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« on: October 12, 2007, 03:11:43 AM »
I changed my mind. You want creativity? HAVE SOME CREATIVITY! >: D
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"Halloween is coming up."
I made a noncommittal 'Mm' as I bobbed my head, just so he knew I'd heard, and that I was acknowledging him. He knew I didn't talk much when I was reading the living section of the newspaper.
"I should probably start thinking of a cos--"
"Wolverine," I remarked, and turned the page. I didn't look up, but I could tell he was smiling.
"Wolverine would be great. HE'S great." I heard his footsteps as he crossed the room, stopping near the kitchen entrance. "Don't know if I can pull off the spandex, though."
"Mm," I said again.
Then he cursed. He didn't usually do that, so I paused, leaving the editorial partially-read as I lifted my eyebrows at him. He wasn't looking, though, just frowning at the calendar. "What's up?" I asked, since I knew he wanted me to.
"Full moon on Halloween."
"Oh." Pause. "That's too bad."
"Yeah." He looked somewhat crestfallen. The guy was like a big kid sometimes, but I was the same way. We both liked the idea of costumes and dressing up.
I thought about it for a moment, then said, "Be Chewie."
"Huh?" He turned, giving me a strange look.
"Chewie," I said again. "You know, Chewbacca. From Star Wars."
He looked at me a moment longer, then looked up at the ceiling for a moment. "Yeah. Chewbacca's cool." He seemed pleased, and his shoulders ceased to slump. "I can do that." I smiled and went back to my editorial.
He was quiet for several minutes. I wasn't sure what he was thinking about, and had forgotten to pay attention after a little while. I was a little surprised when I felt his chin settle on my knee, and I bent the paper down to look at him. He knew it was a surefire way to get my attention without nagging, and he smiled every time he did it. Probably because it worked.
I couldn't resist. My hand instinctively went for his hair, mussing it affectionately. "What?" I chuckled.
His grin widened and he closed his eyes for a moment, leaning into my touch. "Nothing, really. Just felt like it."
Good answer, I thought to myself. I didn't know if it was true or not, but it was still pretty sweet. So I set the paper aside, absently playing with his short, brown hair. It looked shaggy, but it was soft to the touch. He sure had a lot of it, too, but that was to be expected, all things considered.
His arm draped across my legs as he settled down next to my chair, leaning in and making himself comfortable. It was adorable. It almost seemed a crime to think of a brawny, tough guy like him as 'adorable,' but there was just something about him. He was warm, cheerful, and endearingly innocent about things. When he went for a hug, it was just that. A hug. He didn't try to squish me up against him, like some guys would in their creepy sort of way. And when he smiled, he flashed all his teeth, his brown eyes crinkling at the edges. He had a great smile.
I leaned back in my chair, exhaling quietly as I brushed my thumb over his forehead. "You know, the weather's still pretty nice, for October."
He didn't say anything, but I could feel his gaze shifting back to me.
"...We could go for a walk in the park," I suggested, and glanced down at him to gauge his reaction.
He flashed another one of those smiles, waggling his eyebrows. "You gonna make me wear a leash?"
I reached for the newspaper and started rolling it.
"I'm kidding, come on!" he laughed, jerking backwards out of reach and holding up his hands. "No, really, park sounds good. Let's do that." He stood to his feet and reached for my hands, pulling me to my feet. I didn't let go, just curling my fingers over his as I tugged him closer, and kissed his forever-stubbled cheek.
"Love you," I murmured, smiling up at him.
He smiled back, and looped an arm over my shoulders to draw me to his chest. He sighed happily, and I did the same. "Love you too."
We stayed like that for a while, just happy to be next to each other. I loved his warmth, his scent of pine and clean sweat always present. I didn't think sweat could smell good, but it suited him somehow.
"Thanks," he said after a moment. I wasn't sure what he meant, so I shifted, looking up at him inquisitively. He was looking at some distant point in the room, his smile lopsided. "You know. For being with someone like me."
"Like you?"
"Yeah, you know." He blinked, and looked down at me again. "A werewolf and all."
I admit, it wasn't easy at first. He was different in lots of strange ways. I lectured him pretty sternly when he kept ordering his steaks rare. 'It's not healthy!' I protested. 'Neither is Ben & Jerry's,' he shot back.
He got his steak.
He didn't complain if I didn't feel like shaving my legs. Heck, he forbade me from getting my eyebrows waxed anyore. I wanted to cut my hair; it got frizzy when it went past a certain length. When I told him, his mouth opened into an 'o' of horror, and he flung himself in front of the door. "I like it long," was all he'd said, giving me his most pathetic look. So we stayed home and watched a movie instead.
"Well," I drawled thoughtfully, skritching his back. "I got used to it."