Logs [Haroun, Miles // Haroun, Alison]

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After many delays, Haroun finally gets the chance to do what he'd offered a while back - that is, spend time with Miles. The two go out for a movie, catching a still running showing of The Incredibles while leaving a rather fretful Alison behind.

Haroun waited outside of Alison's door for her to finish prepping Miles for an afternoon out. While he waited, Haroun double-checked his inventory. Wallet? Check. Cash? Check. Cellphone? Check. Team comm? Check. Movie tickets Check. Sanity?

Oops. No check there.

Miles' coat had been slipped on firmly by Alison, though not zipped up yet, his scarf and hat tucked in a pocket each. They would be going to the garage after all, and not really get outside until they reached their destination, so there wasn't that much need to fuss just yet, though Alison was. A lot. Miles understood why though and only put up a 'minimal of little boy wriggling away from too much fussing' protests, before hugging her fiercely without a word. And promised to take care of Haroun while they were out, which drew a snort of laughter and another hug as a reward for his efforts.

That all done and settled, he tromped off towards the door, prying it open himself.

And looked up.

Haroun looked down at the top of Miles' green head. He then looked at Alison in the "What in the Nine Hells am I DOING?" sort of a way, then swallowed before looking at Miles again. "Are you ready to go?" he asked the boy. The sooner they left, the sooner they could come back and let this miserable trial be over.

Alison smiled in reply, although the thought of loading up a training scenario or three and keeping herself busy didn't strike her as too bad an idea. As comical as the expression on Haroun's face was, and Miles' promise to take care of him was, Alison was wondering if the movie theater would survive this outing. She brushed her lips against Haroun's cheek lightly, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.

"Miles is ready," was the solemn reply once that was done, followed by an image inducer being shown off, the device now a modified bracelet - far easier to not lose it, that way, after all. He would use it only later, when they were in traffic or when other people might see him. He snuck a last look at Alison and smiled at her, knowing that look only too well - maybe Haroun would not mind him calling her up after the movie to let her know everything was fine. "Miles will be good!" was the final goodbye.

Haroun grinned at the slight kiss, and then looked at Miles again. "I'll take good care of him." he told her seriously, before taking a step or two back from the doorway. "All right, Miles, let's go. Movie starts at 3:45, and it is 1:30 now. It will take us an hour and a half to get there, so we'll get something to eat before the movie starts." Without checking or following up, he started to walk down the hall in the direction of the garage.

After firmly closing the door on Alison, the little boy followed. Trotting a bit behind him, Miles pondered the afternoon before them. Alison had explained to him what this was about, and it made sense - he might not be thrilled with some of the aspects this involved, had involved from the start but he could tell Haroun had a way of making her smile that was different. So it meant sharing Alison's time. Fine. Spending time with Sam had been very easy, when he'd first arrived at the mansion. And Miles had seen how the break-up had affected Alison, for all that she'd made a point of not showing it others. Spending time with Haroun, Miles thought, would perhaps be a challenge. But if it made Alison happy, he was going to give it his best shot, he decided. And be grumpy about it later. Because Haroun was grumpy enough for the both of them combined and then some, so that would be enough of that right there.

Haroun glanced behind to make sure Miles was following along. He was, which was good. He didn't know what he'd do if the boy decided to act up - one couldn't just go around tasering small children. No matter how tempting the thought was. He had no business doing this sort of thing - he couldn't get certain thoughts, certain images out of his head. It was unfair to Miles and it was unfair to himself, but there it was. He reached the garage in fairly good order, picking out the ultra-safe and ultra-boring Jeep for the day's outings. "Get in." he told Miles, more brusquely than he had originally intended. Dammit!

The tone of voice gave Miles slight pause but he agilely climbed into the Jeep without comment, settling on the seat and tugging at the seat belt to click it into place carefully. He took, without really meaning to, the slightly slower moving motion he'd used when back in the freak show, the one that kept telling he was small and not dangerous at all. "Miles is glad we are going to see The Incredibles," he offered up tentatively as something of an olive branch. Haroun was scowling. A lot.

Haroun scowled as he consiered the musical selections. He had his CD case, which would cause Alison to howl in pain and throw CDs out the window. But you know what? He didn't care. He checked to make sure Miles was buckled up (he was!) and then buckled himself in as well. "Ready to go?" he asked as he pulled the Jeep out of the garage and started down the driveway towards the main gate. "Here." he said, handing Miles his CD case with a grin. "Pick a CD. And tell me something - do you like to go fast?"

The CD case was accepted gravely and with all due care as someone else's property, and turned on the image inducer as Haroun drove them out of the garage and towards the road leading to town. "Does Haroun mean like in the roller coasters?" Perking up at the smile (and utterly unknowing of what he was setting himself up for) Miles nodded firmly. "Miles likes that a lot." The CDs were met with a blank look, Miles carefully flipping through them, concentrating on the text - what precious little was actually legible, anyway.

Haroun grinned. "Something like that." he said. Maybe he could manage to enjoy himself just a little. "Hey, you might like this band. They're fron Brazil." he said, pointing out a Sepultura CD. "I think they might even scream in Spanish on some tracks."

Miles had the vague notion, from some of Alison's grumbled comments overheard now and then, that maybe not being able to understand the lyrics would have been a very good thing. Then again, Haroun was smiling and seemed a bit less stressed now. Maybe a compromise was in order. Very carefully, Miles extracted the CD from the case and, after checking the CD player was already empty, popped the disc in. "The best way to find out, Miles thinks, is to listen to it!"

Haroun grinned. Ah, Chaos AD. Just the thing to take the edge off. As the music blasted into life, Haroun's foot got heavier and heavier on the gas pedal. He glanced over at Miles and grinned at the boy, unable to tell if he was enjoying himself or just scared out of his mind. Either way worked for him, really. He danced the Jeep in and out of traffic like it was Herbie the Love Bug and tapped his fingers on the wheel in time with the music.

The music was one thing - actually easily ignored in a way, even if it was loud. Miles was pretty good at tuning some things out. The driving, however, left him torn. On the one hand, Haroun was clearly enjoying himself and Miles had to admit that it was fun, in very much a rollercoaster way. On the other hand, Alison drove very very prudently when Miles was in the car, and if she ever got wind of this, she'd kill Haroun. And possibly Miles as well for having enjoyed it. So he did his best not to be too obvious about it, and snuck looks now and then at Haroun, just to be sure the good mood stayed. And held on to the CD case tightly, lest it fly out the window from the sharp turns.

"Anyone ever tell you that you're too uptight, kid?" he asked Miles after the kid gulped during a particularly sharp turn. "Relax, I'm not going to let us crash or anything. And I'm certainly not going to tell on you." His good mood was nearly palpable, judging by the badly-sung snatches of song and the near-insane levels of speed.

"Miles just likes to live, thank you," was the calm reply, though there was a touch of amusement and perhaps wryness there as well. The not telling part was good, though if Alison thought to ask, they were both sunk. "And Miles will not tell on Haroun either." A pact of sorts, really. Which guaranteed both of them surviving the return home. Peeking out the window, Miles watched the scenery unfurl for a moment. "Mama does not drive like this at all." The comment, barely audible over the loud music, held no censure at all.

"Yes she does! She's just as bad as I am this way. I think your mother is trying to shelter you." he said carelessly as they arrived at the theater. "OK, we're here. Let's go find a parking spot." he said, muscling the Jeep into the crowded lot, flinging choice Arabic obscenities at the slow and/or the infirm.

Miles didn't need to understand Arabic to know Haroun was being a potty-mouth. A lot. But he'd already committed to the not ratting him out part, which while a bit vexing, Miles was hoping would still help the both of them to reach some sort of agreement that would, well, help smooth things a bit. "Of course Mama is trying to shelter Miles. And Miles does not mind much - it feels good to feel safe." He sobered up, remembering the mall, and looking in that general direction involuntarily.

Haroun found a spot and quickly parked the Jeep in it. "OK, kid. Let's go get some food before the movie. And I don't like sheltering children. I find that the best way is to just treat you like you're an adult and then see if you live up to it." he said as he climbed out of the Jeep. "Got that inducer going?" he asked. "Lots of people about today, and I promised your mother I wouldn't make a scene."

"Miles does not mind being treated like an adult." Which was something Mama did as well, he'd realized, upon comparing notes with the other kids in the school. The inducer had been switched on for a while thankfully, when Haroun had swerved oh so very close to another car while trying to park and Miles was grateful they'd avoided giving the driver a further reason for a heart attack other than just Haroun's bad bad driving. "What does Haroun mean by a scene?" He unbuckled his seat belt, curious as to the answer.

"Touching off a riot at the movie theater is considered bad form." Haroun commented drily. "And so is an altercation with some bigot. So let's keep the mutie-talk to an absolute minimum." he added. "Now, to find food..." There was a strip mall within walking distance of the theater, and it was towards there that Haroun led Miles. "What do you like to eat?"

"Mama would be very upset if we blew up the theater," the little boy stated, with absolute conviction - apparently he had no doubt Haroun could manage that too, if so inclined. "Miles will eat anything. Miles likes food." Haroun had his priorities in the right order there, as far as he was concerned. And then some. Food should always come first.

Haroun looked over his choices. Hrm. Fast-food, fast-food, fast-food, and a Quizno's. That made things easier. "Grinders OK by you?" he asked Miles, just to be sure, as he led the boy towards the shop. "I've got an itch for some roast beef, myself..."

"Yes, thank you!" Miles wasn't about to complain in the least, really - and anything truly did suit him. Lorna had utterly spoiled him to a certain extent, cooking wise, but regardless of that, food was still very much food. And Haroun hadn't scowled in a while now. This was Progress. Good Progress! "Miles will keep an eye out for seats while we are in line, yes?"

Haroun nodded and walked into the store with Miles. "Tell me what you want, and I'll order. You can grab us a table while I'm in line." he told the boy. The line was minimal, luckily, as Haroun was really quite hungry.

"Okay!" A serious scan of the menu still ended up fairly quickly, Miles selecting of the children's special without much fuss. The 'don't wander off on your own' order that was still very much in effect, Miles knew, thought that problem he solved by simply selecting seats right next to the end of the line and fully within Haroun's view and reach. There were a few of the Important Things that seemed to be slipping by though, and Miles wondered if a List might help Haroun with that.

Haroun could care less about any Lists, but it would be a difficult thing. Orders were placed and food received with relative speed, and he dropped the offerings off in front of the boy and his own place. "There you go. Enjoy." he said, setting-to with gusto.

Quiznos always did make a good sandwich.

A quick thank you (because food required a thank you, always) and Miles wasted no time in doing justice to his own meal, the surprise that came with the meal kept aside for later perusal. Once he was done, Miles eyed Haroun with curiosity. There had been moments where Haroun joined he and Alison in activities such as movie watching or card games, but this was, very much, the first time they had been left alone to their own devices. And then some. "Can Miles ask Haroun a question?"

Haroun stopped to consider the question, and then nodded. "You may, but I reserve the right to not answer it." The boy had a little spirit - that was good. And he knew how to keep his mouth shut - that was even better. Perhaps this wouldn't be so painful after all. He was out here by himself, after all, and the thought of Miles doing what he had seen child fanatics do back home was - distasteful. And unlikely.

"What are the things that Haroun likes?" Finding out what other kids liked was the easiest way to get to know them, usually a rapid fire exchange of information that settled matters once and for all, unless someone changed their minds down the road. And then it was stated, all over again. Or at least, that's how it was in Miles' limited experience. All one year, give or take, of it.

"Likes? In terms of what?" he asked, clearly not understanding the question. "Be more specific." he ordered.

Everything, clearly, would not be the right answer. Thinking it over, Miles started with the basics. "Colors. Foods. Books. What does Haroun like to do when he not working? Does Haroun play any games?" Miles opened his mouth to ask more questions, then stopped instead and looked a little sheepish. Giving Haroun the time to answer some of the already asked questions was a good idea, really.

Haroun nodded as he thought it over. "A serious question." he said calmly. "I read. I train, to be a better fighter, a better X-Man. I listen to music. I go for a flight to clear my head. I play Go with Nathan. I pray." He wasn't about to add 'daydream about being whole and nailing your mother for hours on end' to the litany, despite it being a significant part of how he spent some hours.

Miles nodded at his answer, with all the seriousness a little boy could possibly muster. This calm Haroun was nice really and he decided to go with that as long as it might last. Two questions warred with one another, and Miles settled on what he thought was the simplest one, keeping the other for last. "What is Go?"

Haroun grinned. "Go is a game from Japan. It's played with stones on a special kind of board. I could teach you how to play - it's a very simple game to learn." he offered. "One side black, one side white. The object is to control the board with your pieces." The duality appealed to him, all things considered. He'd have to see if Alison wanted to learn how to play. Ten stones a garment, that might interest her. Shaking the small smile off of his face, he took one last pull from his bottle of water. "We have to go if we want to see the movie."

"Miles would like to learn, please." Because was there any way he was passing that up? No, not really. The toy that came along with the meal was stashed in a pocket, to join the toy loot in the play room, and Miles then neatly stacked things on his tray so that it could be carried to the trash, be it by them or whoever might take care of that in the food court. It was hard not to give in to the urge to babble about the movie, but Miles managed it somehow, instead just hopping on his toes a bit before settling down.

"Be still." Haroun said absently to the boy, just like his father had said to him a countless thousand times when he was a boy. He took their trash and disposed of it, then herded the boy outside. Reaching into his back pocket, he withdrew a ticket and handed it to Miles. "There you go." he said.

The ticket was received with a smile, Haroun somehow hitting on the one movie ritual Alison and Miles had set firmly in place from the start, by handing the boy his own ticket. "Thank you." Foregoing his usual gawk at everything habit, Miles made sure to keep a close eye on Haroun as they headed towards the movie theater, ticket firmly held in hand.

"You're welcome. Don't lose that ticket, it's important." he needlessly reminded Miles. They went through the ritual of handing the ticket-taker their tickets, getting half of it back in return, and then the most important decision of all - SNACKS! "We just ate lunch, but do you want a snack for the theater?" he asked the boy.

This was a serious question. Miles frowned a bit, considering it carefully while looking at the far longer line-up for food in the movie theater, and then looked around until he spotted the clock on the wall. "Miles thinks maybe there is not time for snacks?" And they had just eaten lunch and it wasn't as though Miles couldn't have something later at the mansion if he wanted to. "Miles is okay. Does Haroun want something?" This was one of the still rare running showings of the movie. He didn't want to miss it, really.

"To be honest, I am lusting after a box of Sour Patch Kids. I like sour candy, when I indulge in it at all. Sure you don't want a bottle of water or a soda or something?" he asked the boy as he got into line. "We have a few minutes yet."

That Haroun liked something as kidlike as Sour Patch Kids apparently gave Miles pause, though no case was made of it. There were many people in the line-up, not quite jostling one another, and Miles reached up to carefully hold on to the edge of Haroun's jacket, just in case. "Miles would not say no to a soda, then. Orange crush? And..." He looked up, gravely. "Does Haroun mind if Miles holds on while we are in the line? There are a lot of people here." He couldn't know what was all right or not, after all, so asking on everything seemed to be the best way to go.

Haroun frowned at the boy, but nodded. "If you must." he said. "And yes, I think they have orange soda up there." They made their way to the teller, made their transactions, and Haroun handed Miles a large soda as he pocketed his own candy. "Now let's go get seats, the movie is starting soon."

"Yes!" A bright, cheerful and unguarded smile answered that statement, Miles carefully balancing the large soda with one hand and against himself, while not letting go of Haroun until the crowd had thinned, near the entrance of the room the movie was playing in. To say that Miles was looking forward to this particular movie was an understatement, to say the least.

~*~

Haroun walked out of the movie theater. "So, how did you like the movie?" he asked the almost-visibly-vibrating little boy behind him. "I thought it was pretty good, actually." For an animated feature, anyway. But cinema was hardly his favorite thing in the world.

"Miles liked it a lot!" It was so hard to not just give in to the urge to run about and scream. Somehow though, Miles managed, though he wondered if getting him the large soda would get Haroun in trouble later on. "Gazerbeam! Frozone!" The more obvious ones, in Miles estimate, who could be linked to the writings taking some inspiration from real life.

"Was it just me, or did those two remind you of anyone you may or may not know?" he asked with a grin as he walked out to his car. "And I'll tell you what. Since you've been extremely good and not given me a hard time, what would you say to a little frozen yogurt before we head back to the Mansion?"

"Miles thinks he was reminded just a bit!" Miles added a gesture to that, arms swinging wide open, which said 'Just a lot! Lots and lot even'. He tried to settled down though, managing a deceptively obedient walk towards the Jeep, not even fidgeting once. Except when Haroun didn't look. "Frozen yogurt?" There was fruit in that. Which meant it was perfectly fine, yes? Yes, was the firm decision. "Yesplease!"

"OK." he said with a nod and a slight smile. As soon as the boy was belted in, he backed the Jeep out of the lot and headed over to a little frozen custard place he knew. Not too far away, and on the way back to the Mansion. He parked the Jeep, locked it, and escorted Miles into the building. "Anything you want, kiddo." he said, motioning towards the menu board.

That... was a lot of choice, and Miles' eyes glazed over as he already sugar overdosed mind went into high speed. Higher speeds, at that. "Banana. Please." The latter which was actually directed at Haroun, as the waitress behind the counter was still busy with another client. This, Miles decided, with all of the selection of treats displayed around him and listed on the menu. was very much what heaven might look like.

Haroun nodded to Miles. "Sure thing." he said, then placed his order. A banana split for Miles, and a blackberry sundae with nuts for him. The desserts arrived in fairly short order, and Haroun carried them plus a goodly supply of napkins over to a table. "Put it in park, Miles." he cautioned the boy, then put the banana split down in front of him. "Enjoy."

Eyes widening at what had landed under his nose - which was not at all what he'd expected - Miles nodded obediently, and probably a touch too quickly at that too. "Thankyou!" Taking a moment to commit the perfection among desserts to mind properly, Miles then picked up his spoon and set out to carve the biggest dent possible out of the banana split.

Haroun set to with a vengeance as well - he liked blackberries a little bit more than he should, in all possibility. He polished off his sundae easily, grinning at the most excellent flavor. But when he looked over to Miles, he sighed and went to get more napkins. The boy was making a manful attempt at the banana split, but more of it was going on his face, hands, and jacket than in his mouth. Odd, that.

Trying to eat the banana split all at once was proving to be a challenge - one Miles eventually relented on, despite the fact that for a second there, he'd been more than convinced it was possible. "Miles thinks that maybe Miles has had enough now." Sticky hands were firmly set on the table, then looked at with no little amount of chagrin. "Uh oh."

Haroun pushed the napkins over to Miles. "Come on, boy, clean yourself up. Take some pride in your appearance." he said with irritation. "Once you're decent, we'll head back."

Grumpy Haroun was back, it seemed. Miles, looking down at his hands and pondered his dilemma for a moment longer, with all the intensity a eight year old on a sugar trip would. The napkins Would Not Help - not unless he made use of, oh, the water in his cup to dampen them. Which was very carefully done, Miles then wiping his hands, frowning a bit in concentration all the while. And reminding himself not to run around in circles now. Not just yet. No matter how tempting it was.

Haroun watched the boy clean up. At least he could manage that task on his own - which was a little uncharitable of him, he thought guiltily. The boy had handled himself quite well on this entire outing. "Good work." he said awkwardly, inspecting the cleaning job Miles did to himself. "Now, let's go home. You probably miss your mother."

The reflex to check, to make sure everything was still there sometimes lingered, and Miles found himself staring up at Haroun for a heartbeat, making sure that he was there. And if Haroun was there, that meant the return home was there too, and that the mansion was real and his new life was still real and most of all, that Alison was real too. "Thank you." A rapid nod. "Miles would like to check on Mama now." And then he'd run around. A lot. Because he could.

"Sure thing, kid." he said, then departed the custard store in favor of the Jeep and a speedy return to the Mansion.

~*~

Early evening. There are consequences to dosing a small boy full of sugar, really. Alison goes to find Haroun after dealing with the aftereffects of the movie outing, feeling just a touch frazzled still. Haroun is amused and generally entirely unrepentant.

Leaning on the door, Alison took a deep breath. Her worst nightmare come to life, three hours of pure terror and fear. Facing down the unstoppable and surviving, somehow, with both life and hide intact.

Miles on a sugar rush like no other before.

Taking another breath, she pushed away from the door and trudged a few steps forward. She had someone to talk to, oh yes. Someone who was responsible for all this. Someone who clearly had not paid attention to the words 'small soda' and 'watch it on the treats' it seemed.

Haroun was lounging in his room, with an extremely obtuse and technical Aero journal open on his lap. He seemed to be laughing at whatever article he was reading, and if he had his hands free, he would have been dry-washing them in absolute glee. He looked up, and his grin got even deeper. "Hey, Alison." he said. "What brings you 'round my way?" he asked her with a wink.

"You!" Tucking her hair back hastily, Alison found a new reserve of energy, barely remembering to kick back to close the door - it didn't slam, however, despite the frazzled mood she was obviously in. "You!!! All your fault!"

Haroun grinned at Alison. "What's all my fault?" he asked innocently. "You didn't like the latest report I put on your desk or something?" He leaned back in his chair, reached over, and pulled two bottles of water out of his mini-fridge. Opening one, he tossed the other to Alison.

She caught the bottle without even looking at it while she crossed the distance to stop right next to him, opening it in one smooth gesture - keeping up with Miles on that level of sugar overdose left no time for any refueling and she was far more thirsty than she'd realize. "Small soda! Small!" Another few swallows, and she paused to catch her breath. And tried not to flail too much. "That much sugar in that small a boy is like... like... aaaargh!" The following thunk was the sound of Alison pressing the water bottle to her forehead perhaps a bit too quickly.

Haroun shrugged. "He seemed fine to me." he said. "Besides, he said he was thirsty. And going out like that is a treat." he further elaborated, thus continuing his Digging Of The Hole To China. "Why, did he run around in circles and see God or something? Manifest a new mutant power?"

With a low muffled sound, Alison thunked her head again, and then reached over to pluck the Aero journal from his lap before taking it's place without any ceremony at all. "Little boys and that much sugar don't go together, dear," she murmured, tilting a bit so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. Exhaustion had just come calling and then some. "Grn." Beating her head on his shoulder was probably counter-productive, but it was a very nice shoulder to beat one's head on, at least.

Haroun grinned at Alison - her habit of climbing into his lap was never going to get old. Never. "And I suppose that he doesn't have enough maturity and discipline to cut himself off?" he asked, trying and mostly succeeding to keep the acid from his voice. "I thought it went rather well - he behaved during the movie, so we went out for ice cream afterwards. He was polite, well-mannered, and obedient. Pretty much all I could have expected."

Another bump on his shoulder, and Alison shifted in his lap to look at him, almost nose to nose. "Nooo. Miles can't refuse food, remember? Spent too many years not having enough to be able to turn it down now. That's one thing. And he's a kid." She chuckled a bit tiredly, head falling back to rest on his shoulder in a non-thumping like way. "If he was that well behaved the entire time just to please you and while on a sugar high to top it all off, it also explains why he went so wild after." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "He's napping now. All worn out."

Haroun hrmmed. "That's a little worrisome." he said distractedly, hands automatically moving up to play with her golden hair. He then grinned devilishly. "But once I hand him back he's your responsibility." he added with great satisfaction.

"What, sugar highs? Haroun, darling, sweetheart..." she chuckled, leaning into his hands, body going nearly limp, "...you really want to avoid me on a sugar high if the thought worries you." The last comment earned him a half-hearted swat, though Alison was chuckling lazily as well. "Wait 'till you have him for an entire day. You'll be dosing out the sugar carefully, trust me."

"I fly. Fleeing is always an option." he said with a laugh, luxuriating in the hug. "I've never understood the concept of a sugar high. I can't get them - and believe me, I have tried." he said with a laugh. "Brainy and I went through a 144-pack of Pixie Sticks in 8 hours once." he said with a small smile as he remembered his friend. "We were fine."

A faint twitch went through Alison's body at that and she went somewhat wide-eyed despite herself. "One hundred and forty four Pixie Sticks?" she asked in a faint tone of voice. "Scary." With that statement she hid her face against him, laughing quietly while perfectly content to remain exactly where she was. The implant adjustment really was working, at that. And he'd brought up his friend again, and while she tended to never push on that she always tried to leave things open enough for him to go on if he wished.

"Yeah. Finals were coming up, and we thought we could use the brain-chow. I think we also went through a case of Mountain Dew at the same time. He loved that stuff - me, I can't stand it anymore. It looks like lizard piss." he said with a laugh. "I did pretty well that term - it was the last one I had before the accident." he said quietly. "Brainy, as usual, passed everything without even trying. Enhanced intelligence is a very nice mutation to have."

"Sugar isn't brain chow," was the giggled reply, Alison reaching up tap his chin lightly. She was getting decidedly comfortable and somewhat drowsy - chasing after Miles for that long, even with the help of several Jamies, had been exhausting. "Brainy had enhanced intelligence, mmm? He was in aero too?" She figured he'd been, but it was a quiet way to nudge him to go along, really.

"There was precious little he wasn't interested in. His main area of interest was cybernetics. And I'm not talking about my legs, I'm talking about mathematical cybernetics." he clarified. "He was a good man. Tutored me a lot, in many things." he said as he tried to rally his mood. "And sugar is too brain chow when you're fifteen." He protested. "It's one of the main food groups - the caffeine group, the sugar group, the grease group, and the alcohol group." he grinned. "Unfortunately for me as a Muslim, two of them are denied to me."

More than she'd ever heard from him about things either before his accident or the death of his fellow students, really. And she didn't want to see him look somber, not just now, so she deliberately snuggled up closer with a contented little sound. "Coffee is a wonderful thing, but I have to admit I'm getting fond of the mint tea." Which was an understatement, and they both knew it.

"Mint tea is a great goodness." he said solemnly, then kissed the end of her nose. "Anyway..." he said rallying off his threatening black mood, "would you happen to have a few spare hours? I'm desperately bored, you see, and I've got a very comfortable bed right over there." he said with a grin. "I'd love to see you in it."

"Mmmm." She stretched out and then wrapped her arms around his neck, smiling lazily at him. "But I'd have to get up from your lap." She pouted at him endearingly as she said that, eyes dancing with mischief. The remains of the frazzled look she'd worn earlier were only detectable in the tousled hair, and the slight edge of tiredness about her, and even that was fading at the offer.

Haroun grinned and kissed Alison. A promissory note of things to come. "Well, I think I can accommodate that." he said, standing up while keeping her precisely where she was. All those upper body workouts were clearly having a good effect on him. He then walked over to his bed, and gently lay her in it. With a grin, he waved at her, walked over to his front door, and very conspicuously locked it. "Would the lady care for some music to keep her strength up?" he asked her, walking over to his battered CD player.

The bed wasn't at all as much fun as his lap, really, but Alison leaned back on her elbows, watching him cross the room intently. The offer of music had her laughing lowly, and she grinned at him wickedly. "Planning on keeping me here for a while, are you?" The purr was accompanied nonetheless by a nod at the offer of music, even as she crooked a finger at him so that he would come join her.

Haroun grinned. "Hours and hours." he said, pressing PLAY on the CD player - to reveal something light an inoffensive. Grinning at his own thoughtfulness, he wandered his way over to the bed, shedding his
shirt on the way over. "Well now, here's a day I was starting to think would never come." he said, pausing for a moment to just _look_ at her.

Both eyebrows went up at his choice of music, though Alison had no complaints whatsoever. And whatever else she may have been about to say was lost in quite frankly admiring the sight of him as he let the shirt drop to the floor. "Oh, it was going to happen one way or another," was the calm murmur. She shifted on the bed, looking at him carefully - none of the signs that screamed 'implant on the run' were there. Nary a run - just good old fashioned want and attraction and nuances of others things, from what she could tell. No blowing up the boyfriend. Yes!

"Could have fooled me." he muttered as he slid into bed next to her. "Doesn't matter right now, though." he said just before kissing her again. After that kiss, he thought he'd let her lead - she was the one with the fully-functional body, she got to set the pace of things.

Even if it killed him.

Alison managed a low chuckle after the kiss - the self-restraint was entirely there, she noticed, Haroun holding back and letting her set the pace, even though every motion and look said he wanted to let go and forget entirely about self-control. Pulling him closer was a simple thing to do, Alison quickly losing herself in touch and feel, hands roaming lazily over his shoulders and back, tracing light patterns. On impulse she added a touch of light to her fingertips, creating intricate traceries that left a faint afterglow before fading.

"Ooh." Haroun said, seeing the slight glow about her fingertips. "From what I've read, doesn't the glowing usually happen after, and not before?" he asked with a somewhat nervous grin. He then went for a quick nibble on her earlobe, as it was right there and he knew she usually liked it. "But hey, don't let me stop you."

A low hum greeted that, Alison's hands pausing for a moment before resuming the slow exploration, retracing over patterns of light lazily, just because she could. His skin was warm under her fingertips, the faint tremors she could generate from him sought after carefully. "I happen to have very good control over my power, thank you very much," she purred, grinning just a bit - daring him to break that was fun, really.

Anything else she might have said was interrupted by the low beeping sound at the hem of the collar of her shirt, a voice asking her idly where she was and could she please make it to the CO meeting now?

Alison groaned in dismay. They really were cursed.