Todd Wants Key's Face

Harry: *feels this and starts waking up* Mm... *opens his eyes* hey, Claire...

Claire: *continues the motion, and smiles at him* Hey, Harry.

Harry: Heheh... *jokingly* we should just stay here... screw work...

Claire: Oh, I'd love to, but we would get in a heckuvalot of trouble if we don't show up.

Harry: True... but it was a nice idea, wasn't it? :P

Claire: I won't deny it was. :) I'll have to see when our next day off is, so we can sleep in...

Harry: Haha... that would be great. *he sits up* Now, though, we work. *he then gets out of bed*

Claire: *does the same, and grabs her clothes to go change in the bathroom. she comes out fully dressed after a few minutes*

Harry: *is dressed when she comes out, his gas mask on. He holds the door open for her* Shall we?

Claire: *grabs her gas mask, and puts it on* We shall. *goes out the door and down the hall, leaving the building with Harry*

Cured Commons: *are finally heading out of the CEDA building, now allowed to stay in the Safe Zone*

Harry: Huh. Good for them.

MEANWHILE

Todd: *notices this out the window* Hey Key - they're out, now!

Claire: *smiles a bit at this* definitely. I think we might be getting another rescue mission soon...

meanwhile

Key: Wait, what? the Commons?? *goes to look out the window with him* :D We should get down there!

Harry: For the specials? Hoo-boy... they will NOT be happy.

meanwhile

Todd: Yeah! :D *jogs over to the door, opening it for Key*

Claire: they probably won't. *opens the door into the building, and lets Harry in*

meanwhile

Key: *runs out with him, putting on her gas mask as they went outside*

Harry: *walks in the CEDA Building, and to the locker room*

meanwhile

Todd: *walks outside with Key*

Paul: *is already there, getting his armor on* Gooood morning.

Claire: Good morning, Paul. feeling better?

Paul: mhmm...

meanwhile

Key: sssooo... how do you wanna do this?

Harry: That's good. *puts on his armor and grabs his gun* So Claire told me that we might start rescuing specials, soon.

meanwhile

Todd: Ah... I dunno. <:D Uh... walk up and say "hi"?

Paul: mhmm. Gonna be quite a job. *grabs his gun*

Claire: *puts on her armor and grabs her gun* That might be an understatement.

Paul: heh, yeah. guess we'll find out when we get out there, no?

Harry: Right.

*and so they patrolled*

meanwhile

Todd: *approaches a cured Common* Uh... hey - hi! Hey, there!

Common: *is a scared looking young man around Key's age* Ah! Ah... wh-whah... *is apprehensive of Todd, mostly because of the holes for eyes he seems to have - though he feels bad about this - he was feeling scared for what appeared to be a cripple - a blind man*

Todd: Hey, I just wanted to welcome you to the Safe Zone - I'm Todd, and this is Key. :)

Key: *waves* Hi. :) You just came in, right?

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Harry: Heheh, Alright. XD You can probably cook better, anyway.

Claire: The sandwiches you made last night were pretty good. This isn't half bad either. :P And it's not like they give us much to work with, anyway.

Harry: Yup. Everything is either rotting, or a vegetable. XP

Claire: Yuck. *takes a bite* well, better than nothing.

Harry: Yup. It's about survival, now. Nothing else.

Claire: mhmm... *looks down at her plate, her mood brought down a little by the thought*

Harry: ... still... that doesn't mean we can't enjoy the comfort of a real home... and good friends...

Claire: *smiles a bit at this* Nice save. X) But you're right. we have to pay attention to the little things... otherwise it all gets boring.

Harry: And we'll go stir crazy.

Claire: And that wouldn't be good. At all. *eats*

*after dinner, and after Harry cleans up*

Harry: I guess I'll go shower, now. *does so*

Claire: *waits around until he finishes, and then goes and showers herself*

Harry: *gets into the bed, waiting for Claire*

Claire: *comes out of the bathroom, and gets into bed, flipping off the lights and laying down next to Harry*

Harry: *smiles softly at Claire when she joins him in the bed*

Claire: *turns to face Harry, smiling back at him. she vaguely wonders if tonight he was going to do something, something different. she wouldn't mind if he didn't.* Good night, Harry.

Harry: *scooches closer to Claire* Goodnight, Claire...

Claire: *moves a bit closer, and rests her forehead against his chest. she was more than happy with this*

Harry: *puts an arm over her, resting his own head on her shoulder, still smiling*

Claire: *sighs, and smiles a bit more widely. no, she didn't mind this at all. she falls asleep there*

Harry: *falls asleep as well, comforted by her presence*

*THE NEXT MORNING*

Claire: *wakes up there. she smiles, and stays still, enjoying the moment* ...

Harry: *he had not moved from last night - he was still asleep*

Claire: *moves a hand up to his face and places it on his cheek, lightly stroking it with her thumb* ...

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Harry: He SHOULD feel terrible. That was a TERRIBLE thing for him to do - to even THINK of doing!

Claire: Everyone makes mistakes, Harry. The fact that he feels terrible just proves how much he regrets it.

Harry: ... I know... that... that doesn't change that it still happened though... and that's why I have a hard time with it...

Claire: That's very understandable... But don't give him a hard time because of it. He needs some time to get over it.

Harry: Alright, alright...

*they reach the apartment building*

Harry: *holds the door open for Claire*

Claire: *goes inside* Thank you... What do we want for dinner? :P

Harry: *walking up the stairs with her* Uhh... I dunno. You want me to try cooking again?

Claire: Only if you really want to. I think we'll need to restock soon, I only had enough food for one person. ^^;

Harry: Right. :P Okay, soo... are you into salad? I can do salad.

Claire: I'm good with salad. :P *opens the door into the apartment, and they enter*

Harry: Cool - salad it is, then. *walks in and immediately takes his gas mask off*

Claire: *takes her gas mask off, and sets it down on the table* I think they're letting the cured Commons out tomorrow.

Harry: *gets out lettuce and things* Really? It'll be nice to see the Safe Zone more... "integrated", I guess. I wonder if the other Safe Zones are doing the same thing we are...

Claire: Everyone received the same orders we did, so they should be doing the same thing...

Harry: Right... *preparing the salad*

Claire: *sits on the couch and waits, drumming her fingers against the armrest*

Harry: *after about two minutes, he's done, and sets it down on the table, along with plates for the two of them*

Claire: *sits down at the table with him, and serves herself* Thanks again, Harry. :)

Harry: Hey, no problem. This makes me feel useful. ^^ *waits for Claire to be done before also serving himself*

Claire: You don't need to worry about that. :P *takes a bite of her salad*

Hate: *eats his salad as well* Well, I like to feel helpful. :)

Claire: Okay. ^^ You have to let me takea turn, though, otherwise I'LL feel useless. :P

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Harry: ... it shouldn't take TOO long now, should it? I mean, the specials SHOULD get cured before the fog's gone...

Claire: They should. Guess we'll have to wait and see.

*they approach the CEDA building*

Harry: *enters it, goes to the locker room, and gets his armor on*

Claire: *does the same*

Paul: *arrives shortly after them, and goes straight to his locker*

Claire: Good morning, Paul. *grabs her gun*

Paul: ...'Morning.

Harry: Are you okay?

Paul: Couldn't sleep. :/

Claire: ...

Harry: ... Why not, Paul? What's wrong?

Paul: *glances at Claire, then back at Harry* ...It's nothing. I'm fine.

Claire: *understands, and nods* Come on, we need to get moving.

Harry: *nods* Right.

*and so they patrol*

*the patrol moves on in relative silence, no on really having much to talk about. they head back*

*in the locker room*

Harry: *puts his armor and gun away* You gotta tell me what's up, Paul. It's not like you to be so quiet.

Paul: *puts his gun away* It's nothing, really! Just been thinking about stuff...

Claire: Let him be, Harry... *takes off her armor*

Harry: *he sighs* Alright... I'll leave you alone, Paul. Feel better.

Paul: Thanks... *stuffs the rest of his things in his locker, and leaves*

Claire: *puts her gun away* ... :/

Harry: *he glances at her* Claire...

Claire: *tries to look as nonchalant as possible* Yes?

Harry: With Paul... is it because he...?

Claire: If you're referring to what we discussed on the patrol a few days ago, then yes. *goes out of the locker room, motioning for him to follow*

Harry: ... *he follows her, feeling somewhat wary of Paul. He couldn't help but still feel bitter towards him*

*and so, they walk back to the apartment building*

Claire: ...He feels terrible, you know.

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Harry: *he is very happy that the confession was returned to him, and he snuggles against Claire, his eyes still closed, but a warm smile on his face*

Claire: *happily snuggles against him, feeling like a small weight had been lifted off her. she smiles and closes her eyes, drifting into sleep in Harry's arms*

Harry: *he falls asleep as well, extremely happy. Extremely peaceful*

*the next morning*

Claire: *is still asleep, comfortably nestled against Harry, a small smile still present on her face*

Harry: *he wakes up to this, and sighs in relief when he realizes that the night before wasn't a dream. It was real. Harry kissed Claire on the cheek, then snuggled back into her, quite content with simply lying there with her*

Claire: *sighs and snuggles into Harry a bit more, slowly starting to wake up* mm...

Harry: *in a whisper* Good morning, Claire.

Claire: *mumbled* morning... sleep okay?

Harry: *smiling at her* Yeah... way better than I normally do. You? :)

Claire: *smiles back* Same...

Harry: *his smile wides slightly at this - a CHEERY smile? No. Not even Harry was above that* So... ready to go to work?

Claire: *nods* Mhmm. *kisses him on the cheek before sitting up, and getting out of bed*

Harry: *gets out of bed himself, and takes his clothes, deciding to be the one to change in the bathroom this time*

Claire: *changes into her normal clothes, and comes out into the main apartment after a few minutes to wait for Harry*

Harry: *comes out fully dressed* All right. Shall we?

Claire: Yes we shall. *grabs her gasmask and heads out, holding the door for Harry*

Harry: *puts on his own gas mask and heads out of the apartment, and out of the building* My, what lovely green fog we have this morning.

Claire: *laughs a bit at this* Yep. Wonder how long it'll take for it to fade...

Harry: *shrugs* Who knows? Personally, I don't mind, as long as it's doing its job.

Claire: I just hope it doesn't fade too soon.

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Harry: *he is completely taken aback by this* Whuh - really?? :D

Claire: Yeah! Just try it. :P

Harry: Ah, okay... *takes a bite out of the sandwich. He's surprised* Oh my god, I can actually cook something right! :D

Claire: *starts laughing* Miracle! XD

Harry: Haha, if only you KNEW... XD *eats his grilled cheese sandwich, happy to have done something right for Claire*

Claire: *happily eats her sandwich, glad that whatever problem they had was quickly resolved. he did something nice for her--maybe she should return the favor*

Harry: *when they are done eating, Harry rinses off his plate, and puts it in the dishwasher* So... time to sleep, I guess.

Claire: *stands* Yup. You can have the shower first. :P *goes to rinse off her plate*

Harry: Alright - thanks. ^^ *he goes into the bathroom and showers*

Claire: *goes into her (their!) room, and grabs her clothes, sitting on the edge of the bed to wait for Harry to come out. She takes her glasses off and sets them on the table-- she didn't really need them right now*

Harry: *he comes out and puts his night clothes on, then brushes his teeth, and goes into the bedroom* Hiya. *gets into the bed, laying down, facing away from Claire*

Claire: Hey. :P *stands and goes into the bathroom, and quickly showers, dresses, brushes her teeth and such, then comes back out into the room, getting into bed next to Harry* ...

Harry: *still facing away from Claire, not really thinking of much, but was quite content with how the night ended*

Claire: *looks over at Harry, seeing he was still facing in the other direction (good, he won't see this coming.) she scoots towards him and puts her arms around his middle, resting her head between his shoulders*

Harry: *he practically jumps out of his skin from the unexpected contact, and turns his head, straining his eyes to find Claire there, so very close to him, and in such a position. He instantly relaxes, and even turns slightly red from seeing her like that. How long had it been since he only saw her as his superior?*

Claire: *had pulled away slightly when he jumped, but moves closer when she feels him relax, hugging him tightly. how long has it been since they met? it felt a long time, though she knew it couldn't possibly be as long as it felt. in any case, she was happy there, and judging by his reaction to her gesture, so did he. she speaks quietly* ...Good night, Harry.

Harry: *suddenly turns in her grip so that he was fully facing her. He put his arms around her* ... goodnight, Claire...

Claire: *is startled by his sudden movement, but greatly appreciates the show of affection. she rests her head against his shoulder, and closes her eyes, content.*

Harry: *rests his head on top of hers, and closes his eyes as well, completely relaxing* ... I love you, Claire...

Claire: *her eyes blink open in surprise--she hadn't been expecting that. she's not sure how to respond at first. she knows she likes him, she likes him a LOT (a lot is an understatement!)... but did she love him?...yes. yes she did* ...I love you too, Harry...

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*and so they head back to the apartment building, and into their apartment*

Harry: ... ... Claire, I... I need to talk to you...

Claire: ... *speaks for the first time since that morning* I need to talk to you too. But... you first.

Harry: ... alright. Do you... ACTUALLY like me, Claire? Like, truthfully?

Claire: *blinks at the question-- was that what was really bothering him?* Of course I do, Harry...

Harry: *he rubs his arm* well, I'm only asking, because... *he looks down* ... you didn't seem to comfortable sleeping in the same bed as me...

Claire: *suddenly remembers* Oh! Oh... Harry, just because I ended up on the other side of the bed doesn't mean I'm uncomfortable with you... I just moved around. I'm just not USED to having someone else in bed with me.

Harry: O-oh... sorry... jus'seemed kinda weird - I got... I got scared. I've never really been in a relationship - this is all really new...

Claire: *smiles a bit at this, somewhat relieved--she didn't have too much to worry about* That's completely understandable, then... but you don't need to worry. :)

Harry: *smiles a little to himself* ... alright then... okay.

Claire: :) dinner?

Harry: *smiling at HER, now* ... right. You want me to... try and make something for the both of us?

Claire: *raises her eyebrows* You would do that?

Harry: Er... I won't say I WILL do it, but I can say I can TRY. :P

Claire: *laughs* Okay. *jokingly* I'll be over here in case something explodes. XP

Harry: *laughs a bit at her comment* Smart move. *he thinks. What could be something simple that he could make? Something that he couldn't possibly screw up?* Uhh... *he knows how to do the simple stuff, like boil water... but they've already had PLENTY of pasta* Hey, I could make grilled cheese sandwiches, if you like.

Claire: Sounds good. :) You sure you don't want help? ^^;

Harry: No, no - I'm okay. I can do it! *he takes out the ingredients - four slices of white bread, two slices of cheddar cheese, and some butter. Then he takes out the skillet, and puts it on the stove, which he turns on*

Claire: *smiles and leans against the counter, watching him carefully*

Harry: *within thirty minutes, he manages to make the two sandwiches without setting anything on fire* Ah! :D There we go. *gives Claire a sandwich on a plate, then takes his sandwich, sitting down with it* ^^

Claire: *takes the plate and sits down next to him. she takes a bite* ... this is pretty good. ^^

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Harry: N... nothing's wrong. Why? *he also sits up*

Claire: ...I don't know... you seem a bit... *sighs* never mind.

Harry: Yeah, okay. We should head over to the CEDA Building... *he gets out of bed*

Claire: ... *gets out of bed, grabbing her glasses. she did something wrong, that much she knew. she grabs her clothes out of her closet and goes into the bathroom to change*

Harry: *while Claire's in the bathroom, he changes in the bedroom* ...

Claire: *comes out of the bathroom a few minutes later, out into the main apartment. she puts her coat on and picks up her gasmask, then waits for Harry* ...

Harry: *comes out fully dressed, complete with his gas mask. He doesn't say a word to Claire*

Claire: .... *puts on her gasmask, and goes out the door, walking to the CEDA building with Harry. she doesn't say anything, for fear of upsetting him more than he apparently already was... she just wished she knew what she did to upset him* ...

*they enter the CEDA Building*

Harry: *silently puts on his armor*

Claire: *does the same*

Paul: *comes in, and can feel the tension in the air. he remains silent as he gets ready*

Harry: ... good morning, Paul... *he grabs his gun*

Paul: ...good morning... *grabs his gun*

Claire: *seems to be taking a bit longer than usual--she pulls her armor on*

Harry: *waits for her patiently. He head was down, looking away from them*

Claire: *grabs her gun and glances at him--then looks away* Let's go.

Paul: *notices this nonverbal exchange, and sighs inwardly. this was going to be a very long day*

*and so they patrolled*

Harry: *he wasn't thinking on the patrol, really. Not really of anything. His mind was a blank room. He was scared, more than anything, that his relationship with Claire didn't even really exist*

Claire: *wasn't really paying attention either, continuing to wonder and wonder, trying to figure out what she did wrong. Did she say something?*

Paul: *is rather unnerved by the silence, but is too afraid to say anything. he knew something between the three of them broke yesterday...*

Harry: *he looks over at Claire, wondering if he should say something, but then decides not to - Paul was with them, after all*

*the patrol continued in a tense silence*

*later, when they return to the CEDA Building*

Harry: *puts his armor and gun away. He looks at Claire again, saying nothing. He hadn't said anything all day*

Claire: *puts her things in her locker, also remaining silent*

Paul: *does the same, and decides to break the silence* err... I'll see you guys later. *quickly leaves the room*

Harry: *watches him leave* ... *to Claire* I guess we should also head back...

Claire: *nods, still not saying a word, and leaves the locker room*

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Harry: *after dinner* Alright. I'll be back with my stuff. ^^ *he leaves the room*

Claire: ... :) *stands up, and takes the bowls into the kitchen, putting them into the sink. then, she grabs a glass of water out of the fridge and sits on the couch to wait for Harry*

Harry: *ten or so minutes later, he comes back with a trash bag, where his things were stored. There wasn't a whole lot there, other than clothes and hit bat* Sorry it took so long - I had to return my key to the front desk.

Claire: That's okay. ^^ *stands up from the couch* You can just put your clothes in the closet, there's plenty of room in there. :P

Harry: Alright - thanks! ^^ *goes to do so*

Claire: *goes into the room after him, grabbing her own clothes to go take a shower, then goes into the bathroom*

Harry: *takes advantage of Claire showering, and quickly changes into his night clothes*

Claire: *comes out of the bathroom after a while, after showering and brushing her teeth* Do you need the bathroom?

Harry: Yeah. I still need to get ready for bed, and whatnot.

Claire: Thennnn go right ahead. It's all yours. ^^ *comes into the bedroom*

Harry: ^^ *enters the bathroom, brushing his teeth and showering. Then he entered the bed room*

Claire: *is already laying down in bed, waiting for him to come in so she can flip off the light*

Harry: *for a few seconds, he actually hesitates. He... he loved Claire. There was no doubt about that. But he'd be sleeping in that bed with her every night... he shook himself a bit, and got into the bed with Claire* ...

Claire: *had noticed his hesitation, and shoots him a worried look before flipping off the light. maybe she should have told him no...*

Harry: *it takes him a bit, but he's able to fall asleep*

Claire: *takes longer to fall asleep than Harry does, mostly because of how Harry was acting earlier. were they moving too fast? she eventually falls asleep*

*the next morning*

Harry: *still asleep, though he was starting to wake up*

Claire: *is still fast asleep, nearly on the edge of the bed* ...

Harry: *wakes up, and upon noticing this, he felt a bit hurt. Did Claire actually want him there, or was she just trying to be nice to him...?*

Claire: *wakes up, and i somewhat startled by how close to the edge she is-- so she scoots back. how'd she end up over there? then she remembers the bed had another occupant-- she turns to look at him* 'morning, Harry...

Harry: *looking away from her, he quietly, MEEKLY responds* ... uh, yeah... good morning...

Claire: *frowns. something was definitely up. she sits up and looks down at him, somewhat concerned* Are you okay? What's wrong? <:(

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Harry: Well, I'm cool with whatever. I'm asking YOU.

Claire: *smiles a bit* I don't mind.

Harry: *smiles as well* Well alright, then. Let's go. :)

Claire: ^^ *leads him up to her apartment, and lets him in, closing the door behind her*

Harry: *takes his gas mask off* Phew! It gets kinda stuffy, wearing that all day.

Claire: *takes her own mask off* whoo. no kidding. *tosses it on the couch, then takes her coat off* hungry?

Harry: Yeah, kinda am. :P

Claire: Allrighty then. :P *looks through her pantry* Oh look what I found. *tosses Harry a package of ramen* XP

Harry: SO. AWESOME. I feel right at home. :P

Claire: *laughs* Good to hear that. *pulls out a can of ravioli, and puts it all into a bowl*

Harry: *starts cooking his ramen on the stove* ^^

Claire: *sticks the bowl in the microwave* ^^

Harry: ... I enjoy coming over here after work, Claire. I really do.

Claire: *leans back against the counter, smiling warmly* And I enjoy having you over. :)

Harry: *stirs the ramen noodles a bit* ... say... what if I moved in with you? Just... I don't know... since I come over here a lot, anyway?

Claire: *blinks in surprise, but her smile quickly returns* It's not a bad idea. I have room. ^^ We just have to remember to bring your stuff down from your place.

Microwave: beeeeeeeeep.

Claire: ! *takes the bowl out of the microwave, and stirs it around*

Harry: *takes the saucepan off the heated part of the stove, onto a non-heated part, then adds the flavoring* Really? I can move in? :D

Claire: Sure. :) *takes a bite out of her ravioli, makes a face at it,and sticks it back in the microwave*

Harry: Well, uh, thanks! I'll get my stuff after dinner. :) *sits down with his bowl of ramen*

Claire: *has to wait a bit for her ravioli to be finished, and she sits down with Harry as soon as they're done*

Harry: *starts eating his ramen when Claire sits down*

Claire: *eats as well*

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