xp_logs | Late Sunday night

Paige had curled up on the couch with one of the many books she had brought, ankles tucked up under her and a mug of tea at her elbow. She'd given up and put on her reading glasses, as much as she hated them sometimes, as well as kept the actual clothes - if you could call them that much - that Alison had given her, so right now she was in a pair of shorts and a t-shirt. She was reading at a lazy pace today, mimicking her surroundings.

Angelo walked into the living room and spotted her immediately. Heading over there, he dropped onto the couch beside her, with a grin.

Paige popped into the air with a minor squeak and looked over at her new companion. "You're grinning like a lunatic. It's making me abnormally nervous," she teased, adjusting her glasses.

Angelo laughed. "Why should it make you nervous?"

"It makes me worry about what evil plot you have going on in your head now," Paige replied. "My paranoia has gone up a couple notches since being kidnapped for here."

"No evil plots, promise", Angelo replied, leaning his head on her shoulder. "Just came to say hi."

"Mm... good," Paige said, lowering her voice but keeping the warm smile. "I'm too tired to battle evil right now."

"Why so tired?" Angelo asked, suddenly flopping down to rest his head on her knees. "There's nothing to do *but* relax, here..."

"I don't like being relaxed. It's not in my nature." Paige put her book down, opting for threading her fingers through Angelo's hair instead. "It's just the heat getting to me. Makes everything feel like it's in molasses."

Angelo smiled up at her. "So just lie out on the beach and enjoy it. If the kids will let you."

"Hopefully they won't. I'm trying not to think about how far behind I'm going to be when we get home, after all." Paige yawned into her shoulder and rolled her eyes. "See what I mean? It's disgusting."

"I'm sure we'll be given time to catch up", Angelo tried to reassure her. "This was Alison's idea, after all."

Paige laughed at his soothing tone. "I'll be fine, it's okay. Sleepy mini-rant." She twirled a piece of his hair around her finger. "And how's Angelo doing?"

"Angelo's doing better", he said softly. "I've had time to think stuff over now."

"Very good. I didn't feel like having to do something drastic." She tapped his nose with a finger. "The heat is helping, I'm sure. Lack of brain function with appearance of snow."

He smiled softly, acknowledging the teasing. "I don't like the cold, true."

Paige let that rest, an amused little smile playing over her features. There was a long pause, comfortable silence in which she let her eyes drop to half closed and stroked his hair right behind the ear as if waiting for him to purr. "Angelo?" she asked softly.

Angelo's eyes were now closed in contentment, even if he wasn't actually purring. He didn't open them to reply, "Yeah?"

"How did you get shot?"

Angelo still didn't open his eyes, but his demeanour changed somehow, in a way that was hard to pin down. He sighed. "Do you really want to know?"

Paige resisted leaning down to reassure him. "I wouldn't have asked if I didn't. Unless you would prefer not to talk about it, which I understand."

"No... if you want to know, I'll tell you." He paused for a moment, putting the words together. "I just want you to know, first, I'm not proud of it. Any of it."

Paige nods, even though he can't really see her. "Okay."

Angelo hesitated, then forced himself to tell her the truth. "We were robbing a liquor store." He finally opened his eyes, but didn't look at her. "The owner had a handgun none of us had noticed, and when we weren't looking, out it came and he shot me. Luck of the devil, it didn't get me anywhere that mattered much..."

Paige ran fingers along the side of his face, bringing his attention back. "Hey," she murmured, "We're all very lucky. Remember?"

"Yeah", he said flatly. "Even when we don't deserve it."

She gave up on gentle and flicked him. "Clearly you deserve it, Angelo. We've been over this."

"I *maybe* deserved the luck of getting out. Don't know how much I deserved any luck that found me before that."

Paige sighed and pulled him up, reversing the roles a little and wrapping her arms around him, his cheek to her shoulder. "Angelo, shut up. You deserve everything good in the world."

Angelo still looked doubtful, but said no more, slipping an arm around her waist and leaning hard against her shoulder.

"I hate it when you hurt like this and there's nothing I can do," she said into his hair, running gentle circles on his back.

"You help me, you know that. Just by being here and doing stuff like this", he answered softly, curling closer into her arms.

"I wonder," she replied simply, but only holds him tighter against his words, letting her eyes fall closed.

"You do. Promise." Angelo closed his eyes again, enjoying the comfort.

"Says the young man who also promises that zatful is a word," she teased lightly, letting her head tip to rest against his.

"But I'm serious this time", he said earnestly. "Nobody makes me feel better like you do."

Paige smiled at that but said no more, so much more content to just stay like this for quite a long while.

Angelo shifted closer again into her arms, murmuring almost inaudibly, "Love you..."

"Love you too, Angel," she replied, turning her head just a hint to ghost a kiss into his hair.

Angelo took her hand, twining his fingers through hers. "Thank you."

"Right back at you," she said slowly, sleepiness catching up on her again.

Angelo was also getting a little sleepy, due mostly to being so comfortable, as well as the heat. He turned silently to brush a kiss on her forehead.

"Mm... I'm going to end up falling asleep right here if you're not careful Mr. Espinosa," Paige mumbled, not even bothering to attempt to open her eyes.

"And this is a problem why?" Angelo asked teasingly.

Paige grinned, nuzzling close. "How do you know I don't talk in my sleep? Or sleepwalk? I could be a very dangerous sleeper, you never know."

"I think I'm probably stopping you from walking. And you can talk as much as you want."

"And if I accidentally, I don't know, knee you, then what're you going to do?" Paige really didn't think she'd be moving, but this was much too much fun.

Angelo laughed. "Do you usually get violent in your sleep, then?"

"I don't know, I don't watch myself sleep all that often."

"Well, I don't think you will", he said staunchly. "Wouldn't blame you anyway - can't help what you do in your sleep."

Paige smiled to herself. "What did I do to deserve someone as wonderful as you, hm?"

"I could ask the same question", Angelo said softly. "You know that?"

"Funny how we only know the answer for each other and not ourselves."

He turned to look at her. "I meant that. Don't ever think you don't deserve love - mine, or anyone else's."

"I know you do," she answered, blinking her eyes open slowly. "So you should know well enough that I mean it as well."

"I do", he replied, raising a hand to stroke her face. "I do..."

Paige let herself rest her cheek against his hand and smiled. "Good."

Angelo leaned up to kiss her on the cheek. "Definitely good", he said warmly.

Paige yawned again, laughing a little as she sheepishly tried to cover it with a hand. "Sleep now. Will try not to injure anything important."

Angelo smiled softly, moving over so she could stretch out on the couch, without letting go of her hand or taking his arm from round her waist. "Sounds fine to me."

"Are you always this..." she paused to yawn again, rolling her eyes at herself and snuggling down, "agreeable?"

"Don't know about always, but I am for you", he told her, resting his head on her shoulder once again.

"You know what I just remembered?" she drawled, voice tired. "I forgot to ask if you're a good sleeper." At that, she closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

Angelo went to answer, then noticed that she was asleep. Smiling softly, he closed his eyes and was soon asleep himself.

Alison wandered into the room, intent on nabbing something to eat and some coffee (for a change from all the iced tea she'd been making since they'd arrived). The sight of the two, fast asleep on the couch however, made her pause, and she smiled faintly at the sight they presented, before heading off to fetch a blanket for them.

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Shinobi's secondary mutant power is making Sarah be cute. <3

Or that may just be because by the time we were near the end of the log, it was about 3am. Then it's my mutant power.