Housewarming Party At Wes' New Digs

[demonologist]

Who: Wesley Wyndam-Pryce and Guests
What: A housewarming BBQ at Wes' new townhouse apartment.
When: June 18th
Where: Wes' place
Rating: PG for now, will update if there are shenanigans
Notes: Backtags are love. Gatecrashers are love. Multiple threadjacks, own threads etc are fine. Have fun with it! Just getting up the location tags then we are good

Comments

Bathroom

[demonologist]

In case anyone wants to use this for private conversation or just plain snooping.

[_fredless]

It's well into the evening now, Fred long having left the kitchen to mingle with the guests. Partially at Wesley's encouragement, but mostly because after Lilah's appearance there it had lost a great deal of its appeal. The lingering warmth of a day's worth of cooking had simply fled.

Still, for the most part Fred enjoyed herself. She enjoying spending time with her friends, and even meeting those that only knew Wesley. But she'd never really thrived with groups and after a while she finds herself meandering upstairs, enjoying the relative quiet that can be found there. She notes that Wesley's unpacked even more than we he first showed her around, her eyes lingering over the changes.

Until the bathroom, when she catches sight of her own reflection. There's an unpleasant jolt of recognition as she reaches over to turn on the light. Fred's aware that after a day of cooking and setting up, she was bound not to be overly put together. But somehow she hadn't realized she was such a mess. Her hair is just as much out of the bun as in it

[demonologist]

Wes isn't exactly sure why, but it's getting a little late in the evening, and it occurs to him that he hasn't seen Fred for a bit. So he goes searching for her, first on the lower floor and then climbing the stairs to check his bedroom and bathroom.

He finds her there, freshening up, and leans against the doorway, watching for a moment.

"I wondered where you'd gone."

[_fredless]

Fred jumps slightly at the sound of a voice echoing through the bathroom. With the water running it's all to easy to not hear anyone coming up on her. At least that's the reason she gives herself as her gaze flickers past her own reflection to find Wesley in the mirror. It's just perfect.

In the sense that it's not.

Using the back of her hand she tries to wipe away any lingering water from her face, somehow leaving the faucet on in the meantime. While she's spent the better part of a day making herself at home in Wesley's kitchen? The bathroom suddenly feels like something else. And smaller. It feels smaller.

"I was just taking a break from downstairs."

[demonologist]

If he hadn't realised it before, Wes now senses that she's upset about something, or uncomfortable with him. Either way, his expression immediately changes to one of quiet concern. He steps forward, a hand coming out to briefly touch her elbow.

"Fred. Are you all right?" As soon as he says it, it feels redundant. Of course she's not all right. "What's wrong?"

[_fredless]

The touch of his hand at her elbow spurs Fred into finally shutting off the water with a jerk of her wrist. The location of the mirror just means the action is reflected back at her two-fold, in a way that almost feels like a silent taunt.

She spins away from it. Which of course only results in her being directly in front of Wesley. Fred catches herself just in time to keep from running into him, maintaining what feels like a crucial sliver of space.

"...I'm fine. Really. I'm fine."

[demonologist]

"No. You're not." He lets his hands drop for a moment, feeling some kind of invisible barrier between them even though he is not sure why there should be one. Perhaps it's his own behaviour from earlier which is still bothering her.

"If it's about me bolting and leaving you with Lilah, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. I just get really uncomfortable and don't quite know how to handle it."

[_fredless]

Lilah?

"It's not about that. I can handle her." Alright, maybe that's not exactly true. "Well, if not that at least I can hold my own. I never expected all that just to magically go away"

But to a degree there is some truth to his words. Lilah is a part of whatever this is. Lilah, with her shoes. Lana with her sundress. And it's ridiculous. Fred knows she is being ridiculous. And maybe she's most irritated at herself and her inability to put a stop to it.

She jerks back to face the mirror, hoping that when she looks into it again whatever set all this off will magically be gone. But no, her shirt's just as rumpled. Her jeans are just as old. Her hair is down down, but several strands now cling in a damp frame around her face. Only the lingering flour has been defeated.

"...I'm a mess."

[demonologist]

He comes to stand behind her again, an echo of the moment in the kitchen, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder and his gaze meeting hers through the mirror. But then he deliberately turns her so that she's facing him and only looking at him. He understands know that she doesn't feel as put together as some of the other women who came tonight. That she's flustered over her less than immaculate appearance.

"Not to me. To me you're the most alluring creature I've ever seen. Because you care about everyone before even thinking about yourself. Don't you realise how utterly beautiful that is?"

He cups her face and smiles. It's a smile which is hopefully warm and open and intended only for her to see.

[_fredless]

Fred protests slightly at being turned around, one heel digging in slightly before almost immediately conceding the futility of her efforts. The impact of another close inspection of Wesley's appearance is not initially reassuring. She's more aware than ever of the crisp, blue lines of his shirt he'd chosen for the evening. Her gaze centers on one of its buttons, a more appealing prospect that his eyes after her ridiculous admission.

But then he starts talking.

And Fred hears the words. She does. Even more she hears how Wesley means them. She tries to smile but it falters. Because as much as she wants to, she can't feel them. Not what he's just said. She doesn't feel like the person that he sees.

"I had flour on my face. How long did I have flour on my face?"

To her it makes perfect sense.

[demonologist]

"I wiped some of it away." He offers, as if somehow that will mitigate the problem and then he just shakes his head at her, trying not to chuckle.

"Honestly, you are such an idiot if you're worrying about a few specks of baking flour. Come here."

He pulls her into a hug, and this is one of those non-negotiable ones that she'd better not try to squirm out of.

"Flour or not, you look extremely fetching and I shall kiss you now to emphasise my point." There's a comical element to the fact that he's announcing his intention, but he does it anyway, kissing her gently at first, but then pulling her into him and deepening it enough so that she can know, without a doubt, that he's speaking the absolute truth.

[_fredless]

"You couldn't have managed to get all of it while you were at it?"

Of course, there's nothing like being identified as an idiot -- however fondly -- to stifle a protest, and before Fred can think of her next one she's being pulled into an all encompassing hug. But that doesn't keep her from trying. "...I'm not an idiot."

It's everywhere. He's everywhere. And after of moment of holding herself rigid an still, she's reminded of the appeal of that. Her body is only just done processing and cataloging the sensation when Wesley moves to kiss her. And even though he's warned Fred of his intentions at first it remains just that. Him, kissing her. She is still inexplicably out of sorts. But after a moment, something in his persistence form of persuasion connects as she becomes a more active participant in the embrace. Maybe, just maybe? She could at least get this right.

[demonologist]

Wes ignores her protests, and besides, she's finally melting into his arms and kissing him back in a way which tells him that it was the right thing to do. If a bracing kiss can't bolster her confidence right now about her appearance, well, he's seriously in need of some practice.

When the kiss comes to a natural end, he pulls back a little bit to smile down at her.

"Do you need more convincing?"

[_fredless]

He's managed to kiss her a bit senseless.

Or if not that, it certainly takes her a few seconds longer to actually process the question he's pushed on her. She looks up at Wesley from beneath her lashes, still close enough that his features come in fragments. Fred pulls back just far enough that she can take him all in, one hand still curled slightly against his chest.

"Am I allowed to lie?"

[demonologist]

"How about I just make absolutely certain."

He kisses her again, this time with less restraint. It's no longer just about making her feel better but letting her know how much he wants her. And perhaps always has. One hand splays across her back while the other comes up to tangle gently in the hair at the nape of her neck.

[_fredless]

It's as if a switch has been flipped, that somehow they've forgotten how to be hesitant around whatever this is. Or simply been given permission not to be. But by the time Wesley's hand moves to tangle itself in her hair she stops thinking about everything this kiss isn't? And starts to lose herself to what it is.

Fred presses closer as her hand drifting up from Wesley's chest, past his shoulder to rest against his cheek. She can feel how their mouths work together, the heat from his breath. If he's looking to be certain, she doesn't want to leave him in doubt.