For Joan

[theodorelasso]

Continued from here.

(warnings: sexytimes. also, panic attacks, brutal violence, attempted murder, discussion of suicide and actual murder... )

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[formersurgeon]

Joan can't help but laugh a little at the sock. She hasn't used that particular signal since she was in college, and it amuses her to think of her and Ted as two college kids having sex in the dorm and warning the roommate not to enter.

When he comes back, she sinks right back into their cuddling and nuzzling and kissing. She isn't rushing either, but there is definitely an extra sense of tension, the feel that they are slowly building up to something, kissing and touching each other not only to show affection but also to arouse. She gives a soft moan as his lips find a sensitive spot behind her ear, and she slips her hand under his shirt to caress his bare skin.

[theodorelasso]

The sock is silly, but it's also effective. Well, for Sherlock, not for actual children. Besides, the options otherwise is that Sherlock knows what they're doing either because he sees them, or because he hears them. Neither is remotely appealing to Ted, who would rather not do it while anyone is in the house at all, but is being lenient out of necessity.

In the grand scheme of thing, it hasn't been that long since they've done this. About two weeks. But when you consider what's happened in that time, it might as well be an eternity, and it feels so nice to be touching each other like this again. Ted absolutely savors it.

He takes the soft moan as a cue to spend some extra time there, smiling against her skin. His hand slides down her side and her leg, then up the inside of her thigh. Not moving all the way up just yet, but just close enough to be suggestive.

[formersurgeon]

It hasn't been long at all while at the same time being absolutely forever. Touching each other like this is a little bit of normalcy, a little bit of life in what has been a dark time for them both.

The feeling of his hand sliding up the inside of her thigh makes Joan shiver with delight. It stops short, and Joan can't help but whimper softly, the teasing further intensifying the tingling heat between her legs. She answers by sliding her hand lightly down his back, then slipping it underneath the waistband of his sweatpants and his boxers, to lightly caress the bare skin of his ass.

[theodorelasso]

Ted gives a playful "Oooh, cheeky," as she slips her hand inside his boxers. It's a joke on multiple levels. It's definitely working to get him excited, but that doesn't mean he can't also be silly.

He kisses her happily, sliding his hand up inside her shirt, wanting to touch her skin as well, gliding his palm across her stomach and her side.

He pulls back a little bit a moment later though, to look at her. "You just tell me if you need a break or need to slow down," he says, wanting to make sure she doesn't exhaust herself completely. Although so far she seems to be doing alright, thankfully. "Or if you would like me to take the wheel," he adds with a smile.

[formersurgeon]

She giggles at his silliness, enjoying it greatly. Joan can often be a cynical, sarcastic person, and that sort of banter is how she communicates with Sherlock, and with many other people as well. But the kindness and silliness and gentleness of this man taps into the kindness and tenderness Joan has in her heart that she's learned over the years to shield with a hard exterior. Ted doesn't break her walls down. He draws out the gentle and loving healer at Joan's core. In a very odd but very real way he allows Joan to be herself. And this kind and gentle Joan is amused by Ted's silliness in a way cynical Joan might not be.

She hums in appreciation as Ted's hand caresses her stomach, kissing him back. When he pulls back she listens and gives Ted a nod. "I will," she promises. "This might not be the best of times for me to be on top," she says with a smile. "But I'm doing okay so far."

[theodorelasso]

And it was very easy for Ted to see that gentleness inside Joan, even from the beginning. She's not kind in the same way Ted is kind, all effusive and friendly and joking. She doesn't need to be seen as kind. But it was still there in her choices, in the way she treated people. It's the thing that drew him to her in the first place.

"Good," he answers softly, looking at her fondly. "I'm doing pretty good too," he adds, playfully. Relatively speaking, he's doing pretty fantastic, actually.

He sits back a little and gently takes her hands, moving them to have her grasp at the hem of his shirt. Then, still holding his hands over hers, he pulls his shirt off over his head, letting her help. He knows he could just do it himself, and he knows she would probably manage it on her own too, at this point. But he kind of likes that it's a collaboration.

[formersurgeon]

She likes it too. It's quietly intimate, undressing him together. He's inviting her in, sharing the moment, the action. Once his shirt is off, Joan responds in kind, taking his hands and drawing them to the hem of her shirt as well, guiding his hands so together they remove the jersey. They're both topless now, Joan's nipples hard with arousal. She reaches out to draw his face to hers to kiss him again.

[theodorelasso]

As they remove Joan's jersey, Ted takes a moment to just look at her, quietly a little bit floored just at the sight. It's not that he's forgotten how beautiful and attractive she is - they showered together just yesterday. There's just something about the context, and the way she's looking at him, that makes it infinitely more, well, sexy. A word he might not use out loud, but he can't find a better one to replace it.

And then she's pulling him into a kiss, and he obliges immediately. She doesn't need to use any strength to draw him in - he's following at the lightest touch.

He hums softly into her mouth, a sound both of happiness and of longing, as he deepens the kiss. He shifts a bit so he can wrap his arms around her, pulling her close and pressing their bodies together.

[formersurgeon]

How he's looking at her, with equal parts arousal and adoration, is beautiful, and extremely sexy. She feels not only seen but admired, cherished, and it makes her heart flutter and her nethers tingle. He pulls her in as they kiss more deeply, and Joan moans softly into his mouth in return. She draws up one leg to half hook it over his, gently pressing their pelvises together as well.

[theodorelasso]

Ted gasps softly and has to bite his lip for a moment to suppress a moan, not wanting to be too loud. Her pressing against him like that feels extremely good, and fills him with a bit more urgency. She can probably feel his arousal through his soft sweatpants as well.

He slides one hand down, cupping her ass and pulling her closer, grinding their hips together slowly, he as he quietly moans against her.

[formersurgeon]

Now it's Joan's turn to bite her lip and try to stifle a moan. She can feel his arousal quite clearly as he slowly grinds against her, and with her leg hooked around his opening up her thighs, the grinding is hitting the exact right spot. Her panties are soaked right through with arousal, and the sensation is only heightening her desire.

"I need you," she whispers, her breath holding a hint of a growing desperation.

[theodorelasso]

Ted nods in understanding, feeling much the same. The sound of her voice seems to go straight to his erection.

Reluctantly he pulls apart, so they can deal with the rest of their clothes and get a comfortable position.

It occurs to him that getting to the bathroom might still be a bit of an ordeal, which they might not want to bother with afterwards, so it would probably be a good idea to make it as easy to clean up as possible.

So he goes to check the bedside table, hoping for some tissues maybe. He finds more than that.

"You gotta be kidding me.." he murmurs quietly. He could've maybe dealt with the knowledge that Sherlock had condoms prepared for them, but there are even a couole bottles of lube in there. The red in Ted's cheeks is definitely not just arousal now.

[formersurgeon]

Joan definitely didn't expect anything in the drawers to garner that kind of reaction. She frowns, looking at his face, and turns her head, trying to see what he's looking at.

"What is it?"

[theodorelasso]

Without turning around, Ted picks up one of the bottles of lube and holds it up to show Joan, covering his face with his other hand. He's kind of embarrassed, but also just very baffled and taken aback. He's not sure what to do with this information.

[formersurgeon]

Joan sees that and sighs, rolling her eyes, throwing up her hand in exasperation. "Sherlock," she mutters.

To be fair, the drawer would have been stocked before they made their agreement, and Sherlock was being considerate, albeit inappropriate. But still.

"Hey..." she says, touching his hand. "Come back to me." She knows he's embarrassed, and she wants to keep him grounded, reiterate that they are safe and alone here, that their union is solid regardless of Sherlock's misguided attempt to be helpful.

[theodorelasso]

Ted looks over at her, and smiles softly at her pulling him back, making sure he doesn't get too wrapped up in what Sherlock may or may not know or think (or say) about their sex life.

He looks back at the drawer, putting the lube back and picking up a condom instead. "Just figured this would be easier to clean up," he says with a smile. "I was just expecting tissues or something, not a fully shocked..." he trails off, gesturing vaguely at the drawer. He has no idea what to call that.

[formersurgeon]

Joan shakes her head, equal parts exasperated and bemused. "Believe it or not, he was probably trying to be helpful." Sherlock just doesn't understand why people are so repressed sexually. And in Joan's mind he isn't exactly wrong. He had convinced her of the value of exercise partners, for instance. But this did cross a line, particularly with someone as private about sex as Ted.

She smiles at the condom. "That's a good idea. Definitely less cleanup."

[theodorelasso]

"Well, I didn't think he was being spiteful or something," Ted answers with a soft smile. Of course he assumes it was genuinely for their benefit. Just maybe misguided. (It would have been worse if he had included sex toys or something.)

And it's not that Ted is that uncomfortable with sex in general. It's just his sex life he's private about.

This has taken some of the wind out of his sails when it comes to urgency, but he's pretty sure they can build that back up easily. Ted moves back over to Joan, just kissing her for now, placing a hand on her side and just refocusing on enjoying his time with her.

[formersurgeon]

It's a good thing he didn't include sex toys. Joan definitely wants to explore sex toys sometime later and on their own terms.

Things have slowed down, but that's okay. They have time to enjoy each other and allow the tension to rebuild gradually, naturally. She kisses him gently, smiling against his lips, lightly brushing her fingertips along his side.

[theodorelasso]

At least it doesn't take as long for Ted to get back into it as it took them to get to this point. Soon enough his body remembers exactly what they were doing, and then everything else sort of fades away, and he can just focus on her, on how lovely she is, on making her feel good.

After a short while of kissing and wandering hands, Ted shifts a bit, starting to kiss his way down her neck and collarbones, his hands caressing her sides, cupping her breasts. Then moving further down, trailing kisses to her breasts, brushing his lips across her nipples.

[formersurgeon]

She smiles as his lips start to drift downwards. She allows her eyes to drift closed, focusing on the sensation of his mouth trailing down her neck. She draws a breath as his hands cup her breasts, a breath that turns into a soft moan as his lips brush across her sensitive nipples, her body arching slightly beneath him.

[theodorelasso]

"You like that?" he asks softly, looking up at her with a smile, his mouth still hovering near her nipple, as he reaches up to gently massage her other breast. It's mostly a rhetorical question, because he's definitely noticed that she responds to it. "What more would you like me to do?" he asks, which is the part where he would very much be interested in her answer. He likes when she tells him exactly what she wants.

[formersurgeon]

"Yes," she breathes, answering that rhetorical question because the communication they have in sexual situations is sexy as all hell. She loves being asked, having their intimacy be a conversation. Of course, she's also aware that Ted is prioritizing her pleasure, which she sincerely appreciates, but which she would like to reverse at some point, where it's Ted lying back while Joan pleasures him. She suspects it might not be as easy as that. He might need a little...encouragement to allow himself to be pleasured. Possibly a blindfold. Maybe some soft rope.

But right now he's pleasuring her, and she will happily tell him what she wants.

"I want my nipple in your mouth," she breathes. "I want to feel your lips...your tongue...your teeth..."

[theodorelasso]

Ted might also have a slightly harder time asking for things (for himself), even when prompted. Especially in a sexual setting. As they get to know each other more and more, it gets slightly easier, but it'll always be easier to accept when it's offered, rather than request something.

Though he also realizes how much easier it gets when you ask for something. Ted might not have suggested his teeth get involved, but once asked, he's happy to comply.

It's similar to what he's already done for her a bit further down, and something he very much enjoys, using his tongue, his mouth. He kisses her nipple, sucks gently on it, licks it.. Then carefully lets his teeth graze it, very gently biting down on it, testing the waters, attentive to her reactions. "How's that?" he asks, prompting further requests, lips still against her skin and mustache gently tickling.

[formersurgeon]

She hums with pleasure as he does what she asks, with his lips, his tongue...and then she gasps softly as he bites her. It's such a gentle bite, not enough to cause true pain, but that little thrill of sensation is so powerful.

It takes her a moment to collect her thoughts enough to answer his question, which should tell him a lot. "That...is amazing. Please don't stop..."