bakerstreet | picture prompt meme.

[ Annie, of course, does not like the bitterness in his tone. She doesn't like the way his smile doesn't quite reach his eyes. She sets her unfinished piece of pizza on the box nearby, reaching for his hands to hold.] Mitchell, [ she says his name in such a way that she demands his gaze to meet with hers, although her voice is soft.]

I wouldn't have been there to do what I did if it weren't for you. You didn't give up on me, you saved me. [ From purgatory, from an uncertain fate.]

You deserve a little of the credit. Besides, it helped, knowing you'd probably be here waiting for me.

[He doesn't, at first, look up at Annie--but he has to eventually, that's not a tone that you ignore. There can't be any brooding in the afterlife, and there ought not to be any guilt, either--all of that is done with. And if he can only convince himself of that, maybe he can convince himself of everything else as well.]

I know, yeah-- [He takes her hand when she reaches for his; he squeezes at her fingers a little. God, it's so weird to feel how real her grip is now; it's a novelty he's not going to grow tired of for a long time, if ever.] I know. It's just-- Jesus, sometimes-- it seems unreal. Bein' here, with George and Nina, and you-- I never knew what was going t' happen. I spent so long running from it, from dying, from telling the truth, and then it ends like this?

I wanted you to keep living. But I thought about what I'd say, when you came here, and I never came up with anything good. Waiting for you, just going over all of it my head, and now you're here, and it's-- better than I could have imagined. [Carefully, he smiles at her.] I don't want the credit for saving the world, I don't want the credit for-- for saving you, you did way more for me than I ever did for you. Any of you. I just-- want you t' be here.

Edited 2013-08-14 15:29 (UTC)

[ Brooding just won't do, not when Annie feels a radiating happiness upon being here, being with him once more. Every breath is one she wants to cherish, every look, every touch, even ones as simple as his fingers caressing her skin. What she doesn't want is the way he seems to struggle.

Still, she can't help but let her lips curve up a little when he says he thought often of what he'd say to her when she got here, because that's almost as good as him actually having something to say to her. Her free hand lifts to touch his face, fingers gently brushing a few errant strands of hair behind his ear.] I am here. And I plan on staying here with you-- [ And George, Nina, and Eve] a long time. [ She gives him a smaller, more tender smile, leaning in to press a kiss to the corner of his mouth, her lips finally warm and soft.]

But you are my hero, Mitchell, whether you like it or not. [ Her voice is playful as her smile turns cheeky, her fingers squeezing his. She knows that he doesn't feel like he is a hero, that he feels guilty for all the things he's done but she did mean it when she said that the Mitchell she knew, her Mitchell, was the only one that mattered, the one who wanted to change, who was desperate to do good, to be good. Only he mattered now, especially here.]

[He starts a little at that kiss--but it gets a bit more of a smile out of him, a genuine smile--and her fingertips are warm on his face, and her mouth is warmer still--and he doesn't deserve this, any of it, not after all the things that he's done. Salvation and rewards don't come because you do something good.

But he's got her. And it's just like he said, that's what he needs. She made him good, and human, in the end; it was because he loved her that he was able to save her at all. That was good, in the end, finally.]

Yeah. Well.

[What do you say when someone honestly calls you their hero; he glances down, still with that little smile, looking at their joined hands.]

I didn't say I didn't like it. [And then he looks back at her, as something else occurs to him.] God, y'know-- that was it. That was a kiss-- a real kiss. Not a ghost one.

[ It's funny because she was about to apologize about the kiss, the way he seems almost startled at the touch of her lips. She wonders if her lips are still cold, if her kiss is the same as it's always been (which would be seriously disappointing).

But his words, he tells her it's a real kiss and she looks at him for a moment, processing what he's saying. At first, she thinks, of course it's a real kiss, but then he goes on to say it's not a ghost kiss which means he actually felt it.] You mean... [ There's an edge of excitement in her voice, her eyes on his lips before her fingers lift to touch her own.] You mean you felt it? Like a proper kiss?

Yeah, like a proper kiss. I mean, the others weren't bad, but--

[He touches his fingertips against his lips as well, almost as if he's mirroring her. The brooding is fading quickly in the face of this brilliant new realisation--something he ought to have realised much earlier, perhaps, but it had been enough just to see Annie, let alone think about kissing her.]

It was a proper kiss. Or, well, bit off the mark-- [And he grins, a little sheepishly--this shouldn't be awkward, he's too good with women for this to be awkward--but it is, a little, in a very normal fumbly way--] We could, uh. Try again, and see.

[ Annie knows that her kisses before weren't ideal. Kisses aren't meant to be cold, they are meant to warm you up, even if for Mitchell that wasn't a good thing. However when the realization hits him, it hits her too.

Her lips curve up into a smile, teeth tugging at her bottom lip as if to try to suppress just how excited she is about this whole thing, giving him a half-shrug, trying to be nonchalant and but failing so hard (because Mitchell is normally so smooth but even now he's fumbly too).]

Okay. [ Her tone morphs into that playful sort of seductive tone that's probably more hilariously adorable than it is sexy. Her gaze falls on his lips as she speaks, leaning in a bit.] That would be... brilliant.

[Honestly, he'll take adorable. Adorable is way more Annie; he's had his fill of everything else, and everyone. So he smiles a little, as he leans in as well--he can't help himself--and this feels more normal, less fumbly, this is just leaning forward, smooth, he's done it thousands of times. Only difference here is: it's Annie, vividly real. That changes everything, in its way, so when his lips touch against hers, it's a little like an electric shock--not cold, but warm, and soft, and he smiles against that kiss as well, he can't help that either. It feels good--right, somehow--and why the hell it took him this long to think of kissing her in the first place, he couldn't say. Should have done it the minute she walked in the door, but--perhaps the shock was too much.

Doesn't matter. He's done it now--doing it, anyways, till they break apart, eventually, just to get in a breath. But he doesn't pull back, he stays close, his hand cupping her cheek, gently.]

Well.

[And again, he gives her that little smile, even if they're so close it will be hard to see directly.]

[ Their lips meet and it's a bit of shock for her too, even as she feels his lips curving into a heart-melting smile. It feels different, brilliant, but different. He'd always been warm to her whenever they'd kissed, although she knew that it wasn't the same on his end. But now, it's doubly warm and there's a tingle that runs up her spine that she hasn't felt in ages. Suddenly, she's a bit like a woman dying of thirst and Mitchell's lips are the oasis she's been seeking. It may be cliche but it's how she feels as she shifts, moving closer so that they can kiss a bit more. It feels... perfect, her hand moving to rest on his leg for balance as the other lifts to touch his face.

And when they pull back for air, she thinks the kiss was far too short, her hand drifting down to the back of his neck as he speaks. Of course, the one word he says isn't exactly a positive or a negative so she scoffs.] Well? Well? Our first real kiss and all you have to say is 'well'? [ Her tone is anything but angry or indignant, it's more playfully shocked, with a dash of insecurity mixed in.] Was it that boring?

Annie--

[He laughs at her reaction, rubs his thumb against her cheek, like that's some great consoling gesture.]

No, it was-- what d'you want me t' say! It was good. Brilliant. Hey, the other kisses were real too, I liked them-- look, I just meant, well, that was different--something like that, anyways--

[And, quickly, he leans back in again to give her another kiss--even shorter, just a little peck on the mouth, like he has to make up for what he's said. After all, you don't go back for seconds if the first time was shit, right?]

See? Brilliant. I mean it. It's just-- different, it's surprising.

[ When he doesn't give her rave reviews, her bottom lip juts out in a bit of a pout.] Good and different. [ She lets out a breath, laughing a little because she wanted it to be hot and sexy even if maybe the context of the kiss didn't call for such words. Not yet.

He gives her another kiss and she smiles softly because despite his fumbling choice of words, she knows it wasn't awful because for her, it was lovely.]

I suppose I need to work on getting it to perfect or sexay. [ And yes, she says it just as it's spelled out, her head bobbing a little. It's a tease, her eyes closing for a moment as she draws back.] I can settle for brilliant.

[Oh my God, Annie, you are a weird girl. He laughs, again, because what else do you do when you've got a girl saying things like sexay and giving you those eyes and-- Jesus, he has seen a lot in his life, he's pretty good with sexy, but Annie is something different. Just looking at her gives him this weird warm feeling--maybe because she's associated with good things, with a time that was the best in his life. Maybe because she doesn't take herself incredibly seriously, or because she saved him--or maybe it's simpler than all that, something as easy as love. He loves her, so every kiss is going to be brilliant. Everything else is just-- icing on top.]

You're better than sexy, Annie. Trust me. [That's genuine; but of course he's got to tease her back a second later--] Not that I'm going t' be objecting for more work and practice on the kisses, you can practice on me all you like.

But you are better-- than anyone.

[And that slips him back toward the sincere again; he shifts his hand a little, tracing his thumb gently over her lower lip before he leans back in again. And this kiss is better--he doesn't smile against it, he just opens his mouth to hers, both of them warm, for once, both of them really here.]

[ Annie is just Annie, true to herself even if sometimes she tries to hide the quirky (like making cups upon cups of tea, nervously) as best she can. But in truth, she's never felt the need to hide herself with Mitchell, even if she'd be rubbish at it if she did try. Maybe that's love too.

And when he says she's better than sexy, her smile brightens and she sort of does an 'oh well then' kind of bob of her head, looking flattered. Her smile only widens when he says she can practice all she wants on him.] Oi, cheeky. [ Of course, she wants to practice a lot with him because if she's warm and he can feel her kisses, that means that maybe they can do more.

If he agrees, of course.

However his next words also bring her back to sincerity, her smile turning tender as his thumb traces her lower lip.] Oh, Mitchell... [ she says his name lovingly, a bit overwhelmed with how wonderful his words were. But before she can return them, before she can say anything more, he's kissing her again. This kiss is infinitely better, more intimate, and laced with love. Her mouth yields to his and she sort of melts, her posture relaxing as her hands find his waist to hold, shifting closer because the warmth of his mouth, his touch is utterly addicting.

And well, brilliant.]

picture prompt meme.

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