even when i lose i'm winning [eloise]

Dorian swung the door open, calling out "Eloise! I'm back" before he closed the door quietly and shook off the white of snow that clung to the curls of his hair that had escaped from underneath his black beanie.

The Frenchman had just returned from his studio and he was exuberant. A feeling that felt strange and welcome all at the same time. His exhibition was only a week away and he had been fretting about it for weeks, months, really ever since it was a guaranteed thing. Of late he had been particularly concerned that he didn't have enough pieces in his collection. This morning he had been grumpy and moody and an overall pain in the arse, but he had gone to his studio, a space he shared with other artists because he really didn't have the means to have a space all to himself.

He had spent all morning there in his studio. Staring at a white canvas and trying to pull some muse from somewhere. He eventually just started putting paint to canvas, but an hour or so into it, he hated it so much that he tossed the canvas to the side and put a blank white stretch of canvas on the easel in its place. This one too stared at him. And he was desperate enough to start putting paint on it again in hopes that he could force something out of it. It lasted longer than the other one but it still met the same fate. Thrown and abandoned in the corner, the wet paint smearing against the wall.

Dorian so desperately wanted to succeed in this first big exhibition that he was consumed with that need. He was obsessed. But that feeling unfortunately was not conducive to painting. In a wave of insecurity and hopelessness, he laid out on the old wooden floor in the studio, the sun about to set while he imagined normal people just sitting down to their dinners. And instead he was here. He imagined himself in a family with Eloise and what that might be like. And as usual he got stuck on an Eloise train of thought. It was a beautiful ride and one he never wanted to get off of. And it was probably a half hour later that he realized he had picked up the paintbrush and began painting idly.

He took a step back to take a better look at what he had been creating without putting much thought into it. And he found he didn't .. hate it. It spurred him to put more paint to canvas and finish the thought his paintbrush had started for him. It was a couple of hours later and he was exhausted but Dorian had stepped back with a genuine smile on his face. He had pushed through the uncertainty and fear to create something he was proud of.

Now as he entered Eloise's apartment where he had been spending a lot of his time, all he wanted to do was tell her what happened. How she had inspired his latest piece. How hopeful he felt going into this exhibit because of the after effects he was still feeling from the victory of successfully transferring his thoughts and feelings to tangible real form.

He was thirsty though. And hungry, he realized as his stomach churned painfully. As he made his way into the kitchen, he wondered where his little blonde was. "El?" he called out again as he spied some grapes on the counter and began shoving a few in his mouth, the juice of the grapes tasting incredibly sweet.

Eloise was livid.

It was Tuesday night, it was date night but she was dateless. On a bitterly cold Parisian afternoon, a petite girl stood outside of an iconic picture house, stamping her feet against the broken stones for warmth. Dorian was late. Not just late, he was late-late. She'd been standing outside for over an hour and a half and she was getting annoyed. What was he playing at? Did he think this was funny?

She was freezing. Annoyingly, she'd taken time to make herself look nice. She wore a pretty green coloured dress with a thin grey long cardigan and strappy heels. The reason for the choice in dress was simple; Dorian liked her green. Frowning, she shifted and pulled her cardigan tighter around her slender waist as she eyed the snow laden clouds up above. The reason she was so poorly attired was because she'd apparated here and she was going to apparate back. The movie theatre was warm and the popcorn was delicious but now, her feet were starting to turn blue.

They'd missed the first showing. He'd agreed to come with her to see a romantic comedy, the type that girls like her just lapped up. It had that really cute Muggle actor in it that she harboured a secret crush for but she'd ended up seeing the movie alone. Embarrassed, she'd bought her ticket, a small popcorn and holed herself up in the back of the theatre, glaring daggers at the backs of the heads belonging to a young couple kissing a few rows in front of her. Why had she even bothered? She'd teased her blonde hair into loose, sexy waves that shone and swished when she moved. She was wearing eye make up and she'd even gone through the pain of waxing so she could wear this damned dress without any stockings. She was furious.

The movie had failed to give her that happy, fluffy feeling and so, she stormed out of the theatre and strode down the street, angrily kicking lumps of snow out of the way and instantly cursing the pain that turned her toes bright red. Her anger was keeping the cold out but eventually, she gave up and that made her even angrier. A few seconds later, she was at the door to her apartment building and she charged up the five flights of stairs, huffing and puffing as she went.

Eloise slammed the door behind her, flinging her keys so hard at the table in the hall way that it smacked the fruit bowl and it fell to the floor with a loud crash! Great. Just bloody wonderful. Yay. The small blonde tried not to cry. Her lower lip wobbled as she sniffed woefully, feeling awful that she was being consumed by this strange and uncharacteristic ire that had crashed over her. She bent and cleared up the glass, cutting herself a few times to leave red marks on the backs of her hands and one particularly nasty one across the back of her right hand which she ignored.

It was late now and it was now painfully clear that Dorian had forgotten all about her. All she wanted to do was get off this stupid dress, make herself a cup of tea, try and warm up and forget this sorry day even happened. Decidedly glum, she unwrapped the scarf from her neck and hung it up on a hook in the hall way before schlepping to the kitchen. She boiled the kettle just as she heard the front door open. Oh. He was back, was he? Super. She rolled her big green eyes as she scowled, filling her cup and stirring the tea with force that was rather unnecessary. The metal spoon clanged against the delicate china of her cup and she mixed so vigorously, that most of her tea slopped over the side.

Hearing him behind her, she didn't turn right away. The fingers of the cup she was holding tightened, turning the knuckles white as she swallowed. "The movie was great, by the way," she said, sarcasm positively dripping from her words as she offered him a quick, humourless smile. She'd given Dorian a key to her apartment which meant it was pretty much impossible for her to hide. Eloise yanked the fridge door open and hastily grabbed a small bowl of salad before turning to her boyfriend and angrily snatching the grapes right out of his hand. If he didn't know what had upset her so much, then she wasn't going to help him. With that, she turned on her heel and flounced into the living room.

Eloise making tea at the stove. He smiled at her, but was too oblivious to notice her frosty non-greeting until she spoke to him. Then he knew he was in trouble, just by the tone of her voice. It put him on high alert. He could tell she was angry at him, but the fact of the matter was that he didn't know why. And he didn't want her to know that he didn't know why because he was afraid that might upset her more.

"Movie?" he asked as he processed her comment. He frowned, lines creasing his brow in confusion. Uh oh. Must have been the wrong question because the next thing she did was snatch the grapes out of his hand. This was not like Eloise. At all. He was in big, big trouble. Dammit.

Did I forget her birthday? No, that was in March? An anniversary? Did they even have an anniversary? Was she mad that he left his clothes on the floor again? He took a moment, but then followed her hesitantly. He came around the couch so that he could see her profile, but he was still a few feet away, giving her room if she needed it. He looked at her warily almost, wondering what he had done to cause this reaction.

And he was stupid enough to ask too. "What's wrong with you?"

It was so unfair. Had she liked him less, it'd be easier to be overly mad at him but she'd seen how happy he'd been when he entered her apartment. He was practically bouncing. He'd gotten his muse back. This was a huge deal for him and she was so excited and proud of him. She felt horribly guilty for snatching that away from him. She was about to apologise to him for being so unreasonable but in that moment, he asked what movie and rage filled her eyes.

She stared at him, her bright green eyes wide with shock before they narrowed almost instantly to rest on a hostile glare. Dorian had no idea that he'd left her  standing outside in the snow for over an hour whilst he was faffing about with paint. He'd forgotten all about her. He'd done the one thing he'd promised he never would.

Eloise was also hungry. She figured after the movie, she and Dorian would go out to dinner. She had one picked out. It was a quaint, cute little bistro with very reasonable prices, tucked out of the way and away from tourists doing their Christmas shopping. It was small and intimate. It was lovely. Of course, that had been ruined now and she had no desire to go anywhere near the little place ever again.

Stomping through her dinky little apartment, Eloise slammed her bedroom door shut, the sound bouncing off the white walls. Angrily, she tried to take off her pretty green dress that she'd stupidly bought especially. After thirty seconds of furious pulling, she found that the zip was stuck and she was too proud to ask for Dorian's help removing it. As a result, a few faint grunts and squeaks of annoyance could be heard before she managed to finally ease it over her head and she threw it bodily across the room.

Yanking the door back open, she was red faces and panting, her golden blonde hair half up and half down, hanging messily around her face as she strode back into the living room, her chin held high defiantly. Now out of her dress, Eloise was wearing a pair of comfortable flannel minty green pyjamas with cute little koalas over them. She wasn't living the apartment again tonight, that was decided. Angrily, she shoved a handful of grapes into her mouth and chewed furiously, her cheeks puffing out like a hamster's as she did so.

"What's wrong with me?" Eloise screeched, the sound almost inhuman. It was nothing like any noise she'd made before. "You forgot all about our damned date, Dorian!" She yelled back at him. "I waited. I stood outside the theatre wearing that ridiculous dress and a cardigan and those stupid bloody shoes for and hour and a half in the snow!" She squawked. "Look at my feet!"

With that, she pulled up her pyjama pant leg to show her boyfriend her left foot. It was red and looked sore. The ball of her foot was turning blue. Instead of it feeling cold, it was red hot and throbbing and didn't look very nice. Turning, she grabbed a pair of warm and thickly knitted hiking socks. They were saggy and unstylish but she wore them when she didn't have enough money to put on her central heating. Letting out a grumble, she shoved her feet into them and they instantly felt better.

"We missed our dinner reservation and I haven't had anything to eat since breakfast," she snapped at him angrily, hurling the bunch of grapes at him. It didn't have the desired effect. A few of the fat pale green fruits dropped onto the floor and rolled away pathetically. It was so stupid. The entire thing was stupid.

She stared at Dorian, her cheeks pink and her breath coming out in little ragged puffs as she struggled to control them. "Really, Dorian!" She exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "I haven't seen you all week! Did you sleep at your studio the other night?" She asked and without waiting for a response, she continued. "You did sleep there the other night! What is the point of you calling me your girlfriend if I never see you? I swear, your paintbrushes have been touched more times this week than I have!"

Uh oh. Wrong question. Stupid, stupid, stupid. He watched as dread and confusion filled him and Eloise seemed to get even more angry. He bit his lip and followed her as she went towards the bedroom. "El?" he called out after her, shocked when she slammed the door behind her, only centimeters away from catching his face in the door. Dorian was cursing himself internally as he waited outside the door. He had obviously done something to upset her but he just wasn't sure. He seemed even more nervous when he couldn't see her and he heard movement through the door. Dorian so wanted to open the door, but he didn't want to cross the line again since he was apparently in the wrong already. He just didn't know what to do. "Eloise..." he said, a bit of pleading in that one word alone. He wasn't sure what to say.

He was about to lean his forehead on the door when she yanked it back open and stormed past him again. He followed her helplessly, hands running through his hair nervously. But then her answer to his question made him wince. His eyes went wide and then his brows came down and there was a distinct look of utter confusion on his face. Oh. The move date. But wait. "I thought that wasn't until Thursday?" he said even as he looked at her feet when she told him. He couldn't quite process the fact that he had stood her up because he didn't think he had missed it.

When she told him he had missed dinner too, he felt even worse. "You didn't have lunch?" he blurted out, stupidly focusing on that fact instead of the big mistake which was obviously missing their date. Really it was just a ball rolling down hill with all the things he had done to make her and he felt horrible. He looked at her with big eyes and watched as she chomped on her grapes. And then for some ridiculous reason, his lips were curving up in a smile. Oh, what was happening? Why was he smiling? He got the urge to laugh and he struggled to keep it down. This wasn't funny! Well.. it kind of was. He had never seen Eloise so angry or so adorable. And yet he knew smiling wasn't the right reaction. He lifted a hand to cover his mouth but his eyes gave him away.

Eloise ranting about not being with him made him take a few steps toward her. He couldn't resist. He knew she was mad, but he just wanted to hug her. He opened his arms and walked closer, saying "I'm sorry, El."

El.

He kept calling her that. A few hours ago, the shortening of her name made her happy, warm and contented but now? Now it just made her bubble over with inexplicable rage. It was stupid. In that fleeting moment, she began to wonder. Previously adorable things he did now made her horrible annoyed. Like how he hitched up his left trouser leg when he'd eaten too much or how he snored sometimes when he slept on his back. Letting out a grunt of annoyance (this time more directed at herself), she raked her slim fingers though her hair and sighed.

After the slam of the door, Eloise felt a sick sort of pleasure. Stood behind it, she panted heavily, her pale cheeks red  and her hands shaking. So controlled and so pleasant, this kind of behaviour was just downright scary. It wasn't really Dorian's fault. Not really. It was late nights at the jazz club, the stress from studying, the fact that she would be graduating in a few months and she would be a qualified vet. The fact that her old plumbing in her apartment was temperamental and the heating often just shut right off. She had noisy neighbours, it was too cold and too busy and everything was piling up and she needed an escape.

Thursday? Eloise just gawked at her boyfriend, eyes wide and her jaw slack. He was kidding. He was. He was joking but realisation was creeping across his face and she was forced to grit her teeth. "It is Thursday, Dorian," the petite blonde replied through clenched teeth, her usually soft and melodic voice sounding strained as she fought for control. She didn't want to fight, she did but he'd hurt her. He was too involved in his artwork to notice that she was even there. "It's Thursday," she said again. "You know, the day after Wednesday and the one before Friday?"

"Clearly not," she said as she narrowed her eyes, furiously shoving grapes into her mouth and chewing hard. Eloise was starving but she also didn't want to cook. She wanted to get rid of him so she could order and extra large pizza, sit on the sofa and cry. As mad as she was at him, a girl had to have some sort of standards. Despite having an empty tummy, her anger was ebbing away. He was so cute. He was. He looked like a kicked puppy with those big, sad eyes. She swallowed as she felt her resolve wither and die inside of her. He had no idea how to handle a girl in such a state and she did want to hug him. But then he laughed.

She exploded. White hot anger licked her insides as she sprung to her feet, her grapes flying everywhere. Eloise looked ridiculous. Her golden blonde hair was sloppy and wild, her eyes overly bright in her stupid koala pyjamas. She rounded on him. She stepped forward, almost nose to nose with him. It would be more impressive had she been taller but at barely over five foot, she looked like an angry pixie. "You think this is funny?" She asked Dorian, staring right at him with a slim eyebrow raised. "Do you?" She asked again, folding her lips into a taut, thin line. "Ha ha, look at little Eloise! All angry about nothing in particular. Isn't she cute?" She hissed at him, stepping into him so their chests were touches. Yeah, let's see how fluffy she was now.

"You," she hissed darkly. "You make me so… so…" struggling to find the right words, she stepped back and yanked her hands through her hair as she stared at him before grabbing two couch cushions and throwing them bodily at his tall frame, smacking his hands away from her. "So fucking angry!" Eloise let out a squeak of surprise, her eyes wide in shock as she clamped her hands over her mouth. She'd sworn and she never swore. Her eyes drew wider and wider and the realisation hit her. Dori didn't make her angry. He didn't, she was so in love with him. What was she doing? Guilt hit her like a wave and her lower lip wobbled, tears threatening to fall. She didn't mean what she'd said at all.

Shaking and pumped full of adrenaline for no apparent reason, Eloise took a step backwards before running at Dorian at full pelt. Hopping up at the last minutes, she threw her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist securely before dipping her head and proceeding to kiss the living daylights out of him.

'It is Thursday, Dorian.'

He stood there slack-jawed, his eyebrows pulled down low over his blue eyes in confusion as he tilted his head. Eloise's continuation on that point made him feel lower even through his confusion. He looked over his shoulder as if in the direction of the calendar he knew she kept on the fridge. "But I.. didn't.. I thought.." Dorian stammered as he both hands through his unruly brown curls. He could have sworn it was Wednesday today. How had the days gotten away from him? He was frustrated with himself as the seconds ticked by.

Dorian knew the laughter bubbling inside of him was going to get him in trouble, but he truly couldn't help it. He wasn't good at dealing with confrontations and he guessed laughter, though ill-advised, was a way of relieving the tension. Well. Except for the fact that it made Eloise go ballistic. He watched with wide eyes as grapes went flying everywhere and she got closer and he desperately tried not to smile. He held up his hands in front of him instinctively as he shook his head. "No, El. I don't, I don't. It's not funny." By this time he was successful enough in wiping the smile off his face, but it was replaced by something worried and desperate. He didn't exactly know what to do and that loss of understanding the right way to navigate this situation was somewhat terrifying.

He took a few steps back as she advanced and racked his brain for the right words. And then she was throwing couch cushions at him and that stupid urge to smile and laugh made a reappearance. Luckily he was able to hide his expression by dodging and shielding himself. "I'm sorry, El. I'm sorry!" he told her as the cushions fell to the floor and she pushed his hands away. It needled him that she pushed him away like that and it reminded him of another time he had made a stupid mistake like this.

Dorian was panting quietly as the situation seemed to calm for a pregnant moment and his heart was in his eyes. "Eloise..." he whispered, pleading, wanting to reach out to her but afraid of the rejection. Wanting to hold her but not wanting to trap her. Wanting to apologize or turn back time but not knowing how. And then she flung herself at him and he opened his arms, catching her and holding her tight. He was baffled and shocked and turned on and he was slow to respond to her kiss because of his confusion, but his lips were soon hot against hers.

After a few moments of trying to tell her all the things he felt through his actions because words had failed him, he pulled back slightly to lean his forehead against hers. He refused to let her down, he didn't want to let go of her. His blue eyes were troubled when he looked at her and he whispered, "I'm sorry, El."

Eloise's anger took a dent when she saw how upset Dorian was quickly becoming. Oh. He really had genuinely forgotten that today was Thursday and she found herself frowning. She didn't know why she was so mad. It was only a cinema date after all, it wasn't anything major. Sure. Her feet were throbbing and she'd skipped dinner but she did understand how much time and effort was needed to go into his first major exhibition. She should have realised that their relationship needed to be put on the back burner for a while.

It could be because she was so busy studying. Things were heating up and the combined stress of Christmas and New Year, coupled with the fact that in a short few months, she'd be a fully qualified vet and she'd have animals depending on her for survival. Dorian's lateness seemed to be the catalyst.

Her big green eyes flicked back and forth across her boyfriend's face. He did seem sorry. She swallowed as she realised how unreasonable she was being. Dori was a kind, easy going kind of fellow. If the tables were turned, she imagined he'd be fine. He'd probably be here, running a bath for her or something. She placed a cool, clammy hand against her forehead as she began to pace up and down her living room, angrily kicking sofa cushions as she went and sending them skidding across the floor.

Her head was a mess. The very small rational part of her brain knew that this wasn't his fault. Not really. It was more of a miscommunication, to be honest. Finally, she was starting to realise how daft she was being. She frowned at him,  her plump lips down turning at the corners as she sighed. Her pretty dress now laid in a crumpled heap on her bedroom floor and she was wearing koala pyjamas. She had a boyfriend now. She really needed sexier nightwear. Her slender shoulders slumped as he said her full name. He looked like a puppy dog and this was almost unbearable.

Thank Merlin he caught her. Her hands went straight to his face, the fingers of one hand sliding into his dark curls and pulling a little, causing his face to be turned towards hers as she kissed him again. Eloise held him tightly, the idea of possibly going on a diet drifted into her mind. She must be really heavy, he should really just drop her or something. But then she realised she had chocolate cake in the fridge and the diet could wait until after new year or something.

She was being whacked by a torrent of emotions. She kissed him quickly and deeply, trying to make him understand how sorry she was by her action. He broke the kiss and it left her breathless. Her porcelain cheeks were red as she panted, her lungs crying out for air as she took a deep breath. Her lips were a little swollen and bruised due to how hard she'd kissed Dorian. Her eyes slipped to a close, goose bumps on the flesh of her arms beneath her flannel sleeves as he pressed his forehead to hers. It was kind of their thing. It was a sure fire way to get her to relax.

Eloise wiggled a little, trying to get down but soon realised he was unwilling to set her down. "I'm sorry," she whispered, feeling guilty again as she smiled a little, sliding her fingers down the back of his neck affectionately. "I'm really sorry. I didn't meant to throw things at you," she added, feeling really rather stupid. She swallowed as she leaned back a little, reaching out to affectionately tug gently on one of his dark curls with a brittle smile. "I overreacted," she said plainly as she sighed.

"I just really wanted to see you and I thought you'd forgotten about me," she added softly, sounding like a spoiled child. "I hope you got some paintings finished," she said brightly, sliding her hands over his shoulders gently. "Do you want to put me down?" she asked. "I weigh a ton. Let me make you some tea."

He shook his head at her and frowned as she apologized, refusing to accept it. "You don't have anything to be sorry about," he murmured as he leaned back so he could look into her eyes. Her fingertips on his neck made him shiver deliciously and he was happy that she seemed less angry with him. The fear of rejection from her had been very real and he wasn't sure how to cope with it really.

Dorian shook his head again and smiled halfheartedly. "No, it was my fault. I'm sorry," he said. He still didn't understand how it was Thursday already. He wanted to double check a calendar to make sure she was right, but he didn't want her to think he was doubting her. A little frown tugged at the corners of his lips when she mentioned that he had forgotten her and that needled him. Had he forgotten her? A harsh feeling gripped his heart and he tried to push it away to deal with it later so as to reassure his little blonde.

He rubbed his thumbs over her lower back where his arms were wrapped around her and smiled lopsidedly at her. Dorian decided he didn't want to put her down and he also wanted some tea and he also wanted to feed her. For a brief moment, he thought on how he could accomplish all those things, the thought process easy to see in his blue eyes. It was soon replaced by the slightest hint of mischief. Carefully and almost awkwardly he made sure Eloise's hands were secured behind his head then slipped one of his arms under hers and swung her about. A little jiggle and slide and his little blonde was perched on his back. He glanced over his shoulder at her with a triumphant smile and walked toward the kitchen.

"Tea," he said as if checking off a list, quickly finding her tea kettle and setting it on the stove. He held his wand out to her so that she could charm it to heat up since he was rubbish with spells like that and then slid over to see what food he could muster up. His choices were very limited since he couldn't cook.. well anything. He pursed his lips after examining the pantry and then said. "How about if we order in?"

Eloise frowned right back at him. Her big green eyes scanned his face in the dim light of her apartment carefully. The sun had set by now and the Parisian lights were twinkling. It was cold. She was cold. She was also a mess. Her golden blonde hair was sticking up at weird angles, her classy updo now completely unravelled. Her lipstick had worn off with all the kissing and she offered him a gentle smile as she reached out to wipe a small red mark off Dorian's lower lip fondly.

"It's okay," she said gently, heaving a sigh. "I went a bit mental. I didn't mean to hurl those cushions at you and I didn't mean what I said," she replied, her pretty facial features creasing as they darkened. She didn't think his art was stupid. She didn't think he spent too much time on his paintings. He was so cute. He really was. He treated like the princess that she really wasn't.

Dorian frowned and she was quick to act. Again, she closed the gap and kissed him. She kissed the corners of his mouth before kissing him properly, determined to forget this ever happened. It might have been sexier had she worn something other than her koala pyjamas and her woolly socks.

She blinked. "What're you thinking?" Eloise asked. That was what she liked most about her boyfriend; she could see his thought processes so clearly. She usually knew what he was thinking. He was forthcoming with his emotions which was handy for her. If she'd upset him, he let her know straight away so she would work on repairing the damage but he seemed like he really was planning something. She was excited to see what he was thinking of. He was a surprise.

Confused, Eloise obeyed at his touch. She slid her fingers through his dark curls and interlinked them securely at the base of his neck like he wanted and she wiggled in his arms, only to let out a squeak of surprise. "Dorian!" She exclaimed with a laugh as she was shifted around, her hands grabbing his shoulders so she didn't slide down his back to the floor. Oooh. This was nice. She loosened her grip a little, her arms loose around his neck as she grinned back at him, rolling her eyes playfully as she slipped a little lower so she could rest her chin on the curve of his shoulder, turning her face so she could kiss the side of his neck swiftly.

"Tea," she repeated with a snort, taking his wand from him and tapping the top of the kettle and watching as it instantly boiled, sending steam from the spout. With her new found height, she leant across and grabbed two cups and set them down on the counter top. She had a lot of cups. She seemed to amass them with ease for some reason. That evening, they had a pair of matching cups with cartoon cows on them. They were fat and were pictured sitting in a cute patch of grass and had little hearts around them. She dutifully added two tea bags and he read her mind as they headed to the fridge.

"Perfect," Eloise replied quickly, giving him an affectionate squeeze with her thighs. "There are some menus stuck to the fridge?" She offered. The petite blonde lived in a Muggle neighbourhood and so, she had a few Muggle things to blend in. A television, a phone, a tumble dryer. That was the most fun. She liked snuggling her clothes when they were fresh and warm. They were a good substitute for Dorian when he worked late at the bar. "How does Chinese sound?" She asked as she plucked it off the fridge and turned it over.

"I could go for some chow mein," she added, her stomach growling and causing her to blush. "And fortune cookies," she mused with a smile, resting her chin on top of his kind gently. "Where to next, good steed?" She joked, feeling a little better about things.

Dorian shook away her apologizes. He refused to accept them because he refused to believe this was somehow her fault. She kissed away his frown, but deep down he was still unsettled by the fact that he had forgotten her. How could he have done that? Nevertheless, he was able to smile at her and push those feelings away for now. Her touch, her lips soothed him. It was like he found his center again when she looked up at him in that way.

A playful smile tugged at his lips as he saw the confusion cross her features. Her laugh started a chain reaction of laughter in him and her smile was contagious. He liked the way she grabbed at his shoulders and held on. Dorian never wanted her to let go. He smiled even brighter when she leaned her chin on his shoulder.

"Good girl," he murmured softly as she charmed the tea kettle and stuck his wand back in his pocket. He held still as she reached around from behind him for the cups, enjoying the fact that she had to be close and brush up against him to accomplish anything really.

As he shuffled to the fridge so she could reach the menus, he tilted his head as she took it off the fridge. "Can we get orange chicken too?" he asked, a boyish expression on his face. He picked up the muggle phone thing she had at her place and pushed the buttons clumsily, still not used to using it, before he greeted the person on the phone cordially and rattled off a list of the usual items they ordered. He glanced behind once or twice at Eloise to make sure that he was ordering exactly what she wanted. It was a close place, but he asked them to deliver anyway.

Once he hung up the phone, fumbling for a few minutes as he tried to turn it off, he smiled at his little blonde with twinkling eyes. He made his way back into the living room and flopped onto the couch, turning so that she was on top and that he didn't squish her. He pulled her gently so that he could wrap his arms around her and simply held her, burying his face into her hair.

Were they okay? It was sometimes hard to tell. Eloise felt guilty. He didn't deserve to be yelled at or have cushions flung at him; it was just an oversight. She was the type of girl to be forgotten. That was fine. She smiled again softly, feeling somewhat placated that he was smiling back. She didn't want there to be any bad feeling between them over something so pointless. It was too early in the relationship to be discovering deep flaws.

Had it been a little warmer, she would have suggested that maybe they should eat outside. Eloise had a cute little balcony. Her apartment was miles away from the Eiffel Tower but she had a pretty good view of it. The iron structure's lights were bright and often changed colours. She had a sweet little wrought iron table and two chairs and a winter-flowering begonia in full bloom. But it looked like he didn't bring a jacket with him and she didn't have anything that'd fit him. She had a blanket but she wasn't sure he'd be willing to try it.

He'd called her a good girl and she flushed pink with pleasure. Leaning over him a little more, she stirred the tea before depositing the tea bags and adding milk swiftly. Leaning back a little more, she rubbed his back affectionately as she dipped her head to kiss his shoulder. This was nice. Eloise didn't need fancy dates. She didn't want expensive dinners or holidays. She'd much rather hang out on her sofa but she did worry that Dorian might find things a bit…boring? It was like her to constantly doubt herself. She couldn't help it.

"Sure," she said brightly. She liked Chinese food. Honestly? She told herself that she should be on a diet in the weeks leading up to Christmas but her next door neighbour offered chocolate cake one afternoon and she never turned down cake. Ever. "Oooh and prawn crackers!" Eloise replied with wide eyes, tacking her extra order onto the end of Dorian's. "There's some Muggle money in my coat, I think," she frowned. The currency confused her.

Kevin, the very cute young Asian man who worked at the restaurant, would probably be delivering their order. They were on first name basis, due to the fact that she ordered something at least twice per week. He might have had a little bit of a crush on her because she usually got a handful of fortune cookies thrown into her bag for free. Unable to help herself, she snorted with laughter. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned as he fiddled with the phone. It was unusual to use one but really, it was much quicker and more convenient than using an owl.

Uh oh. They were moving again.

Swiftly, she wrapped her flannel clad legs around Dorian's waist as he moved, turning a little with wide eyes as she pointed back to the kitchen. "But the tea --" she began but soon forgot all about the two cups which contained the quickly cooling beverage. Eloise flashed him a dimpled grin as he sat down, her slender body obeying as he moved his hands across her back to shift her. Not that she minded at all. She'd be fine if he just flung her on to the sofa. That'd be fun.

"Hi," she whispered with a gentle smile as she reached out to run the pad of his thumb across his cheekbone as she sighed softly. Sitting on his lap was making her feel wanted. Needed, almost. She was very conscious not to move, she didn't want to ruin the moment. She also wanted to grab a blanket, drape it over them both to create a cocoon and block out the world. The noise, the lights, the car horns, her old and creaky plumbing. She pitched forward as Dorian pulled, her chin on his shoulder  as she closed her eyes, unable to stop the thrill of pleasure that shot down his spine as he nuzzled her. Her body gave a swift, involuntary shudder as goose bumps rose on the flesh of her pale arms. Yup. He was forgiven.

"Thanks for coming back," Eloise said gently as she relaxed into him and snuggled up. "Sorry I'm so mental," she said honestly as she kissed his collarbone gently. "Are you staying tonight?" She asked brightly, hoping that she hadn't scared him off and that he would be staying. She needed him to stay. "I've got ice cream?" She asked cheerfully, hoping he knew she meant chocolate fudge brownie ice cream.

Her kiss on his shoulder sent a frisson of pleasure through him and a smile tugged at his lips. He liked that she was so affectionate with him, when she wasn't flinging cushions at him. Dorian almost found that funny, but it was probably too soon to truly laugh at their little tiff.

"And some of those prawn crackers!" Dorian added, stumbling over his words in an attempt to get her last minute request in. He smiled as he looked at her over his shoulder and nodded, signalling the nice man with the heavy accent on the telephone had gotten everything they wanted. At least he could still do that right. An image of her standing by herself outside the cinema in the cold made him cringe and frown.

"Oh the tea," he muttered as she reminded him even as he cuddled up with her on the couch. Her smile and green, green eyes distracted him from any thoughts he had of the teacups though. Dorian tilted his head into her hand and sighed gently, his chest rising and falling with the action. The tension that had cropped up between them so suddenly released slowly from his body, leaving with a shudder, and he closed his eyes as he gently pressed his lips to hers. He had never been well-suited to a lot of emotional turmoil, it made his insides all twisted, and now that Eloise wasn't angry with him anymore he was finally decompressing.

"Can I?" he said, answering her question about staying with one of his own. He gazed at her, blue eyes to green, without judgement. The mention of ice cream made him smile a little, but he didn't want to push his luck. He knew he had messed up and deep-down he was a little bit afraid that she might wise up and realize that she should be really, really mad at him. He seemed to clutch her tighter to him with just the thought.

Thinking about the tea that was rapidly cooling in the kitchen, he looked over his shoulder at the doorway and then fetched his wand from his pocket. Dorian looked at her with an amused expression, but focused a second later. "Accio teacups!" he said with a flick of his wand and watched warily at the doorway. A second later the teacups came racing after one another into the room and Dorian was quick to grab one of them before it ran into Eloise's shoulder. He himself didn't fare as well since he wasn't fast enough to grab the other one before it ran into his forehead. "Ouch!" he said as he snatched it out of the air with a glare and a frown.

He glanced down into the teacups to happily realize almost all of the tea they had poured was still in there. Although honestly, he would have been happy if even a quarter of it hadn't spilled out. Dorian really wasn't the best at charms. He looked to Eloise sheepishly as he held out the dainty cup to her. "Cheers?"

She hoped she wasn't squashing him. He seemed content to give her piggyback rides and lifting her to reach glasses and holding her but she was always weary in case he pulled his back out and hurt himself. Eloise wasn't tiny but she wasn't massive either, she was just kind of…average. She continually told herself to go on a diet but it was Christmas. Christmas meant Christmas puddings with brandy butter and she didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell of sticking to it.

Smiling at him fondly, she kissed his cheekbone. Dorian had lovely cheekbones. He had a lovely everything, really. She wasn't being biased. He was gorgeous but he was gorgeous inside, too. Charming and polite and smart and gracious and adorable. He was a good person. "I have no idea what I did right to get you," she said softly as she stroked his other cheekbone fondly, slowly and softly. He probably didn't know this but she often stroked his face when he slept. He was usually asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

As she was kissed, she smiled and closed her eyes. Why was she being such a colossal bitch? It was so unnecessary. It was. She was turning into one of those mental girlfriends. She needed to remember that his art was important to him and that he probably needed his space. His small art gallery was more than likely his sanctuary. Much like the Pont des Arts was for her. It was the love lock bridge that crossed the River Seine. Couples scrawled their initials on a padlock, fastened it around the bridge and tossed the key into the water, symbolising everlasting love. They needed to do that one day. She was so sure that she wouldn't love anyone else as long as she lived. Ever. No way.

"Mm-hm," she said with wide eyes, nodding earnestly. "I sort of find it difficult to sleep when you're not there," she added with a blush and an embarrassed smile.  She'd become used to Dorian's arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm in her cold Parisian apartment. The sound of his slow, relaxed breathing in turn relaxed hers. When they spent nights apart, she often slept fitfully and uncomfortably. She needed him more than he needed her. That much was clear.

Tea? Eloise let out a squeak of surprise and hastily ducked right down, effectively curling herself into a ball on his chest as the cups came flying towards them both. Hearing a thud, she looked up and snorted with laughter. "Oh no!" She grinned, reaching up to touch the small red spot on her boyfriend's forehead, folding her lips together to try and stem the giggles. "Let me kiss it better," she said softly, shifting on his lap as she pressed her lips in a chaste kiss to his smooth forehead, running her hand through his soft dark curls as she did so. "Better?" She asked. "But you completed a charm!" She gushed, her big green eyes sparkling in pride as she squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Even if you did get bonked on the head in the process," she grinned. So cute.

Leaning back, she carefully plucked the cup out of the air and leaned back a little. She grinned back at him, warm and wide as she clinked her cup against his. "Cheers," she said as she sipped. "Mmfm," she mumbled, closing her eyes and swallowing, nodding in approval. "Oooh perfect," she added. "Another thing to add to your list of good qualities; perfect tea maker." With that, she leant down to peck the corner of his lips. He was so sweet. She just wanted to squeeze him and not let go, even if it'd make him feel a bit uncomfortable.

From her cosy living room, the Parisian lights twinkled. She hadn't drawn the curtains and she had no desire to move from her boyfriend's lap. It was below freezing outside and now that Dorian was staying, she felt placated. A little. It was too cold and something might happen to him. "I love you," she said softly as she looked at him, offering a small smile before sipping her tea again. She wanted to tell him every day, several times per day. A knock at the door caught her attention and she groaned. She was too comfortable.

Shifting on his lap a little more, she placed her tea cup on the coffee table before bouncing to the mantelpiece to grab her purse and bouncing all the way to the front door. "Good evening," Eloise called brightly to Kevin as she extracted some funny coloured notes (she usually let him keep the change, what use did she have for it?) and exchanged them for the bags. Bidding goodbye, she closed the door and wandered back to Dorian. Opening one of the bags, she grinned as she took out a fortune cookie and offered it to him to take and open.

He languished under her fingertips. He never wanted her to stop touching him. His eyes fluttered close, his dark eyelashes a stark contrast in comparison to his pale skin. Her words had a small frown appearing between his brows and his blue eyes found hers, honesty shining in his depths. "That's what I should be saying to you," he told her just as softly.

With her permission, he smiled and another weight lifted from his chest. He was worried that she would have said no and he would have tried to accept it gracefully even though he would have been lying. He was happy that she wanted him to stay because he really didn't want to leave. The way she fit with him made her absence all that much worse. Because he knew a part of him was gone. Her whispered admission made his heart squeeze and he shook his head at her, brushing her blonde bangs from her forehead before placing a gentle kiss there. "I'll stay then," he said, the urge to make sure she always slept peacefully infused in his tone.

Dorian pursed his lips as she giggled at him and tried to act like he was affronted when really he was holding back the laughter himself. He wasn't really committed to the act though because when she offered to kiss it better, he eagerly bent his head closer to her and watched with open eyes as she made it better.

He brought up the teacup, his large hands swallowing the whole thing, and watched her from the corner of his eye as she enjoyed her tea. He sipped at his own cup, but her reaction to the drink was what brought him the most pleasure. He smiled at her compliment, shrugging at it nonchalantly as if it was nothing, but leaned into her as she kissed him. He lingered on her lips, bringing one hand up to cup her neck, tasting the tea on her lips. It was gentle and sweet, but still spoke of an apology he still felt like he owed her. "Love you too," he said back softly.

When a knock on the door sounded and Eloise bounced away from him, Dorian took a lazy second and then heaved himself off the couch. He gave Kevin a single wave around the door as he kissed El on the cheek and took the bags out of her hands as she paid for their food. He brought it back to the living room and opened the bag, taking out containers after containers. He turned to look at Eloise to ask what she wanted first when he saw that she was holding up a fortune cookie for him.

His smile was slow to appear, but his eyes were soft when he took it from her and pulled her to the couch with him. He got another fortune cookie from the bag and put it in her hands. "On three?" he said, proposing to open theirs at the same time. "One, two, three." The cookie crunched and crumbled and Dorian tossed in a piece of the cookie into his mouth as he pulled out the slip of little white paper.

"'Good fortune awaits you at the end of the day,'" Dorian read aloud, a smirk appearing on his lips as he got to the end of the fortune. He glanced at El with blue eyes gleaming as he waggled his brows at her. "How'd this cookie know about the ice cream plan?"