Coming Clean (closed RP, Laura and Grant)

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Laura followed Grant through the halls of Ravenclaw, drafting speeches in her mind one after another.

When their talk at the Quidditch match had touched on the subject of her past, it became clear they'd need privacy. The few adventures of hers he hadn't already heard about weren't really suitable for telling in the crowded stands at a sporting

Comments

[dinosaurman]

"Make yourself at home," Grant said as he locked the door behind them. Even with wards and protective charms, he still preferred to have a solid deadbolt on his door. He could tell that she was nervous, and the way she had asked him if he was ready to hear her revelation made him uneasy, too. "Can I get you anything?" he asked, more to be polite and ease her anxiety than as a serious offer.

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

"A really strong shot of whiskey would be nice. A bad idea, but nice." She sighed. "Story of my life, following up on those bad ideas. No, I'll stick with the water we got at the game for now. Mind sitting with me?"

[dinosaurman]

"No," he said, pulling up one of the chairs near the coffee table. "What is it that you want to talk about?"

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Laura pulled up a chair as well and angled it to face him. She set her water bottle down on the coffee table and tried to loosen up the tension in her hands.

"One Eyed Jack's," she said. "I really thought you were already aware that I worked there, from my Sorting. That you say you weren't, well, that gives me the idea you've been picturing me in my old life as a good bit more innocent than I really was."

[dinosaurman]

He shook his head. "Laura, you're the one calling yourself selfish and corrupt. I don't think you're perfect, or an innocent, but I don't think you're the monster you're making yourself out to be. But if that's how you see yourself..." he sighed. "I don't tknow what I can tell you that will make you understand how I see you."

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

She leaned forward in her chair. "I just don't see how you can know everything I've done and not see me as a monster, Alan. I mean, what is there about me that could possibly outweigh all that?"

[dinosaurman]

"Oh, for God's sake," Grant said, rubbing the bridge of his nose with is hand. "Look, I've been trying to tell you, but clearly you need me to spell it out for you. You're kind, smart, and you make me laugh. That outweighs what you've done, in my mind. The person who I know right now isn't a monster."

He stood up. "But if you're going to continue with this pity party, you can do it somewhere else."

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Laura recoiled as if slapped, and fury suffused her face. But it drained away as his words sank in, and she found herself first smiling, then laughing.

"You - really? That's how you see me?" She was beaming now. "Even after all this? And you think I'm smart, too?"

[dinosaurman]

Grant with his arms held up above Laura's body, unsure about where to put them. When it became clear that she wasn't going to quickly let go, he gave her a stiff hug in return. Comforting was a skill he had not used in a long time.

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Laura relaxed a bit when she felt his arms close around her, and smiled into his shoulder when she realized how tense he was. She settled a bit more comfortably into the embrace and lightly rubbed the small of his back, hoping to ease some of the awkwardness.

[dinosaurman]

"Are you feeling better?" he asked suddenly, taking a step away and pulling her arms away from his back. He avoided looking her in the eye, but his face was full of nervousness and a trace of guilt.

[wh0_kill3d_m3]

Her spine stiffened in mortification, until she read the emotions written on Grant's face. She'd gone too far - again.

"Yeah. Yeah, I am. You have no idea how much I needed that." She forced a smile. "Thank you. For the hug, and for - well, for everything. Alan? I don't know what I'd do without you."