scorpioides | ( two )

[She shrugs and gives him a smile.]

Hey, it's a nice looking wreck, at least.

[She rolls her eyes and decides to roll a little to the side, fast reflexes and sleigh of hand from nicking things from a stand or a bar counter or two coming in handy as she grabs his wrist and tugs him to the bed.] Believe me. It's more likely that I'll get in your way.

[Ogmios stirs and Diniz feels a slight sickness. It bothers him enough to not let him try to fall asleep again, but he is still much too exhausted and dizzy to get up. His back is turned to the god, still unaware, eyes shut and voice muffled.]

What time is it.

[ riley stahp you're going to break the poor man ]

[ With a small, slightly undignified yelp of surprise, Giles jerks forward, feel absurdly helpless in the wake of Riley's tugging. He loses his earlier elegance, falling knees first onto the bed, dangerously close to overbalancing and just collapsing right onto her with a little ungainliness and momentum, but he manages to stop himself. He's fairly sure at this point that you could cook an egg on his face, it's that hot. ]

Okay, okay. [ He laughs, a little nervous and a little defeated. ] If you insist...

[She smiles and lets go of his wrist, laying on her side again, resting her head on the pillow.

Usually comfortable with proximity, Riley kind of trusts Giles - knows that this awkwardness and shyness is actually honest, which makes her drop her guard even more. She can feel the heat from his cheeks, or maybe it's her own because she's a bit excited about teasing him like this.] I do. I don't bite. I'm also feeling like a wreck.

[ Moving to sit himself in a more comfortable position, Giles forces his tense shoulders to relax, looking down at Riley with a calmer smile. Something about her disarms him terribly, but at the same time, he feels as though he can trust her too. There's just that something. ]

Well, if it's any consolation, I don't think you look like a wreck at all.

[ He means that, as well. To him, Riley looks as lovely as she ever does. ]

Time for you to tell me what exactly we are doing here, I believe.

[ Today is a day for sounding awfully bored with life. ]

[Her lips widen just a little, eyes narrowing, lazy and content and she reaches for his arm, making the tips of her fingers walk from his wrist to his elbow.] I usually say that flattery takes you places, but right about now, I'm so lazy I can't be sure.

[She grins] You haven't seen nothing yet. Just wait until we both get our beauty sleep, yeah?

[Lewis often wakes up without remembering who he took home the previous night -- or in this case, who brought him. And his days get a little complicated when he doesn't know what he's waking up to or how he'll get home this time.]

Mm. [It takes him a while to become aware of what he's doing; he removes the arm and turns, sliding his palm down his face with an inhale.] Sorry.

[Well, the voice gets a reaction. Even if it is the smallest of efforts to turn his head to look over his shoulder.

There's a frown. Diniz is too tired and his head too sensitive.]

Who the fuck are you?

I believe I asked you a question first.

[ Ogmios has located his jacket, on the floor by the bed - he is mostly full clothed, which is a shame; the man seems to him fairly handsome, regardless of his sorry little state. In his pocket he fishes out his cigarettes and a lighter, looking for the first time faintly pleased with something. ]

[ In place of inhaling - softly but noticeably - Giles merely blinks down at Riley's fingers on his arm, following the path they make towards his elbow, too distracted by the movement to respond to her. He swallows a little, tells himself to stop thinking about it, and turns his eyes back to her. ]

I'm afraid my beauty sleep'll probably be a disappoint. [ He sounds more amused than self-deprecating. ] I tend to look like this most of the time.

[Her eyebrows arch, and she gives his elbow a very light smack, lips still drawing a mischievous, if sleepy, smile. Her hands are always reaching, lightly touching, even without intention behind it. ] Telling me that will only tempt me to keep you awake.

[A sigh, and she shifts, curling her other arm under the pillow, voice lowering into something a little more honest.] I've yet to be disappointed, Giles.

[ Slowly, Giles finally moves to lie down on the bed properly, eyes turned up to the ceiling, hands neatly resting, one on top of the other, on his stomach. There's a little pause, and he breathes out gently, the first indication of him genuinely relaxing this evening, and his voice is soft. ]

Me neither.

[She pauses, spends the moment watching his chest rise and fall, now that it's right in her line of vision. He's charming, a downright sweetheart with his shyness and awkwardness that contrasts against her bordering into obnoxious teasing and blatant ease. The urge to corrupt him and make him flush and stutter is like a given whenever they're hanging out, and yet, he's looking completely disarmed, no matter how devious she's feeling.

Sometimes she wonders if she's a bad person, for wanting to abuse that trust he gives her.]

Stop being cute. [She says it nonchalantly, joined by a fingertip pressing on his cheek. But it's more of an admission than anything else.]

[ Riley is, to Giles, something of an anomaly. She is the kind of girl he used to chase, back when he was younger, a little more adventurous, in college, before Naomi came along. Naomi was stable and conventional, and his parents liked her. It seemed that Naomi was, therefore, the right girl. Even though Giles still doesn't know why it was that their relationship dissolved, part of him already feels as though it had always been inevitable.

But now Giles is the kind of man he has always assumed would repel or disinterest girls like Riley, even on a general level - he wears sweater vests and the occasional cardigan, for god's sake. Yet here she is, still talking to him, occasionally smoking with him. It's strange, but something that Giles is getting used to. Shifts from normality are all the rage, lately. ]

Sorry, [ though he doesn't sound very sorry at all, more like he's trying to crack a slightly uncertain joke, scrunching up his face when Riley pokes him ] I guess I can't help it sometimes.

[He's about to open his mouth for an easy retort with the claim that Ogmios is the invader of his room, then asking where his wife is (not that that information is particularly urgent) but it eventually becomes clear that he doesn't recognize the ceiling or any of the furniture as his own.

(He'd really just rather go back to sleep and ignore it all until he got saturated with his own lethargy.)

Ogmios' question still goes unanswered. Diniz tries to sit up and slide out of bed, heel of his hand pressed against his temple. There is a part of him that is still not fully awake, still trying to pull at enough energy and ignore the sickness to make him function properly.]

Where am I.

[She cracks a smile, shifts a little closer against him, keeps poking down the side of his neck and down his side just light enough so he can feel the tip of her nicotine-stained finger on him, searching maybe for a soft spot or a place where he's ticklish. Her voice is thick with amusement.]

What a shame. I guess I can't help but tease you for it, then.

[ It won't be hard for Riley to find a sensitive spot; Giles was never very good at keeping a straight face, and near to his waist was always a ruthlessly ticklish spot. He utters a choked noise of surprise, wriggling slightly, turning his head to raise his eyebrows at Riley. He's trying not to laugh, but he can't help it, caught off guard by her audacious poking. ]

[ To be fair, Michael is close to a few contacts in Brian's address book, but, at the same time, it's always amusing to ask Michael to bring "bitches" or something equally as wrong to Brian. Perhaps it's because he trusts Michael that he texts him when he's inebriated or ridiculously tired; he knows that Michael won't make it so he ends up in a ditch. It's a very pleasant thing to be aware of.

Brian is too busy trying to settle himself on the bed to fully realize that Michael's turning his head. Somewhere, part of his brain had just assumed that Michael was in a deep enough sleep to not notice that Brian was sliding into the bed next to him. Right now, somewhere in his brain, Brian is aware of what a poor life decision this was, but he finds that it's rather hard to care. ]

It's nothing, you're rather warm, go back to sleep. [ It's not Gabriel, and that much can probably be determined by the voice, as quiet and muffled as it is. He doesn't want Michael to get up, because that means he has to as well. ] Honestly.

[And she grins when she finds it, bites her lower lip and digs her finger a bit deeper, in a "stop me if you dare" fashion. It's mostly innocent, and at that very moment Riley couldn't come with a stupid "an angel and a demon walk into a bar" joke. Plus, Giles was warm - men were always interesting mobile furnaces, very handy - so if he moved, it was more than welcome.]

[ He laughs again, feeling ridiculous and childish, squirming and wiggling and trying to bat Riley's hand away. Eventually he rolls onto his side, trying to protect himself, catching Riley by the wrist, tugging her so slightly closer in the process, his mouth curved into a broader smile than he usually allows himself. ]

What part of this, exactly, constitutes as beauty sleep?

[Her mouth is caught in a wide smile of her own raspy laughter as she is faced with that question. She wriggles her leashed fingers playfully and she tries to figure out a quick answer.

It's not as quick as she wants, so she gives him a sheepish shrug.] It's... uuh... therapy?

Therapy, right. [ He relaxes a little, eyebrows still a little raised, watching Riley with a sort of playful wariness, lest she attempts to make another ticklish attack. ] Well, if you really did like the idea of keeping me a way, your therapy's doing a good job of it.

( two )

KELLY BRIDGE | universalis

KIERAN LAWLESS | universalis

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i'd say i was sorry, but that's a lie :]

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