Title: Rooftop, 1 a.m.
Author: Mary (
stillxmyxheart)
Beta: Lindsay (
rowofstars)
Rating: G
Genre: Romance, smidgen of Angst
Word Count: 820
Characters/Pairings: April, Simon (April/Simon)
A/N: Surprise apoca!fic! I started this almost a year ago, and recently remembered that it existed, and decided to finish it up, so have a wee bit of Simon/April XD
April opens her eyes and frowns slightly as she takes in a deep breath through her nose.
She's lying on her stomach, arms tucked underneath her, hands folded between her breasts. Her back is cold and she shifts a little, realizing the sheets are bunched down around her waist.
Turning her head, she notices the other side of the bed is empty, and pulls one hand out from beneath her body to touch the sheets, finding them only slightly warm.
Shifting again, she pushes to a sitting position and stares around the darkened bedroom. The chair by the window is empty, and the apartment seems completely silent.
Her frown deepens as she tosses the covers aside and pads over to the door, cracking it open and peering out into the rest of the apartment. Everything is dark, and she feels a flash of concern as she pushes the door shut again.
Her toes brush against the dress she wore to dinner, lying in a rumpled puddle on the floor, as she moves over to the bureau. Her panties are somewhere nearby, but she doesn't feel like looking for them.
She tugs out a pair of pajama pants and a long sleeved shirt, pulling them over her naked body and laughing quietly at how big they are on her. She rolls the waist of the pants a couple of times to keep from tripping over the bottoms, and then pulls a pair of socks from the top drawer.
Suitably dressed for her journey through the building, she slips from the apartment and heads for the stairs, making her way to the roof.
Simon is dressed similarly to her, sitting on a blanket with his head tipped back, staring up at the sky.
He looks over at the sound of her footsteps, and she can just see his smile, ghostly in the moonlight.
"You're drowning in that stuff," he murmurs as she draws closer. "I'm surprised the pants fit."
The corner of her mouth rises as she lifts the hem of the shirt to show him the rolled waistband, and he laughs softly.
She settles beside him on the blanket, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her legs.
"What're you doing up here?" she asks quietly.
"Couldn't sleep," he replies, his gaze returning the sky. "Too much thinking."
Her head tips forward to rest against her knees, and she bites her bottom lip contemplatively as she looks at him.
"What about?" she asks finally.
A sigh slips past his lips as he tilts his head slightly. "You. Me. Us." He glances at her and smiles a little. "How lucky I am to have you. How much I -"
He hesitates, his mouth open before he closes it, his eyelashes fluttering as his gaze drops.
She stares at him a moment, studying his face.
It's been almost a year since he showed up at her door in the middle of the night and confessed everything, and she's learned that such outbursts of emotion and self-revelation are exceedingly rare for him.
He tells her he loves her, but she's noticed he only says it in reply to her, a 'too' attached to those three little words. Sometimes she wishes she could be the one to attach the 'too', but she's learned she can't push him.
She can feel his love, though, in the way he touches her and kisses her, the way he tucks her hair behind her ear and sweeps his thumb over her cheek, the way he smiles when he sees her, his entire face lighting up. Usually it's enough.
"Do you have doubts?" she asks softly.
He sighs quietly, murmuring, "All the time," and then looks at her, a smile curving his lips. "But not about you."
His fingers rise to brush her hair from her face, letting his thumb drift over the curve of her cheek, and she smiles back.
"Love you," she whispers.
His smile widens. "Love you too."
His eyes drift over her body, noticing how tightly she's tucked into herself, and he frowns a little.
"Aren't you cold? What are you wearing under that stuff anyway?"
The corner of her mouth rises, and she bites gently on her bottom lip. "Nothing."
The look of keen interest on his face makes her grin, and she pulls her arms from around her legs to push to her feet.
"Why don't we go back inside," she suggests, raising her eyebrows as she extends a hand to him, "and you can warm me up."
He grins and nods, taking her hand and pushing as she pulls.
Before she can move to the door, he pulls her to him, sliding his arms around her waist and pressing his lips to hers.
She smiles up at him when he pulls back, and then reaches behind her for his hands, still smiling as she leads him to the door.