First date [A Reclucas log]

[recluse]

[Editors note: You know the drill, kids. Foul language galore.]

Having left them in the hotel for an hour or so, Lucas ran down to the local department store and grabbed a few new black tshirts. He hoped wherever they were going had a laundromat but for now, this was going to have to do. Pulling the shirt over himself, he admired his muscles through the fabric. It wasn't like him to be vain, but then, he'd never had anyone he wanted to look good for.

Driving back, he parked across the street rather than giving the keys to the valet, just in case they needed to make a quick split. Sliding his key through the slot, he walked into his room, and nudged the dufflebag between the bed and the nightstand. Man, he hoped he wouldn't have to leave that here. He'd be in more trouble than Pyro if he did.

Sitting on the end of the bed, he turned on the tv and lit a cigarette, waiting for Gracie to be done talking to Dom in the other room.

She hadn't realised that he was back, so when Gracie walked back into her room - no, their room, and god she felt pathetic for wanting to smile at that thought - five minutes later, she was surprised to see Lucas sitting there watching TV.

"You been here long?" Smiling, she sat down next to him and resisted the urge to flop back with a sigh of delight.

Well, it was a real bed. She'd been getting sick of the floor.

"Nah. But you can't hardly smoke anywhere in this god damned city anymore so I figured I'd not pollute Dom's room just yet." He set his hand on her thigh, patting her a bit.

"So, do I get to take you out tonight?" He didn't turn to look back at her, taking a long drag and ashing into the ashtray on his knee.

"Mmmm, that was the plan, wasn't it?" She was so curious about where'd he take her.

For a moment, Gracie found herself wondering if this was going to be like a date. Seemed doubtful - Lucas really didn't seem like the kind of guy to do the dating thing.

God, get your head together.

"Just have to put some shoes on, I guess." She chewed the inside of cheek for a moment, wondering if her checkered pants and wifebeater combination was going to work wherever they were going, then decided that she didn't care. Lucas could hardly expect her to dress up, even if she had considered it. Still, she only had all of two 'nice' things to wear - and they were both dresses. He'd probably fall over laughing at the idea.

"Where you taking me?"

"Figured we'd go out and get somethin' to eat. I know this place on ninth has the best soul food you could ever imagine. I'm dying for something deep fried and smothered in hot sauce." He smirked.

"Then I figured there's this band at the Stone Pony I want to go see before we go. Friends of mine. It's old stomping grounds but I figured you wouldn't mind, it's not far from that shit I hear you singing in the shower." Lucas grinned, wondering if she'd intended for him to hear her belting out those Distillers tunes, or know that he'd recognize any of them.

"One more stop after that if we can still stand. Deal?"

"Sounds like a good plan to me."

Kinda sounds like a date, too. She pushed that thought back and smiled again, standing up to rummage for her shoes. The fact that she actually had to look made sense only because of her mutation, and eventually she found one shoved in her duffle bag and the other half-under the bed.

Yeah, somehow she'd already managed to spread her crap out all over the place. Well, she'd had a shower while he was gone, and changed, and it had taken a while to find her eyeliner - apparently it had worked its way to the very bottom of her bag. She quickly shoved a bit of black cherry-print fabric back into her bag before he saw it, straightening up and slipping her shoes on.

"You sure you want to show me off to your friends?" Patting her pockets, and satisfying herself that she had everything - in fact, 'everything' was only her wallet, Gracie didn't tend to carry much around - she nodded to herself. It was an innocent question - Lucas had his reputation to consider, after all.

He grinned, chuckling and shaking his head. "Bet your ass I do. Not sure how much I'll do though, wouldn't want to have to kick any ass tonight. You know, with the lady around and all." He winked at her, knowing full well Gracie could hold her own. God, he'd almost pay to watch her fight some dickwaste drunk at the club.

Standing up, he rolled his neck and walked to the porch, looking out over the city. Damn they were high up. They really managed to get a good room. Thank god for armored cars.

"You ready to go?"

She rolled her eyes in amusement, wandering over to stand next to him. New York - there was nowhere else like it. Gracie was going to miss it, but the time had come to move on.

"Mmm hmm. Lead the way." Before he could, though, she grabbed his arm and stole a quick kiss.

Pulling her into his arms, he grabbed her ass with both hands and broke the kiss just to take a bite of her neck. Man sometimes he wished he could just kiss the hell out of her. But then, something about that made it a big tease.

His fingers raked up her back and he grabbed her shirt in both fists, mock-growling and walking them back to the bed. Picking her up and tossing her onto it, he climbed over her and grinned, grabbing her hands and pinning them over her head.

"You make it hard for a man to take you out, you know that?"

"Oh, I'm sorry." She did her very best to look innocent, but Gracie was far too amused to pull it off. For a moment, she just lay there under him, looking up into his eyes. Then she grinned, her fangs showing a little, and wrapped her legs around his waist to pull him down for another kiss.

"Come on then. You can tear my clothes off later." Then she remembered what pants she was wearing.

"Well, you can tear my shirt off." Hopefully he didn't take that as a challenge, 'cause she really did like these pants. They were comfy and worn in and she loved the print, and Gracie only had the one pair.

[recluse]

As they entered the tiny restaurant, the air thick with grease and butter, dimmed by some vague smoky haze and lights that hadn't been changed since the seventies, Lucas set his hand on the small of her back. She had incredible curves, and it wasn't entirely his fault if he was perpetually distracted by them. The older woman behind the counter yelled for them to 'jes take'a seat where you wan', babies' and as he found them a table near the back, he pulled out her chair before sitting in his own.

Lucas set his cigarettes and lighter on the table before picking up the single page laminated menu. "Damn. I could eat the town empty tonight. Not sure why I'm so fucking hungry."

As she picked up a menu for herself, Gracie smiled in amusement.

"I can probably think of a couple of reasons." She was still a bit surprised at the chair thing - Lucas didn't exactly come across as the gentlemanly type, after all. But it was appreciated, even if she would have decked anyone else that tried doing that kind of thing with her.

"So what's good here? They got a specialty that I have to try or anything?"

"The chicken fried steak is what I always get, but the fish is pretty good too. Everything comes with collard greens and rice anyway."

Watching her look over the menu, he smiled to himself as he set down his and lit a cigarette. Something about having her here made him feel different than he ever had. It was amusing, entertaining even. Fun, maybe. He'd never really had friends before.

"Well, I'll get the fish and steal some of yours, then." It didn't take her long to decide, and she put the menu down to see him looking at her with - surprise, surprise - a cigarette already lit.

Gracie wondered how many girls he'd brought here before. Wondered how many girls he'd actually taken out before, not just fucked and then fucked off.

Well, he did have a reputation.

"What time's the band start?" Under the table, Gracie slipped her shoes off and rested her now-bare toes on the top of his shoes.

He shrugged. "Figure about nine oclock. We got time to sit here til we feel like leaving, then head out there. Shouldn't take much more than a half hour to get there." He flexed his back a bit, sore from the bed. He just wasn't used to sleeping on anything so soft.

Or with anyone so soft, for that matter. He'd hardly slept at all with her nestled up against him like that. Lucas almost groaned just thinking about it.

"Why?"

It was Gracie's turn to shrug.

"Just wondered." She was still getting used to just making conversation with him - it was so much easier with someone like Dom, who she'd known for years and had already figured out his limits. It was hard, since she and Lucas seemed to be fighting half the time, to know what was going to go down well and what wasn't.

"So you been listening to me in the shower, huh?" Gracie liked her voice - it was low and husky and even though she probably sounded like a gravel truck half the time, she managed to do it in tune. It wasn't exactly the kind of voice that would win her any prizes, but she didn't let that stop her.

He grinned, chuckling and looking down. "Uh... yeah. You sound great. You should sing, you know that? You sound just like that chick."

"Maybe you can start up a Brotherhood band." He teased, ashing his cigarette.

She burst out laughing. "Could you imagine our concerts? It'd be like that scene in the Blues Brothers, with everyone waiting for them..." Except the cops would storm the stage for them, and it wouldn't be nazis, it'd be anti-mutant protestors.

Gracie shook her head with an amused smile.

"Didn't know that you knew the Distillers. They're great, but not exactly well known."

"S'lot you don't know about me, girl." He nodded at the waiter and ordered, waiting until she was done ordering before speaking again.

"Used to know a kid that was into all that kinds of stuff. He was staying at a halfway house and he let me crash there for a few days. Apparently it was on the condition that he played me every CD he had in his backpack. Which was quite a few."

"Bitch is pretty hot, she can write a song. I'm not a huge fan of music but what I do like is hard and fast. Though I've dug some blues every now and then. Southern style, texas guitar is nice too. Like I said though, I haven't heard all that much. Not in my price range to pick up an ipod, know what I mean?"

She got a little distracted by the phrase 'what I do like is hard and fast' coming out of his mouth, but managed to concentrate again by the end of it.

"Yeah, and it'd only get stolen anyway no doubt." Gracie had one - it had been a bribe from her mother, to try to get her to behave. It hadn't worked.

"When's your birthday?" Wait, that wasn't what she'd been meaning to say.

He raised his eyebrows a bit. "November 3rd. I'm a Scorpio." He smirked good naturedly.

"Surprised I remember at this point, just haven't had a lot of reasons to remember. What about you?"

"Seventh of April. Aries." She didn't put much stock in horoscopes, but everyone knew their star sign. It was just the way of it.

It made her feel young to say it, since her birthday hadn't actually been that long ago. Her mom had made a big fuss of it, even though Gracie had just wanted to hide away and ignore it.

"You've been on your own for a long time, haven't you? I mean, away from family and everything." She'd always thought of the boys as her real family. Only Dom was left now, though.

Gracie was asking a lot of questions. As if now that they'd fucked a few times and had some time alone, she wanted a chance to crack into his head. Women always started that bullshit, as if he wasn't good enough on the outside, they had to control the inside too.

Oddly enough with Gracie he didn't mind. Even enjoyed it a little. God she was making him soft.

"Fourteen," he said. "At least officially. My mother was pretty much a waste of time. But she decided to give me to the state when I was fourteen. Didn't want to go to a foster home, so I split." He nodded.

"Where'd you go? You said you never did the group thing, must have been hard on your own."

She shifted her feet under the table so that her legs were resting against his. It had felt strange, sitting so close to him without actually touching.

God, what the hell was wrong with her? She hated clingy chicks that always had to be hanging off you, had never been one before. If anything, she'd always been a little standoffish about physical contact.

In response, he reached out a hand and ran it along her arm as it sat on the table between them.

"Started by fighting a lot. Stayed with a chick named Paradise for a while, she was a prostitute, a little older, had her own place and no daddy. But she got tired of me after a bit. Went back on the street, spent some more time fighting." He smirked, the sort of wistful rememberance so common to their kind, the kind that was faintly admiring so as not to be completely horrified by their own past.

"Took a long time for the gangs to leave me the hell alone. Then I got in good with Barbosa, bounced a couple of his clubs. He wanted me to do more, but I didn't want to get tangled in that bullshit. Had to take care of a couple of his guys before we called a truce." He took a long drag of his cigarette, realizing he was rambling, and looked at her a second before continuing behind a shield of exhaled smoke.

"Guess I just survived from there. Helped the kids when the mutant gangs started up. Beat some roughies down when they needed a heavy. Learned where the good squats were. Circled the drain."

He'd never really thought about his life in succinct, linear terms. Somehow in this moment it depressed him. What had he done with his life? What more could have been expected of him.

"Gonna miss New York girl." He lifted his eyes from the table back to hers.

"Yeah, me too. Been here all my life." She shrugged lightly. It hadn't always been sunshine and happiness, but it was home, and she was a bit worried about what would happen with the Brotherhood.

Still, there was that saying about home being where the heart is, wasn't there? She had Dom, and Lucas, and she'd be with Sparks again - and no doubt all sorts of others. Wouldn't be the old gang, but it could still be home one day. That was why she didn't care where the Brotherhood was - the where wasn't important, it was the who. Gracie smiled, squeezing Lucas' leg between hers for a moment.

Before she could say anything, though, they were being addressed by the same woman who had greeted them as they walked in.

She didn't know whether to be disappointed or relieved.

Head. Together. Or something. Jesus.

Some thought passed over Gracie's face. Whatever it was led to a smile, and he returned it. Then the woman came over, carrying their plates. She set them in front of them.

"Well god'amn Luke honey, been a long time since you been ta my place. What's had you 'way so long?" She gestured to Gracie as if the reason was obvious. "You been multiplyin' I see. Hey honey name's Lucy. How you doin baby. You need another drink sweetheart I can getcha both 'nother round if you wan'."

Lucas gave Lucy a lazy half smile, one of those killer ones that gave him the reputation he had with women. "This is Gracie, Loos."

Lucy laughed and patted Gracie's shoulder. "Well you musta done somethin' right honeygirl 'cause ain't Lucas brought a soul in here before. Says he's 'fraid they gonna eat up his share'a the greens. Ha!"

Wow. So much all at once, all Gracie could do was smile and look slightly embarrassed.

"It's nice to meet you." It took a moment to register that he'd just introduced her as Gracie to a complete stranger, and she felt a flicker of annoyance. Yeah, she didn't mind him calling her that - liked it, even - and didn't mind Dom calling her that when they were on their own, but the way things were going, everyone was going to think they could.

So. He didn't bring girls here? She didn't really know how to feel about that, but settled on smiling - hopefully not the kind that would make her look like a complete idiot.

"Don't think it's the greens he's got to worry about." Both their meals looked fantastic - she fully intended on stealing some of his to have a taste.

Lucy laughed and waggled a finger at them both. "I like this one, Luke baby." Wandering off to get them drinks, Lucas sighed happily and shook his head at his plate.

"God damn. I bet it's going to be way too long until I get soul food again. Unless of course we end up in the South." Picking up his fork and knife, he cut into his steak.

"Yours looking okay there?"

"Looks awesome." The forkful that she tasted carefully proved that her eyes were doing just fine, and she nodded her approval.

"Yeah, s'really good. You planning on giving me a taste?" She gestured to his plate with her knife, but took another mouthful of fish while she waited for his answer.

"You know, I can't see the south as the best place for a bunch... like us, but I could be wrong. Go where they least expect you or something." Gracie was looking forward to getting wherever the hell it was that the Brotherhood was at, mainly because she was desperately curious about it. Being settled in one place for a while sounded good, though, and not having to be careful what she said in front of who.

"So what do you know about the place? Are we all alone, or somewhere in a town? Do you know?" He offered a bite out on his fork to her and it made him think of that movie with the two dogs and the plate of spaghetti he saw once at a shelter. Hey, they played what videotapes they had.

He hoped it was somewhere far away from everything, but then he wondered if he could handle the quiet. Lucas liked to be alone, but in New York City, you were rarely completely alone, so he wondered if he even knew what 'alone' was.

With a small smile, Gracie leant forward to take the bite he was offering and nodded her appreciation.

"Mmm, that's good. But yeah, I'm really not sure. Sparks - Pyro'll tell us tomorrow, I'm sure. I'm so curious. Wonder if it would be in a town - can't see some of them fitting in real well." Juggernaut didn't exactly blend in with a crowd, after all, and Pyro was the FBI's Most Wanted. She was a bit surprised that he was meeting them himself. For all she knew, though, the Brotherhood could have been stationed somewhere in New York. That would have been nice - she really did love the city - but Gracie had a feeling it was somewhere isolated.

"Wherever it is, it'll be good to get settled in one place for a while. Kinda got used to it." It was good, knowing where you were going to sleep every night. Not to mention having a real bed - as much as she was enjoying the meal, Gracie was looking forward to getting back to the hotel room. Not 'cause she was sleepy, either.

He shrugged, half his plate gone in minutes.

"I don't know. If it's out in the middle of nowhere, s'gonna be quiet. Maybe too quiet. But you'd think Pyro'd be uptight about that sort of thing too, ya know? Once you got the street in your blood and all." He smirked at his own lyrical words. Dom was rubbing off on him he guessed.

"Wonder what we'll end up doin' with them. I guess I'm kinda obvious. Smashing things and pounding on people. What about you? Gonna be our mission impossible girl?" He winked.

"No idea - I'm pretty good at breaking into houses and shit, but I think they tend to go after places with a bit more security, you know?" NovaTex Baltimore, Alcatraz, Alkali Lake... They weren't exactly your standard apartment building.

"Guess we'll see, though, I'm sure there'll be something I can help with." If nothing else, she could fight.

Turning her attention back to her plate, Gracie got through her own meal quickly enough. It was good - she didn't want to finish, but at the same time she didn't really want to eat super slowly and 'savour' it or whatever her mom had always tried to get her to do.

"Damn, I wish I'd found this place sooner." She couldn't help but wonder if things would have ended up completely different had they met under different circumstances.

Lucas smirked, though he was delighted. She liked the place. Somehow, it was like someone complimenting your house on their first visit.

He nodded to Lucy when she brought them their drinks, and finished up his meal, lighting a cigarette.

"So you gotta tell me. And you gotta promise not to be all fucking girly about it 'cause I'm not trying to call you a slut. But how many people you been with, ya think?"

Yeah it was a risky question. Fortunately they were virtually alone in the restaurant, and he was shitty at making conversation. Maybe he just wanted to know, right?

One eyebrow raised for a moment as Gracie considered the question.

"Been with like fucked, or been with like dated?" She had a quick drink while she tried to tally it in her head, but Gracie hadn't exactly kept a precise count.

"'Cause I don't really keep count for the first, but like six for the second." Not counting him. Since one dinner together did not count as dating.

She probably could have started counting people out on her fingers, but didn't really feel like dredging up every person she'd slept with since the age of fifteen when she'd started. Not to mention the whole 'do you count chicks' question, because some guys had this thing about it only counting if there was a penis involved somehow.

"Why?"

Lucas shrugged. "Just curious. No real reason." He sort of smiled. "Lot of girls like you end up on the wrong side of that equation. Takin it for money and all." He shook his head as if it was sad. Well it was, in a way. "Always kind of admired the girls that didn't."

"Say. You bout ready to get out of here?" So maybe he wanted to get her to the club, where it would be crowded and he could put his arm around her without having to find some gay reason for it. So?

Her eyebrows raised again, but she decided against asking him just what the hell he meant by 'girls like you'. Besides, Gracie wasn't entirely innocent. Yeah, she'd never fucked anyone for money, but if it had meant a safe place to sleep for the night she'd certainly been less picky. Still, the number was less than it could have been, even with her rebellious stage at 15 in the equation. She'd brought home a lot of people - mainly girls back then. It had amused her to see her mom's reaction.

"Yeah, if you like." Drawing her legs back underneath her own chair, Gracie found her shoes and slipped them back on. Being barefoot was so much more comfortable for her, but it wasn't always safe.

He cracked a grin. "If I like? Really. You going soft on me, woman?" Lucas chuckled.

Damn if she wasn't beautiful. Half the time he was lucky he could form a coherent thought.

"Well, it's nice here. I'd be happy to sit here all night."

Her mouth curled into a suggestive smile.

"Well, maybe not all night."

Leaning her elbows on the table, her chin propped up in her hands, Gracie smiled across at him.

Lucas grunted a bit as he leaned in on his elbows, meeting her gaze with one of his own. "Mmm… just amazing." He shook his head a little. "Don't let that go to your head." He winked, and leaned in to kiss her lips briefly.

"If you'd rather, we can stay right here til you're ready to go back. No skin off my nose. Figured you were supposed to do dinner and a show on a date, or whatever." He grinned.

"Is that what this is, Lucas James?" Her smile was warm, but slightly amused - she hadn't figured he'd actually come out and say that. If, indeed, he even considered this a date - Gracie hadn't been sure.

"Well, if that's the case... Let's get going. Go see our show... and then you can take me home." He'd mentioned a third stop, if they were up for it, but hadn't actually specified what that was going to be. She wondered if that was still going to happen, or if she'd manage to drive him to distraction before they could make it that far.

"Damn right." He stood up, walking to the counter and leaning over to talk to Lucy. He handed her a few bills and she kissed him on the cheek. He smirked, and walked back to Gracie, putting an arm around her waste.

As they walked out Lucy called to them through the order window. "Gracie girl you be takin care of my Lucas while you got'im away to got-knows-where! Be good kids!"

Lucas chuckled and soon they were out into the early evening air. Walking to the car, he looked at her with a subtle smile on his face.

"Damn right."

Damn, but it felt good being held close like that. Maybe even more so because he was actually taking her out in public and doing it - she really hadn't expected that he'd be the publicly affectionate type. It kinda felt good to be on a date with him, too, even though this was likely the only one they'd get for a while since they were heading out to who knows where the next day.

As they approached the car, she took a moment to pull him close with a fistful of t-shirt, planting a soft kiss on his lips.

"So... On to the show, then?" Her eyes were on his lips as she murmured the words - Gracie's mind wasn't exactly focused on music right at that moment.

Lucas took a heaving breath, holding her close to him, a hand pressed to the curve of her back. "We'll give it a shot anyway," he said a little breathlessly.

The drive to the club didn't take long, time which he spent chain smoking and trying to think of how much time he could legitimately spend at the club without making it obvious how bad he wanted to get her out of there and to their third destination. Either that or some way to make both happen at the same time.

Pulling into an alleyway he waited for her on the sidewalk, cracking his neck as he pulled his arms back.

"Small cars are a pain." He looked her over for a moment, then walked into the place.

The music was already going, hard and fast, just like he said. He nodded to the guy taking money at the counter and he nodded back, ignoring them both. Apparently Lucas had a –few- friends, at least.

As they walked into the club, with music going that she didn't recognise but nodded appreciatively at, Gracie reached out to slip her hand into his. Yeah, it was probably totally lame, but she didn't want to lose track of him. At least, that was her excuse, and she was sticking with it.

She leant over to speak in his ear.

"Sounds good. Thanks, you know, for bringing me here." Yeah, that was probably lame too, but she was thanking him for more than just the dinner and the music.

He looked down at their hands, frowning a little. Holding hands like little kids? What was this, junior high? Fuck. He knew it was only going to be a matter of time before Gracie went all girly on him. Were women all the fucking same or what?

Lucas squeezed her hand back anyway, smiling to himself suddenly. Something inside him said, fuck it.

Nodding his head to the music, he worked them over to the bar and got them both a beer. With his fingers still entwined with hers he pulled that hand behind her back and held her close, feeling the energy of the people jumping around to the music, the excitement of it like some other world they were watching from the outside.

Looking down at her during a particularly drawn out and rowdy song, the lights playing over her pale skin, he wondered about the night. He'd had a different image in his head about how this was going to go. It seemed since they'd had a chance to be alone without fighting or tension or that strange uncomfortable silence, they were clinging to one another. He didn't know what was happening and at some point, had ceased caring.

It had the same destructive, reckless, free feeling he'd had when he first took off for the streets. Survival by your wits, no idea what you were doing, no clue if tomorrow you'd bite it. Swallowing down his beer, he waited for her to finish hers before throwing them both in a nearby garbage can.

Leaning down, he spoke in his low grumble into her ear. "Come with me." Taking her hand, he weaved quickly through the crowd.

Beer was good. Beer made her feel slightly less lame for grabbing his hand, though the fact that he'd squeezed back and hadn't let go was also a good thing.

Still, when he started weaving through the crowd, the beer gone and no longer a buffer over the girliness that had apparently overtaken her, Gracie started to wonder what exactly she was doing.

This was one of his places, where he knew people and had respect - obviously, as shown by the guy at the door waving them through. Yeah, they were taking off - but there was no guarantee that the Brotherhood thing would last forever, she didn't want to fuck things up for him.

She didn't let go of his hand, though.

Stepping through a doorway with her into the nearly pitch black of backstage, only a few red lightbulbs overhead lighting the way, he said he to someone as they passed, a random few people lingering back stage with drinks. The pounding rhythm of the band was quieter back here on the wrong side of the amps, and he leaned over to a guy at the sound control for a second, talking in his ear. The guy nodded, and Lucas kept on to the other side of the backstage area, opening a small door and pulling her to him. Pushing her in first, he closed the door behind them just as she realized how small the supply closet really was.

He was on her within seconds, nearly lifting her off her feet as his mouth went for that favorite spot they shared, her neck. If she thought he could hold her tightly, she hadn't seen anything yet, as he pressed her back against the wall with one hand between her legs and another on her chest.

Oh, sweet fucking christ.

She bit the inside of her lip, hard, and slid her arms up around his neck, fingers twining into his hair as well as she could manage with its length.

The thought crossed her mind that they had a perfectly good bed to go home to, but was gone just as quickly. One thought that did stick with her was that he'd better not tear off her pants - firstly, because they were her favourite pants, and secondly, because she wasn't about to walk back out half naked.

"Oh, fuck me," Gracie whispered, leaning against the wall.

"Weren't we supposed to finish the date first?" Somehow, even though she was already well on the way to incoherence, she still managed to tease.

Lifting his head, he laughed roughly and pressed his own back to the opposite wall, leaving just enough room to turn her around. God he loved the different in size between them. It wasn't that she was particularly small; most women no matter their height were tiny by comparison to him.

Tugging on the front of her pants, he whispered in her ear. "Undo them." Biting teasingly on her neck, he groaned, pressing the length of his body against her, one arm again snaking around her waist.

"Fuck. Gracie. You make me crazy. How do you expect a guy to wait?" She could feel him grin against her skin.

Raising her eyebrows, Gracie wondered for a moment what he'd do if she said no. Fuck, she wanted him just as bad, though, so she only hesitated for a moment before she started unbuttoning. It almost made her wish she had worn a dress.

"Well, most of the time... There isn't a handy little supply closet."

[recluse]

Taking a second to put himself back in his clothes, he awkwardly helped her with hers, chuckling. "Didn't really think this one through. Fuck, all that beer made me have to piss. You want to meet me outside?" He kissed the sweat of her neck, his mind reeling.

"Outside outside?" God, she couldn't seem to process thoughts at anything that approached normal speeds, and she brought one hand up to push hair off her forehead, taking a few deep breaths and smiling almost lazily.

"Yeah, just... give me a few." She held him to her with one arm, squeezing for just a moment and then letting him go. Her hands returned to her buttons and fumbled with them for a while, until finally she could lean back against the wall and just catch her breath for a moment. She decided that she was going to get her turn later, and her mind immediately started contemplating the possibilities.

"God damn." Both hands twined into her hair, Gracie just stood there with her eyes closed for a couple of minutes. When she finally did emerge, her hair was dishevelled and her cheeks were still flushed - if there had been any doubt about what they were doing in there (which she really couldn't imagine considering who she'd been in there with and where she was), it was pretty obvious now. All she could do was give the sound guy a smile before she went to find Lucas.

Standing outside, his hair spiked a bit from having stuck his head under the sink, water now dripping over the shoulders of his tight black tshirt, he grinned with a cigarette in his teeth as she left the club and stepped out onto the busy sidewalk.

Taking the cigarette out of her mouth, he took her hand and kissed her knuckles, looking down at her with a wry grin. "It's about enough to make ya sick, isn't it?" He winked at her and put his arm around her shoulders as they walked back to the car.

"Well... I had one more place to go tonight. What do you think. Like heights?"

Leaning into him, Gracie smiled, and it was obvious in her voice.

"Who're you talking to? I wouldn't be a very good Spider-Girl if I was afraid of heights, would I."

Heights really didn't bother her, unless she had nowhere to get a good handhold or anchor herself with web. Even then... As long as she could keep moving and didn't try to rely on her urticating hairs for too long, Gracie was fine. She hadn't fallen off something in years.

"Yeah? Killer."

They drove out to the Manhattan bridge, and he turned off the car. Giving her a sly look, he got out of the car and made sure both their doors were locked before taking her hand and walking onto the bridge with her.

"I knew a guy for a while that got a job with the city. We got this key copied and you know, it's amazing they haven't changed the locks in seven years. But hey, probably takes a lot of red tape."

They got to the center, the giant beam known as Manhattan Tower. Lights trailed stories over their heads in either direction from the suspension cables seemingly linking the island with the mainland.

Stepping to the door, he unlocked it, and looked inside. The flood lights were on, lighting the narrow spiral stairway all the way up.

So. More of the hand holding stuff, and out in public this time - she could deal with that even if she hadn't really been expecting it. Still, Lucas was proving difficult to predict - probably to be expected considering she'd known him all of a couple of days, but whatever. She couldn't help it - he seemed to have gotten under her skin in a way that she couldn't have expected.

"You bring all your girls out here?" Gracie gave him a teasing smile, starting up the spiral staircase. It seemed like unnecessary distance, since she probably could have climbed straight up on the outside, but then, Lucas couldn't.

Lucas snorted a little. "I don't really have girls, Gracie." He didn't sound offended exactly... he understood that within hours of meeting him he'd fucked a stripper and was well known for his relationships with a few lesser-used street girls around the city.

He was beginning to get that tense feeling again, the one that said maybe he'd been too sensitive or too sweet or let too much go. After all, he had held her hand as they walked across the bridge. Was that gay? He wasn't sure. He thought she liked that sort of thing but she'd given him that look...

Fuck it.

Reaching the top after a few minutes, he opened the door onto a miniscule balcony overlooking the whole east side of manhattan island.

There was no doubt what he thought of the view anyway. He didn't even realize he was looking across the city as if he might break out into a musical number at any moment.

"Wow."

It took her a moment to realise that she'd spoken - while she'd been up high plenty of times, there had never been a view quite like this before, and she'd never really taken the time to just enjoy it.

"This is... incredible." Everything was so bright, so beautiful, and Gracie wondered if she'd have appreciated the view quite so much if she'd climbed up the outside.

Maybe. Maybe not. Slipping her arm around his waist, she leaned her head against Lucas' shoulder and smiled as she looked out over the city. Maybe the company helped, too.

He stood there for a long time with her, an arm around her shoulders, large hand slowly running along her arm.

"God damn I'm going to miss this place." He sighed.

"Glad I get to take a piece of it with me, eh?" He kissed the top of her head. Lucas was getting a bit tired of second guessing himself when it came to Gracie "Recluse" Smith. If she didn't like that he was growing attached to her- and he suspected she didn't like it any more than he did- then, well, she'd just have to let him know.

God damn, that was just too sweet. She would have teased the shit out of anyone else for that kind of line, but for some reason it made her want to melt instead of laugh. Going soft.

With a smile that could have been almost embarrassed, she slipped her other arm around him and buried her face in his chest.

"I can think of worse things than leaving New York with you." Gracie's words were muffled, leaning against his chest as she was, the view behind her forgotten. Her hands slipped down into his back pockets, and she tilted her face up for a kiss.

Definitely going soft. Jesus, woman.

Lucas took the liberty of enjoying the look on her face before giving her the kiss she was asking for, running his fingers through her hair a moment before breaking it again.

"Been a crazy two days, hasn't it girl." He put both arms around her almost protectively as they looked out at the view again.

"Figure it either means shit's gonna be more crazy where we're going, or boring as hell and we'll need each other for entertainment." He couldn't help but crack a grin.

"Yeah, I think you're right there." She leaned against him, looking out at the view. Maybe the thought of leaving was making her go all mushy - yeah, that seemed like a good excuse.

"Don't think we'll have any trouble keeping each other entertained, though." Well, the way things had been going... She enjoyed passing the time with Lucas. Whether that meant fucking or fighting or even being horribly cute the way they seemed to be right now.

Lucas laughed. "Yeah well I think Dom's gonna have something to say about it sooner or later. Wonder if we should get some cards or something. I've never really had to pass the time anywhere. Say. What'd those girls do in the hole other than make out and wear tight prison blues?"

He prepared for the incoming shot to the stomach, holding back a chuckle.

Surely enough, the hit he was expecting came. She didn't hold back, either - just cause he was making her go all mushy didn't mean he got any special treatment. She didn't even think about his mutation 'til afterwards, and was glad that things hadn't become unpleasant. Gracie had a feeling she'd break her hand if she hit him when he was angry.

"First of all? None of Dom's fuckin' business. Second of all, there was no making out - but there was this one really hot chick..." One of the prostitutes, but she didn't need to go into detail about that.

"Couldn't really tell you about the long term ones, but most of the girls I was in there with were just standing around waiting to be bailed out. Pretty boring, really." Gracie hadn't been game to entertain herself with her webbing, either - she really hadn't wanted to make her mutation obvious in there just in case. Thankfully, she'd been bailed out soon enough - it had started to get difficult.

"Didn't I find you reading the other day, anyway? That's what my mom does every afternoon, that crappy romance shit. Can't really see you getting into any of that, though." She grinned.

Lucas laughed as she punched him, glad he prepared. He was a tough guy but a sock to the stomach was just that, particularly from a girl like Gracie, who knew how to throw a punch.

"Nah. I don't read that much. Mostly when I don't want to think."

And he didn't want to now, particularly when it made him tense wondering what she was thinking, if he was making an idiot of himself, whether he said to much, and why he was bothering in the first place.

He stopped talking, tangled in his discomfort, just wanting to keep her there next to him and not overthink it too much. But he couldn't help himself. A frown laced itself into his brow.

Lucas laughed as she punched him, glad he prepared. He was a tough guy but a sock to the stomach was just that, particularly from a girl like Gracie, who knew how to throw a punch.

"Nah. I don't read that much. Mostly when I don't want to think."

And he didn't want to now, particularly when it made him tense wondering what she was thinking, if he was making an idiot of himself, whether he said to much, and why he was bothering in the first place.

He stopped talking, tangled in his discomfort, just wanting to keep her there next to him and not overthink it too much. But he couldn't help himself. A frown laced itself into his brow.

She noticed the frown, and she looked at him curiously. Maybe it was mentioning her mom, maybe it was mentioning his book, maybe it was over how sweet the pair of them were being. It was, no doubt, making him feel as weird as her - Gracie had at least had some kind of relationship in the past, even if she'd managed to avoid all the mushy romantic crap with all but one girl. And now him.

"What's up, Luke? You about ready to get out of here?" Two questions - he could choose which to answer. She wasn't going to push to talk about how he feeling - didn't seem like either of them was particularly good at that kind of thing, and Gracie thought they expressed themselves well enough without words anyway.

Lucas looked down at her, and smirked a bit. "If you are." He shrugged, and hugged her a little tighter. "Guess we should likely go take advantage of that hotel room, right? I bet they've got Meatwave. On demand," he teased.

Opening the door and gesturing for her to go first in some exaggerated gallantry that came off almost sarcastic, Lucas followed and their bootsteps echoed on the stairwell.

Her smile was amused - when Gracie thought about 'taking advantage of the hotel room,' television wasn't exactly foremost in her mind.

She moved down the stairwell quickly, reaching out for his hand again when the place was locked up and it came time to cross back over to the car. Yeah, she might have been surprised by him grabbing hers out in the open where anyone could see it before, but that didn't mean that she didn't welcome it and even appreciate the gesture.

Gracie's head confused even her sometimes.

"Thanks, Lucas. I've had a really great night." Well, they were still doing the date thing, weren't they? Wasn't she supposed to thank him and then kiss him on her porch while her dad came out and looked at him suspiciously? Gracie hadn't actually done the dating thing while she was still at home, so she wouldn't have known if that part from the movies was true.

She liked the way her dates ended much better, though.

Luke's face quirked and he grinned, chuckling. "That's… kind of what you're s'posed to say, isn't it." He grabbed her ass lightly before they got back into the car.

Getting back onto the highway towards the hotel, he lit a cigarette. It had been his first in nearly an hour and his knee was bouncing under the steering wheel as he drove.

"Yeah, but it's true anyway."

She wasn't surprised that he lit a cigarette as soon as he could - actually, she was a bit surprised that he hadn't had one while they were standing up on the little balcony looking out over the city.

Gracie chewed the inside of her cheek, feeling almost awkward. There was probably some conversation that she was supposed to make with him on the way back to the hotel, but she was quite happy to sit there in silence and not say something that would fuck things up. They'd had a good night - no fights - and she wanted to keep it that way. You only got to do the first date thing once, after all.