[ He remained sideways on the seating, not giving his position any thought as he looked at the image she took of his back. It definitely wasn't anything he'd want as a design. The art was eerily profound, giving the deer eyes that made him think of a deity than a normal buck.
Shadow slowly turned forward rather than keep his back to Max. His eyes finally moved from her device. ]
I'm glad that I can't see it.
[ He uttered the statement quietly, affected by seeing the design more than Shadow wanted to let on.
The wound on his neck should have been fresher. Rapture had only been a couple of days since he'd seen Max and she'd helped him but Shadow had learned that everyone experienced their return differently. Someone he'd seen after Max said they'd been back in Deerington for a week when they crossed paths when he (Shadow) arrived.
Yet for someone who walked away from a trainwreck, the wound should have healed completely. ]
[ that's something that max probably should have picked up on, but she also heals quicker than most. whether or not that's something that's typical for him is beyond him, but it does occur to her that something like that kind of would probably should still require a bandage, and yet it doesn't look like it does anymore.
he mentions he's glad he can't see it and she nods, setting the device aside again. there's a moment's hesitation before she turns and moves her hair off of her back and neck, exposing her own tattoo and her barcode. ]
A little less invasive than the last modification someone did to me, but. [ she gets it. ]
[ He twisted, turning to see what Max was showing him. His fingertips reached to touch her skin without thinking of any consequences. Shadow had felt her gloved digits on his back and wondered if her tattoo had any kind of texture. Maybe it wasn't actually embedded in the skin.
Yet he felt no imperfections on her surface. Much like what he'd seen of Max, her back was flawless. ]
I'm sorry.
[ Shadow hated hearing that she was modified at all. The apology was for the experimentation, not the unconscious act of touching her skin. He knew what it was to be strapped to a machine against his will and pictured the same for Max. ]
[ she doesn’t remember any of it, when it comes to the implant. which is probably for the best, considering her childhood and the time she’d been recaptured, but not knowing what was done to her is equally uncomfortable. honestly, she just tries not to think about it on most days.
his touch ghosts over the skin of her back and she draws in a soft breath of surprise at being touched. nothing happens; the implant doesn’t glow and her mind is still her own, but it’s something of a shock to be touched like that when she’s gotten used to needing barriers between her skin and anyone else’s. her heartbeat picks up in speed and she swallows before turning to face him. ]
It’s okay. [ not that she knows what the apology is for - it could be the touch, for what she’d told him she’d been through, both, neither. none of it is his fault.
well, maybe the touch, but she hadn’t minded it. ]
I... [ Had she seen anything about him when he'd touched her? She didn't look unnerved as Max had when touching his coin with her bare hands. Shadow didn't feel right asking if he'd triggered her abilities. Her chest didn't glow. He took a breath. ] ...should put my shirt back on.
[ And he did. Quickly, not realizing it was inside out as he slipped back into it. At least it wasn't backwards. He felt awkward enough as it was. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the floor for a moment after getting his shirt on. ]
Does it bother you, someone touching you? [ He asked with eyes lifting to meet her face. ]
[ she falters a little, giving him space and averting her eyes as he finds his shirt and pulls it back on. it's not until it is and he asks if his touch had bothered her that she looks back at him, her eyes meeting his. ]
I don't know. It's been a while since someone has. [ it's odd and, truthfully, a little embarrassing to admit, the lack of intimacy in her life as of late, extending to before she'd even found herself in new amsterdam. ] That didn't, for whatever it's worth.
[ His brow knit together, more concern than confusion. He didn't really know much about her. Shadow didn't like prying but he did want to learn about Max.
He didn't catch how she looked away. It was simpler to believe her attention had been drawn elsewhere.
A part of him thought that a conversation was more polite but another couldn't help think of how much he yearned for touch after years in prison. However, he wasn't going to assume that Max felt how he did. He was mostly a stranger to her other than their encounter in Rapture. ]
I know the feeling. I... [ He took a breath then exhaled his confession. ] was in prison for three years. Released a few days early to attend my wife's funeral. The only touch I had was a hug from her best friend.
[ Shadow swallowed thickly, his eyes had left Max's before the last statement. ]
[ there's a long beat as she absorbs this, and what it means that he'd shared it with her. it's true they haven't really shared much with each other about their lives prior to arriving in rapture (intentionally, anyway), and it strikes her as really sad that people can bond over traumatic experiences without really knowing who they are.
but it's still something, isn't it? ]
Before - [ she gestures to her chest ] this, I was - there was a facility I was created and raised in. They gave me a virus hoping I'd give it to someone I loved who was making things difficult for them. I got out of there thinking they'd sent someone to kill him. Turns out it was me.
[ or it was supposed to be, anyway. ]
There was an antigen that saved him, but right before I ended up where I was before rapture, his skin brushed against mine and he almost died. Again. [ her tone becomes harder here, a little angry, and it's a surprise to her. ] And it turned out he'd rather think I would go around behind his back than not want to see him because I didn't want to kill him.
[ Max didn't seem to be bothered by his being an ex con or having been married. There was a lot more to the story but he was glad she opted to share her life with him instead of asking him for details. He gave her all his attention, reaching out and placing a hand on her lap in a supportive gesture as she spoke about being given a virus to kill someone she loved.
His life suddenly seemed like a walk in a park.
Shadow was a better listener than talker. He opted to remain quiet and leave the floor open for Max to continue talking. There seemed to be more to her story. Any question that he had could wait.
It meant more than anything he could think to say, hearing her talk about someone she loved. There hadn't been much of that in Deerington or Rapture. Even less before he arrived. Shadow had been a huge believer in love but felt as if the belief was constantly being stripped away. ]
[ there's not, at least not anything that she feels up to sharing at the moment. later on she'll go deeper into manticore, what they'd been trying to do with her, and why that made her anxious to touch anyone. right now his hand in her lap draws more of her attention.
she stares at it for a moment, then her eyes are drawn to his face as she covers the hand in her lap with one of her hands. the other is, cautiously, placed on the side of his face as she looks in his eyes. ]
[ His eyes searched her face in the silence. It didn't feel awkward. Shadow understood that Max had said all she wanted to in the moment.
He watched her as she registered his hand on her. There was a question briefly on his features as she moved her hand to touch his face, but only for a second. His gaze was warm and inviting with a glance down to her lips then back up to her eyes.
Was she as starved for touch as he was? His heart felt like a drum in his chest but Shadow didn't inch toward her face, not wanting to project his feelings onto Max. Instead, his eyes closed and his face nuzzled into the hand that touched his cheek. ]
[ her own heart is thudding in her chest and pounding loudly in her ears as he reciprocates instead of pulling away. she's recognized that she's lonely, but it's not until she's up close and personal with someone else, someone who knows enough about the weirder shit in her life for her to feel comfortable revealing the more painful parts.
she looks into his face a moment longer before pressing forward, kissing him almost hesitantly and bringing her opposite hand to frame the other side of his face, both still gloved. if either were to open their eyes, they'd notice her chest is glowing, but no memories flood into her head. there's just her, and him, and whatever happens next. ]
[ Her touch was both hesitant and somehow full of conviction. Shadow regarded Max in the same manner. Once she had met his lips, he met them a little firmer. His hands moved around her waist and pulled her close.
There was a glow but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, Shadow enjoyed the intimate connection. His arms wrapped around her form and pulled Max onto his lap. He slipped the tip of his tongue past her lips for a taste, a moan rumbling at the sample. ]
[ the glow is still present as he guides her to sit in his lap, but her mind still remains her own as they keep kissing. he responds to her eagerly with his mouth and her lips part to allow his tongue to enter hers, eventually pressing back with her own.
her own moan catches in her throat as he steals her breath, and she adjusts her position in his lap so that her knees are draped over his hips. her hands travel down his torso until they find the hem of his shirt and she starts tugging upward, trying to remove it as they continue to explore each other's mouths. ]
[ The alterations didn't change Max to something he couldn't recognize. She was very much a woman; by scent, touch, sight, sound and taste. Shadow relished each in his own way and gave in when she pulled up his shirt.
He barely flinched when it moved over his neck. The wound was almost healed, no other scars maligned his skin other than the ink she had just seen on his back. His hands didn't go for her top but did grab at her ass. Shadow quickly returned to kissing again once shirtless.]
[ she feels the same, now that she's not somewhere with a neural connection to the people around her. except for when the psychometry kicks in and she becomes someone else for however long the memory lasts, which is exactly how it feels. nothing's happening right now and she can pretend nothing's changed, that she's just a regular genetically engineered supersoldier. she feels almost normal, and that feels good.
the flinch is slight, but perceptible, and once shadow's got his shirt off max attempts to soothe it belatedly by running her fingertip underneath the wound, forgetting about the gloves. there's a second where she thinks about taking them off, but she notices the glow when her eyes open and realizes she'd better not risk it. no matter, she can still feel everything else and it's not causing her any problems yet.
his hands grip her backside and she shifts her hips forward, grinding a little on his lap. her mouth breaks away from his for a moment and she utters a soft groan, eyelids fluttering shut again as her skin goes flush, a little embarrassed at her body's reaction to the contact after so long without. ]
[ A smile slowly formed on his lips at her groan. One nearly escaped him with the grind she gave him so he wasn't about to call her out on it. Shadow wasn't sure how far she intended to go and happily followed her lead, enjoying the make out session if that was all Max had in mind.
The friction felt incredibly good, his hips rocked and continued the movement between them. His hands aided from above with a hold continuing firmly on her ass. Shadow kissed her with the corners of his mouth still tugged upward. She didn't have anything to be embarrassed about given the hardness Max had to feel at her center from his arousal. ]
[ she doesn't really have anything in mind and that's kind of the point. since being recaptured so much of what she'd wanted had been ripped from her that she's been afraid to want anything else. realizing that she wants something again, even if it doesn't last, feels good enough that she wants to act on it before she can't anymore.
he doesn't seem to mind, so she rocks against him with slightly more purpose before pausing in kissing him to pull her tank top up and over her head, discarding it to the side (or floor, or wherever) before diving in again, pressing herself close to him. ]
[ Whatever smug or amused expression he'd held was gone at the feeling of her skin against his. Shadow was the one letting out a moan that rumbled in his chest. He wasn't curious about how her chest glowed, more invested in seeing her physique.
His hands ghosted over her back and down her sides while his mouth sought hers again. His finger slipped in her waistband, slowly sliding around the front to test just how much Max was comfortable with what seemed to go down between them. ]
[ well, she was fairly comfortable with that and responds eagerly to it, only shifting back to give him more room, balancing her hands on his shoulders before she leans back in to kiss him. her teeth nip slightly at his lower lip, encouraging him to continue if he wants to. ]
[ The smile wouldn't fade from his lips. It wasn't conceited or over eager. Shadow was a mixture of happy and excited, enjoying how Max reciprocated. He didn't want to rush the moment but he also longed for her. After a lengthy kiss and play of lips, he unfastened both their jeans. His hands moved to her breasts and let Max handle everything below the belt for the moment. ]
[ she's wearing sweats, so his access will be slightly easier than hers. especially as one hand travels from his shoulder down the front of his body and she realizes oh yeah, she's still wearing the gloves. max hazards a glance down at her chest and yep, it's still glowing blue, meaning it's still a bad idea to take them off and that anything she touches with them on would probably be pretty uncomfortable. she groans in frustration, but gets distracted as his hands move over her breasts and it fades into a moan. ]
[ He hadn't given much thought to her wearing gloves since she first put them on. Shadow didn't want Max to regret intimacy with him and thought that might be the case if she had her hands bare. It wasn't something he was used to, being with a woman who wore gloves, but it hadn't been off putting.
She let out another moan as he busied with his mouth over her breasts, taking one then the other into his mouth also not bothered with the glow between them. One hand teased the breast his tongue and teeth weren't occupied with.
A chill hit his cock as the head moved past the waistband of his underwear through the open zipper of his jeans. His arousal was seeping slowly at the top. ]
[ she's a little distracted by the attention he's giving her breasts, arching into the touch and his mouth and moaning again. very, very carefully, she reaches between them and into his underwear, curving her hand around him and pulling him free.
it's nice, being with him like this, but it's not enough for her and she's got the feeling it's not gonna be enough for him either. she directs his mouth back to hers, kissing him lightly before climbing off of him to rid herself of the rest of her clothes.
minus the gloves, but it's already been proven they can still have fun even if she keeps them on. ]
[ When she got up to rid the last of her clothes, Shadow did the same with what remained on his lower half. He internally frowned that Max kept her gloves but wouldn't utter a word about it. Shadow trusted that she did what was best for her and he definitely didn't want a repeat of when she'd touched his coin without the protection. ]
You're beautiful. [ The words left him barely above a whisper, his features holding a light smile before he reached for her hand and headed away from the living room. Hopefully she didn't object to the change of scenery. Shadow had one too many memories of sex on the couch for the first time, he took a pass to add another to the collection.
Max could remain on top. He wouldn't deny her that as they relocated to the bedroom. Maybe they stopped in the kitchen on the way. His head lowered to continue kissing Max as they maneuvered through the small apartment while naked. ]
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[ He remained sideways on the seating, not giving his position any thought as he looked at the image she took of his back. It definitely wasn't anything he'd want as a design. The art was eerily profound, giving the deer eyes that made him think of a deity than a normal buck.
Shadow slowly turned forward rather than keep his back to Max. His eyes finally moved from her device. ]
I'm glad that I can't see it.
[ He uttered the statement quietly, affected by seeing the design more than Shadow wanted to let on.
The wound on his neck should have been fresher. Rapture had only been a couple of days since he'd seen Max and she'd helped him but Shadow had learned that everyone experienced their return differently. Someone he'd seen after Max said they'd been back in Deerington for a week when they crossed paths when he (Shadow) arrived.
Yet for someone who walked away from a trainwreck, the wound should have healed completely. ]
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he mentions he's glad he can't see it and she nods, setting the device aside again. there's a moment's hesitation before she turns and moves her hair off of her back and neck, exposing her own tattoo and her barcode. ]
A little less invasive than the last modification someone did to me, but. [ she gets it. ]
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Yet he felt no imperfections on her surface. Much like what he'd seen of Max, her back was flawless. ]
I'm sorry.
[ Shadow hated hearing that she was modified at all. The apology was for the experimentation, not the unconscious act of touching her skin. He knew what it was to be strapped to a machine against his will and pictured the same for Max. ]
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his touch ghosts over the skin of her back and she draws in a soft breath of surprise at being touched. nothing happens; the implant doesn’t glow and her mind is still her own, but it’s something of a shock to be touched like that when she’s gotten used to needing barriers between her skin and anyone else’s. her heartbeat picks up in speed and she swallows before turning to face him. ]
It’s okay. [ not that she knows what the apology is for - it could be the touch, for what she’d told him she’d been through, both, neither. none of it is his fault.
well, maybe the touch, but she hadn’t minded it. ]
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[ And he did. Quickly, not realizing it was inside out as he slipped back into it. At least it wasn't backwards. He felt awkward enough as it was. His dark eyes stayed fixed on the floor for a moment after getting his shirt on. ]
Does it bother you, someone touching you? [ He asked with eyes lifting to meet her face. ]
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I don't know. It's been a while since someone has. [ it's odd and, truthfully, a little embarrassing to admit, the lack of intimacy in her life as of late, extending to before she'd even found herself in new amsterdam. ] That didn't, for whatever it's worth.
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He didn't catch how she looked away. It was simpler to believe her attention had been drawn elsewhere.
A part of him thought that a conversation was more polite but another couldn't help think of how much he yearned for touch after years in prison. However, he wasn't going to assume that Max felt how he did. He was mostly a stranger to her other than their encounter in Rapture. ]
I know the feeling. I... [ He took a breath then exhaled his confession. ] was in prison for three years. Released a few days early to attend my wife's funeral. The only touch I had was a hug from her best friend.
[ Shadow swallowed thickly, his eyes had left Max's before the last statement. ]
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but it's still something, isn't it? ]
Before - [ she gestures to her chest ] this, I was - there was a facility I was created and raised in. They gave me a virus hoping I'd give it to someone I loved who was making things difficult for them. I got out of there thinking they'd sent someone to kill him. Turns out it was me.
[ or it was supposed to be, anyway. ]
There was an antigen that saved him, but right before I ended up where I was before rapture, his skin brushed against mine and he almost died. Again. [ her tone becomes harder here, a little angry, and it's a surprise to her. ] And it turned out he'd rather think I would go around behind his back than not want to see him because I didn't want to kill him.
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His life suddenly seemed like a walk in a park.
Shadow was a better listener than talker. He opted to remain quiet and leave the floor open for Max to continue talking. There seemed to be more to her story. Any question that he had could wait.
It meant more than anything he could think to say, hearing her talk about someone she loved. There hadn't been much of that in Deerington or Rapture. Even less before he arrived. Shadow had been a huge believer in love but felt as if the belief was constantly being stripped away. ]
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she stares at it for a moment, then her eyes are drawn to his face as she covers the hand in her lap with one of her hands. the other is, cautiously, placed on the side of his face as she looks in his eyes. ]
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He watched her as she registered his hand on her. There was a question briefly on his features as she moved her hand to touch his face, but only for a second. His gaze was warm and inviting with a glance down to her lips then back up to her eyes.
Was she as starved for touch as he was? His heart felt like a drum in his chest but Shadow didn't inch toward her face, not wanting to project his feelings onto Max. Instead, his eyes closed and his face nuzzled into the hand that touched his cheek. ]
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she looks into his face a moment longer before pressing forward, kissing him almost hesitantly and bringing her opposite hand to frame the other side of his face, both still gloved. if either were to open their eyes, they'd notice her chest is glowing, but no memories flood into her head. there's just her, and him, and whatever happens next. ]
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There was a glow but he didn't open his eyes. Instead, Shadow enjoyed the intimate connection. His arms wrapped around her form and pulled Max onto his lap. He slipped the tip of his tongue past her lips for a taste, a moan rumbling at the sample. ]
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her own moan catches in her throat as he steals her breath, and she adjusts her position in his lap so that her knees are draped over his hips. her hands travel down his torso until they find the hem of his shirt and she starts tugging upward, trying to remove it as they continue to explore each other's mouths. ]
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He barely flinched when it moved over his neck. The wound was almost healed, no other scars maligned his skin other than the ink she had just seen on his back. His hands didn't go for her top but did grab at her ass. Shadow quickly returned to kissing again once shirtless.]
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the flinch is slight, but perceptible, and once shadow's got his shirt off max attempts to soothe it belatedly by running her fingertip underneath the wound, forgetting about the gloves. there's a second where she thinks about taking them off, but she notices the glow when her eyes open and realizes she'd better not risk it. no matter, she can still feel everything else and it's not causing her any problems yet.
his hands grip her backside and she shifts her hips forward, grinding a little on his lap. her mouth breaks away from his for a moment and she utters a soft groan, eyelids fluttering shut again as her skin goes flush, a little embarrassed at her body's reaction to the contact after so long without. ]
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The friction felt incredibly good, his hips rocked and continued the movement between them. His hands aided from above with a hold continuing firmly on her ass. Shadow kissed her with the corners of his mouth still tugged upward. She didn't have anything to be embarrassed about given the hardness Max had to feel at her center from his arousal. ]
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he doesn't seem to mind, so she rocks against him with slightly more purpose before pausing in kissing him to pull her tank top up and over her head, discarding it to the side (or floor, or wherever) before diving in again, pressing herself close to him. ]
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His hands ghosted over her back and down her sides while his mouth sought hers again. His finger slipped in her waistband, slowly sliding around the front to test just how much Max was comfortable with what seemed to go down between them. ]
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She let out another moan as he busied with his mouth over her breasts, taking one then the other into his mouth also not bothered with the glow between them. One hand teased the breast his tongue and teeth weren't occupied with.
A chill hit his cock as the head moved past the waistband of his underwear through the open zipper of his jeans. His arousal was seeping slowly at the top. ]
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it's nice, being with him like this, but it's not enough for her and she's got the feeling it's not gonna be enough for him either. she directs his mouth back to hers, kissing him lightly before climbing off of him to rid herself of the rest of her clothes.
minus the gloves, but it's already been proven they can still have fun even if she keeps them on. ]
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You're beautiful. [ The words left him barely above a whisper, his features holding a light smile before he reached for her hand and headed away from the living room. Hopefully she didn't object to the change of scenery. Shadow had one too many memories of sex on the couch for the first time, he took a pass to add another to the collection.
Max could remain on top. He wouldn't deny her that as they relocated to the bedroom. Maybe they stopped in the kitchen on the way. His head lowered to continue kissing Max as they maneuvered through the small apartment while naked. ]