Post by recluse on Oct 21, 2006 11:34:03 GMT -5
[Editor's note: Once again, language warning - this post contains strong expletives and is not recommended for the easily offended, or those with heart conditions. 
]
Lucas had disappeared to the master bedroom hours ago, and had finally decided on soaking in the huge jacuzzi tub with the book he'd snuck in with his things. The ancient, worn copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men still had "Queen's County School District" stamped on the inside cover. It was the one possession he still had from his days before he hit the streets... and he had yet to finish the book.
Every now and then he'd pick it up and try to read some more. Severe dyslexia prevented him from getting very far before he usually gave up, and yet he still found it relaxing to try in the first place.
Filling the tub to his neck, he sank into the hot swirling water and curled the book in his large hand, starting with the chapters he had read a hundred times already. That was usually easier.
If anyone had asked her what she'd expected to find when she pushed the door open and wandered into the master bedroom, it wouldn't have been this.
Lucas. Reading. In a hot tub.
She hadn't bothered knocking. He didn't seem into the idea when he barged in on her, so Gracie had decided to return the favour. She wasn't exactly sure why she'd come in - something in the back of her mind vaguely said 'to pick a fight,' but the sight of him like that had effectively driven pretty much any coherent plan out of her mind.
She didn't like bathrooms, she reflected, as she looked at the transition from carpet to tiles. They were always wet and steamy and not as easy to grip to, and it made her feel odd.
"Uh..."
Oh, yeah, fantastic start.
"I probably shouldn't... Um..."
She was curled around the doorframe, leaning up against it to peek in at him.
This was a Bad Idea.
"I'll come back later."
She didn't move, though.
Lucas looked up. He just glared at her beneath his eyebrows for a moment, unsure what she wanted him to say. She was crafty. For all he knew she was wanting to lull him so she could get close enough to sink those teeth into him.
Then why was he thinking of pulling her in the water with him, clothed or not?
"What."
Her toes curled uncomfortably into the carpet.
Yeah. Bad idea.
"No, um, don't worry about it."
One hand came up to scratch her head rather vaguely.
"I shouldn't have... I'm sorry, just..."
God, what the hell have you done to mess up my head like this?
"Yeah, I'll go."
One last look at him, her expression somewhere between irritated and upset, and Gracie turned to leave.
"Well don't just show up to leave again," he said irritably. "Have the good taste to bring me my cigarettes." There was a sense of humor in his jibe, as always mixing meanings. He was only partially aware how confusing that could be.
Turning back to him, her inner conflict over which emotion should be dominant showing as only a faint displeasure, Gracie shrugged.
Peering around the room, she spotted them on the counter - which was good, 'cause she didn't particularly want to go rooting around in his pants to find them. A slightly hesitant step over the threshold brought that usual feeling of uneasiness about the slick tiles, but she tried not to let it bother her as she walked over and grabbed them.
She didn't actually have to try to stay focused on his face, which was definitely a good thing in her mind. Kneeling next to the tub, she leant her elbow on the edge and held them out to him, one hand extending out over the water.
Part of her wanted to say 'I'm not your fucking serving wench.' The other part didn't know what to say, so she just shrugged and said, "Here."
"Thanks." He lit a cigarette and set them aside, looking at her.
"How's those blue balls doing." He smirked. Lucas still wasn't sure what her problem was... so he didn't want to fuck her after getting interrupted by the neighbors. She could be so... bitchy.
But she was beautiful, and that was distracting. It shouldn't have been. He'd fucked plenty of beautiful women. Maybe he needed just to get it out of his system. Maybe he should just tick her off so that she'd go away and he wouldn't have to think about her anymore.
At least it would be easier not to, anyway.
She just looked at him, sitting back on her heels and bringing her hand back to rest on the edge of the tub.
What was with them and water?
"You're a real asshole sometimes, you know that?"
And yet here she was, leaning on the edge of the tub and making no move to leave. It pissed her off that she couldn't seem to - what was so fucking special about Lucas James that she couldn't just tell him to fuck off and then ignore him like everyone else?
Yeah, they had to share space, but it wasn't like they were all crammed into a single room or anything.
Shaking her head, Gracie looked down at her hands and sighed.
"You're fucking with my head, Lucas."
Does that make you happy?
Lucas blinked, looking at her with a wholly new expression. For a long time he just watched her, a frown slowly growing on his face.
He wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever said anything like it, not to his face. Then again Gracie did a lot of things no one ever had.
"I might be an asshole," he stopped himself from using her name even if that was how he thought of her. "-but I don't fuck with people's heads. Where'd you get an idea like that." It was definitely a condescending tone of voice, but one of those man-making-an-effort sorts that came off more like a brother or a father. Lucas wasn't aware he sounded like he cared. If he had, he might not have spoken in the first place.
"From the fact that my head has been undeniably fucked since you knocked down the door of the motel."
She didn't like the tone that was in her voice. It was less matter of fact than she'd intended, and a lot more tense.
More than that, Gracie didn't like where this was headed.
She didn't want to know how she felt about him. Maybe it was actually a good thing that he was such an asshole to her - it stopped her from settling on one feeling and feeding it. She didn't like the idea of needing someone - and more than anything, the idea of needing him.
Taking a long drag, he carefully considered how to react. It certainly wasn't going to start with looking at her anymore. He fixed his eyes on the distant wall.
Sure, he was getting feelings for her. Lucas was a little more attached a little quicker than he felt comfortable with. But to hear that she was feeling the same... both the good and the bad... it was somehow comforting.
Could they possibly bond on the fact that they resented crushing on each other. The though made him smirk.
Not saying anything, he let his book drop to the floor and switched hands with his cigarette. Lucas set his hand over the one Gracie had gripped to the tub's edge.
The contact wasn't particularly comforting to her.
Gracie found herself focusing on the glow at the end of his cigarette and for just a moment, she wished that she was like Sparky and could burn him to a crisp with a thought.
He was an asshole, and he did fuck with her head, and she didn't want to like him or to crave the contact. She really didn't want to start talking about her feelings like some little... girl, even though that was what she was. So they said, anyway.
"I really should... go."
She looked down at his hand, resting over hers. She felt so pathetic, not making any move just because of that. But she couldn't seem to help it.
"Yeah. Yah should." He lifted himself half out of the tub on his elbow while pulling her towards him by her shirt. Kissing her lips, he sat back down again.
"If you want to chalk it up to me playing games, fucking go ahead. But I'm not the one throwing fits because we didn't fuck in front of an audience. You're a cool chick but I'm not gonna chase you around a table. So mellow the fuck out, huh?" He frowned.
"I'm not the one that bites." He frowned and took a long drag.
She felt betrayed by how much she enjoyed the kiss, and even more by how much she wished she didn't have her fanglets so she could kiss him the way she really wanted to.
They were a part of her. They defined her. She wasn't going to give that up for a guy, and especially not one like this.
Gracie refused to let herself latch onto the compliment wrapped in all the rest of it.
Fucking will bite soon.
"I'm not asking you to chase me, Lucas. Fuck! You just keep... Fuck, you want me, you don't, you want me, you don't. Make up your fucking mind, that's all I want. Then I'll at least know how to feel."
She could have sworn she's promised herself not to talk about feelings.
Lucas looked at her like she was crazy.
"Are you a head case or what. Since when does not nailing a person mean you don't want them. For christ's sake." He made a face, shaking his head. He rested it back on the edge of the bathtub and looked up.
Truth was, he was glad for the swirling, bubbling water. Even talking to her got him into a state, and it was driving him mad.
Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth for a moment until he could calm down. "I think... that you just want to get me following you around like a puppy. I'm not that kind of guy."
"I just fucking said that I didn't want that."
This time it was her turn to grit her teeth 'til she calmed down. Of course, her teeth were probably more dangerous than his, and right now Gracie really wanted to sink them into his neck.
"Whatever, Lucas. Think whatever the fuck you want."
Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and walked back towards her own room. She didn't slam the door, didn't even lock it, but the frustration didn't leave her face as she climbed into her web-hammock. Partly because she'd just walked away to avoid a fight.
Gracie never did that. What the fuck was he doing to her head?
It took a few minutes, but he did come after her. Still wet, jeans pulled on with some difficulty, he almost kicked the door open, but just barely managed to restrain himself.
Opening it, he closed it behind him, and crossed the room to her. Grabbing the wrist that dangled from the strange hammock, he jerked her out of it. As she tumbled to her knees, he towered over her, her wrist still in his large hand.
Luke's voice was dangerously calm and low in the quiet corner of the house. "Listen, you little bitch. You wanted me to come after you, so here I am. No one plays games with me and gets away with it." His hand tightened on her wrist and leaned over her a bit, glaring down at her.
"But you have. Why? If you don't see it, you're dumber than I thought."
He knew she could bite him at any moment. He also knew she wouldn't unless she wanted his reaction. Throwing her own arm back at her, he seethed, unable to move lest he break something on his way back out the door.
The glare that she directed up at him was dangerous. So was the slight parting of her lips that showed her teeth.
"I didn't want you to come after me Lucas, fuck!"
What she really wanted to do was tell him to get the fuck out, that she hadn't wanted this and she didn't want him to resent her for it, but apparently it was too late for that.
Standing slowly, the glare didn't dissipate. If anything, it got worse.
"Why? I don't fucking know why, Lucas! I don't fucking know why I like you, either, but I can't seem to do shit about that. Deal with your own fucking head issues, all I wanted to do was think."
As she finished ranting, Gracie did something very stupid. In her anger, her frustration over not being able to control her feelings about him, it was all she could do not to bite him right then and there. Instead, she brought both hands up and pushed him. Whether it was to pick a fight or actually try to get him to leave, she couldn't really tell.
It didn't do a great deal of good, as Lucas hardly moved when she pushed him, but it wasn't the impact on his body that made him close his eyes.
His head bowed a bit and he kept them closed, frowning with an expression that would have been difficult to read mostly because one would have found the emotions behind it hard to believe.
"Gracie." Lucas whispered. And he prayed it wouldn't make her more angry. If she struck him again, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself.
Using that name wasn't the best way to get her to calm down.
At least she managed to keep her voice to a reasonable volume.
Raising one hand, she pounded against his chest to punctuate each word.
"Don't. Fucking. Call. Me. That!"
Lucas sunk to one knee, withdrawing into himself in the supreme effort not to hurt her. The anger coursing through him would kill her the moment he touched her. When he breathed in, it sounded like a painful gasp.
On the last word, he lifted his hand and caught her fist, trying as hard as he could not to push back and reverse the impact, thereby shattering her hand. Closing his fingers around her hand, he held it firmly, opening his eyes.
"I'm sorry then." Did she realize how rarely he said those words? That he hadn't really recalled using them since he'd more or less been forced to in school, or to the juvee counselors, or his mother?
He had no idea what he was going to do. This wasn't his house to destroy or already the whole thing would have come down around them. Lucas was also very aware of the two powerful mutants downstairs. This whole thing had gotten out of hand, in more ways than one.
She wished he had gotten angry, that he had done something that she could make herself hate him over or something that at least fed the fires of her anger more. Looking down at him like that, though, her fist clutched in his hand and his words ringing in her ears, all she felt was... guilt, and hurt, and like she was an immature child.
Biting the inside of her lip, fanglets piercing through to draw blood, Gracie shook her head.
"I wish you hadn't done that."
Sinking to her knees, her free arm slid up around his neck, and she pulled him to her for a kiss.
]Lucas had disappeared to the master bedroom hours ago, and had finally decided on soaking in the huge jacuzzi tub with the book he'd snuck in with his things. The ancient, worn copy of Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men still had "Queen's County School District" stamped on the inside cover. It was the one possession he still had from his days before he hit the streets... and he had yet to finish the book.
Every now and then he'd pick it up and try to read some more. Severe dyslexia prevented him from getting very far before he usually gave up, and yet he still found it relaxing to try in the first place.
Filling the tub to his neck, he sank into the hot swirling water and curled the book in his large hand, starting with the chapters he had read a hundred times already. That was usually easier.
If anyone had asked her what she'd expected to find when she pushed the door open and wandered into the master bedroom, it wouldn't have been this.
Lucas. Reading. In a hot tub.
She hadn't bothered knocking. He didn't seem into the idea when he barged in on her, so Gracie had decided to return the favour. She wasn't exactly sure why she'd come in - something in the back of her mind vaguely said 'to pick a fight,' but the sight of him like that had effectively driven pretty much any coherent plan out of her mind.
She didn't like bathrooms, she reflected, as she looked at the transition from carpet to tiles. They were always wet and steamy and not as easy to grip to, and it made her feel odd.
"Uh..."
Oh, yeah, fantastic start.
"I probably shouldn't... Um..."
She was curled around the doorframe, leaning up against it to peek in at him.
This was a Bad Idea.
"I'll come back later."
She didn't move, though.
Lucas looked up. He just glared at her beneath his eyebrows for a moment, unsure what she wanted him to say. She was crafty. For all he knew she was wanting to lull him so she could get close enough to sink those teeth into him.
Then why was he thinking of pulling her in the water with him, clothed or not?
"What."
Her toes curled uncomfortably into the carpet.
Yeah. Bad idea.
"No, um, don't worry about it."
One hand came up to scratch her head rather vaguely.
"I shouldn't have... I'm sorry, just..."
God, what the hell have you done to mess up my head like this?
"Yeah, I'll go."
One last look at him, her expression somewhere between irritated and upset, and Gracie turned to leave.
"Well don't just show up to leave again," he said irritably. "Have the good taste to bring me my cigarettes." There was a sense of humor in his jibe, as always mixing meanings. He was only partially aware how confusing that could be.
Turning back to him, her inner conflict over which emotion should be dominant showing as only a faint displeasure, Gracie shrugged.
Peering around the room, she spotted them on the counter - which was good, 'cause she didn't particularly want to go rooting around in his pants to find them. A slightly hesitant step over the threshold brought that usual feeling of uneasiness about the slick tiles, but she tried not to let it bother her as she walked over and grabbed them.
She didn't actually have to try to stay focused on his face, which was definitely a good thing in her mind. Kneeling next to the tub, she leant her elbow on the edge and held them out to him, one hand extending out over the water.
Part of her wanted to say 'I'm not your fucking serving wench.' The other part didn't know what to say, so she just shrugged and said, "Here."
"Thanks." He lit a cigarette and set them aside, looking at her.
"How's those blue balls doing." He smirked. Lucas still wasn't sure what her problem was... so he didn't want to fuck her after getting interrupted by the neighbors. She could be so... bitchy.
But she was beautiful, and that was distracting. It shouldn't have been. He'd fucked plenty of beautiful women. Maybe he needed just to get it out of his system. Maybe he should just tick her off so that she'd go away and he wouldn't have to think about her anymore.
At least it would be easier not to, anyway.
She just looked at him, sitting back on her heels and bringing her hand back to rest on the edge of the tub.
What was with them and water?
"You're a real asshole sometimes, you know that?"
And yet here she was, leaning on the edge of the tub and making no move to leave. It pissed her off that she couldn't seem to - what was so fucking special about Lucas James that she couldn't just tell him to fuck off and then ignore him like everyone else?
Yeah, they had to share space, but it wasn't like they were all crammed into a single room or anything.
Shaking her head, Gracie looked down at her hands and sighed.
"You're fucking with my head, Lucas."
Does that make you happy?
Lucas blinked, looking at her with a wholly new expression. For a long time he just watched her, a frown slowly growing on his face.
He wasn't sure how to react. No one had ever said anything like it, not to his face. Then again Gracie did a lot of things no one ever had.
"I might be an asshole," he stopped himself from using her name even if that was how he thought of her. "-but I don't fuck with people's heads. Where'd you get an idea like that." It was definitely a condescending tone of voice, but one of those man-making-an-effort sorts that came off more like a brother or a father. Lucas wasn't aware he sounded like he cared. If he had, he might not have spoken in the first place.
"From the fact that my head has been undeniably fucked since you knocked down the door of the motel."
She didn't like the tone that was in her voice. It was less matter of fact than she'd intended, and a lot more tense.
More than that, Gracie didn't like where this was headed.
She didn't want to know how she felt about him. Maybe it was actually a good thing that he was such an asshole to her - it stopped her from settling on one feeling and feeding it. She didn't like the idea of needing someone - and more than anything, the idea of needing him.
Taking a long drag, he carefully considered how to react. It certainly wasn't going to start with looking at her anymore. He fixed his eyes on the distant wall.
Sure, he was getting feelings for her. Lucas was a little more attached a little quicker than he felt comfortable with. But to hear that she was feeling the same... both the good and the bad... it was somehow comforting.
Could they possibly bond on the fact that they resented crushing on each other. The though made him smirk.
Not saying anything, he let his book drop to the floor and switched hands with his cigarette. Lucas set his hand over the one Gracie had gripped to the tub's edge.
The contact wasn't particularly comforting to her.
Gracie found herself focusing on the glow at the end of his cigarette and for just a moment, she wished that she was like Sparky and could burn him to a crisp with a thought.
He was an asshole, and he did fuck with her head, and she didn't want to like him or to crave the contact. She really didn't want to start talking about her feelings like some little... girl, even though that was what she was. So they said, anyway.
"I really should... go."
She looked down at his hand, resting over hers. She felt so pathetic, not making any move just because of that. But she couldn't seem to help it.
"Yeah. Yah should." He lifted himself half out of the tub on his elbow while pulling her towards him by her shirt. Kissing her lips, he sat back down again.
"If you want to chalk it up to me playing games, fucking go ahead. But I'm not the one throwing fits because we didn't fuck in front of an audience. You're a cool chick but I'm not gonna chase you around a table. So mellow the fuck out, huh?" He frowned.
"I'm not the one that bites." He frowned and took a long drag.
She felt betrayed by how much she enjoyed the kiss, and even more by how much she wished she didn't have her fanglets so she could kiss him the way she really wanted to.
They were a part of her. They defined her. She wasn't going to give that up for a guy, and especially not one like this.
Gracie refused to let herself latch onto the compliment wrapped in all the rest of it.
Fucking will bite soon.
"I'm not asking you to chase me, Lucas. Fuck! You just keep... Fuck, you want me, you don't, you want me, you don't. Make up your fucking mind, that's all I want. Then I'll at least know how to feel."
She could have sworn she's promised herself not to talk about feelings.
Lucas looked at her like she was crazy.
"Are you a head case or what. Since when does not nailing a person mean you don't want them. For christ's sake." He made a face, shaking his head. He rested it back on the edge of the bathtub and looked up.
Truth was, he was glad for the swirling, bubbling water. Even talking to her got him into a state, and it was driving him mad.
Closing his eyes, he gritted his teeth for a moment until he could calm down. "I think... that you just want to get me following you around like a puppy. I'm not that kind of guy."
"I just fucking said that I didn't want that."
This time it was her turn to grit her teeth 'til she calmed down. Of course, her teeth were probably more dangerous than his, and right now Gracie really wanted to sink them into his neck.
"Whatever, Lucas. Think whatever the fuck you want."
Shaking her head, she pushed herself up and walked back towards her own room. She didn't slam the door, didn't even lock it, but the frustration didn't leave her face as she climbed into her web-hammock. Partly because she'd just walked away to avoid a fight.
Gracie never did that. What the fuck was he doing to her head?
It took a few minutes, but he did come after her. Still wet, jeans pulled on with some difficulty, he almost kicked the door open, but just barely managed to restrain himself.
Opening it, he closed it behind him, and crossed the room to her. Grabbing the wrist that dangled from the strange hammock, he jerked her out of it. As she tumbled to her knees, he towered over her, her wrist still in his large hand.
Luke's voice was dangerously calm and low in the quiet corner of the house. "Listen, you little bitch. You wanted me to come after you, so here I am. No one plays games with me and gets away with it." His hand tightened on her wrist and leaned over her a bit, glaring down at her.
"But you have. Why? If you don't see it, you're dumber than I thought."
He knew she could bite him at any moment. He also knew she wouldn't unless she wanted his reaction. Throwing her own arm back at her, he seethed, unable to move lest he break something on his way back out the door.
The glare that she directed up at him was dangerous. So was the slight parting of her lips that showed her teeth.
"I didn't want you to come after me Lucas, fuck!"
What she really wanted to do was tell him to get the fuck out, that she hadn't wanted this and she didn't want him to resent her for it, but apparently it was too late for that.
Standing slowly, the glare didn't dissipate. If anything, it got worse.
"Why? I don't fucking know why, Lucas! I don't fucking know why I like you, either, but I can't seem to do shit about that. Deal with your own fucking head issues, all I wanted to do was think."
As she finished ranting, Gracie did something very stupid. In her anger, her frustration over not being able to control her feelings about him, it was all she could do not to bite him right then and there. Instead, she brought both hands up and pushed him. Whether it was to pick a fight or actually try to get him to leave, she couldn't really tell.
It didn't do a great deal of good, as Lucas hardly moved when she pushed him, but it wasn't the impact on his body that made him close his eyes.
His head bowed a bit and he kept them closed, frowning with an expression that would have been difficult to read mostly because one would have found the emotions behind it hard to believe.
"Gracie." Lucas whispered. And he prayed it wouldn't make her more angry. If she struck him again, he wasn't sure he'd be able to control himself.
Using that name wasn't the best way to get her to calm down.
At least she managed to keep her voice to a reasonable volume.
Raising one hand, she pounded against his chest to punctuate each word.
"Don't. Fucking. Call. Me. That!"
Lucas sunk to one knee, withdrawing into himself in the supreme effort not to hurt her. The anger coursing through him would kill her the moment he touched her. When he breathed in, it sounded like a painful gasp.
On the last word, he lifted his hand and caught her fist, trying as hard as he could not to push back and reverse the impact, thereby shattering her hand. Closing his fingers around her hand, he held it firmly, opening his eyes.
"I'm sorry then." Did she realize how rarely he said those words? That he hadn't really recalled using them since he'd more or less been forced to in school, or to the juvee counselors, or his mother?
He had no idea what he was going to do. This wasn't his house to destroy or already the whole thing would have come down around them. Lucas was also very aware of the two powerful mutants downstairs. This whole thing had gotten out of hand, in more ways than one.
She wished he had gotten angry, that he had done something that she could make herself hate him over or something that at least fed the fires of her anger more. Looking down at him like that, though, her fist clutched in his hand and his words ringing in her ears, all she felt was... guilt, and hurt, and like she was an immature child.
Biting the inside of her lip, fanglets piercing through to draw blood, Gracie shook her head.
"I wish you hadn't done that."
Sinking to her knees, her free arm slid up around his neck, and she pulled him to her for a kiss.