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It was late when Charlie and Mouse stepped out of the precinct and into the familiar nightly chill of their city. Charlie could feel the icy wind biting at her cheeks as she drew her shoulders up and scrunched down into the confines of her black, shin length coat.
“You’re cold.” Mouse stated from underneath the navy blue beanie that was covering his dark hair. He was already unwrapping the blue and white checked scarf from around his throat as they drew to a halt at the bottom of the steps.
He leaned in close, his dark eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he looped the scarf over her head and tucked it neatly under her chin. His scent clung to the material as did his body heat, he smelled like sandalwood, that unique blend filling up her nostrils as she tilted her head up to meet his gaze. His gloved hands came to rest gently upon the tops of her arms, his thumbs stroking lightly over the curve of her shoulders as the left side of his mouth quirked up into that smile of his, the one that lit up the room whenever he unleashed it. They were standing close together, already she could feel that air around them charge with that unique chemistry as their coats brushed together, the material rustling.
“It looks good on you.” he told her, drawing away and jamming his hands into his pockets as he shuffled in the snow that lined the sidewalk. “You want me to hail you a cab?”
It was too much, too soon, she thought watching his motions. He was ansy, rocking back and forth on his heels again the same way he did whenever he was anxious. Charlie tucked her own hands into her pockets, shaking her head in response to his question.
“I literally live five minutes away.” she told him, jerking her thumb in the direction of the street behind her.
“Five minutes that way?” he reiterated, using his finger to point in the same general area. “That’s the same direction I’m heading. I’ll walk you.”
Usually she would have laughed it off, reminding him that she had lived in the city her entire life and knew a thing or two about taking care of herself, instead she didn’t. The truth was she didn’t feel the need to bring out that persona to Mouse, it wasn’t about capability for him and she knew that. They strode side by side, the back of their gloved hands brushing as Mouse discussed the book he was reading ‘1984’ by George Orwell. It was one of his favorites, the book was one that he had read over and over again over the years and he still found himself coming back to it and discovering something new each time. She liked hearing him talk like that, she enjoyed seeing the passion and life in those sky blue eyes of his as they conversed about the relevancy of the novel even in today’s society.
Their hands skimmed each other again and this time to Charlie’s surprise, Mouse’s hand caught hers, clasping it gently. She didn’t say anything, instead she allowed her thumb to graze the inside of his wrist. He squeezed her hand reassuringly before opening his mouth to speak.
“It’s been a really long time since anyone’s held my hand.” he confided to her, their steps becoming slower now in an attempt to stretch out the journey. His confession hit her right in the heart, she could feel it breaking as he held onto her hand just that little bit harder. It tore her up inside to think of how alone this brilliant man must have been. He had never said it out loud during their conversations but she had felt it in the underlying tone. Already Charlie could see her apartment block coming up. For the first time in her life she wished she lived just a little further away. Their steps became slower, faltering as they reached the brightly lit building.
“I guess we’ll have to do it more often.” she responded softly.
Mouse turned his head towards her and once again she was ensnared by those gorgeous blue eyes of his and that smile...
Jesus, it lit up the whole god damned world.
They were standing at her doorstep now, the end of the road as it were and the truth was Charlie simply wasn’t ready to let go just yet.
“Thanks for walking me home.” she murmured, her dainty hand came to rest upon his broad shoulder for balance as her lips graced his smooth cheek. His hands came to rest upon her hips steadying her as Mouse found himself looking into those gorgeous brown eyes of hers. He couldn’t deny that she was stunning, her skin all peaches and cream, those pert pink lips of hers were parted just begging to be kissed.
How many times had he dreamed about this moment? How many times had he wished that he was brave enough to take that step, to tell her how he felt. Every time he thought about it, his muscles in his chest would constrict. The thought of her leaving scared the hell out of him. She didn’t know how much her presence meant to him, how she was a grounding force in his life.
For such a long time he had felt detached from the world, isolated because of the trauma he had suffered. Jay had always been by his side, making sure he put one foot in front of the other, helping him to take control of his life. Charlie was the one that made him actually feel it, she had brought color into a world which had been black and white for such a long time.
He closed the distance between the two of them, his lips capturing hers. The kiss was everything that Mouse had fantasized about and more. It was like fire igniting in his veins, a rush of sparks erupting throughout his soul as his fingers combed through her silky hair. He knew the intensity of these emotions should terrify him but to his surprise he didn’t.
For the first time in a long time he felt every single sensation wholeheartedly and it was bliss.
His forehead coming to rest on hers as his thumb trailed along the apple of her cheek as he whispered the word ‘Wow’ against the corner of her mouth. She smiled against the palm of his hand, her own dainty fingers still gripping his shoulder tightly.
“Do you want to come up?” she whispered.
Jesus he wanted that more than anything in the world. He wanted to spend the night tangled up in her sheets, getting lost in this beautiful woman, making her breathe his name over and over again as he made her climax. He wanted that rush of endorphins, in fact he craved it and in the end it was that that stopped him.
The soldier in him was ready to go, he wanted to fuck away the tragedy, the horror and everything else that went along with it. He wanted that physical release, to reach his peak and for all that pleasure to drown at the noise in his head even if it was only for a little while.
The man in him wanted so much more than that. He wanted evenings spent sprawled out on the couch reading books or watching TV, drinks at Molly’s that ended with ended with silliness and whisky flavored kisses. Simply put, he wanted her, mind, heart and soul.
“I want to.” he whispered, his sky blue eyes bright and earnest. “Trust me I want that with you but I need to take this slow...”
“We can go as slow as you need.” she told him, her palms smoothing over the contours of his jacket. “No pressure.”