Can I walk you home? Who: Gin and Lucas What: Stopping in to say hi to a friend When: Late Evening Where: Encore Warnings: Cuteness, that's about it.
The weather lately had been cold. So cold that Lucas's usual leather jacket was making more of an appearance in his attire. Today was wet and just all around bad weather. He spent most of the day making his rounds and checking in on a few of his acquaintances. He still was having a difficult time being trapped in the damn dome, but all he could really do was make the best of it and try to occupy his mind with other things.
It was during his rounds that his mind flickered to Gin. Lucas hadn't gotten to spend much time with Gin lately, so when she crossed his mind, he decided that he wanted to check in on the woman and see what she was up to. And how she was doing. He didn't want to call it concern, he didn't really let people get close enough to earn anything like concern, but he still ended up heading over to Encore.
His shoes were damp when he walked in. He stopped at the door to try and shake them off a little before entering the store and letting his eyes pan around for Gin. "Honey, I'm home," he teased.
Gin had spent the day indoors after her morning chat at the lake with Lily. It was probably the best idea because of the news that had traveled through the dome about people having been killed overnight. Animal attacks some were saying. Which had made it a pretty slow day sale wise too. So she'd spent a great deal of time on her latest painting. She was in the midst of rinsing paint from her brushes when she heard the door open, the tiny bell above it signaling a customer. Her eyes brightened and heart lifted at the idea of seeing someone else after hours of having been alone, half wishing Cody would show up. Then she heard the voice and let out a squeal of delight.
"Eee! Lucas, hi!" she said, all smiles as she skipped out into the main shop room. "How are you?" She wiped her hands off on her apron, aware that there were probably smudges of paint on her face and in her hair. It was how she always looked unless she was going out somewhere. The faint smell of turpentine and lavender followed her as well.
She looked Lucas up and down briefly and nodded her head appreciatively. "Look at you. Leather suits you."
"Suits me enough to keep me warm," he replied with a cheeky grin. There were a few smudges of paint on her face and in her hair, but he thought they suited her just fine. He wondered what she was working on that had gotten her so smudged. "Busy painting?," he asked her, nodding at the apron she was wearing. It was probably a ridiculous question since that was quite obvious, but he still let himself say it anyway.
"Mmhm! It does suit you. You should wear more of it. I have some leather chaps…" she teased, pointing over to a corner of the shop where she did indeed have leather chaps. She grinned at his question, glancing around at the walls covered in bizarre paintings of Cody in different hell-like landscapes. "How could you tell?" She knew she should probably take some or all of them down but she liked them. They reminded her of the way he'd helped her. "Are you looking for anything specific or is this a social call?"
He laughed and shook his head. "I don't think chaps would suit me quite as well as my trusty jacket," he told her. The idea of himself in chaps was humorous, however. He could practically see himself with a cowboy hat and a pair of boots with spurs. He had to shake his head again to get that thought out of his head. "Don't think that I'm cowboy enough for chaps." His eyes moved to the paintings she had hung on the wall. Well, those were interesting. "Social, mostly," he admitted. "Just wanted to check in. It's been a while."
Gin pouted playfully. "And here I was hoping you'd at least try them on." Her mind had wandered to what he'd look like in them as well and it was actually kind of funny. She giggled and shook her head. "Okay, no chaps for you." She watched him eye the paintings, wondering what he thought of them. She'd done one of him a while ago but it had sold immediately. Had she told him? "Oh, nice! Care for a drink? I was just about to sit down with one before taking myself home." She moved toward the back of the shop.
"Oh, I'm sure you'd just love that," he teased. "I'm sure I'd look ridiculous and you can probably agree with me there. So no fashion show for me tonight." His eyes had wandered towards the paintings again, but then were drawn away when she asked about a drink. "Sure," he said, nodding a little. "If you want, I can walk you home," he offered. It was late, after all. He could at the very least do that. No one really needed to be out on the streets by themselves.
Gin picked up on and couldn't help but run with the fact he'd said "tonight." "So, you'd be up for looking ridiculous so I could love it at some other time? I'll keep that in mind." She grinned over her shoulder at him as she popped into the back room for her jacket. She tossed her apron in the art sink, grabbed her jacket which had her little flask in its pocket. Then she rejoined him. "Yes, please. Walk me home, sir. How very chivalrous of you."
"Maybe," he told her. "Depends on how much bribery you're willing to partake in," he smirked. He supposed that he wouldn't be completely opposed to doing a little fashion show for her just for shits and giggles. It definitely would liven up his nights as of late. It seemed like he hadn't done all that much recently worth even noting. In truth, it was sort of depressing. When she returned from the back room, he smiled. "I don't think I've been called chivalrous in my entire life," he laughed. "Watch out, I might offer you my jacket to keep you warm," he teased, winking at her.
Gin giggled, thinking about what he might appreciate for bribery. "Hm, I think it depends on what you'd be willing to model for me. I can imagine quite a few lengths to which I'd go for bribery. Nothing weirder than chaps though. Could be fun to dress you up so I can paint you again. I did that a few weeks ago and you'd think I was selling solid gold. Had two customers bickering over buying it. You might have fangirls. I hope you don't mind. I wasn't even going to sell it to begin with." She was chattering away, not sure what had her so chatty other than the fact she hadn't seen many people all day. She offered him the flask from her jacket then put the jacket on. "Oh you shouldn't do that. I might accidentally keep it and then you'd have to come back and get it some time."
He laughed softly. "Well I suppose that depends on what you want me to model," he told her. He hadn't heard that she'd sold the painting. He hadn't thought that it would be that lucrative for the woman, but he was glad she'd made something off of it. "Well, that's news to me," he said. "Guess I'm a real piece of art then," he said, looking just a little cocky. He wondered who'd bought the painting, but he kept his question to himself. "Sounds like you want me to visit more often," he noted, arching a brow.
Gin would have told him if he'd asked her who bought the painting. The same girl who always heckled Lochlan O'Reilly at the bar when he was on shift. She must collect pretty men throughout the dome, Gin decided. Which was fine by her! She giggled and nodded. "That you are. Those cheekbones and those eyes. Yep. You're gorgeous, sugar." She said it matter-of-factly. She liked his face and his manner. He set her at ease and at least acted interested in spending time. It was nice. "Definitely. You're a rascal for waiting so long to come see me tonight. But I'm glad you did."
A tiny blush spread over his cheeks, but he'd have denied it if she commented about it. Instead of drawing any attention to it, he grinned. "Well, I'm sorry it's been so long," he told her. "Guess I've just gotten caught up in all the wrong things instead of coming to see my favorite girl," he murmured. "I'll really have to try and atone for that."
Gin smiled up at him, catching the faint color but saying nothing as she started for the door. And since he hadn't taken her flask, she opened it and took a sip from it herself, feeling the nice warmth of the whiskey on its way down her throat. She gave him a bit of a pleased face at "favorite girl" and wondered how many girls he said that to which struck her as amusing. He could probably get away with saying it to every girl in Delphi. "I think I like the sound of that. Atonement. What did you have in mind?" she asked curiously.
Lucas liked when Gin smiled. It had a way of lighting up her face. He also liked that pleased little look she had on her face too. "Well, for starters, walking you home," he said as he followed her to the door. Once outside, he scrunched his nose. "I wonder if the cold is going to stop anytime soon," he said, shaking his head. He could deal with it, for the most part, but being alone at night with the cold wrapping around him more than his blanket was the worst part of it. "Course I'm willing to hear your ideas on how better to atone," he added.
Gin nodded with a smile, looking pleased again. "Walking me home is a very nice thing. Especially because I was thinking I'd need to bolster myself with liquid courage before I had to go out there." She offered him the flask again. "This will warm you up a little if you want it." She wasn't fond of the cold outside either and shivered in the immediate chill, pulling her jacket closed around her throat. "I thought this place was supposed to be climate controlled. Who voted for this?" she grumbled but she was still smiling. Gin thought for a moment. "Hm. Well, you could always come in and check that there's no one in my house waiting for me when I get there. That would be nice for a start considering what happened last night to those poor people."
This time he took the flask from her and took a sip. The whiskey was definitely warm going down and he handed the flask back to her. "Thanks," he said. He had to agree with her. This definitely wasn't the sort of weather that he'd have voted on, that was for damn sure. Sunny and seventy-five, maybe, but not this.
When she came up with her idea for him to check her house, he nodded. He'd intended to stick around at least long enough to make sure she was alright. He was all for women and having their rights and being strong and independent and all that blather, but facts remained that most women wouldn't mind a protective guy hanging around. "I think I can do that," he told her. Especially after the previous night. He didn't want to think about it. "Yeah," he said. "It's awful what happened to them. I'm hoping that nothing like that happens again." He wasn't so sure he could really put too much hope in that, however." There was this weirdness constantly hanging in the air lately that he just couldn't put his finger on.
"In a way, I hate leaving you there alone," he admitted. He knew she lived by herself, and while she was surely able to fend for herself if need be, he wasn't really the sort that liked leaving someone alone defenseless, especially a woman.
Gin took the flask back, took another sip, enjoying the way she felt suddenly warm down her arms and legs. Then she capped it and put it in her pocket. It wouldn't do to get plastered. She couldn't be vigilant in case someone tried to break in if she did that. She was definitely her own person and independent but there was something to be said for having a man around. It was why she'd fallen in love with Daniel and married him. He'd been the protective sort and Lucas had sparked a similarity there that she rather liked. She held Daniel's memory in such a fond place that it didn't make her sad to see bits of him in others, including Lucas.
"I hope it doesn't either. There's been so much violence and heartache in Delphi since the doors closed." There'd been violence and heartache before then too but nothing like the ghosts and the bats and the wolves. Now animal attacks in people's homes? It was unfathomable that they'd come to this dome to be safe and they were anything but. Companionably, Gin slid her arm around his, bolstering herself from the cold a bit as she did. She didn't think a thing of invading his personal space. She glanced up at him. "Oh I should be okay. Not that it wouldn't be nice if there was someone else in the house too. Well, someone who wasn't all murdery." She tried to make light of that with a little giggle but the idea of being alone, after hearing him say it like that, well it was bothering her. Still, she'd manage. She always had before!
Lucas knew that Gin had lost her husband. It was a depressing thing to lose anyone and he could really connect with her on that level. While he might not have lost a significant other, he'd lost close family members. The pain was still there inside of him, a wound that likely wouldn't ever heal.
Violence and heartache seemed to run rampant in Delphi. He just hoped the damn doors opened up soon enough so people could get the hell out of there if they wanted to. So he could get out. He was pulled out of those thoughts when she slipped her arm around his. He smiled faintly and leaned a little more into her, hoping that his warmth was rubbing off a little on her. "If you don't want to be alone," he told her, "I don't mind sticking around." He wasn't sure if that came off as a proposition and he didn't want her to feel odd or anything, so he shrugged slightly. "I mean neither of us would have to be alone then," he explained. "And at least I'd know you were safe."
This safe haven she'd grown to love wasn't what it used to be and it was sad in a lot of ways to Gin. It had also rendered her so lonely lately. People were off recovering from trauma or doing their own thing with their own families and she really didn't have anyone like that. It wasn't in her nature to feel badly about being alone or at all really but some part of her recognized it recently. She suspected that if he were anything like her, Lucas probably had similar loneliness issues going on. She was glad he'd come to see her.
Gin didn't hear a proposition in what he was offering. She heard safety and protection and peace in which to sleep. "You're a wonderful man, Lucas. If you don't mind staying, I would definitely appreciate the company. And then I'd know you're safe," she added with a hint of teasing in her voice. As though he couldn't take care of himself but this tiny wisp of a woman could.
Lucas didn't want to admit his own loneliness. He'd done his best to build a wall up around himself to avoid making any ties that would come to bite him in the ass later on down the line. If he didn't get close to people, he couldn't be hurt when they were taken away from him. He just didn't want to be hurt anymore. That was really what it all boiled down to. Regardless, the loneliness was sometimes hard to ignore. Just being close to someone else for once was nice.
A wonderful man. He didn't really consider himself wonderful by any means, but it was still nice to hear. "Well, that's definitely why I wanna stay," he told her. "You can keep me safe from the baddies roaming around."
Gin had detected his line of comfort in the past. She sort of knew how not to bump up against it and she was sensitive to it. She didn't know what caused it but she knew better than to push on it. Everyone had their wounds, especially here in Delphi. She'd learned that early on bartending in her aunt and uncle's bar. You got to know the regulars and how much they wanted you to take an interest in them. She'd observed him in the past enough to figure his out and know that witty banter was the most fun with him. Maybe for him. She didn't know for sure. Still it was nice he hadn't minded she'd put her arm around his and huddled in a little. She definitely thought he was wonderful for wanting to make sure she was safe and for offering to stay.
"I think you might find your debt is paid in full in the morning when you wake up safe and sound and know I've kept the baddies from roaming around you!" she said with a grin.
He was starved for human connection more than he'd like to admit. Forcing himself to push down his feelings for closeness and friendships and developing more than that hadn't worked as well as he might have hoped. Sometimes it just backfired and made him feel worse for the wear. Shut off from those who were around him. "I like the sound of that," he told her. "I do like to make sure all my debts are paid."
Gin paused and pointed at the house they'd come to. "This is me." She disentangled herself from his arm, disappointed by how cold she felt when she did it. She pulled out her keys and let herself in, immediately flipping the switch inside the door. Nothing. The house stayed dark. "Damn, the power is still out. Will you come with me to get candles? They're in the kitchen," she said over her shoulder to him. For some reason the darkness had her feeling creepy when usually she enjoyed it, her skin crawling a little at the thought of walking through the house without light. She guessed the idea of people being killed in their homes had gotten to her more than she'd realized.
He frowned when the lights didn't come on. "Yeah," he said, nodding slightly though she probably couldn't see it. He moved closely behind her, gently reaching out to touch her arm so he could make sure she was close enough that he wouldn't lose her in the darkness. He too was getting that creepy feeling. The darkness enveloped them and the thought of someone jumping out of that darkness wasn't exactly a happy vision. "Funny how darkness is always worse when crazy shit is happening," he commented.
Gin tried not to jump when he touched her but she couldn't help it. She relaxed though when she realized it was him and it had a calming effect as she began to move through the house toward the kitchen. She knew the place like the back of her hand, having walked through it a million times in the dark to get water without having the bright lights wake her up completely. She glanced toward him in the darkness when he spoke. It was like he'd read her mind. She smiled slightly. "No kidding. I'm glad you have me here with you so you don't freak out," she said, a hint of that smile in her tone. She entered the kitchen and found the drawer she needed. Pulling out the lighter she kept there, she grabbed the first candle from the shelf and lit it. The glow immediately showed her Lucas and she half sighed in relief. "Hi again."
"Sorry," he murmured. He hadn't meant to scare her, after all. "I know. I'd probably be freaking out if I was alone at my place," he told her. While his tone was teasing, he half thought it wasn't that far from the truth. Being in the dark with what was going on lately did have a way of making all the fears of the unknown rise to the surface. When she lit the candle, he smiled. That was better. It made things less freaky when he could actually see her face. "Hi," he murmured, reaching up to take the candle from her so she could light another. "Much better."
"It's okay," she reassured him, feeling silly that she'd been startled. She laughed softly as he followed her on the role reversal. Considering he'd agreed to follow her through a dark house, she didn't think he would be scared of anything so that was funny to her. "I promise I won't let the bad things get you," she said, her voice firm. She gave him the candle she'd lit willingly and pulled the other three off the shelf and lit them one by one. "Definitely much better. Now then. I'll be a good hostess and ask if you're hungry. Since you're staying please feel free to help yourself to anything you like. It's the least I can do for you." She was so grateful he was here. If she'd come home to the dark house by herself she might have drunk everything in her flask and taken herself up to the ranch and begged Lia to let her stay there. Instead she was mostly sober and with a man she enjoyed. Far better.
"My heroine," he told her, smirking broadly at the woman in the dim glow of the candles. Her offer was appreciated, but he shook his head. "I'm alright for now," he assured her. "But thank you." The house was quiet and it was, by now, obvious that there were no killers lurking in the darkness. "We should probably latch your door, just in case," he told her. Leaving it open wasn't an option. It was best to keep any unwanteds and unknowns out if possible.
Gin's eyes went wide. "Oh good grief! Here I am so worried someone's inside already I'm not being careful that someone doesn't come in behind us." She hurried back to the door, candle in hand, and made sure it was shut completely then locked it. "What would I do without you?" she asked playfully in a damsel in distress tone as she found him again. She wondered if she should offer him the guest room right away but if he wasn't really ready for bed yet she didn't want to end the conversation. She was enjoying getting to see him. "Maybe you could check under my bed and in my closet with me?" She was still playing some and directing things toward bedrooms meant that he had the choice of saying he was done for the night or they could always come back downstairs.
He wasn't quite ready to turn in for the night, so when she returned to him and asked if he wanted to check under her bed, he smiled. "Come on," he said. "Show me where it's at so I can make sure you check and double check." He figured keeping the mood light would help to relieve some of the tension and worry about what might be in the darkness. "Your house is nice," he added as she led the way to her bedroom. "A lot more tidy than mine."
Gin gave him a pleased look and led the way up the stairs to her room. "Oh that's because I'm never here to make a mess of it. You should see the back room at Encore. Utter chaos." It was true. She spent so much time there painting that she was almost never home except to eat, sleep, shower. It felt less lonely to be in her shop than at home too. "Mine's just through there," she said, pushing open the door to her room. She stepped in and found another set of candles that she lit from the one she was carrying. It occurred to her that this was a little oddly romantic looking. Her bedroom in candlelight. She pushed that out of her mind because there literally could be something dangerous in here.
Lucas took a second to check in the closet and under the bed. Things seemed pretty ordinary to him. There were no monsters to jump out, or anything else for that matter. It was quiet. He turned his attention back to Gin and smiled at her. "Looks clear," he told her, closing the closet door again. The candles in the room did give it a romantic glow and he tried not to acknowledge it. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done anything romantic for anyone, let alone been in a room with a woman and candles strewn about. "I wonder how long before the gossip mill starts," he teased, smirking a little. "Me and you go into your house and spend the night in candlelight?"
Gin watched him check under the bed and in the closet, relieved he took the initiative and that she didn't have to be the one to do it. She really appreciated what he was doing for her and wished there was more of way to repay him for it besides giving him atonement. She couldn't think of a single thing that would match but said, "I really owe you one. Whatever you want or need or whatever, if I can help, it's yours." She glanced around the room again at the ambient lighting and chuckled. "Oh I'm sure they're saying we're an item already and all your fangirls have begun crying themselves to sleep." She grinned and bumped him with her elbow.
"You don't owe me anything," he was quick to assure her. "Just making sure you're safe is all. Can't let anything happen to my favorite girl, remember? Then who would I bother?" It was sweet of her to be so appreciative and Lucas found it hard not to smile the more she talked. Especially when she went into conversation about fangirls. "My poor little fangirls," he said with a smirk. "Dashing their hopes and dreams with one simple action." He glanced briefly around the room and laughed softly to himself. "I can't remember the last time I was in a room with a woman and a bunch of candles," he said. "Probably ages ago when I had better moves," he laughed.
"I think I do and I'm going to hold good to that. Anything I can do, let me know," she said, not one to back down from settling a debt either. She grinned appreciatively when he called her his favorite girl again. Oh he was a charmer. She liked that about him. He pulled her right out of her fear. "Let them cry if they want to assume things without knowing the facts," she said lightly, realizing she'd left a nightgown on the bed and it was of the grandmotherly variety so she suddenly felt the need to hide it, quickly tossing it into the hamper. "Really? But look at you, sugar. I'd think you'd have plenty of time in bedrooms with candles." And again she was matter of fact. It burst forth factually from her mind because he really was fantastic to look at. And if he decided to turn on the charm, she could imagine ladies literally falling at his feet. "Or are you just not the romantic type?" she asked curiously.
He watched her toss the nightgown into the hamper and smirked just slightly. Now that was cute. Hiding her nightclothes like he was going to place judgement on her for them. Adorable. He snorted softly and shook his head. "Not lately," he told her honestly. He'd had plenty of urges, he was a man after all, but he just couldn't seem to get up the nerve to head into the brothel or to try and find some other willing participant. Romance complicated things. "I guess I've just tried not to be the romantic type," he explained with a little shrug. "Things are complicated nowadays. Tomorrow isn't promised and losing people sucks. Sometimes it's just easier to be alone."
Oh this was new territory with Lucas. He hadn't shared anything like that with her before and she made sure to treat it sensitively. "You're right, sometimes it is. But I think… and this is only from a recent thing that happened to me, I think that our minds and bodies crave other people even when we don't think about it consciously. Maybe," she said and hesitantly continued. "Maybe we're not supposed to be alone. Whatever not alone means to each one of us." Her most "not alone" moments lately had been when a ghost had been visiting her. She needed more than that and that was probably why she kept wishing Cody would keep coming back. "It's exhausting being lonely."
She had a point, he supposed. Being lonely was exhausting. It wasn't his intention in life to be lonely, but things had changed drastically when the world went to shit. Priorities changed. Loved ones were lost. Friendships seemed pointless. Worries outweighed any good. At least they had for quite some time now. It didn't take away the cravings that he had for other people, both in the physical and the emotional sense. "Maybe we're not," he agreed. "It is pretty damn exhausting."
Judging by his short answer, Gin felt she'd gone a little too far into over-share-land. She hoped she hadn't pushed too hard against the opening she'd thought she'd seen. She didn't want him to think she was going to do that every single time he visited so that he chose not to visit anymore. She smiled brightly then. "Well no one is alone tonight, hm? You're staying and that makes two of us in the same house instead of one, right? So are you sleeping outside my door or in the guest room?" she asked teasingly.
"Maybe outside your door," he teased. "It'd be nice to hear someone besides myself breathing." It was funny how the little things were the ones he missed about being alone. When he was younger, still living with his parents and siblings, the sounds in the house at night were comforting. Soft snoring from his mother, loud growly snores from his father, and the sound of his sister and brother spending more time tossing and turning than sleeping. Little things that stuck out in his mind even now, years later.
Gin laughed, the image of him curled up on the floor in her hallway seeming so absurd. "I gotta say that I don't think you'd hear much out there. I don't snore. Daniel reassured me ages ago that I was a quiet sleeper. So much so he sometimes felt for a pulse. I'm so sorry." She had the feeling her sleep would be super peaceful tonight too just knowing someone else was in the house. "You'd be more comfortable in the guest room I'm sure." The brief thought of offering him a place in her bed flashed through her mind. She'd like that best. There wasn't even a sexual feeling attached to it. Just the companionship like she'd felt earlier when she'd put her arm around his.
"Darn," he said. "I don't know if I snore or not," he admitted. "It's been too long since I've had someone around while I was sleeping that could even tell me." It'd been a long time since he'd had anyone close enough to him that he'd let them be around him while he was sleeping. The thought occurred to him that it was strange to be spending the night with anyone, whether that was across the room or otherwise. Being in the same house with someone for a whole night hadn't happened in years. He had spent that long being alone because it was just easier to fend for himself.
Gin found that puzzling. She canted her head, her reddish hair falling to the side as she tried to take him in. This was more unexpected sharing and she treated it even more delicately. "Well I wouldn't feel safe with you out in my hallway. You have to have a door between you and it to keep you safe. And I honestly think there's safety in numbers." She took a deep breath and posited, "Maybe you should stay inside my room. I think I'd feel safer for myself and for you." A five person family being slaughtered in their own home was motivation enough to invite him in. Even if he curled up on her floor she'd feel better knowing he wasn't out there vulnerable.
He had to admit that he was a little surprised to get the offer to stay inside her room with her. He glanced at her bed, then at the door that led to the hallway. "Well, I would," he began, a tiny smirk slipping over his face, "but what are you going to wear to bed if you have to hide all your nightgowns?," he teased. He wondered if he could get the woman to blush just a little and maybe given himself time to stop freaking out slightly in his head over whether or not he wanted to be in the same room with someone for an entire night of sleep. In the same room with a pretty woman, no less.
Gin opened her mouth to protest because she had hoped he hadn't seen her furtive nightgown hiding. But he had and all she could do was laugh and feel her ears turn bright red. "I guess I'd have to wear a tshirt and yoga pants," she said because that was the first thing that came to mind. "You weren't supposed to see that!" she added and elbowed him again. She wasn't so much embarrassed as she was totally amused that he'd caught her and then called her out. It made the whole idea of inviting him to stay in her room feel a lot less like a serious thing. She didn't want him to feel pinned to it or like it was some milestone. She'd accept a no and not have any ill regards for him. The fact he was there, staying. That was what mattered to her. She felt safe.
He grinned, liking that blush on her ears. It was cute, he had to admit, even if he didn't say so aloud. "Well, we would be safer together," he said, thinking it over briefly. "Alright. Thought I might steal the covers," he teased. "Like I said, I haven't been in the same room with someone while sleeping in ages. Let alone in the same bed. Unless I'm reading the offer wrong and you want me on a pallet on the floor, which is doable too. Whatever works." And now he was babbling like an idiot. What the hell was going on here?
She looked at him solemnly. "Nope. Same bed was what I was offering. And I have plenty of blankets. Now you've warned me I can grab my own from my monster-free closet and be sure to stay warm all night long." There was something totally fun about the idea of having a sleepover with Lucas. She hadn't had a sleepover in a long time and she really liked him. She wondered what he'd say when he was half asleep. He'd definitely be adorable. She could already tell because she'd looked at him enough to see the little boy he had once been.
He couldn't help the way that his face heated up a little at her words. He smiled at the teasing and nodded, reaching over to open the closet for her to grab her blanket. "Well how about I let you get dressed for bed and I can check the rest of the house just to be safe?," he suggested, moving to pick up one of the candles so he could do just that. The least he could do was give her some privacy while she got into her night clothes.
Gin smiled at his offer to check the rest of the house and give her some privacy. “Thank you kindly, sugar,” she said and went to her dresser to pull out an Iron Butterfly tshirt and yoga pants. She was regretful that she didn’t have anything for him to change into. Most people found it uncomfortable to sleep in regular clothes. She waited until he was out of the room before she closed the door and began changing her clothes. When she was finished she re-opened the door, pulled a second blanket from the closet, and climbed onto the bed, pushing down the covers and sticking her toes under them.
He couldn't help but be pleased with her calling him "sugar". It was endearing. He left the room so she could change and went around the house looking in the other rooms to make sure they were alone in the house. He double checked the doors and windows before returning to her room. The door was open, so he peeked inside and found her in the bed. He smiled and sat the candle on the nightstand. "The house is clear and all the doors are locked." Everything was safe and secure. He slipped his jacket off and draped it over a chair close by before sitting on the bed so he could take off his shoes.
"Thank you for doing that. It really puts me at ease to know for sure." It was a little strange to be getting into bed with a man without it being a falling into bed in the heat of passion kind of thing. Nevertheless it was serving to make Gin feel a lot better about sleeping tonight. She hoped she wouldn't do anything embarrassing like spoon him in the middle of the night without thinking. Probably it was good thing they had two separate blankets. "That one's for you," she said and patted the blanket she'd pulled from the closet. "Steal away!"
"Not a problem," he told her. "I'd rather have the peace of mind to know that things are safe and secured than to be surprised in the middle of the night by something crazy." He sat his shoes and his socks aside and then moved to pull his shirt up and over his head in typical fashion. He usually stripped down to his boxerbriefs when going to bed alone. It wasn't until he'd removed the shirt and set it aside that he realized he wasn't doing the typical thing tonight. "It's not going to be weird for you if I lose the pants is it?," he asked her. While she might not mind the shirtlessness, he wasn't sure how she'd feel about less clothes than that.
Gin agreed, nodding. "Something crazy. I think you hit the nail on the head." That seemed to be all there was in Delphi. Something crazy. She couldn't help but watch as he took off his shirt but she averted her eyes to taking off her watch and putting it on the nightstand before she got caught staring. She glanced back to him as he spoke and was taken again by his chest. She lifted her eyes, her mouth slightly open. "Uh no, go ahead," she said quickly, wishing that her ears hadn't just turned red.
He did all he could to keep from smirking a little. So maybe seeing someone blushing over his toned physique was ego boosting. He couldn't really help but be pleased with himself and the way that she was caught there staring at his chest and rushing over her words. He stood and unzipped his pants, slipping them off and putting them with the rest of his clothes before settling down on the bed and tucking his feet beneath the blanket she'd given him to sleep under. "Your bed is warmer than mine," he commented. "If it keeps being cold around here, you might be stuck with me stealing your blankets," he teased.
Gin wanted to hide under the covers. She giggled at herself and how silly it was to be so zoned in on someone's body like that. She definitely did not watch as he took off his pants but just the sound of his pants unzipping had her almost laughing again. She settled in when he did, pulling her covers up and turning on her side toward him. "You poor thing. It's probably that you need another body in it. Come steal my blankets anytime you like!" Especially if you do it shirtless, she thought with a grin.
The way she giggled and then almost burst out laughing had him arching a brow at her and rolling onto his side so he could better face her. "It's weird, isn't it?," he questioned. "I think this is the first time I've ever been in a bed with a woman that I wasn't sleeping with in the biblical sense," he said, laughing a little himself. It was strange, he had to admit. "I think you might be right though. The body heat definitely helps."
"Yeah, I can't say as I've been in a bed with a man I wasn't sleeping with either. Well since I was little anyway and crawled into my parents' bed but that doesn't count," she said with a chuckle. "It's a little weird but I like it. Knowing there's someone else there. You," she said pleasantly. She honestly say she didn't know any other man she'd let into her bed like this. Well, maybe Cody, but that wasn't the same since he was a ghost. "It does, doesn't it? Wonder why you didn't think of that sooner. You could have been so much warmer!"
Lucas smiled a little at her and propped himself up on one elbow. "Well I like it too," he admitted. That was really saying something. He usually wouldn't have admitted that. It gave her a little power over him. He liked having her close, for warmth, comfort, and for the sense of security that having another person in the bed with him gave. "I like knowing someone is there that I can reach out and touch if I want to," he shrugged. "Probably sounds weird. Or creepy. I didn't intend to be creepy…"
She propped herself up too because it seemed like the right thing to do in the moment. Well that was interesting. To hear a man admit to that sort of thing. She liked it though. She felt like she'd found herself a little bit further inside his outer boundary than she'd expected to ever be and what she was seeing, she was liking. It was cute too to her that he'd twice said something a bit more open than usual and felt the need to be sure she wasn't weirded out by it. "No, it kind of sounds the way I feel about it. I probably should have warned you though that I'm a cuddler when I sleep. I don't do it on purpose but sometimes I gravitate," she admitted, her tone sheepish. Now maybe he was glad for the separate blankets.
He knew he should mind it, knew that maybe it would make things weird if she started cuddling him in the middle of the night, but he found that he didn't really mind the thought of it. She was warm, so warm that he could feel it from across the bed. "I think I can manage," he told her. "Kind of hard not to gravitate after it's been a while," he shrugged. "Wanting to move towards the warmth and all that."
Gin was pleasantly surprised he took it so well. She'd thought of simply apologizing later if it happened but it was probably better to be up front. Besides, she might not and then there would be no weirdness. "True enough," she agreed. It had been a while since she'd had anyone in her bed besides her. Since before the doors were closed. "Do you have any bad sleeping habits? Other than stealing the blankets?" she asked with a bit of a grin. It suddenly occurred to her that they probably shouldn't fall asleep with the candles lit so she hopped out of the bed to blow out the ones on her dresser. Then she quickly got back under the covers because it was definitely warmer under them. With no power there was no heat and it was going to get cold.
"I usually sprawl out on my bed," he admitted. "Throw my arm around a pillow because that's the only other thing in bed with me. You might not be the only one cuddling," he laughed. He wasn't sure how he'd act when he was asleep. Being next to someone at night was a completely new situation for him. He watched her get up to blow out the candles and when she returned, he smiled at her. "I'm glad I decided to come visit," he said. He hadn't expected to end up with a bed partner, but it was definitely a better alternative than the one he'd expected when he got home. Freezing and being alone didn't sound like his idea of a good time.
Gin giggled softly as he laughed. The idea of her gravitating toward him was a little embarrassing for her. But the idea of him gravitating toward her sounded very nice to her. It was a strange new facet of their friendship but so far it didn't feel at all uncomfortable. She suspected it never would. "I'm glad you did too. Who knows what horrible things could have happened to you all by yourself in a dark house with no heat," she said with a smile of her own. She hadn't expected to ever end up with Lucas in her bed in any capacity so having him here in a protective one was kind of nice. She told herself not to get used to it though. "I'm hoping the power will be back on in the morning so I can make breakfast," she said thoughtfully.
It was a new facet of their friendship to say the very least. It was new and different and strange. Maybe even a little terrifying if he really let himself think too hard on it. He was letting Gin in and that was strange for him. He hadn't let anyone inside of the walls he'd built up in ages. He hadn't let anyone even get close. Yet here he was, laying in bed with a woman. So close to curling up with her that his body was slowly leaning slightly towards her gravitational pull. "And without you to protect me," he smirked. As for the thought of food in the morning, he softly groaned. "I haven't had home cooked breakfast that didn't include diner food in ages.”
Gin grinned but then gave a very serious nod. "You're such a damsel in distress. I can't imagine how you've made it this long without me," she teased, sounding a little caveman-ish to her own ears and making herself laugh. She tilted her head at him before leaning forward toward him slightly, almost conspiratorially. "Neither have I so it'll be really nice to eat something I made myself." She leaned back again and looked off. "What do you think? Eggs if they aren't utterly spoiled, toast? I could do waffles."
"I am," he said. "I need a pretty floral bonnet so everyone else will know how distressed I am and how in need of saving," he teased, smirking at her. Eggs. Toast. Waffles. God that sounded delicious. His stomach growled softly and he laughed. "I think I'll take whatever you wanna make," he said, grinning. "I'm not a cook, but I don't mind doing the dishes."
"You'd look mighty purdy in that." The mental image of him wearing a floral bonnet was too funny. She burst into laughter and covered her mouth with her hand, shaking her head at him. "Oh, are you sure you don't want to move in?" she teased when he offered to do the dishes. "I could use a good house boy." She grinned and, for lack of something better to do with herself, she turned and blew out the candle on her nightstand, leaving the room lit with just the one Lucas had. "You know, if you're hungry, I can rustle up something that doesn't have to be cooked."
"Oh, of course I would. I'd be gorgeous." He could almost see himself in a floral bonnet and it made him laugh out loud. Her teasing offer for him to move in made him grin. "Don't tempt me," he teased right back. She was fun and the more they were together, the more he found that he liked her company. "I'm alright," he told her. "Not going to make you get out of this nice warm bed anyways," he laughed. Rolling over, he blew out the candle on his side of the bed before facing her again. "Besides, you should get some sleep anyway," he told her. "You've gotta make your house boy breakfast in the morning."
"You're already gorgeous. That would make you devastating," she said with a bit of an amused dramatic flair in her tone. "Hm… I think about that," she said playfully about not tempting him. There was something liberating about it being dark this time because the bed was warm and Lucas was close and he'd checked the house to be sure no one and nothing was in it. "Be careful, I might make you wear those chaps!" she said with a giggle because the chaps added themselves to her image of him in the floral bonnet. "Thank you so much for staying, Lucas."
Hearing himself be called gorgeous never got old, especially when he believed the person saying that. He laughed when she mentioned the chaps again. "I don't think that they would go with my bonnet," he admitted with a smirk as he settled in a little closer to her, liking the warmth coming off of her body. "Thank you for letting me," he told her.
She could feel how warm he was and the urge to snuggle in under the covers and move closer was getting to be a little irresistible. The room outside of the covers was starting to be downright freezing. She decided to hunker down under the covers and readjust herself a little closer, feeling again how fun it was to be having a sleepover. "You'd probably freeze to death in them anyway. You look better in the leather jacket," she said honestly. "You're welcome."
He watched her in the darkness curling into the covers just a little bit more. It was cold outside of the blankets and he knew she was probably freezing. He bit his bottom lip and shifted enough to move one arm out of her way and lifted the other to beckon her towards him. "You're probably freezing right now," he told her. "I'm okay with cuddling. Besides, we'll both be warmer."
Oh how necessity was the mother of interesting things. Gin could honestly say that she had never imagined cuddling with Lucas, she'd been sure she would never make it past acquaintanceship with him. But this was a unique context and the idea of it now sounded good to her. She didn't need to be asked twice because it was definitely chilly. She lifted the end of her blanket end of her blanket and the end of his and scooted over under his where it was much warmer than where she'd been. She sort of curled in against his chest, immediately so much warmer in spite of the fact he was wearing less clothes than she was. "Oh you're like a space heater or something. I'm definitely keeping you around!"
He had to laugh at her comment. He shifted the blankets so they better covered the both of them before sliding his arm around her gently in effort to keep her warm. "Until it starts getting hot and you're ready to kick me to the curb," he teased, flashing a wide grin at her. He tried not to let himself think too much on what was happening. It was just two people, sharing a bed and some warmth. Nothing more. Or at least he would continue to tell himself that.
Gin resisted the urge to find out if his feet were warmer than his, keeping her cold tootsies at a safe distance though she was sure they would warm eventually now they were closer. When he mentioned things getting "hot" she grinned in the darkness, grateful that he probably couldn't see it. Her mind wandered past literal warmth for the first time and it made her want to giggle. She ducked her chin slightly. "Nah, I'd just roll over under my own covers until I got cold again. You know. Gravitate, retreat, re-gravitate." Her grin was not disguised in her tone whatsoever. Talking like this was fun and having someone to fall asleep with was so much better than she'd remembered.
He could tell she was smiling because of the sound of her voice and it made him smile too. "Well, gravitate all you want," he told her, letting his chin rest against the top of her head. She was warm and soft and he would have been lying if he said he didn't like the way she felt against him. "I'm not going anywhere til morning at the very least."
Being held was probably the best part of this. It had been so long since she'd been held that she wasn't sure she remembered it last. It fed her soul and it was so much better than nice that it was Lucas. She told herself again not to get used to this. It was probably a one-off and he'd be gone again for a while before he thought of her again and visited. Still, she felt a bit dreamy there in his arms and she couldn't help but sigh. She caught herself and bit the insides of her cheeks to keep from giggling. "Mmhm you have to stay and clean the dishes at the very least," she teased.
"Yeah," he nodded. "I promise I'll stay til then," he said. He wondered if he'd go about his day the way that he always did. He wondered if he'd miss the warmth of her body against his own the next night when he started to fall asleep. He tried not to think too much on that now, though. He didn't care, after all. Right? "Go to sleep, Ginny," he murmured, giving her a little squeeze. "You've gotta be well rested for your cooking endeavor tomorrow."
Gin smiled, tilting her face back up toward him again, trying to make it out in the darkness but all she saw were faint outlines of his jaw and cheekbones. In the dark it was okay to stare so she did, wondering what more was behind that boundary he had going on. She kind of hoped he'd let her see more. "I have a confession to make first. I'm not nearly as tired as I should be. But if you want to go to sleep, I'll join you whenever my eyes fall closed." She was going to make the most of this being held and being close to him while she had the chance.
He chuckled, shaking his head a little. "I'm not really tired either," he admitted. "That's probably ridiculous, but I'm not." He wasn't really ready for the night to be over, but he didn't want to admit that outloud. He lifted the arm that was around her and let his hand find her hair, sliding through the strands instinctively. He wasn't sure what made him do that, but he'd already done it so there wasn't really anything he could do to change that. "Your hair is soft," he commented.
She echoed his chuckle because there they were, in bed, in the dark and neither one really ready to sleep. It seemed absurd but it was happening. How had walking her home ended him up here, she wondered, thinking back over how it had all progressed and marveling at the fact that it had sort of all felt innocent until he ran his hand through her hair. Then she felt butterflies flutter in her tummy and took a slow, deep breath. "Is it?" she asked quietly, one hand coming to rest against his chest. She knew that was a lame response but she wasn't sure what to say.
"Mhm," he said, nodding. He felt slightly awkward now. He wondered if he was creeping her out. He thought about pulling his hand away from her hair, but he didn't. He liked the way her hair felt between his fingers. He liked the way that she felt period. It had been a long time since he'd been this close to another person, let alone a woman. It had been a long time since he'd let himself be this vulnerable. He was surprised that Gin had managed to get even slightly past his wall.
Gin smiled and unconsciously moved a little closer to him. She didn't feel awkward at all. She felt like she was right where she was supposed to be then. If keeping another human being warm was her mission for the moment, she'd fulfill it and then some. Especially for someone she liked as much as Lucas. And the butterflies continued to flutter for a few moments more. "Tell me something, anything," she prompted, curious to see what he'd respond with. She didn't dare ask for a secret or a confidence but it would be interesting to hear something random from the top of his head.
Tell her something. Anything. He wasn't really sure what to tell her. "My favorite color is green," he said. It was the first thing that came to his mind. The first thing that let her in a little, but not too much. "Random," he laughed. "But you didn't specify what sort of something you wanted to know."
Gin giggled. "No, no, I didn't. " She felt a little disappointed that it wasn't a story or a detail about himself she didn't know but he was right, she hadn't specified. Still it was personal in a way and she didn't know it. "Can I ask you a slightly personal question?" she asked before she could stop herself from asking it.
He arched a brow. A "slightly personal question". He'd never had anyone really want to know anything personal, so he wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Okay," he said, nodding a little. "Shoot."
She bolstered her courage since she'd already gotten herself this far. "Are you the person I see on a regular basis or is there more to you that's underneath? I'm not asking for details or for you to be something more or anything like that. I'm just curious because I think I see hints of more but my imagination runs wild. I mean, you saw the paintings." She bit her lip to stop from babbling and waited for him to answer.
The question, while it didn't really ask over much, asked a lot more than he'd expected. He wasn't sure how to respond. "There's more underneath." He could admit that much. He knew that he wasn't the man that he let everyone see on the outside. There was more to him. He knew there was a lot more to himself than he allowed to be viewed. Most of the time, he didn't even let himself see everything. "Why do you ask?," he questioned
Gin nodded, liking that she'd gotten it right. And if he could be honest, so could she. "I … well. The more hints of what I feel like is underneath, the more I feel butterflies," she said and hoped she hadn't said too much.
Butterflies. She liked what little of the inner layer of himself she'd been allowed to see. She got butterflies because of him. Well, that was an experience he never thought he was going to have. "I give you butterflies?," he asked. There was no judgment in his tone, but a tiny hint of surprise did linger in his words.
"There's something that feels very deep and maybe a little dark about you. But tender somehow. When you touched my hair just now. It felt like more… there was more. I hadn't ever thought of you in that way but now…" Was she making any sense? She ducked her chin again, waiting for him to get up and decide to go.
"I think it's just my pretty floral bonnet," he told her, smirking slightly. "You just can't stop thinking about it. I can't blame you, really. It's glorious and I'm sure that explains the butterflies," he teased, fingertips stroking through her hair again. He tried to make light of the words, but he found himself lingering on what she'd said. "So now you're thinking of me as more than what exactly?," he asked.
Gin nodded inwardly as he turned funny again in the face of what she'd said. She'd known better and so it didn't sting. She smiled. "It really is the floral bonnet but more importantly the chaps. With it," she countered with a grin in her tone. She was thoughtful for a moment after his question, unsure of how to answer honestly without him shutting down again. "More… well. I guess more than the Lucas that I thought I knew. There are aspects of you that I didn't expect to ever see. And I like them."
He felt a little badly for pushing the conversation towards humor, but he wanted to keep that distance, that wall, between himself and emotions. Emotions turned into things that he couldn't take back, connections that he couldn't undo, connections with people that may not live long enough to see another year or two. With the world the way that it was, he couldn't let himself fall into that sort of thing. Still, he had to admit that he did care about Gin. He didn't want to let himself, but he did. "What aspects do you like?," he questioned.
Gin wondered why he was asking that question. She hoped that an overinflated ego wasn't part of what was underneath the things she'd seen on the outside. It would spoil so much about what was happening right now if that was the case. "The way you touch my hair," she began, closing her eyes as she spoke. "The way you've been protective, funny, accepting, warm." Sexy she included silently because it was now occurring to her that she had been missing that the entire time but it was there now in her mind. She lifted her face again, opening her eyes to the darkness.
His fingertips stroked through her hair once more. She said she liked it, so he wasn't going to stop. Hearing himself be called words that he never thought he'd hear as descriptors for himself was different and slightly terrifying. "I think you're the only one who's ever called me any of those things," he admitted.
Gin closed her eyes again as she felt his hand in her hair. It re-ignited the butterflies in her tummy because she was nervous about the other things she'd said. She frowned slightly to hear his words. "Really? But you are. You have been." All in the course of this evening and she had him overnight as well. Her own knight in shining armor almost. Her hand quested out to find his hair, giving it a gentle brush with her fingers. "You're so good, Lucas." So many people should tell him that.
Goosebumps slid over his skin the moment her fingers found his hair. His breath caught in his throat and he bit his bottom lip. It was strange how much just a simple touch, just simple fingertips in his hair, could make him remember how much he missed human contact. "That feels nice," he whispered into the darkness, eyes fluttering closed.
Gin heard his breath catch and bit her lower lip. This was turning into more than she'd ever expected and wherever it went she knew she wasn't going to think of him the same in the morning as she had when he'd shown up at her shop earlier. The trick was not to be roped in emotionally in case he decided he'd said too much and closed off again. Her fingers curled in his hair, her fingertips almost caressing his scalp then. She could have said a hundred things right then but all she did was shift slightly back a bit so she could make out more of his face in the darkness.
She was making it very difficult to concentrate. Her fingers were soft, warm, and comforting in his hair. Comfort hadn't really been a frequent feeling as of late and he wanted to hold onto it as long as he could. "Tell me something," he told her. "Anything." His eyes opened then, focusing in the dark and taking in the outline of her face.
Gin let her hand find a resting place against the back of his neck below his hair. She thought about his question, wondering what he would want to hear in spite of the fact he also hadn't specified. "I'm glad you're not leaving tonight because I really like you," she said and immediately her hand moved from his neck to her mouth to cover it. Her face blazed but he hopefully couldn't see the color as she curled her arm down against her body again. "I mean, the cold is pretty bad. I think it's going to last all night, unfortunately."
He certainly hadn't expected that much honesty. It was one thing for her to say that she liked him, or to say that she liked aspects about him, or even to say she got butterflies in her stomach, but the way she said it was what made all the difference. She "really liked" him. And she covered her mouth as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud, immediately changing what she'd told him. "You really like me?," he asked. He pulled her a little closer, fingers tucking her hair behind her ear. "Well, you don't have to worry much about the cold," he told her. "At least for tonight."
"I do," she said a bit strained. "Is that okay? I mean, I got the whole vibe that you don't want people too close…" She stopped and sighed, feeling like she was ruining the simplicity of this. She smiled as he pulled her closer, feeling his hands in her hair again. It was like encouragement and she nuzzled her face against his chest a little. "That's good. Thank you. And you either, you and your floral bonnet."
"Having people close usually ends in disaster," he told her honestly. "No good has ever really come from it." The ones he loved always ended up being taken away in the end. He didn't want to experience that all over again. He was tired of losing people that he cared about. "It's okay if you like me," he finally let himself say. He couldn't really tell her that she wasn't allowed. He wasn't going to be an asshole to the woman, even if he wasn't sure how to respond. He liked her too, but his heart wouldn't let him admit that aloud. Not yet.
Gin was a little taken aback at his answer. She felt so totally opposite that she wasn't sure what to say at first. "Has that really been your experience?" She shifted a little to look at him, her eyes better focused in the darkness. Her hand found his cheek and she frowned. She wanted it to be more than "okay" that she liked him but she didn't say more than that. She'd known there were limits in the first place. Whatever she was given beyond that was special.
"When I care about people, I always end up losing them," he told her with a shrug. "Like I said before, sometimes it's just easier to be alone." He wasn't sure what she might feel about what he had to say, but he didn't want to lie to her. That was how he really felt and she deserved the truth. He leaned into her touch and shrugged his shoulder again. "When things are the way they are, you aren't promised tomorrow," he explained. "Attachments make it harder to let go when things blow up in your face."
Gin frowned even more. She felt sad for him that he felt life was like that. She wondered what he'd been through that had him so dark. "I'm sorry," she said quietly, her hand stroking his cheek gently. She wondered what secret pain he harbored but she wouldn't ask him. She drew closer to him without meaning to. "Sometimes things don't blow up though. What do you do then?"
"Haven't gotten close enough to someone to find out," he told her. "Lost too many people to even want to try." He was surprised at himself and the way she was pulling little things out of him without even really trying. She wasn't pressing him for information, but she was still managing to get little tidbits that he'd never even admitted to himself.
"That's so sad," she said so quietly about all of it. That he'd lost people. She tried to be quiet and not to press but her fingers kept moving against his face. "You don't have relationships where nothing blows up?"
"I don't have relationships period," he told her simply. "I have people I talk to. Acquaintances. People I see on a day to day basis. I just don't have relationships." If he didn't form relationships, he didn't have to worry about losing people he cared for. If he kept people at a distance, he didn't have to worry about the way that things felt when he lost them.
Gin nodded, understanding what he was saying. "How… how do you … go on?" She didn't understand how he managed to keep going on with life the way it was. Her fingers slid to his arm. "Why tell me these things?"