House On The Hill [IC]

[Gizmo]

"Natural order must be respected," Trevor nodded sagely as the books were set away. At Erin's question, he paused for a beat, then another, his expression schooled into careful neutrality. "Could... see if they have any other movies?" he suggested carefully, shifting his weight to the hand closer to her as he used the other to rub the back of his hair, resisting the urge to clear his throat conspicuously.

[Electra]

Erin hesitated, catching the drift of his thoughts as she watched the expressions play over his face. Her own cheeks flushed with embarrassment when she realized what she'd said, and how it could be interpreted. She didn't want to be a tease, but boy, she was really bad at this. The kissing was nice, way more than nice, but she really wasn't sure, for a lot of reasons, exactly where she was ready to go from there.

"Another movie sounds good," she said in a rush, gesturing to the cabinet where the Farettis kept their entertainment selections. "Pick something out with a lot of action. I've got a bag of popcorn in my backpack, I'll go pop it, and grab some sodas." She dug into her backpack and found the bag of microwave popcorn she'd squirreled away at the dorm's last movie night, and hustled off into the kitchen, clipping the baby monitor to her belt as she went.

[Gizmo]

Trevor moved to the cabinet beside the television, slapping a hand lightly over his eyes in self-reproach. Smooth, he scolded himself silently, skimming the titles of the disk in the revealed metal rack. He hadn't meant to make the implication that had embarrassed Erin, but continuing mutation wasn't the only part of his physiology he was still learning to master. Looking over the graphic horror titles, he winced. "Not sure these are..." he called into the kitchen, trailing off. "How do you feel about animation?"

[Electra]

"Animation is fine," Erin called back, shooing one of the peskier ghosts away from the stove. The ghosts didn't bother her much, unless one popped out at her by surprise, but they tended to leave her alone anyway now that they knew she was friendly with the household. The stove ghost, though, who looked like he or she had been cooked for a few hours at 475, was particularly persnickety about anyone messing around in the kitchen. When it ignored her shooing and came over to moan in her ear, Erin ignored it, shoving the popcorn into the microwave and starting it up while she dug for sodas in the unlocked refrigerator. "Anything's okay, really."

[Gizmo]

As the microwave hummed in the next room, Trevor ran a hand through his black hair, which was beginning to get shaggy enough that he made a mental note to get it cut soon. Agonizing for a moment more, the teen resolved to stop overthinking the issue and split the difference between the two genres available by selecting Monsters Inc from the rack and busying himself preparing the disc and the settings on the television, making sure the volume was turned down low so as not to disturb the sleeping infant.

[Electra]

Erin came back as Trevor was setting up the movie on the surround-sound HDTV entertainment center. She sat down cross-legged on the couch with the big popcorn bowl in her lap and opened a bottle of Coke. By the time everything was set up, she was feeling more settled, with only a little bit of embarrassment left for her slip. Trevor was the person she felt the most comfortable around, and there was no way she was going to let that be spoiled by a poor choice of words at an inopportune moment. "What are we watching?" she asked as he returned to the couch, passing him the other soda.

[Gizmo]

Frowning slightly at the DVD disk changer's inefficient design, Trevor inserted the film and made his way back to the couch, retrieving the remote as he went. "Monsters Inc. seemed apropos," he answered, tossing the empty case onto the cushion next to Erin and seating himself on the opposite side. Pressing the play button, he set the remote down on the table and accepted the proffered bottle in the emptied hand. His expression deadpan, he made an exaggerated show of stretching through a yawn before innocently letting one arm fall over her shoulders.

[Electra]

"Oh, I like that one," Erin decided approvingly. She snickered at the maneuver and settled in against his shoulder, immensely pleased that things hadn't gotten weird. The Farettis' setup was way too nice to waste, and the baby was even being quiet. It was perfect, just like she'd hoped on the many nights she'd hung around in here by herself and wished for company. She was happy enough about that to brush a quick kiss along his square jaw, then offered him a handful of popcorn as the previews started up.

[Gizmo]

Settling in more comfortably, Trevor tossed a few kernels of popcorn into his mouth with a subtle smile. Closing his eyes for a moment, he enjoyed the comforting presence of Erin beside him, letting his mind go quiet as deep set insecurities faded easily into the background. Catching himself nodding off again, the dark haired youth reopened his eyes amidst a stifled yawn. "Sorry," he apologized ruefully, "long couple of nights."

[Electra]

"It's okay," Erin assured him, reaching up to stroke his shaggy brown hair lightly. "I don't mind if you fall asleep. You push yourself pretty hard, staying up for days at a time just on coffee." She chuckled. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure you've probably seen this movie before, and the Farettis probably won't be home for awhile yet. Seems like the perfect time to catch a nap." She leaned over and brushed a light kiss that tasted faintly of popcorn across his lips, then leaned back comfortably against the couch.

[Gizmo]

Leaning forward slightly into the brief kiss, Trevor held the cool, unopened bottle in his hand against his forehead for a moment before gently setting it down on the table. "Days tend to blur together," he admitted, using the freed hand to massage a knot in the muscle over his shoulder blade. "Don't get much time for... this, though," he continued, a restrained gesture taking in the pair of them. "Hate to waste any."

[Electra]

She followed his hand with her own, kneading the knot in his shoulder. "It's not wasted time," she told him. "Even if you're sleeping, it's still time I get to spend with you. And you'll feel better when you wake up." She moved her hand to rub the back of his neck, then the other shoulder. "Know what you mean about the days blurring together, though. It's worst in the wintertime, when the nights are so long and the days never get that bright. It's really easy to lose track."

[Gizmo]

Trevor let out a muted grunt which gave way to a long exhalation as the overtaxed muscles in his shoulders loosened and he stretched his neck to one side. "Hnn, well. Not to leave you with two sleeping guys to take care of, but..." The rest of the sentence was cut off by a yawn he made no attempt to restrain, thin lips briefly pulling back over white teeth. Slouching to slide a little lower on the couch, he closed his eyes and rested his head against Erin, his breathing becoming shallow and rhythmic.

[Electra]

Erin brushed her cheek against the top of his head for a moment, then settled back herself, smiling a little. Asleep or awake, it just felt really good to have someone be there, someone trustworthy and who cared. It was so good not to be alone. Deep inside, a little pessimistic voice worried about how ruinously bad it would feel if something happened to leave her alone again, but she ruthlessly squelched it for tonight. It wouldn't hurt anything just to be happy for awhile. Eventually she dozed off herself, baby monitor still on her belt, fingers linked loosely with Trevor's.