[For Lucy] Nobody knows where they might wake up.

[doubleomalley]

What George was going through as he woke up, that groggy, thick-headed, mind numblingly painful feeling that seemed to go down to the ends of his hair, that was nothing new. It was the kind of thing you risked when you decided to screw everything and get as drunk as you can when you can, because having an open bar with every alcohol known to man

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[with_diamonds]

All things considered, a month and a half wasn't really all that long to go without sex -- in fact, Lucy had gone longer. When that month and a half came after over a year of living with someone, though, it seemed like a much bigger deal. As such, waking up to a body in bed beside her was entirely unexpected, but nothing unwelcome, and for a moment, Lucy instinctively eased closer, knowing somehow that the familiar feeling of it wouldn't last.

As soon as she opened her eyes, already cringing, it was gone.

"Oh," she said weakly, squinting as she looked over at George. George. Suddenly, the events of the night before began slowly coming back, and this time, she cringed for a different reason. It wasn't that she didn't like George -- contrarily, she thought he was a really nice guy -- but while her plans for new year's eve had involved a date with a substantial quantity of alcohol and preferably finding someone to kiss at midnight, just so she wouldn't have to be reminded of how much her life sucked, she still hadn't counted on this. Pressing a hand to her forehead, half to shield her eyes from the sun, she managed a grim little smile. "Uh, good morning?"

[doubleomalley]

Oh wasn't the kind of thing a guy liked to hear first thing in the morning, but George was kind of feeling the same way, so he let it pass.

"Morning," he muttered, just loud enough to be heard but soft enough that his head -- or Lucy's, she seemed to have had as much to drink as he had -- didn't explode. "Awkward thing now?"

[with_diamonds]

"Awkward thing now," Lucy repeated just as quietly, her voice a little hoarse, as she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. It could have been more awkward, she was sure -- at least he wasn't a perfect stranger, and at least they both had some recollection of what had happened -- but the drunken morning after thing was and always would be at least a little weird. "You had as much to drink as I did last night, didn't you?"

[doubleomalley]

"I had lots," George said, wincing at the mere memory of the different varieties and quantities of alcohol he'd befriended the previous night. "Oh God, it was so much."

[with_diamonds]

"So much, and it felt so good," Lucy added, a little incredulous to think about it now. For at least a little while, she'd managed to forget about how much everything sucked. Now, hung over and waking up in someone else's bed, it all seemed that much worse, no matter what a good time the night before had been. "Guess it's a good thing we only get the magic parties twice a year."

Talking about the alcohol seemed preferable to talking about what had happened because of it.

[doubleomalley]

"But the embarrassment, that lasts forever," George chimed in. He was well versed in the art of Embarrassment (on the experiencing end, of course) and could take it well if he wasn't completely laid out by his hangover.

It was the kind of hangover that meant he probably wasn't leaving the hut until it was dark out. For the first time since he'd arrived, George was glad he didn't have to get up for rounds.

[with_diamonds]

Lucy made a quiet sound of agreement, finding more truth in that than she would admit to. She'd done the whole one night stand thing before, and had done so while drunk, but she wasn't sure it had ever been so much that she had wound up staying the night. She was never supposed to be this kind of girl. A lot had changed, though, and now, apparently, she was.

"As long as the hangover doesn't," she sighed, closing her eyes. "God, I don't know about you, but I feel terrible."

[doubleomalley]

George groaned pitifully. "I feel like terrible ran me over with a truck."

Just because it was a familiar feeling didn't mean George could handle it any better than he ever did in the past.

[with_diamonds]

"That works too," Lucy said thoughtfully, like it hadn't quite occurred to her. Had it not been for her current state of undress and the fact that she'd just spent the night with someone she really hadn't intended to spend the night with, she would be already planning on spending the rest of the day in bed. As it was, she wasn't thinking about that yet, being unsure about her capability to move. "I would say remind me of this the next time I want to get really drunk, but... I still think getting drunk might be worth it."

[doubleomalley]

"It is totally worth it," George laughed, though it lasted all of a second before it tapered off into a moan. "But not this part. How is it I always forget this part?"

The pain, that was. He didn't exactly make a habit of having drunken sex with women he barely knew.

[with_diamonds]

"Probably because it's worth it," Lucy replied with a look that was fairly disappointed, as philosophical as she was likely to get when she had such a splitting headache. Pausing, she turned just a little to look at him, one eyebrow raised. "You did mean the hangover, right?"

[doubleomalley]

"I mean the hangover," George confirmed, lifting his head just enough to look at Lucy and let her know he meant it. The awkwardness sucked, but George wasn't Alex.

[with_diamonds]

"Okay," Lucy said, meeting his gaze before she nodded once, the motion just slight enough that it didn't make her head hurt any more than it already did. It wasn't like it really made that much of a difference -- she liked George, but as a friend, and really, really did not intend for this to start anything -- but it was still mildly reassuring. At least she wouldn't be remembered as the girl he always regretted sleeping with.

From what she recalled, the sex had been good, anyway.

"It's just, it's been a while, so if we're going to have to deal with being all awkward and hung over, it might as well have been worth it. That probably sounds weird."

[doubleomalley]

"I think there's a, a correlation or something between how good it was, and how awkward things are the next morning," George said, having enough presence of mind not to mention he was thinking of the whole mess with Izzie. "So...definitely worth it."

[with_diamonds]

Lucy managed a faint smile at that, grateful that at least she wasn't the only one of them who felt that way. She didn't think any of this could really be considered good, but hearing that, it could've been worse. Of course, focusing on the positive wasn't something she was very good at, so any relief was fairly short-lived. "I wouldn't know," she admitted, shrugging. "This... doesn't usually happen to me. I'm just glad I don't sound crazy or anything."

[doubleomalley]

"I am so glad we both don't sound crazy," George said, not even bothering to hide an inch of his relief. He didn't even care if what he'd just said made sense. "This isn't something I do, either. I mean, it was nice and all -- great, actually, but...it was a one time thing. Right?"

Everything he knew about Lucy led George to believe she was a pretty cool girl, and she would probably be on the same wavelength as he was right now.

He desperately hoped he was right.