"Yeah... first, uh, swallow." Max's cheeks are about as red as twin traffic signals. Damn, that was so hot. So hot. And knowing it was their first time and they didn't...well, gag on the taste or something, that makes it so much better.
"I'm glad your mums were so proactive in protecting you." He runs his hands up their arms in a reassuring gesture. Their relative inexperience does not in any way bother him.
"I have one or two people at home I see repeatedly," he hesitates to say how very committed he is to his master because, as far as Rowan knows, that's just his job. "And, it is really nice to already have all the first meeting awkwardness out of the way...to form a deeper connection."
He smiles so fondly at Rowan. He can feel that pressure in his chest that he refuses to name squeezing him tight again. "You and Lucas, by far, are the closest I've ever been with someone. So... if you're in danger of getting addicted then, It might be too late for both of us already. I don't think I could possibly give up what we have now." He hopes they feel the same.
"Okay. Yeah. Okay." He'll keep Lucas' hand firmly squeezed in his the entire way to the bed. When he sits, he draws one leg up to hug against his chest.
"So." He blows out a breath. "You remember that list Jester painted on my back as a joke? Well, Jackie didn't think it was funny."
Actually, Jackie was furious. Max almost worried the vampire might do something to the trickster about it. Thankfully, Max talked him down.
"I tried to tell him it wasn't a big deal but... well... Jackie knows...what I am." Max rubs at the back of his neck. At that stark reminder of his subservient status. "He pointed out that, because of it, I'm not really the best at...setting boundaries for myself."
Max looks at Lucas, trying to gauge how the Medium is taking all of this so far.
That blush is so endearing. Rowan can't help but lean in and press a kiss to each cheek, then nose against Max affectionately. How someone can be so sweet, and yet so sexy at the same time is beyond Rowan, but they're very glad that they found him.
"Good. 'Cos I ain't planning on going anywhere, so you're both stuck with me." At least until Rowan can set the pair of them up together. Then maybe they'll have to withdraw a little. But they'll see what happens when that happens. For now, they just lean in to claim a loving kiss, sweet and loving, but their lips parted slightly in unconscious invitation.
Lucas perches himself next to Max, both feet pulled up to lay his arms across. Not hugging his legs to himself yet, but he could. It kept him from worrying his hands together.
"Yeah," A slight frown at the memory of the list. Max had brushed it off at the time but now? Should he have pushed more? But Jackie was on the case. Someone who, it seems, can better look out for the man. Ignoring how that makes his chest ache Lucas bobs his head in a nod.
"I'm sorry for not--" Lucas stops himself short, wondering with a sudden spike of dread if he'd ever crossed any of these unseen lines. He hopes not. God, he hopes not or he'll never forgive himself. Shaking his head, he presses on. It's not about him, this is about Max. "And is...he right about that? The boundary thing?"
Max is already hopelessly addicted to the way Rowan nuzzles him and in just such a small way makes him feel so cared for and comforted. If they think they'll be able to withdraw, Max will have something to say about it. Like he told Lucas, he's got a lot of room in his heart, enough for both of them. They are both wonderful and sweet, both sensitive and intuitive but Rowan...
There's a flame in them that sparks so pure and hot that he can see it in the grey glow of their eyes every time they look at him. Such a surety of purpose, such a fierce protectiveness in them --Max admires it more than he could ever say. He feels so safe just knowing he has Rowan at his back, no matter what he'll face here.
"Oh no," he puts a hand dramatically over his forehead, "what ever will we do?"
He can think of some things. He kisses them deeply, probing his tongue between their parted lips, letting it explore over teeth and tongue, and even glancing over the inside of their cheek like he wants to memorize every part of them. Maybe that's exactly what he wants to do.
This kind of kiss isn't a bad choice. Rowan lets Max explore, chasing his tongue with theirs but not interfering. A moment's thought has them wondering if Max can still taste himself on their tongue, and if he enjoys that or not.
And as they kiss, their hand continues fiddling with his shirt until - whoops! There goes another button. And another. And if Max doesn't stop them, Rowan will undo each button in turn until they can push his shirt open and slide their hands over his chest, drinking in the feel of his firm muscles under their soft fingers.
"No!" Max bursts out suddenly, reaching for Lucas' hand. He can tell what the Medium is thinking. He couldn't bear it if Lucas blamed himself for any of this. "You don't have a thing to be sorry for."
He wants to look away in shame while he answers this, but he keeps his eyes on Lucas, searching him for any sign that this might be the final dealbreaker.
"Yes. He is. But, I didn't realize it. I had no idea. I thought I was... I thought it was okay to just keep going like I was. I wanted to make everyone else happy so much, sometimes I'd agree to something I wasn't fully into just because I liked the idea of them liking it. You know?"
Like the gags. He'd almost done that with Lucas. If the Medium had been less in-tune to Max's emotions, they might have. And even now, Max can't say he would have been sorry for it. Which is why... he needs those cards.
"It took someone who's more familiar with this stuff to point it out. So that's why..." Max reaches for the box and opens it. He lifts out one of the cards, yes side up, and hands it to Lucas. "He had these made for me."
Startling at Max's outburst all of Lucas's focus snaps to the man, eyes slightly wide. A shade of the same shame from the other day resurfacing, clashing with a settling look of understanding. Wasn't it the same with him throwing himself into 'work'? Without their usual fall backs they were both floundering in their own ways.
Lucas holds Max's gaze, and holds his breath, taking the card.
"Biting, yeah, toys..." Okay that one does get a fond sort of smile. As his eyes skim each line he quiets mouths some of these, nodding for some until he gets to the ropes. He swallows thickly, and moves on, flipping the card over.
"Oof yeah, feet." His nose wrinkles at that, "Degradation...collars...Hm."
Flicking the card against his fingers Lucas looks back up to Max, "Honestly? It's...not a half bad idea? Like I'm sure it's awkward as fuck, but I was just talking to Rowan about this, actually. Talk about timing?"
In fact, Max can taste himself faintly on their tongue. The slight hint of salt and musk doesn't bother him, but neither does it particularly excite him. But the exploring does. And the slow progress Rowan is making on the buttons of his shirt, that surely does.
When their hands slides down his chest, he breaks away from the kiss to let out a low needy moan.
"Oooh, if you keep going like this, I might just decide to take you over the back of this chair." That's not a threat, that's a promise.
"Is that meant to discourage me?" Rowan smirks up at him, with a roll of their hips - though an extremely careful one, since they're still dressed and Max isn't. They don't want to hurt anything, after all! Their hands move up to his shoulders, catching the material of his shirt over them so they can push it down over them, undressing him further.
"Besides, you need to get past my jeans first." They add, before leaning in and claiming another kiss, their hands moving back down to his chest to map out those firm muscles some more.
"You have no idea how akward..." Max says miserably. "I don't know how I'm going to be able to do it with a straight face. I'm considering becoming a monk just so I'll never have to." That sounds like a joke, but Max might be slightly serious about it.
"By the way, you and Rowan are exceptions to the no collar rule." God, now he's going to have to explain that too, isn't he? "Because... that one isn't actually a hard no as much as an...unknown. Jackie made me promise to only do it with people I trust and, well, you're it."
He sighs heavily. "Oh yeah, and there's one other thing too..." Is it too late to enter a monastery for life?
"Wait, a monk?" Lucas tries his damnedest not to sound a little sad about that. He gets it but, damn it, he craves the way their bodies fit together, too.
"Oh, I'm...I'd be glad to help you figure that out," His face goes a little red, even if he has no idea how, it's for Max. He's going to help!
But, this all seemed to be...a lot. At once. Poor Max is really getting thrown into the deep end, but the way he says that makes the hair on the back of Lucas's neck prick up.
"I know, I know." Max covers his face with his hands. He doesn't want to do that either. BUT!
"Jackie gave me an assignment. I'm supposed to...journal about every sexual encounter I have. You know, write down what I did and what I liked or didn't like. And he wants me to report back to him with it in two months."
Two whole months... god only knows what they could potentially get up to in that time.
"Wait, what!?" On the one hand the card thing isn't really a terrible idea, but this? "You...he...what the fuck, Jackie."
Seriously.
For a long moment Lucas just turns the card over his hands a few times. Two months is damn long time. He wants to learn all these new things with Max, together. It's not like they won't spend time together outside of a bed, but that's a part of what they have now. Lucas doesn't want to lose that, too.
So if Jackie has to read this later, he'll just have to deal with knowing that.
"I don't mind if you write about us." He looks aside to Max, making sure to catch the man's gaze.
Max is holding his breath, waiting for Lucas to tell him what he expects to hear...that they can't be together if it's like that. He's so shocked his jaw drops open.
"You... you don't?" No. That can't be right. Lucas has to be... "Because I mind. I mind a lot. I don't want you to..." He huffs out a breath.
"Look, Rowan isn't happy about it either. They are going to talk to Jackie, so maybe he'll... relax it a little. So, we could just hold off for a little while..." As much as the idea kills him.
"I do mind," Lucas shrugs, "But whatever you want to do is what I'm going to go with."
Max seems set on this path, though. Lucas shuts his mouth, jaw clenching. If it's the only way to be with Max then he wants to, even with the damn journal. But he's not going to push, because he's already fucked this up enough.
"Yeah, we could do that." The smile never reaches his eyes. "Maybe I can teach you how to make lebkuchen?"
"Absolutely not," he says with a laugh. "I'm hoping you'll tempt me into it."
He appreciates the care they are taking. Those pants look great on Rowan. Really great. But jean flavored rug burns are not going to be a good look on Max.
"Mmm can't be that hard..." he murmurs until the kiss cuts him off.
But, oh look, he's got his strength back already. Putting both hands around Rowan's thighs, he holds them tight to him, and stands, saying, "Hang on."
Normally Rowan would wrap their slim legs around his waist, but with Max holding them like that, they can't. So instead they lean into his chest and trail their hands back up to his shoulders, draping them over, and pushing his shirt further down his back, and therefore arms, in the process.
"Whoops~" They murmur, completely unapologetically as they trace their hand down his spine, pressing up into his neck, parting their lips and then purposefully stilling, their breath teasingly warm against his throat. Well, Max did say he wanted to be tempted. And when he's got such a sensitive erogenous zone it'd be rude not to take advantage.
"Oh that's a dangerous thing to tell someone, Max." He generally liked more of an idea of what his partner wanted in a given moment, otherwise his mind just got a bit overwhelmed by possibility.
But for now he sat down on the couch, pulling on Max's tie for another kiss, because Max was a pretty good kisser and it gave him a bit of space to think of something. "Anything you don't want me doin? Hate to ruin the mood." He knew Max liked a spanking, but if Max was going to say "do what you want" he'd rather not bump into something that he really didn't like on accident. Corbin was too much of a people pleaser for that.
"No. If you mind then... we're not doing it. That's how... that's how this all started." Because Max said those same things. He said he'd go along with things he'd mind, and that was wrong. That's the lesson, right?
Lucas' smile with no eyes pierces his heart. He can see what pain he's caused. But, he can't see the way out.
He takes the Medium's hand. "Lucas, I want to be with you. I want to share everything with you. But, if I'm going to become a person who can give you everything, I need to figure this out... I need some time." He squeezes in a way he hopes is reassuring.
Then he asks, in the lightest tone he can manage, "What are...lebkuchen?"
He minds because it's Jackie, but somehow Lucas manages to keep his mouth shut on that one. Whatever the hell is going on he has to trust Max to tell him, in time.
Hopefully.
"I don't mean to make this harder on you," He says instead, letting the moment pass him by, but squeezing with every ounce of sincerity he can into his hold around Max. It's just as plain to him that he's causing the man to hurt, too. "You know where to find me, if you need anything."
Taking a breath, he soldiers on. "It's like fluffy gingerbread. Might be fun to bake together sometime soon?"
Max's grip on Rowan tightens and he arches his back when he feels them press in close to his neck.
"hhhhmm," he breathes, "you're cheating again..." He doesn't sound sorry either. "God help me if you find any of my other hots spots."
Maybe one day Rowan can interrogate them out of him.
"That's it. Now you're going to get it."
He flips around and sets Rowan down on the chair. Then he tosses his shirt away, and strips down his trousers and underwear too. (The tie stays.) Rowan can have a nice look at just what their teasing is doing for him, now, because that erection is waking back up.
"Time to get those pants off you," he says, already reaching to push up Rowans shirt to get access to them.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Okay, maybe less flirting and more suggesting might be in order.
Right after he finishes this kiss because Corbin is also a great kisser and he could get very used to having this as his new regular order behind the bar.
All right, now he needed to answer that question. Which... should be easy, but now he was having trouble conjuring up anything specific to say.
"Well... I'm uh, not a feet guy. So, nothing with that? I'm just as good taking and receiving, so I leave that order of preference up to you." He means that. He's a true blue switch.
"Aaand, depending on how kinky you wanna go, a little pain is fun, but not to excess? You can keep pulling on my tie all day, though, I can't get enough of that." Hopefully, that would give Corbin something to work with.
“Getting my pants out from under my jeans is a magic trick I’d like to see.” Rowan laughs, eyes lingering on Max’s hardening dick. What if they gave him another blow job to see if they could actually take him properly this time? But no, the fire between their legs is springing up again, warmer than ever after the unsolved arousal from earlier.
They arch their hips into his hands, allowing him to undo the flies and reveal the boyshorts underneath, the elastic held taut over their hips to to reveal a glimpse of the dark hair under. They don’t let him admire the view too long, though, but push him away and stand up. Turning around, they pull their shirts off and toss them away, then bend themself over the chair, presenting their arse to Max, the jeans moulding perfectly around it. “You going to give it to me?” They smirk, looking back at him over their shoulder.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-11 06:31 pm (UTC)I'm not leaving you.
"Let's sit down. You can tell me everything." He swallows hard, steeling his insides against rising dread that trickles cold up his spine. "Okay?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 04:03 am (UTC)"I'm glad your mums were so proactive in protecting you." He runs his hands up their arms in a reassuring gesture. Their relative inexperience does not in any way bother him.
"I have one or two people at home I see repeatedly," he hesitates to say how very committed he is to his master because, as far as Rowan knows, that's just his job. "And, it is really nice to already have all the first meeting awkwardness out of the way...to form a deeper connection."
He smiles so fondly at Rowan. He can feel that pressure in his chest that he refuses to name squeezing him tight again. "You and Lucas, by far, are the closest I've ever been with someone. So... if you're in danger of getting addicted then, It might be too late for both of us already. I don't think I could possibly give up what we have now." He hopes they feel the same.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 04:37 am (UTC)"So." He blows out a breath. "You remember that list Jester painted on my back as a joke? Well, Jackie didn't think it was funny."
Actually, Jackie was furious. Max almost worried the vampire might do something to the trickster about it. Thankfully, Max talked him down.
"I tried to tell him it wasn't a big deal but... well... Jackie knows...what I am." Max rubs at the back of his neck. At that stark reminder of his subservient status. "He pointed out that, because of it, I'm not really the best at...setting boundaries for myself."
Max looks at Lucas, trying to gauge how the Medium is taking all of this so far.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 09:27 am (UTC)"Good. 'Cos I ain't planning on going anywhere, so you're both stuck with me." At least until Rowan can set the pair of them up together. Then maybe they'll have to withdraw a little. But they'll see what happens when that happens. For now, they just lean in to claim a loving kiss, sweet and loving, but their lips parted slightly in unconscious invitation.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 11:52 am (UTC)"Yeah," A slight frown at the memory of the list. Max had brushed it off at the time but now? Should he have pushed more? But Jackie was on the case. Someone who, it seems, can better look out for the man. Ignoring how that makes his chest ache Lucas bobs his head in a nod.
"I'm sorry for not--" Lucas stops himself short, wondering with a sudden spike of dread if he'd ever crossed any of these unseen lines. He hopes not. God, he hopes not or he'll never forgive himself. Shaking his head, he presses on. It's not about him, this is about Max. "And is...he right about that? The boundary thing?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 05:55 pm (UTC)There's a flame in them that sparks so pure and hot that he can see it in the grey glow of their eyes every time they look at him. Such a surety of purpose, such a fierce protectiveness in them --Max admires it more than he could ever say. He feels so safe just knowing he has Rowan at his back, no matter what he'll face here.
"Oh no," he puts a hand dramatically over his forehead, "what ever will we do?"
He can think of some things. He kisses them deeply, probing his tongue between their parted lips, letting it explore over teeth and tongue, and even glancing over the inside of their cheek like he wants to memorize every part of them. Maybe that's exactly what he wants to do.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 06:18 pm (UTC)And as they kiss, their hand continues fiddling with his shirt until - whoops! There goes another button. And another. And if Max doesn't stop them, Rowan will undo each button in turn until they can push his shirt open and slide their hands over his chest, drinking in the feel of his firm muscles under their soft fingers.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-12 10:06 pm (UTC)He wants to look away in shame while he answers this, but he keeps his eyes on Lucas, searching him for any sign that this might be the final dealbreaker.
"Yes. He is. But, I didn't realize it. I had no idea. I thought I was... I thought it was okay to just keep going like I was. I wanted to make everyone else happy so much, sometimes I'd agree to something I wasn't fully into just because I liked the idea of them liking it. You know?"
Like the gags. He'd almost done that with Lucas. If the Medium had been less in-tune to Max's emotions, they might have. And even now, Max can't say he would have been sorry for it. Which is why... he needs those cards.
"It took someone who's more familiar with this stuff to point it out. So that's why..." Max reaches for the box and opens it. He lifts out one of the cards, yes side up, and hands it to Lucas. "He had these made for me."
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 04:08 am (UTC)Lucas holds Max's gaze, and holds his breath, taking the card.
"Biting, yeah, toys..." Okay that one does get a fond sort of smile. As his eyes skim each line he quiets mouths some of these, nodding for some until he gets to the ropes. He swallows thickly, and moves on, flipping the card over.
"Oof yeah, feet." His nose wrinkles at that, "Degradation...collars...Hm."
Flicking the card against his fingers Lucas looks back up to Max, "Honestly? It's...not a half bad idea? Like I'm sure it's awkward as fuck, but I was just talking to Rowan about this, actually. Talk about timing?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 04:24 pm (UTC)When their hands slides down his chest, he breaks away from the kiss to let out a low needy moan.
"Oooh, if you keep going like this, I might just decide to take you over the back of this chair." That's not a threat, that's a promise.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 04:50 pm (UTC)"Besides, you need to get past my jeans first." They add, before leaning in and claiming another kiss, their hands moving back down to his chest to map out those firm muscles some more.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 08:23 pm (UTC)"By the way, you and Rowan are exceptions to the no collar rule." God, now he's going to have to explain that too, isn't he? "Because... that one isn't actually a hard no as much as an...unknown. Jackie made me promise to only do it with people I trust and, well, you're it."
He sighs heavily. "Oh yeah, and there's one other thing too..." Is it too late to enter a monastery for life?
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 08:45 pm (UTC)"Oh, I'm...I'd be glad to help you figure that out," His face goes a little red, even if he has no idea how, it's for Max. He's going to help!
But, this all seemed to be...a lot. At once. Poor Max is really getting thrown into the deep end, but the way he says that makes the hair on the back of Lucas's neck prick up.
"What's the other thing?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 09:01 pm (UTC)"Jackie gave me an assignment. I'm supposed to...journal about every sexual encounter I have. You know, write down what I did and what I liked or didn't like. And he wants me to report back to him with it in two months."
Two whole months... god only knows what they could potentially get up to in that time.
"So, you see my problem!"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 09:09 pm (UTC)Seriously.
For a long moment Lucas just turns the card over his hands a few times. Two months is damn long time. He wants to learn all these new things with Max, together. It's not like they won't spend time together outside of a bed, but that's a part of what they have now. Lucas doesn't want to lose that, too.
So if Jackie has to read this later, he'll just have to deal with knowing that.
"I don't mind if you write about us." He looks aside to Max, making sure to catch the man's gaze.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 10:46 pm (UTC)"You... you don't?" No. That can't be right. Lucas has to be... "Because I mind. I mind a lot. I don't want you to..." He huffs out a breath.
"Look, Rowan isn't happy about it either. They are going to talk to Jackie, so maybe he'll... relax it a little. So, we could just hold off for a little while..." As much as the idea kills him.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-13 10:58 pm (UTC)Max seems set on this path, though. Lucas shuts his mouth, jaw clenching. If it's the only way to be with Max then he wants to, even with the damn journal. But he's not going to push, because he's already fucked this up enough.
"Yeah, we could do that." The smile never reaches his eyes. "Maybe I can teach you how to make lebkuchen?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-14 04:16 am (UTC)He appreciates the care they are taking. Those pants look great on Rowan. Really great. But jean flavored rug burns are not going to be a good look on Max.
"Mmm can't be that hard..." he murmurs until the kiss cuts him off.
But, oh look, he's got his strength back already. Putting both hands around Rowan's thighs, he holds them tight to him, and stands, saying, "Hang on."
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-14 05:48 am (UTC)"Whoops~" They murmur, completely unapologetically as they trace their hand down his spine, pressing up into his neck, parting their lips and then purposefully stilling, their breath teasingly warm against his throat. Well, Max did say he wanted to be tempted. And when he's got such a sensitive erogenous zone it'd be rude not to take advantage.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-14 12:22 pm (UTC)But for now he sat down on the couch, pulling on Max's tie for another kiss, because Max was a pretty good kisser and it gave him a bit of space to think of something. "Anything you don't want me doin? Hate to ruin the mood." He knew Max liked a spanking, but if Max was going to say "do what you want" he'd rather not bump into something that he really didn't like on accident. Corbin was too much of a people pleaser for that.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-15 01:19 am (UTC)Lucas' smile with no eyes pierces his heart. He can see what pain he's caused. But, he can't see the way out.
He takes the Medium's hand. "Lucas, I want to be with you. I want to share everything with you. But, if I'm going to become a person who can give you everything, I need to figure this out... I need some time." He squeezes in a way he hopes is reassuring.
Then he asks, in the lightest tone he can manage, "What are...lebkuchen?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-15 01:44 am (UTC)Hopefully.
"I don't mean to make this harder on you," He says instead, letting the moment pass him by, but squeezing with every ounce of sincerity he can into his hold around Max. It's just as plain to him that he's causing the man to hurt, too. "You know where to find me, if you need anything."
Taking a breath, he soldiers on. "It's like fluffy gingerbread. Might be fun to bake together sometime soon?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-15 03:09 am (UTC)"hhhhmm," he breathes, "you're cheating again..." He doesn't sound sorry either. "God help me if you find any of my other hots spots."
Maybe one day Rowan can interrogate them out of him.
"That's it. Now you're going to get it."
He flips around and sets Rowan down on the chair. Then he tosses his shirt away, and strips down his trousers and underwear too. (The tie stays.) Rowan can have a nice look at just what their teasing is doing for him, now, because that erection is waking back up.
"Time to get those pants off you," he says, already reaching to push up Rowans shirt to get access to them.
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-15 03:55 am (UTC)Right after he finishes this kiss because Corbin is also a great kisser and he could get very used to having this as his new regular order behind the bar.
All right, now he needed to answer that question. Which... should be easy, but now he was having trouble conjuring up anything specific to say.
"Well... I'm uh, not a feet guy. So, nothing with that? I'm just as good taking and receiving, so I leave that order of preference up to you." He means that. He's a true blue switch.
"Aaand, depending on how kinky you wanna go, a little pain is fun, but not to excess? You can keep pulling on my tie all day, though, I can't get enough of that." Hopefully, that would give Corbin something to work with.
"What about you? Since we're on the subject?"
(no subject)
Date: 2020-09-15 06:08 am (UTC)They arch their hips into his hands, allowing him to undo the flies and reveal the boyshorts underneath, the elastic held taut over their hips to to reveal a glimpse of the dark hair under. They don’t let him admire the view too long, though, but push him away and stand up. Turning around, they pull their shirts off and toss them away, then bend themself over the chair, presenting their arse to Max, the jeans moulding perfectly around it. “You going to give it to me?” They smirk, looking back at him over their shoulder.