deep_red_bells | It's still better than having a kid. [snuggle fic for <lj site="livejournal.com" user="elementof

Once she would’ve thought to herself while watching the couple on the TV screen, how the hell could anyone possibly sleep like that, pressed together so close that every breath and heartbeat are shared, limbs and fingers entwined and lips always within kissing range. The movies always make it seem desperately sensual and romantic, but in practice she always figured it would be downright uncomfortable. And hot, and not in the sexy sense so much as the ‘oh God get off of me I can’t breathe’ sense.

She had come to realize that it was, in fact, very comfortable, and romantic, and after a time, necessary, even on couches that didn‘t offer much wiggle room. “This may be the worst movie I’ve seen in a very long time,” she remarked cheerfully, tossing a piece of popcorn at the screen. It struck the screen and the male lead squarely in the forehead before landing on the carpet, allowed only a few seconds to live before Irina skittered to a stop beside it and devoured it. “I think the Mystery Science Theater robots would even say ’Jesus, this sucks.’”

“I’ve seen worse,” Julian drawled, skimming his fingers through her hair and, Baileigh noted with some amusement, repeating the same motion with his other hand when Irina sat down next to the couch and nudged her head beneath his palm.

“Is that some sort of crack about my taste in movies?” Baileigh demanded, lifting her head and pouting at him.

“Not at all,” he replied smoothly, meeting her pout with an innocent smile.

“Hmph.” She stuck her tongue out at him and reached for the remote, shifting on the couch, their bodies immediately reorienting around one another. The action was automatic by now. “Okay. Movie night gets cut off early. What do you want to do for the next…” She tipped her head back to peer at the clock. “…hour and thirteen minutes?”

Julian chuckled softly and took advantage of her stretching to nuzzle her neck. “I can think of a few things.”

“Hmmm, I dunno…” She pretended to consider it, nibbled at the corner of her lip. “Though we have had the couch almost two days and we haven’t broken it in yet.”

“How neglectful of us.”

“It is. It’s criminal. Worse than tearing off the ’DO NOT REMOVE UNDER PENALTY OF LAW’ tag.”

“We should rectify this.”

“Psh, I’m not tearing that tag off, you do it. You’re already a criminal and I‘m too pretty to go to jail--oh.” She closed her eyes and gasped at the soft nip to her skin, but froze a bit when she opened them again. “Oh. Hi. Um…Julian?” She taps the back of his head lightly with a fingertip until he looks up, sees Irina staring at them over the couch cushions.

With a heavy sigh, he pressed his forehead to the curve of her neck, then pushed himself up off of the couch to put Irina in her kennel.