Copyright Danny Antonucci and produced by a.k.a. Cartoon. All band names and lyrics Copyright of their respective owners.
"Worry about worrying them? Did you really just say that? You need to loosen up and quit worrying so much" Marie teased him.
"I'll be over in a few minutes." Double D tried not to say anything about her comment. A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door.
"You got here kind of fast" Marie looked him over; he didn't get as dressed up, but she really didn't care.
"Well, I live close, so there is no reason for me to take a long time to get here." Double D shrugged.
"I remember you bought a sketch pad. Do you mind if I look at some of your drawings?" he asked, as the sketch pad he bought for her randomly floated across his mind.
"Oh, it's kind of dark. I don't think you'll like it." Marie tried to discourage him; she really only had one sketch book that was full, and that was full of drawings of memories that she knew he wasn't ready to re-live yet.
"I survived keeping you safe during your illegal drinking, and I survived your ambush earlier today. I think I'll be fine seeing a few post-apocalypse cites." Double D didn't sound like himself at all.
"Um… you feeling alright, Double D? You don't sound like your usual self." Marie asked him; he usually didn't talk about the destruction of cities in a nonchalant tone, especially without stuttering.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I actually follow the alcohol rules." Double D teased her. They went up to her room and sat on her bed as she pulled out her sketchbook from the dresser. She put her iPod on shuffle so there wouldn't be any awkward silence; and if there was, they wouldn't notice on account of the music playing. Double D looked through the first couple pages and seemed to really get into them.
"These are pretty good. And they aren't even that dark." Double D looked up at Marie and smiled. [Oh, just go a few more pages, and you will see what I'm talking about.] She thought to herself. He came to a picture of a highway mile marker with "0" on it, and a woman standing behind said mile marker. He stared at it for a few seconds but couldn't make sense of it. As he turned the page and his eyes focused on the next drawing, the drop of "Icarus Lives" startled him in combination with what the drawing was of; he jumped into Marie's lap from the jolt the picture and the timing of the music gave him. When he realized what happened, however, he was equally quick to jump off.
"S-sorry…" Double D apologized and blushed slightly.
"No, you're fine." she said with a smile, but she was also blushing. [He just jumped into my lap. Before today, he would start sweating even if I just sat close to him. Don't even get me started on me actually touching him. And now he just jumped up on me like its nothing. I kinda liked it.] She thought about what just happened.
"You know, you could have stayed, and it wouldn't have bothered me." Marie teased him. Double D offered some stuttering noises, but nothing coherent. He got to a highly detailed picture of Marie and him. She was topless and had her shirt wrapped around Double D's head. He had his arms up and looked like he was running somewhere. There was a word bubble coming from him that said "I'm covered in bees!"
He looked up at Marie and his eyes involuntarily focused on her V-neck. He zoned out for a few seconds but Marie brought him back.
"Checking the art for honesty?" She joked.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to-..." Double D trailed off.
" I don't blame you for looking. You've already seen past this shell multiple times." Marie reminded him in a borderline seductive tone.
Double D stuttered, but failed to produce coherent speech again. Marie leaned in to kiss him; he surprisingly didn't pull away. The moment her tongue entered his mouth, she recognized the taste of liquor.
"Edd Anotucci. You have been drinking." Marie used her best serious tone. Double D blushed heavily and turned away.
"I...I'm sorry. I just didn't want to be a shy and awkward mess when I came over. But I guess that didn't work." Double D admitted.
" But I like it when you're shy. You're so cute when you're shy." Marie told him.
" Not that I don't think you're cute when you aren't being shy" she added with a flirty smile. [Did I just say that out loud? I think I did. But I really don't care. And I don't think he minds either. I'm having the best time of my life in the last three years] she thought to herself as she smiled at Double D.
"Why did you try to hide it at first? You already knew I drank before" she asked him.
"I just wanted you to think I could be loose and sociable on my own." Double D admitted.
"Because that is going to work out totally great when you either can't find any liquor or it wears off before you leave my house." Marie joked.
"Oh, I wasn't planning to stay that long." Double D explained.
"Why not?" Marie's smile quickly inverted.
"Oh, Marie, you know I don't like seeing you sad." Double D gently pushed up the corners of Marie's mouth with his fingers.
"I'll stay as long as you want me to." He added.
"Would you spend the night?" She asked him just to test if he meant what he said.
"Uh... well... I... I..." Double D stuttered, slightly in shock of her question.
"You shouldn't say stuff you don't mean" Marie said in a sad tone.
"Uh... can... can I go get a glass of water?" He asked.
" Don't be silly. You're my guest. I'll go bring you one." Marie smiled and went to the kitchen. She poured him a glass of water, and added just a bit of liquor.
She went back into her room and handed him the glass.
"You really didn't have to..." Double D thanked her timidly.
" Nonsense. I didn't mind" she assured him. He drank the whole glass and set it on the table. Now that he was out of the desert, he continued to look through Marie's Sketchbook. After a few variations on a disoriented and blindfolded Double D, he got to the picture of him doing the "Scream" face, with Marie in the background. He looked up at Marie and zoned out for a few seconds; Marie had to bring him back to Earth again.
"I promise I didn't draw myself with bigger boobs. I'm happy with my body." Marie said with a flirty smile.
"Uh... I... I'm sorry... I promise I'm not intentionally staring..." Double D blushed as he apologized. There was a brief silence, and he continued his drunken artistic journey. After a few random unrelated pictures, he came to a picture of the inside of a Greek mausoleum. Double D was in a frightened stance with his hands shielding his face. He was painted a grayish stone color. In front of him was the top half of a shirtless Marie with the bottom half of Medusa.
"Hey, I resent that. I'm not that bad when it comes to..." Double D began to protest but trailed off.
"When it comes to what?" Marie teasingly asked him; she knew exactly what he was talking about. And he was that bad, he just didn't want to admit it. Double D zoned out again.
"Would it be easier for you to compare me to the artwork if I took my shirt off?" Marie asked with a smirk.
Double D didn't answer; possibly because his trance was deeper than the previous two.
"If you keep staring, I will take my shirt off." She teased him. Still no response.
"Ok, here it goes" she gave him one last flirty warning. She waited a few minutes and then took her shirt off.
"You should have an easier time comparing reality to sketches now." she said with a smirk. Double D remained a statue. [So you want to play hardball, eh? That's just my game] she thought as she turned towards him and put her chest in his face. A few seconds went by, and Double D sprang to life.
" Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to bump into to you!" Double D yelped.
" Why aren't you wearing a shirt? Oh jeez I hope I didn't walk in on you! I'm so sorry! He added when he noticed Marie wasn't wearing the V-neck she had on earlier.
"Calm down, Double D. You're fine. You didn't bump into me. And even if you did, it wouldn't be unwelcome. And you didn't walk in on me." She tried to calm the startled animal that was Double D.
"Even though I wouldn't mind that either" she added with a flirty smile.
"I...uh..." Double D mumbled and blacked out; he remained sitting up, which was an amusing feat of balance. She lightly poked his shoulder and he fell off of her bed onto the floor. She waited for him to get up, but after half an hour of no movement, she decided he was down for the count.
"Sleep tight, sweet prince" she whispered into his ear. She took off his shirt and pants so they wouldn't get wrinkled from him sleeping in them. She got him into her bed and covered him with a blanket. [I'll sleep on the couch. If I sleep in the same bed this early his head will explode.] She thought as she went into the living room. She lay down on the couch, and was asleep in a few minutes.