Ranger's Apprentice: The Tantalizing Tales

Crash course

In which Will and Alyss exchange kisses as they move around, hitting the edges of tables or nearly tripping over things on the floor before making it to the sofa, or bed. 

DISCLAIMER: Again, let's rate this as appropriate only for teens and up just to be sure (I promise this is the last time I write (near-)smut for this series, it's been fun but it's not what I want to specialise in lol).

~~~

"You'd better be there at ours."

Once Alyss has spoken the words, it is silent for several minutes.

Will opens his mouth to say something - anything - but he makes no sound. There's only a grin, one that slowly lights up his face as the realisation sinks in. It's a big, goofy, stupid grin.

But Alyss loves it. Looking down at it, she cannot help a smile from lighting up her own face. She bites her lip, purses her lips, tries anything to maintain the strict and annoyed face that had made Will think that she was upset with him. But the smile perseveres. She's smiling at the Ranger as he starts forming words.

"Our-"

It's almost as if he's in shock, Alyss thinks. Except this time, it's a beautiful, wonderful, delightful shock, with that idiotic grin still etched on his face.

"Our-, our what?"

She's teasing him. He knows she is. The huge smile on her face tells him as much. And still... Still, Will isn't entirely certain. He remembers his lousy attempt at a proposal, months ago, on the ship as they were travelling home from Nihon-Ja. Alyss had taken long, angry steps away from him. Or had she? Will had a feeling that not for the first time, he had grossly misinterpreted his own love life.

As the wheels in his head kept turning and the realisation of what Alyss had said slowly dawned, he uttered: "Our... wedding?"

Alyss nods and - he hadn't thought it possible, but it happened - her smile grew. This wasn't how it was supposed to go. This wasn't how their engagement had been supposed to be confirmed. But Will doesn't care. And by the looks of it, neither does Alyss.

"Yes. Ye- yes, I'll be there. I'll- I'll always be there," Will is struggling to make out the words, but he manages. It's enough.

Alyss takes his face in her hands. Her eyes are sparkling, her cheeks are rosy, and it's the prettiest Will has ever seen her.

"You'd better," she smiles. Then, she kisses him.

The kiss is soft. Slow. Sacred. It's a promise of devotion, of dedication, and of love. Pure, innocent, authentic love.

It isn't before long until the kiss starts turning into something more, into passion given a solid form. Their bodies are pressed together heatedly against the door, breathing heavily as their lips are similarly pressed together.

Will can taste their shared breath, can feel the thud of their combined heartbeat. Every kiss has a raw intensity - breathing fast, heart rates faster.

It still isn't clear to Alyss if she has dreamed this moment to life, but what is certainly real is the raw emotion in the way his fingers curl around hers. His other hand is carding through her hair as they breathe each other in.

They turn away from the door, so that they can move freely. Will's fingers are electric - they must be, for wherever they touch, Alyss's skin tingles in a frenzy of static. They are blissfully unaware of their surroundings, lost as they are in themselves and in the kiss and in each other.

They are reminded of the fact that they are in an office when Will bumps into a sharp corner.

"Ow, fuck. Table."

Alyss laughs. Her hands have lowered from Will's face and are now grasping his collar instead.

"Aren't you Rangers supposed to possess over black magic? Shouldn't you be able to sense the furniture before we crash into it?"

Pressed between the table and Alyss, Will can feel the grin returning to his face.

"Oh, shut up."

The sparkle in Alyss's eyes twinkles dangerously.

"Make me," she whispers against his lips. He does. Of course he does. His tongue strokes her teeth, begging her to let him in. She does. As they resume their kiss, however, Alyss nearly trips over something that's laying on the ground. Luckily, Will's strong hands are there to keep her on her feet. As they always do. His hands stay firmly grasped around her wrists, even as one of Alyss's hands makes its way up to his cheek again. Their lips barely lose contact in the process.

Will now keeps his eyes half open, sneaking a guilty peek at her every time he comes back for air, just to make sure this isn't a product of his imagination. And to make sure that there isn't another table hidden in a dark corner that they can crash into, or another pillow gone rogue that they can trip over.

But it doesn't take long for him to lose his focus on their surroundings and to redirect his attention to the woman in his arms. Alyss rewards him for it. The universe does not.

Will feels the soft but solid form of the sofa against his legs, but he's too late to act upon it. He bumps against it, tries to regain his balance, fails, falls, and effectively pulls Alyss down with him. They crash into the pillows. Naturally, the kiss ends.

They lay there, for a while. Crashed into the sofa of an unknown office. Will's hands are still around Alyss's wrists. One of Alyss's hands maintains its firm grip on his collar, the other is still stroking his clean-shaven cheek. Their faces are mere centimetres apart. Cheeks rosy, pupils dilated, lips chapped. Breaths fast, heart rates faster.

The Ranger is the first to make a sound. He snickers. The grin returns to his face, again, as he tries to hold back his laughter.

In response, Alyss snorts. She lets her head hang, leaning on his chest. Shakes her head, because the laughter proves uncontainable.

Will releases her wrists but soon regrets that decision, because Alyss uses her newfound freedom to push herself up, leaving her soon-to-be husband laying on the sofa.

"Where are you going?"

"We-"

Alyss needs to catch her breath first, before she can speak.

"The wedding isn't entirely over yet. We still have duties to attend to."

On the sofa, Will groans in annoyance. He lets his head fall back into the pillows behind him and sighs deeply.

"They'll know."

"They won't."

"They will."

"They won't."

Will rolls his eyes at her. Despite his everlasting patience, commitment, and stubbornness, he knows he will never even win a simple yes-no-yes exchange if Alyss is his opponent.

"If you say so."

The diplomat leans down and presses a short kiss against his mouth.

"I do."

Alyss extends her hand, Will takes it, and she pulls him up from the sofa.

People only see what they expect to see.

Will isn't entirely sure what their friends would expect to see, but as long as it isn't the two of them returning from a passionate make out session, then surely, they won't realise that that's exactly what they are returning from.

Oh well. There's nothing he can do about it now.

Will watches as Alyss tries to restore some of the damage that he has done to her elegant hairdo. Meanwhile, he tries to smooth out some of the fresh wrinkles in his vest and readjusts the cape that's hanging over his shoulders. Both of the attempts seem futile, but anything's better than showing up half undone.

Besides, no one expects them to have spent their time crashing into furniture, so they won't see that, right. Right?