2007-05-17: Suddenly: SCOTSMAN

Starring:

Cass_icon.gif Lachlan_icon.gif Nathan_icon.gif

Summary:

Cass and Nathan sleep on the floor. Lachlan walks in and misconstrues things. Nathan gets a beating.

Date It Happened: May 17th, 2007

Suddenly: SCOTSMAN


Cass' Apartment, Brooklyn

It is the next day, and all is quiet as the two occupants of the apartment are dead to the world. The bed remains unoccupied but the floor does not, as if they had fallen asleep on the couch at some stage and then slid to the floor at some stage during the wee hours of the morning. One such person is Nathan, near unconscious with an arm slung around the waist of Cass Aldric.

Rather different to when he usually sleeps after god knows how much whisky and scotch, he is actually dreaming. In his mind, there is the sound of the ocean as well as traffic, although where the sound of cars come from is unclear because he appears to be standing on a raft in the middle of, perhaps, the Pacific. He could just fly away, but then he'd /lose his raft/ and that would be very bad indeed. This limbo of indecision seems to go on forever, and then a voice speaks out. "You could always just swim to shore." He turns. There's a woman with a feathered hat, holding a cutlass, which gestures out towards the ocean. It's not Heidi, or Mara, but in fact the woman he had met just several hours ago and is curled up with him on the floor. Dream she-pirate Cass nods encouragingly. "Go on!"

And then, he's falling back, into the water… except no. Instead of water taking him in and drowning him, he feels the hard floor beneath him, and… and is that a dog licking his face? With a groan, Nathan opens his eyes in a squint, places a hand on Bonnie's face, and pushes her gently away. Then closes his eyes, and tugs Cass closer. Zzzz.

The second person involved would be one Cass Aldric. While there have been other people who seem to frequent sleeping on her floor, she has not been on of them until now. But the copious amounts of alcohol and Lachlan's scotch has seemed to lead to just that event. Unlike Nathan, however, alcohol always makes Cass' dreams weird and vivid. In the projector of her mind a little dream movie is playing. And it looks a little like this:

Captain of her very own little tiny boat - the size of a life raft, really - Cass has been out pillaging and plundering. Because, what else can you do with a tiny boat? Her loot is tiny, too. Miniaturized chests of gold and a little tiny map that a little chibi Elena is holding as her second in command. "Avast, Captain Cass!" she says in an equally tiny voice. It's like the real Elena inhaled helium. "There be monsters in the water!" And, lo and behold, there are! Nathan, for some reason a merman, comes swimming up to the ship and tries to grab a hold of it. It rocks dangerously and just when it looks like she's about to fall into the ocean, that's when she wakes up.

Because the rocking was just Nathan tugging her closer. But, just as it is with her and alcohol, once she's up, she's up. Why is she on the floor? "Uuugggh," she groans, the light already starting to pound into her head. Her neck cricks as she starts to push herself up off the floor. And then, looks down next to her to see…Peter's brother? What? Why are they asleep on the floor? She's too hungover to process this. An excited Bonnie now comes up to lick /her/ face. "Gah. Bonnie. No."

Jinglejingle scrapeclatterclick.

The telltale sounds of keys in a lock and the turning of the doorknob are enough to announce the arrival of Lachlan Deatley. Cass told him to give her a night. He did. He also went and chewed out Elena, drank more, and hasn't slept at all throughout the night. So when it was light enough, he deemed it time to go have a Talk with his girlfriend. First he stopped by a coffee shop to pick up some breakfast for two, hence why he carries a paper bag and a cup tray with two cups. He's juggling both — the bag clutched between his teeth — as he steps into the apartment, nudging the door closed behind him with a heel. He doesn't look up until the door is closed — and what he sees makes him stop dead in his tracks.

And stare. And /stare/. And /stare/. There is nothing but dead silence.

That murmur just beside his ear is enough to stir Nathan further out of his sleep. First comes the realisation that he's awake. Then the rush of… pain in general. Like a hammer beating his brain at each thump of his heart. He groans, just as the sound of the door opening filters in as well, something he doesn't register right now. He can't feel half his body due to the awkward angle at which he went to sleep in, an arm trapped and numb under Cass's shoulders, which he frees with a jerk. The other arm that had been around her waist now is removed in favour of pressing a hand to his forehead. Ow ow fuck ow.

Then. Only then! Does he realise his situation. With a start, his eyes snap open and he looks at Cass, then at Bonnie, then— didn't he just hear a door? He looks to see a rather tall man simply staring at them. Not a good thing to wake up to, in any circumstance. Ever. He shuffles away from Cass as he tries to sit up, maybe even think about getting to his feet. Oh god, he didn't /do/ anything, did he? He looks down at himself in panic - clothes are still on, just rumpled to hell and back. Still. /Still/. He… barely remembers how they got on the floor. Nathan looks back at the stranger, blearily. What to say. "Uh. Morning." Smooth.

As her head feels like someone decided to use it as a basketball and then took the air out of it just to be mean, Cass can't really process what all is going on very quickly. She has to break it down as rationally as she can and in stages. First, she is on the floor. Good. Okay, this is getting somewhere. Second, it's Nathan on the floor with her and not Lachlan. Why. She had a fight with Lachlan. She went to a bar to drink it off. Met Nathan. Offered him a place to stay. They drank Scotch. And that's where things start to get fuzzy. Or, well, blank. How they got to the floor is a total mystery. But, everyone is clothed, if rumpled. Nothing happened. See? If she thinks about it, everything makes sense. Except for the part where Lachlan is just staring at them. Rubbing a hand across her eyes, as if this is some sort of mirage that will go away, she just blearily blinks at him for awhile. "Lach?" Just as smooth.

Surprise quickly turns to anger. Still slightly tipsy and running on a mixture of coffee and orange juice (which may or may not have been good; see, he didn't check the expiration date and it had a funny aftertaste), Lachlan doesn't process the fact that Nathan and Cass are fully clothed. The clothing is rumpled, and he's been there enough to know that one can always get dressed before passing out after the fact. The blank, shocked expression quickly becomes a very dangerous scowl, and he removes the bag from between his teeth. Stepping forward, he slams both bag and cup tray on top of the coffee table. "Here," he snarls. "Knock yerselves out." And with that, he turns back toward the door. So much for talks.

Well. Shit. Nathan actually… collapses back down for a few moments when the stranger's verdict becomes clear. He's /pretty sure/ nothing happened, at the very least. He doesn't feel like he, frankly, got any. So. Honest mistake. He didn't just fuck up someone's relationship to high hell, right? Because that would just make the most /perfect weekend/. But he gets to his feet rather than attempt to curl up and continue dying, staggering to balance but balancing all the same, sparing a glance to the breakfast slammed down on the table. His dry-as-the-Sahara-desert mouth points out the h-hey, free drink of /any kind/, hydrate yourself already, but that would probably be a little too rich to do. Instead, he finds himself actually speaking as the man turns to head out. "Hey, it's not like it looks," he rasps, for god knows what reason (his good deed of the day?), and he otherwise lets Cass take control of the situation.

GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+HOT-TEMPERED+VINDICTIVE and got a result of MEDIOCRE.
GAME: Cass has rolled STAMINA+PENALTY and got a result of AVERAGE.

The surprise and the anger catch Cass by surprise. "/Lach/." Oh God, it hurts to hear her /own/ voice as anything above a whisper. "Wait!" As she's never cheated on anyone before, she has no idea what one would do in that sort of situation. There was, of course, that moment of 'oh my god what did I do' panic after she woke up, but she can't ever see herself as being the type to sleep with a man who she tried to coach through martial troubles. Even while being so drunk she can't remember what happened. Unlike Nathan, she doesn't scramble to her feet. She's not even sure she's /able/ to at the moment. Sleeping on the floor has made her whole body ache and her hangover isn't really helping matters.

GAME: Lachlan has rolled BRAWL+FIGHTING FINESSE and got a result of GOOD.
GAME: Nathan has rolled DEXTERITY+PENALTY and got a result of POOR.

No. No, Nathan did /not/ just speak to him. When Nathan stands and addresses him, Lachlan doesn't hesitate. Hell, he's been itching to hit something since sometime last night. Barely has Nathan finished his sentence when the Scotsman whips around and sends a punch rocketing toward the other man's gut. It's a low, hard, and fast strike.

GAME: Nathan has rolled STAMINA and got a result of MEDIOCRE.

What happened to Cass taking control of the situation?! Okay, to be fair, there isn't enough time before the man turns /like lightning/ (or at least, it may as well be like lightning, as in this state, Nathan feels as though he himself is moving in slow motion) and delivers that blow. It knocks all the wind out of him, Nathan promptly crumpling forward with a gasp and staggering not quite /away/, but to the side. /Oh god do not throw up/. It's a wave of nausea that's almost as painful as the bruising blow, and he forfeits the ability to get properly /away/ from the man in favour of keeping some dignity.

Take control of the situation? Cass isn't quite sure what this situation is other than the fact that she'd kind of like to crawl under her bed and pull something over top of her so no light can get in and no sound and none of this drama is really helping the situation. "/Lachlan Deatley/!" She is hungover and now she is just /pissed/. How dare he punch her friend in the gut! Without even /talking/ to her? Oh great, so this is how much he trusts her? He finds her /fully clothed/ on the floor with a guy and won't even hear her side. Great. "/What the hell!/" Then, she winces because she's yelling and the sound hurts her. As quickly as she can, which is not that quick at all, she gets up to her feet. Give her some time, she'll make it. There we go! Up on her feet with some assistance from her friends, the coffee table and the couch.

GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+HOT-TEMPERED+VINDICTIVE and got a result of HORRIBLE.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled BRAWL+FIGHTING FINESSE and got a result of GREAT.
GAME: Nathan has rolled DEXTERITY+PENALTY and got a result of POOR.
GAME: Cass has rolled DEXTERITY+KLUTZ and got a result of MEDIOCRE.

But Lachlan is not finished. When Nathan crumples beneath his fist, his free hand cocks back to deliver another blow, this one aimed at the side of Nathan's face. It's harder than the first, much harder, and is delivered without a word nor a sound. Cass' protests are falling on deaf ears; Lachlan has officially lost his head.

GAME: Nathan has rolled STAMINA and got a result of GOOD.

The world seems to fade to white for a moment when a fist connects with his face. It lands, solidly, Nathan only aware of it when it connects, and he goes staggering to the floor, the hammer that was his headache elevating to something /preternatural/ and already, he can feel a bruise start to flood his cheek. It's not as bad as his headache makes it out to be, thankfully, only a bruise, nothing cracked beneath the surface, and /this/ time, Nathan scrambles away, getting to his feet and holding out his hands as a show of surrender, or to fend off an attack. This seems familiar. Except he's losing. "/Stop/," he growls, and points to Cass. "/Listen/ to her."

GAME: Lachlan has rolled STAMINA+TOUGH COOKIE and got a result of GOOD.

Okay, that does it, Cass does a stumbling forward to try and stop what is sure to be just a massacre. Nathan's in no condition to fight. And even if he was, Lachlan is not anyone she would want to fight while feeling top notch. "/Lachlan/. STOP IT!" Even if he's ignoring her words, he can't ignore her attempting to grab a hold of him and swing him around to face her. At the very least, it will hopefully keep him from trying to attack Nathan again, or it will mess him up enough that he misses. Either way, she's getting in between him and his target.

GAME: Cass has rolled DEXTERITY+KLUTZ+PENALTY and got a result of POOR.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+HOT-TEMPERED and got a result of MEDIOCRE.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled DEXTERITY and got a result of POOR.
GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+STRONG WILL and got a result of GOOD.

Even when Nathan backs away, it's clear that Lachlan is not quite finished with him. The Scotsman advances a step, still under the influence of his own latent rage, and it looks as though he is indeed about to go for another hit (despite the throbbing knuckles on his right hand). When Cass makes a grab for him, she manages to snag his elbow briefly, but he shakes it off at first. He whirls on her as though he might strike /her/ instead, but he never gets even close to doing so. It does stop his advance on Nathan, however. The Scotsman simply stands there glaring murderously — first at Cass, then at Nathan, then back to Cass — before he speaks in a low guttural growl: "Piss off." Then, he's turning for the door once again.

This time. THIS TIME, Nathan is not going to attempt to talk to the guy. He's still breathing in small gasps as his internal organs attempt to shake off the feeling of having a /truck/ barrelling into them, and as Lachlan turns away without resuming his attack, Nathan rests a shaky hand against the nearest wall, leaning there. He keeps an eye on both Cass and her apparent boyfriend, making no attempt to leave - or make any sudden movements - until it is safe to do so.

This may not be a good time to try to talk to Lachlan. But, well, Cass is just as pissed off about this situation and she's hungover and, well, she /wasn't/ looking to get into a fight about their relationship in front of Peter's brother. Hell, she wasn't looking to get into a fight with Lachlan again for awhile. As soon as it's clear that he's not going to try and punch Nathan again, she lets her outstretched arms fall. "Piss of. /Piss off/?" Her voice gets a bit shrill here and now she attempts to stop him from leaving again. "Goddammit Lachlan, if you're going to walk out that door without listening to me, then you better not /ever/ come back." Because she's already given him two tries and if he's going to throw this one away over nothing, well, she's lost him already. "Because you are making a huge mistake about this."

GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+STRONG WILL and got a result of GOOD.

Hand already on the door handle, Lachlan hesitates just a moment. Is he really, really mad enough to walk out after /that/ ultimatum? As he considers, he twists the knob slowly, his grip on the metal turning his knuckles white. The latch clicks, freeing the door from its frame. It opens a crack — but he closes it again and slowly turns around to face the other two people in the room once again. His expression hasn't changed much; it has merely grown more subdued. Fine. He's listening. Five seconds. Go.

…oh god why is Lachlan /looking at him too/. So much for the no-sudden-movements theory. Nathan straightens up, kind of wishing to be anywhere but here but not quite that desperate enough to jump out the window, nor try to shoulder past or get within a five foot radius of the Scotsman. Not fear, exactly, just self-preservation - he's in no shape to defend himself, in more than one way. A hand lifts to touch the side of his face that is currently aching to the point of numbness, draws it away— ah, great, a split of a cut leaves red on his fingers. How to explain this to Heidi. How to explain everything /else/ to Lachlan. "Like I was saying," he says, actually sounding /pissed off/ now. "It's not how it looks. You're making an idiot out of yourself." And for once, it's not Nathan! Well it is. But more Lachlan as of ten seconds ago. He keeps his distance, all the same.

GAME: Lachlan has rolled WILLPOWER+HOT-TEMPERED and got a result of AVERAGE.

For a moment, Cass really thought Lachlan would leave. And then, she would keep to her word of never taking him back. Her breath catches in her throat, but then the door shuts again. She wasn't expecting him to speak, so she just takes a deep breath. "Nathan, are you okay?" She takes a very quick glance over her shoulder to make sure he's not throwing up on her floor or something in the span of time it took for her to stop Lachlan from leaving. "And don't call him an idiot until you get to know him. /Then/ you can. There's water in the kitchen. You should drink some." Then, that taken care of, her eyes narrow at Lachlan. As pissed off as he is, she is simmering with rage. "And you, you /idiot/. Do you /really/ want to have a conversation about infidelity with me? /Really/, Lachlan? Because we'll have it and it won't be pretty. I would /never/ cheat on you. No matter how drunk I got or how angry I was at you. I am /pissed off/ to even think that you'd believe I was capable of it. And now my hangover is /even worse/. /Thanks/."

Wow. Cass is … Cass is reeeeeeally scary when she gets this mad. When Nathan calls him an idiot, it's enraging and it /almost/ sends Lachlan over there to knock the word right back down the politician's throat — but when /Cass/ calls him an idiot, he wants to wither away and die. He doesn't know what 'infidelity' really means, but he manages to infer it from the rest of the rant. Truthfully, part of the reason he /was/ so angry about this matter was the fact that Cass had made him feel so low when /he/ cheated on her. The Scotsman's eyes quickly drop to something on the floor and he crosses his arms tightly over his chest, suddenly feeling very, very uncomfortable. "Yeah, well, wha' the bloody fuck was I s'posed ta think, comin' in here an' seein' ye like tha' with … with 'im? Onna floor, an' ye bein' mad at me an' all." Perfectly logical to him. Granted, he's never been in a steady relationship, let alone with someone like Cass, who is Miss Morals. He doesn't /know/ any better.

Any excuse to leave the room is an excellent one, to Nathan. A flick of a glance to Cass, and he's gone, although the apartment is entirely too small for him to block out the conversation as he would like. Filling a glass with water, Nathan concentrates on downing all of this - slowly. Because he doesn't trust his body right now to behave itself and not heave it all up again over Cass's floor. /That would just be so suave, wouldn't it be/. So, slow sips. A thought occurs to him and his hand buries itself in his jacket pocket, an article of clothing he never bothered to remove. Yes, still there - his fingers close around the wedding ring resting in his pocket. He pours the rest of the glass of water into the sink, steps back out again, just to catch the tail end of Lachlan's words. Nathan is less pissed off about the misunderstanding, more weary, when he speaks. "I'm just gonna…" He points to the door the two are standing in front of, moving towards it. FLEE FLEE FLEE.

"I dunno, you could have /asked/? Or not /jumped/ to the conclusion that I'd screw the first guy I met?" Cass glares at Lachlan. The anger is not dissipating that quickly. Even in the face of Lachlan's contrition. Disgusted, she gives a shake of her head and jumps a little when Nathan speaks from behind them. "I am really sorry about this, Nathan," she sighs. "Good luck, alright?" This is so embarrassing. Stepping to the side, at least /she/ isn't going to give Nathan any trouble leaving. She tried to help the poor man out and all she did was deliver him to a situation where he got punched in the face. "Tell Peter I said hi." He may not do so, but at least he should know that this isn't something Cass is going to hold against /him/. Not that she would, but who knows with the craziness that's been happening lately.

When Nathan approaches, Lachlan tenses again. There's still some residual resentment there, but after a moment's hesitation, he takes a step to the side, away from the door, glaring at the politician as he does so. It is /clearly/ all Nathan's fault. Some way or another, the Scotsman can boil it down to Nathan being at fault. He's just that good at rationalizing. Of course, a day or so and more of Cass' lecturing and Lachlan will be wanting to apologize, just as he had with Ramon earlier. His gaze goes back to Cass briefly — very briefly — before roaming to other parts of the apartment. "A'righ', a'righ'. 'M sorry," he grumbles. See, now he /does/ feel like an idiot (but that doesn't mean Nathan can call him one).

And this time, Nathan doesn't voice this opinion out loud - even if he still believes Lachlan to be an idiot. He's getting within hitting range so he just settles for a resentful glance when Lachlan glares down at him. "Not your fault, Cass," he says, steering his gaze back towards her, that glare gentling. He's not up for smiling - never mind getting his face beaten in, it's the hangover that hinders this - so Cass will just have to assume the friendliness. Or rather, he compensates for it but reaching out a hand to touch her arm, and /Lachlan can just deal with it/. The politician is out the door a moment later, shutting it behind him. And is hit with the realisation that he has absolutely no idea where to go. Start with leaving the apartment building and go from there, Petrelli.

Friendliness assumed. Cass has got her own glaring thing going, and it eases up just enough for her to give him a strained smile at the touch on her arm before he's out the door. Then, there were two. And Lachlan can take the full brunt of her anger and her hangover. "Good." Turning around, she makes for the table where Lachlan brought over stuff for breakfast and slammed it down in rage. Hopefully it's still redeemable for something to eat. The bottle of scotch they were drinking from is still their with their two empty glasses. A good - but not large - portion of it is gone, but she pays it no mind. Coffee. That's what she wants now. With a groan she just can't bite back, she sinks onto the couch. That headache is coming in full force and she can't deal with much other coherent thought. She's had enough for today, thanks.

And now Lachlan feels worse. Because Cass is in pain and annoyed and angry, and a lot of that is his fault — no, wait, it's /Nathan's fault/, but Lachlan feels bad anyway. He swallows once, shuffles his feet, glances around the apartment, and looks generally ill at ease for a while before he finally brings himself to look at Cass. He's frowning deeply now, and when he finally /does/ move, it's to the coffee table to nab one of the cups and the paper bag. Then he steps past the table to the couch and holds out the former toward Cass. "Here," he mutters. "Cream an' sugar, like ye like it."

Weakly, Cass takes the paper cup from Lachlan, grumbling a bit as she does so. Pain. Caffeine is so needed. And she doesn't say thanks just yet. Still angry. Pulling off the carring lid, she takes a deep breath of yummy cream and sugar coffee, gulping back a large swig. It'll be a little whlie before it actually kicks in, but it's something. Plus, it helps with her cottony throat that she didn't do any favors by yelling at Lachlan with. In fact, she takes another gulp, not caring how hot it is. "What's in the bag?"

Breakfast bagels. Because breakfast bagels are the best things ever. And despite Lachlan's having slammed them down on the coffee table earlier, they're none the worse for wear. "S'bagels," he states as he digs into the bag to bring out one good-sized bagel stuffed with egg, sausage, and cheese, wrapped in a paper napkin. This is held out toward Cass. "D'ye want some asp'rin 'r somethin'?"

Breakfast bagels. He brought breakfast bagels. And coffee. The way she liked it. Sigh. Double sigh. The anger finally starts to ebb away into just hangover pain. "Yes. Please. The entire bottle. God, if I ever see another bottle of scotch again, I may throw up." Gingerly, Cass takes the stuffed bagel in it's wrapper, trying to make sure that she doesn't spill any on the couch. It's alread been bled on and had wine spilled all over it, it doesn't need greasy spots.

With a nod, Lachlan sets off to fetch the aspirin. He even opens it for Cass when he returns (because she only keeps him around to open things) and holds it out to her before he seats himself on the couch nearby with his coffee and his breakfast bagel. He doesn't say anything because his mouth is soon full of bagel, sausage, cheese, and egg, but he does cast a glance at Cass now and again. Why? Who knows? Maybe to see if she's all right, maybe because he expects her to say something, maybe because he just feels that guilty.

Taking the open aspirin bottle from Lachlan, Cass shakes out four and then pops them into her mouth, washing them down with a liberal amount of coffee. It's just about finished now. And she's barely had any of her bagel sandwich. Well, luckily she's at home and able to make more should she really need it. The silence lasts awhile - not exactly comfortable. After a few chews on her bagel, she sighs. "I wasn't angry at you, you know. Before. Last night." The last residues of anger have left. The caffeine and the aspirin is starting to work their magic, but she just feels weak and headachey.

Oh. Well this is news to Lachlan. He's more than halfway through his breakfast bagel by the time the conversation starts up again, and the mouthful he has when Cass speaks is slowly chewed, then swallowed. He stares at what's left of the sandwich with a frown. "Though' ye were," he murmurs finally. She walked out and told him to give her a night. It seemed like anger. Or … maybe it was something else. "'R mebbe ye were scared o' me."

Lachlan's always been a much faster eater than Cass. She's only taken a few bites and, really, food is just making her stomach twist more. So, she pulls the paper wrapping up around it again just in case she may feel up for eating it later. "Not scared of /you/." Because she's not. "Just…scared of what you can do. Of what you're capable of. /For/ you." There goes the last of that coffee. And it was so good while she had it. "When you talk about stuff like that - just killing Elle and sounding so…/cold/ and calculating about it. It scares me. It makes me think that you're going to escalate a fight into something you can't handle and get yourself killed."

The more this conversation continues, the more Lachlan loses his appetite — but not that much. He finishes off his sandwich anyway before brushing the crumbs off his hands and wadding up the paper to stuff into the bag. Once again, his chewing is slow, deliberate, as he mulls this new bit of information over. He doesn't respond until after he's swallowed. "Can take care o' m'self just fine, Cassie," he intones matter-of-factly. "'Ve been in worse scraps b'fore an' I'm still here, righ'?" Nevermind that he's getting older, slower, not as peppy as he once was. He's invincible. He always has been.

Frowning, Cass doesn't really look at Lachlan. "Sure you can. But the people who you were taking care of yourself with before…I bet they couldn't shoot out bolts of lightning. Or rip a person apart with their bare hands." Her voice is softer as she says that. Because she would bet just about everything that she's right. Not to mention the fact that he's getting older, slower and not as peppy. "And I just…I hate the idea of you hurting someone. I know you're trying to do it to help us. Protect us. But…I don't want that sort of protection. I don't want anyone killed for my sake."

Well, no. Lachlan wasn't fighting against people who could do what he does before. He was mainly brawling with other circus workers and pounding in the skulls of those who wouldn't pay for the money owed for the drugs he sold. Among other things. But of course he's not going to say this /out loud/. That would be admitting he's wrong, and he doesn't like to do that. So he simply grunts softly — the closest thing Cass is going to get to a resignation on this matter. In his opinion, killing is the best way to ensure protection.

Cass puts the empty cup and the munched on sandwich on the table, surreptitiously pushing the bottle of scotch to the far end /away/ from her. Not that she's tempted, but because looking at it makes her stomach flop. Then, she falls back against the couch again. And, even though Lachlan isn't very good at admitting his faults or apologizing, Cass has fewer problems with it. "I'm sorry. About how that looked." She runs a hair through her tangled hair in an attempt to make it a bit more presentable. It may be only Lachlan there, but it's also something to do. "I just offered him a couch to crash on because he's Peter's brother. He was having marriage problems."

All he has left is his coffee, through which he's going at a much slower rate than Cass. The mention of Nathan makes Lachlan tense a bit, and his gaze hardens where it rests on the cup in his hand. His jaw sets and works a little. It's going to take the Scotsman a little while to get rid of the mental image of Cass laid out on the floor with the politician. Until then, it'll be a bit of a touchy subject. "Can see why," he grumbles bitterly.

It was a floor! Not a bed! And there were clothes! Okay, so Nathan did have his arm around her waist, but so have other guys and Lachlan hasn't punched /them/ in the face. Cass sighs and finally just tilts her body so that she starts slowly leaning in Lachlan's direction. If they're both going to be on the couch together, the least he can do is be a good pillow for her. "Stop that," she says, but there's no real bite behind it. "He's a good guy. Just…he seems tired." Much like her. Sleeping on a floor doesn't really do much for the REM cycle.

Yeah, well. Lachlan makes no attempts to move away when Cass leans toward him and in fact shifts his weight and position a bit to be a more accommodating human pillow. His scowl doesn't waver, though. "Doesna mean he should sleep with m'girl," he mutters, lifting his arm to give Cass a spot against his side, then settling it around her shoulders. It's not /as/ bitter as the previous sentence, but there's still some gruffness there. His Cass is /his/; he's the only one that can get drunk and pass out on the floor with her.

It's her against gravity and, of course, gravity wins out. It always does. Cass snuggles into Lachlan's side. It's always nice to have body warmth and someone to cuddle with when you're feeling horrible. "We /didn't/." Once again, it's not as adamant as she was earlier. Even with caffeine, the aspirin is starting to work it's wonders and she finally feels herself able to start drifting back to sleep. A nap seems like an excellent idea now.

Lachlan shakes his head. "Nah, nah, dunna mean the fuckin' sense o' sleepin' with, I mean sleepin'-sleepin'." It … just. Nevermind. It's not worth arguing over, and Cass is obviously in no condition to carry on a conversation. The lack of sleep is also starting to tell on the Scotsman and, though he's not nearly as sleepy as the bookseller, he's definitely going to get there soon. He sighs quietly and takes one last gulp from his coffee before setting it on the table and one-handedly undoing the laces on his boots and peeling them off. Then, he starts to ease himself into a laying position on the couch, guiding Cass along with him.

"Oh." Well, Cass can understand that. Even in her own state. And there's not really much to argue about it. "Okay." This is a conversation that can be held another day. When there is less hangover and lack of sleep between the two of them. Or they can just move right on and pretend like the matter is settled. Either way, the topic is closed for the day and Cass is just as happy with that fact. She doesn't fight being guided up into a sprawled out position, mostly on top of Lachlan, and does her best to not elbow in wrong places or anything of the like. As soon as she's found a comfortable position, she wraps her arms around Lachlan and gives a content sigh. Then, she's out. Hopefully with less dreams of Nathan mermen and chipmunk Elenas.

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