bakerstreet | Little Steps

Entry tags:

Little Steps

little steps

No matter how much they care for the other person and want to be with them, some people simply can't dive head first into relationships. Little things that form intimacy and romance, little acts we take for granted - being close, holding hands, kissing, showing affection in public - they won't or can't do...at least not right off the bat. Something in their past, their experiences, their trauma, or even their personality holds them back. For both them and the person they're "dating," as it were, this can lead to a frustrating experience.

Still, steps can be taken towards letting the walls fall down. Little, tiny steps, but those can mean the world all the same.

The People
One With the help of a partner, one person warms up.
Two Both sides of this couple are learning how to be in a relationship and to be open.

The Actions
Talking → A relationship can't exist if there's not some communication, so either learn to use your words or become so close you can speak without them.
Spending Time → Even such mundane occurrences as watching TV or cooking together is new ground.
Touching → You might just find you enjoy reaching out and touching them.
Kissing → Another kind of touch, when you think about it.
Cuddling → ...at least they're warm and, hopefully, soft.
Sleeping → You're at your absolute weakest when you're asleep. It shows trust to doze off around this person.
Public Display → It's one thing to be in love in private, but showing you care in public is a different story.
Kind Words → Three little words (more or less) are all it takes. Why, then, are they so hard to get out?
Sex The ultimate stumbling block to some. To be laid blissfully bare is to truly let your guard down.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Assumed CR and Cross-canon are welcome!]

[It has always been a bit of a touchy subject. Relationships and intimacy. Well, touchy isn't the right word.

Newt has always been terribly awkward even at the best of times. Socializing wasn't really something he liked to partake and he preferred being on his own than surrounded by other people. It leads to a tad of an isolated (and somewhat lonely) lifestyle, but that didn't mean that he didn't like people. They confused him immensely, but he knew the importance of socializing and having others in his life.

That being said, dating was even a bigger hill to climb than talking. Talking to others was a mess and while he was touch starved, he was also uncomfortable with physical intimacy at any level. It didn't mean that he didn't like these things. It just meant that he didn't have much experience in them. It was hard to when most people didn't have that kind of patience and he needed all kinds of it for him to be comfortable enough for it. And perhaps someone who was more forward than he was.

Jesse is a terribly kind gent all things considered. Loyal and doesn't seem all too bothered by Newt, which surprises him (why it surprises him is a testament to Newt's perception of how people perceive him), but he's thankful for it.

He's trying. He really is. He knows couples do it all the time and it's a normal thing, but it's a huge milestone for Newt who was very private about his personal life. Touching like holding hands or bumping shoulders to chaste kisses or more. Public displays of these things. Everyone else could do it so easily.

He won't even get into the topic of sex.

Newt sits across from the other for brunch. He bounces one of his legs as he tries to build up enough courage. For what? He hasn't a clue. He kind of blurts out-] Is being with me...lacking? [Jesse has never really complained about anything before, but it eats at him somewhat.

Maybe he has heard others whisper too much about him. He doesn't know. The last thing he wants is the other to be involved with him and not be happy though.] Sorry, that came out suddenly didn't it.

[ Jesse stops with his sandwich—some fancy toasted thing, more effort than he’d put into lunch at home by far—halfway to his mouth. Yeah, it had been sudden, and Jesse is left staring at Newt with his mouth halfway open (not from surprise at least, because again: sandwich).

Where Newt is introverted, Jesse is absolutely, demonstratively the opposite. He thrives in social situations, taking to crowds like a fish takes to water. And where Newt is less touchy-feely, Jesse is absolutely the type to show his affection through those very same gestures that Newt finds so intimidating. But he’d realized early on that the other man doesn’t take well to PDA, so he adapted accordingly. If Newt needs space, needs time, Jesse is willing to give it. Heaven knows he has plenty of his own baggage to bring into this relationship.

But maybe he hadn’t been doing a good enough job of it, because Newt sounds unsure in a way that just about breaks Jesse’s heart. He sets the sandwich down slowly, his frown wrinkling the crow’s feet at the corners of his eyes. ]

Sure did. Where’s this coming from?

(( open to crosscanon & assumed cr ))

[ CR, Cross Canon, AU, Time Play, Up for a bit of everything! ]

[ooc: Got this guy, if you'd like.]

[Expect her in full on ANH mode :) ]

[ooc: That's fine! Any particular prompt catch your eye?]

[ Probably one, talking because that is so her strong suit. ]

[ooc: That works for me! If you don't mind a lot of backtagging, I can throw something up unless you want to?]

[ Go ahead and toss something out, backtagging is totally cool so pace is not an issue. ]

[ooc: Haha, another million years later. Good with brackets or prose, so I'll follow your lead there.]

Cassian was observant. Kind of had to be in the line of work that he was in. Sometimes, it was a matter of life or death. Sometimes, with Leia, he felt a similar heart-pounding sense of uncertain anticipation.

There had been a time that he'd bristled against a bodyguard assignment, but he respected Bail Organa too much to argue that surely there was someone better suited for the position.

Besides, Leia Organa could clearly take care of herself.

He'd come to respect her strong will and determination, even though she did tend to frustrate him at the best of times with her very vocal assertions that she did not need him following her around all the time.

Mostly, he kept to himself and just watched during meetings, taking copious mental notes and dutifully typed them up for her perusal later, especially concerning matters of great importance that seemed to be hotly contested by other council members.

He pointed out who seemed to be wavering in her favor and how to sway them fully to her side. Cassian was no politician - and had no desire to be, but if he could help ensure the right decisions were being made, he'd be perfectly happy to put those observational skills to use.

He'd already left his notes and been dismissed for the night, but Cassian soon found himself back at Leia's quarters, thermos of hot tea in hand. He'd been informed that this particular tea was good for relaxation, and if anyone needed it, it was the young Senator.

Leia hadn't gone to bed, in fact, she was still sitting on the same couch she had been when going over notes and reports before he left. When the chime sounded she almost absently allowed him entry, there were few who would intrude on her personal quarters and fewer still who would do so this late but she knew if Cassian had returned there would be a reason for it.

She laid one flimsy down and picked up two others, comparing the voting records of two senators in particular and how she might best align them to the cause of a new republic. She was shrewd for her age, raised by both a brilliant politician and a beloved monarch had given her an education in how to represent and govern with compassion but not weakness.

After another minute she sighed deeply and rubbed along the back of her neck, finally looking up to see what he had brought her. More reports? Some late-breaking news or gossip that could change the lay of the political land? No, he had a thermos.

She blinked slowly, feeling the tiredness hitting her in her brain's sluggish reactions. "What is that?"

Cassian wasn't the least bit surprised to find Leia exactly as he'd left her - working. She was, even at her age, one of the most single-minded beings he had ever known or worked with. But for as formidable as she was, even the senator needed to rest. Not that Cassian was stupid enough to make an overt suggestion.

Once allowed entrance, he set to pouring a bit of the tea before handing it over, all without making mention of the fact that she was working late, again, nor that he thought it was in her best interest to take a break.

Hopefully, the suggestion of the tea's purported abilities would be more than enough to get his point across - as though it wasn't baldly obvious already.

"Ola tea", he replied, his voice even and calm. "Supposed to be an effective calming balm. Soothing, too. You know that if you keep staring at those things for too long, you're going to get a headache."