Gaia

"I never would have guessed that pot stickers, orange chicken and red wine would go so well together." Mari sipped her wine and nibbled happily on an egg roll, reminding Eli of a chipmunk. An attractive chipmunk, he had to grudgingly admit to himself. He really wished Reuben had gotten her shapeless pantsuits or something instead of all the heels and tight skirts and expensive perfume. It could grow difficult to stay properly and safely irritated with her. Even when she was sprawled across his living room carpet, coming dangerously close to spilling wine and sauce on it.

"I get the sense that most anything paired with food is good to you," Eli remarked. Mari shrugged.

"You're probably right. The food up here is amazing. I don't know how I ever survived on the slop on the Ground." She took another bite of chicken and sighed happily. "Heaven is in a Chinese food container."

Eli surprised himself by laughing. Mari seemed oddly pensive as she studied him, a pot sticker halfway to her mouth.

"You should do that more often," she said.

"Do what?"

"Laugh. It makes you look less stern and angry. It makes you warmer."

Eli shifted awkwardly, shoving an egg roll into his mouth. Mari laughed.

"Are you blushing, Mr. Beckstrom?"

"Of course I'm not."

"Are you sure? Your ears look a little red." She stood up and leaned over to inspect his ears.

"Hey, cut it out," Eli said, trying to hold her off. She just started laughing harder, practically falling in his lap.

"Mari, you're going to spill everything," he complained. She tried to stand up and slipped again, probably from drinking her glass of wine too fast. Her forehead smacked against his and they both winced, her giggles fading slightly. Then her eyes met his and Eli knew he should push her away; his hands were still gripping her shoulders to keep her from falling and hers were splayed across his chest. There were two heartbeats of silence and then against all good sense and judgment, Eli pulled her forward instead of shoving her back.

She squeaked slightly in surprise but made no protest as their lips met. Instead she fairly melted into him and he stood, arms wrapped around her waist. She clutched the front of his shirt, pulling his tie all the way off as he lifted her off her feet and headed down the hall.

"So I guess I'm allowed in your room now?" Mari asked teasingly, her lips pressed against his jaw.

"Don't get smug, Marilyn," he murmured. He would have liked to blame his behavior on the wine, but he hadn't drunk nearly enough of it for it to make him lose all trace of self control. He hadn't been exaggerating when he told Mari he hadn't had any girls in his bed for a long time; he never had them in his own bed at all. He kept himself isolated here, the opposite side of the bed always cold and empty. And even if he had lost himself and let anyone else into his room, he would have made them leave, not caring how insulted they were. And he should have made Mari leave too, but she was still there, wrapped up in the now rumpled sheets with her dark hair spread around her head in a messy halo, her eyes half closed.

"I should have stolen some wine sooner," she said quietly. "It makes you a lot more pleasant to be around."

He snorted and she cracked a smile, startling him when she rolled onto her side and curled up closer to him, head resting against his shoulder. Eli felt torn in half. Part of him was desperately shouting to send her home, right now. But the other part, a part he hadn't even been aware existed, was quietly but firmly insisting that he let her stay exactly where she was. Her eyes were closed and she was clearly on the brink of sleep and as much as it panicked him to imagine having anyone spend the night next to him, he couldn't bring himself to push her away and tell her to go home. He lay awake for a long time after Mari had fallen asleep, trying to sort through what happened and how he felt about it.

Eventually sleep won out over his fretting, and he woke very late the next morning. Mari was still there, and at some time during the night Eli's arm had found its way around her and she was tucked against his side, her face resting against his chest, her hair tickling him a little. He tried to slowly ease away, not wanting to wake her. But she stirred and made a small noise of protest, eyes half opening.

"Hey," she mumbled, voice heavy with sleep. "Are you trying to sneak off?"

"This is my house," Eli pointed out. "Where exactly would I sneak to? I was actually going to make breakfast, since someone broke my android."

"He's not broken. Breakfast sounds good though."

She stayed wrapped in the sheets as Eli slipped out of bed and got dressed, pulling on some pajama pants and a faded t-shirt before heading for the kitchen. Mari joined him as he was making French toast, finger combing her tousled hair and wearing his discarded shirt from the night before. He arched an eyebrow and she shrugged innocently.

"What? You didn't mind me taking it off, I figured you wouldn't mind me wearing it."

Eli dropped his gaze back to the French toast but snuck glances at her as she dug through the refrigerator in search of juice. The shirt looked better on her anyway.