Tuesday night, Lorna's room

[x-polarisstar.livejournal.com]

Alex sets out to make Lorna feel better and through the awesome power of ice cream, cute and backrubs, does. They take a trip down memory lane and, in an amazing departure for them, actually accomplish a plot point just before falling asleep.



Lorna set down her hairbrush and ran her fingers through her hair, fingering the green locks that were already beating out the red. After the hours she’d spent training today, her hair had been shot through with green and her lips were edging that direction as well. Emotion had carried her on long past the time when she’d usually have stopped. Now she was just exhausted and sore, wishing for any distraction at all even musing about her haircolor.

Alex knocked (grinning as he heard it) before he pushed open the door of Lorna's new room. He was carrying a basket with flowers in one hand a carton of ice cream with two spoons in the other. She'd been down all day, moving had most likely worsened her mood, and Alex was going to try his best to cheer her up. "Hey sweetheart."

She let her hair fall to her shoulders and turned, “Hi, love. How’s the hearing?” She flicked her gaze over him and raised an eyebrow at the flowers. “Are those for me?” The fact that she sounded genuinely surprised told Alex exactly how low her spirits were overall.

He grinned at her surprise, even if it was an indication of worse. At least it was something. Alex moved over to where she sat and sat next her. "The hearing is fine, can't hear really soft things and they ring occasionally, but it's getting there." He set the basket on her lap. "And of course these are for you. What other beautiful women would I be bringing flowers too?" He wiggled his eyebrows playfully.

Lorna bent over the basket and stroked her cheek over a rose, inhaling deeply to catch the heady scent. “I just wondered if there was an occasion that I’m forgetting.” She straightened and pulled the rose out, absently tapping it against her lips. She smiled, “Thank you.”

"There is a very important occasion. It's called the most important person in my life needed to smile." Alex's grin was cheesy as he cupped her chin on one hand then kissed her. "And to top it off, I brought dessert."

“Ice cream,” Lorna’s eyes lit up, not because she was particularly interested in having ice cream but because simply because of the gesture. Flowers were nice, of course but ice cream was special. She flicked the rose down his nose. “You’re going to spoil me.”

"Someone has too. And I love you, it's my right to spoil you." As he spoke, Alex opened the container, setting the lid aside, then held up the spoons. "Spoons or no?" He gave her wink, remembering times they had shared ice cream before.

She looked down at her satin pajamas. “Spoons. Last time we didn’t use them I had to throw my sweater out because it was covered in strawberry goo and I like these.”

Laughing, Alex handed over one of the utensils, then took a big scoop out of the carton and held it out to Lorna. "You’re first love."

She took his wrist and leaned forward, nibbling a bit of the ice cream off the spoon. She moved the basket off her lap so she could scoot forward and lean past his hand to give him a kiss. Her mouth was cold from the ice cream.

She tasted like a sweet blend of strawberry ice cream and a taste all her own. It was heaven in his mouth and when he pulled away he raised an eyebrow. "Spoons my ass."

She smiled mischievously at him, “You’re going to have to be very careful. I would hate to have to get rid of these.” She tugged at the collar of her pajamas then dipped her finger in the ice cream and licked it off. “If you can manage that, then I suppose we won’t need spoons.”

His eyes went wide as she sucked her finger and he had to remember to shut his mouth after his jaw hit the floor. Then Alex got a playful look in his eyes as he handed her to the carton and removed his own t-shirt. "I'll be the one who gets dirty this time..." He mimicked her gesture, licking his finger before kissing her.

“Hmm,” she agreed, as she kissed him back without any hurry. “Because that worked so well last time.” She straightened and suppressed a wince. Her shoulders were killing her. Trying to ignore it, she bent again and picked up the ice cream, dipping her fingers in and transferring a dollop to the tip of his nose.

He caught the wince and after attempting to lick the ice cream off his tongue, he instead nuzzled her with it, getting it all over her cheek. "Before we get too messy, want me to take care of that pain for you?" Alex immediately flexed his fingers with a soft cracking sound. "I am trying to spoil you rotten remember?"

“God, I would…well, I’ll love you forever anyway but I would absolutely adore a shoulder rub. They’re a bit tender after training today.” Lorna sighed in anticipatory relief. “I know better than to overdo it like this but…sometime I’m just a moron.”

"I won't argue with that but it does give me an excuse to pamper you." Alex responded in a happier note as he handed her the ice cream, then moved to sit behind her, his hands immediately seeking out the knots in her muscles.

Lorna braced on hand against the back of the chair and let her neck roll forward. “You’re not supposed to agree that I’m a moron,” she informed him, dipping her fingers into the ice cream and licking it off. She wasn’t sure where the spoons had gone and didn’t really feel like putting out the effort to sort out them out from all the other vibrations in the room.

"I'm not? Well then there goes my fun." After he had a good feel of where she needed the most work, Alex nodded his head toward the bed. "Why don't you lie down so I can do this properly. See? You wouldn't be getting this treatment if you hadn't been a moron..."

“There, you said it again!” Lorna stood and gave him a mock-pout before moving over to lie down. She stuck the ice cream on the night stand before tucking her arms down her sides and making a conscious effort to relax her back muscles.

Alex sat on the bed next to her and began feeling the spots out again with his fingers. "And I mean it in the most loving way of course." He planted a small kiss at the back of her neck to prove his point before returning to kneading her shoulders.

“Uh huh. Sure.” She slanted a suspicious look up at him. “It’s a good thing you’re so damn cute.” She whimpered as he hit a particularly nasty knot and leaned on it to work it out.

Biting his lower lip as he worked, he had to wait until that knot loosened before he could respond. "Damn right. I depend on this cute. I mean look at what a beautiful girlfriend it got me." His voice was teasing as he found another hard knot and had to pause to work on it.

“I never stood a chance really. First sight of you and bam, weak knees, mushy brain, heart skipping a beat. I was a complete mess. I was sure you’d think I was an idiot,” she confessed. How could it have been more than a year?

Alex couldn't help but grin as he remembered. "How could I forget? Alison pretending you needed a teacher at the skatepark. I didn't think you would ever talk to me after that, what being younger then you and Scott's little brother." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Plus...you were the most beautiful and wonderful girl I had ever met. I couldn't believe someone else at the mansion hadn't already snapped you up. I didn't think i had a chance, being the new kid."

The feeling of his voice in her ear made her shiver and bite her lip against an involuntary moan. She was somewhat breathless when she replied, “I did need a teacher. After meeting you, I couldn’t remember my own name let alone how to skate.” She smiled at the memory. “When we got home that night, I threw a horrible tantrum at Alison. She just laughed and laughed.”

The moan caused him to bite his lip and pause as he forced the more pleasant memories to flood the ones that had surfaced. This was Lorna, he was not going to be afraid of her. He grinned again, working on another knot. "I remember the night Alison tricked you into finding me at the library. I was afraid you would run away before I could talk to you...I just couldn't believe you were there. Sometimes...I still think I was dreaming that night."

It hurt to think of how much she had relied on Alison, throwing the present situation into sharp relief. She couldn’t help prodding at it, like a sore tooth. “I nearly did. Run. I swore I was going to kill her for setting me up like that, knowing how…stupid I was over you. But I couldn’t bring myself to leave. Couldn’t convince myself to give you up even then.” She shifted below his hands, stretching her back a bit, trying to get it to pop.

Noticing what she was trying to do, Alex helped her crack her back before going back to her shoulders. "I know you tried. How could I forget that fateful letter. I thought it was just you realizing all the things that would keep us apart and I would never have a chance." He paused as he thought about how to say the next part. "You know...I only showed it to one person. There was only one person I knew who knew you well enough to tell me what it means. Alison was the one who made me realize I had to confront you with it." He sat back, pausing in his massage as he watched her reaction.

Her face crumpled and she buried it in the pillow briefly before rolling onto her back, “She’s always been there for me. Always. And…I just don’t know what to do with this. How I’m supposed to cope with this from her.”

Sighing, Alex crawled forward and curled up against her, holding her around the waist. "We'll get through this Lorna...I promise. To be honest, I don't know what to tell you, only I know things have to get better. And until then, I know I'm a poor substitute, but I'll try to be there as much as I can. It's the only thing I can guarantee you." Alex kissed Lorna's forehead lovingly before closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers.

“You’re not,” she hugged him fiercely, “a substitute. You don’t have to be. I don’t need you to be.” She kissed him and then sudden scent of strawberries reminded her, “We need to put the ice cream away or it’ll melt all over my carpet then Cain will kill me.” She didn’t actually move.

"Cain already seems to hate me and Shiro so you can blame it on me." He grinned playfully as he opened his eyes, not wanting to move either. Alex returned her kiss, then thought a moment. "You know...it's going to get lonely living here by yourself..." His voice hinted more then he said.

She tucked her head onto his shoulder and looked up at him, “I’m an only child. I’m used to being by myself.” She wasn’t sure what he was getting at. Did he want her to move back to the suite? The thought made her frown. “And I’ll have you right? It’s not like being completely alone with you here.”

After biting his lip and swallowing hard, he looked down at her with a cautious smile. "Well that's what I mean...I practically live wherever you are. What if we just asked if we could...you know, make it official?" Alex could hardly believe what he was saying, especially since he hadn't talked to Shiro about it. But this is what he wanted, deep down inside and it was a step he needed to take.

Lorna pushed herself up so she was braced above him and examined his face intently, “Really? You really want to? You’re not just suggesting it for me?” She tossed her head to get her hair out of her face which accomplished exactly nothing. “I don’t want you feeling obligated.”

He put up his hands to move her hair aside for her, weaving it through his fingers. "I'll admit, I haven't talked to Shiro about it...but if you'll have me, it's what I want more then anything. It's what I need, Lorna...if only to prove to myself that I am healing." He smiled as he looked up her. "Think of it as healing for both of us."

“I…” she was still trying to process it, “of course, I would have you.” She laughed a bit incredulously because that was the understatement of the year. Since he was holding her hair, she had no trouble leaning down and brushing a soft kiss on his lips. “I just didn’t think you would want to. I’m not the easiest person to live with.”

"And I think Shiro would say the same about me. But it's something I want to get used to, need to get used too...it's the next step for us and I'm not going to be the one holding us back anymore if I can help it." Alex lifted his head so he could kiss her properly.

She kissed him back with an odd sort of bemusement. She wouldn’t have considered living together the next step. However, the last thing she was going to do was discourage any advances Alex made. It was part of her silent promise to him—to let him set the pace and never to push him for more than he was comfortable with. “Talk to Shiro then. And then come live with me. We’ll work out our quirks as we go.”

His eyelids fluttered as he yawned, grinning up at her sleepily. "I plan on it. I love you more then anything m'lady and I hoped to someday soon show you just how much..."

She brushed his hair off his forehead. “We’ll take it as it comes,” she promised and kissed his forehead. “I love you.”

Alex closed his eyes as she kissed his forehead, then pulled Lorna down next to him, holding her tightly in his arms. Even as he fell asleep, he couldn't help but smile as he thought of what was too come.

Lorna spared a thought for her bedside table and speared the ice cream tub with a quickly transmuted spoon, sending it off to melt in the relative piece of the bathroom sink. Then she too fell asleep, feeling peaceful for the first time in two days.