Throne of Glass: unOrdinary Fanfic

(9) Benefit of the Doubt part 3

"Not very successfully though. Except for Isen. Ugh!" Stretching his legs out, he turned to look up at her, his pale golden doe eyes transformed from hard and annoyed to soft with adoration in a split second.

"If he's giving you trouble, I can convince him to back off." Seraphina offered, grabbing his hand that was still hovering in the air and entwining their fingers together. Warmth radiated from his palm, melting the bite from the lingering morning cold that had enveloped her fingertips.

Isen was a simp by default, so getting him to drop the story wouldn't be difficult. Or, she could just give him a quick interview and then he would have no more reason to bother her boy.

Either way it's a win win situation.

"That would be nice... but it's not necessary, I'll live." a pause, and then, "D*mn Sera your hand is freezing! Do you need me to get you some gloves? Or a jacket with pockets?" He swiftly grabbed her other hand, rubbing them in swift movements for friction. Bringing them to his mouth and cupping them against his lips, he softly breathed hot air to hopefully lessen the intensity of the pink areas of skin.

The smoldering crimson on her cheeks and nose had nothing to do with the icy drafts at this point.

"I will never say no to pockets, but I have some other ideas on how you can warm me up." Her eyes sparkled with mirth, a slyness to the quirk of her mouth. John, being the absolute dumba** that he is, blinked as the innuendo went over his head with a poorly hidden look of confusion.

"Seriously, down with pocket inequality. What's even up with that?"

Mental face palm number who the **** knows at this point. 'Oh John, I guess you still have a lot to learn... baby steps, baby steps.' Seraphina repeated it over and over like a mantra to preserve her sanity.

As they talked, the ravenette had gently guided her hands to the warmth inside his jacket, sliding her fingers under his vest until they were comfortably repose over his heart.

With his heartbeat still thundering, possibly from the exhilaration of running up four flights of stairs- but knowing John and his tendency to get overwhelmed so easily- plus the besotted puppy-dog eyes she guessed it was more likely a result of their close proximity. Seraphina felt the strong thrumming through his shirt and leaned forward slightly with a satisfied smile. It was this force of life beneath her fingertips, his powerful yet sensitive heart that so easily surrendered to her that made her want to pull him into a tight hug and never let go.

"You haven't even seen the worst of it. Half of my jeans have fake pockets, the audacity."

John gasped loudly in horror. "No, that can't be true."

"I wish it wasn't."

"D*mn... you know, if you wanted to wear pants instead of the skirt nobody would stop you." He suggested, nuzzling into the sliver of exposed skin on her leg after realizing that the cold had settled there too. At this point he was already making plans to pack her a portable heater, saints forbid he let her feel anything but safe, happy, and comfortable.

"Pffffff!" She suddenly erupted into poorly stifled giggles, squirming slightly.

"Sera?" Wait, she was ticklish here too?! John had discovered only a few places so far, her sides (the left slightly more sensitive than the right) and her feet. Whenever she puts her feet in his lap it's the ultimate sign of trust, and not to be taken lightly. The ravenette had attempted to seize the moment of opportunity once, and has since learned his lesson. In other words, she absolutely dominated him in a tickle fight which she had somehow managed to record.