13086/Challenge Accepted

Challenge Accepted
Date of Scene:	16 October 2022
Location:	E04 - Empty Dorm - Titan's Tower
Synopsis:	Hank and Dawn awake the morning after.
Cast of Characters:	Dawn Granger, Hank Hall

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Dawn Granger has posed:
Awakening in a room not your own might be alarming for some, but Dawn isn't particularly alarmed when she wakes up. It helps that she recognizes Hank's arm around her, which makes her think on the events the night before. It wasn't entirely surprising that they ended up in bed, but what was surprising to Dawn was the sense of comfort and blissful contentment that it all brought. They had a connection and it certainly ran much deeper than she perhaps even realized.

Seeing that she's the first one awake, she does her best not to disturb Hank, moving just a little to snuggle in a little more against the warmth of his body. This sort of comfort is something she wants to dwell on for a while, even if he's still asleep. She shuts her eyes, partially because she'd feel terribly awkward if he woke up to her watching him sleep.

Hank Hall has posed:
She does not have to wait _too_ long for Hank to wake up. The little movement against him starts to rouse him from his slumber, and Hank slowly opens his eyes. There is a moment of disorientation for him as well. He is in his room, but so is someone else. A slow smile creeps across his countenance as the memories of the prior night return. The crime stopping. The injury. The tending to wounds. It had made for a revealing evening, in more ways than one.

Unlike Dawn, who dodged on disturbing him, Hank, as may be expected, goes the opposite track. He leans over to brush his lips against Dawn's temple, and then whispers softly into her ear. "Hey," he says softly. Not much for dialogue, perhaps, but what dialogue was needed at this point?

He, likewise, did not move much at all, other than that slight shift towards her, and his hand opening to allow his fingers to casually caress her form. He does not realize she is awake, and wants her to be comfortable and secure when she does wake up.

Dawn Granger has posed:
The warm and comfortable greeting gets a smile from Dawn as she opens her eyes to look at Hank. "Hey," she replies softly, her fingers moving to slide into his hair. Much like his gentle motion on her arm, her fingers trace along his scalp. "I could really get used to this sort of a wakeup." There aren't excuses for one of them to drop by each others' room later after waking--this time, they were together. "I want you to know, you're nice and warm to sleep on. In case you were curious."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Not the worst way to wake-up, for sure," replies Hank with a warm smile. He runs the edge of his finger up and down along Dawn's arm. "I see no reason why we shouldn't get used to it." He listens to her and smiles, and slides his leg against her, drawing her a bit closer. "Well, I want you to know, you're nice and comfortable to have sleep on me." He laughs. "I had not really thought about it, but it is good to know." As he slides a bit closer to her, he brushes his lips against her cheek. "So. Got any plans for today?" he murmurs. "Or do you want this to be our plan?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
"I can certainly think of worse ways to wake up," Dawn agrees. The touches bring her to settle in much closer to him, resting an arm over his chest as she watches him. She doesn't manage to hide the tiniest bit of a grin at the suggestion of getting used to waking up like this. "I hadn't really planned for anything, to be honest. I hadn't thought of much beyond just being here with you. You've made me want to be very 'in the moment' lately. So... I'm just fine with this being our plan. Drawing out all of this as long as possible seems like something we can agree upon."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Let's be honest, I _have_ woken up in way worse ways," replies Hank with a laugh. He breathes slowly and steadily as his body starts to fully wake up, and there is a slight shiver of comfort as Dawn's arm lays across him. "Well, good. You need a bit more spontaneity in your life, I need a bit more regulation in life, so..." He nudges her. "It's like both of us need the influence of the overwhelming forces of Chaos and Order respectively to balance ourselves." He sighs again. "So, yeah. We have nowhere to be, we hang out like this until one of us gets hungry." He pauses, and a flicker of a grin comes over his face. "Or one of us has to pee." If Dawn could see his face, she might suspect the makings of a challenging trickling through his head.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Even the tiniest hint of a possible challenge gets Dawn to grin at him. She leans in to press a soft kiss to his jaw. "I wouldn't mind taking you up on that, though I'm not sure if you'd get bored of hanging out like this after a while." She's mostly kidding. Mostly. "You're right about that, though. Balancing each other out is important. I know Dove and Hawk do, but I'm more focused on our own give and take. Our own balances are much more of a pressing matter to me."

Hank Hall has posed:
Watching Dawn's grin and hearing her words, Hank laughs. "I am starting to wonder if you know me at all, Dawn." He flashes his own grin. "Looks like we have ourselves two challenges at once - seeing who can stay here the longest, _and_ proving you wrong that I won't get bored of you." He considers for a moment. "I will, however, allow Tinkle Breaks as an exemption. It would not be fair to make that part of the challenge." If she was kidding, she made the wrong kid. Hank seems pretty convinced now that the bed is their day. Her next words cause an upraised eyebrow. "Agreed. Do you think there is something we need to balance better?" He leans towards her, lowering his voice. "Am I making too many challenges because you suck at winning them?"

Dawn Granger has posed:
There's an amused laugh from Dawn as she takes a moment to trace her fingers along his jawline. "Perhaps I'm just trying to get a rise out of you by trying to make you protest whatever it is I'm saying," she grins, still sounding amused even when he leans in to try and lay down an incredible burn. "I simply meant I liked /our/ dynamic because it's ours. I'd say our partnership is very well balanced." The tease of his tone, though, has her fighting not to protest--now it seems like he was trying to get a rise out of her. "You're also assuming that I'm not losing on purpose. I don't know, I couldn't have planned that sink situation any better if I had actually /planned/ it."

Hank Hall has posed:
There is a deep laugh from Hank. "Yeah, because it is such a challenge for you to get a rise out of me," he says, laughing as he says it. Clearly he is not talking about their challenges. "We are unique, I'll give us that, but there's the thing." He props himself up on an elbow so he can look down at her now. He opens his mouth to say something, but his breath catches in his throat as he meets her gaze for the first time this morning. A pause. She can probably see the train of thought derailing in his mind. She can probably also tell exactly what it is about locking eyes with her that causes the derailment. Eventually, though, it comes back to the station. Probably because she, as she always does, knows exactly what to say, tying the conversation right back to where he jumped the tracks. "I think we both deserve credit for that little tango, Dawn."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn's breath hitches just slightly at the gaze, her own thoughts following his right off the track. When he manages to pull it together, she refocuses herself too. Or, at least, she manages as much as she's able. "I do agree, we both performed that to perfection. I certainly didn't mind losing that challenge. I do now know that you can't resist said challenges, so if I really want something I just have to challenge you to it."

Hank Hall has posed:
This earns one narrowed eye and a tilt of the head. "You think you have me all figured out, don't you?" Hank asks. He waits just a beat before adding. "Yeah, yeah you do. I'm not that complex of a guy, and you kind of have my user manual, so..." He reaches out to brush some hair back from her face. "But you should use that power wisely. If you abuse it, I don't know what's going to happen, but you probably won't like it." Then he leans down closer to her face. "Or maybe you will." This he follows up with a brief kiss to her lips.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn laughs, chasing the brief kiss with another soft one before she looks back at him. "I think you're more complex than you say you are, that's just you trying to be underestimated again. I think you like catching me off-guard. You've seemed to like it so far, so... I think it's reasonable to make that assumption. Honestly? I think we both win either way. Our challenges really have no actual downside. They're very... mutual in some way."

Hank Hall has posed:
"Like an onion. Layers, I make you cry when I get cut, and I only start to taste good once I get cooked." Hank laughs at his extended metaphor, and then gets quiet for a moment. "What makes you think I like catching you off-guard?" he asks, as a hand moves against her in a likely unexpected way beneath the sheets that is, frankly speaking, very likely to catch her off-guard. His gaze lingering on her to watch the reaction. "Pretty sure they've all been mutually beneficial so far..."

Dawn Granger has posed:
"Raw onions aren't bad if they're used in the proper dish," Dawn points out as a protest to his metaphor. His attempt to catch her off guard does so, her cheeks turning red as she catches his gaze again. "I think you like knowing you have that kind of an effect. Knowing that you manage to make me melt just by looking? I can imagine that's got to be an addictive feeling." She grins at him, however, not seeming to phased by his attempts at gaining the metaphorical high ground.

Hank Hall has posed:
"You just cannot accept something I say without one upping me, can you?" The only challenge in his tone is one of humor, as Hank is clearly teasing Dawn. He seems not at all offended. As far as flustering her? There is a smug look of satisfaction on his face as her cheeks betray her. He opens his mouth, and thinks for a moment. What comes out is from behind the Hank facade that is always up outside, and is often still up in front of her. "You are an addictive feeling," he admits, softly, as he loses himself in her eyes, his hand cradling her cheek.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn's caught up in both the words and the way he looks at her. She opens her mouth slightly to say something, but nothing comes out for a moment as her breath catches. She leans her warm cheek in against his hand, the smile she offers him a little softer now. He's caught her off-guard, but it's not a challenge with that. It's simply an honest, raw reaction to something that feels romantic. "Just when I think I've got you all figured out, you surprise me."

Hank Hall has posed:
In a way, he seems to have caught himself off-guard. The admission was not premeditated, simply a spontaneous utterance of emotion from the normal reserved Hank. Well, reserved on everything but rage. But this is not rage at all. "I hope I can continue to surprise you," Hank murmurs, lowering his head down towards her. "For a long," he drifts his nose down one side of hers. "long," and back up the other side. "Time." And then his lips press to hers, this time seeking a less brief kiss than before.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Leaning into the kiss, Dawn's content to let it be a less brief one than before, though it's something much softer and sweeter than perhaps the ones last night ended up. As sweet as it is, it has her heart racing in an entirely different manner than she was expecting. Caught off-guard is an understatement for her at this point. When the kiss does end, she's lingering close, forehead resting against his so they maintain the connection. "I'm not used to someone managing to make me speechless," she murmurs. "You, on the other hand, are doing it effortlessly right now."

Hank Hall has posed:
Allowing that kiss to linger, Hank feels his heart matching that of Dawn's. Not that that should come as a surprise to him at this point. Either of them. He draws back slowly, letting his forehead remain against hers. "Have you ever known me to be caught speechless, too?" Hank laughs as he draws his hand slowly up along her side. "We bring out the best in each other, Dawn. It is just the nature of who we are." He laughs softly. "And I promise you, that is _who_ we are, not _what_ we are, that does that."

Dawn Granger has posed:
Hank seems to have hit a point Dawn may have worried about somewhere in the back of her mind. Teammates and partners for danger they may be, but that wasn't what brought them here. Perhaps there was always some worry of the underlying dynamics that made them need not stray /too/ far from being the cause of some of it, but he's hit the nail on the head. It's /them/. It's her turn to cup the side of his face, thumb brushing across his cheek. "I like this side of you," she admits, her tone still soft. "It's... romantic." Romantic wasn't entirely something she'd expected from him.

Hank Hall has posed:
"Don't let the word get out." Hank shifts slightly, turning his body to align itself a bit more with Dawn's, his leg drifting across hers. "You let people know that I look this good and I am a romantic, you'll have to beat them all away with sticks." His lips twist into a grin. "On second thought, maybe you should let the word out. That sounds incredibly hot." He laughs as he allows his hand to continue to drift along her form beneath the sheets.

Dawn Granger has posed:
Dawn grins at him in reply. "I'm not so sure anyone would believe me if I said you were," she murmurs. "If you wanted, I'd fight off a whole group of overeager fans if you needed me to, but I'd rather this Hank be /my/ Hank." The romantic side that left her speechless not a moment or two ago is already something she's treasuring. She releases his cheek in favor of letting her fingertips brush lightly down his arm as he lets his drift as well.

Hank Hall has posed:
"I do have something of a reputation, I suppose," Hank murmurs back at her. He laughs at the image of Dawn squaring off against a group of admirers. But the lightness of that image fades at her next words, as a more serious tone comes over him again. "This Hank is your Hank," he says softly, turning slightly against her. "And he always will be."

He forestalls any further comment from Dawn by moving his lips to cover hers once more, clearly intent on showing her as well as saying it...