[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.
4th july; backdated; action (sif get out stop being rude)
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.]
She knows, they've had this conversation before but charged with so many other things, so many explanations and confessed secrets and - in spite of the curse - unspoken words, but she still knows he's glad. She's very glad, too. For many reasons, which would her take a while to enumerate.
So glad, it turns out, that this is that moment; the one where she reaches up with her free hand, hooks her fingers into the vee of his scrubs shirt, and pulls him down. It's only half the spiked drink, really. Maybe it's less than half, even.
It's been a very, very long time since the last time she got to press her lips against his. Even if it's so brief that it barely counts.]
[Not so brief that he doesn't have time to make that split-second decision between pulling away or returning the kiss. And he doesn't pull away. His fingers wind loosely into her hair even after there's a breath between them again, and he tastes the sweetness on his lips with the tip of his tongue just in case there's enough lingering there (enough to be an excuse).
With his forehead against hers, maybe she can hear that faint chorus of damn damn damn currently running through his mind. But, he wouldn't be any good for her. He never would have been. He thinks he made that clear enough during the curse.]
[But he doesn't pull away, or push her back. She wants to tip her head and try for a firmer brush, but she doesn't want to do it with someone who can't kiss her back.
He might here the faint chorus of damn damn damn currently running through her mind, too.]
Oh. [And here she is, all but throwing herself on him - shit.]
Oh, right - uhm. [Let her just...pull away from letting their foreheads touch so tenderly, at the very least.] I'm sorry - I shouldn't have hoped - I mean assumed - I mean. That was rude, very rude cliché gesture of me to pull.
And yes, look at her throwing herself at him, it's disgusting. He shakes his head to that effect.]
No, I'm offended. You can blame it on the drink but apology or not... [And then he manages a smile, because it's the best possible deflection from showing that twinge of regret at her pulling away-] I've been trying to get you to want to kiss me for what, a year? You waited until now?
[Mae, there's absolutely nothing to be sorry for. He's sorry.]
[She laughs, but it's a dry and humourless laugh, as she rubs her face; she'd slap herself right now if he wasn't around.]
Look, I'm a complicated person apparently. I've been under the impression that I'd lost your attention, and I thought - well, you said you were glad we'd become friends and I'll be quiet now before I ruin that.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
4th july; backdated; action
Oh yeah, might've been the drink.] Is that - are you offering?
4th july; backdated; action
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.]
4th july; backdated; action
But you know how to do it? Why would you need to know how to pick locks if you're a doctor?
4th july; backdated; action
[That sounds reasonable, right? Anyway the staircase is narrow and dark and there's another doorway at the top of it.] Close your eyes.
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
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.]
4th july; backdated; action
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?
4th july; backdated; action
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.
4th july; backdated; action
Is this like your secret place?
4th july; backdated; action
[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.]
4th july; backdated; action (sif get out stop being rude)
I might have to do something too forward in retaliation.
4th july; backdated; action (sif get out stop being rude)
Oh, I see people's secret places in clinic every day.
4th july; backdated; action
I'm reconsidering the plan right now.
4th july; backdated; action
Perils of the job. [Some might say perks. Anyone with any experience knows better.]
4th july; backdated; action
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?
4th july; backdated; action
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.]
4th july; backdated; action
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?
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
She knows, they've had this conversation before but charged with so many other things, so many explanations and confessed secrets and - in spite of the curse - unspoken words, but she still knows he's glad. She's very glad, too. For many reasons, which would her take a while to enumerate.
So glad, it turns out, that this is that moment; the one where she reaches up with her free hand, hooks her fingers into the vee of his scrubs shirt, and pulls him down. It's only half the spiked drink, really. Maybe it's less than half, even.
It's been a very, very long time since the last time she got to press her lips against his. Even if it's so brief that it barely counts.]
4th july; backdated; action
With his forehead against hers, maybe she can hear that faint chorus of damn damn damn currently running through his mind. But, he wouldn't be any good for her. He never would have been. He thinks he made that clear enough during the curse.]
I can't kiss you back. [Not a second time.]
4th july; backdated; action
He might here the faint chorus of damn damn damn currently running through her mind, too.]
Why not?
4th july; backdated; action
I'm dating someone and we... recently figured we'd see how the exclusivity thing goes.
[He's still surprised, himself.]
4th july; backdated; action
Oh, right - uhm. [Let her just...pull away from letting their foreheads touch so tenderly, at the very least.] I'm sorry - I shouldn't have hoped - I mean assumed - I mean. That was rude, very rude cliché gesture of me to pull.
4th july; backdated; action
And yes, look at her throwing herself at him, it's disgusting. He shakes his head to that effect.]
No, I'm offended. You can blame it on the drink but apology or not... [And then he manages a smile, because it's the best possible deflection from showing that twinge of regret at her pulling away-] I've been trying to get you to want to kiss me for what, a year? You waited until now?
[Mae, there's absolutely nothing to be sorry for. He's sorry.]
4th july; backdated; action
Look, I'm a complicated person apparently. I've been under the impression that I'd lost your attention, and I thought - well, you said you were glad we'd become friends and I'll be quiet now before I ruin that.
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action
Re: 4th july; backdated; action
4th july; backdated; action