Haroun and Alison - Recriminations and Being Evil.

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Alison comes up to visit Haroun after his encounter with Domino. He gets creatively evil, she gets hot-bath envy as well as eye-candy.



Alison had been daring more distances ever since she'd been allowed free run of the mansion at night, taking her own time while walking about, the fact that she could move at least some being rather comforting. She'd still have a devil of a time getting back into shape once this was all done. Today being an optimistic day, she was allowing herself to that hope, at least. Heading down the hallway towards Haroun's room, she balanced the tray carefully, not really caring about when she got there. There had been all sorts of easy things for Alison to nab in the refrigerator, thankfully. And no one about during the entire journey from her room to the kitchen to Haroun's room, which suited her just fine.

The tray was set on a nearby hallway table while she opened the door,  then carefully reclaimed again, only to be abandoned on his desk. Once the door was carefully closed, she wandered over in the direction of the bathroom, light heralding her arrival. "I'm here," she called out, hopping he'd actually hear her even if she wasn't really close enough to normally  be overheard.

"Come on in." he said. "Door's unlocked." He was sitting in his tub, his laptop carefully placed away from the water. The water was so hot it was steaming, and Haroun had his eyes closed, revelling in the heat's ability to make the rather spectacular sets of bruises across his ribs feel somewhat better.

Opening the door, Alison peeked inside - and paused for a moment. Bath envy was a horrible, horrible thing to go through, Alison decided. So were the slowly blossoming bruises along his sides, she decided a moment late, her entire attention centered on that as she stepped fully into the bathroom, closing the door behind her so as to not let the cooler air from the bedroom in. It looked as though that was the most of the damage, though. Or so she hoped. "Those are going to be spectacular tomorrow." She caught one of the towels from the rack and tugged at it, letting it pile on the floor next to the bathtub before sitting down carefully.

"They certainly will." he said, opening his eyes and turning to look at her. "You look good." he said with a smile. "Things got a little out of hand. I've been thinking about it while I've been soaking. Actually, strike that. They got way out of hand."

"Madelyn and I had fun." Which Haroun hadn't been doing at all, obviously. Considering Domino was involved, Alison wasn't entirely surprised. That, combined with Haroun's temper when it slipped the leash... well. Shifting a bit to make herself more comfortable and lean on the side of the tub, the almost too much to bear heat seeping through to her almost instantly along with the customary flash of pain at the pressure. Alison And felt both disappointed and grateful there would likely be no posing just right now - for some reason Haroun still managed to make her feel shy at the oddest of moments. Never mind the blushing. Hoping she wasn't blushing just now and reminding herself that having the attention span of a gnat was a Bad Thing, she raised an eyebrow at him. "What's the conclusion, then?"

"I'm glad the two of you had fun. You need to have a little more fun in your life." he said with a sigh. "As for me - I have GOT to learn to stop acting on instinct and think things through. You'd think I'd have learned that lesson." he said bitterly. "I had a friend, back in Marrakesh. He went to Athens to bid on a mission. Lost the assignment to the Wild Pack, and when he came back to Africa all he could talk about was her." he said with real venom. "He was dead a month later, by his own hand. He couldn't handle being separated from her."

That didn't leave much room for 'her' to be anyone else but Domino, really. "I see." Well, that had clearly been a recipe for disaster, no matter what else had happened to precipitate the situation. "I'm sorry about your friend," she murmured, looking grave. But unless Domino had followed the man to Marrakesh to taunt him into the act or held the gun to his head and pulled the trigger...

"And now that I think about it, sitting here with my aching ribs and my hot water, I think to myself that maybe I've judged her too harshly." he admitted. "Sure, she's slept with maybe half of the mercs in Europe alone. She has no morals and she drinks too much. But is that good enough cause to hold her responsible for poor Abdol's death?" he mused. "He did himself in - she didn't kill him directly."

"No, she didn't," Alison murmured in agreement, barely audible at all over the sound dampener - the echoes in the small room were all that made the comment audible, really, amplifying the sound just enough. Speaking a bit louder so that she'd be heard properly, Alison went on. "Domino just has a way of making someone want to pound her head through the floor with her mere presence sometimes." Body language was something the woman knew, no doubt about that. "I generally just avoid her, really..." Talking was good. It kept her from actually thinking of Haroun in a bathtub for one.

Haroun stretched, hissing as the bruised muscles over his ribs protested. "You're probably right. I need to go apologize to Nathan." he said quietly. "He broke up our little scrap. He heard what one or the both of us were thinking." he said sadly. "And he needs his nap. He's old, and he's had a rough day." he said with a wan grin. "Speaking of getting old, this hurts."

Gah. He'd stretched. Alison was glad for the glow and the increasingly bronzed tint to her skin, which she hoped hid the blush well enough. Blushing because your boyfriend was stretched out in a bathtub and stretching was silly. Right? "Apologizing is probably a good idea. Explaining where you came from will probably be good too." If Nathan knew Domino had set up Haroun to think that about the wild monkey sex and that Haroun had believed it, yes, apologies were more than due. "Mmm. So both of us can be all creaky and old tomorrow and take it easy, huh?"

"I'm thinking so. I've got Flight in the morning and Arabic in the afternoons, but my time other than that is yours if you want it." he said with a smile. "Bath feels too good. I'm going to sit in here and soak for a while. Keep me company?" he asked her with a grin. He thought he had detected hints of blushage, but he wasn't 100% sure. Best to find out, because if she was blushing, he was going to just Make Her Day.

"All mine," she agreed pleasantly, because it was a good way to hide her reaction at the offer, which had led to other thoughts entirely. It was maybe a good thing she had no control over her power and that the baseline ting to the light was set and unchanging. He'd have known for dead sure how this was affecting her otherwise, in spite of the fact that pain was usually very much a deterrent. Usually. "Oooh, I think I can stick around for a while." She was unable to help looking down at the tiles of the floor for a moment, lips quirking in amusement entirely directed at herself.

"So nice to hear it." he said. "Did you manage to bring food up with you?" he said, utilizing the Puppy Dog Eyes of Doom. "I'm starving." he admitted. "And would you like to do anything special tomorrow, since it's just going to be the two of us? Do you have any Medlab time scheduled that I need to make sure you make?" he asked her. Yep, she was definitely blushing. How charming!

That particular look left Alison with something akin to the rabbit frozen in headlights expression, no doubt about it. "Food is on your desk. Gah, don't give me that look please?" Don't pay attention to the water moving every time he does, she told herself sternly. No ogling the man in the bathtub. Even if he is your boyfriend. Torture is not fun. My, that's nice. A twinge of fresh pain reminded her of exactly where she stood on the matter. "Um." Concentrating to speak properly was a good thing. "Tests are in the morning. Probably be done by the time you get out of flight." She paused, then continued a bit reluctantly, with a slightly apologetic smile. "I'll probably have to take it slow for an hour or so after. Well. Slower than the now that is slow." Wait. He'd asked a question! Answering was probably a good idea. "Something special? That would be nice."

"My desk is not in this bathroom." he said sadly. "Should I step out to get it?" he asked her, unable to help a small silly grin from crossing his face. "And as far as something special goes - I understand that you've got a DVD player now. Maybe some movies, some popcorn and something cold to drink, and a day in?" he suggested.

Alison's eyes widened slightly at his offer to fetch the food alone. "I'll go get it!" The offer was a touch hasty, followed by a damned if you do, damned if you don't moment of realization. Getting up meant getting the better view again. He was evil. That's all there was to it. She'd have to get him one day. Only he'd ogle without a second thought, the rat. "I'd love a day in," she answered firmly, very carefully getting back up to her feet again, smiling at the thought.

Haroun grinned at the note in her voice. It was wrong to tease her so, but damn it, it was FUN! Besides, it wasn't like he'd ever really had anyone be all that interested in him before, and he was determined to enjoy it for everything that it was worth. "Then we'll do it." he said with a grin. "Anything in particular you'd like to watch?" he asked her curiously. A perfect chance to sound out what she liked and didn't like in film.

You getting out of that bathtub? The blush had to be visible by now, in a neon lights flashing sort of way. Alison could feel it creeping along her skin steadily. Somehow managing not to stare down, she headed for the door (and temporary respite!), more than a little glad that the mirror was fogged up and hiding her expression. "I have a scary amount of CDs packed in boxes somewhere in my room. We can go over those and pick?" With that she slipped out of the bathroom, pausing on the other side to appreciate the sudden coolness of the bedroom. Oh man.

Haroun eased back in the water. It was truly amazing. He felt better already. He still needed to talk to Nathan, but that could happen tomorrow when everyone had had a chance to cool down a touch. Right now, he had a songbird to tease. It was amazing - he didn't think she actually _had_ the ability to blush like that. She was usually so cool and collected unless they were together privately. "I thought we were going to watch movies, not listen to music." he called out to her. "Do you have a bunch of DVDs as well?"

On the other side of the door, Alison winced. Hard. And then winced again, because wincing hurt. Taking a deep breath, she made sure to leave the door just a touch ajar, answering before heading off in the direction of the desk. "DVDs! Right. Those things that you watch and are called movies..." Her voice trailed off into a low grumble for her ears alone as she picked the tray. "Noodles for brains. Honestly. Concentrate, you dimwit." Taking a deep breath she paused to smile down at the tray, looking rather silly, and then headed back towards the bathroom. It was really frustrating that the pain was keeping her from enjoying all of this properly, but it was still fun. Even if she was being reduced to the equivalent of a blushing schoolgirl.

"Exactly." he said with a grin, even though she couldn't see it. "What sort of movies do you usually go in for? I can't see you as a big fan of the traditional romantic comedy, and something tells me you're not quite the action junkie like I am. So how do you feel about comedy?" he asked her through the door. "Or a historical?"

Oh, the tray was a life saver, she decided upon entering the bathroom once more, even if hurt her hands to hold, the weight very much something she was aware of right now. And it was also not a life saver. While it meant she could use it to keep most of Haroun-in-a-bath out of sight, it also meant that most of Haroun-in-a-bath was out of sight. Woe. Much woe. Only it also meant not walking into something, which was something of a priority right now. At which point Alison managed to stop just before tripping over the towel she'd left on the floor. "Aaah. I can pretty much have fun with any kind of movie but the really stupid ones?" That was so vague it was silly. "Historical?" That was safe. "Where do you want me to put this?" she then asked, still holding the tray, somehow not staring.

Haroun shrugged. "Tray's got feet, right? Put it over the sink. You can pass me over stuff to eat, or I can just lean out and reach for it." he grinned, knowing full well that to stretch out that far would give Alison a fantastic little show. And hey, if she was going to go and be all female about the enjoyment of his body, who was he to deny it to her? "And we can do that. I was always fond of Gettysburg - ever see it? Great flick."

Alison almost whimpered. Placing the tray there and passing things along to him was - evil. Just like he was being. Which was only fair, considering she'd never been shy about doing that to him, but it was decidedly different when you were on the receiving end of the evilness. She set the tray down on the sink anyway, before closing the door slowly, glaring briefly at the doorknob as her joints ached in protest. "Okay." The fact that he could have asked for pretty much anything at this point was likely far to clear, she thought faintly.

Haroun grinned. "Fantastic." he said, then looked over at Alison again. "You OK? You look a little flushed. Too hot in here for you?" he asked her with real concern. "Or was carrying the tray too much? Shit, I should have thought of that. Stupid me. Won't happen again."

"I can carry the tray." She turned to look at him, and boy did her thoughts go sideways there. Those water drops were trickling down in really interesting... Trays! They were talking about trays! "Hurts my hands. They hurt anyway." And she was tired of not doing anything, to the point of doing something stupid. "It's a bit hot. You're evil, you know that?" The last was asked far too casually, Alison grinning a bit.

"Moi?" he said with a grin. "Evil? Surely you jest." he said with a laugh. "With everything that you've been through, I thought you might like a little - recreation." he said with an evil grin. "After all, usually it's me trying to get you out of whatever you're wearing. I'm apparently a little easier than you are, that's all." he said with a self-effacing shrug.

"Eeeevil," she whimpered, and damn it the water drops on his skin were distracting her again. Well, that and what they were trailing on. "So evil." It was a good thing the bodysuit covered most of her skin, she decided. At least he could only figure out part of the blush, and her cheeks certainly felt like they were flaming. Stupid nerve endings being all out of sorts, she grumbled mentally. Ruined all her fun. And then some. "I'm getting a big bath for my new suite, when I get to move out." There. Retaliation was fun. "Big shower too, like the one in the suite I'm in now."

Haroun grinned at that piece of news. "Oh good." he said approvingly. "Now if I could just convince you to replace that feather-soft monstrosity of a bed with something a little kinder to spines we'd be all set." he said adventurously. "That bed is seriously bad for my back." he confessed. "Not that I've spent any serious time there or anything, but even the time I've spent there gets uncomfortable after a few hours."

That bed was divine right now, or at least as divine as anything could be for Alison. Of course, that might change once she was better. And well, the point of having a big bed was to get Haroun to share it with her, just now. "That will be negotiable. Right now, it's the only bed I can stand," she admitted, smiling a bit sheepishly. She was jealous of the water drops now. How sad was that? "Need to talk to Cain about a flyer's platform at the window too. Nothing big, but something that'll suit you."

"Right now, that makes perfect sense." he said with a shrug. "But when you get all better, we can talk about it, OK?" he said with a gentle smile. "I can't believe I'm even having this discussion." he said with great amusement, staring at his artificial toes and wiggling them with amusement. "A flyer's platform?" he said, quirking both his eyebrows in surprise. "Guess you _are_ eager for those late-night flights." he said with a grin.

"Ok." She had to stop staring at the water drops. Now. She'd die from over-blushing if she did, though the talking was helping her keeping her mind on track. Some. Picking out a plate at random Alison carefully set it down on the side of the bathtub, then resumed her earlier position, wincing a bit until things had settled down once more. "A small flyer's platform. Juuust in case." She was not saying the words 'easy access' out loud just now, not a chance. "We're going to have a lot of conversations like this..."

"I suppose we are." he said with a silly sappy smile. "Still, it strikes me as really weird. I'm not questioning my good fortune - far from it! But it's still weird. I never imagined I'd get to have these sorts of conversations." he said with a sad smile. "I can do drop-and-ignite launches just fine, as long as your window is up high enough. But if I'm going to be taking passengers, then some sort of balcony would be a good idea."

"And then there's landing and all that," she pointed out, lips quirking slightly. Treacherous, synthsilk clad fingers were stopped just short of venturing for a dip in the water. Alison didn't have the heart to pout at him for calling things weird, although normally she'd have had him on the run for it in short order. Unless he'd pulled out one of those statements of his that usually reduced her to mush in two seconds flat. "Get used to weird, then. It's not going away."

"I gathered that." he said with a grin. "I'm coping, really, I am. I'm allowed to note that it all seems a little unreal, right? That it's too perfect?" he said with a grin. He then closed his eyes and dipped his head underwater, revelling in the heat of the water washing over his face. He resurfaced after a minute, keeping his eyes closed. "Hand me a towel? I think I'm just about done soaking here."

She was going to start gnawing on her fingernails again. The smile that accompanied the thought was entirely peaceful though and she slowly reached out, nabbing the corner of a towel with her hand, carefully tugging it so that it slid on the floor next to her without touching her before dragging it closer to him. "You're going to be more evil now, aren't you?" She nudged the plate still on the side of the bathtub out of the way for him.

He reached out for the towel, and used it to dry his face off before opening his eyes. Looking over at the tray, he grabbed a piece of bread and cheese and popped it into his mouth. "Probably. Do you want me to?" he asked her with all seriousness. "Does it bother you when I show off like I do?"

"It does not bother me in the least when you show off." The words were very seriously spoken out, despite the renewed blushing. She really had to stop reacting that way at one point, although she was getting the notion that he didn't mind in the least. "Even if it turns me into a blushing schoolgirl." There, that was nicely out in the open. "At least I don't giggle in a empty-headed way?" She grinned helplessly at that, hands twitching just a bit at the not being able to do anything without hurting.

"I find the thought of you giggling when I show off to be disconcerting. I much prefer the pleased expression and not the mocking one." he said, and then stood up. "Stupid fingertips are all wrinkled." he said with a grumble, then began to towel himself dry right in front of Alison.

"Fingertips?" she asked serenely, nothing else but a pleased expression on her face. "Oh. Right. Sorry, not looking at those right now." The smile faded a bit as she realized what she'd just said, and she slowly hid her face in her hands. At least there was no giggling, though she did peek up at him, a bit sheepish about being right back in the Land of the Blushing.
 
Haroun just grinned. "Yeah, they did a good job with the modeling." he said, watching her watch him. He was careful to dry everything off thoroughly, as he didn't want to risk an internal short. Even soaking that long was a risk, although a tolerable one. "So." he said, hanging the towel up carefully to dry and then extending his hand to Alison. "Want a hand up, or would you prefer to stay at that level?" he grinned, noting that when he was standing and she was sitting - OK, time to drag his mind away from that thought right now. "I'll get the tray."

She was going to die from terminal blushing. Die a lot and then more. "Mmrffle." She was going to need a moment to recuperate what little was left of her brains in private. And then some. "Tray. Get. Evil!" There was no way she could handle the pressure of the weight of her own body if he helped her up, and half chuckling, half very much working on breathing period, she started to work on getting up. Slowly. And a bit unsteadily. If she hadn't had the pain to keep her distracted, she'd have been entirely unable to move, ironically enough.

Haroun picked up the tray with one hand, snagging a selection from it and popping it into his mouth. "Mmmm." he said, and then remembered that he really should go take the tray into his room. So he did that, stepping around Alison - but not as wide as he possibly could have.

Alison leaned on the counter as he finally left the bathroom, shoulders shaking. Laughter and something else which still didn't stand the ghost of a chance under all the hurt - but would, when she got better. And then some. She gave herself time to gather her wits (or what she had left of them) about her, and him time to get dressed (maybe!) before heading out of the bathroom as well.