sweethymns | Pictures in the Dark

[She raises her brow, but her smile is just as, if even more, playful as she leans forward to place her elbows on her knees and look up at him from an angle.]

I'll take that as a compliment! You can afford to be more bold, so don't worry about it.

[Noooo, Iona, don't say such things and look at him in that way-! He looks down at her, her face a bit closer and angled at him, and he leans back in response. Not because he's sensitive to his own little personal space being encroached upon, but because so embarasssing!!!

His face may or may not be turning red this time, way to go. He tries to give a laugh -- it ends up sounding awkward, much like Michael feels right now.]

Wh-what do you mean I can afford to be more bold? [That's a confusing statement, he has to remember to breathe normally now.] That's not something you say to a guy, Iona. [Unless you're trying to give them the wrong idea!]

You figure that out smart guy.

[It's almost unfair, he makes it seem like she's cornering him and they're stuck at the top of a ferris wheel which doesn't help matters for him.]

And if it hasn't been clear already, I tend to say what I want.

[Now she's just teasing him, and it only adds to his confusion. He even stammers a bit.]

I- you... What do you- I mean-

[Stop. Breathe. Start over.]

I know you do, but you'll give someone the wrong idea. [His mind is racing back to other times he's met with her; had she acted like this before? He's so confused. And yet, he's not exactly trying to fend her off, which one might find interesting.]

... Hm.

[Iona straightens herself up again and leans back into her seat, closing her eyes, still smiling, but calmly and serenely this time.]

I'll stay quiet for a minute then. Give you some time to think before we get to the bottom.

[Suddenly he's wondering how long before the ferris wheel starts up again. He's in a situation where he doesn't know how to read her, which is unusual, given that Iona's usually such an open book.

Maybe... maybe the problem is him, then?

He looks at her, as if pleading for some sort of clue, but receives nothing. He clears his throat, rubbing at the back of his neck. Pinches the bridge of his noise.]

Um. Is this a trick question?

[He's thinking, since she's not going to let him off the hook. He's not dumb, he knows what she implied when he said he could be more bold -- but his hang-up is that he's sure she was joking (why would she be seriously saying something like that to a guy like him, after all? She could do so much better), he was certain she was only teasing.

She still seems to be teasing, but it's not the same sort.]

I don't want to make myself look stupid by stuttering out wrong guesses.

[Because he knows it'll be wrong, and he's just going to make a fool of himself.]

[She opens her eyes to look at the ceiling of their carriage and gives him a shrug.]

I don't know. I may be teasing you, but I am pretty serious.

[That... kind of clarifies it? Kinda?]

And I know stupid Michael. I'm stupid. Right now, you're not. You're just trying to think things through.

[He meets his eyes with her, frowning.] What? No. You're not stupid, Iona. You're anything but stupid. [He refuses to let her apply such a word to herself -- he felt it was so far from the truth. Tackling life head-on was not stupid.

It's enough for him to shove aside some of his awkwardness, just barely, and he regains some semblance of focus. He's still embarrassed, of course, and the words come out as a murmur.]

Are you really being serious, Iona? [He knows she just said she was, but he wants to be sure.]

[And when he says things so seriously and sincere like that, Iona feels her heart beat and she leans forward again looking at her hands in her lap and then at Michael who can probably tell there's color in her cheeks.]

I... Yeah. [She can't lie to herself now. Not when it comes to something like this, not when her heart has danced too long on her sleeve to try and pull back from this.

She runs a hand through her hair nervously.]

I mean... Yeah, I'm serious. I don't want to ask you for something you're not ready for or you're not comfortable with! Is... What I'm trying to get at.

[He listens to her, and he's almost can't believe what he's hearing. His breath is catching his in throat and he swallows hard, trying to find words. He was too afraid to hope that she was being serious -- he didn't want to throw himself into a pit of disappointment and foolishness if he had been wrong.

But apparently, he wasn't. And it's weird, he doesn't even know what to do with himself. He feels too many things in the pit of his stomach; a mix of happiness and anxiety and a tinge of shy embarrassment. Whereas she runs a hand through her hair, he fidgets with his hands.

He figures he should, at the very least, answer her.]

No, I... I'm more than ready. [Hopefully that was confirmation enough on his own end, if his own flushed state wasn't clue enough.] I just... don't know why you would pick me. [An awkward laugh.] I almost can't believe this is happening.

[It's about time she gives him a boon and Iona does so in the form of putting one hand over his although it's shy. She's not even sure why she's being like that. Maybe it's infectious? Or rather, she the kind of person who went with the flow. Passion with passion, distance with distance, and in this case, gentleness with gentleness.]

You're... You're important. To me. You've been doing your best and I couldn't help but admire that.

[Of course she'd admire that quietly developing strength. Of course she'd want to be part of that, to be a reason for it.]

We don't have to rush anything you know! I have a penchant for that and it can complicate things, but, I'm serious.

[When she puts a hand over his, he can't help but turn his own over, palm up, and give hers a little squeeze in return.]

Iona... [He says the next without any hesitation, pushing past his embarrassment, because it's important to be said.] You're important to me, too. You've already helped me with so much.

[He swallows again, trying to force a bit more bravery.]

I'm willing to go at whatever pace is comfortable for you. I'm just... I'm just pretty happy right now, is all.

[There's a small jolt beneath them, indicating that the ferris wheel had started to move again. It's as if time had stopped just for them before it began to move forward. And Iona couldn't be any happier than at that moment.

Iona feeling emboldened (doesn't she always) leans her head against Michael's shoulder.]

We'll see where this goes then? You and me?

Yeah... [He allows her to lean her head against him, and he leans a little into her in return, their hands still touching.]

You and me.

[He's barely even noticed the carriage being slowly brought back down, again. The ferris wheel is as lackadaisical as before, as if it had never stopped.]

Pictures in the Dark

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