daemonized | RECOLLE IC CONTACT.

[Mildly ridiculous is about to become ridiculous cranked up to eleven, and he gives her fair warning by way of:]

Is that an invitation for me to remove my pants? Right here, in the kitchen?

Do I look in any way inclined to stop you?

[her hands are full. she can't stop him even if she wanted to. this'll be the second time he stripped to prove a point, she thinks.]

[Stripping to prove a point is the only way to go about it, honestly.

And so, if the invitation is real (for the theatricality certainly is), Ardyn finds it literally impossible to decline at this point. Therefore his pants are therefore unbuttoned and removed rather swiftly, and he's left quite literally standing there in just his shirt and boxers.

He holds up the article of clothing in one hand, as if to say, ta-da.]

Ah, freedom.

[for a second, Grell looks at him in disbelief.

and then she starts laughing again, arms moving to put the bowl down before she's laughing twice as hard as she was earlier, bracing herself on the counter as she just laughs at how ridiculous and cute and amazing it all is, that they were both the sort of people who'd do that to emphasize whatever point they were making. she hasn't laughed this hard in a long while, and when she catches her breath, she has to take off her glasses to wipe at her eyes.]

[He stands there, pants still bunched up in his hands, trying to look Very Dramatic in the newfound freedom his legs have found. But the sound of her laughter -- and the sight of her having to put the bowl down so that she can brace herself against the counter -- is just enough to crack his figurative armor.

He tries to speak, but it's interrupted by laughter making his words particularly difficult to form.]

What... [He tries again.] Why on earth are you laughing? This is... a very serious matter.

Serious as the grave.

[her shoulders are shaking, threatening to boil over into more laughter in the next five seconds.]

And yet...

[no, she's lost it again. thank god the counter's there or she'd fall over.]

[Any hope of regaining his composure is lost upon seeing her start doubling over in laughter the second time. The mask of theatricality slips, and Ardyn finds himself laughing with her -- wholly and openly, a very sincere sounding thing.

Despite himself, he's still trying to speak, even as he places his own hand on the counter to lean into just a bit in the meanwhile. And yes, he still has his pants in his other hand.]

You're-

[This is one of those moments where he's laughing because she's laughing and it's just one giant loop of laughter. Somehow, Ardyn still miraculously manages:]

You're laughing at me, as if I look ridiculous or something!

No, no, I-

[they're both laughing, which means that taking the few steps over to him is a difficult matter when all her breath is stolen, but she manages so that she can place her free hand on his chest.]

I'm laughing at us.

[and because, honestly, she's happy right now.]

[He places his hand over hers when she puts it on his chest, grinning wide. Give him a moment or two and he'll be able to speak without having to fight his way through so much laughter.]

Us? What about us?

[As if he doesn't know exactly what it is about the two of them that makes this so ridiculous -- and therefore completely worth it.]

We're-

[breathe. breathe. she has to breathe. so that she can look at him again without losing it, though the smile on her face doesn't dim.]

I love you.

[that says enough, she thinks. they're ridiculous and out of their minds with dramatics and she couldn't be happier about that fact. she loves him - loves that he can make her laugh so hard that her stomach hurts and that they play off each other so well and that she feels comfortable enough around him to yes, forego pants and be domestic. it's a perfect day she half feels she hasn't earned, but that she has regardless.]

[Unfair. A hundred times over, it's unfair that she can look up at him with a grin like that. His fingers clasp around her hand slightly, giving it a little squeeze of affection, and his own laughter has subsided long enough for him to return the sentiment.]

And I love you.

[He leans in to give her a kiss. Ridiculous fools in love that they are, standing in the middle of the kitchen only partly-clothed, being silly and dramatic and yes, domestic. After he pulls away, he adds:]

Even with no pants on. Especially with no pants on.

[fools, and even more so, thinking about how long it's been. how long it could have been, if they had taken a chance or read the signs better. yet in a sense, Grell thinks she's grateful for it - she got to learn his favorites and the way he was before stepping into the unknown. if she looks at it that way, it makes each kiss even better.]

Oh, especially? Now you've gone and shown your hand, that wearing pants is one of the few ways to keep you in check.

[That's almost enough to incite another wave of laughter from Ardyn, but he somehow manages to keep it in check. He's absolutely delighted with the direction this conversation has taken.]

You say that, and whether or not it's true, you can't possibly remain with your pants perpetually on in my presence from here on out. Therefore, I'll never truly be kept in check. So sorry to tell you.

Oh, is that a promise? A declaration of fact?

[the tone it was asked in could almost be innocent, if not for the look on her face.]

Edited 2017-09-16 00:55 (UTC)

[Plainly, with zero hint of ~~shame~~ hesitation:]

A veritable fact.

Ardyn, you're positively shameless.

[said with all the theatrics such a declaration requires, as she pulls away long enough to finish that part of mixing and beginning to add in dry ingredients.]

Another soul would call you scandalous for the same statements.

[Note how he does not refute this accusation of being shameless.]

Another soul can call me whatever it is they like. All that matters is if whether or not you consider me shameless. Shall I stop making such comments?

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