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[When she starts outright chanting, Envy joins right in. It DOES feel good.]

[This day has been long and way too emotionally intense, and screaming obscenities into quiet wintery suburbia is exactly the kind of thing they need.]

FUCK-IT-FUCK-IT-FUCK-IT!

[Down the street, a Houndour hears the noise and decides that HE wants to join in too, with a loud howl. Within minutes, literally every canine within earshot has joined in the chorus of howls and barks.]

_{[There's something distinctly juvenile about what they're doing, but goddamn if it isn't the perfect cure for the anxious tightness that's been in her chest ever since she opened that trapdoor-- even after they'd both made their confessions.]

[When the cacophony of yapping starts up from up and down the street, she cuts off mid-fuckit with a slightly startled look... but then starts to giggle.]

[And once she starts, she can't stop.]

[Soon she's just straight-up laughing, doubling over slightly in her seat, breath pluming visibly in front of her.]}

[He keeps going for one or two more fuckits before he notices that she's stopped, and cuts off himself to look over curiously. ]

[And once he's stopped, he can hear her go from giggles to laughter, and can't help but think that he really likes how it sounds.]

Fuck, we've done it now, haven't we?

[But the thread of a laugh has already crept into his own voice, and soon enough he's laughing right along with her. It's cathartic as hell, after everything, even more than the cursing had been.]

[He doesn't have to think about anything but how they'll be okay, in spite of themselves. And that thought just gets him to--after a bit of hesitation--move an arm to wrap around her shoulders, pulling her closer in something like a hug.]

[He doesn't know what's going to happen or what they'll do later or anything at all, and he doesn't want to, but right now in this moment, they'll be okay.]

_{[Not quite able to get the words out through her laughter, she nods, wiping at her eyes with the heel of one palm.]

[The thought is, apparently, contagious-- because hearing HIM laughing openly and unguardedly like that is, suddenly, something she knows she wants to hear more of.]

[As his arm snakes around her, she leans into it willingly, and, just as spontaneously but now fully on purpose, rocks forward on her knees to kiss him again. This time, she doesn't pull away.]}

[This kiss isn't nearly as much of a surprise as the first one, aside from the whole idea that kissing Heather is going to be a thing now.]

[Another burst of emotion twists in his chest at that thought, and not at all in a bad way. This is all really, actually happening.]

[His still surprise doesn't last more than a moment before he's pressing into the kiss himself, tilting his head slightly for a little bit better angle and letting his eyes close.]

[The first icy pinprick of rain on his cheek doesn't even really register.]

Edited 2016-01-29 16:53 (UTC)

_{[Her lean is a little precarious-- knees behind her, one palm steadying itself on the rooftop next to one of Envy's legs, but... she just doesn't care.]

[And she doesn't care about the little pops of coldness hitting her hair, either. ... Well. At least not until an icy raindrop hits her right on the back of the neck, anyway.]

[Then she breaks the kiss, cursing softly under her breath.]}

Aw, man... the sky was clear as glass a moment ago...

_{[The cloud cover had rolled in without either of them even realizing it, and the empty cold of a starless, un-insulating sky had been replaced by the frosty nip of precipitation to come.]}

[Even as she says it, the scattered drops start coming more frequently. It's not true rain yet, but it's about to be. And Envy can even see a few swirling snowflakes in the light from the streetlamps.]

[With the kiss broken, that leaves Envy free to shoot a sour glare at the sky. DAMN IT, SKY, THEY WERE BUSY.]

[Maybe if it were summer, he'd have suggested that they could stay up here a little longer. But it's not, and sitting in freezing sleet isn't fun no matter what. He starts scooting for the trapdoor, leaving one hand lightly on her arm as he does. He doesn't really want to let go quite yet.]

Damn it--c'mon, quick, before it really hits us.

_{[She wastes no time in following.]

[She'd had MORE than enough of being out in the winter weather during her extended away-from-home period.]}

Ugh.

_{[Once they're both down, she yanks the latch shut behind them and rubs her arms-- she doesn't feel cold, exactly, but it's just hitting her now that they'd been sitting up there awhile, and her hands are like ice.]}

... Y'wanna make some hot chocolate?

[It's strange, the musty dimness of the attic and the relative warmth of the house make it feel like almost an entirely different world than up on the roof in the open night air. Especially with all that had just happened.]

[It makes the change between them feel more real.]

Yes.

[It's a quick answer; he was wearing gloves and a thick jacket and he's still chilled. But he never has liked being cold.]

...maybe we could take it to my room?

[A second later, he realizes the potential implications of that and hurriedly clarifies:]

Just so we can keep talking, I mean Henry's probably asleep in the living room and who knows who else might wake up and come downstairs, after all those dogs barking.

_{[His hasty clarification makes her chuckle slightly-- the obvious conclusion to be jumped to clearly occurred to both of them. But she feels like she knew what he meant to begin with. Still, she shoots him a crooked, playful grin. It's a slightly shier variant of the one she usually wears, but it's still her.]}

Hehe, what, you don't wanna immediately jump into the wild, passionate makeouts? I guess we can just hang out.

_{[The suggestion is actually a relief, to be honest. The living room, normally a very cozy den, feels somehow open and unprotected right now. There's something surreal and dreamlike about the atmosphere of the house, the contrast between the quiet attic and the slowly-increasing drum of raindrops above, and she finds she really doesn't want to encounter or have to deal with anyone other than Envy right this second.]

[Holing up in his room with just cocoa and each other for company sounds really nice.]

[She starts towards the stairs, but pauses briefly, looking back at him.]}

Let's try and be real quiet... I don't know about you, but I don't really feel like... explaining things to anyone tonight.

[He laughs--quietly, because he doesn't want to talk to attract any attention either, lifting both hands in a shrug.]

I dunno, we should probably wait at least an hour after getting together before we give ourselves over to our true amorous desires.

[Following after her, he nods. It would be easy enough to just tell anyone that they'd been laughing it up on the roof in the middle of the night because that's just something they do, nothing strange or unusual about it. But he doesn't want to even do that much, he just wants to talk to Heather and be near her, nobody else involved.]

Yeah...me either. Good thing we've got so much practice sneaking around this house in the dead of night, heh.

[And quietly making hot drinks in the kitchen without waking anyone else, even. All the previous nights of sleepless wandering come in handy, sometimes. He doesn't say anything else as they make their way down into the house and into the kitchen to start getting the hot chocolate ready. The rain has started in earnest now, pattering on the windows and making the only noise besides quiet footsteps, the small chinks of mugs being taken out, and the hiss of hot water. It's not even close to the first time this sort of scene has played out in this particular kitchen, but...there's an undeniably a different feeling to it. There's a nervous, bubbling warmth all through Envy's chest, making even this small, mundane thing seem new.]

_{[Right from the start, this house has been full of nighttime wanderers, and Heather's grateful that she and Envy seem to be the only ones actively doing so at the moment. It maintains the strange little illusion that they're in their own tiny world, a fuzzy bubble of warmth and quiet against the slow fall of sleet outside. And every time they bump elbows or brush by each other, there's a prickle of nerves in her stomach. But it's not a bad feeling.]

[Once she's got her mug safely clutched with both hands so it doesn't spill, she starts for the stairs, automatically assuming the lead-- but then stops, glancing back again. It's HIS room, maybe barging straight in there would be presumptuous. She's never actually spent any amount of time in there before. Even if it's just his living space now, it used to be the abode of a couple and-- well-- you know, privacy is good.]

[She cracks a grin and quips quietly--]}

... Last chance to hide anything embarrassing before I see it.

[He let's out a tiny huff of a laugh, muttering in mock anxiety.]

Oh shit, I'd better hurry and hide all of my Pokemon Place collection.

[...he doesn't think he left any underwear lying around? Lust comes in to see him on a regular enough basis that he tends to not leave anything out that he doesn't want anyone else to see, even now that he's the only one who stays in there.]

[The room is a little messy, but it's the sort of mess that's more from clutter and day to day living than anything else, no trash or empty food containers or dirty plates in sight. The bed isn't neatly made, for sure--more like halfway to a veritable nest of blankets and pillows--and there are a few stray clothes lying around. France had seen to it that, once they had a permanent living area, that there were plenty of Pokemon-safe shelves for all of the things they'd collected over the years, mainly Christmas gifts and the like. It's clear that only one person lives in it now; Envy had put most of France's remaining things away, where they wouldn't be an overwhelming reminder, and only left a few out. There are a few snoozing Pokemon curled up around the room, some of which look up when the two of them walk in and then go right back to sleep.]

[Envy turns on a lamp sitting near the door to give them some light, because honestly flipping on the ceiling light seems like it would be too bright and would probably stir up the animals, and gestures grandly with his free hand as he leads the way in.]

And here it is.

...uh. There's not...any chairs, though.

[He always just sits on his bed. Welp.]

_{[It's honestly a relief to see that not a whole lot of France's influence is left on the room. She feels a little bad for thinking it, but even with Envy's reassurance that he doesn't want any sort of replacement for his former boyfriend, she still gets a guilty twinge herself just thinking about it. The clutter is comforting.]}

That's fine.

_{[She doesn't see anything wrong with sitting on the bed-- a traveling trainer gets used to sitting wherever they can. So she plops right down, still holding her mug close.]}

Heh, I don't think I've been in an honest to god bedroom since that time I had to go help Lust unclog the shower drain last year.

_{[Hotel rooms don't count.]}

[Envy takes a second to shrug off his jacket and kick off his shoes too while he's at it, the gloves already having come off while they were in the kitchen. He hesitates for a second before going ahead and sitting down right next to her, automatically drawing his legs up to sit crosslegged. He's just taken an experimental sip from his mug to see if it's still too hot when she says that and he winds up sputtering.]

Wait, what happened? I didn't hear about this.

[His eyes have lit up at the potentially hilarious story here. Because for all the nerves and emotions, some things don't change about the way they interact, and that's a relief too.]

--oh god, you didn't hear about that?

_{[She follows his lead, drawing her own feet onto the bed-- she'd taken her shoes off by the door earlier, only threadbare socks adorn them now-- though she keeps her knees to her chest, planting her chin onto them and wrapping her arms around so that she can still sip the hot chocolate.]}

It was... man. I don't know, I think not too long after Henry and I moved in?

Her shower just... stopped draining, so she called me and I get up there, and like-- _{[Her voice starts to crack into laughter, because in hindsight, it is really fucking funny.]}

Lust is just-- she's got a towel and she's just soaking wet and looking real unamused, and there's like five inches of water in the shower stall and-- haha-- Guttle is just having the time of his fucking life in there, rolling around and splashing and makin' ork-ork noises.

And I'm like-- trying to ignore the fact that Lust only has a towel on-- _{[It had been before New Years but in hindsight she'd been a little flustered at the sight even then, before she actually knew what was going on in her head.]}-- and I go in, and check out the drain, and just-- pull this two-foot-long mass of wet hair from the drain, and Lust made a face like--

_{[She mimes an appropriately Lust-like look of horror and disgust.]}

[Envy's face just gets steadily more delighted the longer the story goes on, and his shoulders are shaking from trying to hold in as much laughter as he can so that they don't wake anyone else up or spill cocoa all over the bed.]

[The face she makes though is too much, and he lets out a burst of laughter that's almost a BARK before reining it back in to quieter snickers.]

Holy shit, what I would've paid to see that.

It was amazing.

She was like-- 'There's no way I've lost that much hair! I would have NOTICED.'

_{[She's having a hard time keeping it together, herself-- but there's been plenty of times she and Henry have cracked up at something in the middle of the night and had to tone it down for the sake of not bothering their hosts. She has practice.]}

[Envy very nearly gets loud again at that, but holds it in just enough that it probably won't carry outside the room.]

Yeah--haha--we have...an interesting time getting used to all this humanity stuff.

[A lightbulb goes off, and he grins conspiratorially.]

Hey. Since I'm thinking about it now and today means we have to say everything we're thinking, I could tell you about the time when I first got here and I forgot to brush my hair for three days.

[She's probably found out by now that if he doesn't brush it at least a few times a day it becomes an untamable snarl.]

--oh, holy shit.

_{[YEP. She has seen the horrible seaweed dreads that result when Envy doesn't brush his hair.]}

Did you have to hack it off?

No, I didn't. I would never.

[He pretends to look affronted at the thought for about two seconds before launching back into the story.]

What happened was that we were traveling, and I showed up when it was cold out and I'd never even been cold before. But we didn't have any money for a lot of warm clothes, so I just had to wrap up as best I could. I kept my hair tucked down the back of my jacket to stop the wind better.

But we were on the road, so it was never warm enough that I wanted to take the jacket off for more than I absolutely needed to. And homunculi don't need to brush their hair, it's just fine. Especially for me, because shapeshifting is the best special power, except for when you suddenly don't have it anymore.

So. Three days later, we get to town, we get inside the Pokemon Center. The jacket comes off, and I realize my mistake. I think someone nearby may have fainted, screams of horror, all that kind of stuff.

Oh my god.

_{[Imagining the horrible tangle that must have emerged from that coat is possibly the best mental image she's had in awhile-- mostly because thinking of what Envy's expression must have been is incredible.]}

I'm surprised you didn't faint!

It was a close call. And you know, that was before I had anyone around to help. So I had to get it undone all by myself. It took ages.

[He laughs again, quietly. This was so long ago that it's funny now; at the time, wild horses couldn't have dragged an embarrassing story like that out of him. But he doesn't mind laughing about it with her now. He holds up a finger for emphasis, grinning.]

And now I always make sure I have a hairbrush with me when I leave town, because I learned my damn lesson about how to keep my hair looking pretty and not like a disaster.

[He jokingly flips the hand back through his hair once, then it goes back down onto the bed beside him. He thinks it's probably a good thing that she's got her own hands up around her knees, because he probably would have chickened out of holding one of them if they'd been down where he could.]

Ahahahaww, oh nooo!

_{[She can picture it CLEARLY in her head-- friendless brand-new Envy sitting in one of the Pokemon Center bathrooms furiously attempting to get his hair back to its former state.]}

See, this's why I keep mine short.

I basically never have to brush it.

_{[Not that she's suggesting he do the same with his (although she can't help but be curious to see what he'd look like), because he clearly likes it that way or he'd have chopped it all off long ago.]}

Ha, see, yours looks good short though.

[It's another thing that's just slipped out, but he doesn't mind that it did.]

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lmao I meant to type 'cloudless' not 'starless' oops

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