xp_logs | Hank, Maddie, Monday morning (Reply)

On Monday morning, Maddie stops by Hank's room on her way to bed, to tell him what she's decided. Neither of them is entirely awake, but they cover the important parts.

Madelyn was tired, as you would be after a ten hour nightshift with a side order of stomping on someone's heart. And perhaps this wasn't the best state to be doing this, when she wanted to be rational and all. But she couldn't leave Hank hanging, not after the obvious effort it had taken him to tell her how he felt. So she stopped by his room on the way to hers, tapping lightly on the door, but not calling out as she normally would. She didn't want him to start panicking already.

Hank had gotten as far as brushing his teeth, lurching out to the kitchen, and staring at the coffeemaker, when he heard the knock. It wasn't coffee, but hearing a knock at the door while without pants had a certain waking-up effect. "Hold on!" he called, looking around. Damnit, he was not going to be caught in his Sad Monkey boxer shorts. He lunged into his room, grabbing the first pants that came to hand... loose, drawstring ones he usually wore for workouts and the like...and hurried into them on the way to the door. "Coming!"

It wasn't until he opened the door that he realized that he hadn't asked who it was. And that he had all-over bedhead. On the upside, the surge of panicked adrenaline had negated any immediate need for coffee.... "Maddie," he said a little uncertainly, backing up so she could enter the suite if she wanted to. "Come in, please. Uh.. is there an emergency, or something, or... not? I can make coffee, if you want some. If I try, I can probably even be coherent."

"No emergency," she told him, coming in and closing the door behind her, leaning back against it. The ruffled fur was actually sort of cute, and she had to restrain herself from reaching out to smooth down errant cowlicks. "I was thinking, some time when we're both not on duty, and there's no emergencies requiring us to live in the medlab for days on end... would you like to go out sometime? With me?" she added, with a smile, since it was fairly early and Hank was notoriously slow to start before he'd had his coffee. And the poor man probably hadn't had any more sleep than she had.

"I..." He blinked, and a slow smile spread over his face. "Really? Because I would be absolutely delighted, and I would also love it, but... really?" Maddie. Asking him out. If this turned out to be a dream he was going to murder his pillow as a substitute for his subconscious.

"Oh course, really, you silly man." This was the right decision, Madelyn knew, thinking of all those hints, those moments when she'd wondered... various things. Her smile grew, and she did reach out to brush a lock of blue hair out of his eyes. "I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

"Well, you could be a figment of my subconscious being very cruel to me," he said, smile widening, as he reached out to cup her cheek gently. Soft, warm, and definitely solid. "Although you don't feel like a figment. And I'm pretty sure I got out of bed, because I have never in my dreams had toothpaste-taste-mouth. So... yes. I would love to." Were his feet touching the floor? He couldn't tell.

"I could pinch you if you like?" she suggested with a wicked grin, then closing her eyes and leaning her cheek into the touch. LIke she'd wanted to the other times he'd done it, only she hadn't wanted to make a fool of herself. Then she took a breath, and reached up to take the hand in hers, pulling it away and holding it tightly. "Hank... I want to try this, but... it's been a long time since I've let myself even make the attempt. I'll need to take it slow... is that going to be a problem?"

"Not at all. I haven't dated in any way seriously in... five years, I think. I haven't had a relationship that qualified in any way as 'good' in seven or so. So... slow works for me." He curled his fingers gently around her hand."And... have you spoken to Kurt?" He had to ask... he was glad that Maddie thought she could care for him, but he wished it hadn't meant someone else getting hurt.

She dropped her gaze, finding the floor terribly interesting all of a sudden. "He came down to the medlab last night, to tell me how he felt," she said softly. "I couldn't let him go on hoping when..." She shook her head, trying to dislodge the memories of the carefully-schooled expression on his face. "I hurt him," she said at last. "I wish I hadn't had to, but there wasn't another way. And I couldn't lie to him."

"I know I would have appreciated it, if I were him. It's... better to know. I wish it hadn't been necessary, though." He sighed. "I like him," he admitted. "As glad as I am that you... well, are willing to at least try, with me, I regret hurting him." He reached out, tentatively, to offer a hug. This had to have been hard on her.

Madelyn moved into the hug, for the first time hugging back properly. Before, she'd always held something back, not wanting to risk. Now she could bury her face in the soft fur of his shoulder without fear. Or not as much, at least - there was still a small sliver of doubt, cast by the Cajun. But she was determined to see that crushed. "It's been a long night," she said, voice muffled against his chest.

He cradled her against him, resting his cheek against her hair. "I can only imagine," he said softly. "It was long for me too, although probably not nearly so badly. I was terrified that I'd awaken to find my hopes crushed, so I suspect I got little more sleep than you did."

"Just a bit," she said with a tired chuckle, looking up at him. "Will you be horribly offended if I went and passed out? As nice as this is, I'm dead on my feet."

"I wouldn't mind one bit." He smiled, touching her cheek with a fingertip. "I've been on night shifts myself recently, I know how it is." Torn between the yearning to finally kiss her and his promise to keep it slow, he compromised and dropped a gentle kiss on her forehead. "Sleep well, my dear."

Her skin tingled, where he'd kissed her, and she moved in to hug him again. "I will," she said, stepping back and smoothing down the fur of his cheek, rumpled from his restless sleep. "Have a good day, hon."

"I really think I will, now," he said, beaming at her. "No public exultations, or anything, of course... that would be both needlessly cruel and somewhat premature... but I think it will indeed be a very good day."