"They're beautiful projects. It's cool to see what you end up doing when you have more freedom."

"Working around constraints can be interesting too, but I really miss just not worrying about whether it would be seen as 'counterculture' to have flames painted on one shoe and forget-me-nots on the other." 

"Do you like my projects?"

(He sounds mildly worried.)

"You're incredible at what you do." 

She's completely sincere. 

"Thank you. You too."

They can't cuddle properly here, but Raine leans against Asher's side and closes her eyes. 

That... definitely looks like Sasha and Asher are doing something dating-adjacent. 

But Asher's straight.

This is a puzzle that Lev should not be trying to work on because thinking about Sasha leads to kissing Sasha. 

He goes outside and reads next to Andre. 

"...is he okay, do you think?" 

"I think Christine got to him."

Raine's not sure it would take much getting to. 

"Yeah," she says softly, and leans against Asher a little more. 

Asher thought it might be hard to stay up but he's too happy to sleep anyway.

At midnightish he taps Raine's shoulder and goes into the bathroom.

Asher's a sweetheart. She follows. 

Asher kisses her. "I want you, you're so beautiful-- I loved your pictures--"

"You're gorgeous — I want to see you laid out like that, with your hair long and your stomach covered in your own —" and she cuts herself off because she can't stand not kissing him. 

"When my hair grows out, I promise," and then more kissing.

"Mine'll have grown out too by then," wistful, and then she drags him into a shower stall and closes the curtain and kisses him again. 

He really likes being dragged.

Does he also like being pinned up against the wall and bitten? 

(Raine's careful not to leave any marks.)

He really really likes that. 

"Raine, Raine, I'm yours, Raine--"

"Yeah," and Raine kisses the part of Asher's neck she just bit, "you're mine, I'm yours, we're each other's — I've got you —" 

"I wanna fuck you."

A kiss on Asher's mouth, quick and light. "I don't actually like anal that much but you could —" another kiss — "fuck my mouth, my thighs —" 

"That sounds good-- whatever you want-- use me--"

Raine puts on her very best dom face. 

"Get on the ground. On your back." 

He does. He's making a particular effort to be sleek and fluid and graceful.