Feb 20 02:58:23 107 PA - The Morning After Discussion
From Chronicles
For Zero, sleep is sometimes still, sometimes not. This evening, the prior wet, frozen day prompts a need for warmth and with a warm body next to him, it's inevitable that he rolls over in his sleep and cozies up. Nothing too lewd, a warm spooning makes for a nice, tight ball of warmth for the two. Though one hand does, over the course of their sleep, slip low enough to find some thigh. A light stroke of that nice, smooth flesh in the middle of the night and a linger, his fingers loosely splayed. Unless this wakes her, she will find them in this position when she wakes, because Zero will be sleeping deep and long today.
Sofiya has been dead to the world all night, sleeping the sleep of the hard worker. She doesn't object to the cozying up, her head seeking his arm as a pillow in her sleep. When she wakes, it takes time to process all of the events the night before, and still there is a reluctance to move away from his warmth to the cold outside the blankets. The snow is still falling, the wind battering the side of the trailer.
A sleep shift comes to Zero, his arms tensing idly, fingers squeezing without much strength. A low, content sigh breathed into her hair. He mumbles something, then leans closer to her back in an awkward snuggle that doesn't change their position much since, as the moment passes, he simply settles back to where he was before.
Sofiya turns her head, before she rolls over, lying on her stomach and giving the man a considering look, her face thoughtful. Then, slowly, she slides out from beneath the blankets, reaching for a dry, cleanish pair of jeans to tug on straight away, immediately shivering from the cold. She drags fingers through her hair, tugging it into a ponytail, trying to move silently.
She need not, since the movement itself disturbs him. He mumbles again, an obvious sound of displeasure as she moves away from him. Just why in Zero's sleeping mind is unknown. But it begins the slow process of his waking. So as she's tugging on jeans, his eyes are blinking open and as she's tugging her hair back, he's rolling onto his back, eyes open, head peeking out from the blankets. "The sleeping is done?" HIs voice a bit thick and muzzy from sleep.
Sofi turns, looking at him, her hands still tangled in her hair, trying to control it. "You can sleep on." Her voice is quiet, oddly reluctant to disturb the silence of the trailer. "I've got a play date with an old friend." She turns, splashing her face with cold water from a bowl, drying it on a towel. "He is expecting me."
"Lucky him. What is it? HOw long are you going to be out there?" Zero is obviously curious, his eyes flicked upward towards windows out to see just what the weather is like. Snow.. no sleet. His eyes move back to her, considering. "I could drive you." Not so sunny for the moment, his words a bit more reserved than his norm. "Not so much slop yet, though." And his eyes on her, watching as she deals with her hair.
"It's out there. My neighbour's place." The brief information is given as she peers in the mirror, frowning as she makes enough of an effort to put on some lipstick for the guy, narrowing her eyes and touching the bruise lightly. "Chess. Every morning." She turns and looks at him, biting her lower lip. "Uh. I'll not be long."
Zero nods his head and says, "Alright. I guess I can keep it warm for you this time," he says. A little of his humor peeking out along with a light grin. "Maybe when you get back we can talk. About chess. Or other things, I suppose." And he's still watching her. It's not a bad pasttime for sure, even when so much cloth is in the way.
Sofiya nods slowly, giving him an odd look, before she grabs her coat and shrugs it on. "If you want." Her trainers are tugged on, a brief hop to keep her balance and she is gone. She is gone for a good half an hour, returning with a mug of coffee, her face softer, more relaxed. She holds the coffee out to him, "He said the man in my bed might want this." The tone of her voice is an acknowledgement to the lack of privacy living here.
With the lack of Sofiya to look at, Zero settles into the mess of blankets again, making himself a nice little nest and stretching himself out a bit more underneath it all. Curling comfortably is nice, but eventually you have to stretch out the legs and, by the time she's back he'll have that nest ready for her. When she arrives, he still has his head poking out, dozing lightly. He wakes up fully again and grins at the coffee in hand. An arm sneaks out and takes the cup, drawn down close to him to get a sip in without opening himself to too much cold air. "That's nice of him." He keeps the cup in hand, carefully supported as he looks up to her again. "Made room to stretch out." An inviting note for her.
Sofiya returns to the blankets but she perches on top, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her chin on top of them. "You wanted to talk?" Her voice is low, steady, but cool. "Next time you drag me about, Zero, it better be something that isn't fighting." She leans her back against the trailer wall, watching him, her eyes narrowed. "You remember what you said yet?" She pulls the sweater down, over her hands, keeping them warm.
Zero sighs, obviously a little disappointed, but accepting. "Maybe next time you can kick my shin or something," he counter offers. "You can get in if you want, I don't think I could get it up for you right now after that kick. Maybe later today." He grins a little. "WHat I said? He thinks back, his brow furrowed. "Uhh.. you're not bad that I said you're hard to like sometimes, are you? I guess that is a bit mean to say, but you did kick me in the crotch."
Sofiya's gaze is steady, considering, and her eyes narrow slightly at the last bit. "Yeah, you were trying to drag me into your truck at the time. And you didn't say that." She stays put, watching him closely from her perch before she speaks, abruptly changing the topic. "I've got to cook today, make sure I take my share to the dance. You can hang out or not. Up to you." She is definitely playing it cool.
"It's not?" Zero furrows his brow slightly. "I think it is." And he does seem to be trying to confirm her assertion, but he shakes his head slightly. "You still could have kicked my shin, that probably would have worked about the same," he notes, though he does seem to be mostly over that nasty kick. Grudges aren't things he seems to hold on to tightly. "My clothes are probably still wet," he says, glancing towards where they were tossed. "But I have some clean ones in the truck. Could you.. get them for me? Otherwise I'll have to stay here for a while." He grins a little. "Keys are in my pants pockets." He sips the coffee again after, dipping back into thoughtfulness.
Sofiya shakes her head, "It wasn't what you said." She confirms softly, uncurling slowly, reaching for his pants and holding them out to him. "I'm not going in any pockets of yours." The comment is a brief flash of her normal cockiness, and she puts her hand out, waiting for him to find the keys and hand them over. "And shins don't work as well. Not ever."
Zero gives her an odd look. "If it wasn't what I said, what is it? Would it be so bad to just tell me? Hard to not do wrong if I don't know what's wrong." Said as he sets the cup down in a safe place before he burrows into the blankets again, turning himself around to sneak out an arm, pulling his pants closer so he can fish the keys out of the pocket, then lift them up where she can get them.
"Yeah, I think you have to remember." She takes the keys, giving him a serious look before she scrambles off the bed. Her pace to the truck and back is a fast jog, the weather not precisely designed for hanging around in. His clean clothes are tossed over to him along with his keys, and she begins to gather up the dirty clothes in the trailer, throwing them into a bag.
"Seriously?" The question he asks ass he goes out. Just a little exasperated. And when she returns, he pulls the clean clothing in and starts wrestling himself into them. The bed is nice, but without someone else close by, it lacks some of the fun. "Alright, so sometimes I say things and I don't remember then. Can you say you remember everything you did exactly yesterday? Every word, every movement? I really think you're being a bit unfair." His exasperation lingering as he gets dressed.
Sofiya straightens, shoving the last of her laundry into the bag as she gives him a steady look. "Nope, but I'd remember if I said that to someone." The trailer looks tidier with the laundry collected and she bends to straighten the blankets, as if it mattered. "Maybe you just say it often enough that it doesn't matter." That said, she glances at him, a thoughtful expression on her face.
"If I said 'it' a lot, maybe I'd remember it more," Zero says after wrestling himself into his spare leather pants, his head peeking out to look towards her. "But didn't you just say it wasn't what I said? So why are you leaning on that again. You're not making a whole lot of sense right now, Sofi. This would be a lot simpler if you'd just tell me what I did. LIke with the buying crap. I tried to nudge around, you made things perfectly clear, now I won't buy you anything anymore. Problem solved, right?" He slips his head back in, continuing to pull clothes on.
Sofiya turns to face him, resting her hands on her hips, her bag at her feet. "I'd made it clear before. Don't buy me things, that is pretty clear." She points out, the odd lack of temper still there, and then she shrugs, tossing her hands up into the air. "Sure, fine, I'll tell you. Just remember you asked for it. You said I'm hard to love sometimes." She watches for his reaction, her face straight, expressionless.
Zero is quiet a moment, but not still as he finishes his dressing. He sits up and the blankets fall away, revealing a clothed Zero from the waist up. "Are you sure?" He's lightly bemused by the revelation. "That is a word I don't really use too often," he admits. "You know me, I tend to play it real straight. I suppose I understand now, not really a word you toss at a girl without good reason.. which is why I don't use it too often."
Sofiya tilts her head, giving him a clear look that suggests he must be more stupid than she thought - a total teenager look. "Gee, let me think. Oh wait, no... Yeah I'm sure. I notice things like words." Her gaze flickers down, the corner of her mouth tugging up in a smirk. "Not a word you toss out without a reason, no. You said it. Not me." She slings the bag to land near the door, gathering up the rest of the mess into neater piles.
Zero sits, considering that for a few moments before he seems to come to a decision. "I suppose I like you more than I thought," he reasons. "Or my mind thinks so, anyway. What do you think?" He grins a little and reaches out to get his coffee, taking a more substantial drink now. Then he looks towards her, settling the cup in his lap.
"I try not to." Sofiya's response is a deliberate brush off of the topic, as she bends to fold clean clothes into a stack, wedging them into a corner. Despite that, her cheeks are flushed, and she keeps her eyes averted from him, almost warily. "I think I'll make Khachapuri...for the dance. I can do that with the fire here, and take it with us." She lifts her gaze then, giving him a direct look.
Zero grins and seems heartened as he nods his head. "I have no idea what that is, but I'll try some. I try just about anything once at least," he says. "Haven't run into anything that I'm allergic to yet." He gets up then, careful not to trod too much on the blankets as he moves closer to her. "And not thinking about it is alright. Probably best that way, right? Cause what happens.. its going to happen either way. Thinking too much about things can get real stressful. LIke when you went into the junkyard. I was already thinking I might have to come looking for you. Good thing I didn't try and do anything though, since you came out alright."
Sofiya glances at him, "Flat bread with cheese in the middle." She enlightens him as to the food, before she settles on the blankets, resting her arms over her bent knees. "We can either talk it over, or not. Zee, you are the one that wanted to keep it light and easy." She shrugs lightly, trying to pass it off as not bothering her, but she is picking her words carefully. "I can handle myself with things." The gangs, or him, or feelings, who knows? She frowns, giving him a thoughtful look, considering him.
Zero considers, returning to the blankets as she settles down again, offering the partly emptied coffee cup to her as he does so, if she wants a go at it. "Yeah, I did say that. That I do say a lot." He nods towards her. "But you don't always get what you want. Wanted to do all sorts of things to you last night, but.. well, I sort of couldn't. And I might have gotten wasted if I tried anyway." He grins idly, though sobers a bit the next moment, thinking a little himself.
Sofiya does take the mug, watching him steadily over its brim as she finishes it, keeping her hands wrapped around it as she licks her lips quickly, a nervous movement. "Yeah you say that a lot. Comes out really easily at every chance." Her chin lifts, a quick jerk towards him. "Zee, you want to do all sorts of things to any girl that would let you. It isn't a sign."
"Well, I am a healthy young man. Sort of natural, you know?" Zero grins a little, but doesn't lean too much in the humor there. "But I do sort of like spending time with you more often than not. I suppose I've got something going on. T hough.. you know, they say there are a lot of kinds of love. Brothers and sisters, real close friends, lovers and such." He draws a knee up, his chin laid on it as he looks at her. "Obviously we're not blood, so that one doesn't really count."
Sofiya rubs the mug lightly between her palms, chewing her lower lip, obviously thinking over what she is about to say before she does so. "Yeah, natural." She repeats his word, before she twists, reaching out to put the mug down and facing him again, sitting crosslegged now, her face serious. "Zee, I'm not going to sleep with you. Not when you are sleeping around with any old girl. I thought I could handle it but I can't, so I am not doing it."
"Well, to he honest I haven't slept with anyone around here but you," Zero states. "I was sort of suggesting it to Erica, but she didn't seem to want to, so.. you know me. Win some, lose some. Not something to stress over." He grins a little. "Maybe she thinks I'm with you, though maybe not since she thinks you're with someone else. Mik maybe." He shrugs his shoulders a little, considering her. "Obviously I'm disappointed if we're not going to anymore. I suppose its obvious I like your style and technique." He grins a little. "Out of curiosity, what would it take for me to get close to you again?"
"Close to me or in my bed, Zee?" Her voice is low, steady, even as her gaze dips to her hands. She rubs her fingertips across her palm, before Sofiya lifts her gaze to his face. "It seems my parents are right. I do want someone that isn't just about fun, and just wants me and I'm enough for." She shrugs, reaching out to grab a folded blanket and pulling it onto her lap to hug, a defensive movement.
"Well, both I guess," Zero replies, considering Sofi quietly a moment after. "I shouldn't be so surprised after the mess with Mik before. With your goals in life. THough I did wonder if you could let go of that a little. Now we know." He grins and reaches out to lightly place a hand on her knee. "I suppose we can say one thing. You're not just a casual friend to me, since you got me thinking over this stuff pretty hard. It might not seem so, but I am."
"Then I guess the answer is if you want to be close to me and in my bed, be just in my bed and lay off other girls." Sofiya's reply is quiet, soft, levelly spoken but her face lacks any of the bravado that covers her feelings, and her grey eyes watch him closely. She doesn't brush the hand off, letting him touch her, her fingers tightening around the blanket "You hide your thinking well, Zee." She shakes her head, a touch of the fierce pride returning, "If you don't want to come this afternoon I can take Mik instead."
"I do want to come," Zero confirms, lightly stroking her knee. Not too firm, but not hesitantly. "I've tried the relationship thing before. Never did work out perfectly.. but then the other girls, while nice, weren't quite like you. Usually I avoid girls that like to kick up the middle. But I'm sitting here, so I guess that means something. I suppose I can try laying off the other girls. I mean, I still get to talk to them and joke with them, right? Just no bed antics?"
She isn't expecting him to say yes, and it shows in her face, her eyes widening as they fly to his face, her lips parting in surprise. Sofiya stares at him in silence for a moment before she clears her throat, "Uh, did you just say yes?" There is a wary look in her eyes, her gaze searching his face for the joke to be had in the situation. "I mean..." She shakes her head, clearing it. "Sure, you get to talk to them..."
"I suppose I'm saying I'll try it, yeah" Zero replies, grinning a little. "I can't promise to be perfect. But I think I can stay out of beds at least. You know I like to joke and flirt and such. But I can keep it light. So long as you keep the kicks to a minimum. Been a few years since I've had a steady girl, though. I might be a bit rusty at it."
"I'll only kick you if you get kissing." Sofiya aims for cocky, to cover up the brief flash of insecurity she'd shown, and her grin returns, her eyes lightening up. "I... uh.. I've never had a steady boyfriend." The abrupt admission is spoken with a look on her face that dares him to tease her about it. "Unless you count Lev." The blanket gets released though, and she reaches out to lightly brush her fingers across the back of his hand on her leg.
"You know.. this means I can buy you stuff now, right?" Zero grins and while she does a light touch, he is more aggressive. Perhaps he's recovering already since he scoots himself closer in front of her, legs crossing again. "I suppose this means we'll have to feel out how this is going to be. It might not last forever.. it never seems to for me. I don't want to make any promises I can't keep. The bed thing, I can keep that. I mean, unless I get jumped or something, but that almost never happens. But yeah, no girl hunting. That I can do."
Sofiya's eyes lift to his face, her mouth curving into a broad grin. "Yeah I guess it does. You think I believe it was just pajamas?" She reaches out, touching his knees lightly, running her fingertips over them. "I don't think you can plan anything. Just don't say yes to anything my parents say to you in Russian." That is probably a joke, and she is certainly grinning. There is a brief flash of mischief in her eyes before she speaks, "I've got a couple of hours before I have to cook..."
"I did buy you pajamas," Zero affirms, firm on that for a moment before he adds, "Because I was going to save the sexy underwear for the right time." He grins a little. "Not cause I don't like what you got. You gotta know that, right? But I know girls like to feel sexy and fancy, black undies seem to help. And.. I admit I want to see them on you too. Though maybe we should save them for when we have a nice, warm room. Or just play in the truck again." As he speaks, his hand moves up along her thigh in a slow, casual exploration. Her note of the time heard, of course. But he is a talker. HIs fingers squeeze her thigh and he wonders, "Do you want me to get them all again?"
Sofiya gives him a roll of her eyes, her hint apparently misunderstood. "If you get them, I might wear them this afternoon, under my dress..." She makes the offer softly, before her hands move in an echo of his hand's exploration of her thigh. "Zee..." His name is spoken softly, before she moves, shifting to put a foot either side of him, her legs over his. "Did you really take them back?" The question is soft, even as her hands run up both of his thighs, pausing just before it gets really personal.
Zero reaches out, both hands slipping along her thighs, lowering to seek her rump and simply pull her onto his lap, now that she's perfectly positioned. "Erica has them," he admits. "I suppose I'm just a liar.. but only for a good cause. I'll get them before we go. Or I could get them as we go and you can change in the truck." HIs grin mischievous as he dips his head forward to brush her lips with his. "You know I'm going to be thinking about them all day? They're not too trashy.. didn't figure we were in the right place for trashy."
"Knew it!" The words are a triumphant crow as she lands in his lap, sliding her hands to his chest and then shoulders, as she lifts her face to get that kiss. "I could just not wear any." The words are just as he kisses her, and she slides her arms around his neck, fingers playing with his hair. "She going to be upset over this?" Sofiya's question is soft, even as she wraps her legs around his waist.
Zero arches a brow. "Erica? I suppose not. She thinks I'm a cowboy and pretty much said she doesn't want to have sex with me. So that's that, really." He shrugs, not broken up at it. Win some, lose some. He grins then and says, "You know, you're just begging for me to do something entirely inappropriate with the image of that. Especially if you're wearing a dress. Cause only one reason to do that. To make it easy for a quickie since all you have to do is lift up the back." He lifts his hands, sliding upward, hands pushing up under the sweater to find warm back to stroke in firm, smooth sweeps.
"That's good." Sofiya lets him talk, pressing little kisses across his throat, finding a sensitive part where the neck and shoulder meet and biting gently. "You can do what you want with the image of that..." She murmurs against his skin, her hands sliding between his jeans and his top, sliding beneath the top to explore his stomach. "I'm wearing a very proper dress... suitable for an unmarried, modest Russian girl." The words are a whisper as she lifts her face to look at him.
Zero curls his fingers against her back at the nip, a low breath breathed before he murmurs, "Sometimes modest, sometimes not at all modest." His hands slips from under the sweater, moving to her hips again as he leans forward to deposit her on her back, though he follows closely. "Maybe we get them. I leave you in the truck to put on or take off whatever.. and tonight I get a surprise." He grins broadly, then leans his head in to kiss her throat, then chin on the way to her lips for a teasing brush.
