who: joshua and lullaby
where: school to lullaby's house
when: after school

Lullaby had gone back to school after she'd walked Sammy home. Which was probably weird, but she did it anyhow. She'd gotten back for last hour, not that she had paid the slightest bit of attention to it. Her mind was elsewhere, as she gazed out the window. Not even she could say where it had been, just that it was nowhere near Geometry. When class ended, she headed outside. She hadn't bothered to put her backpack back into her locker after the walk, so it was shrugged over one shoulder as she exited the building, walking slightly slower than everyone else. She was half looking for friends. Charlotte, Dean...maybe Isaac, even if she knew he wasn't going to be there. She had to look anyhow. Not seeing anyone she was looking for, she headed down the steps then off onto the side lawn away from the crowd, never really liking being in one in the first place.

Joshua had gone to the school to wait for her, about a half hour before it let out. He wasn't sure exactly where she'd be coming out of, but he wanted to be there for her. She was having a really hard time with everything, and it wasn't like he wasn't, but she was more important than he was. So, he'd sat on the side lawn where he'd met her for lunch until he heard the final bell ring, then gotten up to mill around and look for her. Which was kind of difficult, she was short, and there were a bunch of people around, but his roaming gaze caught her finally, breaking away from everyone. Joshua weaved through people and hurried toward her. He reached out and tugged on the loop-strap of her backpack to get her attention.

She stopped when she felt the tug, and turned around. She looked up at Joshua's face, then turned, immediately giving him a hug. And okay, maybe she should have waited for a second...like say, where they weren't going to be oggled by passersby but she needed it, and he was there, and she was stupidly happy to see him. It made her feel better in some ways, even if she couldn't fully describe them. Everything pretty much sucked, with a brief reprieve with her walk with Sammy, but it had all crashed back down again when she'd gotten back to school.

He didn't hesitate for a single second in hugging her back. He even went so far as to slip his arms in between her backpack and her back so he could really hug her, and lifted her up off the ground for a brief second. She was hugging him like she needed it just as much as he did. Joshua held on to her for as long as she'd let him, once again thinking the forces that be -- if there were such things -- that she hadn't disappeared with the rest of them. Selfish, yes, but he couldn't help it.

When he hugged her back, she felt slightly better. If nothing else, she felt like she was on more solid ground. Like the world didn't suck quite so much, because he was still around and there, and waiting for her. She drew in a deep breath, and had to smile a touch when he picked her up. Books and all she apparently wasn't that heavy. When he put her back down, she looked up at him. "I'm glad you're here." she said to him, because that needed saying. Sure, it was obvious, but yeah, articulation on that was really really necessary.

He smiled down at her. "I'm glad you're here too," he said. "I wasn't sure if you would go home or not." He leaned down to kiss her cheek and pulled away enough to take her hand and start to walk in the direction she'd been headed anyway. He knew she probably didn't want to just hang around the school, after all. "How are you?" he asked, looking over at her and signing with his free hand. He knew the answer wouldn't be a positive one, but he had to ask anyway.

She didn't want to be at the school, and therefore was grateful for the walk. And him holding her hand. It meant they couldn't sign as well, but after they were away from the crowd, he could probably hear her well enough anyhow. Plus she signed with her free hand as well. "Not so good. I mean, okay. But not really...okay." she explained. "Everyone's talking about it, and people keep saying they're dead." Which was bothering her to absolutely no end.

Joshua nodded solemnly. That was what he'd expected, it was big news in a town this size after all. Four missing kids -- and two adults, though he hadn't heard a word about them -- was a huge deal. And what with the murders that had just happened and everything ... yeah, dead was a logical conclusion, even if it was a heart-wrenching one. He gave her hand a squeeze and wished he had something helpful to say. He didn't. He wasn't even sure they weren't dead.

"I don't know what to do. I've gone through every book I got from Nevermore, and there's absolutely nothing on anything even remotely like this. Like, hey, no big disappearances, no missing tunnels or doors or anything, no magic presto changeo crap for whole groups of people vanishing. About the only thing I could really find on disappearances in weird circumstances was online, and that was just like, bermuda triangle crap, and Roanoke. And apparently, there's a Michigan Triangle too, but that's not like, up here where it would apply." Yes, she'd been going damn obscure with her research. It just hadn't done any good.

God he felt so helpless here. Joshua pivoted, still holding onto her hand, to walk backwards so she could read his lips better. "September said she would still be looking into it," he said, debating within himself on whether or not he wanted to tell her about the demonic presence that his guardian had felt. Would that just make things better? It had happened again outside, after ... yeah, so it wasn't one of the people who'd gone in there with them. "Maybe they're ... working on finding a way out. Like through other tunnels," he suggested almost sheepishly. It was a stretch.

She smiled a touch at him. She always thought it was cute when he walked backwards for her. Just adorable, and it had been a big part of why she'd fallen for him in the first place. He was genuinely sweet. "Maybe. But...it wasn't like the tunnel collapsed, it wasn't there anymore at all." she said. "So where did it go?" Not that he would have an answer. She tugged on his hand to stop him from backing into a yeild sign.

He followed her direction out of habit, moving to the side she tugged to so he wouldn't run into whatever he was about to run into. The little smile was good, he was hoping for more of those. Even though there was that underlying sadness to them that he hated to see on her. "I don't know," he said, as expected. "But maybe that's reason to hope even more." He wasn't sure how that worked, but it sounded okay.

"Maybe. I hope so. I'm just feeling really kinda...lost and useless." she said, sighing heavily. "I feel like there should be more I can do?" she suggested. "And I know that's stupid, because it's not like I'm special at all in the first place, and I don't know as much as like...everyone else, but I still feel like I should be able to do something. I really hate feeling like there's nothing I can do." She was a doer. It was why she'd started all of her research in the first place. Why she'd started looking up white magic. Because she refused to sit back and be ignorant and helpless. Yet right around now that's exactly how she was feeling anyways.

"I know," he said, giving her hand another squeeze. He wished that he could do something; that he was some sort of useful supernatural. But no, all he had was a stupid curse and some TK that was still coming along. He really wasn't sure how to help her, but he wanted to. Which pretty much put both of them in the same position, just with different targets. "We can't be the only ones looking, so maybe ... maybe somebody else knows someone who can really help."

"We can hope, right?" Lullaby said, attempting to sound positive. Though really--there had been a lot of people there. A lot. One of them had to know something, right? Hell, even Dorian had been there, and if anyone would be able to figure this out, it was him. So in the end, she wasn't that hopeful. But she wanted to be, so she was going to pretend for right now. "I'm not gonna give up." she added. More of a confirmation for herself than a statement for him, really, she nodded to affirm it. She wasn't going to think anyone was dead until she got proof they were. End of story.

Because he didn't know what else to do, Joshua stopped walking. In front of her, so that she ran into him, but he had a leg out behind himself, so that was okay. He turned it into a tight hug, dropping his lips to the top of her head. He didn't tell her what he'd promised September he would, and that was that she couldn't go back there. Or that he didn't want her to, at least. It sort of ... wasn't the time. He just held onto her for a minute and kissed her head and wished he wasn't so stupid at this crap.

It was kind of abrupt, but she didn't mind. She hugged him back, and buried her face in his chest as she drew in a deep breath. She drew in his scent, and let it out slowly, trying to regain some sort of calm or positive outlook. She was usually so good at that, but eesh. Joshua-hugs helped. So did him just kind of solidly being there. There, and not disappeared somewhere. When she pulled back, she looked up at him, pushed up on her tiptoes, and kissed him. Not as involved a kiss as she would have liked, maybe, but they were kinda sorta in public on a side street, and that probably wasn't the best thing to be doing.

He kissed her back, not really minding that it wasn't as intense as it could've been. Joshua offered her a faint smile and took her hand again, turning to walk properly as they headed back toward her house. He didn't particularly want to go there, especially if he'd have to leave her there and go home, but he didn't know where else they could go. Besides Journey's house, but ... yeah, she might not be keen on that idea. Worry about missing friends in the home of her best friend who was just as absent. He just walked in silence, a small line between his eyebrows as he watched the sidewalk.

She let the silence go on for a while, just...being with him. Reassuring herself that not everything was fucked up, that she still had him, and that was something. And they'd just figure the other things out. And then everything would be fine. Really it would. The back of her mind tried to put in a nasty little 'until the next crisis happens' but she steadfastly ignored the shit out of it. That wasn't the way she normally thought, it was a product of circumstance. "Joshua, are you okay?" she asked, looking over at him as they walked. "I mean I know I'm sucking right now. Are you okay?" She knew he was being strong with her anyways. Something she appreciated greatly. But still.

He glanced over at her, a little surprised by the question. Even though he shouldn't have been. He wasn't sure how to answer for a minute. "Yeah, I'm ... okay," he said. She'd see right through it, of course, because he wasn't, really. But there was no help for it, and he hadn't even known the kids. Just the thought that she'd been that close to something like that happening ... even though he'd been right there with her ... it just made him sick to his stomach. And she'd put the whole thing together for him, more or less. He just didn't know at all how to articulate all that. She shouldn't be fretting over him, that was his job here. "It just ... the whole thing sucks."

She nodded. "Yeah it does." she agreed. "But..." Yeah, she didn't by the 'okay' thing. "The dreams are over, right? Neither you, Dean or Charlotte has said they're still going, but..I dunno. This whole thing's a mess, and I know you didn't like...know Isaac and everyone, but I know you." And he wasn't the type of guy who'd not care.

"The dreams are over," he said with a nod. That was something, at least, even though he hated the idea that people had to ... disappear to get it done or something. Joshua glanced over at her again. "It's on my mind," he admitted. "But you don't need anything else to worry about. Like ... ever, so. It's okay, I can deal." He stopped himself from delving into how glad he was that she was okay. She probably didn't need to hear that right now.

Lullaby gave him a bit of a Look, wrinkling her nose. "Um, yeah that's not gonna happen." she told him, giving his hand a squeeze as well. "I'm going to worry about you. "That won't ever really stop. And I know that it's not like it's just me who's dealing here, y'know? It's everyone. I just don't want your stuff to get ignored." What she didn't say was that her mind was also still on his recent attack. And just because the water had healed away all evidence of it didn't mean it had cleared his mind of anything to do with that.

He'd known that that would be her answer, or along the lines of, and it made him smile a bit. It was part of what he -- (loved) -- liked about her. When Lu cared about people, she did it full-throttle. It made him want to stop and hug her again, but at that rate, he'd never get her home. "Well you're not the only one who worries, you know. You've had so much dumped on you ... like some gods somewhere decided it was the month to shit on Lullaby, and I worry about you. So ... my stuff's okay. I want to be around for you, for what you need." Which would probably be thwarted just as easily as what he'd just said too, but he had to say it anyway.

She smiled at him, this one a lot more just for him. A 'I have the best boyfriend in the world' look. "Then we're both in trouble." she pointed out. "Because we're both gonna be all worried about each other." And that, she was sure was going to be an ongoing thing. Even after Isaac and the others were found. "But that's okay, we're stuck with one another. I think that's a good thing." They were starting to get closer to her house, and she vaguely had the feeling like she didn't want their time to be over yet. She also kinda wanted to be alone with him. But the thought of going to Journey's house was a little much for her right then. "You coming over?" she asked instead.

"I'm totally okay with being stuck with you," Joshua told her, giving her a smile. He glance dup the street to where her house was looming, and then back to her. "If you want me too, yeah," he said, smile turning a little sheepish. Even if everything was sucking so hardcore, he wanted to spend as much time with her as he possibly could. Needed to, really.

"Silly boy." she accused. "Of course I do." There was a bit of a need on her end too. Really, his presence helped, made her feel slightly better. She'd take all she could get right now, and on the other side of that, she felt like she hadn't gotten to see him lately. Which as totally stupid because she had. But it was like at the party. Where things felt like she hadn't gotten any time with him. Or enough time. "I'd really like you to come hang out for a while." she added, and it was possible she blushed faintly, and looked mildly sheepish herself.

That made him really smile at her. He leaned over and gave her a smooch on the cheek, happy in that purely simple way that his girlfriend wanted to spend time with him. "I'll hang around for as long as you want," he assured her. "Until you kick me out." Which would hopefully be never. Though he knew he couldn't exactly spend the night or anything. She did have parents. He would've sympathized with the feeling that they hadn't seen enough of each other. He had that himself.

If it was up to her, she wouldn't kick him out at all. And would make sure the floor was made up so they could sleep on it. She was pretty sure that if they slept on a bed, he'd managed to fall out. Though he'd done pretty good at Journey's house--but that was a much bigger bed. And she should probably not be letting her mind drift there. "How about til my parents kick you out?" she suggested. "Cuz if I'm the sole call here, you wouldn't be going home any time soon."

Not going home ever sounded perfect to Joshua. He wanted to sleep with her again, badly. Just curl up somewhere warm with pillows and doze off. The night before had been full of uninterrupted, non-traumatic, wonderful sleep for him, but it lacked a Lullaby. She made everything better, and that had included the nap they took. Or he took. But she'd been there. And his thoughts were wandering. "Works for me," he told her with a smile as they approached her driveway.

She tugged him along after her as she walked up the drive, then the walk to the door. Her parents had been kinda sorta hovery since everything had happened, sticking around the house just in case she needed something. They would still be at work for a little bit though. That was good, she wanted some time alone with him. "Mom and dad probably won't be home for a while." she told him as she unlocked the door and let them inside. She wouldn't put it past either of them to come home from work early, however.

He didn't feel a shred of guilt for the oh thank God that passed through his mind at hearing that her parents weren't home. At least for a little while, he'd have her to himself, which was something he really really wanted. As soon as they were really inside and the door was shut behind them, he reached out and pulled her backpack off her shoulders to set it down, giving her a soft little smile. "Is it dumb to miss you when you've been around?" he asked, signing the bits he knew.

Lullaby gave him a little smile at that, and it might have had a touch of relief to it. "No. Cuz I feel the same way. It just kinda...seems like I haven't actually gotten to see you at all, or spend real time with you or whatever. So you're missed, even though I've seen you like, every day." They'd just been too busy to talk, or hang out, or make out or anything. Which were all important things, in her book.

That was good to hear. Joshua smiled back a little wider. She felt the same way. His brain latched on to that and stuck it behind something else he could've said, and how awesome would that be to hear? Terribly awesome. But he wasn't going to potentially ruin the bit of time they had together by saying it. There'd be a time, maybe, and now wasn't it. He wasn't sure if they were staying there or going to her room, so he just stood and looked at her and waited for her lead.

Lullaby opted for her room. Because the living room was nice and all, but she liked her room better. So, taking his hand she started to tug him along behind her, careful not to trip him or anything along the way to her room. When they got inside of it, she shut the door behind them, feeling like that adequately shut out the entire rest of the world. It was a good theory, in her opinion.

He didn't trip, luckily. It was always a good five minutes when Joshua didn't trip. He, too, had the nice feeling that they were cut off and safe from the rest of the world when she shut the door. Which was mildly ridiculous, but hey, he wasn't going to complain. He squeezed her hand and pulled her in close to wrap his arms around her and nuzzle his cheek to her head. His sweet Lullaby.

She smiled at that, happy to have the hugs. She hugged him back, and felt more relaxed now. Now if she wanted to kiss him, she totally could. And make it the kind of kiss she really wanted to be giving him. It made sense in her head. She didn't immediately though, instead just taking a few minutes to let a little of the tension bleed out of her frame. It didn't all go by a long shot, but it was better than it had been.

Joshua could feel it, focused on her as he was, and we glad for it. He gave her a gentle squeeze and pulled back to toe out of his sneakers. Which threw him off-balance for a second, but a quick-reflexed hand to one side against the wall caught him and he flashed her a grin. "Let's go lay down," he said, reaching for her hand again and glancing up at her eyes. For the bit of time they had, anyway.

Lullaby had immediately reached out to steady him, as she was starting to kick her own shoes off. Then she heard that, and she liked the sound of it. A lot, really. So she finished ditching her shoes, then let him lead her to her bed, where she laid down--making sure he was next to the wall. No more repeats of him clocking his head on her nightstand. Which she'd actually moved a little farther away since that night. She curled up with him, even more of the tension starting to seep out of her. While she didn't say anything, she was watching him, brown eyes locked onto his features, as if she were trying to memorize him there.

He went with her, settling in on his side with his back to the wall, one arm tucked under his head while the other draped over her. It was soothing, laying there with her, and he really hoped her parents would stay gone for a while. Even if she didn't feel like kissing or anything, he liked being there with her, in their own little world. Joshua didn't say anything either, just looked back at her. After a moment, his hand moved to cup her jaw, thumb sliding lightly over her cheekbone. I love you, he thought at her for the billionth time.

She continued to watch him, a little smile tugging at the edges of her lips. Almost like she heard his thought, even if she didn't. Moving, she got a little closer, then shut her eyes to kiss him. It was really light, almost hesitant but not quite. There was, however, a lot behind it. She was having a very emotionally out of whack time right now, and there was a big part of her that felt guilty every time she even so much as smiled. But right this very second, there wasn't really anything she could do. Not her, not with the way she was without any abilities and the like. Even her just knowing about the weird didn't help because she didn't know that much. But she kissed him anyways, feeling a deep seeded need for it.

Joshua kissed her back, just as light and gentle. He couldn't conceive of anything in the world that would make him not want to kiss her, but that didn't mean that he could assume that she was gung-ho about making out or anything. It was her pace and timing to set, however she wanted to do it. His fingers spread over her back with gentle pressure, feeling the heartbeat from the other side of her ribs. He moved his lips over her's, putting all of his focus into absorbing the softness and memorizing it.

Lullaby drew it out, as long as she could before she needed to breathe. When she did so, she rested her forehead against his. "...I'm glad nothing happened to you." she said, quietly, even for her. It was almost inaudible, but she hoped he heard her. She also felt a little guilty about feeling that way, but she definitely did. She'd be going even more crazy if he'd just...disappeared.

He did hear her, since they were so close together, and he smiled very faintly. At least one of them had said it. "I'm glad nothing happened to you too," he said. He didn't pull back, he wasn't sure if she could see his lips very well from there. Stupid having to choose between cuddling or communicating. He stroked her back with his thumb. "I don't know if I could deal if it did," he added in a murmur.

She caught the gist of what he was saying, even if she didn't necessarily get it word for word. It was enough though to understand him. "I think I'd be going completely crazy by now." she offered for her end of things. Because she so would have been. The more she thought about it the more she knew that yeah. She'd be doing spectacularly badly right now. She kissed him again, still light but with an underlying thread of desperation to it. God what awful thoughts. Nothing was allowed to happen to him. Like, ever.

Joshua had a feeling that 'going completely crazy' would just be the tip of his ice berg. It was amazing how he hadn't known her six months ago, and now he couldn't picture his life without her. He wasn't sure exactly what had made him fall so hard. Besides just ... her. He shifted in a bit closer, pulling her in lightly against him as he kissed her back with the same feeling underneath. Nothing was allowed to happen to her. Ever.

Lullaby didn't draw back from it. She deepened it, the whole desperation thing rising up as more than an undertone. Like she needed the honest to god physical reassurance that he was okay and there and totally not disappeared someplace they didn't even know where. It seemed to blindside her, like she'd been trying not to think about things that way, and now that she was, it was overwhelming.

He responded in kind, feeling the heat creep up into his neck. It was like the time after their first visit to the mine, when he all of the sudden couldn't keep his hands off of her as soon as they were alone. This overpowering sense of relief. It was darker now, because there were people that things had happened to, but it was still very much there. He kissed her with more force, hand sliding down to her lower back to hold her close.

She gasped in a breath when she needed it, going fully with the change in everything. They probably didn't have a whole lot of time til one of the parents got home, but she was going to make full use of all of it, if she had her way. Her fingers drifted into his hair, as part of her mind dedicated itself to thinking up ways to get closer to him. One of which presented itself as she drew her knee up his thigh, and was half wondering if she wanted him on his back, or she wanted him to push her onto hers.

Joshua made a faint noise into her mouth that he completely couldn't help as she lifted her leg that way. A very distant and quiet part of him wondered if this wasn't kind of fucked up of them to do, but he readily ignored it. He needed it. They needed it, maybe. He dragged in air when he could, going right back into kissing her like something essential depended on it. His one free hand slid lightly down over the curve of her ass to rest on the back of her raised thigh.

The messed up of it all would occur to Lullaby later. Though it was a whole big mess of relief and desperation going on between she and Joshua, and it had everything to do with the events around them. She really let everything else drop away quickly, even thoughts of her parents, figuring he'd hear it when they got home. It wasn't as if they'd immediately head straight for her room or anything. Pulling away only when she needed to breathe, she did so and then started kissing the underside of his jaw, towards his neck. She felt overheated already, like there were too many clothes.

That felt really good, sending little shivers of pleasure coursing down into his gut. He wanted to push her back, roll on top of her, but that was possibly too much of a recipe for disaster right now. There was too much in him to satisfy to risk falling off the bed or something stupid like that. Instead he bit at his bottom lip as he snaked his arm back around her and rolled the other way. There was a wall there, that was okay. He pulled her on top of him, immediately liking her weight on him. That and it gave him plenty of room to touch her, which he started in on without hesitation.

That worked for her. That really worked for her. And hey, they were still all next to the wall and he was safe. In theory. And until that theory was proven wrong, that was her story and she was sticking to it, damnit. She shifted immediately, straddling him, and she decided she'd breathed enough in the interim to go back to kissing him again like she needed it to live. Which was exactly what she did.

He kissed her back like he was starving, both hands sliding down over her back and hips restlessly. God, she felt so good there. Joshua arched his neck to put pressure into the kiss, nipping a bit. He pushed up instinctively with his hips, totally lost in what they were doing, all thoughts of the potential arrival of parents a million miles away.

She made a sound, and remembered that oh yeah...she really really liked that. Why did it feel like it had been forever since they'd gotten a chance to do this? It hadn't really been that long, had it? Still, that's what it felt like, and she was bowled over by the entire experience. She liked the nip to her lip and did it back, while she pushed back down against him.

Joshua made his own sound, a low groan as she returned the pressure. Because that? Felt incredible. Why hadn't he been blessed with the ability to like ... make clothes disappear or something? He wanted to feel her, really wanted her skin against his. Naked was a bad and terrible idea right then, but that didn't make him want it any less. He slipped his hands up under the hem of her shirt to slide them over her bare ribs.

Lullaby was really a fan of him touching her like that. That whole skin thing, his hands on places that didn't usually get touched like that, and she craved more of it. She pushed against him again, possibly a little more insistently, wishing for more. She was aware of the fact that erm yeah that was all really bad to be desiring at this point in time, but she couldn't help it. Everything felt good right then, and it stood out in sharp contrast to everything horrible she'd been feeling lately. It made everything that much sharper for her, making it all stand out clearly.

She was making it very hard to think any sort of clearly. Not that he'd been doing such a good job of that anyway, but when she did that ... it made him feel like she wanted him just as badly. And that made everything infinitely better and worse at the same time. He got one leg up a little bit and used the leverage to grind against her harder, kissing her with even more intensity, if such a thing was possible. If it was in the middle of the day? Or they were at Journey's? She'd be losing some clothes. His fingers curled into the elastic of her bra in an unthinking pained little gesture.

When he did that, the harder thing, it got another sound out of her. Louder than she quite realized, not that she was paying that much attention to that kind of thing in the first place. She was far too distracted with everything else. God, she wanted to get rid of clothes. Like, if they could both lose their shirts around now? That'd be awesome. And from there... Some part of her brain told her to stop thinking about that kind of thing because they weren't really in a position to do any of that. It really didn't win out though in the battle of the very loud voice of Hormones. It was a tiny, distant voice that she easily ignored, which was proven a moment later when she did tug her shirt off.

And then, like some blessing from the gods, there were boobs. They were covered boobs, and small, but boobs nonetheless. His girlfriend was shirtless and straddling him and grinding and his heart was beating way too hard but he couldn't care. Because she was perfect and gorgeous and for some unfathomable reason, she was with him. They had some time, right? A little bit of time? Joshua half-sat up, abs clenching as he curled to start to worship her chest. One hand left her to prop him up with an elbow as he nuzzled and kissed along the line of the cup of her bra.

She liked that. And kinda sorta wished getting rid of her bra was as easy as the shirt thing. Also, she wanted his shirt gone. So she could press her chest up against his, and feel their skin together. She knew she still felt overheated, and was thinking he probably did too, and it would be nice to feel it. Her arms went around his neck, half holding him there where he was, liking the attention. Which didn't mean she didn't push against him again, because that was important.

God, the urge to just hold her down in his lap and start dry-humping her was getting stronger every time she did that. His cheeks burned at the thought, but he honestly couldn't help it. She was driving him insane. He was more interested in her chest than his own, so didn't make a move to lose his own shirt. His free hand moved up, one finger hooking into her bra cup and pulling it to one side. Feeling lightheaded and indeed too hot, he slid his tongue against her nipple with a soft exhaled groan. Okay ... they had to stop soon. Really. Just ... not yet. But soon.

A violent shudder went through her at that. She couldn't tell if it was the most awesome thing in the world that such tiny things could have such a huge effect, or it was unfair he could do that to her with like...little to no effort. Also, him doing that had her wanting to get rid of the bra even more. Insanely more. Because just damn, she wanted to go with all of this. As she arched closer to him and pushed hard against him, she made another sound. Again, louder than she realized. That was the trouble with not being able to properly guage sound...

The sound she made twisted his stomach around in the best sort of way, and all sorts of wonderful things to do to her flashed across the surface of his mind. Like flipping them and putting her underneath him. Like yanking her jeans off of her and getting his zipper down and ... "God," he breathed, pulling back from where he'd been sucking on and tasting her skin. He was going to kick his own ass righteously later, but he had to stop. Joshua looked up into her face, eyes all heat and helpless yearning. "I can't, Lu, I gotta -- ... gotta stop," he panted, trying to make sure his lips moved the right way.

She looked down at him, her eyes pretty much matching his. Heavy lidded, heated, wanting. The last thing in the world she wanted to do was stop. But he'd said so, so that meant she had to. Really she did. Totally. And that would involve her getting off of him. She didn't quite yet though, just looking into his eyes and kinda sorta hoping everything she was feeling was articulated there. Her cheeks were flushed, she was having a lot of trouble getting her breathing under control, and her heart was thudding in her chest. I want you. It was right there in her mind, on the tip of her tongue. The only thing that stopped her from saying it was that she knew how insanely unfair it would be.

He could see it, the desire there in her eyes, and it just made him ache for her all the more. He made a small movement, as though he was going to start kissing her again, but managed to stop himself. How, he had no idea. "I want you so bad," he told her, looking into her eyes and articulating what she hadn't. As if it weren't obvious from where she was sitting. "It's just ... not the right time. And your parents ..." He wet his lips and tossed a glance at the door, half-expecting to see her dad standing right there. He wasn't, of course, they weren't home yet, but still. Joshua's eyes ticked back to her and he shook his head a bit. It was a matter of control, and keeping it, and he didn't feel so good at that.

Lullaby managed a nod, acknowledging, yes, she agreed, it wasn't the right time. Not that she knew what a right time would be. But still. Yes, she got it. She reached up, to put her palms to his cheeks, and she gave him a light, soft kiss that she really had to fight to keep it just that. It was far more difficult than she ever would have wanted to admit. "I want you too." she said, because now that he'd said it, she really figured he needed to hear that she wanted the same thing.

A soft whimper escaped Joshua's throat at that. Of course he'd want her, he was the hormonal teenage male of the two of them. But to actually hear that she wanted him back ... He couldn't keep the kiss soft. Just really couldn't. He inhaled sharply through his nose and kissed her back, hard and desperate, as if he could make the reality of why they couldn't do anything go away just by doing that. It wouldn't work, of course, but he couldn't help himself as both arms wrapped around her again. He fell back against the pillows with her held close to his chest.

When he did that, she really didn't have the willpower to back it off again. Hell, he'd been the one to do that in the first place, and she hadn't really wanted to. So she fell with him, and kissed him back, throwing everything into it. Desperation, urgency, passion, heat, desire, everything. She wasn't even sure where it had all come from, but it was damn well there now. In an entirely unignoreable form, which was a really, really bad thing right now. And yet she couldn't help it.

See, that's why you were stopping a minute ago, some part of his brain piped up, which he completely ignored. Joshua matched her with projected feeling, heart jack hammering in his chest. When he absolutely had to pull back to breathe, it was just a short gasping inhale before he was kissing her again. So much for having some semblance of control of himself.

Well, if he wanted to stop, that wasn't the way to get it done. Because all it did was make her want even more to get rid of his shirt, keep going on what they were doing, and see how far they took it. She kept pushing down against him, because she loved the way it felt. She liked feeling him. Goddamnit, her parents were going to be home soon. And yet she still just couldn't quite stop.

They could like ... lock the door, right? Get into the closet, be really quiet, just pretend that she wasn't home yet. Because that would totally work and wouldn't at all look suspicious when she didn't arrive home, just walked out of her room at some point. Maybe her parents would have to work late, or decide to go out to dinner, or maybe they could go to his place or something that would allow them some fucking time. He kept pushing back, kissing her for all he was worth, feeling that tingling tension do nothing but grow.

She really was feeling the tension as well, god, why weren't they someplace else? Like, Journey's house, say? Sure, half an hour ago she hadn't really wanted to go there, but right now she would have given a great deal to be able to teleport them there. There they could just...give in. The thought made her nervous and excited at the same time, even if there was absolutely no possibility of that happening right now.

He'd been right about it not being The Right Time. For That. As much as he desperately wanted to make love to her -- and as stirred up as his hormones were at the moment -- it wasn't right. She wouldn't want it later, with everything else ... going on. But that didn't mean there couldn't be something, right? Please? She was a small girl, and everything was in pretty easy reach, he found as he slid a hand down her back. It curled around and worked into the hottest part between them, pressing up against her through her clothes.

Lullaby gasped, not having really expected that, but it sure as hell wasn't a bad thing. In fact, he could do that again. Like, any time now. Repeatedly, even. It tensed up her entire frame, but not a bad way. Her arms around his neck tightened, and she felt like everything inside of her hesitated, waiting. Like even her heart was skipping beats in anticipation.

It was sort of awkward, but ohgod so good, because she wasn't stopping him like the last time he'd gotten close to touching her. Sure it was just over-jeans groping, but still. She was so warm. Like, burning up. He did it more, rubbing against her as he broke the kiss of to breathe and turn mouth-attention on her neck.

It might have been good that he wasn't kissing her right then, because she gasped in again, and shuddered, making a low sound in her throat that she didn't hear at all. She sank her teeth into her lower lip, and wondered just how long they had. Because really, she knew that they really should have stopped when he said to. Wait, why hadn't they? That was something she probably should have contemplated, but didn't what with the distraction.

They hadn't because Joshua couldn't resist her. Especially not shirtless and straddling him. That seemed to get a good reaction out of her, so he kept doing it. It was probably unlikely, but if he could get her off? That would be awesome. Like, world-ending awesome. Though it was hard to hear over his breathing and her's, he tried to keep an ear out for anybody coming home. Joshua nipped at her neck, loving every sound she made.

She made another soft sound, and pushed against him, like she could feel more that way. She buried her face in his neck, and after he nipped at her neck, she followed suit, tasting his skin after she did so. She had to be careful not to leave a mark or anything, but that didn't mean she couldn't pay some attention, right? Right.

He let out a low sound of his own, loving the feel of her teeth on him. He shifted his shoulders a little bit to get an even better reach. Not that he really knew what the hell he was doing, but she seemed to like it, so he wasn't going to stop. His hips moved instinctively, pushing against where he could.

Him not knowing what he was doing wasn't really Lullaby's opinion. To her, everything he was doing was just perfect. And it would be even more perfect, if only they could lose more clothing. Then everything would be beyond perfect. She was starting to get the urge to touch him. Really touch him, not just push down against him when he pushed up against her. She was a bit too nervous to try it at current(not to mention distracted), but it was there.

Joshua was about to give that whole lack of clothes thing a try. Or at least, try to turn them and get his hand under her clothes. Because he sure as hell wanted to touch her. This was the heaviest petting he'd ever done, and ... it was Lullaby. He wanted to make her feel as good as possible. But all of the sudden a specific sound cut through everything. The back door opening. Someone was home. Shit. Fuck me, shit shit shit. He startled a bit and pulled back to look at her. "They're home," he barely breathed, but was sure to mouth correctly. At least there was only one bit of clothing that wasn't where it was supposed to be.

Lullaby gave an immediate reaction, which was to give the most frustrated growl she'd ever done in her life, as she buried her face against his chest for a moment, and cursed the world for a good minute. A string of swears that normally would have made her blush ellicited from her mouth in a soft whisper, and her hands balled into fists in his shirt. "Goddamnit." she finished with feeling, before she sat up, slid off of him, and grabbed her shirt to yank over her head in a massively frustrated and disgruntled manner. It was the angriest dressing ever.

To his credit, he only let the highly amused grin flash when her back was turned. He was just as frustrated, but seeing her so pissed off about it was ... kind of funny. In a very warm and pleasing way. He sat up himself to straighten his shirt out and -- without ceremony -- dipped his hand into his jeans to adjust himself into a less obvious position. Joshua then scooted to the edge of the bed as he heard someone sort of puttering around in the kitchen and looked to her for any sort of cue. Like if he should bail out the window or not.

She gave a sullen, pouty look at the door, then him, as she reached out, grabbed his shirt by a handfull, and pulled him closer to kiss him. It was just a normal kiss, but she felt like she had to do something. "Guess I should go say hi." she said, sounding like she'd been asked to walk the plank or something. "You...need a minute?" she asked, and it was the first hint of a smirk on her lips at that.

He had to grin back at her for that. "Yeah," he said, drawing it out with a chuckle. "Me and standing? Not friends right now." He rubbed his palms on his jeans, still somewhat flushed and ... god she looked good. She should really just shut the door and come back to bed and take her shirt back off. " ... they won't mind me here, y'think? I can go out and around and knock on the door like I wasn't just corrupting their daughter."

Lullaby blushed then. Why that should make her blush after what they'd been doing she had no idea, but she never claimed to make sense. But there it was. "...sure I wasn't corrupting you?" she asked, smiling in a shyish sort of manner, before she stood up. "And no it's fine. As long as they don't know what we were just doing, you're all good." she informed him. She paused as she stood in front of him, looking down at him, and she leaned down to speak softly into his ear. "And you are...all good, I mean." she informed him. Because that was vitally important information, and he totally needed to know right now.

It was vitally important information. It felt like it anyway, as his back broke out in gooseflesh from her breathy words in his ear. With her doing shit like that, he really wasn't sure who was corrupting whom. The feeling went straight down into his groin. Maybe it was just mutual, because he followed a risky impulse just then. He reached out and slipped a couple of fingers between her legs and pressed up, just a quick stroke of pressure. The knowledge that one of her parents was in the kitchen made his cheeks flare, but just made it better, for some reason. "So're you," he said, pulling back so she could read that and he could look at her eyes.

It got an immediate little gasp, a soft sound, breathed into his ear. Damnit damnit damnit. This was far more difficult to walk away from than she ever would have thought. It wasn't like she was a girl driven by hormones usually. Other girls were, sure, but not her. She'd never even had a boyfriend til now. She bit her lower lip as she looked down at him, her eyes heavy lidded again. Then she made another little frustrated sound, and thunked her forehead against his. "Stopping...stopping...must go greet the parents..." and wow was she ever saying that out loud just to convince herself.

Joshua knew he was just torturing the both of them, but it was worth it for that little gasp. Very much worth it. He took his hand away again, though he didn't much want to, and reached up with the other one to cup the side of her face. He tilted his head enough to kiss her in a soft way and pulled back again with a faint -- and only slightly sheepish -- grin. "Go greet," he told her. "I'll be right behind you." Because really, he was going to pull her down into his lap again if she didn't go right then.

She kissed him back, really kinda wanting to get back onto his lap, and do all sorts of things, but grr. Parents. So with massive reluctance that was very clear on her face, she backed away from him. "See you in a few." she promised, then drew in a heavy breath, let it out slowly, and turned to go say hi to whoever was home...while trying not to be too bitter that she'd been interupted from the best thing ever.