Olivia Dunham (AltLivia) (olivialt) wrote in thedoorway, @ 2013-02-04 11:16:00 |
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Olivia was out of the apartment and it was strange to Lincoln how quickly this had become a tangible thing. Like her personality left a mark - Liv was here - and her absence felt like an itch at the back of his neck. It was ridiculous, really. But Lincoln was nothing if not determined to remain logical whenever possible. So instead of drifting aimlessly around the empty apartment, he’d decided to take a shower. Exactly ten seconds had been spared for the thought of a cold one, just for good measure, but he’d talked himself out of it and taken one as hot as he could bear. A lifetime on the east coast hadn’t made him impervious to the cold weather just outside the window. Once he was done, Lincoln secured a towel around his waist, wiped off the mirror and methodically ran a comb through his hair. It might have looked like he was disturbingly focused on this task, but the truth was that his thoughts were scattered. He was hoping that once training started for SHIELD, he’d settle into some kind of rhythm here and not feel so out of sorts. Speaking of out of sorts, he’d forgotten to bring any clothes into the bathroom. Sighing at this oversight, Lincoln opened the bathroom door, letting steam waft out into the hall as he moved to dash across the space to his bedroom. Olivia probably should have mentioned that she was only running to the corner drugstore before she left, but it’d been awhile since she lived with a guy and had already broken the habit of mentioning where she was headed, unless offering to pick up a few things. Lincoln was already “blessed” with the fact that Olivia treated the place like she lived alone - clothes draped across furniture, dishes left unwashed for a few days, lounging around in shorts and tanktops and barging into rooms without knocking - and now he was gifted a roommate who returned in under fifteen minutes with her bag of toiletries and cosmetics. She always walked like she had a purpose, long and swift steps, back straight and eyes usually focused on the target rather than everything around her. Which was probably the reason why she turned the hallway corner in a hurry and ran straight into Lincoln in all his freshly-showered-and-toweled glory. “Woah, woah boy.” Her bag fell in the minor collision and Olivia caught herself on his .. erm. bare chest, hands left grabbing damp skin so she didn’t fall on her ass. That was about his luck, Lincoln thought as he banged his knee on the door frame trying to avoid the collision he only saw coming too late. Instinctively grabbing one of her arms to steady them both, he gritted back a noise of surprise and momentary pain. Then his mouth went dry in that split second between focusing on her touch and turning his brain towards fixing this situation as quickly as humanly possible. "Iiii...am so sorry," he finally managed to stutter, dropping his hand from her arm to anxiously verify his towel was still secure. His eyes dropped to her bag at their feet and he really hoped he wasn't blushing as hard as he felt like he was. "I should've put on my glasses but I...I was just, I left my clothes -- there," he gestured wildly towards his closed bedroom door with his free hand and visibly swallowed. "I am so sorry." In the seconds before he opened his mouth to talk, Olivia had to blink a few times in order to register the differences between this Lincoln, and the one that she’d spent most of her time with in the past five years. Until recently, at least. Most days it wasn’t even a second thought, she had taught herself differences between them even when he wasn’t wearing glasses or a suit, but they were minor. Gestures, expressions, words. But for a fleeting second, she had to remind herself that this was a different Lincoln, even if he was hers now. His apology earned a wide grin from her as soon as the situation registered, one of Olivia’s typical toothy grins that was full of life and a little rarer these days. “Hey, it’s okay. No harm done. Just some dropped lipstick and tampons, I don’t think I can hold it against you.” On the cue, Olivia crouched down to start retrieving her spilled items and shove them back in the bag, which only managed to put her in an even more awkward position by leaning down in front of a man in a towel. It was fitting that her thoughts had included his alternate, since Lincoln was wishing he had some of the other Lincoln's cool right about now. He was generally pretty comfortable in his own skin, and more restrained than textbook shy, but Olivia left him feeling awkward and self-conscious more than he cared to admit. It was a bit like being in high school all over again. Shoving that unhelpful thought aside, he cleared his throat and huffed out a tense laugh. "Good to know you won't be...holding this against me," he murmured stupidly as she crouched and he was left with a decision to make. Dropping to one knee in the thought that it was better to try and help than to loom over her half-naked, Lincoln quickly realized he'd chosen poorly since she was done before he could be of any help and here he was dripping all over the place like an idiot. "Looks like you've...got that under control," he admitted, closing his eyes and giving a smirking, self-deprecating shake of his head. "I, uh, I'll make sure to bring my clothes with me from now on." “Relax,” Olivia reached out to awkwardly pat half-naked Lincoln on the bare shoulder, from their similar crouching position. “It’s really not that big of a deal, Linc, and even if it was, you think I’m going to complain about you acting normal?” Or walking around in only a towel? Because there wasn’t going to be a complaint from her corner if she got to appreciate the view, even reluctantly. She straightened up and took a half-step back, putting a comfortable distance between the two of them and stepping out of his personal-space bubble. “You’re allowed to walk around the apartment in a towel, drop some clothes on the couch, watch movies in your boxer shorts, let loose now and again. I promise I won’t hold it against you.” Following her lead, Lincoln stood, trying hard for casual cool in the process. His hands even shifted to rest on his hips but he second-guessed himself midway and dropped them to his sides instead. “Right. Right. Of course.” A beat passed in silence before he laughed quietly. “Yeah, no. To be honest, that’s probably never going to happen.” He lifted a hand to smooth it over his damp hair before realizing his statement might need some clarification. “I mean, not because of you living here.” Not just because of you living here, his conscience corrected as he ignored the thought and barreled on through his explanation. “Just-- I’m not really the walk around in a towel, leave a mess behind kind of guy.” Shifting his eyes towards the nearby sanctuary of his bedroom, Lincoln exhaled a little louder than he intended. “I appreciate the thought, though.” “Once again disappointed,” Olivia lamented, but finished it off with another wide grin to soften the blow. It took more effort for her to be serious than the other way around, but she also wasn’t completely confident that he was used to her brand of humor yet. Maybe, with as much as they’d been around each other in the weeks he’d helped out on their side. “But that means you don’t mind if I run around in a towel, right? Since it’s not your thing I’ll happily take it.” She did make a mental note to pick up a new robe now that she was here, though, just so he wouldn’t end up permanently red-faced. Her eyes followed his glance toward his bedroom and realized that she was pretty much keeping him trapped in the hallway where he was obviously uncomfortable. Taking pity on Lincoln, Olivia shifted to the side to let him pass. “Sorry, you probably want to get out of here. Go put some pants on, Linc. You’re embarrassing me.” “I--” There was really no finishing that response without clearing his throat again. “--You’re welcome to make yourself at home, obviously.” Lincoln looked relieved as she moved and the exit ramp came into view, but he had just enough pride to stop him from darting for his room. He was an adult, after all. And she was used to her Lincoln. The more he acted like a bumbling fool, the more she’d have a reason to tease him for it. Attempting to channel his alternate, Lincoln opened his mouth to say something cocky about pants or embarrassing her or anything really, but his brain stalled out and he was left gripping the edge of his towel and gaping silently instead. Just run, stupid, his brain chided. Finally, he lifted both hands and pointed towards the door. “Pants,” was the only word that surfaced from the muck of his brain, but thankfully it was idiotic enough that Lincoln laughed cheerfully for the first time in this whole encounter. “Nice running into you, Agent Dunham,” he added as he shuffled towards his door, turned the handle and nudged through with a shoulder. Sometimes it almost felt a little unfair to tease him like she did, but oh so enjoyable. Each little, awkward movement he made caused her grin to grow a little wider, and the one word uttering of pants almost had her doubled over in laughter - luckily she kept that in. Mostly. There was a little snicker that escaped her lips, but she was more likely to pat herself on the back for keeping it contained that well. “See you later, Agent Towelbottom.” Liv kept from swatting at his behind when he moved past her, but just barely. Instead she took a full moment to appreciate the view as he shuffled away from her. “Oh, and Linc? It’s Liv.” ‘Agent Towelbottom’ earned her a pause halfway through the door and a smirking glance over one shoulder. Fortunately for Lincoln, spotting her checking him out didn’t short circuit his brain, but it was admittedly a bit of a close call. It did inspire a more genuine, albeit conservative, smile and a less hurried exit, however. “Liv,” he echoed quietly, notching his head in a nod as he turned away, the smile still tugging at his mouth. |