Log: Bobby and Terry

[x-coldhands.livejournal.com]

Saturday monring, Terry responds to Bobby's email and Bobby explains why he has been somewhat physically distant this week. Then there is lots of fluff, and everyone gets cavities. ;) Then they nap. Really.


Terry clasped her hair back with a pretty silver barrette and reached over to pick up her barely tinted lip gloss, hesitating over it before slicking it on. It smelled like strawberries and tasted just as sweet. She took a measured breath and surveyed her reflection carefully, trying to decide if her jean skirt and sweater were appropriate. Behind her, her half of the room was littered with clothing. A floral print dress lay crumpled beneath oversized tattered jeans. Sneakers kicked up against Mary Janes. Several hours and outfits had gone into her preparation and she still wasn't certain that she was ready. But her courage waned as time passed so she figured it was better to go now.

Once outside Bobby's suite, she hesitated again, hand raised to knock. Come to my room, his email had asked. But no report back from Kitty meant that she didn't know what to expect and his email hadn't suggesting anything good. Terry bit her lip hard and rapped on the door.

It was a full minute before any sound could be heard on the other side of the door, and then Bobby pulled it open, standing in the doorway in a t-shirt and sweats, hair mussed. He gave her a 'still not really awake' smile. "Hey." Damn, those pills of the docs' did their job, didn't they? He'd been out at least ten hours, completely dreamless, and he felt like he could probably sleep for another six.

The sweet taste on her tongue told her she was chewing off her lip gloss and the dryness in her eyes told her that she was staring. She stopped both and smiled tentatively at him. "Hey. I can come back later if you want..." He didn't look like he was ready to talk to her.

"No, no, come in. I'm just...long story," he replied, rubbing his face to try to lose the drowsiness. "I've missed you," he added softly, stepping back to let her past him.

She slipped in without touching him and kept her hands tucked behind her. "I've missed you too." He looked like he'd been sleeping which was better than she was managing these days. Lucky. "So...Kitty talked to you?"

Bobby nodded and closed the door, padding toward his bedroom. "Yeah. She, uh..." He turned to face her at the doorway to his room, frowning. "Why in the world would I be mad at you, hon?"

Her hands clenched. She still didn't know that. Manuel had given her a couple maybes but... "I don't know. It just seems like you are. After I asked you, it was like you didn't want to touch me. I thought I must have upset you."

Bobby took a deep breath. "Right," he said under his breath. "Come on in. I'll explain." He sighed softly at her expression and added, "I'm not upset with you, sweetie." But the small bottle of sleeping pills by his bed could testify that he was upset.

She followed him and closed his door behind her, leaning against it, worry undiminished by his assurances. "Is it because you'd rather date guys? Should I be less girly?"

Bobby gaped at her. "I...whah?? No! Where did you get that idea?"

"Um." Terry hadn't actually planned on telling him about her conversation with Manuel but she couldn't come up with a good lie at the moment. "Manuel thought that might be why you didn't want to sleep with me."

Bobby groaned and moved to the bed, sinking down on the edge. He patted the spot next to him. "C'mere. Let me explain." His heart started trying to climb up into his throat, but he was determined to do this. To tell her.

Terry crossed the room and settled on the edge of the bed, tension keeping her shoulders shift and her back straight. She watched him apprehensively, not knowing worse than having at least some idea.

Bobby rubbed her back lightly for a second, then sighed and clasped his hands in his lap, staring down at them as he decided how to begin. "You know how you asked about...my first time?" he asked softly.

Terry nodded, "You said that it wasn't normal and seemed...upset. I thought it would be better not to push too much about it." Was that what she'd done wrong? Should she have asked him what he'd meant? Was it that she'd asked at all and he was offended?

There was no easy way to tell her about this. Just none at all. "It was the FoH," he whispered, clenching his hands together until his knuckles turned white.

The FoH what? What did that mean...oh... "Oh, Mother Mary...Bobby, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I'd never have asked you to...I mean..." Terry covered her mouth to stop the horrified babbling, eyes filling with tears.

"It just kinda...shook me up. It wasn't your fault, but..." Bobby looked up at her, eyes sorrowful. "I should have told you, right then. I just...didn't know how."

She pressed her lips together, wringing her hands in an effort to keep them to herself. No wonder he didn't want her anymore after she'd reminded him of that. "No, it's all right. I understand," she choked out.

"I still really want to...I mean, if you still want to," he continued. "It just shook me up that night. And...I didn't sleep well, after that." He glanced guiltily at the pill bottle. That was an understatement.

"Sleeping pills? God, Bobby, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what I was doing and..." Terry stopped and stared at him like he'd grown another head as what he'd said really sank in. "Wait, what? What did you just say?"

Bobby blinked. What had he just said? Nothing that would make her look at him like that, he was pretty sure. "Uhh...I dunno. What did I say?"

"You're not breaking up with me?" Terry's voice broke.

"Breaking up with you?? Why would I do that?" Bobby asked gently, turning toward her a bit more and stroking her cheek.

"Well, because...because I reminded you of... you didn't want to touch me. You'd lost interest." She was still staring, bewildered hope in her eyes pushing out the misery that had been there.

"No. Hon, no." Bobby shook his head and pulled her against him, hugging her fiercely. "I just...needed a day or two to get my bearings again." It went a little deeper than that, but not nearly as far as Terry had seemed to think.

Terry wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him. "I thought I'd ruined everything. Or that you didn't like that I asked--that I was too pushy."

Bobby kissed her hair, shaking his head. How had he messed up so completely? "That wasn't it at all." He took a deep breath, rubbing her back lightly. "I just wanted to make absolutely sure you were ready...because you only get to make the decision once." He hesitated, then whispered into her hair, "Sometimes less."

She tightened her hold on him with a whimper. "I'm sorry."

Bobby whispered, "It's okay," and hugged her tightly to him. It felt frighteningly good to be holding her again, after only a few days of not seeing her.

Frightening was exactly what it was. The possibility of losing him had terrified her, depressed her and disturbed her--he wasn't the only one having trouble sleeping after all. Being back in his arms elated her. But it also was scary. She didn't like giving anyone this much of her heart. It was her experience that they usually left with it. Was she really so stupid as to give him even more? "I am. Ready, I mean. That's why I asked you the way I did. I didn't want you thinking it was just the moment."

Bobby nodded and stroked her hair. "Good idea. I'm sorry I was an idiot about trusting you--I just--I was afraid I'd done something to make you think you should say it, even if you didn't mean it. It was just kinda out of the blue." He smiled faintly. "You have no idea how many times in the last few days I've wished I had laryngitis that day, or something..."

"Out of the blue? I've been agonizing over this for days and you think it's out of the blue?" She looked up at him and hit him lightly on the shoulder, "Nothing spontaneous about it. Honestly, it's like you don't know me at all."

Bobby made a show of wincing and rubbing his shoulder, arm wrapped around her neck to be able to reach. "Hey there, girly. Don't be beating up your man." He grinned and kissed the tip of her nose. "I just haven't really had a lot of experience with girls showing up in my room and announcing they'd like to have sex with me. There wasn't even a fanfare to prepare me!"

"I'll remember to frame my next request in song then. Give me a minute." Terry made a show of thinking hard, tapping her chin, her eyes faraway. Finally she refocused on him and smirked just a bit, humming cheekily. "Gitchi Gitchi Ya Ya Da Da."

Bobby laughed and hugged her, pulling them both down onto the bed. "C'mere, Lady Marmalade," he murmured, and kissed her deeply.

Terry giggled and kissed him back, snuggling against him. It felt so good to just be here with him, that was all she needed right now. Well, nearly all. As her tension drained, she realised that she was still very tired. Breaking the kiss, she yawned helplessly. "Mm, sorry. I haven't been sleeping."

"Yeah, me either," Bobby reminded her gently. "You wanna take a nap?" Because that sounded like bliss to him, sleeping for a few more hours.

"Here, with you? Hell yes." She grinned at him, "But I didn't bring my pajamas. What am I going to sleep in? Denim isn't very comfortable."

Bobby sat up and pulled his t-shirt over his head. "Tada," he answered with a grin, holding the grey shirt out to her.

Terry rolled onto her back and laughed up at him. "The very shirt off your back. I've got such a gentleman for a boyfriend." She stretched lazily then sat up to take it from him, kissing him on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you, too," Bobby murmured, feeling a huge weight lift from his chest. "Now get comfortable. There's sleep to be had, and I aim to get my share," he drawled, trying to imitate Mal from Firefly's speech patterns.

She laughed again and stripped off her shirt then stood to slide her skirt down over her hips. "Sounds shiny. Let's just hope that Jayne doesn't decide to take over the ship in the meantime."

Bobby grinned and watched her change without being too obvious about it. "A nap sounds shiny," he reminded her, and added with a mischievous smile, "Oh. Don't let me forget, I need to talk to Book--er, Professor Xavier later today."

Because he was watching, she unhooked her bra and let it slide off her shoulders before slipping into his shirt and back into his bed, wrapping herself around him comfortably. "Aye, sir. Naptime it is. Can't be risking the special hell before you talk to the preacher." She rested her head on his shoulder, and then because she didn't feel like putting in the effort to resist temptation, nibbled on his neck.

Bobby choked, the startled laughter changing to a pleased sigh. "Now, none of that, little missy," he reprimanded her, tilting his head away to encourage it despite his words.

"Shh, we're napping, remember?" she murmured against his throat, sucking the skin gently.

Bobby caught his lip in his teeth, eyes drifting closed. "Oh, right," he groaned, tightening his arm around her. "Shhh...ohh."

She shifted, rubbing her body along his as she followed the line of his throat down to his collarbone. "Mmhmm. Sleep is good. Makes you feel better. Gives you energy for all sorts of important things."

Bobby swallowed, his body responding amazingly readily to her mouth. "Ohyes," he breathed, either to her words or else to that thing she just did with her tongue, that little flick, or whatever it'd been.

Terry reached back and unclasped the barrette from her hair, moving up to capture his mouth with hers, kissing him leisurely, hair spilling around her in a bright red tumble of curls. "I should probably stop now," she whispered into his mouth, smiling, "Sweet dreams."

Bobby whimpered and nibbled on her lip. "Have I mentioned you're evil?"

She laughed quietly. "Thought you were sleepy. I don't have to stop." Well, sort of. She was tired enough that sleep sounded nearly as attractive as just kissing him for hours and hours.

And Bobby could tell that Terry needed the sleep as much as he did, if not more. "Mmm...we'll both be here when we wake up," he pointed out, sighing quietly.

"Aye, unless you've started sleepwalking." She kissed him again and resettled her head on his shoulder, behaving herself this time.

Bobby laughed softly and ran his fingers through her hair before settling his hand on her back. "Angelo hasn't mentioned anything, so I think we're safe." He closed his eyes and shifted a bit to get comfortable. "Love you, Red," he murmured.