A night in

[balancingminds]

"Raven!" Charles yelled as he entered the flat, just managing to close the door and not drop anything.

Tonight he was holding slightly more than usual as he'd just been gifted a bottle of wonderful booze and the only person he was going to drink it with was Raven.

Comments

[andproud]

"What's that from?"

She lifts her head to look up at him, deciding to finish her drink before she sets her empty glass aside.

Maybe the bottle will be finished later on.

[balancingminds]

"I've no idea. Someone in Milliways, some of the words were it takes two. I wasn't really listening, it just sounded nice,"

He frowns as he tries to recall more of the words and the song, but he's had enough to drink and wasn't really paying attention.

[andproud]

She grins as he tries to find the words to the song, lips peeling back slowly to reveal teeth.

"Are you drunk, Charles Xavier?"

[balancingminds]

"Hm, I think so," It's tricky to figure out how drunk he is when he's drunk.

[andproud]

"I don't think so."

She rolls over, rising up on her knees, yellow eyes peering into brown.

"I don't think you are," she murmurs, fighting the urge not to laugh.

[balancingminds]

He has to work a little to concentrate on her eyes but taps her nose as he says with a grin, "One more drink and I will be. Anyway I'm perfectly in control."

Which is a bit of a lie as his happiness is definitely radiating out in a way that he tries to not let happen.

[andproud]

"Are you?" She raises an eyebrow, momentarily disbelieving.

"And if I was to think at you right now, you'd be able to shut me out?"

Her gaze lingers on the features of his face - his mouth, pulled into a relaxed grin, and the warmth of his eyes, half-lidded.

[balancingminds]

"Why would I want to do that? I'm sure I could, that's um, the wall that's sometimes a window,"

He does a gesture with his empty glass to try and explain what he means but it doesn't really work. Talking about minds is difficult enough when he's sober.

[andproud]

"Because," is all she answers with.

Sometimes her thoughts are a little harder to bury deep down, and a lot of them resurface after she's had considerably more to drink.

[balancingminds]

"Then try and I'll do it. Just tell me when,"

Though first he has to set his glass down because if he's going to block her out, he'll need to use his hand to focus.

[andproud]

"Well, I didn't know you were actually going to try."

She feigns a pout, crouching over him, but there's a part of her that's already allowing her overall ease to slip forth, relaxed and running a little hotter than normally.

[balancingminds]

"It's a challenge and an experiment,"

Clearly that's more than enough reason to and he focuses on pulling his walls up, but it takes time. He has to focus more on each one. When she crouches over him, he tries to steady her with the hand that's not on his temple.

[andproud]

"Any luck?"

He looks so intent on concentrating that she almost hates to break it - and yet, a part of her wants to, albeit teasingly, just to openly gloat later on.

And then she wonders if she should try to distract him, although that would be playing dirty.

Not that that's ever stopped her.

[balancingminds]

"I don't know. Are you thinking at me?"

He's a little lost as its easier to try and reach out than close off. Though his shields are all up but the outer one that he rarely uses isn't terribly solid.

[andproud]

"Yes."

Her voice is soft, but her thoughts are anything but, and the alcohol's racing through her bloodstream as she zeroes in on eyeing little details: the long index finger pressed to his temple, the open collar of his shirt and the way it opens further with his breathing.

She averts her gaze. Too dangerous. Too dangerous.

[balancingminds]

Her thoughts aren't easy to hold onto and he has to remind himself to not listen and he finally shakes his head and then holds it as he briefly considers his hand,

"Too much to drink for that. I don't like not listening though I don't listen to you, but still. Hand helps me to focus, it always has."

[andproud]

She very nearly breathes a sigh of relief, and shifts, until she's perched by his side as the blonde again.

She's almost afraid to ask what he saw, or if he'd even be honest and tell her if he has.

[balancingminds]

He frowns at her shift and leans against her, "Hey, don't look worried. You tell me to stay out and I do."

[andproud]

She's torn, conflicted. The drinks are making all her thoughts bleed together, impossible to sift through.

She doesn't like him in her head, and yet -

(you know, don't you, how could you not know)

"What's in your head?" she asks, faintly, pressing her two fingers to the place where his were resting before.

[balancingminds]

"Worry, don't like seeing you unhappy and um, things feel a little blurred. I know where I end but feel like I might be leaking, which I shouldn't do. Still better than other people blurring into me, that's not good, no one else's dreams,"

As he talks, he takes his time, pulling his mind as together as he can and trying to figure out why her thinking about his hand should make her unhappy.

[andproud]

"I'm not unhappy," she insists, her fingertips tracing the slight angle of his temple, next to his eyebrow.

And maybe more of him needs to be blurring into her. He's the better one; he's just so good. She's always wanted to be more like that.

She licks her lips, tastes weaker remnants of the ouzo.

[balancingminds]

"But you're not as happy as you were. You changed when you didn't have to,"

He taps her lips as he wants her to smile again and she doesn't have to shift around him.

[andproud]

"I just want to be - "

She can't find the words for what she wants, and her breath catches slightly at the touch to her mouth, lips pursing subtly against the brush of his fingers.

[balancingminds]

He doesn't like when she drops the end of her sentence like that and he moves to brush her hair back trying to read her without reading her,

"Be what?"

This is a feeling he hates when there's something that he should know but he just can't figure it out. Especially when its Raven who he should know better than anyone but sometimes he feels like he doesn't and that feels like a betrayal of her.

[andproud]

There are so many words she wants to use to fill the gap, all of which race through her head - (normal ordinary yours wanted normal)

Unconsciously, she tilts her head into the movement of his fingers, the touch feeling like more than it should with her skin humming from the ouzo.