Flames

She's a God, part 1

When Seth realized they would be touring in Asia, he started to think of it as a mini-vacation. Aside from some day trips on rare days off, he and Becky hadn't really had a chance to go travelling together outside of work. At the cultural sensitivity meeting before the tour, though, his enthusiasm dipped a bit when they were all lightly cautioned about public displays of affection. It wasn't as restrictive as in Saudi Arabia, but some of the countries had different laws and customs than they were used to. Hunter, of course, had looked at him specifically, but then added that couples would be given connecting suites; they were still expected to behave decently when in the hotel, however.

While the lecturer had assured them that average, minor interactions—holding hands, hugs, light kissing—were allowed, Seth still felt stifled. When he was with Becky in public, he was usually touching her in some way, often without really realizing it; he was just drawn to her instinctively. Some of the guys teased him about it, but as long as Becky was okay with it, he didn't care. After a long day of appearances and signings, it didn't take Seth long to drop off his bags in his room and then promptly knock on the door that joined his suite to Becky's. He could hear her laughing as she unlocked her side and opened it. "Fancy meeting you here," she grinned, leaning against the wall.

"I missed you." He took a step closer and wound one of her curls around his fingers.

"You're supposed to stop with the anime eyes, remember?" Becky's voice was probably supposed to be stern, but she was smiling just as much he was. She rose on tiptoe when he bent to kiss her, but kept one hand on the doorknob when he tried to pull her across to his side of the threshold. "Seth, I haven't even got my phone out of my bag."

He dipped his head to her neck, nuzzling softly, and when he opened his eyes he could see the fingers she had wrapped around the doorknob start to loosen and slide off. "It's fine where it is," he replied. "You can unpack later."

"Hm. Later." Becky swore softly under her breath when he ran his hands under her shirt. "You mean at five in the morning when you let me hurry back to my room so I have just enough time to get ready?"

"The morning meeting's at eight," Seth replied, pushing his hands up higher. "You can leave at seven and still have plenty of time. . . ."

He thought he had almost convinced her when she put both hands against his chest and pushed herself away. "Ten minutes," she promised. "Just let me get some stuff unpacked and ready."

"Five." Seth reluctantly let her shirt drop back into place as he pulled his hands away from her.

Becky stepped close enough that he thought she was actually going to let him win that round, but all she did was kiss his neck and whisper. "Give me ten minutes," she promised, "and you can choose the stipulations."

Seth's laugh turned a bit ragged as his breath caught. She had said the stipulations, not the first stipulation or any other qualifier. Still, it was best to be sure. "How many?" he asked, lips brushing her forehead.

"Everything before midnight," Becky replied, stepping back. "And maybe after. But that means ten minutes uninterrupted."

He laughed at that. His last attempts to help her unpack faster had been messy, to say the least. "Ten minutes," he agreed, setting the timer on his fitness tracker.

"Oh my god, Rollins!" Rolling her eyes, Becky quickly shut the connecting door and locked it.

Seth did a bit of unpacking of his own, listening to a sampler of new music as he walked around the bedroom. As lovely as the skyline was, he shut the curtains out of habit; they would just have to make do with artificial lighting. One song in particular caught his attention and he put it on repeat to listen to the lyrics better. When his watch flashed a two-minute warning, Seth made a quick note on his phone and put it on one of the bedside tables, setting his headphones beside it.