madeofstories | [For Tony, Dated 06/13]

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[For Tony, Dated 06/13]

It's a full day after everyone says the magic has worn off before Grace fully trusts it. Perhaps she was able to leave letters in people's mailboxes, more polite than they are truthful, but magic, she's learned, is never quite as simple as all that. She doesn't want to be wrong and end up spilling out secrets to people all over again. It was awful enough the first time that she's been incredibly cautious the entire weekend, only speaking when absolutely necessary, relying instead upon polite smiles and nods.

But when she awakens the next day and finds that she can lie again, she becomes less guarded, convinced now that the spell truly has run its course. It's simply one of those things that the island does to people, gone just as quickly as it had come. And while she's relieved, everything being normal again means she has something that she must do.

When she goes looking for Tony later in the day, it's quite noticeable that there's something a bit off about her; instead of her usual sun dress or skirt, she's found a pair of khakis with loafers to match and her makeup's muted and her hair pulled back. It's very subtle, yet specific for today. Still, differences in her appearance aside, she has nothing but a bright smile to offer Tony once she finally locates him.

"I was hoping I'd find you here," she says.

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"Is that right?" Sprawled across one of the sofas in the rec room, Tony smiles up at her and brushes some of the damp hair from his eyes as he sets aside his novel. He'll need a cut soon if he doesn't want to end up looking ridiculous.

"Lucky that I happened to be here, then." The change in her clothing is obvious, cheerful and flirty dresses switched up for something Tony himself might wear, but he doesn't make comment on it, not yet. "Feeling better?"

"Oh, totally," Grace replies, sweet smile still set on her face as she takes a seat next to Tony without asking, setting her hands neatly on her lap.

"That's... that's actually what I was hoping to talk to you about. I wanted to apologize properly for leaving so suddenly the other night."

"I got your note." It didn't escape him then and doesn't escape him now how earnestly she works to stay in his good graces, but it's only after he recalls the note while looking at how she's dressed that Tony connects the concept with her current wardrobe. Word does travel fast.

Initially, his reaction is pure instinct, a mental curling of his lip in disgust at how damned desperate it is—A desperation Tony himself could never fathom. Five seconds later, though, he wonders why this should be any different than Michelle stocking her closet with short skirts and shirts that emphasize her tits. It's all to get his attention; Grace is just a little misguided.

"You don't need to apologize. It isn't as if you could help what you said. None of it was bad, though."

"But I left so rudely," she replies, "I mean, we were only having fun and I ruined the whole evening."

Of course, that's not exactly true. There had been a point in the evening where things had gone from brilliant to truly awful, but it's easy to paint the night in a more positive light in retrospect.

"I hope the rest of the night wasn't too horrible for you, at least."

"There was a dubious bit in the middle, there, but it got sorted." This is not entirely true, seeing as he'd not sorted much of anything with Maxxie by running off after Billy, but Maxxie hadn't believed much of anything Tony had told him, either. On balance, it worked out.

"You didn't ruin anything. I'd have gone after you, but I thought I'd just make it worse what with the truth-telling and all."

"Hm," Grace says, looking down at her hands on her lap for a moment as she nods, "I suppose you're right."

'A dubious bit in the middle.' That's all he's said. She was hoping he'd tell about what happened with Maxxie, what she's heard around about the rest of that night, but apparently not. Maybe he thinks so little of it that he doesn't think to mention it.

Or perhaps he's just trying to spare her feelings on the matter.

"I heard... I heard you and Maxxie had fun."

The irony here is that the dubious bit in the middle had been almost entirely Maxxie's fault, and when Tony stares back at her in confusion, it's only half-feigned.

"Me and Maxxie?" he echoes, brow creasing in uncertainty. "Oh— D'you mean the dare I gave him? God, people actually thought he did it?"

She looks up at him, frowning. That isn't what she's talking about at all, but it does shed an entirely different light on the situation. Not a better one, perhaps, but a different one.

"What exactly did you dare him to do?" she asks .

Tony pulls a face, looking awkwardly to his lap. "You know, I was a bit high that night and Maxxie's a mate. I was just trying to think of something that would embarrass him," he explains, thumbing at the edge of the novel he'd been reading. "It's…vulgar, but it's just a thing blokes do. I told him to wank off in front of someone."

Edited 2011-06-19 04:45 (UTC)

He looks almost sad about it, embarrassed at having done it in the first place, and Grace can't help but feel a twinge of guilt for having brought it up.

"I'm sorry," she says, instantly regretting all of this. It was all just a game, after all, "I just heard something about you and Maxxie and the two of you snogging... It was all just a part of the game, right?"

"Oh, that." Tony glances back up at her with an insouciant lift of his shoulders. "That was just a dare, yeah. After what I'd asked him to do, it seemed only fair that he got his back. He's a good snogger, it was nice, but that's all it was. Like I said, we're mates."

"So you're not actually gay, then?" she asks, jumping straight to what she's been wondering. She feels impossibly silly now, for what she's wearing, for what she's thought all this time. Perhaps she should have let it be and pretended that she hadn't heard anything.

"You don't fancy Maxxie?"

She deserves credit for getting straight to it. Most girls Tony knew would have danced around the subject for ages. He falters slightly and then frowns.

"Bit of a personal question, isn't that?" he asks her, baffled. "I don't really like labels, so if we could avoid those, it would be great. Maxxie's attractive, but he's not my boyfriend, if that's what you're asking."

"So you like girls as well as boys?" she asks, eyes wide and possibly a bit more hopeful than she intends.

Though Grace can't help but ask the question, she's reminded of Franky for a moment, from not long before she'd arrived on the island. Mini had asked whether or not she was bisexual, and she'd replied that she was into 'people' instead. Perhaps Tony's the same way.

"Something like that," Tony replies, and tilts his head as he considers her. She's some kind of beauty, and were they having this conversation at some other time, he'd have little compunction about sweeping her off to someplace more private and kissing her everywhere she'd let him. His relationship with Billy is barely two days old, though, and not even Tony is quite that careless.

She fancies him, though, even more than he'd thought after she admitted it aloud, and that's precious information to be tucked away should he need it at a later date.

"Grace," he says, frowning. "Did you dress this way for me?"

"Why?" she asks, "Do you like it?"

It's not an answer at all, nor is it a lie, though he's so easily caught sigh of just what she's done. She's not about to admit it, but her wardrobe is perhaps motivated by the fact that Grace had been convinced that Tony fancied Maxxie.

That's more than enough answer to confirm Tony's suspicions, and he shifts closer without so much as a blink of hesitation and cradles the curve of her cheek in his palm.

"You are one of the most exquisite women I've ever laid eyes on, and that's going to be true regardless of what you're wearing." He leans in, bypassing her mouth to press a warm, lingering kiss to the opposite cheek.

There's a feeling you get when you fancy someone, one that makes the clear distinction between how you feel when a friend or a relative is near you or when they give you a friendly kiss on the cheek. There's a small, fluttery fizz in her stomach that bubbles up when Tony touches her, when he tells her that he thinks she's beautiful and leans in close. For a moment, she thinks he's going to kiss her again, like when there were sat around the fire, but instead, his lips touch her cheek.

It's both wonderful and confusing all at once, in part because she remembers their kiss from the party. Maybe he doesn't fancy her, even if he's not in love with Maxxie either. She can't think of any reason why he wouldn't do it now, unless he's just trying to be nice.

Regardless of Tony's intentions, Grace can't help the smile, flattered smile that comes to her face as she looks up at him.

When Tony draws away again, he makes as if to say something but then falters, abrupt awareness registering in his widened blue eyes. A glance down to the watch on his wrist confirms what he's apparently just recalled, and he gives Grace's arm an encouraging pat as he pushes quickly to his feet.

"I've got to dash. I'm supposed to meet Billy in three minutes, I'd completely forgot. But we'll talk again soon, yeah?" he says, expression hopeful as he backs toward the exit. He affords her one last smile and then turns to stride out into the hall.

"Oh," Grace says as Tony springs to his feet, and it happens so quickly that she barely has time to react. She'd been about to ask him something, if perhaps he'd like to do something sometime. Perhaps the two of them could go to the Winchester or find a film to watch together.

Instead, he's gone before she can get the words out, expression falling as she feels as the fluttery fizzies in her stomach subside and turn to something that feels much, much more like disappointment.

"See you later, then!" she calls after him, her words accompanied by a small and quite pitiful wave that she's sure he doesn't see.

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[For Tony, Dated 06/13]

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