April Fool's

[song_tra_bong]

After sending a prayer of thanks to whoever installed the lift, Mary Anne shuffles down the hall towards her room. The wig has finally succumbed to the laws of physics and is tilting precariously. She's holding it on with one hand, if only because she doesn't want to accidently trip over it.

Finally, she slumps in relief against the doorframe, knocking twice. "Give a girl a hand?"

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[song_tra_bong]

She stretches again, the sort of long full body stretch that makes your toes curl and your spine crack.

"So glad to be rid of that thing..."

She curls back up, eyelids falling to half-mast. She isn't so tired, not really; more than that, she's afraid he'll leave as soon as she closes her eyes.

"What'd you do with yours, anyway?"

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

There's a nod to the corner, where the dress is in a heap.

'I hope you don't mind if I steal your trousers, I refuse to walk out of here wearing that thing. I'll return them to you, obviously.'

He'll leave at some point. Not just yet.

[song_tra_bong]

She laughs, entertained by the mental image of Julian putting on the dress willingly.

"Keep 'em; they don't fit me worth a damn."

She eyes the dress-puddle. "Wonder if that'd fit me..."

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

An eyebrow goes up, in a manner that would be conceived as 'intruiged' if he weren't...y'know, Julian.

'...you could try it on?'

[song_tra_bong]

"I could..."

She pretends to give the matter Careful Thought.

In the end, it comes down to a shrug and rolling off the bed. She retrieves the dress from it's corner and gives it a few shakes to deal with wrinkles before pulling it on over her head.

Too broad at the shoulders and too long on the thigh; it looks not so much like a scandalous outfit as a moment of scandalously bad fashion sense. She laughs, running a hand through her hair. "Should have known better."

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

'I'd say that it looks better on me, but I'd be lying I think.'

He smiles anyway and secretly rather likes that she's the type of person that would do that at all, try things on. If she weren't, he wouldn't be here, despite his own lack of adventerousness.

'Come back to bed.'

[song_tra_bong]

The dress is discarded in it's previous corner spot, and she crosses the room back to (him) the bed.

She lies down next to him, half on her side, halfway rolled onto her back; it's more comfortable than it looks. She doesn't say anything just yet, just watches him through eyes that are increasingly harder to keep open.

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

He moves too, a mirror of her position, lying to face her while still smoking his cigarette.

'Go to sleep. You look like you need it.'

[song_tra_bong]

"Mmm..."

She curls onto her side, eyes closing.

She probably shouldn't ask, and yet...



"Will you stay?"

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

He covers her with the bedsheets, then leans down and kisses her on the cheek.

'For a while. I have to be back by morning.'

Not strictly true. But he's still not comfortable with staying the whole night. For a while though. He'll stay for a while.

[song_tra_bong]

It's more than she hoped for. She smiles.

"Thanks."

She draws the sheets a little higher around her neck.

"G'night."

Her breathing slows, deepens, and she's asleep within minutes.

[ardens-guard.livejournal.com]

He lies and watches her for a while, then slips onto his back and smokes another cigarette, his thoughts confused.

And after that, he gets up and dresses in the ill-fitting pants, and slips from the room. Because full nights are something he just can't manage, not yet.