?I try,? he admitted it, soft like it were some kinda thin' tha no one else would be knowin? about even iffin it was somethin? that everybody and their grandma was aware of. The thin' about Mark was even though she were there and they had those discussions, he never took it for granted that they was comin?. In a way, it was sweet, him holdin? his breath and naht goin? on tah bein' conceited. On tha other hand? It spoke tah the discomfort he felt with relationships on account of bein? someone tah use and move on from. Part o? Mark was humble and the other part was jist naht expectin? tha happy endin? tah actually come.

?Oi, verrah well. I?ll place tha order fer food.? He said it like he was threatenin' her only he got a smile on his lips aftah he did sah. With a groan he rolled, positioning himself atop o? her fer another one o? those kisses befer he made himself climb tah his feet. Once he was standin? he were quick tah shed his jacket and t-shirt like they was botherin? his skin.

?Come on, din, little dancer,? his hands was catchin? her?s, givin? a tug.

Just when he had her convinced to get up, he goes and rolls himself right on top of her! Talk about violently unfair. She was too surprised, and too sleepy, to react fast enough, which was just as well for him because otherwise he?d have had a Grace attached to him like a little monkey when he got to his feet. Pretty much all she had time to do was kiss him back, reach for him, and catch the empty air as he stood.

Her brows furrowed, drawing together over eyes that signaled the pout that was coming even before her lips drew in, before even the first hint of that bottom lip started to protrude. ?No fair,? she grumbled, but let him take her hand anyway, and when he tugged she used the momentum to pull herself upright. Sitting up, she made no secret of the way she was giving him the once over, her eyes taking their time as they moved over the expanse of his newly exposed torso. ?Mm,? she murmured her approval, catching that pouting lower lip in her teeth for a second before she scooted to the edge of the bed and stood up.

Once she was upright, the little dancer reached one arm behind her back, bending it at the elbow in an awkward angle to snag the zipper on her dress. Tugging it down, she let the thin straps fall from her shoulders and then stepped out of the dress altogether when it sagged and then fell in a heap at her feet. Balling a tiny fist against a yawn, Grace stretched again, arching her back with a lift to her chest, and then raked her fingers through hair that had gone almost crunchy with hairspray. Yuck. ?This better be a really good shower,? she admonished him, though there wasn?t much about Grace in her underwear that could be called threatening.

?Whut is it they always sayin? Life isn?t fair, sweetheart. Or like in tha princess movie. Life is pain and anyone tellin? you different is sellin? something.? He was grinnin? at her jist then, lookin? at her and catchin? tha way she was sizing him up. He shook his head, steppin' back a half pace sah tha he wasn?t in easy swiping distance, ?Nahhh? no tryin? to seduce me to keep yourself in bed a little longer. I?m ontah you.?

As far as threats went, she was doin? a terrible job of it. Beyond naht being threatening, she was arguably rewarding instead. She was gonna have tah work on how to dissuade him from thin?s. He kissed her cheek before turning tah step around the bed and for the door, ?Ah, it?s gonna be amazing. You?ll see. Gonna feel like a whole othah person when we done.?

?Yeah yeah. 'You say that so often. I wonder what your basis for comparison is.?.? Grace was quoting David Bowie in the Labyrinth, more accurately than most considering that she didn?t have to affect his accent. It was what the Goblin King said to Sarah after she?d exclaimed that something wasn?t fair for the twentieth time or so. Wrinkling her nose at him, she grinned when he quoted the Princess Bride back at her. ?Yeah, that too.?

She giggled quietly, sounding a little bit more like herself, when he accused her of attempting to seduce him just so she could stay in bed. Her shoulders rolled in a loose shrug that spoke of impudence, admitting that maybe she?d been caught doing some mischief but she couldn?t quite bring herself to feel sorry for it. Mark promised her that the shower would be amazing and she moved to follow him to the door, catching up in a few steps so she could wrap her arms around his waist. Seems the not-King had developed a little Grace-monkey after all. ?I hope so. Now that I?m actually upright I feel gross.?

?Gonna have tah wash our clothes a few times ovah tah get them back tah right.? He added with a smile. His steps became a bit more mechanical sah tha she could keep up with him when she attached herself from behind. His arms dropped, resting ovah the two she got wrapped around his stomach. There was one look ovah his shoulder at her, his eyebrow arched up tah give her tha' look and din he focused his attention forward again.

?Some showerin?, some tylenol and some water and then mehbe get back tah sleep and then we wake up right as rain.? That was the plan, anyway. Sometimes those plans worked and otha times yah woke up feeling even more dopey than when first waking. Once inside the bathroom he patted her arms sah that she would loosen up sah he could lean forward, catchin? the handle o? the shower and twisting it tah get the water goin?. He turned around carefully on account of the narrow space o? the bathroom and folded his hands behind her lower back, ?Mehbe some pancakes.?

Grace missed the ?look?, secured as she was to the middle of his back with her cheek pressed flush against his spine, but she would have unquestionably recognized it had she seen it. Grinning to herself at the way his gait changed to accommodate her smaller legs, she tried to match his steps in kind. It was an awkward crab walk to be sure, but it made her laugh.

She released her python-cling when he touched her arms, standing up a little better while he fiddled with the knob. Yawning again, the tiny dancer finished the job of undressing herself, reaching behind her back to unhook the bra and then stepping out of her underwear a moment later. She put both garments on the back of the commode for safe keeping, her mouth working like she was about to speak although she was really just trying to moisten her tongue.

?Ugh,? proclaimed Grace a moment later with a shake of her head. ?M?not sure the water can wait, actually?? She was about to go get some when he turned to face her, easing his hands over her hips the way he liked to do on the way to an embrace. She lifted her chin to look up at him skeptically. ?S?that so? I distinctly remember vowing not to do anything productive today. You gonna make these pancakes, Mister??

?Oi, since when was you sah sassy?? The complaint could hardly be called such a thing, whut with him smiling like he was. He kissed her forehead, and it were probably cause he saw her seemin? like she meant tah turn away fer a moment. Couldn?t have known it was for the water, jist that it was fer something. Mark stuck one hand back intah the stream of water and gave a nod of approval. Boxers dropped, which was awkward due tah the spacing, but he smiled at her anyways and then stepped behind the curtain.

Der was tha moment where he had felt like mehbe, jist mehbe, he didn?t smell sah bad from the night before. The water hitting him, though, made the smell of cigarettes and sweat and everything else hit him like it got renewed and was makin? a final fight tah stay jist right where it was. Seconds later, it was dilute and lingerin? and he lathered his hands up quick with some o? tha fancy shampoo and conditioner Grace always got around from work. He was thinkin? Grace was naht but a second or two behind him.

?Since always?? The girl snickered, her shoulders rolling again, unapologetic. ?I told you from the beginning that being all sweet and small is just part of my long game.? Grinning brightly up at him, Grace had all but forgotten her desire for water the moment Mark slid his arms around her again. It could wait. Hell, breathing could probably wait if it needed to.

Her Gypsy King stepped out of his boxers and backwards into the shower, and there just wasn?t any way she wasn?t right behind him. Now that she?d become aware of the sweat and grime that covered her like an outer shell, getting rid of it was high on her list of priorities -- right behind being naked with Mark, which was nearly always either number one or number two on that list. Her mouth still tasted a little like death, though, so as he stepped into the shower stall, Grace paused at the sink, running the tap for a second before she cupped her hands underneath it. Gathering a small pool of water, she bent to drink it from her own cradling fingers. She took two more handfuls that way and then turned the water off again, turning to follow him at last.

The shower stall was a tight fit -- the tiny dancer couldn?t quite imagine managing it with him were she any taller or more fully figured -- but as it stood, she didn?t mind. Getting underneath the water?s spray mostly meant plastering herself to Mark?s chest once more, and that suited her just fine.