Morning After

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

It somehow didn't surprise Zoe that Devyn would go ahead and fetch the water regardless. That just struck her as something Devyn would do, no matter how Zoe protested. She wasn't sure what to think about that, and she definitely wasn't sure what to think about the tone that came with it, that lowered tone.

At least Zoe's vow had brought some lightness back. Zoe wanted to spring upon that, revel in it, insist upon it. Though Devyn immediately turned it back into a tease, one that made Zoe smile and look down, a little embarrassment creeping in. She liked that, to some degree, the teasing. She just... wanted something else, something more. She felt Devyn stroking her hair, and she didn't move, though her eyes remained down toward the floor for a few moments.

Did Devyn really not realize what Zoe needed? She finally looked to her girlfriend as Devyn said that, blinking those big brown eyes, wishing that Devyn could see it. But like everything else, Zoe would keep hiding it, refusing to let that bit leak out, to be that person. She loved Devyn too much. "Just the water is fine, really," she adjusted the cool pack on her hand, appreciating it. She didn't think it would need more: the hand hadn't been too badly burnt anyway.

They should do something, distract themselves. Zoe looked around for a moment, trying to think of what was available. Her camera lay in her room, well, her new one, the one her parents had sent her to replace the one that had gotten damaged during her shooting. She didn't like it quite a well, but it would take a bit before she could repair it. So that left... watching something, perhaps? Devyn still owned Frozen, right? A happy Disney movie that Zoe loved would be excellent right now.

[Devyn Solway]

Teasing was part of who Devyn was, how she kept things light for herself and fun without too much actual drama. Her power was ruled by her emotions if she was not careful so she always tried to be worry free and not dwell on any emotion that was negative for too long. If she did she would lose control and forget what she had done and sometimes there was nothing worse than forgetting if you possibly hurt someone you cared about it not. While it was nice to be able to just have the blank spot it time, it would have been better if she could have used it to block out the actual bad. Maybe then she would not have been this way with Zoe, not so confused and playing this game of tug-of-war. Zoe being the rope and the Devyn that wanted to just keep Zoe close on one side and the Devyn that just wanted to avoid Zoe because of the feelings she caused Devyn to think about and feel.

Zoe's hair felt nice, a little damp, but it was nice to be able to run her fingers through it and how they were able to hide a little bit now. Devyn wondering if Zoe was going to grow her hair out. Devyn really liked it short but she figured she would have liked long hair on Zoe as well. She was just used to the short hair and how it felt in her hands. Zoe's hair was something that didn't cause her to outright go numb or tingly. Devyn didn’t know what Zoe needed, she was trying to figure it out but what could it have been? Zoe had a new camera. They had gone to prom. They had gotten the dressed, stuff animals, spent the night together. What more was she supposed to do? Did she need to get Zoe another gift takes her out shopping for some clothing? Go back to calling her a cutie and letting Zoe know just how beautiful she as every day? Was that what Zoe wanted from her? What was it and why could Zoe just not say it? This was just so much easier for Devyn when people just said what was on their mind like Devyn did.

"Okay, I'll be back then." Devyn said followed by a deep breath, moving to leave the room to get a water bottle out of the refrigerator for Zoe. Not taking long at all and wondering what else could she do for Zoe? What could they do since doing something together would have made Zoe happy right? "Did you just want to sleep or...?" Devyn asked her voice dropping off there at the end. Her usual confidence going away as his mind was just full of questions that she was trying to figure out.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Zoe just felt like rolling up, like curling up and letting it all sort of wash away. was that really such a bad idea, in the grand scheme of things? Who would miss her, really? Devyn, obviously, but it wasn't as though Zoe had made a plethora of friends here, and she didn't know if Devyn even really loved her. no, she shouldn't be thinking about that. It was just the bad, post-alcohol feeling running through her veins about now, making her feel like... like she just wanted to give up, like she was done being happy and fighting every step of the way.

Back then, and Zoe closed her eyes, listening as she heard Devyn going to get the water bottle. She opened them as she heard Devyn drawing close, smiling up at her girlfriend. Zoe twisted, grabbed the bottle, cracked it open, took a sip, and then settled back down, sighing lightly.

"I just want to rest," she said, looking up at Devyn and smiling again. "I... I'm not feeling very well, at all. The alcohol," she gestured with the bottle hand before sighing again, leaning back into the bed, her eyes closing slightly now. The bottle felt cool, especially as she realized she'd pushed it against the ice pack in her hand. all that coolness, stacked right atop each other, yes, yes, that definitely felt nice now. Focus on that.

[Devyn Solway]

Yes, Devyn would miss Zoe and if she knew Zoe was thinking like this she would likely get angry, possibly yell at her, and there was even a small chance that she would get physical. She didn't want anyone she cared about to self-harm or to even think thought about it, because if you thought about it too much, then you would see it as no big deal. When you saw something as no big deal then you were likely to end up doing it and Devyn did not want that at all. Getting the water bottle, easy enough and she was back in not time and handing it over to Zoe. Smiling back at Zoe when she got that smile, still feeling a little better and a little guilty every time she saw that smile. Zoe took a drink, with Devyn more or less just standing there and watching. Watching and waiting as if she was just waiting to get word that Zoe needed something or maybe that the water didn't taste good. Maybe she wanted another one and Devyn was ready to run off and get Zoe whatever she needed. She was in take care of girlfriend mode and hopefully was going to stay in that mode.

She just wanted to rest. Devyn could understand that and was even starting to nod her head as Zoe talked about not feeling well at all because of the alcohol. "Okay, you just take it easy and let me take care of you. Anything you need you just say the word and I'm on it." Devyn said as she watched Zoe lay back on the bed, just looking down at her girlfriend. Watching as she seemed to be adding more cool things to her burned hand that just made Devyn worry a little more, but Zoe didn't seem like she was in pain or anything like that. There was silence then, and Devyn was moving to be over Zoe. Supporting her weight on her hands on either side of Zoe and leaning down to give Zoe's lips a soft kiss. Lingering for a little so long as Zoe didn't move before she would pull back and stand up. She did reach to run her hand through Zoe's hair for a moment and then moved to kiss at the fingers of Zoe's burned hand before moving to turn on her TV and sit down on the floor with her back against her bed.

"I'll be right here if you need anything." Devyn said as she made herself comfortable on the floor and started to flip through the channels for something that would not bother Zoe's possible headache too much.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Just take it easy, how many times had people said something like that to Zoe? So easy to say, yet so hard for her to actually do, at least, not without a camera, for some reason. Still, she settled back a best she could, enjoying the soft bed and the momentary lapse in, well, everything. Devyn promised to do whatever she could, and Zoe smiled slightly at that. She cradled her burnt hand against the water bottle, trying to tell herself that things like this, words like that, were enough.

A kiss came, one that Zoe did return, though perhaps without as much fervor as she'd had the night before. She felt hands on her hair, the one part of her that could feel without numbing. That last bit told Zoe something she'd been thinking of: she wanted to regrow it. She could feel her hair, but it wouldn't hurt, and just having that would be wonderful.

Though strangely, Devyn slid away. Zoe blinked, watching as Devyn settled down. She probably did it because she felt Zoe needed some time alone, or maybe thinking that Zoe needed space. Zoe didn't know; she just curled up a little, taking another sip of the bottle. Sleep did sound good, sounded great, as a matter of fact. She shifted to take a look at the screen though, wanting to just stare at something and not think about anything else for a while. At least she could count on television to do that.

[Devyn Solway]

The kiss was returned and Devyn was relived actually. She was really not the type to kiss someone first if she could help it because she did not like a kiss to be rejected. That was why she would just lean in really close or kiss close to someone’s lips but would mostly leave it to the other person to kiss her first; unless she was getting them back. Yet with Zoe, she had kissed Zoe first since day one and even now she wanted to be the first to kiss Zoe. To show that while she was still freaking out and not really understanding herself, Zoe, or anyone for that matter, she still cared about Zoe. A lot. She had said before she cared about Zoe more then she let on and she wondered if Zoe still remembered those honest spoken words. As for Devyn running her hand through Zoe's hair that was sort of a big deal that Zoe would not even know about.

Sure Devyn ran her hand through someone’s hair when she was getting hot and heavy, but never for the simple contact of it. If anything she would just push someone’s hair out of the way, unless she knew hair was a weakness of a person and was getting at them. It was not Zoe's weakness so maybe she would see that Devyn was showing things, doing things that proved that she still cared about Zoe a lot. She was just having so many battles with herself now. Zoe looked like she needed rest; this was not the time for talking then. Devyn just turned the TV down and played her video games, staying silent while she would peek back on Zoe to see if she had fallen asleep yet or not. I still want to break up with her, but at the same time I don't...what do I want? Devyn thought to herself as she rubbed at her father's ring and took a deep breath or a moment. Just going back to playing video games and letting Zoe get her rest.

[Zoe Wallerstein-Smythe]

Not television, but a game, one where Devyn held the controller. Zoe knew her mind must be out of it, because that felt like the beginning of a poem or something deep along those lines. Was that all this was, all she was to Devyn? A game she played for a while? She didn't know, and she soon realized that some of her plans would have to be altered. She certainly couldn't do... certain things with someone whose feelings she didn't know. Too many doubts had mounted, piled up, and not enough of the right things had been said or done.

As always though, Zoe found herself shoving aside thoughts for later. She could rest now. Just curl up in the bed. She pulled a pillow down, settling don on it, her head facing the ceiling. She took a deep breath, then shifted, moving to lay on her side, her eyes looking toward the game. The strange shapes moved in her eyes, flashing bright for a few moments. Then she felt her eyes creep close, unconsciousness soon returning.

[Devyn Solway]

Devyn played her game away, enjoying it for the most part and it got her mind off of the heavy topics that were causing her to feel like she needed to pull her hair out. Games were simple, you got to retry when you messed up but in real life the things you said and the mistakes you made stayed with you and those you made them on. She just hoped Zoe would not hate her. She really did not want Zoe to hate her, she didn't want to lose her as an important person. That day that Zoe had been attacked made it all clear to Devyn that she would not be able to handle Zoe dying. She lost her father what was it...five months ago now, maybe a little more than that. She could not lose Zoe, absolutely not. That was why she felt like she had to break up with her, because she felt like it was all her fault that Zoe was even shot in the first place. It was. It was all her fault and no one could tell her differently.

The sound of movement caused Devyn to pause in her endless stomping on whatever she had just killed. The stomping having been a way to like stomp in the fact that it was her fault that Zoe had been shot, that she had that scar on her body that Devyn did get to feel at prom and a little bit last night when they had their fun. She played her game a little more before cutting it off and looking back to find Zoe asleep. Standing up to pull the covers over Zoe, getting another water bottle and setting it next to the bed with a trash can just in case. She could have left since Zoe was sleeping, but that was not what she wanted to do. She leaned to give Zoe's cheek a soft kiss and then moved to climb into the bed with Zoe, lying behind her girlfriend but on top of the sheets.

"I'm sorry Zoe..." Devyn mumbled, with no way that she was going to fall asleep, but she was going to stay here and keep Zoe company while she slept and watch over her to make sure should would be okay.