[Well he didn't mean to make anyone frown, but he does have some experience with the whole - it takes drugs for her to show an interest thing. It's not that he minds.
Oh, that. [Oh, this, more like; it's not like she's stopped. Maybe she should - should slowly attempt to extricate her arms from around him. Or at least stop touching his back and shoulders like she hasn't done that in ages.
Even if it's true.] I don't need a drink to make me want to hug you.
[Yes, maybe she should stop that. Maybe he should stop leaning into all her touches or his forehead lightly against hers. Maybe he shouldn't rest a hand on the doors closed button and hold the elevator up when it stops at the top floor. Maybe maybe maybe.]
[Oh - maybe. Maybe all those things. Maybe him not doing all those things wouldn't result in her hands stopping only when they reach his sides, or in her moving her head just so that their noses brush together in a mock Esquimo kiss.]
Maybe I just need a boost of courage... [Ridiculous; she's recklessly brave even in her worst moments - except in these cases when she isn't, because of only too much experience in how things can go wrong.]
[Things could go wrong, couldn't they. For instance it's remarkable how close an eskimo kiss is to being another kind - and if he did kiss her maybe he could taste it on her lips but, for now, Chase hasn't drunk the kool-aid.
He pulls her in again - both arms, and the doors open to an empty hallway behind her - close enough that she could unbalance on the balls of her feet, but it won't matter, because he's got her. It's a real, honest to goodness hug, held for long enough to be meaningful.
And then, he lets her go. Gently, in case she does stumble.]
You don't need to be afraid of anything with me. [And that includes his record of bad decisions. Hurting her's a no-go area.]
[Heights? Not a problem, despite how height-challenged she is. But being that close to his mouth, well that was a problem. When the lift stops, and he tugs her in closer, she ends up pressing a kiss close to the edge of his jaw, awkwardly placed. She does it because his breath faned across her lips for a second there, and they were tingling and that was the only way she could think of to stop.
And that's - that's where she stops, because he lets her go, and she takes a step back.]
I - um. [Thoughts; give her a second here.] I climbed up on the roof of a manor once just to get inside it.
[She follows him, not feeling light-headed after a few steps. If she focuses solely on his back as he leads her to...wherever, she won't want to hug every nurse and doctor in gratitude for their saving people's lives thing.
Oh yeah, might've been the drink.] Is that - are you offering?
You lie very poorly. [And it doesn't convince anyone! She comes to a halt just one step behind him, and with only two seconds of hesitation - enough to glance at him and the door - she closes her eyes.]
You're trusting me anyway. [And he guides her out, a hand again on the small of her back, more for shepherding than snuggling purposes.]
Okay. You can open them, now.
[And there's a tree. A tree growing from the brickwork near the edge of the hospital roof. It's somehow survived all the city has thrown at it. A tree, in full leaf, just big enough to spread shade.
[It's totally a tree. He reaches for her arm as she sits so she ends up close.]
Um. Because we lock the door? [Just a little nod to the way she came in.] I found it not long after I started working here. Figure a bird must have hit a seed, the seed must have hit a crack in the brickwork. We're sitting under a series of fortunate coincidences.
[He picks the one day when she's uninhibited enough that any sort of affectionate physical contact comes easily to grab her arm; she manages to get their fingers threadding together by the time he finishes with the story.]
I like it. [The place, the tree, him being forward. She likes it now, yes; she's well aware that she was much more hesitant months and months ago. Stop judging her.]
I might have to do something too forward in retaliation.
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You're an actual hero, [said with the sort of laugh that implies she's not very sure she means it as a compliment or as a joke either. She leans back against the trunk of the tree, looking up to its foliage.
The affection train hasn't left the station, because she's still taking their held together hands as a sign of a green light to lean against his side as well. Sort of snuggling yes.]
It's like we're in a whole different place right now. [A pause, the well-timed breeze and all; she looks down again.] Why'd you bring me here?
I'm wearing spandex under my scrubs. [He'll take it as a joke, but not without looking at her a moment too long, letting his arm rest around her shoulders. Snuggling is very workable.]
What I said about the tree? I think this whole place is like that. A series of coincidences. Some of them have been fortunate.
[There's an answer to her question in there somewhere.]
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Not really.]
Not the liking. Maybe the... [Smelling.] hugging.
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Even if it's true.] I don't need a drink to make me want to hug you.
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Really. Because you don't do it a lot.
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Maybe I just need a boost of courage... [Ridiculous; she's recklessly brave even in her worst moments - except in these cases when she isn't, because of only too much experience in how things can go wrong.]
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He pulls her in again - both arms, and the doors open to an empty hallway behind her - close enough that she could unbalance on the balls of her feet, but it won't matter, because he's got her. It's a real, honest to goodness hug, held for long enough to be meaningful.
And then, he lets her go. Gently, in case she does stumble.]
You don't need to be afraid of anything with me. [And that includes his record of bad decisions. Hurting her's a no-go area.]
...How courageous are you with heights?
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And that's - that's where she stops, because he lets her go, and she takes a step back.]
I - um. [Thoughts; give her a second here.] I climbed up on the roof of a manor once just to get inside it.
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[He could, if it came to it. But for now he just catches her wrist, heading out along the corridor.]
Come on.
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Oh yeah, might've been the drink.] Is that - are you offering?
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Well, not up here. [And stops them outside a small unassuming white door which leads up to a flight of steps.] This one just takes a card.
[Card key. He swipes it, the door opens. And, up the stairs.]
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But you know how to do it? Why would you need to know how to pick locks if you're a doctor?
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[That sounds reasonable, right? Anyway the staircase is narrow and dark and there's another doorway at the top of it.] Close your eyes.
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Okay. You can open them, now.
[And there's a tree. A tree growing from the brickwork near the edge of the hospital roof. It's somehow survived all the city has thrown at it. A tree, in full leaf, just big enough to spread shade.
Chase walks ahead, to sit under it.]
Best view in the world. [This world, at least.]
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Wow, this is amazing.
[A tree! On a roof! She ends up smiling at it for some reason, and walks over to sit under it and next to Chase.]
How is this place not full of people?
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Um. Because we lock the door? [Just a little nod to the way she came in.] I found it not long after I started working here. Figure a bird must have hit a seed, the seed must have hit a crack in the brickwork. We're sitting under a series of fortunate coincidences.
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Is this like your secret place?
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[He lets his hand link with hers and settles both in his lap. This kind of comfortable affection's exactly the diversion he was going for.]
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I might have to do something too forward in retaliation.
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Oh, I see people's secret places in clinic every day.
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I'm reconsidering the plan right now.
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Perils of the job. [Some might say perks. Anyone with any experience knows better.]
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The affection train hasn't left the station, because she's still taking their held together hands as a sign of a green light to lean against his side as well. Sort of snuggling yes.]
It's like we're in a whole different place right now. [A pause, the well-timed breeze and all; she looks down again.] Why'd you bring me here?
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What I said about the tree? I think this whole place is like that. A series of coincidences. Some of them have been fortunate.
[There's an answer to her question in there somewhere.]
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That's...a very twisted way to answer a very simple question. [Just so he's aware.] Which magazine did you get that one from?
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