete numbers from her phone, throw away those scraps of paper. Even if they broke up, which she was certain would happen in the near future because no one ever really wanted to be with her for long periods of time, it would be nothing for her to start over.

So why did that last though, of him leaving, hurt?

[Talon Green]

He could not help but be fixed upon the screen, it was a good movie, and he had a thing for action flicks. Yet never once did he lose awareness of the girl that was pressed up against him beneath that blanket. When she had curled her fingers about his own, he had just smiled, letting his own curl just enough to reassure her that he was there. It may have seemed silly, especially given the fact that it was hard to ignore the 6 foot 200 plus pound guy on the couch behind her, but the assurance was not a thing of the physical nature. No, it was a silent gesture to let her know that no matter what, he was there for her.

As the movie played on, even with his eyes fixated on the screen, his mind was elsewhere. He could not help it. Thoughts, like some sort of dark shadow, crept from the corners of his mind and spread through his brain. Thoughts of all the times in his life he had thought somebody had cared, only to have them turn on him. Strangers he could have learned to deal with, to understand...But when it was his own family...his own parents that were at the head of the pack....it had broken him somewhere along the way. He could remember the look in his Mother's eyes the day he had been diagnosed, breaking down into tears. From that day on she had always been cold, even though she tried to pretend she was still the doting Mother, he knew it was only for the sake of those around, never for him. Now, now that he was older, she avoided him, her eyes refusing to look at him every time they were near each other.

Then there was his Father...The man who had at one time been the best Dad a kid could hope for, now a man who looked at Talon with nothing but disgust and shame. He hated his son, and made every use of every chance he got to remind Talon of that. Freak, abomination, worthless, the list of names went on. It had not been until the diagnoses that his Father began to beat both him and his Mother. Talon knew it had been his fault, all of it. Dad blamed Mum for their son, for not being able to give him a "decent" heir, and so he had beaten her as punishment. Talon he had beaten because it was all he could do to stomach looking at him.

Then, every town, every country...just when Talon thought he might have found a friend, they all turned on him. They all laughed and threw things at him, called him names and a few had beaten him down time and time again. No matter how hard he tried to hide it, that fucking condition always came back.

Trying hard to push the thoughts aside he turned his focus back toward Asher, his hand lifting a strand of her hair and softly running it through his fingers, twisting it lightly about one only to release it.

She was different....She didn't care that he was some freak of nature, she didn't care that he was different that everyone else. Yet no matter how happy she made him, no matter how much she eased the pain that he had lived with for so long, he could not help but wonder when it would end. Sure he had never had a relationship, but he knew people, and as much as he hoped, wished, prayed she was different....there was that nagging self doubt in the back of his mind that kept telling him that when all was said and done, she would leave and hurt him like all the rest.

Yeah, some man he turned out to be. Weren't men supposed to be able to lock it all away, turn to fighting to try and hide the pain of their past? Heh...He couldn't even get that part right. Honestly he saw himself as everything that people had called him over the years.

When she turned to speak, that roll of her eyes, he just sighed and shook his head, leaning down to let his lips brush against her ear as he tucked her hair behind it.

"You are my Angel and no amount of words from you will ever change that. One touch from you can save my soul. If that is not an angel then I do not know what is."

A brief brush of his lips to her ear before he would lean back once more, his fingers tracing over her shoulder as he turned back to the screen to try and watch the movie...Yet he could not focus, all he could think about was her, about how happy she made him and how much he craved her every touch and every kiss. There was nothing about her that he did not like, that did not bring him some form of happiness.

He understood she had a past, but he did not care. Everyone had things they wished they could change, things that had been damaging and hurtful. Just some was worse than others. He hoped to learn about her past more as they progressed in their relationship...to get to know her like no other and to give her the same from himself.

But what happened when she grew tired of being with the freak, the wierdo? What happened when somebody better, somebody more normal came along?

She would leave.....That was what would happen.....And then he would simply return to his life of emptiness and solitude. It would not be that big of a deal, he had done it all his life, and he could do it again.....Yet....the thought of her walking out the door, of her speaking those words to him, of her seeing him like everyone else did.....It did something to him inside....it caused a pain, one that resonated from his chest......One that he really had never felt before.

Using his hand that she had a hold of to tug her just a bit closer and hold her there, instantly feeling a bit better.....Softly he would press another kiss to the top of her head...taking in a deep breath of her scent and closing his eyes, no longer bothering to pretend to watch that movie that was playing on the screen....He knew she was damaged, he had seen it in those beautiful eyes.....and so, for now and as long as she would let him, he would try to help ease some of the pain she thought she did so well to hide.....After all she had done for him....he wanted only to help her and show her that she truly was his Angel........

[Asher LeBeau]

Ash shifted slightly when he pulled her back, a small puff of air that could hardly be qualified as a gasp leaving her lips. She dropped her head back to look up at him, that women’s intuition telling her something was off. Her brows drew together briefly before she reached up, running a hand through the hair at the back of his head.

“What’s wrong?” her voice was soft and calm, reassuring even with the worried look in her eyes. As much as she tried to lie and hide, she couldn’t always hide her eyes. But she was damn good at it when she had to.

That thought brought a darker, troubled look to her eyes before she shoved it away. Remembering her failed ‘relationships’ was not going to help her right now, she knew. All she wanted to do was concentrate on the boy behind her. She continued the gentle petting, raising their joined hands to kiss the back of his for a moment, brushing lips over the skin there before dropping them.

She wasn’t stupid, she’d know if he tried to lie and she could drag the truth outta him if she had to, but she’d much rather that he would open up to her and tell her freely than her cajoling it out of him.

[Talon Green]

His attention was drawn to the way her hand came to the back of his head, stroking through his hair as she looked up at him with that worried look. He wanted to lie, to just tell her he was fine, but he could see in those eyes that she knew better.

Softly he would sigh as he let his head lean down and press a kiss to her forehead. How to say this without coming off too bad?

"I was just remembering....My family, everyone in my life....all the names and the people that I thought cared leaving me...just making fun of me for what I am..."

He sighed, closing his eyes as he rested his head against her own and breathed in her soft, alluring scent.

"I just.....I am worried you will wake up one day and wonder why you wasted your time with a freak like me.....and how much it will hurt...because...I...I sorta feel like I need you."

He shook his head, trying to play it off as nothing major though to him it was. God being honest was so hard, but he wanted an open and honest relationship with her. Lies only led to troubles and he did not want that to be the reason she turned away from him. No, he wanted her to know everything, even if it killed him to admit it all.

[Asher LeBeau]

She nibbled on her bottom lip, listening to what he said and holding him, shifting slightly so she was on her side and he wasn’t upside down. She took a moment to think, letting him say what he needed to say before she gently cupped his chin and urged him to look up at her with a delicate touch.

“Talon, ipo, I’m not going anywhere. I have no place to call others names or leave them for something that is not their fault but rather their parents’. You don’t have any need to worry about me leaving you over anything, unless of course, you sleep with someone else,” she said, lips quirking in a wry smile.

She moved slightly so she could kiss his forehead, a faint brush of lips over his skin as she ran her hand over his side, gently caressing the skin there. She was doing everything she could to show him that she wasn’t going anywhere and she was doing her best to comfort him with soft touches.

“I can promise I won’t go anywhere unless you want me to,” she said with a soft smile.

[Talon Green]

As she started to shift, his hands would move to assist her in fully turning so that her front was laid against his chest, eyes closing as he felt that kiss to his forehead and the gentle touches of her hands.

He was silent for awhile, thinking over her words and wanting to trust them, unable to stop himself from trusting them.....His arms slipping around her, his hands came to rest on the small of her back, those emerald hues looking toward her as he shook his head.

"Believe me Angel...there is no other girl in this world I would rather be with....."

Again, every word was nothing but honesty and truth....He had not even been able to stomach another girls touch during that week they had been apart, even when he knew they were not together. Every other girl just felt so disgusting to him when they laid their hands on his chest or his arms.

The thought of actually sleeping with one repulsed him.

"I told you that night at the beach...I am yours...and I meant that...completely and utterly yours."

Her words had soothed him, her touches only working to further relax him until he offered up a soft little smile in her direction, then, as his hand came up it would softly stroke against her cheek before sliding around to the back of her head and letting his fingers wrap within her hair, pulling her in so that his lips could press against her own, tongue prying her lips apart as he kissed her with both heated desire and a need that could only come from somewhere deep within him.

His other hand stayed about her waist, holding her against him as he continued to kiss her, wanting to steal her breath like she had done to him time and time again.....

[Asher LeBeau]

As much as she comforted him, she needed the comforting too. Her own past was one that was also filled with abandonment and rejection, although much of it most would argue had been brought upon herself. After all, who wanted to be a foster parent to a child that was intelligent on a level that few could comprehend?

Even the few that she did not open up to sensed there was something strange and off about her and quickly gave her back, which gave her no hope about ever being loved and cared for, much less part of a family. It was those times that had her deep seated fear of what it was like to be loved and held, as well as being pregnant.

Yes, that was her greatest fear, being pregnant. Well that and heights, but for her the former was completely terrifying especially after Remy. She followed his urging and welcomed his hands on her, almost humming from his touch as she let him talk and just watched him with quiet eyes, keeping her own pain to herself. She would help him, she decided, through everything and not burden him with her insignificant troubles.

She merely smiled at him before he kissed her, one hand coming up to cradle the side of his face as she responded to the kiss, tangling her tongue with his as she moved slightly, more so she was straddling him than actually lying on top of him this time. One hand rose to go through his hair while the other descended from his face to half support herself on the couch back and not put all of her weight on him.

She pulled back slightly, offering him a peaceful smile that showed just how happy she was. "Then I won't let you down," she murmured. "I'll show you what it means to actually be with me," she said, eyes twinkling.

Oh yes, he had just signed on for a fiery little Hawaiian. If anyone hurt him, no matter who they were, there would be hell to pay from the little woman.

[Talon Green]

He smiled, letting her shift and move as she pleased, his hands coming to rest on her thighs as he looked at her and smiled. He would do anything for her, he just wished she could see that. But he figured in time he would be able to prove it.

There were things he wanted to ask her, things he had noticed but said nothing about. But for now, he just soaked up being with her, wanting to have a pleasant evening with his girlfriend.

Reaching up he tucked a bit of hair back behind her ear as he smiled and let his finger trace down the line of her jaw. A soft sigh passing his lips before he would lean in and nip lightly at the area near the base of her neck.

"And I will show you what it is like to have somebody truly want nothing more than to be with you and take care of you."

A husky whisper against her throat as his hands slid up the back of her shirt.....caressing her flesh....

"To hold you...."

Another soft nip, his tongue slowly trailing over that area of her neck......

"To adore you....."

A kiss this time, soft and heated just a bit further up.

"To truly, and desperately need you...."

And with that he would let those lips capture her neck, sucking just slightly before giving a healthy and heated little nip to her flesh, pulling her against him as one hand moved down to grip her tight little rear end....

[Asher LeBeau]

Shivering, she let his touch wander her skin as she pulled her lower lip under. Watching his actions and listening to him, feeling herself trust his words against her resolve. His lips on her skin made her feel heated again, wanting him and knowing damn well he wanted her too. A soft, pleased sound made itself known, rolling past he lips as he worked her throat, before he bit down and her eyes fluttered. Damn that felt good.

Resisting the urge to just do him right then and there, she forced her eyes open to look at him. Even in this position he was taller than she was and she had to look up to see his face. A sultry little smile made itself known on her lips while amethyst eyes sparkled with an impish attitude. She rolled her hips against his when he pulled her against him, grabbing her ass and that smile growing a bit in nature.

She leaned forward and caught her lips with his, nipping at his lower lip for a moment before flicking her tongue over it, soothing it. Now it was her turn.

She moved slightly, so that she brushed her lips over the shell of his ear when he spoke.

“And I’ll show you what it’s like to have a hellcat on your side,” she murmured.

Pulling back slightly, she moved down his neck, nipping at the skin there, leaving a faint mark that would fade in under an hour.

“As well as in your bed,” she finished with a husky laugh.