A/N: Now we get to the fun stuff! All happens between 20 and 21. Again, read the other story first. Even better stuff is coming up. Hopefully after this you have a pretty good idea for Mary's character, as well as a slightly better picture of the others. Let me know what you think!
Disclaimer: FF7 belongs entirely to square enix
Chapter 21
Mary sat in the living room, waiting for Alanna and Genesis to return from training. Angeal was in his greenhouse, tending to his plants. They had just been told that for Gen's birthday, he planned on everyone in their group joining him at a club for drinking and dancing. Mary was excited, but Angeal didn't seem very happy about it; he claimed it was not his 'scene'. Now Mary was waiting to talk to Genesis, but she had to wait for him to return from training, which could take a long time. Alanna's training sessions seemed to be taking longer and longer, and Mary was hoping it was because Gen was trying to spend more time with her. Though Mary could still barely stand to be around Genesis at times, she wanted her friend to be happy. She was glad when they finally walked through the door an hour later.
"How was training?" She asked them.
"Exhausting. I think I need a shower." Alanna replied, as she walked to their shared apartment.
"Have a good shower; don't take up all the hot water!" Mary yelled down the hall to her. Though she couldn't see it, she was almost positive that 'Lanna flipped her off in response. "Gen, can I talk to you?" She asked, before the redhead was able to make it out of the living room.
"About what?" He asked. He knew Mary didn't like him much, and he was still wary about being around her since experiencing her PMS a few weeks before.
"I heard you want us to go to a club for your birthday. I am assuming you want us to dress up for it?" She said, trying to ease into her request, knowing it would throw him off.
"Yes. I hope you have a dress, preferably one that is not a bright obnoxious color." He replied.
"Actually I don't. I was wondering if maybe you'd go shopping with me for one?" She asked him hesitantly. Gen lifted an eyebrow, and gave her a confused look.
"And why exactly would I want to do that?" He asked arrogantly. Mary sighed.
"If you go shopping with me, you will be insured that I will be wearing something that you approve of. And I could really use your help; you are the most fashionable person here." She said, and she tried not to be sarcastic. "You understand colors and shapes better than me, or the others for that matter. Plus, this body shape is still new to me, I haven't tried finding a dress yet, I don't know where to start." Mary continued.
"And you want to impress Angeal, and I know him best." Genesis interrupted her. Mary turned a bright pink, and nodded her head.
"Yeah, that too. Please Gen?" She asked him again.
"Fine, I have to go to town tomorrow anyways. But I must warn you, I will not go into one of those cheap stores you usually shop at." He warned her.
"That's fine, I have plenty saved up." She said to him, a big smile on her face. "See you tomorrow!" She said, as she walked away. Genesis shook his head. He wasn't sure how he felt about this shopping trip.
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"Alright. I'm headed out; I'll see you guys later." Mary said, as she walked through the living room. Genesis had called her and told her to meet him in the garage.
"Wait, where are you going?" Alanna asked her.
"Shopping with Gen." She replied, as she stopped at the door and turned around.
"Why are you going shopping with Gen?" Ryu asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I need a dress for his party. I would rather him approve of it before I purchase it. And his fashion sense could come in handy." She said.
"Are you implying that we don't have fashion sense?" Alanna asked sarcastically, pointing to herself and Ryu.
"Yup." Mary said, as she turned and walked out the door.
"HEY!" She heard, as the door closed behind her.
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As Mary and Genesis walked into a store, Genesis turned to Mary. "I need to drop something off, I will be right back. You can start looking around if you would like. This store has some nice dresses; it is a good place to begin." He said, as he walked behind a curtain near the back of the door. –A good place to begin, how many stores are we going to have to go through- Mary thought to herself. She was never one to shop for very long. She was very good at finding what she wanted and getting out. She was a little worried about what she had gotten herself into.
When Genesis returned from the back room he found Mary still standing where he had left her. She turned to him, a little embarrassed. "I have no idea where to start. There are a lot of dresses here." She admitted.
"Well, for starters, what is your dress size?" He asked her.
"I'm not sure. Like I said, I haven't tried to buy a dress yet. I'm a different size than I was before. And I'm pretty sure dress sizes are different from uniform sizes." She said. Genesis shook his head and sighed.
"Come with me." He said, as he pulled her behind the curtain. Mary could see now that that was where fittings could be done, as there was a podium in the center, and measuring tapes and pins strewn about the room. "Arms up." Genesis told her, before she could really realize what was going on. Within a minute, he had managed to measure her and calculate what her new dress size was. "Now then, we have a place to start. Your rib cage is wide, so we have to keep that in mind." He added.
"Yeah, that I knew. I've always had to go up a size or two to wear anything princess cut." She replied. "So what types of cuts should we be looking for?" Mary asked him, as they started walking through aisles of dresses.
"I'm not sure yet. You have an odd shape. We'll have to try a few and see what works and what doesn't." He replied, as Mary rolled her eyes. "This will be easier if we have a little more direction. What are you looking for in a dress?" He asked her, pausing in his search to look at her.
"Well, I would like a dress that could show off what little femininity I have." She replied.
"So, you want a dress to impress Angeal. Well, we will want to find something about knee length. It will be enough to show off your legs, without bothering his Honor complex too much. And something strapless would probably work well for you, you have nicely defined shoulders." He said, beginning his search again. "What color were you thinking?" He asked.
"Blues or greens, preferably." Mary said, looking through a rack of dresses. "And I like silvers and metallic, but not gold. I hate gold." She added.
"That is a good idea; they do look good with the black hair. But not those obnoxious bright shades that you typically like." He replied. With the information he had, he started grabbing dresses off of the racks, and handing them to Mary. Once they had five or six dresses, he ushered her to the dressing room. While she was there, he went to find her a pair of shoes. When Mary first stepped out of the room, he stuck out a pair of silver heels.
"Thanks." Mary said, as she bent over and slid the shoes on. It had been a while since she had worn heels, and they felt very awkward. "Gonna have to practice walking in these things again." She muttered, as she stood up and adjusted the skirt.
"Not bad. But I don't think it's the one." Genesis critiqued the first dress.
"Yeah. It's a bit tight. I don't think I'd be comfortable in this. And the fabric is itchy." She said. Mary tried on each of the dresses that Genesis had picked out, and all of them had been rejected for one reason or another. When she was done removing the last dress, she heard a knock on the side of the dressing room.
"Try this one." She heard Genesis say, as he stuck his hand through the curtain. She grabbed it from his hand and smiled when she saw it. It was definitely pretty, and she was really hoping that it would look good as well. She quickly put in on, and stepped out of the dressing room.
"So?" She said, as she stood in front of Genesis.
"Lovely. That is the best cut for you. Good color too. I think Angeal will like it." Genesis said, as he urged Mary to turn around. When she did, she smiled brightly. It was a silver and blue strapless dress, with a nice a-line top. It had a crossing pattern at the smallest part of her waist, and went down to pleat slightly at her knees. It did well to show off her more feminine features. She smiled at the way the material flowed when she twirled from side to side.
"Do you really think so? He won't be mad at me for it being strapless, will he?" She asked him.
"I think he will be a little too distracted to complain. And yes, I think he will like it, I know he likes you." He said, as Mary blushed again. She looked down at the dress and twirled around again.
She smiled at Gen, before reaching to give him a light hug. "Thank you." She said.
"You're welcome. Now, we need to find shoes and jewelry to match." He said, as he pulled away from her hug. Mary bounced back into the changing room and got back into her normal clothes. She came out clutching the dress and smiling.
"Do they have that stuff here or are we going somewhere else?" She asked him, as they started walking through the store.
"We can check here first." He replied. They began looking through shoes, and found a simple pair of silver ones that matched the dress well, and weren't too painful for Mary to wear. Then they started walking towards the jewelry section.
"Hey Gen. Thanks for helping me, I really appreciate it." Mary said to him. "And since you helped me with Angeal, I think I should give you some advice for Alanna." She added.
"What do you mean?" Genesis asked, confused as to what she meant.
"I know you like her, and she likes you too. You should really make a move soon. But, if you do, there are some things you should know." Mary told him.
"Like what?" He asked her, curious as to what she would say.
"She is an independent person, and she wants to be treated as such. Gifts are nice every once in a while, but she can take care of herself, and wants to. Her last boyfriend never let her pay for anything, and that really ticked her off. Also, she hates it when she isn't allowed to carry her own bags. And try not to be such an ass all the time." Mary added at the end, with a joking tone. "Your confidence is part of who you are, and part of why she likes you, but you can push it sometimes. You may want to stop acting like you are the king of the world."
"I don't act like the kind of the world." Genesis muttered. "But thank you for the other advice. I will try to keep that in mind." He replied. "Here, try these." Genesis said, as he held up a pair of silver hang earrings.
"Oooh, pretty. I like them. And with these I shouldn't need to wear a necklace." She replied, admiring the earrings as they hung from her ears and rested just above her shoulders.
"A necklace is not necessary, though you may want to consider a bracelet. I will not allow you to wear that clunky watch when we are at the club." Genesis replied to her, in a somewhat snotty tone.
"But I always wear my watch." Mary whined, while Genesis shook his head. "Fine, I'll get a bracelet. Do they have one that matches the earrings?" She asked him. Within a minute, he was able to find one that matched. With that, Mary went to the counter to purchase the dress and jewelry, and they left the store.
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As Mary walked back into the apartment, Alanna looked up worriedly from the couch.
"Where is Gen?" She asked. "You didn't kill him, did you?"
"No, I didn't kill him. He had to stop by his office. It really wasn't that bad, I only wanted to slap him two or three times. But don't worry, I refrained." She said jokingly.
"Well, let me see what you got." Alanna said, putting her book down.
"Alright. Let's go to our room so I can put it on and show you." Mary replied, as she pulled Alanna up from the couch and started walking to her room. On the way, they ran into Angeal.
"Where have you been this afternoon?" Angeal asked her.
"Shopping with Genesis." She replied, as she walked into her room and shut the door. Angeal stood there with a confused look on his face. After a minute, he decided to let it go, and continued to the kitchen to begin preparing dinner.
The group of doppelgangers, SOLDIERs, and Turks sat at the table, enjoying the meal that Angeal had made. Ever since the VR room, the group as an entirety seemed to be getting along much better. They had decided that they could accomplish more if they worked together and used each other's skills, than if they were fighting all the time. Because of this, they had been spending more time around each other, and having dinner as a large group.
"So, Tseng. I assume the planning is going well for my party?" Genesis asked when he was finished with his food.
"Yes. We should all be free for the night and the next morning." Tseng replied. He had been working on schedules all week to accommodate the arrogant SOLDIER. At first he was annoyed that the arrogant redhead was expecting such a night out, but he was starting to reconsider. Now that he was with Cloud, he was excited to have a night out, a night that would involve drinking, relaxing, and hopefully some dancing with his young blonde.
"Good." Genesis replied, taking a drink from his wine glass.
"So, what is everyone up to tonight?" Mary asked. She had been enjoying having everyone around since the VR room. She was becoming more comfortable with the Turks, and found them to be quite entertaining. She was hoping maybe they would be able to hang out for a while after dinner.
"Not much. Things have slowed down the last few days. There are no pressing matters to attend to." Tseng replied for the Turks. "We can stay, if you had something particular in mind."
"Nothing particular, I was just wondering." Mary replied, taking a drink of her water.
"We could play a drinking game, yo." Reno offered.
"That could be fun." Alanna said, a smile crossing her face. She enjoyed drinking, but other than the wine Genesis had gotten her, she didn't get to do it often.
"I don't know if that is a good idea." Morgan piped up.
"Oh come on, Morgan. Don't be a buzz kill. It is a good idea actually. It would get us more used to drinking so we don't get completely smashed at Gen's party." Ryu said, poking him in the side.
"And we could play something that will help us get to know each other better." Mary added.
"I think it sounds interesting. How shall we play and what shall we be drinking?" Sephiroth asked.
"We could play a game where you ask questions or bring up topics, and people drink in response. And it would be best for each of us to have our preferred drinks. We don't want to get too drunk by doing shots or anything like that." Mary replied, excited for the game. She had just purchased a new type of fruity rum, and was excited to try it. She didn't drink too much, but when she did she would drink really fast. She preferred mixed drinks, typically mixed with fruit juice.
"Sounds like a plan. How about we get our drinks, and meet in the living room." Sephiroth said, getting up out of his chair.
"Alright, everyone just leave your plates, I'll pick them up." Mary said, as she started collecting plates. Each person of the group got up, and made their way to the kitchen to choose their drinks. After ten minutes, the drinks were mixed, and dishes were taken care of. The group had started to gather into the living room, picking a seat where they would be comfortable. The furniture had been moved so that there was a circular shape around the table that was in the center of the room.
Alanna and Genesis were sitting comfortably next to each other in one of the loveseats. Matti was in the other, with Piper sitting on his lap, and Ryu sitting farther on the other arm. Morgan was perched on the armrest, resting on the back. Tseng was sitting in the corner of a couch, with Cloud sitting closely to his side. He placed his arm around Cloud's shoulder, and smiled when the young blonde rested his head against his chest. Chloe sat next to them, being careful to keep a small amount of space between them. She was new to the group, but was glad to be involved. She enjoyed the group's antics, and found herself particularly interested in one of the SOLDIERs, who was sitting next to her. Sephiroth leaned against the arm of the couch, while Vincent was sitting on the back, resting his back against a wall. Rude sat on the other couch, with Reno sitting on the floor in front of him.
When Mary had finished cleaning up, and had made her drink, she entered the room and took the seat on the other side of the couch from Rude. Shortly after sitting, she heard Angeal and Zack enter the room. Zack had gotten a short lecture from Angeal, reminding him not to drink too much, because he had to run an early mission with the cadets the next morning. When they entered the room, Zack plopped on the floor in front of Mary and was rewarded with pets. Angeal looked around quickly, and hesitated, as the only seat left was next to Mary. Since the chocolate incident, he had been trying to avoiding being too close to Mary. He hoped that the presence of everyone else would deter her from such behavior. As he sat, Mary gave him a warm smile, while continuing to pet Zack's head.
"So, how do we play this game exactly?" Sephiroth asked.
"There are no specific rules really, except for honesty." Mary began, trying to figure out how she wanted to describe what she had been thinking. "I guess I'll start by asking a question, and hopefully we will just catch on." She said.
"Alright. Ask away." Sephiroth replied, waving his hand to her.
"Okay. Take a drink if you have ever broken a bone." Mary said, as almost everyone in the room took a drink. "See, simple questions like those. Hopefully we will get better questions, and if things seem interesting people can elaborate." Mary said.
"Drink if you have ever been arrested." Ryu threw out for a question, to keep the game going. None too surprisingly, Reno and Rude both took a drink, as well as Chloe. "No surprise there." She muttered.
The game continued for about an hour, with people taking turns asking simple questions, and telling funny little stories from their past. It was a surprisingly long time before the alcohol started to affect the doppelgangers enough that they purposefully started crossing lines, as they were known to do.
"Drink if you have ever kissed someone of the same sex. That means you Chocobo." Zack said, winking at his friend. To no one's surprise, Tseng and Cloud took a drink, as well as Chloe and Reno. To a few people's surprise, Mary and Alanna also took drinks.
"It was on a dare; don't look at me like that." Alanna said, as Gen turned to her and raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"I did sports and we had a lot of bus rides. We played many games of spin the bottle, and no matter what you had to kiss the person you landed on." Mary explained. Ryu and Alanna raised their eyebrows.
"I don't think that was the most honest answer Mary." Alanna said.
"What do you mean, that's how it happened. Oh, you mean the bisexual thing. Just because I've had crushes on some girls doesn't mean I kissed any of them." Mary said getting some shocked looks from the others in the room. Mary sensed this, and decided to ask a question to distract them.
"Drink if you have ever stared at a screen while the Victoria's Secret fashion show commercial is on." Mary said, trying to get Matti to drink, even if she herself had to drink. He glared at her while taking his drink. The Turks and SOLDIERs sat in confusion, while the doppelgangers burst out laughing, except Piper, who seemed to take offense to the question. Matti decided to retaliate.
"I have one for you Mary. Drink if you are still a virgin." He said. Mary turned bright red as she lifted her drink. She leveled a glare at him, and then took her drink. Angeal had lifted his drink at that, but hesitated when he saw Mary's reaction. To his relief, she took a drink from her glass. He turned to her before taking his drink.
"There is nothing wrong with being a virgin." He said, and then lifted his bottle to his lips. Mary turned bright red, and practically stared at him in shock. It made sense, with his ideas of Honor for him to be a virgin, but she hadn't really thought that he would be. She forced herself to look around the room.
"I hate you guys." She said, as she slipped down into her seat. "No one else? It's really just us?" She asked, as the other's nodded their heads.
"Zach?" Angeal asked, with a stern tone.
"What? I'm a hormonal teenage boy. What do you expect? Not everyone has as much patience and honor as you do." Zack said in reply, surprisingly not embarrassed at all.
Ryu sat nervously, hoping beyond hope that Reno hadn't noticed that she did not take a drink. To her relief, he seemed to be more amused by Mary and Angeal, because he made no comment to her or Morgan.
"No offense, but who did you sleep with Seph?" Alanna asked, a bit surprised.
"I don't know her name. It was part of an experiment. Hojo wanted to know if I could reproduce." Sephiroth answered.
"That is disturbing. Hojo really is a creepy bastard." Alanna replied.
"You should not be treated like a lab rat, Sephiroth. I hope you will not let him do anything like that again. If he tries, you tell me, okay?" Vincent said, from his spot behind Sephiroth on the couch.
"Okay." Sephiroth answered. There was an awkward silence in the room, and so Reno decided to end it.
"You know Mary, I could help you with that virgin problem, yo." He said, flashing his 'seductive' eyes at Mary.
A loud "RENO" was heard from several people in the room, as Reno received a smack on the head from Rude. Angeal was glad that he wasn't the only one to scold the Turk, so no one seemed to notice the glare he had leveled at him.
"I was just kidding, yo." Reno said. Mary turned an even brighter red and tried to hide herself in the couch. She decided not to respond to the Turk, mainly because she was unsure of what would come out of her mouth.
"Refill time!" Ryu yelled, taking pity on Mary and trying to create a distraction. With that, everyone who needed it got up and refilled their drinks, and the embarrassment faded from Mary. When they returned, it seemed as though they were still in the mood to cross lines.
"Drink if you have ever been caught watching porn." Mary started off the next round of questions. The SOLDIERs all turned a lovely shade of red, while the Turks who it applied easily took a drink. The group started laughing heavily, taking great amusement at the embarrassment of their friends. "Oh come on, we won't judge you. There is nothing wrong with watching porn. It is totally natural." Mary said, trying to ease their embarrassment. When it didn't seem to work, she decided on a different tactic. "That is what the internet is for, after all." She added, before she began.
"I get to teach a whole lesson, all by myself… and I'm going to teach something relevant, something modern… the internet!" She began, in a singsong manner. The other girls giggled and joined her.
The internet is really really great… they began… FOR PORN… Matti chimed in at the end of the phrase.
I've got a fast connection, so I don't have to wait…FOR PORN…
There's always some new site…FOR PORN…
I browse all day and night...FOR PORN.
It's like I'm surfing at the speed of light…FOR PORN.. The group continued singing. The internet is for porn, the internet is for porn, me up all night hogging me horn to porn porn porn.
They only made it through the first chorus before they broke out in laughter and couldn't stop. The horrified look on the other's faces weren't helping. Zack and Reno seemed to find it funny, and were laughing along with them.
When their laughter died down, they continued with the questions, trying to get away from the gutter. After another hour, the questions ran dry, and the group decided to try something else. Zack decided to start doing some impressions of his friends. They all started laughing as he stood with his arms across his chest.
"Embrace your dreams. If you want to be a hero, you need to have dreams." He said, in his best Angeal-lecture voice. With that, Mary turned and clung to Angeal's arm, while Angeal just looked down at her. He had been worried about this, but he had had enough to drink that he didn't seem to mind it very much.
"I don't think that's what he meant, Mary." Alanna giggled.
"Shut up." Mary muttered with her face still in Angeal's arm. She was becoming tired, and she found Angeal's arm very warm and comfy. Within a minute, her breathing slowed, and she fell asleep.
"Ooooh. I think Mary's asleep, this could be fun." Ryu said, noticing how Mary was no longer responding to Zack's antics.
"Yes, indeed it could be." Alanna replied, getting off her seat next to Genesis and taking Zack's place in front of Mary on the floor.
"What are you doing?" Angeal asked her.
"Nothing bad. Just gonna ask her some questions." Alanna replied.
"But she is asleep, how could she reply?" Genesis asked, a little upset that Alanna had left his side.
"She talks in her sleep. She can do a lot of things in her sleep. She can crochet, she can take notes, and she can even take out a book to an exact page without ever waking up. I've seen it, and it is funny. But what is even better, is she won't hear any of this, but if I direct a question at her, she will respond, completely honestly and without hesitation. She has no filter or forethought when she is asleep." Alanna said, an amused and evil look in her eyes.
"Oh no. I don't think I want to hear any of this." Matti said, closing his eyes and curling around Piper, who was fast asleep.
"I think I know where this is going. Keep me out of it." Ryu said from where she was curled up with Morgan. "I don't want to feel her wrath when she wakes up." She added.
"Oh, I think she'll be too embarrassed to be mad." Alanna said, giggling. "Mary, do you think Reno is attractive?" She asked her, mock innocently.
"Hell yeah. Sexy ass turk." Mary mumbled, as she let go of Angeal's arm and turned so she was leaning on him instead. "Sexy red hair…" She started to continue, when Alanna interrupted her.
"Then why won't you take him up on his offer?" Alanna asked sweetly.
"Don't wanna upset 'Geal." Mary replied, still fast asleep. Angeal blushed at her answer, and furrowed his brow. Genesis started laughing from his spot across the room. He found Angeal's confusion hilarious.
"Wanna go to bed with 'Geal instead?" Alanna continued.
"Uh huh. So warm…" She started in response.
"No, Mary." Angeal managed to reply. He was turning red, and was starting to feel similar to the other night, when she had fallen asleep on his lap. Hearing that, Mary pouted in her sleep.
"How about Zack? Is he attractive?" Zack chimed in, curious as to what she would say about him.
"Um hmm… nice butt, so many squats." She mumbled in response, which cause Zack to blush and start giggling, falling onto the floor.
"And Cloud?" Alanna asked her.
"Damn hot, wanna watch… with Tseng." She said, as she changed her position again and pushed her face into Angeal's arm. Cloud was blushing furiously, and trying to hide in Tseng's arms. Tseng glared at the sleeping SOLDIER Turk, a little concerned, because he had her trained in surveillance.
"This is just too funny, yo." Reno managed to say as he was laughing. "I never knew she was such a perv."
"Then you really don't know her at all." Alanna replied. "Would you ever sleep with Rufus Shinra, Mary?" She asked, knowing that she was starting to cross the line.
"If he was gagged, and maybe handcuffed…" Mary said in response.
"Damn, that's hot. Girl's got some good ideas." Reno said, as Rude smacked the back of his head again.
"What was that for?" Reno asked his partner. Rude just shook his head, and crossed his arms across his chest. Ryu hid her face in Morgan's arm to try and hide her laughter.
"What about Sephy?" Alanna asked.
"Gorgeous." Was all Mary said in reply, as she was starting to fall into a deeper sleep. Now it was Seph's turn to blush, and he lifted his hand to try and hide it. He failed to notice Chloe's blush at that comment as well.
"It is starting to sound like she will sleep with anyone." Genesis said.
"No, she just has a great appreciation of you fine specimens." Alanna replied. "What about Gen, Mary?"
"Pretty, but he's 'Lanna's." Mary said, causing both Alanna and Genesis to blush.
"Alright. I think we have had enough of embarrassing Mary. It is getting late, we should head out." Rude said, not wanting the questions to lead to him. He was finding the revelations of the night amusing, and he enjoyed watching, but he did not want to know Mary's true feelings for him.
"I second that. Goodnight." Vincent said, as he got up from his spot and walked out the door. Without further conversation, the Turks filed out of the apartments, and the SOLDIERs began heading to their rooms. Alanna shook Mary awake, and told her it was time for bed.
"And in your own room…" She added, earning her a confused look from Mary.
Mary woke up from a night of odd dreams. She shook her head, and put on her running clothes. When she was finished changing, she made her way to the track. Throughout her run, she kept getting images from her dreams, and she was glad no one was awake this early in the morning.
After Mary had showered and changed, she made her way to the kitchen. She was having a hard time forgetting one of her dreams that had been quite vivid. To her dismay, when she entered the kitchen, Reno was sitting there, drinking a cup of coffee. Mary started to retreat, when she heard him start to talk to her.
"Where are you going in such a rush, yo?" He asked her, getting up from his seat. Mary blushed and stopped in her tracks. It seemed as though Reno was not going to make things any easier for her. "So about last night." He started.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing against you, but…" She stuttered.
"No worries. I know you are into the big man. But my offer still stands, if things don't work out." He said, placing his hand casually on the wall. Mary's blush deepened. "But we should hang out more, yo; you have some very good ideas sometimes. Haven't gotten that image of Rufus from my mind since last night." He said, with a smirk on his face. Mary's eyes widened, both in confusion and worry.
"What are you talking about?" She asked him hesitantly.
"Rufus in handcuffs, with a gag." He answered her.
"But… that was… a dream… how did?" She stumbled over her words.
"Ya fell asleep, 'Lanna asked you some questions, which you gave colorful answers to, yo." He told her.
"She did WHAT?!" Mary yelled in horror.
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Alanna walked through the living room, following Genesis. They were headed for their training session. Alanna was glad that she had managed to miss Mary's return from her run, and had gotten out of the shared apartment before Mary had gotten out of the shower. She didn't know if Mary knew about what had happened the night before, and she was not going to stick around to find out. Just before they made it to the door, she heard Mary scream from the hallway.
"She did WHAT?!" Was all she heard, and she immediately ran past Genesis through the door.
"I think Mary found out about last night. Run away!" She said, as she dashed towards the elevator. Genesis followed her without hesitation. He was well aware that he did not want to be anywhere near Mary at the moment.
"So, an extra long session today?" He asked Alanna once they were in the elevator.
"Um, yeah. I'd rather not die today." She answered.
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Mary stared at Reno in horror of what he had told her. She put her back against the wall, closed her eyes, and let her head thump against the hard surface.
"Exactly what did she ask me?" Mary asked hesitantly. She knew that she could talk in her sleep, and that most likely she wouldn't think through what she was saying. She also remembered that everyone she was close to was in the room, and she was terrified that they may have learned some things that she didn't want them to know. She definitely didn't want them to know the things she had dreamed about the last night.
"Oh you know, just stuff like 'are you attracted to Reno', 'do you want to sleep with Angeal', 'would you ever sleep with Rufus'. Simple things like that, yo." Reno said, raising his eyebrows.
"Shit." Mary said, as she hit her head off of the wall again. "So Angeal knows?" She asked him.
"Kind of. He still seemed a little confused and oblivious. I swear those SOLDIERs are not all there, yo." He replied. "And Tseng seems a little paranoid; he'll probably be watching you for a few days." He continued.
"I'm going to go die in a corner now." Mary said, as she turned and went back to her room. She slammed her door and collapsed on her bed, rolling herself up in her blankets.
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"What was Mary screaming about?" Ryu said, as she walked into the kitchen. She had been taking a shower when she heard Mary scream. If not, she would have run out to see what the problem was. It was neither Mary's time of the month, or the day of a mako bath, so she was not worried that she was being bitchy.
"Oh, she just found out about last night is all." Reno said coolly.
"Oh goody. Is Alanna still alive, or did she violently murder her?" She asked him.
"She didn't even look for her. She just retreated to her room." He answered.
"Well we should probably let her cool off a bit. Let's go, I'm sure we have plenty of paper work to do." Ryu said, pulling Reno from his chair and out of the apartment.
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Mary stayed in a ball, under her covers, for what seemed like hours. The small pieces of what she remembered of her dreams raced through her mind. She felt embarrassed, and she just wanted to crawl in a hole and die. She was suddenly very glad that Zack and Angeal were running a mission with the cadets, and she was left on her own for training. She felt bad that she wasn't doing what was expected of her, but she wasn't in the mood to face anyone.
The more she thought about the possibility of what she had said while she was asleep, the more worried and frustrated she became. There were many things that went through her mind, and she knew that most of it should stay there, and that is why she usually filtered her thoughts. But, as she had found out through the years, her sleeping mind had no filter. She wondered what she had let slip while she was asleep. She was also extremely worried about what the others would think of her. She had gotten very comfortable with the doppelgangers, as they had been her friends for years. She knew that they wouldn't judge her for her dirty thoughts.
She couldn't help but worry about what Angeal was going to think. From what Reno told her, she had practically admitted that she wanted to sleep with Angeal. Though she had teased him just a few days before, she knew better than to push too far. He was far too honorable of a man to make a move in a sexual direction. –What will he think of you now?- She thought to herself. –He probably thinks that you are just a horny teenager who wants to get in his pants. He will think you are like any other fangirl of his.- She shoved her face into her pillow, and started to cry.
"DAMN IT!" She screamed into the pillow. Though she was alone, she still hated to cry. She kept her face in the pillow for about an hour, letting out all of her emotions. She hated crying, but she knew it was good for her, and so she let her tears flow. Once she felt as though all of her tears had dried out, she curled her blankets around her again and fell asleep.
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Angeal was distracted as he watched the cadets complete their mission. His mind was filled with thoughts that he knew he should not be thinking. Zack could tell that his mentor was distracted as the mission finished and they left the VR room, after dismissing the cadets.
"You alright Angeal? You seem a bit distracted." Zack said, trying to not sound accusing with his statement.
"I'm fine." He answered flatly. Zack looked at him and raised his eyebrow. "It's nothing Zack, just didn't sleep well. I had a bit more to drink than I am used to." He tried to explain.
"Sure you did. I think you were thinking about Mary." Zack said, in a matter of fact tone. Angeal did not answer; instead he leaned against the wall of the elevator and crossed his arms across his chest. He let out a loud sigh and closed his eyes.
Though he did not want to admit it, he had been thinking of Mary. He hadn't been lying to Zack though; he had trouble sleeping that night, and had drunken more than he was used to. He had the feeling as though something important had happened, but he couldn't remember quite what it was. He remembered Mary hugging his arm, and falling asleep on him. He vaguely remembered Alanna asking her questions, but he couldn't remember what they were, or what Mary said. He did however remember that Mary had admitted to being a virgin. That thought made him very happy, and he immediately chastised himself for thinking that way. –You should not be thinking about her that way, she is your student.- He told himself. It seems like he had been saying it more often as the days passed.
When the elevator ride was over, Angeal exited, and entered the apartment without a word to Zack. Zack plopped down on the couch, feeling defeated. He could still remember the night before, even though he drank more than Angeal did. He was now positive about Mary's feelings, but he still couldn't get Angeal to admit his. He shook his head in frustration, as he got up and went to his room to change into more comfortable clothes.
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"Is Mary going to join us for dinner?" Sephiroth asked, as he sat at the table. He thought he would be the last one there, as he was in his office late doing paperwork.
"I don't know. I haven't seen her all day." Angeal replied. "I'll go ask her." He said as he left the kitchen.
As he left, Ryu poked Alanna in the side. "Did she yell at you at all?" She asked her.
"No. I heard her scream when I left for training, but she didn't leave her room when I got back. I figured bothering her would be detrimental to my health." She said, picking at the food on her plate.
"I think Reno told her what happened. I haven't seen her since then. Do you think she's okay?" Ryu said, wondering if she should have stopped Alanna the night before.
"She'll be fine. She's tough, you know that." Alanna answered, hoping that she was right. "I wouldn't have done it if I didn't think she would be okay with it, eventually." She added.
"I hope you're right." Ryu replied, throwing a look down the hallway to Mary's room.
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Mary heard a knock on her door. She had fallen asleep, and when she looked at her clock she realized it was about dinner time. She was hungry, but when she remembered why she was hiding, she curled back into her blankets.
"Go away!" She yelled, when the knocking occurred again. "Just leave me alone."
"Mary. Are you alright? No one has seen you all day." She heard from the other side of the door. She quickly recognized Angeal's voice. She groaned into her pillow. Of all the people she wanted to avoid, Angeal was on the top of the list. She felt tears fill her eyes again.
"I'm fine. Just go away, please." She replied, a strange tone leaking into her voice.
"Is this about last night?" He asked through the door.
"I don't want to talk about it. Please just leave me alone." She said, fighting the tears that were working their way to her eyes. Angeal hesitated outside the door, before turning around and returning to the kitchen. He returned to his seat, and sat silently.
"So, what did she say?" Ryu asked from her spot across the table.
"She just wants to be left alone. I tried to ask her why she was upset, but she just asked me to leave." Angeal said, looking down at his plate. For the first time in a long time, he had lost his appetite. Ryu and Alanna traded glances, acknowledging that Mary was much more upset than they had expected she would be. They were going to have to talk to her after dinner.
"Are you alright Angeal?" Genesis asked when Angeal had still not touched his plate.
"What?" He asked, as he had not been paying attention to what was going on around him. He was still trying to figure out why Mary was so upset. "Not hungry I guess." He answered, shrugging, when he realized why Genesis was questioning him. Genesis let out a sigh, as he shook his head. He wished Angeal was not so oblivious to the situation, and his own feelings. He was sure Angeal felt for Mary the way she had admitted feeling for him, though he also knew that Angeal was still in denial about his own feelings.
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When they finished dinner, Ryu and Alanna made their way towards Mary's room. Piper saw them head in that direction, and started to follow them. Though she didn't know what had happened the night before, she was worried about Mary. She had been wondering what was happening since Mary had texted her saying she was not going to train with her and Cloud that day. She had asked why, but had never gotten a reply. When she caught up to Ryu and Alanna, she decided to find out what was going on before seeing Mary.
"Hey. What is going on? Why is she so upset, anyways?" Piper asked when she caught the two troublemakers.
"Well 'Lanna here asked her a bunch of really personal questions while she was sleeping. I think Mary is embarrassed about it, and so she won't come out of her room." Ryu said, pointing at Alanna.
"You did nothing to stop me." Alanna responded, reluctant to take all of the blame. "I didn't think she would react like this. She is usually so open about these things. I didn't think it would really upset her." She said in her own defense. Piper just shook her head, and pushed past the other two girls.
"Mary?" She asked, as she lightly opened the door. She noticed the lump of blankets on Mary's bed, but got no response.
After Angeal talked to Mary, she had fallen into another crying fit. Crying took a lot out of Mary, and she had fallen asleep again. She didn't hear her friends enter her room. She was woken up by Piper shaking her gently.
"Leave me alone." She mumbled, as she pulled her blanket over her face.
"Sorry, but no." Piper said. "We are worried about you. You haven't talked to anyone all day." Piper said, as she wrapped her arms around Mary, pulling her into a tight hug. "What's wrong?" She asked her.
Mary resisted for a second, and then let herself be wrapped in Piper's hug. She was upset with Alanna for what she did, and possibly Ryu for letting it happen, but she knew that Piper was not awake by that time. She took a deep breath, hoping that she would not start crying again.
"I'm sorry." Alanna said, before Mary could begin explaining what was wrong. She knew what was bothering her friend, and she didn't mean to cause her such pain. "I didn't think it would end this way. I didn't mean it to, I promise." She pleaded. Mary just buried her face in Piper's shoulder.
"I can't go out there. Not now. Not after what I said." Mary started. "I can't face Angeal, not after…" Her words were cut off by a hiccup. "Not again…" She moaned.
"No one is judging you Mary, especially not Angeal. You were asleep; no one even believes that you actually knew what was going on. Angeal is worried about you; I don't think he takes offense to anything you said…" Ryu said, trying to comfort Mary, while sitting on the bed and rubbing her back.
"He said no. He rejected me. He knows, and he rejected me." Mary said into Piper's shoulder between hiccups, tears forming in her eyes again.
"He only said no because he thinks he is supposed to. He wasn't rejecting you Mary. And he seemed pretty confused and pretty tipsy at that point." Alanna said, trying to calm Mary down. "And you didn't really say that much. We only got little snips of what you were saying." She added, trying to ease her friends mind.
Mary started to relax in Piper's hold. Ryu continued to rub her back, as she lifted her head from Piper's shoulder.
"Let's go get something to eat." Ryu offered.
"I don't wanna." Mary whined.
"Aren't you the one that made the rule against hiding in your room crying?" Alanna asked her.
"Fine." Mary said, as she got up and followed her friends out to the kitchen. They sat in silence as Mary ate her dinner.
"Hey Mary." Zack said, as he bounded into the kitchen. He walked over to her and hugged her from behind.
"Zack." Piper warned, as Mary's breathing increased.
"It's okay Mary. We still like you. Don't worry about it." He said, as he released Mary from his arms. She looked up at him from the table.
"Thanks." She said, as she got up and put her plate in the sink. After taking a deep breath, she walked into the living room and plopped herself on the couch. Angeal looked up when Zack bounded in the room and plopped himself on the floor in front of Mary.
"Are you feeling better?" He asked her, trying to hide the worry in his voice.
"Yeah. I'll be alright. Sorry about earlier." She said, while still looking down at Zack while she played with his hair. The three other girls walked into the room and found their usual places to sit. Piper kept checking on Mary, making sure she hadn't shown signs of another break down. When she was confident that she was okay, she curled up into Matti's lap and began to fall asleep.
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"You know, that was really sweet what you did for Mary." Piper said the next day, while she was standing in the elevator with Zack.
"It was nothing." He replied casually.
"It was just the right thing. You always seem to know how to make people feel better." Piper told him.
"I'm just a people person I guess." He said, shrugging his shoulders.
"Thank you for your help, I appreciate it." Angeal said, as he finished the last bit of his paperwork.
"No problem. I couldn't sleep anymore anyways." Mary replied, with a smile on her face. She had the day off, to rest and prepare for Genesis' birthday. Though they were encouraged to try and get extra sleep, she knew she wouldn't need it. She was a morning person by nature, but she could easily stay up late into the night, as long as there was something to do.
"You aren't going to fall asleep on us again tonight, are you?" Angeal asked her teasingly.
"No. I'll be too busy dancing. Don't worry; your arm will be safe." She replied, giggling a little. She was glad that both she and Angeal were able to joke about the incident. She had been highly embarrassed and spent a day alone in her room, but had since gotten over that. No one acted differently around her, and Angeal hadn't brought up anything that she said, so she decided to let it go, and joke about it instead.
"Good. I think it has taken enough abuse from you these last few months." He joked.
"Hey." Mary protested. "I don't do it on purpose." She said, pretending to pout like the puppy had done to her many times. Angeal laughed lightly and shook his head. When they arrived at the apartment, he turned to head back to his own room.
"You may not need extra sleep, but I think I will. I'll see you before the party." He said, as he turned and walked away.
"See you then." Mary said with an excited smile on her face.
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Mary stood at her mirror, getting frustrated as she pulled her hair down for the fifth time. She had decided it was time to get ready, and was already in her dress and heels. She was happy with the way she looked in her dress, but she couldn't decide what to do with her hair. It was a battle she went through almost every time she tried to dress up. She had brushed her hair and let it dry after her shower, and then put it in a side-sweeping braid, but had decided it was too messy and took it down. She then tried a simple bun, but didn't like the shape it gave her face. After a few more attempts at putting her hair up, she decided to just leave it down. She combed through it again, making sure that she was happy with the placement of the part. She then looked back to the mirror to begin putting on her makeup. She was very glad that she had a collection of makeup that was waterproof, because she knew she would be doing a lot of dancing, and therefore would be doing a lot of sweating as well.
When Mary felt as though she was ready, she took a final look in the mirror. She smiled brightly. She finally looked the way she had always wanted to. She still did not have the most feminine shape, but she was happy with how the dress looked on her. It showed off the smallest part of her waist, and gave an illusion of hips. She did a twirl and giggled before heading out to the living room. Unsurprisingly, she was the first one there, so she sat down and waited for the others to join her.
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Mary's eyes went wide when she saw Angeal walk into the room. He was wearing slacks, a button down shirt, and a vest. It was a very good look for him, and it took Mary by surprise. She was used to the sight of him in his uniform and his casual clothes. She forced herself to look down at her hands, to keep herself from staring. When she looked back up, Angeal was sitting next to her.
"You look very nice." He said to her simply, trying to hide the blush that was starting to form. Luckily for both of them, the Turks were entering the room at about the same time, and the others appeared to be distracted.
"So do you. Green is a good color for you." Mary replied with a smile. As she looked over his clothes, she figured that Gen had probably helped him pick out his clothes as well. "Did Gen pick it out for you?" She asked him.
"Maybe, maybe not." He replied, looking away from her. She giggled a little.
"So, yes. Don't worry; he helped pick out my outfit too." She teased him. Angeal raised an eyebrow, and decided that he would have to thank Genesis later. He had been worried about what Mary would choose for a dress, particularly after the incident with Alanna and Ryu. He was glad that Mary's dress was modest in both length and fit. "Looks like the man of the hour has arrived." She said, as Genesis finally entered the room.
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Mary couldn't stop smiling as she walked into the club, her hand hooked in Angeal's elbow. She was nervous with all the people taking her picture, so she tried to focus on Angeal instead, which was not at all hard for her to do. She knew that this night would provide her with many memories to hang on to. Though nothing Angeal did was romantic in intention, she still found the little gestures incredibly cute, and she smiled every time she remembered them. She continued smiling as they entered the club and took their seats in a private booth.
Mary looked around, taking in the sights and sounds of the club. She liked the atmosphere; the music was good and the lights created a good dancing atmosphere. She couldn't wait to get out on the huge floor and start dancing.
Angeal couldn't help but smile at how happy Mary seemed to be. He didn't understand why she was so excited, but he was glad he got to see her so happy. Even though she seemed to be better, he was worried that she was still upset from earlier in the week. But now she seemed to not care whatsoever, and he was glad.
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Once the group had finished with a few shots and their first round of drinks, Mary was finally able to drag Ryu, Alanna, and Chloe to the dance floor. She started swaying in time with the music, and within a few minutes completely lost herself. She closed her eyes, and let the music move her. She continued dancing with her eyes closed until she heard Zack and Reno join the group. She opened her eyes and giggled as Zack bounded into the group and started dancing like a fool. He went from person to person, swinging their arms and spreading his contagious smile.
"Smile Mary, I think 'Geal's watching." Zack said when he got to her. She blushed, but smiled wider and continued dancing, throwing a glance over her shoulder every once in a while. Sure enough, she caught Angeal watching her a few times, and so she continued to dance with a smile on her face. Mary had always had a lot of confidence on the dance floor, even if she lacked it everywhere else. She was determined to get Angeal to dance with her, and the first step was getting his interest, and she felt confident that she could do that with her dancing.
"Bathroom break, I'll be right back." Ryu said, as she started to turn around, trying to figure out where the bathroom was. When she located it, she started in that direction. She turned to Reno quickly, as if she had gotten a sudden thought. "Behave yourself." She said, as she pointed to him.
"Yes, neesan. I'll be a good boy, yo." He replied, putting on his best innocent face. Ryu shook her head as she continued on her path. Once she was out of sight, he snuck his way over to Mary. Mary squeaked when she felt arms wrap around her waist lightly. She opened her eyes and saw Reno looking at her.
"Reno." She said in warning, though she continued dancing. "I already told you…"
"I know, just trying to make the big man jealous." He interrupted her. "If this doesn't get him to make a move, I don't know what will, yo." He said, as he moved even closer to Mary. Alanna rolled her eyes and turned to dance with Zack and Chloe.
"Is he looking?" Mary asked, afraid to look over her shoulder.
"Oh yeah, and he looks a little jealous. Told you it would work." Reno replied.
"Thanks. Now I guess I owe you, huh?" She asked, as she put an arm on Reno's shoulder and leaning in to his ear. "See the blonde, short green dress? She's been eyeing you for a few minutes. I think she may have a thing for redheads." She said, moving them both around so that Reno could see who she was talking about.
"I see. Nice find, I may just have to explore that option." He said, removing his hands from her waist. Mary just shook her head as she rejoined the group, only a few seconds before Ryu returned. The girls continued dancing for a while longer before they needed a break.
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Angeal sat in the booth, examining the table. He was not a fan of the club, but he would sit there and deal with it for his best friend. He sighed and shook his head as Zack gave in and joined the girls on the dance floor. Angeal's eyes found Mary as he looked over to the group, and he couldn't keep himself from staring as he watched her sway in time with the music. He could see how happy she seemed to be, dancing with her friends. He forced himself to look back down to the table, he didn't want to be caught staring. But he couldn't control himself for long, and found himself continuously looking up to watch her dance.
As Angeal looked to the dance floor, he felt his face turn red. He clenched his fists and looked back down at the table. When he looked back up, he was upset that he hadn't been mistaken the first time. Reno was dancing with Mary, and his hands were around her waist. Angeal took a deep breath and tried to relax his hands. He relaxed more when he saw Reno and Mary separate, and Reno took off to dance with someone else. He shook his head and finished off his drink, before looking back down at the table.
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Mary was feeling on top of the world; she was dancing with Angeal. She had expected the night to be fun, but she could not imagine how great it would feel dancing with him. It had been rather funny at first, because he really could not dance. He had told her that, but she had not really believed him. She had to try really hard to stifle her laugh when she had dragged him to the dance floor and began moving.
"See, it's not that hard. Just reflect what I'm doing, like when you first taught me how to wield my buster jr." She said, as she swayed easily back and forth. Within a few minutes, he seemed to pick up on it, and he started to relax a little.
Mary smiled as she continued swaying, throwing in some random moves here and there. She wanted to move closer, and dance the way she had with Reno, but she worried that Angeal would get uncomfortable, and wouldn't continue dancing with her. Instead, Mary kept a small distance between them as she danced, though she did throw him flirty smiles every once in a while.
Mary was happy and relaxed, until she felt hands grab her from behind and tickle her. She screamed and jumped forward, landing in Angeal's arms. When she turned around, she spotted Reno's red hair as he snuck his way through the crowd. "Reno." She muttered, before she realized where she was. She became bright red when she turned her head back to Angeal. She realized that her arms were around his neck, and she was hanging off of him. She blushed even more when she felt his arms wrapped around her back in a protective manner. "Sorry." She said, as she relaxed her arms.
"No need to apologize." He said, as he slowly lowered her to the floor. They stood still for a few moments, not removing their hands from each other. Mary shook her head and started dancing again, once she realized they were still in the club and there was music playing. She smiled brightly when Angeal's hands stayed around her lightly, and he didn't object to her arms remaining on his shoulders. There was still more space between them than she would have liked, but they were closer now, and she was immensely happy. It wasn't long however before Angeal seemed to need a break, much to Mary's dismay. She followed him back to the booth, where they took some time to sit and catch their breath.
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Mary was thrilled when they went returned to dancing, as Angeal placed his hands in the same place they were before, and she put her arms around his shoulders. She kept a small distance between them as they danced, until the end of the night, when she finally began to tire. She continued swaying, but her head started to fall and before she knew it her head was resting on Angeal's chest.
"I thought you said you wouldn't fall asleep?" Angeal said, gently shaking Mary.
"I wasn't sleeping, just resting." She said, as she tried to stifle a yawn.
"I think the night is about over. We should go get our things." Angeal said, as he started guiding Mary back to the booth. Mary let him guide her without resisting. Once they collected their things, the group loaded into the limo, and sat in silence on the way back to their apartments.
Angeal smiled as he sat in the limo, with Mary leaning against his chest. It had been a long time since he had felt so relaxed and comfortable. When Mary started snuggling into his arm, he moved it and wrapped it around her shoulder, letting her cuddle into his body. She seemed to fall asleep within a few minutes. He looked around the limo, and saw that everyone was just as exhausted as he was. He laughed lightly when he saw that even Zack was fighting to stay awake.
When the ride was over, Angeal gently nudged Mary awake. She groaned a little, but got up and got out of the limo. She was too tired to notice that Angeal had let her sleep on him, or that he wrapped his arm around her side when she swayed slightly in the elevator. She could only think about lying down in her comfortable bed and sleeping. She followed the group out of the elevator, and blindly walked towards her room. She giggled as Angeal caught her when she tripped on the edge of the carpet.
When Mary found her door, she started opening it, and then she remembered that Angeal was still behind her. She turned around quickly and jumped up to hug Angeal. "Thanks for dancing with me." She said, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a quick kiss on the side of his cheek.
"You're welcome, Mary." He replied, blushing lightly as he hugged her back. After a few moments he released his grip and slowly lowered her to the floor.
"G'night 'Geal." Mary said, as she turned and walked into her apartment. Before hearing his reply, she shut the door and went to her room to collapse on her bed. She stayed where she was for a few minutes, before she became uncomfortable and had to get up to remove her jewelry and dress. Once she was more comfortable and in her pajamas, she curled up in her bed. She was asleep within minutes, with a large smile on her face.
Angeal stood outside Mary's door for a minute, stunned by what had happened. When she had turned to hug him, a very inappropriate thought had raced through his mind. He had been reluctant to end the hug, wanting to hold onto the night as long as he could. But he had let her go, and now she was gone. Once he regained his composure, he turned and went to his own room. When he entered his room, he collapsed on his bed, and almost fell asleep. He realized that he had sweat through his clothes, and he smelled awful, but he was far too tired to take a shower. He shed his clothes and fell back on the bed. Before he was able to get up and retrieve something to wear, he was fast asleep, a small smile on his lips.
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Later that morning, Mary woke with a smile on her face. She had dreamt of dancing with Angeal all night, though only half of it she was asleep for. She turned to the table by her bed and grabbed her watch to check the time.-1100… I wonder what time we got back last night- She thought to herself. She stretched her arms over her head and realized that she smelled awful.
"Smells like I need a shower." She said to the empty room. She got up and grabbed a towel, and then walked into the bathroom to turn on the water. When she got in and the water started to hit her, she woke up even more. Now that she was more awake, she was even more aware of her good mood, and she started singing. She wasn't that surprised to find that her throat was dry and her voice was a little raspy.
Once she was out of the shower and dressed, Mary made her way out to the kitchen. She continued humming, and was practically dancing around the apartment. She was so distracted that she didn't even notice Zack, who was passed out on one of the couches. Mary got herself a glass of water and downed it as she waited for her toast. She continued humming while eating, until Ryu came out and reprimanded her, and forced her back into her own room.
"Someone's cranky… and it's not even morning anymore." Mary mumbled as she made her way back to her room. Mary had no feelings of a hangover, and she was well rested so she didn't understand why she was being forced back into her room. She didn't know how to amuse herself for the few hours Ryu was telling her to, so she decided that a light workout might be a good idea. She pulled out her exercise mat, ball, and her free weights.-And to think, Angeal and Matti said it was stupid to buy these, that I would never use them- Mary thought, as she put her headphones in and began her workout.
Zack is not the oblivious puppy we all think he is... and Alanna is a butthead, but that is nothing new, but she knows once she makes Mary cry that she went a bit too far.
Song is The Internet is for Porn, from Avenue Q. If you haven't heard it, look it up, it is hilarious, as is the whole musical.
