The library emitted a warm glow, softening Will's mood as it drew him inside. He'd spent the better part of an hour searching for Magnus, carting around two bags of Chinese -the contents now cold- in anticipation of their dinner date but as his gaze landed on her sleeping form, sprawled out over an open text, he felt the last of his frustration fade.
She hadn't deliberately stood him up.
In fact, she was completely oblivious to the knowledge she was late for their engagement.
Crossing the short distance he sat the bags down on the table, debating whether or not he should disturb her. Clearly she needed the rest. They'd both been through their fare share of drama in the past few months and despite her insistence she had recovered no worse for wear, he suspected she was still struggling to maintain her previous routine.
With a sigh he slipped his hand out, guiding the curls back from her face. She might need sleep but the hard wood surface wasn't the ideal place for it and she could use a decent meal or in the least, whatever he could salvage from the soggy take-out containers.
"Magnus-" he shook her gently, offering a reassuring smile as she stirred awake. "It's okay, you fell asleep."
She glanced around groggily, the strong aroma of Chinese food instinctively making her stomach growl and she winced remembering their dinner plans. "I'm sorry-" she glanced down at her watch realising she was nearly an hour late, "I was doing some research and must have dozed off."
"It's fine, don't worry..." he brushed her arm, letting his fingers linger over the sleeve of her shirt. When she relaxed under the touch he took it to mean she didn't mind the contact and absently circled his thumb over the thin material, "how about I reheat the food while you go pick out a movie, if you're still up for it?"
"You're going to let me choose-" she glossed over his concern, letting a smirk disguise her embarrassment at having fallen asleep, "no complaints?"
"So long as it's not an American Werewolf in London again." He shifted back, recalling the last movie night they had all attended. To be fair Henry had been the one who'd insisted on seeing the terrible plot through, although after watching the ending he'd sworn and declared Magnus was no longer allowed to pick without supervision, ever.
"Seriously, whatever you want is fine-" he smiled, looping his hand through the plastic bags. As long as it was just the two of them, relaxing and enjoying each others company he couldn't care less about what was showing in the background. "Lounge in ten-" he pressed, standing to full height.
She nodded, feeling her smile start to fade as he grabbed the two bags and turned.
It wasn't nerves, she had always felt comfortable in his presence, in fact -if anything- that was the problem. She didn't want to risk losing their friendship but at the same time she was drawn in by his reassurance. Closing the thick text over the table, she sighed pushing herself up to follow in his footsteps. He was right, she'd been hiding from the situation for far too long...
Trying not to dwell on her fears she took the shortest route to the lounge, beating Will there and positioning herself in front of the large dvd case. There were literally hundreds of movies to chose from, sourced to satisfy the various guests who resided at the Sanctuary and she flicked her wrist, clutching the spine of Casablanca.
Nothing compared to the first time she saw it, parked in a drive-in theatre and listening to the crackle through tired speakers. She recalled the outing with great fondness, remembering James beside her and how he had stayed mostly silent watching the moving pictures with subdued excitement. It was one of the rare times they had simply existed in each others company, without the threat of danger or a work related conversation but while she cherished the memory, she decided something more recent would probably suit Will's tastes better.
Pushing the dvd back in it's place, she cast her eyes over Bram Stokers Dracula and shook her head slightly, definitely not. Though she occasionally enjoyed the poor portrayal of vampires, it was still a little too soon to be thinking of Nikola. As expected she hadn't heard from him since his departure and she suspected Will wouldn't appreciate the reminder.
Deciding on Jumanji she pulled it down and crossed over to the Plasma, slipping the disc into the side of the tv. It made a soft whirring noise and she fanned her fingers, stifling a yawn as she padded back to the couch to make herself comfortable whilst waiting for Will.
He arrived not long after, smiling as he set the steaming containers down on the table between them. "Dinner is served-" he handed her a pair of chopsticks, glancing at the menu that was looping on screen, "good choice."
"I had a suspicion it might be to your liking." She reached for a container of fried rice with a smile, shifting a little as he slumped beside her on the three seater. If he noticed the subconscious move he didn't comment and she relaxed slightly, pressing play on the remote.
The familiar Trystar opening rolled and they ate in comfortable silence, occasionally mocking the dated effects or implausible plot. By the time the rhino's made their iconic appearance stampeding through the bookcase, the food was long gone and she found her eyes starting to drift closed, succumbing to the warm room and dimmed lights.
Will noticed her head starting to loll and sat up, pulling the cushion from behind him and placing it in his lap. When she didn't stir he nudged her shoulder indicating to the pillow, "come on, you'll be more comfortable."
"I'm fine, really." She gave a semi-hesitant smile, shifting her gaze back to the movie but when the scene in front them paused she frowned realising he wasn't going to let her polite decline wash. "I'm sorry-" she offered apologetically, "perhaps it would be a good idea to watch the remainder tomorrow?"
"Not getting cold feet I hope?" He joked lightly, though part of him suspected it was near to the truth. She had tensed almost immediately at the comment and while he wanted to push her to talk about it, he was careful not to pressure her. "I know you're tired and I honestly don't mind a rain check... so long as that's what you really want?"
She sighed, bunching her hair together and letting it rest loosely over her shoulder. She wanted to stay, curl up and watch the rest of the movie in his arms but there was a warning in the back of her mind she couldn't ignore. "Would you believe me if I claimed it was?"
"Would you really try and lie-" he answered with a smirk, relieved when her own lips twisted into a small smile. He put the banter down to the fact she really was tired, usually it was a lot harder to coerce her, and flexed his fingers against her arm, "I don't bite you know?"
"Shame," she quirked her brow, letting the soft grin on her features widen at his surprised expression. Clearly he was expecting more protests and she felt a little guilty, swallowing her doubts to accept the offer. The genuine look of appreciation that flashed across his face was enough to convince her she'd made the right choice and she brought her legs up as he pressed play on the movie.
"Will..." she spoke softly, just loud enough so he could hear her above the on screen dialogue, "I'm sorry I'm not-" she struggled to find an adequate description, "better, at this."
He was touched by the honest admission, though he tried not to make a big deal out of it. She'd deliberately kept her focus on the movie, suggesting that the apology didn't come with ease and he slipped his hand over her hip giving a reassuring squeeze, " trust me, you're doing fine."
They both knew it was a lie but it came with valiant intentions and so she let it pass, struggling to contain another yawn. She wished she could give him more but to his credit, he seemed to know when and when not to push her out of her comfort zone.
There was something strangely comforting about that fact and she let it linger as she drifted into the welcoming darkness.