Work Text:
When they first started dating, kissing was always an event. Always as deep and intense as they had time for, often frantic and leading to bodies pressing together and clothes being removed as fast as possible.
And then Nick had gone to uni, and Charlie soon after, and for four years they lived in different places, seeing one another only on weekends or breaks. When they were together, kissing became desperate in a new way, not as frantic, but just as intense as they tried to squeeze as much into their too-short visits as possible. Kisses became a way to press traces of themselves into one another’s skin, leaving little marks for the other to find for days to come.
Then, finally, they had gotten a flat together for the first time, and kissing became more languid. They had all the time in the world and they were happy to use every last second kissing, and touching, and exploring without worrying about what time Sarah would get home or whether Jane would let Charlie stay the night.
Over time, as jobs became busier, and they added a dog, and then a cat, and then a couple of kids to their family, life changed once more. Kisses were often chaste, pressed quickly to lips and cheeks and foreheads as they passed one another in the kitchen, or as Nick ran out the door to get to school for a morning staff meeting. And sometimes kissing was still an event - they still pressed themselves into each other’s skin, and explored, and stole frantic moments of passion. But it had become so much more too. It was a routine, and a demonstration of love, and a constant cornerstone in their days. It was the first thing they did in the morning, and the last thing they did at night.
It was them.