balletrat | (no subject)

Lilly was sleeping on the sofa, having drifted off while watching a movie and half-expecting Puck to return with the babies at any moment. It takes her a second to get up and over to the door, but she's awake by the time she opens it.

"Meg! Uh, hey."

Hey - I hope I didn't wake you up?

*Meg looks . . . tired. Also, very, very apologetic, because it is, as aforementioned, very late at night.*

Lilly waves that away with an airy gesture.

"Nah, I'm a mom now. Lack of sleep is... uh. Whatever. C'mon on in."

She's eyeing the tired look on Meg's face.

"Can I get you something?"

Er, *Meg says, a little wistfully.*

I probably shouldn't.

*Her rule: one night drunk per catastrophe. But this isn't a catastrophe; that was the point, after all, not to let it be.

But in order to make sure that stays true, she can't allow herself to get horribly drunk. Because then she'll get maudlin. The point is not to get maudlin.

The point is that it's going to be okay.*

I, er - I was actually wondering if - I mean, I could go back to the Threshold. But Desire's Threshold, it's, tu sais, a little - er. It would be weird. Right now.

"Duh, of course you can stay here. That's always a given. And, um."

Lilly glances at Meg's face, remembering their talk. Remembering who Meg had gone to talk to earlier tonight.

"If you want to talk about it at all, well. I have sofa, I have ice cream, that sort of thing."

*Meg's mouth quirks up at the corner, a little ruefully.*

Those I will definitely accept.

*She starts to wander over to the sofa. (She doesn't even think to wonder where the babies are; the concept of Lilly + babies is still just a little too incongruous to have actually permanently lodged in Meg's head.*

I mean. It didn't - go badly? I guess.

Lilly leans back out of the freezer.

"That's good?"

She heads towards the couch bearing a carton of ice cream and two spoons.

"I mean. I know there wasn't really any way for it to go well, but."

*Meg snags a spoon, and fills it with ice cream, but doesn't actually eat it yet.*

It's just - different, I guess.

*She's quiet for a moment, and then says, a little hopelessly,* Je ne sais pas - it almost doesn't feel real. I mean, it's been so long - it doesn't actually feel as if it's over yet, tu sais?

*She pops the spoon in her mouth, firmly, and says around it, muffled,*
- I think he needs to go on a date or something with someone else. I think that needs to happen soon.

Lilly blinks at that, before taking a thoughtful swallow of ice cream.

"Actually, uh. It might help. Watching Logan screw his way through Neptune's underclassmen post-death didn't really do much because, well. Logan. He copes with sex sometimes, and I was dead. But..."

She smiles a little crookedly.

"Hearing that he and Veronica were dating really put the whole relationship thing behind us here."

*Meg nods, earnestly.*

It's just - there needs to be something. To make it different. Something that's there, instead of . . . not there.

*She shrugs, a little, helpless.* I mean, we're still going to be talking, we're still going to be friends. Which was the point. But it's going to be - hard.

"Yeah. Otherwise it's just too weird."

Lilly sighs.

"And hard, of course. If it helps, it does get a little easier. Although... in the cases where it doesn't end so well, the weird doesn't always go away. I think you and Andrew are safe from that, though."

We'll be okay, *Meg says, with more decisiveness than she feels.*

I'm not going to let us not be.

*She looks a little rueful.* I mean. If the past, like, year proves nothing else, it's that we're . . . awfully good at ignoring awkwardness.

Lilly laughs, a little, at that.

And then she takes another spoonful of ice cream and slurps it contemplatively.

"Um. I don't know if you've thought about like, the logistics yet but... You're not going to move to the Threshold, right?"

*Meg blinks -

- and looks for a very brief moment as if she's seriously considering it, before shaking her head, firmly.*

Non - no, I don't think so. I mean, I love papi and all, but there's some times - no.

*She looks up at Lilly, suddenly startled.* . . . Dieu, I haven't even thought, have I.

Lilly licks ice cream off her spoon in a thoughtful way for a few more seconds, before nodding decisively and sitting up.

"The thing is, Meg- I've been thinking. Indy and I, well. We don't really talk these days. Mike and Mel and I still do, of course, but... they're MikeandMel. And I just got twin babies, and everyone else in the suite has like-"

(lives)

"-day jobs, and needs their sleep, and well. I'm going to move out. To 232, just above here, so my ninjas and Slayers can climb right over the balcony to visit me."

She slants a hopeful sideways smile at Meg.

"I'd love a roommate."

. . . you really just want a live-in babysitter, don't you!

*Meg's tone is accusing - but she's grinning, now, her first real grin all night.*

"Hell yeah," Lilly says promptly, grinning back.

"And a live-in BFF. With toenail painting and hairstyling and gossiping and dancing around like idiots on sugary booze highs, even if you will be more graceful than idiotic. Our suite will be awesome.

I've never had a suite before, *Meg says, dreamily.*

I mean, it's always been rooms - first at home and then with Andrew, and then the Threshold, but that doesn't really count - and oh, Dieu, *she says, with a sudden sigh, looking up at Lilly,* I cannot think of anything that sounds better right now than toenail painting and hairstyling and - and sugar highs.

"Good," Lilly says firmly.

"Because I wouldn't want a roommate who had other priorities. I mean, what if you needed quiet study hours every night? How would I cope?"

She pauses.

"If, however, we study dancing... then it's totally cool. I'll teach you routines from my time if you give me a little extra ballet grace."

. . . do you think -

*Meg breaks off, eyes wide - she literally hasn't even been able to imagine having so much space of her own.*

Could we get - oh, it'd probably be awfully expensive, I don't know how these things would work, but -

- do you think we could get one with, with a studio?

"Hell yeah," Lilly replies.

"I mean, what else am I going to do with my money? It's not like I need to worry about retirement planning. We can have a studio and a hot tub and a big-screen tv and a freakin water slide if we want."

*. . . from Meg's face, she sees no reason why anyone at all would not want a waterslide!*

And it's not like you wouldn't be using the studio either - Lilly, this is the best idea ever, you do know this?

And I've got my salary from the House of Arch, *she adds, hastily.* So I will be able to pay half.

"Oh, I know it is."

Lilly may be a trifle smug.

"So yeah, you've got House of Arch money, Say True money, we're all set for a swanky suite lifestyle. It's going to be the best ever."

We'll be the envy of the entire bar, *Meg agrees, seriously.* I mean it. We'll have followers lurking sadly around the door waiting to be let in at all hours, and we'll have to get Raph to come scare them away.

Lilly breaks into giggles.

"Totally! I can so see it. Luckily for Raph, we'll be right upstairs. It'll hardly require any effort at all for him to come be grumpy at people."

And we'll bribe him.

With . . .

*Meg racks her brains.*

Babies!

"...avoiding them, right?"

Lilly is picturing Raph holding two babies and the look on her face rather clearly indicates that she thinks the look on his face would not be one of a happily bribed man.

- maybe I phrased that badly, *Meg says, cheerfully.* I meant we can threaten him with babies.

Or alternately, give him the babies, and then spring him with orders while he's too terrified to think twice about agreeing!

"I love the way you think, Meg."

Lilly beams at her.

"We're going to be the best roommates ever. We have so much in common!"

Really, if you consider all of the dead blonde terrifying-people-into-submission evidence, it's frighteningly true.

This, *Meg says, beaming back -

- and so grateful to have this to think about; to be able to scheme and plan and laugh, right now -*

is kind of a given.