lush ✘ and if the man can't dance he gets no second chance

[heyeresque]

Bellamy is not sure at what point the night began to slide sideways out of his control, but he's confident that when he reassesses in the cold, sober light of day it'll absolutely not be his fault.

Case in point, he leans against the front door of his Chelsea flat and pats himself down with one hand for his keys...which aren't there, meaning they're still in the inner pocket of Nic's jacket. Nic, who was meant to be the designated driver this evening and instead is the reason that he had to call Hasi from a hotel in London and request a rescue; Cypra would either be busy or laugh too hard, he explained. Nic, who decided to go ambling off with other friends after Bellamy turned in and will be all the more difficult to get a hold of until probably late tomorrow afternoon.

"Hasi," he says, admirably clearly for his inebriation, "I have a small problem."

Comments

[norea]

Hasibe murmurs something about pigtails under her breath a moment later, but she's paying attention to the movie. Really! No, honest, she does get pretty quiet eventually- she's tired, she didn't sleep much last night, and he is comfortable and warm to curl up with like this, however potentially inappropriate and terrible an idea it is.

[heyeresque]

Discretion being the better part of valor, Bellamy makes no comment in response to whatever it was he's sure he didn't hear her say and the rest of the movie passes in this companionable silence. It shouldn't be so easy and so comfortable, except that it is, and when the film is over he isn't quite sure whether or not he should check that she's awake or just- stay, like that.

[norea]

She is, in fact, asleep- not deeply so, but enough that she's out, lips pressed together, head against his shoulder, breathing even and deep. Her hair has fallen across one cheek in a dark sweep, and mostly she's just peaceful.

[heyeresque]

Bellamy waits until the DVD has played itself out before he moves - carefully, disentangling with the least intention of disturbing her - to go and take it out himself.

[norea]

Her lashes flicker, but she doesn't quite wake- she does make a sound like a sigh, though, but with more of a thread of noise in it ('kittenish' was used before and applies, still, now); she's almost docile like this, except for how someone - something - like her is never really that way.

But this is Hasi without her knowing, her veils and her innuendo: asleep. She'll probably end up waking up soon, since the sofa isn't hugely comfortable for someone as spoiled as she is, princess and the pea, etc.

[heyeresque]

While she dozes on, Bellamy takes the DVD out and puts it back in the case before perching on the sofa's arm to dig out his phone (not, as he'd suspected last night, with Nic and his keys) and see if he can't find out where said cousin has actually got to in the meanwhile.

[norea]

It's somewhere in that conversation (she's on her back by now, draped lightly over the sofa - her ability to do this with grace is borne out of being self-confident even while asleep) that she stirs, though it's not obvious at first- her eyes just open slightly, and she regards Bellamy from under her lashes while he's on the phone. She presses her foot against his knee, letting him know she's up, but doesn't interrupt.

[heyeresque]

Bellamy's eyes drop to her and he smiles, faintly, but he doesn't otherwise pause. "No, I had my contacts out."

[norea]

This, of course, is when her cat decides to suddenly appear, stepping first on Hasi's stomach, triggering a muffled "Zabibe" and her laughter (she can't quite help it, she's dozy and not as controlled as she might normally be), after which she looks at Bellamy apologetically. Nic probably heard her.

[heyeresque]

"Yes, she woke up-" Bellamy holds his hand over the phone and says, terribly seriously, "Nicolas says hello and to thank you on his behalf."

[norea]

Hasi sits up, still in his jacket, sliding a hand through her dark hair and crawling forward to rest her hand against Bellamy and lean in just enough (...must we, miss) that her voice is more audible.

"You're welcome!"

[heyeresque]

"You may actually be the stupidest- hello, miss!"

"All right, all right," Bellamy leans back out of Hasi's reach, laughing. "I'll see you later with my keys, Nic? Pick me up. All right, take care."

[norea]

"Aww, verbal berating, my favorite." She smiles up at Bellamy, mild.

[heyeresque]

"I don't think Nicolas is ever going to admit I'm not seventeen any more," Bellamy says, laughing quietly, as he pockets his phone again.

[norea]

"Familial privilege," she says, sighing, "it's just the way of things. However accidental it was, I'm glad you came by. Afternoon laziness is more fun with company, even if I fell asleep on you- sorry about that, by the way, I hope it didn't bother you."

[heyeresque]

"No, it's fine," he assures her, sliding down onto the seat of the sofa proper with one knee still hooked over the arm. "You weren't there long enough to put my arm to sleep."

[norea]

"I'm probably going to sleep soon..." She drums fingertips on the sofa back, watching him sidelong- she grins, sudden and slight. "Are you going to put me to bed before you go?"

The last place he needs to be is in her bedroom.

[heyeresque]

"I think you can probably handle that," he says, a little (barely) dry. "Nic won't be far away."

[norea]

"Always keeping me just at arm's length," she teases, "you're like a lion tamer."

[heyeresque]

"We're still getting to know each other," he protests amiably, "in my experience it's usually a while before I get to see the inside of my friends' bedrooms."

This may just be because they're super English, who knows.

[norea]

"Well, I don't believe in doing things by convention," she says, and because he did it to her twice, she reaches up to try to mess up his hair - and maybe tug just slightly to see how he reacts. "All the best things happen in the bedroom. That's why it has its own balcony."

[heyeresque]

Bellamy jerks his head backwards when she tugs- mostly to get away from her hand, but, perhaps not entirely. "Your bedroom sounds better than mine. In mine, I get sexually harassed by a persian cat and not enough sleep."

[norea]

"Fair's fair," she tells him, bratty again, and raises her eyebrows. "You do sometimes look like you could use more sleep, but I wasn't aware of the persian cat menace- how was my sofa for you?"

[heyeresque]

After giving this question due consideration, he says, "I think I actually missed having a cat in the small of my back."

[norea]

"Aww," she laughs, leaning back a little, "tell you what, if you end up doing this again, you can have my bed. I'm sure Zabi will temp for you, if you somehow get lonely."

Madam.