clara llewellyn set fire to the rain. (claraty) wrote in invol_rpg, @ 2012-12-18 09:42:00 |
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Entry tags: | ! log, clara llewellyn, mikael eiriksson |
WHO: Clara Llewellyn & Mikael Eiriksson
WHAT: Mikael and Clara check up on each other's happiness meters. Because that's what platonic friends do.
WHEN: Monday 17 December? MAYBE? WHAT DAY/TIME IS IT IN THE US IN GAME? I DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYMORE. FUCKING TIMEZONES.
WHERE: Brad's!
WARNINGS: None.
STATUS: Complete!
Clara might have been used to cold weather, but she wasn't quite prepared for the sudden shock to the system that was going from summer in the outback to winter in Indiana. Huddled underneath layers of clothing and an extra blanket to keep her warm, she sat perched on a stair beside Mikael as they took up the opportunity for a fresh breath of air. One minus the flies and the heat and the potential for skin cancer. "I'm glad we came," she mused at last, between sips of hot chocolate. She'd laced her fingers tightly around the ceramic mug, appreciating the warmth it fed into her skin. It wasn't quite the same as fire -- nothing was ever going to be the same as fire -- but it was a pleasant warmth all the same. While Mikael had been lost deep within his own thoughts (as so often happened to be the case, whenever there was a moment of silence between the two of them), the sound of Clara's voice pulled him back to the here and now. Clara was exceedingly cold, and so was Mikael, but he quite liked it. It was more like home than Australia could ever possibly be, even on its coldest of days. He was glad they came, too. It seemed stupid of him, to withhold himself from leaving like he had sworn to do, and was glad he had given it up in favor of this. It wasn't home, but he could go home yet. Mikael nodded his head in agreement. He glanced at Clara, beside him. "Are you warm enough?" She wasn't sure that she was, but she didn't want him to fuss about her either, so she nodded her head. "I'm fine. And this hot coco is really, really good!" As was her habit, she turned to glance back at him and surveyed his state. He seemed fine -- at home, almost -- relaxed and unbothered. She preferred him this way. It just looked right. With a grin she leaned towards him and rest her head on his shoulder. "You cold enough?" Mikael smiled as Clara leaned against him, and once she had settled, he rested his head against hers. He didn't mind it when Clara invaded his personal space, when she touched him and when she teased him. He didn't mind much when it came to Clara, in truth. "Yep," he said, his voice low and at ease. For a second, he hesitated, but then Mikael reached over and clasped a hand around Clara's, which still clasped her mug of cocoa. "Brad's family is nice. This place is nice." Actually the house was louder than Mikael was ever used to, what with everyone screaming so that Brad's deaf grandmother could hear them, but here, now, with Clara outside, was nice. Conversely, Clara was used to a disturbance in peace -- but she preferred it when there were little ones running around that she had to herd like cats to the dinner table. Not that she was complaining. It was just that Brad's house was different. A nice different, not a bad or scary different. Different enough that she wasn't reminded of her own family at home constantly, and yet warm all the same. "We really need to get them a really nice thank you gift, you know. Maybe if you, me and Hugo pooled some of our funds together we could get them something great?" The vast majority of Mikael's allowance from IVI had been spent upon Christmas gifts for his closest friends (and of course the present for Lilja's birthday) but the lucky thing about being out of IVI was that he could use the money he had in his bank account at home. While normally Mikael might have felt as though doing dishes or straightening his bed sheets while there would have been adequate enough of a thank-you, he didn't dare argue with Clara on this. "Sure," he said in agreement. "We can do that." Then he lapsed into a bit of silence again, as was typical of Mikael. Then, "Are you happy?" She lifted her head and shot him a puzzled look. "Of course, silly. Why wouldn't I be?" When Clara pulled away, even just the little bit that she had, Mikael felt dismayed. He offered her the quickest of smiles as he shook his head and said, "I just want you to be." Then he turned from her and stared out at the expanse of Brad's back yard once again. Clara couldn't fathom where this shift in mood had come from and watched Mikael for a moment as he turned away from her. After setting down her mug of hot chocolate on the step beside her she reached around and wrapped her arm and half her blanket around him, resting her chin on the top of his shoulder. "Are you happy?" she murmured. "Because I want you to be too." She was so sweet and gentle, so warm and so completely female that Mikael felt the urge to turn and kiss her, but after a hesitation that seemed to him to last for ages, he resisted it. Mikael shifted so that his arm wasn't pinioned between them and wrapped his arm around Clara's waist, settling into the comfort of her warmth against him. "I am," he admitted. It was true; how could he not be? They were here, and not at IVI, and it was beautiful and Clara was there and making him smile. "Don't worry about me." |