Curled up under her comfortable duvet, Elizabeth smiled through her yawn before snuggling down a little deeper. Her window was already half open but the somewhat unpleasant sound of wood grinding against wood told her all she needed to know: Dwayne was on his way in. It had been hard to stay awake but she'd been expecting him, knowing and trusting that he would call in on her. She didn't know how long she had until she just couldn't keep her eyes open but any time spent with him was time well spent and she knew they had an eternity to look forward to. It was a shame to loose an evening together to a hangover but she knew that if she did fall asleep, they would make up for it the following night.
She sighed and yawned again, smiling softly once more as the window continued its path upwards. The wooden frame was old, weather worn and sometimes it jammed. Truthfully, she was surprised Dwayne was able to open it as gently as he was. She usually had to jerk and pull, usually resulting in a strain and then a sudden slam but she was grateful for his patience.
Beyond grateful.
She still didn't think her head could handle a loud noise.
Chatting was fine, the radio hadn't bothered her but she thought a bang or a thud would definitely hurt.
It had been a long, long day and she was looking forward to waking up in the morning, refreshed and pain free.
She had been doted upon by her mother, left alone by Sammy (who was apparently working hard at prepping his friends for their day-camping trip the next day) and Grandpa had left to meet his Widow just before lunch. It was always nice to spend time with Lucy but for some reason, she had been comforting almost to the point of suffocation. It was good to be cared for and Elizabeth had needed to be cared for, she felt foul in every sense of the word...but it had been a little odd. It was almost like Lucy was getting comfort from giving comfort and Elizabeth couldn't figure out why.
In the end, her head had hurt too much to consider it.
Lucy had immediately swooped in on her, pretty much as soon as she'd stepped foot into the kitchen. She had been enveloped in the biggest, warmest and tightest of hugs and straight away Lucy had worked at setting every wrong to right. Elizabeth had been given water, stomach medicine that surprisingly seemed to soften the blow she was feeling toilet wise, as well as some bland but perfectly buttered toast. That in itself had been nice, the simple food helped settle her stomach further, the water was doing small wonders for her headache and as Lucy cooed and worried over her, she had been reminded of Marko, too. In the same kitchen he had also prepared her toast, he had also cared for her.
Despite her hangover, Elizabeth had never felt more loved and supported. She had her family and her pack. It was a good feeling, despite her thudding headache.
She knew she was a lucky girl.
Lucy had insisted that Elizabeth sit in the conservatory and rest, all but shepherding her into the bright little room and practically pushing her down onto the wicker chair, plopping a throw over her and tucking in the sides. Elizabeth had been slightly taken aback by the outpouring of and the intensity of the care she had received, but she appreciated it all the same.
Just like Grandpa had predicted, Lucy had rustled up an obscenely huge batch of chicken soup and, as she didn't have work, she'd also worked at preparing snacks for their day trip. Eggs had been boiled, carrots had been sliced, bags of potato chips had been selected, sandwiches had been prepared, liters of soda plucked from the cupboard. She had gone all out, she hadn't stopped and during the hustle and bustle Elizabeth had been fed, tutted over, fussed over and cuddled until Lucy had finally sent her up for a bath and an early night.
"Can I come in?"
"Looks like you're already in..." Elizabeth pointed out ruefully, her voice a little hoarse and her lips quirking. It was nice to hear his voice, nice to be pulled out of her thoughts and into the present with him.
"It's polite to confirm" Dwayne told her with an easy shrug, shedding his jacket and draping it over her desk. She hadn't even seen him slink in through the window, lost in her thoughts as she had been, but he was a very, very welcome sight.
"You never need to confirm" Elizabeth insisted, "you're always welcome, forever and ever and ever. No take backs, I promise"
As he stopped in his movements, Elizabeth watched as a the beginnings of a huge smile began to snake its way over his face. As her own smile froze, she met his eyes.
She knew he wasn't smiling at her words...he was smiling at how utterly terrible she looked, how gravelly her voice was.
She had been happy to see him, she hadn't even thought of her appearance.
How mortifying.
With a low, rumbling little groan, she ducked her head under her covers, his laugh following her into the warm darkness.
She'd washed her hair in the morning but it was already hanging kind of limp and greasy, her skin was really pale and pallid with dark, puffy circles that almost seemed to sag down into her cheeks and the skin around her jaw was kind of rough and red. She didn't know what it was but it sucked because the rash seemed to contrast quite starkly against otherwise doughy skin. She had never looked worse and she didn't have on a scrap of makeup. Even if she turned off the little lamp by her bed, she knew he would be able to see her clearly enough in the dark.
"Go away" she mumbled, hating herself.
He laughed again, "what happened to no take backs?"
She felt the bed dip and she curled further into herself, "I look terrible"
"No, you don't"
"Yes, I do"
"It's a hangover, nobody looks good after a hangover"
"I bet you do"
"We don't have hangovers"
Elizabeth closed her eyes, shaking her head. She felt his hand gently smack against her backside, a firm and wonderful little feeling despite the heavy padding of the duvet, "come out"
"I look so bad.."
"I've already seen you"
"And you laughed!"
He chuckled again and she had to bite her lip to keep her own smile from breaking out.
She was embarrassed but it was hard not to react to his deep laugh.
"You don't look your best" he conceded honestly "but I still think you're beautiful"
Elizabeth smiled at his words, unable to help herself. She didn't doubt the sincerity behind them but she had seen some of the women that hung around the boardwalk. There were a lot of beauties around and she doubted that she surpassed them even with a clear head and good makeup.
She knew she wasn't beautiful, not in that moment.
"You're literally perfect" she protested weakly, "this is so embarrassing, I look horrible"
"I'm your mate..come on. If you can't feel comfortable around me, who can you feel comfortable around?"
She smiled again. Logical, cool, collected. Her mate.
She knew he wouldn't be denied.
"...come out"
Shaking her head, Elizabeth tugged at the duvet, slowly freeing her head.
He was right.
She shouldn't hide herself from him, no matter how horribly embarrassed she was.
As some of the finer strands of hair began to react to the static, she met his eyes before snorting a little laugh.
"I've never felt worse"
"I don't doubt it" he grinned and leaned forward to kiss her, "but I still think you're beautiful"
"Thank you" she whispered, accepting his kiss before plopping fully back into the bed.
"Are you OK?"
"I'm getting there" she told him, "...thank you for taking care of me yesterday..."
"Always"
"And forever?" she challenged, only half jokingly. She had no intention of ever getting herself into a state like that again but it was good to be sure of his support.
He nodded, "of course. What did you do today?"
"...I..kind of just felt sorry for myself and let my Mom baby me" she admitted with a little laugh, turning onto her side. She was glad he was distracting her from her appearance, "I'm never, ever going to do that again"
"LSD or hang out with Paul?"
She grinned through her wince, "I'm not sure yet but I can tell you that I've seriously been contemplating the concept of teetotalism..."
"God, that's dull" his eyes were sparkling.
"Dwayne...was I bad?" she almost didn't want to know.
"Oh yeah"
"Oh God" she groaned, closing her eyes, "really?"
He laughed, "really. All rigid limbs and random panic. You cried, you laughed, you shouted. You demonstrated a range of human emotions"
She groaned again at his commentary, "but it was cute. Kind of endearing. I don't think teetotal would suit you but I'm not sure hard drugs do, either"
"You think I should stick to alcohol and weed?" she winced again as she spoke, the idea of drinking or smoking threatening to bring on another bout of nausea.
"Probably"
She nodded, "maybe give me a week or so?"
"We're terrible influences on you"
She smiled, "we already talked about this. You guys are the worst..but I wouldn't change it"
"Did you have any problems today?"
"A million" she replied, remembering the vomiting, the dashes to the toilet, the pounding headache and the intense amount of sweating.
His eyes danced again and she was sure he knew exactly what she was thinking. He raised his eyebrow and expanded, "I meant with your folks?"
"Oh" of course, "no, they were-hey, was that you?" she asked, sitting up in the bed a little.
"The stomach thing?"
"Yes!" she winced lightly as her throat strained at her excited little yelp. It was still raw from all the retching she'd done. She yawned, eyes welling a little.
"Yes" he adjusted himself on the bed, using the footrest as a back rest and slinking his hands under the duvet.
"Wha-" as his hands found her feet, Elizabeth paused as he began massaging them easily. She wondered if it would always trip her up, the way he was so casual about something she found to be so mind blowing, "...how did you do that? Literally, Dwayne they both thought I had a stomach bug and I didn't even have to try and hide what I was going through?"
He smiled patiently at her and she smiled back.
She knew what was happening. He was still unsure about discussing his vampirism, "hey, if I'm out here in the open with my gross face, you can definitely open up a bit about your skills..."
He shook his head, "you don't look half as bad as you think"
"I think I look like a train wreck, so half as bad is still bad. Now spill" she wiped at her eyes, fighting down another yawn.
"You're very commanding all of a sudden"
He was right. She was tired, she was exhausted but being with him was so energizing.
"'kay. I'm going under" she moved to hide under the duvet once more, stopping at his short chuckle. Giving him a withering little stare, he met her eyes and shook his head through a small if not somewhat uncomfortable grin. She appreciated that he was trying and she softened her gaze a little as he spoke, "it's easy for us to influence people, especially when they sleep"
"..so...they were sleeping and you kind of...what?"
"Planted the idea of you having a small if not potent stomach bug"
"...you can do that?"
He nodded.
"Can you...so, the lure thing is..that's you know..." she frowned a little, trying to make sense of it, "you can kind of make people do things, right? Is that the same with the sleeping?"
"A lure is more direct. We have the eye contact, we have control over consciousness" he was speaking patiently but Elizabeth could tell he still wasn't comfortable, "but sleeping is more like tapping into the unconscious. We can plant an idea, or a thought-"
"-and it's a guarantee that the person will..remember? Act on it? Whatever..when they're awake?"
"With Marko it's pretty much a guarantee. He's strong with the mind but with the rest of us, it's fifty fifty. Lures are better"
"Did he help you last night?"
Dwayne nodded.
"He did a few helpful things, actually"
"Marko's really amazing with that, huh?"
"With what?"
"Feelings and emotions and empathy and stuff"
Dwayne nodded again, but this time Elizabeth saw the genuine quirk of his lips.
"What?"
"What?"
"Dwayne, come on. What were you thinking about just then?"
He continued massaging her feet but, as he opened his mouth, he seemed to think better of it and just shook his head.
"Please?"
"...I'm glad you and Marko have the friendship you do but it's...Elizabeth, it's a little funny to me. To us"
"Why?"
"Because he's an absolute terror when he wants to be - especially with those empathy skills you admire so much, and he'd be the first to admit it"
Elizabeth laughed and shook her head, "yeah, he's said before but I don't know. He's so good to me. I can't imagine it"
"That's whats funny"
"...and scary?" she didn't miss the observant way he gazed at her, the light furrowing of his eyebrows and narrowing of his eyes. She couldn't help but shrug apologetically; she understood his feelings but she knew hers, too, "I like Marko. I like you-"
"-like?"
"Love"
"Nothing's going to change that?" he guessed, a little dryly.
"Nothing" she assured him, knowing he was growing tired of the repetition, "and this conversation isn't going to ever end unless you deal with it so-"
"-yes Ma'am"
She laughed, biting her lip at his sarcastic little drawl, "thank you for telling me about the sleep lure thing"
"Eloquent"
Elizabeth used her free foot to poke his thigh through the duvet, "I'm serious, here. Thank you for telling me..I appreciate it a lot"
He nodded.
"This is where you say, 'anytime'" she prompted, fighting down a yawn.
He nodded again and she smiled, shaking her head.
"For the millionth time, you'll never change my feelings about you" she insisted, her eyes glittering and smirk wide, "and you know what? I'm done with the conversation. From now on, if you don't share, I'm going straight to Paul" her tone was light but she was quite sure of her decision.
"Oouch" Dwayne grinned, "going straight to the nuclear option?"
"No mercy" Elizabeth said, her eyes dancing.
"No mercy..." he replied, nodding, "...in that case..you really do have my word. I'll be more open"
"Really really?"
He nodded once.
"Thank you" she said, sincerely meaning it but sure it wasn't the end of the conversation.
"Anytime" he replied, not even trying to hide his grin.
She laughed and shook her head, "Dwayne?"
"Mmm?"
His hands hadn't once stopped their welcome massage.
"...just...about last night..."
He nodded.
"...did we...I thought, maybe...did I..." she trailed off, unsure of herself. She shouldn't have been, of course he knew exactly what she was thinking about.
"Yes, you did"
"Oh..." she bit her lip, wondering if her blush was visible on her pale cheeks. He could be so playful, so charming but so deadpan and blunt, "...I wasn't sure, I don't..I don't really remember much"
"What do you remember?"
"Um..I..." she looked at his crotch before pointing to her lips, eyebrows furrowing in embarrassment. She didn't want to say it, not if she couldn't even be sure she'd done it.
"You started" he confirmed, his eyes dancing and sparkling.
"Oh"
"It was good"
"Really?"
He nodded, "really. It's been a long day and I want to see you tomorrow. Why don't you go to sleep?"
She froze. She'd never been dismissed by him like that. She was tired, she did want to sleep but the way he had changed the subject so fast?
Her stomach dropped.
"Oh God, what happened?"
"Nothing" he squeezed her feet and sat up, moving away from and off of the bed.
The space felt a lot bigger, a lot emptier without him.
"Dwayne..."
He carefully tugged the duvet down, smoothing it easily and completely covering her feet.
She could tell he was fighting down his grin.
"Dwayne?"
"It's OK. Go to sleep, baby-"
"-tell me!"
"I don't want you to be embarrassed"
"I'm going to kill myself" she groaned.
He laughed, shaking his head, "commanding and dramatic"
"What did I do?"
"...it was good, Elizabeth" he repeated, "very intense, very hot..."
"Really?"
"Yes. You knew what you wanted to do and you were so intent, so driven...so sexy..." he smiled down at her, "I didn't think I was going to last long"
"Oh" she smiled shyly. That actually sounded pretty erotic.
"And then out of nowhere, you started screaming about a dragon, tried to push yourself away from my body. Slammed your palms into my-"
"-what?"
He laughed and nodded, "that's why Marko came in the end. It was a challenge, trying to keep everyone asleep while you were howling and crawling over the-"
"Howling?!"
Crawling?! Howling?!
Dwayne laughed again.
"I'm going to kill myself" she repeated, mortified, as she threw the duvet over her head once more.
"Please don't"
"This is mortifying"
"You'll laugh about one day"
"Never"
"I still love you, Elizabeth. Your hangover and reaction to LSD will never change the way I feel about you"
She couldn't help but laugh in disbelief at how effectively he had referenced her own words. Nothing he would divulge about his vampirism would change how she felt about him and the way she looked during a hangover and the things she did while off her face on drugs would never change how he felt about her. He was using her own, often repeated words against her.
"I'm teetotal from now on"
"OK"
"I mean it"
"Sure"
She poked her head out of the duvet once more.
"I'm so embarrassed"?
"I know" he grinned, kissing her, "but try to forget it for now OK? Go to sleep"
"Stay with me until I do?" she asked feebly, eyebrows furrowed.
"Of course"
"I'm going to find you tomorrow night" she said, her voice low but firm, "will you wait for me on the boardwalk?"
"I'll be there" he assured her, sitting on the bed and carefully brushing some hair away from her forehead.
"...I'm still embarrassed..."
He chuckled, "go to sleep, baby"
"...does this stay between us?"
"Of course" he repeated, "...but you gave Paul more than enough to work with anyway"
"I'm never going to live this down, am I?"
Dwayne said nothing as he resumed gently stroking her hair but she knew that the answer was no. Sighing and letting her eyes close, she murmured, "this is a big step in our relationship...we're reaching new levels"
"Why's that?"
"You saw me at my absolute worst..."
"Don't be silly" he replied softly, "...you've chosen to embrace Paul. It's going to get a lot worse from here on out"
"Where did stoic Dwayne go?" she asked through a happy yawn, enjoying his caring actions and playful words.
When he replied, she could hear the smile in his words, "it's like you said. We're reaching new levels"
"Hmm?"
"You're bringing out parts of myself I used to keep buried"
Feeling her heart soar, Elizabeth opened her eyes, "I love you so much" she told him, meaning it with all her heart.
He smiled down at her and, as she waited for his profession of love, he gave her a soft and playful smirk, "I'm just trying to chose between a stoic reply or a playful one"
A/N: Thank you to everyone who left me a review. I appreciated it SO much, more than I think you know. To the two Muses, welcome back and I hope your summer travels were everything you wanted them to be!