After hours was always improved with a bit of alcohol and good company. If the latter wasn't available, the former would due just fine by itself. While Aurora had jumped at the chance go join up with Maris and a few others for a night of trivia, she was definitely glad that it happened to be at a bar with a pretty good selection of wine. She didn't need the booze of course, but she figured it might kind of help her nerves that still laid just beneath the surface. She knew these people a little better now, or most of them, but none of that really equated for the swell of butterflies (ugh, what a cliche) whenever she was around Maris. It wasn't anything she dwelled on if she could help it, but it certainly made her plenty eager to spend some time with her outside of work.

"I went with red, but we'll see how that works with the white shirt. I live for danger." She'd announced with a daring glare as she returned to the table with her drink and two others balanced for a couple others at the table. After setting them down, she shrugged out of the black (faux) leather jacket she'd worn which left her in jeans and a white button down. Dangerous indeed with the dark crimson liquid in her glass and a knack for over-excited competitiveness. After taking an inaugural sip of her wine, she leaned in closer to Maris, fully taking stock of the team around them. "So I'm going to need you to promise that you'll reign me in if I go overboard. I can be very stubborn when I think I'm right." All bets were probably off once they really got into the tougher rounds, but if she had to die on a hill for an answer she might believe to be completely right, she would do that. Now was just the test if Maris meant it when she'd said that she like a competitive streak in a person.

"I'll do no such thing," Maris said, looking amused as she took a sip of her old fashioned. Always early, she had been the first to arrive and claimed their table. Though their pub nights were nothing if not casual, Maris didn't seem to know how to dress that way, though she had left one of the countless blazers she wore at home for the evening. Wearing black slacks and a black lace top, the burgundy lipstick (which matched her perfectly trimmed and painted nails) she was sporting was a welcome splash of color.

The teachers settled into easy conversation as they waited for trivia to start. Maris listened more than she talked, interjecting only when she was sure she had something worth saying. Because most of her colleagues knew this, most turned their attention to her almost immediately, not wanting to miss (and appreciating) her input before she went quiet again.

"Uh oh." The school nurse, a pretty twentysomething blonde named Kayla who had only been hired the year before, sat down her cosmo. "Westbrook is here."

Maris wrinkled her nose, but was secretly pleased at the turn of events and turned to Rory, touching her knee to get her attention before leaning in. "A bunch of teachers from a public school downtown. We have something of a rivalry," she whispered.

"They think we're snobs," said Donna. The white haired biology teacher was easily the eldest of their group, but she was beloved by students and staff alike for her quick wit and sense of humor.

"Well, we kind of are," Maris said with a grin, not taking her eyes off Aurora. "But we usually kick their asses so they have to come back with some sort of insult."

"Oh you're gonna get me into trouble." Rory challenged back, an easy grin on her face as she spoke. It seemed increasingly easy of late, to just be in an all around good mood whenever she was in the presence of this particular woman. Even in the dim light of the bar, she took solid note of how good Maris looked, how the dark colors suited her and the pop of color on her lips made them incredibly distracting. Rory should just be glad for the distraction that came from trivia.

With the hodgepodge group they had with them, Rory had a fairly good feeling about sliding in to join the team. Of course, her main hope was actually that she was useful whatsoever, but it was kind of fun to play up what she knew to be true: her competitive nature taking full force of the situation.

Rory's gaze followed the rest of the group's as Kayla spoke, glancing back at the group who had arrived and took a table. "Oh no, you're just saying all of my trigger words now." She joked, leaning back in her chair and making a show of sizing up the other team. Maybe it was a little too like a wolf sizing up her prey, but if these were the rivals, she needed to get a good handle on them.

"Oh, I knew that you were all snobs the second I started at the school." Rory's tone was serious, but she couldn't help the wide grin that broke free as soon as she was ending her sentence. Truthfully, the people who she'd worked with and actually made a friendly impression with had been nothing but warm to her - and many of them were here. "I suppose I get to lump myself in and work on my snobbery, hm?"

Still with a grin, she leaned forward as the host announced the first round - music, specifically songs and/or artists that have something to do with poison. And to her own triumph, she quietly announced to the team under hushed breath that the first answer was Britney's Toxic -- an easy one, but for she announced it within about a second.

Maris gave Rory a little nod of approval when her answer was correct, already glad she'd decided to invite her to come along. A math teacher named Donovan, one of only two males in their group because the school went out of their way to hire female staff to better serve and relate the girls they taught helped them finish up the round with BelL Biv Devoe and Bret Michaels.

When the category switched to The Kardashians, Maris let out an audible groan of disgust (as well as a muttered jesus christ are you serious?) but Kayla swooped in to save the day, dominating the category so fiercely that Maris couldn't help but look at her with a strange sort of awe once it was over. "I'm a bit alarmed you know all this, Kay."

"My roomie buys a lot of trashy magazines," she said somewhat sheepishly, bringing her drink to her lips again.

Things may have started off well, but the team from Westbrook quickly caught up. Maris' expression soon turned sour, her annoyance causing her to fidget a bit in her seat. She didn't just like to win, she liked to be a part of said winning. She would have been lying if she said she didn't like to be the hero or the attention that came with it, because praise for her mind was exactly the sort of praise she craved, but none of the categories struck a chord with her that night, leaving her feeling useless as she nodded and mumbled her agreement as teammates supplied answers.

She brightened when a category about Henry the Eighth's wives was announce, leaning forward like a predator ready to strike. Young Maris had been morbidly fascinated by Henry and his harem when she was nine and spent an entire summer reading everything she could. It paid off because she aced all three questions, all but shouting, "Anne of Cleves!" when it looked like Samantha, Westbrook's history teacher was going to say it before her.

Despite their efforts to come back, Westbrook ultimately won thanks to a category on 60's folk music.

Maris' disappointment was evident as she said her goodbyes to the rest of their crew, nibbling on her lower lip as she did her best to fish the cherry out of her now empty cocktail glass.

"We'll get em next time," she said, forcing a smile once she'd finished it, sitting her drink back down on the table. "I should get going. I walked since I live on Oak, but it looks like rain, so..."

She trailed off, not really wanting the night to end now that she and Rory were the only ones left.

Though Rory would have loved to dominate on all the topics handed to them, she faltered a bit in several rounds, only knowing answers that others did -- though she did manage to pull out three answers on various obscure literary figures (and one YA author) to hopefully make up for it. Overall, she got swept up into the competition of it, drinking and laughing with their colleagues and maybe an occasional sneer in the general direction of the Westbrook teachers. By the time her second glass was filled, she was all but promising to key their cars ... not seriously. No. Of course not.

Rory was impressed by the wide range of topics the team was able to tackle, joining in a thank you to Kayla for her pop culture (is that what we're calling the Kardashians these days?) knowledge and pride the geography teacher George (when she first met him, she'd been more than slightly amused that geo-george was his self proclaimed nickname) on his knowledge of foreign currency.

At one point during the round, a particularly tense moment had Rory instinctively reaching out and gripping Maris' forearm, squeezing gently before she really had time to think about it. When she had given actual thought to it, she reluctantly pulled her hand away -- though in her mind, she wondered just how it might feel to slide her hand along her wrist and lace their fingers together. Silly thoughts, clearly, but maybe she should have been paying more attention to what she was doing in the heat of the moment.

As the night wore on and gave them an inevitable loss, Rory made a face but didn't pout too much. The whole evening was incredibly fun, and it had given her a chance to let loose with some of her co-workers. "Hopefully I wasn't bad luck." She joked as they were left alone, a color in her cheeks that she wasn't entirely sure had much to do with the alcohol. "Yeah me too..." She nodded, glancing towards the windows. She didn't make much of an effort to move just yet.

"Well, do you mind if I walk with you? I live that way. I guess it makes sense we all sort of live in the vicinity of work." She bit at her lower lip, trying not to let herself ramble. Standing up, she pulled her jacket on and moved her hair out of the way. "If it's gonna rain, we might as well face it together, yeah?"

Maris was surprised and almost touched by Rory's offer to walk her home. It was the sort of chivalrous invitation she made toward women (usually when she had very unchivalrous intentions she intended on acting on once they reached their destination) and it was nice to be on the receiving end for once.

"Sure," she said, slipping on an oversized cardigan that wouldn't have looked out of place in her 80 year old grandfather's closet.

As they stepped outside the air was already damp, a warning that the rain would come sooner rather than later, but Maris was in no hurry as they started toward her apartment. The fact that she didn't want her time with Rory to end certainly played a factor, but she had shown up to trivia night wearing new heels, (things that an out of touch great aunt warned her women as tall as herself should probably stay away from) that weren't quite broken in yet.

Though they were rubbing a bit, her discomfort wasn't evident as she looked over at Aurora. "Did you have fun? It sucks we lost on your first night, but we really do win usually."

Just as they reached the end of the block and prepared to cross the street, Daniel, an English teacher from Westbrook shouted a greeting then started jogging toward them.

"Oh god," Maris muttered under her breath. "Stay close to me, he's one of your kind but do not engage."

Daniel was a bit younger than Maris, though his rapidly receding hairline and hint of a beer belly didn't give that away. While most of the teachers from Westbrook were just as competitive as their group, Dan often tried to play peacemaker, declaring that he was only there to have fun. Maris knew the lanky blonde had a thing for her, but she didn't know she, not fun, was the main reason he showed up for trivia at all.

"Nice answers on the Henry questions, Maris," he teased. "Did you glean those from your dog eared copy of The Other Boleyn Girl?"

She snorted. "I'm going to need to go in for another whiskey if you keep mentioning that hack Phillipa Greggory in my presence."

Maris' hatred of the "historical", heavy on the fiction writer was well documented. If women wanted to read trashy bodice rippers, more power to them, but she couldn't stand when people threw perfectly good historical figures and events into the equation, especially when they were more than interesting enough without salacious, made up details.

She nodded toward Rory. "This is Aurora, she's new and we really should be going."

Dan nodded a greeting, but it was clear he only had eyes for Maris. "Hey, did you watch-"

"Can't, Dan!" she shouted, the picture of calm as she kept walking up the street, looping her arm in Rory's to encourage her to hurry along with her. "Very busy! Lots of papers to grade, you know how it is!"

Not to be all older-generation, but Rory often felt that in the world they lived in these days, very simple things were often taken for granted. With most people attached to their phones for hours at a time, or always hustling from point A to point B, something as simple as a walk alongside a fascinating woman would be lost on so many. Not so for Rory, though she might have the ulterior motive of just eking out a little more time alone with Maris.

In the weeks since she'd started, there were moments, maybe just fragments of them that she could swear a chemistry beyond a general regard for co-workers was building between them. Often she'd brush it off that she was just projecting her own hope on the poor woman, but there were other times that made her wonder longer. Usually one for at least taking some well calculated risks, there was too much that could potentially go wrong were she to try and bridge that gap too soon.

"I had a lot of fun, actually. Next time there will be no mercy." Her eyes narrowed in some overly exaggerated sense of competition. Rory however, didn't have much time to continue the idea of next time when they were (so rudely) interrupted.

Taking Maris' advice, Rory stood steady by her side and didn't budge, but also didn't say much. It would be easy to note that Maris might not be interested in this particular over-eager type, but as she regarded the two, it surprised her that there was this underlying sense of protectiveness that might just edge into jealousy. Not a feeling she was particularly used to dealing with often, but that was definitely the name for it. How expertly Maris handled their interrupter was impressive, earning a small smirk as they made their way away from him.

"Dang, I didn't even get to say a proper hello." She chuckled, holding her arm without any real threat of letting it go just yet. The further away they got from him, what was his name? Dave? It didn't matter - the more she probably should have dropped her arm or made some distance between them, but if Maris was fine with it, Aurora certainly wouldn't be the first one to pull away.

Glancing back once over her shoulder, she exhaled sharply and shook her head as she glanced sideways to her company. "You're kind of a pro at handling that. Almost like you've had a similar time shoving off unwanted attention as I have over time."

She made a face. "Yes, well, he's...persistent."

Maris' particular brand of forthright confidence attracted as many people as it repelled. Men were often intimidated by women who spoke their mind and knew their worth, but the ones who weren't seemed to view Maris as worth the trouble it would take to win her over. They could be infuriatingly tenacious, which was why she usually shot them down pretty quick, but she hadn't done that with Dan.

Trivia night was a bright spot in her sometimes monotonous life and she didn't want to risk making it awkward if it didn't have to be. She kept telling herself that Dan would get the hint eventually, but after years of attempting to rope Maris into a conversation that lasted more than a few minutes, it was becoming clear that while Daniel may have been a teacher, he was an embarrassingly slow learner.

"I don't doubt it. Woman as attractive as you? You're probably beating off admirers with a stick." It was stated as more of a fact than a compliment. It was both.

A woman as pretty as Aurora was bound to get more than her fair share of attention.

"You don't have to worry about that here," she said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "Pretty much everyone at school is paired off. And they're good sorts, really," she said, wrinkling her nose as if it pained her to speak well of her coworkers. It sort of did. She wasn't one to dole out compliments, so when she did they felt slightly foreign coming out of her mouth.

She hadn't been entirely truthful, of course. Maris was definitely interested in Aurora in a definitely not platonic way and as formal as she sometimes was, she paid little attention to the invisible barriers people put in place to keep you from getting involved with someone society said you shouldn't.

She'd embarked on a nearly three year long tryst with her college professor and barely batted an eyelash when a particularly gossipy ta caught them fooling around Caroline's Cadillac her senior year.

The whispers she was fucking her professor to raise her gpa lasted for all of a day before people remembered who they were talking about, begrudgingly admitting that Maris could dominate the competition with or without the extra help. Still, the pair's fairly large age difference gave everyone more than gossip to talk about, though they didn't last much longer once their secret was out because secrets weren't nearly as much fun when everyone knew about them.

She couldn't promise she wouldn't make a move on Maris, but she also knew she wouldn't without careful thought.

She liked her. Though they had only known each other a few short months, she already liked her more than Donna or Donovan or any of the other staff members she worked with for years. She wasn't about to fuck up the chance of having a rare friend at work just because she had poor impulse control when it came to beautiful women.

But if Aurora gave her an opening, she was sure as hell going to stick her foot in the door before it closed.

She didn't notice their arms were still hooked together until they were forced to wait at a crosswalk. She nearly untangled them even though she didn't mind the idea of getting closer to Rory, physical contact rarely had a place in Maris' life outside the bedroom.

A low rumble of thunder was their only warning before the sky opened up and started to pour.

"Come on," Maris said, ultimately keeping hold of Aurora as she speedwalked across the street. "My apartment's down by the coffee shop." She nodded to a brick building a few feet from view. "You can come with me and wait it out."

"I know the type." She deadpanned, trying to mask at least some of her distaste in the comment. Rory never understood the mentality of a person (mostly men, let's be honest here) who didn't take hints or get it when a woman said no, not interested. Some had that sickening mentality that a woman's mind could be so easily changed. Not so. She was impressed with how Maris had handled the guy whose name she already forgot, so inconsequential to her was the whole interaction. What wasn't so inconsequential happened to be how it made her feel, that sudden rush of adrenaline that came with a jealousy she hadn't been prepared for. Maybe later she'd need to reflect on that, but for now she was enjoying being the company that Maris chose to linger with.

The compliment earned a soft scoff from Rory, but her smile only widened. "Well now you're just going to make me blush." While she felt a slight warmth in her face, she continued on, glad for the darkness between street lamps. Rory wasn't one who liked to be openly bashful, though it was hard to deny when she was being complimented by someone she frankly quite wanted.

It was easy to listen to Maris as she spoke, hanging on words that felt well chosen, not wasted on saying twenty words when three would do. She appreciated that more than she realized, which all just played into the fact that she was becoming more and more enamored with this woman. She felt a little spike of what felt like fear as Maris started to talk about those who were paired off, but figured if Maris was one of those, she'd probably notice by now. Yet another reason why she still fought with herself that maybe it was high time she just bridge that space between them and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained -- the old saying went, anyway.

Though Aurora had never been particularly quiet when it came to her sexuality, there was something about a new town and a new job that had made her want to live her life a little closer to the chest than she had previously. In part was certainly the close-knit and strict nature of the school, but another part was simply wanting to see how she got on with others before she started wearing her pride on her sleeve. The closer she got with Maris, the more she wanted to be open about it ... like that would just open some floodgate between them -- of course, even if Maris did identify as anything under the queer-umbrella, that didn't mean she'd necessarily be attracted. Then again, with comments like the one she'd just made, maybe she was overthinking things.

If ever there was a truly cinematic moment, it would have to look like this one. Rain in film always seemed to be a cherry-picked time for swelling romance, for heartfelt confessions or epic kisses. As it stood now, she felt a bit like a drowned rat within a minute, but she kept fast to Maris and chased alongside her. At some point while they ran, she moved her arm not entirely away from Maris's, but rather slipped her hand into hers, squeezing tightly like she'd actually lose her in the downpour.

Running through the streets with her, despite the heavy rainfall and chill, Rory couldn't help the grin that broke across her face. She felt like a kid in some way, reckless and enjoying the hell out of such an act of nature - with a beautiful woman, no doubt. "What you don't know is I actually orchestrated this whole rainstorm just to get you to invite me in." She laughed as they made their way up the steps of the brick building, shivering a little once they reached the awning. Of course, she could brave the other few blocks in the rain just fine, but Rory wasn't about to decline such an invite from the other woman.

Maris' apartment didn't look like it belonged to someone living on a teacher's salary. Favoring black in her decor as well as her clothes, her living room was monochromatic, well furnished with simple sturdy pieces that were spaced just right because she had never been one to abide clutter. It appeared elegant rather than boring, scattered antiques either given or bought from her grandfather's shop adding the occasional bit of personality, including a beautiful stained glass lamp in rich golds and deep greens and a Persian rug she was terrified of ruining. There were only two photos on the wall. The first was of the two men in her life standing side by side at a birthday party. It was plain to see that Maris had inherited their dark hair as well as their height (she'd inherited their bushy eyebrows too, but waxed religiously every few weeks). Both were tall, though her grandfather had begun to slump with age. He had sported a mustache as long as she'd known him and he looked nothing if not proud with his arm tossed around his son's shoulder. The second picture was of her leaning over a cello, her brown nearly waist length hair so long it covered the instrument like a curtain as she brought down her bow, a shiny gold Star of David gleaming at her throat.

Young Maris looked like she had stepped out of a Waterhouse painting, entirely different than the current version with her sleek, but very no fuss bob, but she still radiated the same sort of quiet intensity. She didn't play as often as she once did, but her cello was proudly displayed, propped up against one of the many book cases lining nearly every square inch of her walls.

She grimaced a bit as she slipped out of her now damp sweater, quickly crossing the room to turn up the thermostat to fend off the chill. "Would you like a drink?" she asked, reaching out to take the other woman's jacket.

Being allowed into someone's space was something that Aurora never took for granted. Even when she was just invited over to a friend's for a movie night or something of the like, she was always well aware that it was an invitation into some kind of inner-sanctum. That was very much the same feeling she got as she stepped into Maris' home. Here was where the woman was entirely allowed to be herself - from the decor to the drapery, she was seeing a side of Maris that maybe her office and sense of style alone didn't allow her to see. The prospect of it warmed her - which was nice, considering she was soaked to the bone. She just stepped in a few feet, but was already swept up in a style that if she'd had to guess before this moment, she would have said yes, this all fit. Her fingers itched to touch and investigate, the naturally curious woman wanting to employ all of her senses to discover more about Maris.

Something that did strike Rory, was how much she wanted to know about Maris that went beyond colleague status, or even a kind of lust-filled want that she might just have going on here. No, she wanted to know more about this woman, what made her smile, what made her tick. She wanted to know who she was a child and about her family. She wanted to know more of what made her laugh and what made her sad. It struck her standing in her place, that her interest was deeper than a fleeting fancy. Crap.

"I would, please." She said with a nod, figuring it would warm her up. She had to peel off the jacket she wore, shivering a little bit as she handed it over to Maris. She collected her hair and swept it over one shoulder, smiling a little as she shook her head. "Thank you for the shelter."

"Well we can't have you washing away before Monday, can we?"

It may have been good manners (and plain old common sense) to invite someone indoors while a storm passed, but letting Rory come up was a pretty big deal considering none of Maris' coworkers had been inside her apartment before.

She gestured for the other woman to sit on her leather sofa before disappearing into a small kitchen. Maris liked to keep her wits about her so she was one who drank until she was buzzed rather than intoxicated.

She poured Aurora a glass of red wine (the other woman had chosen correctly that first afternoon in her office), hand hovering in front of an unopened whiskey bottle before pulling it down to pour herself something too. Nobody liked drinking alone.

Thoroughly drenched by the downpour, Maris' hands were still damp and with it, a bit slippery as she handed the drink over to Aurora.

She caught the drink as it slid, pressing the glass into her palm, ever graceful even even in moments that weren't. Once the other woman got a hold of it, Maris should have pulled away, but as their eyes met her body seemed to be on autopilot. Her fingers slowly slid downward past the stem of the wine glass. The pad of her thumb, still damp and with it chilly, brushed the sensitive spot at the base of her wrist, tracing the softest of circles.

"Is anyone waiting for you at home?" she murmured.

"Good point, then Harrison will have to take over my classes and ... nobody wants that." Despite what felt like a more "trendy" name, the other English teacher in question was fifty-something going on seventy, and a voice that droned on so much even Rory had trouble staying awake.

As Maris disappeared into the kitchen, Aurora took a seat on the couch, taking care that her wet hair wasn't going to ruin the upholstery. Thankfully the rest of her wasn't entirely drenched, just a bit damp. A little alcohol would do well for Rory, hopefully calm whatever nerves seemed to have bundled up over the past ten-fifteen minutes. Really, just unleashing what had already been there since she'd gone out.

"Oh, thank you." She said with a flair of the dramatic, reaching for the glass at the same time it slipped. Not that it would be great to ruin the flooring with a glass of red, but for the briefest of seconds, she thought seriously about wanting to let it slip just so she could savor the feeling of Maris' hand in hers again, nothing between it. That thought was fleeting, gone as soon as Maris' fingers brushed over her skin. A fresh wave of goosebumps rose along her skin, breath caught in her throat for those few seconds that felt like the other woman legitimately passed electricity into her.

"No," She answered simply, her gaze fixed on the woman next to her. Coming out was always a leap of faith in her mind, no matter if it was the very first time she'd talked to someone she cared about, or now with her heart slamming in her chest and her hands itching to learn every inch of this woman's skin. It couldn't all be in her head, could it? So she didn't even see it as much of a choice, just to soft-toss the idea out there. It was after all, who she was. "God, I haven't had anyone waiting at home for me in a long while. The last person I dated ... well, she wasn't really the 'wait at home' type, anyway."

Maris' lip twitched as Rory confirmed she wasn't barking up the wrong tree. She prided herself on being able to sense other queer women when she came across them, but one could never really be sure and the whole Jamie debacle had definitely thrown her for a loop.

She let the comment about Rory's ex hang in the air, not really in the least bit interested in who she was or how she behaved.

Just that she was a she.

"I have you all to myself then," she said, joining Rory on the sofa. "I'm a homebody myself. I've been thinking of getting a cat, but I think I hit too many lesbian cliches already."

Maris' own sexuality was something she rarely commented on. She wasn't ashamed in the slightest and would admit her preference for women without so much as batting an eyelash, but it was more of a sense of assuming everyone knew. One of her old girlfriends told her she was the epitome of a power lesbian, a straight laced type a personality with a certain swagger that could go toe to toe with Bette Porter any day of the week. At the very least she figured people had her pegged as some sort of spinster with no interest in men whatsoever. Which was admittedly true no matter which way you looked at it.

Overwhelming relief struck Aurora not once, but twice in a very short time that they sat there. The first, just saying the words she'd chosen so carefully. While there were times she could be a motor-mouth, she was very conscious that in telling Maris a very specific pronoun, she was revealing a piece of herself. Saying it alone felt like a weight lifted from her not just because she felt like she didn't have to hide anymore, but because she was choosing to tell Maris. If she had any actual chance of chasing after the ever-elevating way she felt about this woman, she had to do it sooner or later. The second relief came moments later, all rolled into one with everything Maris said afterwards.

If she thought that she might be able to hold back the smile that so easily broke across her face, she would have just been lying to herself. "You do." She answered simply, shifting a little as they sat together. Maybe closer than she otherwise would have.

Lesbian cliche. Nothing felt quite so vindicating as that feeling of knowing that she hadn't just been making up a certain vibe she felt between them. She laughed, and it was an easy laugh, like these barriers she'd put up were just simply gone.

"I always think a pet is a good idea. I have none, but ... I still think they are a good idea." She smiled into her glass, taking a long sip from it. "Cliche or not." Rory offered a wink, angling herself a little on the couch so she could face Maris better. It amazed her how her confidence seemed to soar since those few seconds of trusting Maris. "In case I didn't say it, thank you for having me out tonight. The rainfall was just a bonus. I'm one of those weirdos who loves the rain."

"Yes, but there's my wardrobe to consider," Maris pointed out playfully. She had trouble remembering where she put the lint brush now, she hated to think about what would happen when pet fur would actually make her need it.

She honestly wasn't sure how she'd do in the pet department. The Forrester household had been an experiment into introverts living simultaneously in their own little bubbles. They came together, looking up from their books and various projects for dinner and the occasional conversation, but throwing anyone other than their beloved patriarch, Aaron into the mix would have thrown them completely off balance. She'd never had so much as a goldfish before, though she'd been very fond of an old lover's cat, a fat gray persian named Trixie.

She waved off Rory's gratitude, firm in her belief that bringing someone in from the rain and inviting them out when they seemed like they would fit in was simply the thing to do.

It had looked like rain even before Maris left the apartment to head to trivia, but she hadn't expected it to be quite so bad. She could hear the storm raging outside, the rush and splash of cars as they hurried their way through it. Though there was no lightning, wind and heavy rainfall caused the lights in her apartment to flicker a bit.

Rory wouldn't be going anywhere any time soon, but Maris was surprised by just how torn she was about it. She wanted to spend more time with her, but now that she knew that there was a chance that they could spend that time in a less than strictly platonic way, well... she wasn't sure about her level of impulse control.

She'd never been able to say no to a pretty face and most of them didn't have Rory's brains to match, a heady combination if there ever was one.

"I have to say, I'm kind of surprised another one of us got through the cracks," she teased after a sip of whiskey. "I nearly gave Ms. Walters a heart attack when I started giving the girls a lesson on King Christina of Sweden, I sort of figured any more queerness would send her right over the edge into full on heart palpitations."

Maris didn't necessarily mind the school's headmistress. She was stern but sensible with the girls' best interests at heart but she was nothing if not a product of her time, sixty if she was a day and still under the impression that people behaved now as they did then.

For all her teasing, Maris was confident her boss had no idea she was gay, making more than one comment about how she still had time to be a family as well as a career woman and that she wished she hadn't sacrificed one for the other.

God, Maris hoped Ms. Walters didn't see something of herself in her. Did she really seem like an uptight old maid?

"It's true, and you look too good to be covered in a nice layer of fur." As if to accentuate her point, she reached over to pluck imaginary lint from Maris' shoulder. Was it an excuse just to touch the other woman? Yeah, probably.

Rory's gaze followed Maris' towards the window, where she hadn't even been very aware at the downpour still raging on outside. She could get a cab ... which would be silly for the four or five blocks, surely. She could just walk it, maybe borrow an umbrella. These things were logical, sure, but she made no attempt to say them out loud. Truth be told, she didn't want to go anywhere. She was already growing far warmer than just being indoors would have made her.

Her mind was just playing this game of what if, and it was far more tantalizing than any other version she'd run through for a long time. No longer was it a 'what if' followed by the worst-case scenario, but more what if she stayed long enough and that thrumming beat of her heart led her to bridging the space between them? What if it was a more than welcome advance? What if she'd finally be able to give into the fantasies that had quite frankly been running through her head for weeks?

Aurora apparently had very little "chill" to go around, as the kids were saying. Not that she was thinking in so many terms at present.

"You know, in fairness... I probably should have worn my 'super lesbian' t-shirt and rocked an undercut, but I didn't think of it. Like a chump, I went with a blazer." She couldn't quite get the smile off of her face, laughing at the very idea of the wide-eyed look she must have gotten from the headmistress. While Rory didn't know the woman well quite yet, she definitely knew the type.

The openness that she felt between them now relaxed her, maybe even brought out a bolder part of her. Rory was quiet for a moment, her fingers retracting from Maris' shoulder when she realized that she was still touching the other woman. "Did you have any inkling about me? Be honest."

"Oh, that's no fun. Playing androgynous, hipster or lesbian is my favorite party game," she joked in a tone that said it certainly wasn't. Things had gotten slightly more complicated once women all over the spectrum developed a penchant for "alternative" hair and skinny jeans, even if Maris had never been overly fond of either on herself or others.

Their eyes met as Rory took her hand away. Maris kept her gaze for a moment too long, her eyes a bit darker than they had been moments before, a look that told the woman beside her that she could touch all she wanted.

Maris thoughts on whether Rory was queer or not were more of a hope than an inkling, but it seemed slightly pathetic to say so out loud. "I had suspicions," she said smugly, bringing her drink to her lips again before sitting it firmly down on the table. "But I'm still not entirely sure." She reached out, slowly but firmly pulling Aurora closer by the lapel of her jacket with her eyes never leaving Rory's mouth.

It was pretty clear what her litmus test was going to be.

"And here you've been robbed of that. I should have played coy a little longer." She laughed, easing into the couch a little more.

Aurora liked to think of herself as a pretty perceptive person. She could pick up on queues pretty easily, generally assessing the vibe of a room before deciding what she was going to do. Her self-assured perception talents could falter however, when the thing in question was something she really wanted. She felt like she was skewing the results, just seeing what she wanted to. Every signal she was getting from Maris seemed to be brighter and brighter green lights, which just made her heart race.

It wasn't the first time she'd consider what it would be like to kiss this woman - and kissing as a gateway to far more than just that. Maris' answer earned a brow ticked up in curiosity, her wry grin still stuck on her lips. "Oh, huh." She huffed out, alluding to a cool that she didn't always have. Her cheeks flushed and heart raced all the harder when Maris reached for her, but with the 'now or never' mantra playing in her head, came a cool kind of confidence that reared up in her. She took her moment, gaze never once straying from Maris' face as she sort of half-leaned enough to put her glass on the coffee table next to the other woman's. As she did so, her other hand rest on Maris' knee, like a silent 'one second' promise. She didn't want a distraction of spilled wine.

"I guess there's really only one way to prove it." Her voice was a decidedly lower timbre than normal, that kind of desire laced into her words as she mercifully leaned into Maris and pressed her lips to hers. The kiss made her shiver, all those weeks of wondering poured into the slow, exploratory way she kissed her. She marveled at how impossibly soft her lips were, the taste of whiskey that lingered as her tongue swept against her lower lip. She'd built this moment up in her head, and even that didn't properly do the reality justice.

Maris was used to making the first move. And okay, maybe she had but she felt an extra jolt of adrenaline at the fact that Rory had been the one to close the space between them.

It was a change she could get used to.

Her lips parted almost immediately, her hand automatically sliding up to cup the back of the other woman's neck, the pad of her thumb finding and stroking a spot she hoped would make her shiver. She didn't doubt that her coworker was into women for a minute, but if she had, her lips would have cleared up any confusion almost instantly.

She broke away to put her own drink down on the table, forgetting the coaster she usually insisted everyone use in her haste to get back to her. She pulled in again, her hands just as insistent as her mouth as she kissed her more hungrily than she had before.

Aurora considered herself a patient woman -- to a point. When she'd been given the all-systems-go kind of vibe, very little could deter her from making a move towards what she wanted. Tonight, that was this woman, and finally giving into weeks now, of mounting tension within herself. Thank god Maris was so receptive, otherwise she might not ever live it down.

The way this woman greeted her so immediately made Rory feel as though this had just been a long time coming. They had been maybe dancing around the subject of this very thing for so long, without either entirely realizing it. Now the lid was ripped off the proverbial jar, and there was no putting it back.

With their lips parting, Rory had to let out a soft sigh, the reprieve for her lungs doing very little for how the rest of her felt. Her gaze followed Maris' movements, a small smile curving her lips as they came back together. She couldn't help the soft sound that escaped her lips as soon as Maris kissed her like that. If there was any residual chill from their run through the rain, it was gone in the instant as heat raced through her veins. She only pulled back ever so slightly to take a breath for a second, hovering so close she could feel Maris' breath on her lips. "I've wanted to do that for a really long time." She managed to get out, her hands smoothing over the other woman's hips as she tugged herself just that much closer and swept her tongue over her lips, kissing her with growing intensity.

Rory's confession affected Maris more than she thought she would, further proof that she hadn't exactly been sure of the other woman's feelings toward her. Hearing that Aurora wanted her was almost a relief, but the feeling was quickly replaced by a want even stronger than the one she was experiencing before because now she knew it was okay to.

But Maris was nothing if not self possessed. Cursed with a need to play it cool even when her heart was pounding hard enough to be heard in her ears.

"Really?" she purred against Rory's lips, giving the lower one a playful nip before her mouth traveled along the curve of her jaw with a line of kisses each a bit harder, more insistent than the last.

"What about this?" she asked, her eyes never leaving Rory's as the question vibrated against her skin.

Something Rory often worried about was getting ahead of herself, particularly when it came to someone that she liked. Maybe it stemmed from an early-on experience when she was far more into someone than they were into her, or just her own self-preservation kicking in. Whatever the case may be, she worried for half of a second that her confession would be too much. Even if it were probably pretty clear just from the way that she kissed Maris, giving voice to those feelings was an entirely different beast.

The response she was given happened to be better than she could have hoped for. She grinned into her lips, nodding as her nose brushed against the other woman's. Rory only wished she could have been cool enough to not let the audible sigh leave her lips from just that little nip from Maris. Her own pulse raced, shooing away any worry that she should be more aloof.

Rory's immediate response to Maris' question was non-verbal, but rather in a visible shiver that raced up her spine. Her hands gripped Maris' sides, curling in the soft fabric of her shirt as she let her head tilt back, giving the other woman more access. "Yes. I've ..." A pause, just to let out a shaky breath as it seemed her body just wanted to take over from her logical thought. "Imagined something like that quite a lot."

Even though they hadn’t been working together for very long, Maris, an observer by nature had picked up on a few of Rory’s habits and quirks. If asked she would have said that was normal, that even less astute types could glean little bits of information about the people they worked with every day, but it would have been a deflection.

Maris had been paying special attention to Aurora, but now that they were as close as they’d ever been she was learning things even she couldn’t have figured out before. She could smell her shampoo, the same way Rory could probably pick up the very faint scent of sandalwood coming from her, a bit of oil she dabbed behind her ears because while she liked the smell to stay with her all day, her aunt (the same one who cautioned her against tall shoes) told her scents should be discovered rather than announced.
Sometimes Aunt Ramona got it right.

She may have been learning things about Aurora at a rapid pace, but there was still so much for Maris to discover yet.

And this was one scenario where her insatiable thirst for knowledge and beautiful women completely intertwined.

Emboldened by Rory’s words, Maris’ lips traveled downward, the scent of the other woman’s damp leather jacket greeting her nose as she slowly pushed it off her shoulders.

“You really didn’t give anything away,” she said, her gaze and voice steady as it hit the floor. “You sure you don’t want to take that empty drama position?”

Aurora probably should have realized that as much as she'd thought about kissing Maris - and she had thought about it ... a lot - that it would feel like a comfortable fit. Many thought the word "comfort" was synonymous with boring, but for Rory, it was all the more exciting. The closer she got with the woman, the closer she wanted to be. The more her pulse raced. The more any ability she had to pace herself flew right out the window and into the rain.

The sound of said rain outside only added to the (dare she say it) romantic mood that had taken hold of their evening. She wanted more of Maris, the kind of closeness she'd craved but not at all allowed herself to really contemplate having. She too, had been collecting favorite details about Maris - ones she hadn't given complete voice to before, but noticed now. The way her lips pulled up on one side a little more than the other when she smiled. How her brows knit together when she concentrated hard on something. The sound of her voice, god, the sound of her voice.

"I didn't?" Her voice betrayed the affect Maris had on her, lips parted as a soft sigh escaped her lips. One hand traveled up to slide to the back of Maris' neck, curling into her hair as she laughed a little. "I don't know, maybe I should." Leaning in close, she kissed her again, deeply, unhurried, but certainly with an intent that she felt in her very bones. "I guess my cover is blown now, though."

"Oh definitely," Maris murmured against Rory's lips, trying to keep a light, conversational tone even though she was beginning to feel a dizzy feeling that had nothing to do with the glass of whiskey she'd barely touched. "There's no going back now."

And she hoped there wouldn't be as her fingers slowly slid downward, briefly brushing the other woman's collarbone before settling on the top button of her shirt. She undid it, with light, nimble fingers but stopped on number two, brown eyes darker than they had been moments before as they met Rory's own.

"What if I told you I wanted you too?"

The more they kissed, the more Rory's body temperature rose, and the harder it was for her mind to wrap around complete sentences. She felt like caution was quickly thrown to the wind, mind reeling with ideas of just how much it was raining outside and how she couldn't possibly step back out into the storm. She grinned at Maris' comment, her teeth clicking together in a little 'tsk' sound. "I guess I should have figured. Oh well." Her own tone was a desperate attempt to stay light, but gave away far too much from how deeply full of desire she was.

Rory exhaled sharply as Maris' fingers plucked at her button, her forehead leaning against the other woman's cheek for a second. It was nearly that she felt overwhelmed by how much that desire for her had built up within her and now finally felt the beginnings of a release.

Tilting her head back to catch Maris' eyes again, it should have surprised her how struck she was by the question. It was really par for the course at this point, though. "I'd say that was a big relief, for starters." As she spoke, her fingers played with the hem of Maris' shirt, her nails just ghosting over her warm skin, the softness of her stomach. "And maybe," A pause, her own brown eyes gazing deeply into hers. "You can have me."

Maris may have been trying to play it cool, but there was no denying the soft hiss of pleasure that left her lips as Rory's fingers brushed her stomach, one of her most sensitive spots though the other woman had no way of knowing that yet.

Maris wanted to know, to learn where to touch her too and when Rory told her she could do just that there was no holding back. Her fingers made quick work of the rest of the buttons on the other woman's blouse, just as eager to trace the skin they exposed as they were to get to more of it.

Once she pushed Rory's blouse off her shoulders, she tugged off her own, her hair getting a bit mussed as she tried to squeeze her head out of it without unbuttoning a pointless, decorative button at the back of her neck first.

It wasn't as graceful of a move as she would have liked, but her heart and mind were racing much too quickly for her to be too self conscious, though she was kicking herself for not wearing a more exciting bra than the painfully plain black (because of course it was) silk one she'd put on that morning. She was a sensible sort. Maris wasn't one for frills and lace, but she did like her underthings look a little nicer when she knew she was going to be looked at.

"Can have me too," she said, not bothering to suppress a shiver as she brought their lips together again. That first brush of skin on skin contact as their bodies found each other again was electric and it only had her craving more as her fingers danced up Rory's back, tracing every bump and ridge of her spine.

Starting out their night, this was not where Rory anticipated she'd end up. Well, maybe she would have hoped that she might, but the idea was so far-off that she wouldn't have actually allowed herself to dwell on it. Though as many times as she had in fact wondered what it would be like to kiss Maris, it paled in comparison to how it actually felt. The adrenaline that surged in her veins, the heat that crept up her neck, the rapid beat of her heart -- all of it were far more than she could ahve dreamed of.

The sounds that came from the other woman earned a wicked grin of her own, her mouth only parting again in order to take in the sight of Maris disrobing, her own shirt gone and hair mussed similarly. She reached for Maris, still a dumb smile on her face as her fingers combed through her hair. It didn't take long for her to hook her fingers along her jaw and close the space between their lips again, a searing kiss as her tongue swept over hers again.

It was only after that she took a moment to fully take in Maris as she sat there, her heart doing a sort of stutter-lurch-beat-thing at Maris' own assurance. Rory was ill prepared for how that would make her feel. Rory's own bra was red but relatively plain, completely miss-matched with the lacy purple underwear she wore ... but they'd get to that later. "You're breathtaking," She sort of whispered to herself, absurdly because Maris could obviously hear her. And the comment alone was redundant -- considering how breathless she felt. Still, she leaned into the other woman, reveling in her touch.

Her own hands traveled over her skin, sliding along her sides, nails gently dragging against her ribcage and then around her back, her lips greedy in their kisses. Blindly she reached for the fasten of Maris' slacks, plucking at the button and lowering the zipper almost too-slowly in comparison to the heat of their kiss. The angle of the couch left something to be desired, so she managed to tear her lips away long enough to gaze breathlessly at her. "Show me your room?"

Maris' lips twitched at Rory's compliment, giving away just how much the quiet teacher secretly liked attention (at least in moments like these), but she didn't speak, even as she took her hand and lead her to her room.

Her unbuttoned pants stayed open as she walked, the tiniest glimpse of her black boyshorts visible. Her room was just as tidy as everything else, though a bit more sparsely furnished. The exposed brick walls with next to nothing on them could have made the room look even more unfinished, but Maris liked it exactly as it was. She'd never been a very restful sleeper and needed her bedroom to be free from distractions since her constantly busy mind was usually what kept her up in the first place.

Her bed, however, was more elaborate than most. Dark purple sheets covered a brass bed frame, the metal on the headboard twisted into series of elaborate swirls and flourishes. Like a lot of the things in her apartment, it was an antique, but it had even more meaning than most. It had belonged to her great grandparents, who insisted on bringing it over on their long journey from Greece because it had been a wedding present. The room smelled vaguely of lavender, the result of a spray Maris used to help her sleep with varying degrees of success. It may not have been worth the absurd price she paid for such a small bottle, but it smelled nice and it didn't give her the zombie hangover or crazy dreams of the medicines she'd tried.

There was a desk in the corner, but it too was mostly bare. Her laptop was unopened and flanked by a cup full of pens and a lone stack of papers. Yet another bookshelf was nearby, but it held Maris' favorites rather than anything that would help her with her work.

Rory probably only had a few moments to take it all in before Maris bumped her just hard enough with her knee to force her back and onto the bed. She let out a chuckle as the other woman landed, sliding into her lap almost a second later. Pushing Rory's hair off her shoulders, Maris allowed herself to take a better look at her. The real her. The one she hadn't and wouldn't see at work, quickly realizing she wanted to see more of it. Her fingers slid down the other woman's bra strap before hooking underneath to slide it down her shoulder. Her lips traveled down the curve of her neck to find the skin she'd just exposed, leaving the last bit of lipstick Rory hadn't kissed off in their wake.

There was something truly amazing to the fact that so much could be said without many words. Thankfully too, as words seemed in particular short supply the longer she stayed in Maris' company. Rory's heartbeat was doing talking enough, thundering her chest even harder each time they kissed, or when she was bold enough to speak to what she wanted. And she wanted a whole hell of a lot.

For the briefest moment, Rory wondered if she had been too forward, if maybe Maris just wanted to heavily make out on her couch without leading her deeper into her apartment. So it came as a relief when the other woman stood and began to lead her through the place. Keeping her hands to herself proved difficult, even as she tried to take in a little bit more of her surroundings. Her focus remained split however ... in a good 80/20 with the heavier side of that focused solely on the woman whose hand she held. Such a simple contact, yet made her feel warm all over.

Later, Rory would likely look around Maris' bedroom, her hallways, her house beyond what she'd already seen in the living room and be struck with how her everything seemed. She would be impressed with the decor that Maris had picked, the rich finishings, the simplicity of how she used her space that just made it feel like a home.

Now however, Rory's focus was solely on Maris. She fell back to the bed with light laughter, her hands greedy as she reached for the other woman to pull her down on top of her. She breathed out a sigh, taking her in from this new vantage point. Her own hands moved over her hips, squeezing gently before they daftly moved to squeeze her ass in direct response to how her lips felt on her neck. She felt hot all over, like her skin was sizzling everywhere they connected. She found herself wanting to savor every touch, every kiss, every sensation that this woman was giving her.

Rory sat up just enough to allow Maris to pull at her bra, but her own hands were again on the move. "I want to see you," She murmured as her head tilted towards Maris, her lips grazing her ear and her teeth quick to give a playful nip to her earlobe. She didn't wait long before her fingers were making quick work of the clasp of Maris' bra and letting it begin to fall between them.

A lot of people mistook introversion for shyness. They didn’t do it very often in Maris’ case since she had always been one to speak her mind, but the fact that she didn’t look away when Aurora took off her bra was further proof she was bolder than some would give her credit for. Still, as confident as she was, idea that the other woman wanted to see her shot a jolt of electricity through her entire body, though it settled right between her legs, an ache for something more, for anything and everything the woman underneath her wanted to give.

Maris kissed her hungrily a soft moan escaping her lips as her breasts brushing the other woman’s stomach as she brought their mouths and bodies together again. Wanting to see and feel her too, she stopped fiddling with Rory’s bra and took it off in earnest, tossing it onto the floor. Not wanting anything on the bed but the two of them, hers joined it moments later.

“Breathtaking, was it? I think that’s a pretty good adjective for you too,” she murmured as her eyes travelled down Rory’s body. But her hand traveled upwards, grazing the soft skin of her stomach before running along the curve of her breast, her thumb sliding inward to circle one of her nipples.

“I want to touch you,” she murmured against the shell of her ear before tracing it with her tongue.

Clearly through with attempting to act like she had any "cool" left in her, Rory lay back for just a moment to fully take in the woman above her. She couldn't help the grin that split her features, her own heat spiraling through her in a way that was impossible to ignore. "Breathtaking." She repeated, the flush in her cheeks only somewhat to do with being under Maris' gaze as well. She would have been embarrassed for being so non-poetic about it, if she had actually dwelled on it. Instead, she was more focused on the way she was being touched.

Her breath caught audibly in her throat as Maris touched her, to the point where she would have been embarrassed by how clearly aroused she was already if she even cared to play it coy. She didn't, not one bit. Her own hands moved up Maris' body, sliding over her ribs and gliding warm fingers over her now bare breasts. Her own soft sound came as she gave a soft squeeze, lifting her head enough to kiss the woman again.

Pride was one of those sins that could rear its head in Rory when she wasn't paying attention, and often solidified her stance in something her when it did. As such, she wasn't one who often allowed herself a kind of vulnerability to be submissive, even lose that pride enough to beg. So, when her lips parted and she was only capable of saying "Please," in response to Maris' request, it might later strike her that there was a touch of desperation in her tone. She was just too overwhelmed by how much she wanted Maris, how much she wanted to touch her and to be touched.

Exhaling slowly, Rory kissed Maris' cheek and then along her jaw, her lips trailing down her throat as she reached for one of her hands, lacing their fingers together before she went ahead and guided their twined fingers to the fasten of her jeans.

Not being shy meant not being afraid to do what she wanted. Maris rarely saw the point of being coy in moments like these. Once the flirting was over with it was time to give in to your instincts and Maris’ had always served her well, but she was so used to being the one in control that when Aurora took her hand and guided it where she wanted it to go, her mouth went dry.

Though other parts of her definitely weren’t.

Sitting back on her heels, she unbuttoned then tugged off Rory’s jeans, then added her own pants to the rapidly growing pile on her floor. Her boy shorts may have covered more than most women’s underwear, but they weren’t exactly modest. The black material was completely sheer and hugged the very slight curves Maris (who was nothing if not straight up and down) possessed like a second skin.

“Well, these are colorful,” Maris teased when she got a look at Rory’s panties.It was an attempt to keep the mood light, maybe even give the other woman an out if need be, even as her fingers hooked into their waistband. “Adorable, actually,” her lips twitched into a lopsided smile. “Look at you all frills.”

But as Maris slid back over her and captured Rory’s lips once more it was clear just how much she liked what she was seeing. As she slowly tugged the other woman’s underwear down her thighs, her tongue gently prodded her lips, asking for entrance into her mouth. Once she got it, she lifted her hips, putting the slightest bit of pressure onto hers as she started to tease her with her fingertips.

While Rory was not often superfluous with her words, she found herself in this moment getting to the point of being overly dramatic about certain feelings. The longer it took for them to be completely bare to one another, the more impatient she became and with it, feeling like she'd never been this aroused in her life. Dramatic, yes, but the thought still struck her as heat pooled between her thighs and her very core felt like it was practically trembling with anticipation.

Add to that, the way Maris looked as she peeled off her jeans, her own breath coming a little more labored as her heart rate went through the roof. Why was it, this woman could look so impossibly sexy just from the way she looked at her? And how had it taken her this long to realize that they both so clearly wanted the same thing? The timeline didn't matter, only that here they were, each as eager as the other.

Rory couldn't help but laugh, glad for at least the ease of heaviness to the desire she was feeling. A woman that could make her laugh and still manage to keep the thick mood of desire in the room? That one was a keeper. "Shut up," She laughed, sitting up a little as her legs bent at the knee, tipping up beneath where Maris sat atop her. "You're just lucky I didn't wear my rainbow thong. That would have really out-gayed the whole situation." She grinned as she spoke, eagerly kissing her yet again.

Her sounds came more freely as they kissed, a soft moan drowning into Maris' lips as her tongue greedily stroked hers. Even as their kiss deepened, another sound left her lips, the teasing Maris was giving her sending a shiver racing along her spine. Her own hips tipped upwards, instinctively chasing after the feeling, wanting more, more. "You fucking tease," She huffed against her lips, her hands moving to squeeze Maris' ass again, this time using the little leverage she had to pull their bodies closer together. Patience had never been a particular virtue she was good with, and today wasn't going to change that.

Maris may have been out and proud from the moment she knew she was a lesbian, (and she had earlier than most, so sure of herself that she'd never even bothered to so much as kiss a man because she knew it'd be pointless for both parties) but she had never been a rainbow kind of girl, which probably wasn't a shock given the fact that even her apartment stuck to her very muted aesthetic. But even as laughter bubbled out of her lips at the idea of Rory wearing some obnoxiously bright thong as she was pinned underneath her she felt something else too.

Desire.

Because Maris knew that even if she was, she'd probably want her anyway.

"Yeah, you can't just mention that and... I'm definitely going to need to see it."

Hearing Rory curse did something to Maris too. Maris knew it was hardly professional to do so at work even if you weren't surrounded by teenagers, but she also knew they had probably seen and heard worse. Their boss having a heart attack whenever someone let more than a strong darn slip during school hours was downright comical.

She had never heard Rory talk like this and she liked it.

It felt forbidden.

She wanted to coax them out of her, be the cause of more deliciously dirty words and to let her know she wasn't prim and proper all the time either. Especially in moments like these.

"Ah, ah, ah," she scolded softly, punctuating her words with more soft strokes, her thumb brushing the most sensitive part of her. "I never tease when I fuck." Her teeth caught Maris' lower lip and gave it a playful tug. "I just wanted to make sure you were ready for me."

Her tongue slipped into the other woman's mouth again, though it didn't ask for permission this time. It stroked Rory's as Maris' fingers began to stroke her in earnest and she couldn't help but let out a little moan of satisfaction at the warmth and wetness that greeted her. It caused her to shift her hips once more, then slowly began to rock against her as she eased her fingers inside, never once breaking eye contact.

Though you might not guess it just by looking at Rory, she'd had a particularly wild phase during her youthful years. She'd bucked authority and tested her limits, constrained by whatever familial or societal pressures she'd been feeling at the time. When that connection was finally made in her brain that the reason she felt so put-upon was that she was in fact, denying a very truth of herself. She'd dated boys in high school, never feeling like she was doing the right thing and yet it was what her other friends had been doing. She at least, had managed to stick a gold-star on her lesbian self before it was too late. Thank god that self discovery had happened years ago, else she miss out on this very moment.

That laugh. God, that laugh. Her smile grew even wider hearing Maris laugh like that. Truthfully, she probably had one rainbow pride shirt from years ago though her usual wardrobe was fairly bright anyway. She'd invest in exactly what she was joking about if it would garner a similar reaction from Maris next time.

Next time. She liked the thought of that.

"Your wish is my command." She said with a smirk, though it seemed hard to keep any expression on her face for long when Maris was giving her new sensations every few seconds.

Normally a woman who liked to take command of any given situation (bedroom or otherwise), Rory let out a huff of frustration at the little scold she got from Maris. Even as she did, she felt all the more aroused from it. Maris was strong and beautiful, willful and commanding and every single bit of that was sexier than the last. Her words (and yeah, hearing her say fuck about did her in, too) spurred something even deeper within her, where Rory felt that she wanted to be at the complete mercy of this woman. Monumental for her, really.

She couldn't help how her hips lurched from contact, a soft purr to her voice as she leaned in and swept her tongue over Maris' lips. She would have come back with some "clever" retort, but instead her jaw fell slack, her eyes fluttering as pleasure raced through her body from the first contact of Maris' fingers inside of her. "Fuck," She gasped, bowing her head a little, her hips lifting on instinct to chase after the feeling.

"See what you've done to me?" She managed to get out with a slight smile, not even the slightest bit embarrassed at how wet she was for the woman. Her hands moved back up Maris' body, warm palms smoothing over her breasts as her thumbs teased at her nipples, moaning softly as she finally broke eye contact just enough that she could lean in and close her mouth over one of them.

"No, but I feel it," she purred against the other woman's mouth, though it was quickly replaced by a soft moan as Rory's found her nipple. As her free hand slid up to cup the back of the other woman's neck to keep her there and encourage her to keep going she wished she had more of them to keep pleasing Rory in every way possible.

The rocking of her hips became more insistent, her fingers pushing just a little bit deeper once the other woman's arousal allowed it. She started to move them, slow but undeniably steady, trying to time her movements to the ones Rory was making with her mouth as well as the rock of her hips, making it next to impossible to tell where one of them ended and the other began.

"Harder," she said, her voice uncharacteristically breathy, almost girlish as she tightened her grip on the back of Rory's neck, her fingers teasing that they would give the other woman exactly the same if her wish was granted.

"Cheeky," She chuckled, her voice coming from deep in her throat, her lips refusing to part even to speak so everything came out mumbled. Rory found herself entirely enthralled by Maris, fascinated by every sound, every movement she might garner from the woman. If it wasn't for Maris' fingers working inside of her, she would have sworn she could get off just from pleasing this woman alone. Of course, the heady pleasure that distracted her was all from exactly what Maris was doing.

She moaned, the sound somewhat muffled against Maris' skin as her own hips lifted towards Maris, matching whatever rhythm they could build together. "Harder," She echoed the words, gasping as she took in a breath, sharply lashing her tongue over Maris' nipple. She couldn't help but grin at the sound of Maris' voice, the sound of it unlike she'd ever heard it before. Glancing up at the woman's face, she hummed a low sound and peppered kisses in the valley between her breasts, her teeth scraping playfully against the soft round of the other breasts she hadn't yet touched with more than her hands.

Feeling Maris grip her neck was just fuel to the already blazing fire within her, her thighs trembling as she worked with the woman atop her. She wanted more, more of this, more of her, more of the feeling of pleasure that threatened to overwhelm her. Her hand moved down Maris' spine as her tongue teased her other nipple, circling and eventually closing her warm mouth over it while she leaned back just enough to give them both a slightly better angle. Still, her hand gripped hard at her hip, keeping her in place. She'd be damned if they lost even an inch. "You feel so good," She purred as her lips came away from her breast with a soft pop of sound, head tilting up to breathlessly steal her lips in a messy kiss again.

As she fucked Rory, Maris’ brows were knitted together in concentration. The same intense look she sported typing away at work, the only difference being that Aurora’s mouth on her breast was beginning to make her eyelids feel heavy. She would have been tempted to succumb, give into pleasure completely if she wasn’t determined to give the woman underneath her just as much (if not more right back).

The kiss was a bit sloppy. Hungry, needy and anything but graceful and soon her movements were too. Friction usually did nothing for Maris who normally needed a bit more stimulation to get off but something about being so close to this woman was doing something to her.

Or maybe it was just her. Maybe there was just something about Maris.

More than happy to grant her request for more because it was exactly what she wanted, her fingers worked harder, faster while her eyes never really left her face. She wanted to remember every moment, memorize every expression she hadn’t seen before, but she was studying them too, using them to help her know exactly where to touch and keep touching.

“You’re gorgeous like this you know that?” she purred in her ear. Her lips twitched into a smirk against the shell. “I knew you would be. I bet you’re even more gorgeous when you come, Rory.” Her fingers picked up the pace, pushing harder, faster, deeper and Maris was beginning to pant a bit with the effort, one of her fingers circling her clit. “You should, you know. Come for me. It’s what I want.” She dropped an almost chaste kiss on her shoulder, applying more pressure as she kept circling the spot she knew would get her there. “And I know you want it too.”

Simply for what she'd known of Maris in the past couple of months should have been enough for Rory to assume that she was going to be great in bed, yet somehow she found herself overwhelmed by just how stellar of a fuck she truly was. She seemed to anticipate what Rory wanted, moving her fingers and her hips, her mouth and her body just so that would send another shudder racing up Rory's spine. She was completely at her mercy and fuck if she wasn't so damn happy to be.

Rory's breathing came in harder pants the more their bodies moved together, the more Maris' fingers found exactly where to touch inside of her pussy that sent her hips jolting forward. She kissed her and moaned into it, unafraid of looking too eager. At this point, eager was an understatement.

The faster Maris fucked her, the harder it was for her to focus on what she was doing. Pleasure built inside of her, pooling in her gut, sending her muscles trembling from it. She could feel her orgasm building to a break, even if she didn't want it to come so soon.

What she hadn't expected was what would happen to her as soon as Maris began to speak.

Every word seemed to coax her into more of a state of nirvana. Every word seemed laced with sex appeal in her mind, dripping with honey she was all too greedy to devour. "Fuck," She gasped, falling back a little and only managing to press her hand to Maris' chest, her short nails raking gainst her skin as she touched to her stomach. "Right there, don't stop..." She whined, the sound of her voice pitched to an octave higher than her usual speaking voice. At her mercy had been the description she'd pondered earlier, but now it felt truer than before. Her words, her fingers, the way she looked at her - it was sensory overload that sent her gasping, crashing, crying out as her orgasm raged through her body. "Fuck fuck fuck, Maris..." She gasped her name, her hips lurching and bucking into her hand as she gave in and came for her. Even Rory wasn't stubborn enough to fend that off.

Maris was just as caught up in the moment as Rory was. While she was obviously in control (and obviously revelled in it) she sort of felt like she was on autopilot, taken over by a need to keep going, keep pleasing Rory by any means necessary until she became still, spent but full of the blissful calm she deserved.

She fucked her through her orgasm, her body temperature rising more and more with each passing second. She actually moaned when she heard her name fall from the other woman’s lips but it was nothing compared to feeling her spill against her fingers. They slowed as she began to come down, but she only eased out of her when Maris was sure every little aftershock had subsided.

She’d watched every bit of it and her gaze was still intense as she brought her fingers to her mouth to finally taste Maris on her tongue.

“You taste amazing,” she said, letting her lips brush Rory’s. “I think I should share.” The kiss was hard, but unhurried, Maris’ still sticky fingers brushing the other woman’s cheek before cupped then deepened it.

She was still in her underwear. They were soaked through, damp enough to be sticky and uncomfortable but the fact that she was still wearing a tiny bit of clothing wasn’t the only reason she felt so warm.

She finally slipped out of them as her tongue slipped past her lips, a jolt of electricity shooting up her spine as every bit of their bare skin brushed, a full body shiver she knew the other woman could feel too.

Taking Rory’s hand the way she had hers, Maris slowly guided it down her stomach and between her legs.

The utter pleasure of the orgasm Maris gave her overwhelmed every sense she had. Rory had no choice but to completely succumb to how good it felt, the heady rush of dizziness that mingled perfectly with utter nirvana. She panted and gasped, moaned and rocked her hips into her hand all the more until her muscles gave way to trembling aftershocks. "Shit," She gasped through a laugh, spent but energized from the adrenaline rush that accompanied her orgasm.

Though she'd had to close her eyes a few times out of complete bliss, opening them, she always found Maris' gaze. Now that felt overwhelming in an entirely different way. Rory softly sighed, almost a moan as she watched Maris take her fingers into her mouth. She felt like she could come again just watching her.

She greeted Maris' lips with a greedy kiss of her own, her arms reaching around her body to keep her close. Rory moaned as their tongues moved against each other, her whole body a live wire. Tasting herself on Maris' lips just enhanced everything she was already feeling. That need to be pleased morphed in a desperate need to flip that switch.

As their lips tore away for a few seconds, Rory drank in the sight of Maris atop her, the whole of her bare body. Her thumb brushed over the back of Maris' hand as she allowed her to guide their hands together. Her fingers wasted no time, yet remained gentle, almost teasingly so as she dragged the pads of her fingertips through the folds of her pussy. "Oh fuck," She purred, grinning up at the woman as she brushed gently against her clit and further teased her. "You're so wet..." She grinned and kissed the under side of her jaw, stroking her slowly, teasing her.

"Move." She demanded though there was a playful tone to her voice. Her hand pulled away (dammit), in order to nudge the other woman over. Her movements were fluid, guiding Maris onto her back as she took her place kneeling on the bed between her legs. "You're so fucking beautiful." She murmured as she drank in the sight of Maris before her. Tossing her hair over one shoulder, she dragged her hands up her body and squeezed her breasts playfully, before she dragged her fingertips back down her body, over her ribs, her stomach. She dipped her head but bypassed Maris' lips, instead kissing her throat, by her ear. "Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to taste you?" Her voice was a deep husk of sound into her ear as she moved her hand back between Maris' thighs, grinding the heel of her hand against her as she slowly began to kiss her way down her body.

Maris would have been the first to admit she was a bit of a control freak. She usually put up more of a fight before giving it up, but it was hard to focus on anything but the intense throb, steady as a heartbeat between her legs. Her desire manifested in an actual ache and Maris was the only one who could soothe it.

Watching the other woman watch her hardly helped. It felt good to be wanted, especially because up until their mouths met Maris wasn't sure if she was. Whenever she fantasized about Rory, it was always a seduction with her in the driver's seat. She had to seduce her, convince the other woman to give in before taking her to bed. Okay, or bending her over her desk or going at it next to the coffee machine but the point was, she hadn't been expecting her feelings to be completely reciprocated quite so quickly.

The idea of being lusted after, especially by a woman who didn't seem content to let her call all the shots (no matter how much Maris liked to do it ) was an indescribable turn on, made even more appealing by the fact that it had took her by surprise.

"No," she said honestly, her voice just as husky as the woman above her's. "But you can." Her hands slowly slid down Rory's body, slowing to caress the curves of her ass. ""I want you to," she murmured, squeezing lightly with both bands.

While Rory was still riding high from the intense euphoria Maris had given her, her focus had shifted almost seamlessly as she moved over Maris. She could tell, from what she'd known about Maris already, that this might not have been her total comfort zone. Hell, it wasn't even Rory's when they'd been reversed, but she so gladly gave up any semblance of control to Maris. She hadn't even thought twice about it once the woman started touching her. That's what she wanted here, in this kind of beautiful way that they were succumbing to each other.

It had been weeks, truly, that Rory had fully allowed herself to slip into little moments of fantasy where Maris was concerned. Rarely were they enough to make the woman blush, but the attraction had been strong and relentless from the jump. Silly that she'd thought it was one-sided, but god was she glad it wasn't after all. She'd pictured moments like these even, different locations surely, not having seen the inside of Maris' bedroom - but it all paled in comparison to reality anyway. Reality was so, so much better.

Rory's grin split her features, wide and unabashed as she gazed down at the woman beneath her. "Mm, do you?" She asked rhetorically, a teasing lilt to her voice as she moved her hand to grind against her just a little more forcefully than before. She leaned in and kissed her lips again, quickly, unwilling to linger too long when she had other pressing matters. Again she moved down her body, taking care to drag her lips over her abdomen, sighing at the feel of her muscles there. Moving her hand away from Maris' sex, she instead moved both of her hands to her knees, guiding her apart, kissing the curve of her hipbone and following the line lower ... but not quite low enough. She bypassed again, flicking her tongue along the inside of Maris' thigh before her teeth scraped over the spot. "Fuck, look at you," She murmured like it was a goddamn prayer, her gaze heavy and voice thick as her eyes cast up at the woman she had indeed lusted over for weeks now. Even if she wished she could tease Maris longer, her own impatience was the devil, and so she didn't wait long at all before moving her mouth between her thighs, her tongue sliding along her folds and then slowly delving inside of her. Her moan rumbled into her skin, an overwhelming flood of desire taking her from the first taste.

The moment the other woman’s mouth brushed the most sensitive part of her, Maris knew she wouldn’t last long. She’d been close enough to think she could actually come while rocking against Rory moments before but deep down she what she needed to send her over the edge.

And it was exactly what Aurora was giving her.

In Maris’ mind giving up control made a person weak, vulnerable, two of her least favorite emotions and two adjectives she never wanted to hear in relation to herself. The soft, breathy tone Rory had coaxed out of her came back as she started rocking her hips and gasped, “Oh fuck, yeah…”

It sounded weak, vulnerable, like it belonged to a woman content to lie there and be someone’s pillow princess but she was too caught up in the moment to care. Her fingers slipped into Rory's hair, stroking it as her tongue stroked every part of her. As an all too familiar feeling began to build in the pit of her stomach, they tangled themselves in it instead, eager for something to grip and hold onto as the room began to blur, an anchor to hold her in place. It became impossible to speak even if she wanted to, words replaced with purrs (and okay, a few more curses) of encouragement and soft cries that were quickly becoming more and more like sobs of pleasure until one, louder than all the rest floated up toward the ceiling, leaving Maris shaking as she tried to ride it out for all it was worth, her hips only slowing when her body couldn't seem to take anymore and she fell back on the bed with a shaky sigh.

Absolutely everything about Maris seemed to make Rory just want more. Her desire to please her was overwhelming, even if to see more of her, to discover each and every piece of what she looked like or felt when she came undone. She couldn't even remember a time when she had wanted someone so much.

Rory moaned as her tongue created a rhythm with the way Maris moved her hips, but a louder one came when her hands moved into her hair. The slight sting of her hair tangled in her fingers was like rocket fuel to her. She used her fingers as well as her tongue, her eyes glancing up to watch for glimpses, mostly when she heard words fall from her lips like that. God, she could get used to the way she sounded.

"Mmn, fuck..." She gasped as she pulled away for just seconds, but was immediately back, her tongue gliding over her clit before her lips closed over it, sucking softly as she felt the telltale signs of Maris' climax. She didn't stop once, her mouth working to keep up the pace, her moans drowned into her as she made sure not to stop even as she came. She growled into her sex, shaking her head back and forth just enough to drive her tongue inside of her deeper, taking her all in. A thrill of pride came along with the pleasure she had in drawing that from Maris. She liked garnering that reaction.

"Good god, woman." She gasped as she moved back just enough to take in deep breaths, bowing her head to wipe her chin against her arm as she began to crawl back up Maris' body. Her heartbeat thundered in her chest, her eyes drowsy with lust and satisfaction as she pressed a soft kiss between Maris' breasts and nestled herself between her thighs, hips on hips. "You're incredible." She purred as she kissed her deeply, offering her tongue much as Maris had before.

"Not so bad yourself," she murmured, but the words were swallowed up by Rory's kiss. It was slow, unhurried and not just because she wanted to savor every moment (and her taste on the other woman's tongue). Maris was still trying to remember how to breathe.

After deepening the kiss as best she could, she had to break away, though she wrapped her legs around Rory's waist in an effort to keep her close for more of the skin to skin contact she couldn't get enough of.

For a moment, the only sounds that could be heard were both women trying to catch their breath and the rain that hadn't let up outside the bedroom window.

"It's probably going to go all night," Maris said, turning her head to glance outside before her eyes roamed their way up Rory's body to eventually lock with hers again. Her lips twitched into a mischievous grin as she started kissing the curve of Rory's neck.

"If you stay, we could too," she murmured against her skin.