ic The Best Of Me

[alderwitch]

"Oh, honey, that doesn't matter in the slightest. If it was about your real life or who you really were, it would be creepy," Alex gave him another small, placating pat as she left him with the tablet to answer his questions and settled in to watch crusty fishermen cuss each other out. "Usually you're the one saving Mark but some of the Mark/James fandom cast you in poorer light. They're not as big a subset of the fandom. Just keep an eye out on the tags. Some of those you'd probably prefer to not read."

With that last warning, Alex curled up and before Mike had finished his first perusal of the tablet was sleeping soundly against the solid wall of his chest, the remote still loosely held in her fingertips as she settled in to nap. Leaving Mike with the sounds of fishermen and a tablet full of dubious quality fan-works to discover.

[angrydurf]

Mike smiled down at her as she drifted off in his arms listening to her breathing fall into the slow rhythmic sounds of deep sleep as he read more tales of unlikely antics.  Of course tags were not something he fully grasped until it was too late and he'd delved to far like the dwarves of moria (whom were involved in this particularly odd crossover).  He set aside the tablet with a small shudder as he was no doctor but he was certain biology did not work that way here or in middle earth.  He leaned back and laid a soothing hand against the side of Alex's face watching her lips curl into a sleepy smile at the touch before effortlessly standing cradling her in his arms.  He carefully made his way to her room and layed her down carefully in the bed despite the vague hints of protest in her sleepy murmurings.  Quickly pulling off his shirt he wrapped it around a spare pillow to tuck next to her and let her hold as she slept more peacefully now.  After watching his fiance settle into deep sleep once more he crept back to the couch and laid out pulling the brief knit duvet over at least his upper torso before letting himself drift off as well.

[alderwitch]

Alex woke in the pre-dawn light, confused for a moment as she woke with her arms around Mike's shirt but not actually around the man himself. It took only a moment to orient herself in her surroundings in her bedroom, and another second beyond that to find the soft hum of Mike's sleeping thought patterns. He wasn't far, at least. Padding out on bare feet, Alex took a moment to watch the big man snoozing on her couch under a throw not quite large enough to cover him. Absurd man. Alex crossed over, pulling the throw off of him with a bemused smile curving her lips. Draping the blanket over her shoulders, Alex straddled Mike's legs and then stretched out on him, her arms folded on his chest and her legs tucked between his. With the blanket draped over her shoulders and vaguely covering them both, Alex reached out to tap one fingertip on her fiance's square jaw. 

Even if you weren't comfortable in my bed, there are two other bedrooms in this house, Michael Harris. Your back isn't going to thank you for this later, Alex's thoughts were sunny despite the fact that it wasn't even barely dawn yet. She always had been a morning person and that hadn't changed over the years. You should have just come to bed. You're being ridiculous, you know that.

[angrydurf]

Mike's eye fluttered open as she poked at him his mind still a jumbled overlay of his most recent dreams and the reality of his fiance perched on top of him.  There really were fewer dissonances on those realities than he would have anticipated.  He peered at her blearily and tried to focus despite the all too wakeful voice in his head as well as the less ephemeral distractions of his situation, I, uh, well the couch is pretty comfortable actually.  He countered though it was not much of an argument really.  He reached up and wrapped his arms sleepily around her shoulders, You were sleeping.  he pointed out as if that wasn't kinda hte point she was making in the first place.  Mike leaned up and pulled her down to his chest as he pressed his lips to hers in a passionate kiss, I know.  he agreed, I am and I appreciate you putting up with my ridiculous.  he finished as the kiss broke and he met her eyes as his hand ran down her back slowly, "You're too good to me."  he rumbled the noise vibrating in his chest as he broke the silence of the morning, "I'm a lucky man."

[alderwitch]

Alex let the tip of her nose touch Mike's as she smiled down at him, "And maybe a bit of a tease, Michael Harris, but just a bit," Alex said with a light laugh as she kissed him once more before pushing her weight up off of his chest. She really didn't have to worry about compressing his chest with the pressure she could exert. Shifting, she slid slowly from his lap to land on bare feet on the surprisingly warm wooden floors of the apartment. "But lucky, indeed, I'll make you breakfast while you wake up. I know you're never fully awake until you've put something in that bottomless pit you call a stomach. We all thought it would slow down after you hit your last growth spurt."

She turned, letting him sort himself awake and up from the couch to head towards the well apportioned kitchen in her penthouse. The whole area was relatively open so it was easy enough to turn and track Alex's movements as she walked over to the fridge to begin sorting what was available, Any special requests?

[angrydurf]

"Am not."  Mike protested as he stood to follow her towards the kitchen pausing to stretch in a manner that certainly could be considered teasing to the casual observer.  He padded across the floor with a pleased smile on his lips as he couldn't argue this felt right in way things hadn't in quite some time.  "Bottomless?"  he called out in mock affront, "I'm not bottomless." he countered followed by a rumble from said engine of digestion that really invalidated any further argument.  Mike looked at the sturdy chairs at the bartop counter and after a small poke to ascertain strength eased himself into one.

He peered through cupboards and door of the fridge as he considered, I'm fine with cereal unless you want something more substantial.  he replied blushing as the sweep of his gaze accidentally swept over her back before he had adjusted his vision not to penetrate lighter materials.  Looking down as he tried to will the blush away he cleared his throat, "So this is really nice."  he said and swallowed hard, "uhm, like not just the apartment, I mean it's nice too, but this is a nice morning."  he tried to distract from his impropriety.

[alderwitch]

"Everything here is going to support you, Mike, I had it all tested," Alex said with a small smile as she never looked over from where she was rummaging in the fridge. He could hear the smile in her voice and in her thoughts as she turned towards the stove, clearly making something more complicated than cereal. Mike had probably seen her make pancakes a thousand times. Since before she'd been able to get half the ingredients down herself without a stool or help. Here, in her own home, Alex had no qualms about utilizing her gifts, so things floated back and forth through the air as she needed them, not unlike magic. Snagging the milk carton from the air, she poured the requisite amount into the batter before both container and glass floated over towards the counter to land in front of him. "You'll only break things if you put your mind to it, really. Your weight won't be sufficient."

With things on the stove, she finally turned towards him and pointed out, "You could just stay, you know. If you're worried about the whole shared bedroom," Alex's tone made it clear she thought it was absurd but she respected his feelings nonetheless, "Then you can always take one of the other rooms. There are two. You can have your pick, really." Alex gave him one of her soft smiles, "This is your home too, whenever you want to make it yours."

[angrydurf]

Mike grinned at the revelation.  He really should have known she'd think of it after all she thought of everything it was her blessing, sometimes curse he supposed.  He considered telling her not to bother with more on his account but clearly she wanted to and also, well, Pancakes.  It'd take a better man than him to turn down pancakes.  He looked down at her words and slowly nodded, "I don't know."  he murmured concern in his voice he didn't want to move to fast though even by his standards he knew four years into their engagement cohabitation wasn't 'fast' per se.  He smiled over at her as she floated ingredients about the kitchen and smiled,  he really liked this, it felt more right than anything he'd spent the past years doing really.  "I do know I like this."  he said more firmly, "And that I miss you."  he admitted as he stood to pat up behind her on not so quiet feet and wrap his arms around her stooping to kiss the side of her neck as he gave her a gentle hug, "I think you are full of good ideas this morning." which sounded suspiciously like assent to move in.

[alderwitch]

Alex leaned back into the embrace, pausing in her flipping of pancakes to enjoy Mike's easy affection. Letting go of the spatula as it continued to do its work, Alex turned around in his embrace to slide her arms around Mike's bare waist in return, her cheek against his chest. "I am always full of good ideas," Alex pointed out with laughter in her voice. Her cheek was warm against his skin and Mike felt the tell-tale light pressure in his thoughts as she gauged his words against his mood and intentions, "I really would like you here. I mean, you're never more than a thought away but its not the same as watching movies and eating dinner together and all of those little things. I'm not sorry you had the time away - I think it was good for you - but I like having you here better. If it doesn't work, you could always move back out again. But you'll be missing out on pancakes!"

[angrydurf]

"This is true."  Mike laughed, "Maybe I should start listening to them sometimes."  he joked back and ran a  hand through her hair as he held her to his chest, "I mean it."  he said and thought at the same time in response to her gentle probes, "What kind of idiot tries to lie to their psychic fiance?"  he pointed out jovially.  Calming he looked down at her and smiled wide, "I do though."  he said once more, "Because it isn't the same and I want that too."  he said countering the fears he knew she had.  "I like it here, with you."  he said plainly, "And I may have needed the time away to recognize that which is kinda lame of me I admit."  he added with a self deprecating laugh as he he rocked lightly on his heals and lifted her into a full hug so he could look her in the eye without looming and very seriously confirmed, "And missing pancakes is the real tragedy here I think we both know."  with a playful smile before pulling her in for another kiss.

Edited October 24, 2015 by angrydurf

[alderwitch]

Alex was floating, literally and figuratively, her lips warm and welcoming under his and her toes well off the ground to make that work. She beamed at him, her hazel eyes bright, "I am going to burn the pancakes if you keep that up. Even I have my multitasking limits," Alex pointed out as she reluctantly disengaged to finish making them both breakfast. Still, she was all but radiant as she turned back to the stove and the remaining batter. They both really knew that once Mike moved in, that would be that, but for Alex it was like having the last piece of a long unfinished puzzle. "If you want, we can eat outside. You can put those big muscles to use setting the table for us both."

She paused and then glanced over her shoulder at him, adding softly, "I love you, Mike. I'm glad you're home."

[angrydurf]

"Now that would be tragic."  he joked lightly and stepped away to set the table in a blur returning as she finished fishing the slightly darker than intended pancakes from the pan.  Their breakfast safe he turned her to face him fully and leaned in to press a gentle kiss to her lips as he whispered quietly, "I love you too, it's good to be home."