(no subject)

[mnt_mike]

It's morning, and the bed is warmer, and more comfortable, than it should be. He knows someone's there, and by the feel of that someone pressing against him, he knows its her.

Like many a morning before, he remains motionless, feigning sleep. He's waiting for her to get up and leave.

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[mnt_mike]

He manages a small smile.

"well who can blame them?"

[slayer_fray]

She can't smile. Can't laugh. Though she appreciates the effort to make her laugh, she didn't even know she was thinking what she'd just said until she'd said it.

"What do we do now?"

[mnt_mike]

"i don't know."

After a silence that seems to last forever.

"what ever makes you happy."

[slayer_fray]

"What about you?"

Don't make me make the decisions. Don't make me be the one that hurts you.

[mnt_mike]

"i just want to see you smile."

He cups her face with his hand, a careful thumb strokes the laugh lines around her mouth.

"anything else is gravy."

[slayer_fray]

"Not true," she points out. "You left without even checking if I was smiling or not.

"If we... when I leave, I don't want to hurt you. But I have to leave. When she lets me."

[mnt_mike]

Mike shakes his head.

"i left under the assumption someone else was keeping you in smiles. And when you leave, i'll know it's because of something important. and then i'll be too proud of you to be sad."

[slayer_fray]

"You made a stupid assumption.

"Different smiles. No one makes me smile like you do. Ever." she buries her face back into his chest.

"You promise? You wouldn't say that just to make me smile?"

[mnt_mike]

Mike smiles. It's a small smile, but it's the first honest one in a long time.

"and don't you forget it."

He sighs contentedly, and rubs her back with long lazy strokes.

"I promise. That doesn't mean I won't miss you, because I will. It's just that saving the world is very important, and I've already done it at least three times now. It's about time you picked up some slack."

[slayer_fray]

"I'm not supposed to..." Mel says. "Bad things happen when Slayers fall..."

But this is different, right? Milliways isn't the Real World. Rules are different.

She smiles faintly herself and shifts up the bed to kiss his mouth.

"Can we pull this off?"

[mnt_mike]

"I have no idea."

Then he gets that look in his eye. The same one responsible for pages three, five and seven.

[slayer_fray]

Oh, he'd better be genuine. He's better at hiding than Mel is at reading him, no matter how much practice she gets.

I can't believe I'm doing this.

"We're going to try though, aren't we?"

[mnt_mike]

"I think we are."

[slayer_fray]

Well, that's that then. What more needs to be said?

Rules...

Mel kisses him deeply and thoroughly.