(no subject)
Cotton Candy #14. Excuses with Sprinkles
Rating : G
Timeframe : 1257
Word Count : 431
Dalton shuffled down the hall, hands in his pockets, eyes on his feet. He knew the grounds well enough to find his way without looking. Not that it mattered, since he wasn’t sure at all just why it was that he was wandering about, or where it was he meant to go.
He must not have been listening either, because he certainly hadn’t heard the other’s footsteps. It was only when something soft collided with his shoulder that his head snapped up and he caught sight of a very flustered Lonna.
“Oh,” she said, blinking rapidly as she moved to distance herself from him. “Dalton.”
“Lonna.”
“Where’s your wife?”
He shifted uncomfortably, hands sinking deeper into his pockets. “She’s, uh, in her chambers.”
Lonna raised a brow. “Oh?”
“She’s not feeling well.”
“Oh.” Soft lips curled into a sympathetic frown. “Well,” she said, hands knitting themselves together in the air over her belly. “Maybe I could bring her something-”
“No!” he said, a bit more forcefully than he‘d intended, catching himself as Lonna shied away. “No,” he repeated more softly. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to catch whatever it is she has. Not in your condition. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Oh please,” she said, a hand coming to rest on her swollen middle. “As if I haven’t done this before.”
“Seriously.” Dalton frowned. “You look ready to burst.”
“Thanks,” said Lonna, her lips quivering slightly as she eyed her belly. “I really needed to hear that.”
“I didn’t mean-” He pulled a hand from its pocket. It flailed helplessly in the air as he wondered what to do with it. “Lonna, you look beautiful. In fact, I can think of nothing more-”
“Give me your hand,” she said, frown twisting into a sad smile.
“Huh?”
Lonna’s fingers closed around Dalton’s wrist and she pulled him in. She laid his hand over her belly. His jaw fell open and his eyes grew wide as his palm was met with a force from inside. He peeled his gaze from his hand to meet the dark eyes that now were genuinely smiling at him. “That’s amazing,” was all he could think to say.
“You and Ilya should try-”
Feeling as if she’d just thrown ice water over him, Dalton yanked his hand away. “Maybe when she’s feeling better,” he said, thrusting it back into a pocket.
“Of course.”
“I, uh, I suppose I should be getting back to her.”
“Oh. Yes,” said Lonna, still smiling. “I hope she’s feeling better soon.”
Dalton’s eyes fell back to his own feet. “Me too,” he said.
Rating : G
Timeframe : 1257
Word Count : 431
Dalton shuffled down the hall, hands in his pockets, eyes on his feet. He knew the grounds well enough to find his way without looking. Not that it mattered, since he wasn’t sure at all just why it was that he was wandering about, or where it was he meant to go.
He must not have been listening either, because he certainly hadn’t heard the other’s footsteps. It was only when something soft collided with his shoulder that his head snapped up and he caught sight of a very flustered Lonna.
“Oh,” she said, blinking rapidly as she moved to distance herself from him. “Dalton.”
“Lonna.”
“Where’s your wife?”
He shifted uncomfortably, hands sinking deeper into his pockets. “She’s, uh, in her chambers.”
Lonna raised a brow. “Oh?”
“She’s not feeling well.”
“Oh.” Soft lips curled into a sympathetic frown. “Well,” she said, hands knitting themselves together in the air over her belly. “Maybe I could bring her something-”
“No!” he said, a bit more forcefully than he‘d intended, catching himself as Lonna shied away. “No,” he repeated more softly. “I mean, I wouldn’t want you to catch whatever it is she has. Not in your condition. Shouldn’t you be resting?”
“Oh please,” she said, a hand coming to rest on her swollen middle. “As if I haven’t done this before.”
“Seriously.” Dalton frowned. “You look ready to burst.”
“Thanks,” said Lonna, her lips quivering slightly as she eyed her belly. “I really needed to hear that.”
“I didn’t mean-” He pulled a hand from its pocket. It flailed helplessly in the air as he wondered what to do with it. “Lonna, you look beautiful. In fact, I can think of nothing more-”
“Give me your hand,” she said, frown twisting into a sad smile.
“Huh?”
Lonna’s fingers closed around Dalton’s wrist and she pulled him in. She laid his hand over her belly. His jaw fell open and his eyes grew wide as his palm was met with a force from inside. He peeled his gaze from his hand to meet the dark eyes that now were genuinely smiling at him. “That’s amazing,” was all he could think to say.
“You and Ilya should try-”
Feeling as if she’d just thrown ice water over him, Dalton yanked his hand away. “Maybe when she’s feeling better,” he said, thrusting it back into a pocket.
“Of course.”
“I, uh, I suppose I should be getting back to her.”
“Oh. Yes,” said Lonna, still smiling. “I hope she’s feeling better soon.”
Dalton’s eyes fell back to his own feet. “Me too,” he said.