I'm Fine, Honest (Dare/Michael)

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare winced at the sudden pain of pressure against his burned skin, even the slightest motion of cloth an abrasion he could hardly stand. He made a low noise of discomfort, his back arching reflexively away from Michael's hands before he'd even realized what he was doing. Dare's hand left Michael's hair and dropped, catching one of Michael's arms and guiding it lower, down to where the burn wasn't quite as bad, where he thought he could ignore it. Then he tried to move back into the kiss.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's arms dropped and he pulled away, his eyes hazy and confused. Then he remembered the bright red of Dare's neck and how he had pulled away the day before when Michael had touched his back. He whispered a low I'm sorry before turning back to the kiss, determinedly keeping his hands low on Dare's back and sides to keep from hurting him.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had thought for a moment that he'd ruined everything, that he should have just ignored it. He'd parted his lips to tell Michael not to be sorry, that he'd been the idiot who'd forgotten sunblock, but before he had a chance to speak, Michael was kissing him again, and Dare forgot all about it. He started to shift, started to rise up to press against Michael, but stopped himself, reminding himself that he wasn't pushing today, that he was waiting and enjoying. It was hard to do, though, and he only ended up putting more energy into the kiss.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael let his hands move around Dare so that his arms were wrapped low around his waist as he searched for more contact without hurting Dare. He shifted towards Dare, pulling him closer by his arms wrapped around him, and deepened the kiss. He flattened his hands out over Dare's back, trying to find a way to keep them from roaming while his mind was trying so very hard to run away from him.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

It was driving Dare crazy holding so much back. He'd gotten used to just touching Michael, kissing him, letting it happen, and waiting for Michael to make a move only increased the tension he felt. Michael was being so gentle with him, and though he loved Michael for it, that was driving Dare crazy, too. He took a quick breath and shifted, groaning at the stinging pain as he pressed his chest firmly to Michael's. He needed just that little bit, and it was worth the pain for having gotten to do it.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael's eyebrows came together and even though Dare hadn't pulled away, quite the opposite, he had heard the sound again. His arms unwrapped from Dare's waist and settled on his sides, pushing gently to bring the space back. A few seconds later he broke the kiss. "If that burn hurts that bad..." he said softly, trailing off as he raised an eyebrow. Though his body told him that Dare would be fine and that there was nothing to worry about, Michael couldn't go on.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare could have growled with frustration, and it showed on his face. He wanted Michael, and he didn't want to let his own discomfort stand in the way, as irrational as that reasoning might have been. "It's not that bad," he lied, telling himself it was the truth. Dare leaned toward Michael again, bringing their lips together despite his earlier insistence that he wouldn't lead.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael took in a breath at Dare, at the look on his face, the lie, the sudden return of the kiss. He wanted to pull away, to keep Dare from being in pain, but it was hard to pull away when the kiss was so intense. His hands tightened in their places and he pushed slightly, the motion completely at odds with his mouth's continued return of the kiss.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare let Michael keep him at a distance for now; just taking control had helped lessen the tension a bit. It didn't last forever though, and Dare found himself cursing his sunburn. Then, impulsively, his hands dropped, caught Michael's, and made a move to push them to his lower back again. He wanted Michael to touch him, he wanted to press against Michael. He'd ignore the sting of his skin if he had to.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael tensed his arms and refused to let Dare try to do anything different, he was willing to kiss him, but he wasn't going to do something that he knew was going to hurt Dare. He knew he was going to be in just as much pain soon enough and he, for one, didn't plan on putting himself through unnecessary pain, so he didn't intend to let Dare do it either.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

There was no moving Michael's hands and arms, Dare realized quickly enough. His brows knitted, and he gave one last useless motion against Michael's arms, then raised his hands to spear into the hair at either side of Michael's head. With only one outlet, he poured everything into kissing Michael senseless.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael relaxed when Dare gave up on his arms, but the relaxation was short-lived as he was instantly whisked away by the kiss. He soon felt as though he were holding on to sanity and his hands tightened at Dare's sides, clinging to the last little bit of his mind that he needed to make sure Dare didn't try to move again.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare wanted more already--again--and part of his mind whispered that it was dangerous, that he needed to back down now, before he did something he might regret. He ignored that voice for a while, focusing on all the pleasure of a dizzying kiss, but the voice began to whisper louder in response, until Dare couldn't shake it off anymore. He knew he couldn't take more, couldn't have more, and so he fought against himself, struggling to slow down.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael felt Dare trying to slow down, however slow he was moving, and, while he mourned the loss of the kiss, worked with him to get down off of the high that they seemed to get on so easily together. He forced himself to loosen his grip on Dare's sides and spread his hands out over the wrinkled cloth as he tried to convince his blood to calm.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

When the kiss finally broke, Dare couldn't seem to open his eyes. He didn't want to pull away, didn't want to let reality return. So he nuzzled lightly against Michael's cheek, part apology for whatever had come over him, part thanks for Michael's strength and silent reminder that Dare loved him. He winced slightly at the pain of his nose brushing against Michael's skin, then sighed and straightened. "Next time I'm bringing sunscreen," he muttered under his breath.