#( int/ talia vasco. )

[blcssom]

it certainly wasn't the first time her impulses had gotten the better of her. in fact, it was something her therapist harped on fairly often in an attempt to get talia to admit to her self destructive tendencies, pointing out multiple instances where she had acted based on what she wanted or thought others wanted without stopping to consider the consequences of her actions. which didn't stop her from wanting to continue tasting the sticky, strawberry gloss mixed with roman's uncertain, hesitant tongue... but it did have her pausing for fear that pushing him too far might damage their relationship altogether. still, it was a relief to hear that he didn't want her to stop. "oh— well, you can if you want. it doesn't bother me, though." there was something about the way the makeup was smeared across his skin from their sloppy kisses that was both deeply erotic and endearing, but she could tell that the physicality alone was overwhelming for roman. "you can wash it off if it makes you feel more comfortable, but.... i don't think it's weird." her gaze remained locked on his lips as her thumb brushed beneath his lower lip to clean a streak of gloss. "i kinda like it, actually."

talking to a girl was difficult enough for roman to manage but touching one without freaking out was downright near impossible. his detachment from people his age couldn't be exaggerated, the moment that his parents realised he had a tendency for softness he'd been yanked back into the safety of home and coddled beyond belief. hell, his mother would lose her mind if she ever found out that he'd been letting a girl touch him, clearly talia wanted nothing but to corrupt him and leave him vulnerable, surely she couldn't actually care about him in any real way. "n-no, i- it's not that." the only thing that rivalled the terror of kissing talia was the fear of not being able to do it again. "i haven't- i mean, this is... shouldn't i take this off first?" with a trembling finger, he pointed up to his painted face, his lip-gloss now smeared around his mouth. "it's- i don't want to be weird..."

[blcssom]

the idea had excited her initially because none of the other men in her life had ever agreed before, but with each new swipe of color that graced his face talia couldn't help the way her grin grew wider, cheeks flushed with a giddy sort of admiration. "no, you don't, you look hot!" still kneeling in front of him her hands rose to cradle his face, tilting it back and from one side to the next so she could admire her handiwork. "wash it off?? ro, after all my hard work?" her lips fell into a pout, but the rest of her expression remained far too amused to be all that effective. "babe, i'm serious, i think you might look better than i do in this shadow.... which would piss me off if didn't look so fucking cute."

the word pretty shouldn't have affected him as deeply as it did, not when he felt like a clown with her makeup on, eyelids painted blue and a glossy, strawberry smelling lip gloss delicately applied to his lips. he'd only said yes to her doing it in the first place because it was an excuse to get close to her, to feel her breath against him as she leaned in close to fix any messy strokes, yet now he was left squirming on her bed, trying not to think too hard about why he liked the idea of being pretty. "i look stupid." he didn't need to see his reflection to know it was true and besides, it was easier to pretend like the whole thing was a big joke that he'd only gone along with to appease her. "can i go wash it off now?"

[blcssom]

it wasn't a surprise that the small gesture seemed to incapacitate him, but the adorably stunned gaze that remained fixed on her lips was almost enough to have her breaking into a giddy giggle. thankfully talia was able to curb the impulse, instead letting her lips curl into a coy smirk as her hands dropped to allow her fingers to curl around his hands before guiding them to her waist. "sorry, i should've given you more warning. i was worried that if i asked, though, you'd get nervous and take off running." but the small taste hadn't quite satisfied her, and her hands rose again to grab his face and draw him in for another, slightly prolonged kiss. "should i stop? if you don't want to, it won't hurt my feelings⸺ i just thought... well, it seemed like maybe you wanted me to...."

spending most of his life at home had allowed roman to be shielded from the good and bad that came with being around people. he'd been saved from any potential embarrassment that came with the tricky nature of human relationships but simultaneously been allowed to avoid any positive experiences either. he didn't know how to not be constantly on edge when introduced to someone knew, nothing felt natural and he was constantly stuck in his own head, rethinking every little movement he made and every word he spoke. his attraction to talia only made things worse, he wanted to tell her that she was beautiful and perfect and his dream girl in every imaginable way but nothing came out, he was rendered speechless more often than not, intimidated by her effortless confidence. before he had the chance to try and process anything she'd said, he was being pulled in for a kiss he was totally unprepared for, letting out a little squeak of surprise as his hands shot out by his side, fingers splayed in an involuntary show of innocence. if it was difficult to speak to her before, it was downright impossible now that he knew what her lips felt like against his own. there was nothing for roman to do but gawk at her, his face bright red and his eyes drawn down to her mouth.

[blcssom]

he was far from her usual type, but there was something about roman's quiet, earnest nature that appealed to talia. "no one's saying forever.... but you could, if you really wanted." which wasn't to say that she didn't understand the social implications he was referring to, but rather that tal would've been willing to shield him from them if it were something he really wanted. her cheeks flushed as he reflected the compliment back in her direction, warm laugh finally bubbling up from her chest as the pad of her thumb ran through the gloss she'd applied to his bottom lip. "i'm not so sure about that. you're just not used to thinking of yourself as someone who can be pretty." she shuffled forward a bit on her knees until she practically sitting in his lap, using the hold she maintained on his face to capture his lips in a quick kiss before he had the chance to pull away. it wasn't nearly as long as she would've liked, but long enough for some of the gloss to have rubbed off onto her own lips. "how does it look?"

with the limited interactions he'd had with women, roman found it nearly impossible to stand up for himself or worm his way out of situations he might've found uncomfortable. it was much easier to go ahead and comply and blame himself for being so awkward. his face grew steadily redder with each passing second that talia spent looking at him, her compliments only serving to make him even more flustered. "well, i- i can't wear it forever." he pointed out with his nervous gaze turned down, short nails digging into his cuticles as he picked at the dry skin there. he only turned his attention back up as the opportunity arose for him to be able to compliment her back, returning the focus onto her. "no, y-you'd look much better. you're- you're way prettier."