Envy's Apartment, The Hegemony Compound, Ribeirao Preto, Wednesday

[whenshewasnice]

Envy's second solo album was finally dropping this Friday on all major streaming platforms as well as on both CD and vinyl where physical formats where still sold. On top of that, her second major solo tour was due to begin next week, just in time for everyone to have learned the new stuff by heart. So all in all, between tour prep and last-minute costume fittings and endless phone interviews, Envy was having kind of a busy time.

But if she'd still jumped Peter a little more often and a little more aggressively these past few weeks than she perhaps tended to otherwise... Look, it was a stressful time and she was about to be away from home for months on end. You couldn't blame her for trying to stock up on some personal time with her boyfriend.

In fact, perhaps predictanly, they'd just about finished another bout of that even just now. Envy dropped down next to Peter, rolling onto her back with a pleased sigh.

[ooc: NFB, for the guy. Warning that some residual NSFWness may occur!]

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[lockestheway]

Peter stretched his arms - they'd cramped a little near the end there. Didn't stop him from uttering a pleased sigh of his own, relaxed and a little exhausted.

"Well, I'm not leaving this bed for twenty-four hours."

Virtually, at least. He had to be back up by seven.

[whenshewasnice]

"Wasn't going to let you anyway," Envy replied. Never mind that she had a conference call incoming at six thirty because that was what happened when you wanted to be involved in your own management.

The way she turned her face towards him was utterly lazy in a way that anyone else rarely got to see. "Everyone else can wait to have you after I'm gone."

[lockestheway]

"One day I would like to watch you fight a whole room full of diplomats and heads of state," Peter sighed, and shut his eyes as he pretended to fantasize about it. "Mm."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy's laugh was a little rough, but genuine. Unselfconscious and not particularly pretty. "I can't decide whether I think you'd be into it, or horrified," she said. "Maybe that's one for the 'horny but scared' pile."

[lockestheway]

"We'll call it Schroedinger's Fantasy," Peter said, rolling onto his side to face her. "But in my head, it's quite something."

[whenshewasnice]

"Well obviously it would be spectacular," Envy retorted, immediately. "Because I'm spectacular."

And also about to embark on a multiversal tour, so she felt some smugness and ego were warranted.

"I would end them."

[lockestheway]

"You are spectacular," Peter agreed, because there was no arguing with that - especially not with her naked and smug in his bed.

He kissed her, instead. That seemed vastly more appropriate.

[whenshewasnice]

If Envy's lazily enthusiastic response in kissing him back as well as the pleased little hum she gave were any indication, it was very appropriate.

She even managed to bring up a hand to cup his cheek.

[lockestheway]

Peter's fingers brushed through her hair, enjoying how it felt now that it'd fallen apart from its earlier perfectly-styled appearance. It was soft. Her mouth was soft.

So was the skin of her back as he ran his fingertips down along her shoulder.

He made a soft noise, pleased.

[whenshewasnice]

And in turn, it made Envy smile. Or try to - she would've been more successful if her mouth hadn't been so perfectly busy as it was. Her fingertips traced the outline of his ear.

His touch felt pretty soft, too, and she shivered.

[lockestheway]

Peter pressed another, smaller kiss against her mouth before he pulled back, just a little, to get a breath of air. "I'm going to miss you," he said, more serious than he'd really intended it to be.

[whenshewasnice]

"I know."

Things were very different than they had been, the last time she'd embarked on a monster tour. But still, she didn't sound flippant about it. Just soft, half-whispered because he was close enough for that.

"I'll miss you too."

[lockestheway]

Peter's mouth curved into a small smile. His fingers found her spine and traced it, gentle.

He didn't say anything; he watched her.

[whenshewasnice]

Some of her skin goosebumped under his touch.

And she was watching him, too. Her eyes were dark and observant, like she was committing his face to memory.

"You know this isn't the same as last time, right?" she asked quietly. "The last tour."

[lockestheway]

Peter chewed on his bottom lip.

"I need to preface this with an 'I think I know, but I'm not sure'," he said slowly, "As my asking 'what do you mean?' isn't meant as a signal of painful obliviousness."

[whenshewasnice]

"Peter, I've known you since you were pretty much a kid," Envy quipped, although she kept it quiet, "so I'm halfway to immunity towards even the actual painful obliviousness."

Not that she came across it even half as much these days as she had in the past.

She brushed her thumb against his bottom lip, then down over his chin. "I just mean... We weren't as together back then."

[lockestheway]

"True," Peter said, his expression softening again. "You had a hard time, last time."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy snorted quietly. "And that might not be changing much."

Because solo touring was hard and lonely work, and she was kind of accepting that for a fact.

She glanced down to where her hand was, brushing over his collarbone. "But I'd like it if you made more time to visit, this time."

[lockestheway]

Involuntarily, Peter's gaze dipped down to where hers was, lingering on her hand.

"Make sure my Chief of Staff has the dates," he said quietly. "I'll try to make sure we get a weekend each week, or at least part of one."

[whenshewasnice]

Envy's gaze flicked back up, and she was going to blame the stress for the surprise in her eyes. Also the slight sudden sheen.

"Okay," she said, though it was more breath than word.

[lockestheway]

"I've got work here I can't get away from for much longer than that," Peter said, sounding apologetic. "But I don't like thinking of you sitting alone in hotel rooms for weeks on end."

That was how this had gotten started, wasn't it?

[whenshewasnice]

He sounded apologetic, while Envy was half-stunned she was getting even as much time from him as she was. What a pair they made.

"No, it's enough," she said, with a type of sincerity that she wasn't entirely comfortable with. "Between travel and interviews and the shows themselves... That's about the amount of Me Time I can squeeze into a week regardless."

[lockestheway]

"Okay," Peter said.

His fingers curled around her hand. He tugged it up, pressed a kiss to her knuckles.

[whenshewasnice]

Envy watched him. And sighed, softly.

Then: "For the record, I'm not asking just because I've been training you into thinking that your dick being out of your pants should mean it being inside me."

Yes, she was trying to joke a little, to steer the mood to something less likely to make the sheen in her eyes into something more pronounced.

"Though that's a fringe benefit."

[lockestheway]

Ah, joking to break an earnest moment. Peter knew it well.

"Are there some Pavlovian triggers I need to pay psychotherapists to remove from my brain?" Peter said. "I think brainwashing a Hegemon is illegal."