Ivan's supposed nine-to-five job hasn't been very nine-to-fivey lately. Lately, Ivan's been kept out much longer, sent out much earlier in an attempt to do some much needed damage control in the city of Dallas, Texas. The clock is just striking eight o clock by the time Ivan hauls his derriere up the stairs and into the corridor that leads to his apartment. The door is fiddled with for a couple of minutes, but once it opens up and he steps inside, there is the broadest, happiest of smiles on his features. He immediately moves to shrug off his coat, throwing it to the side without a care, before leaving to lock up the door behind him.
"Honey," he drawls into the silence, weary, wry derision found in his tone, "I'm home."
—
Nine to five wouldn't be very good for her own schedule, not today, especially after having to stay overnight at the facility. Ironically, she's not been 'home' for very long herself. This is made obvious by the fact that she's standing in the living area wearing a jacket. At least she found a jacket somewhere, which should be a good sign. Something's recently upset her but she's not actively crying.
Faith does jerk her head towards the door as Ivan walks in. A smile appears when she realizes who exactly it is. It's almost as if whatever is going on never really happened. She does have a small suitcase near her, something else new. Despite all the care she seems to have received, Faith still has that metal brace on her wrist.
—
Once the locking up has been dealt with, Ivan turns onto his heels, striding into his own living room with relief. But then again - that was before he managed to catch sight of Faith standing there, dressed for the outdoors…and with a suitcase? Needless to say, he freezes in his spot with considerable confusion. Especially when she doesn't even greet him verbally. Something is not right. "Err…let me guess, you're running away to join the circus?" Ivan asks, the lightness of his tone indication enough that it was a joke.
But he sobers up in no time. After all, she doesn't quite look a-okay… "Hey? What's wrong R-Faith? C'mon…you can tell me." And gently, he begins to wander forward towards her, arms held out with the promise of a hug.
—
It would be odd if he actually believed she was running off, considering the fact that she didn't have much of her own here to begin with. "Hardly. It's too boring for me." Such a bad attempt at a joke but Faith is trying, she really is. All it takes is the offer to hug her and she almost bounds into his arms. It isn't done out of joy, but it happens all the same. Faith makes a point to nearly cling to him. It has been a little while sine she's seen him, after all, and she had no certainly that she would return.
"You don't -have- to all me Faith if you don't want to." The woman is realistic, after all. "And it's just been a long day. I think Michael no. It's nothing." She pulls away from him some to offer him a smile. See? She is glad to see him! "How was your day?"
—
Ivan's arms wind around Faith's body, holding her tightly against his body even as he buries his nose in her dark locks. Of course he's missed her, and it shows, but at this point he's really holding on for her benefit. After all, there's something distinctive about her clinging that tugs at his heart-strings, makes him want to be there for him. "Mhmm…I want to call you Faith. I'm just so used to calling you by your middle name - it takes a bit of an adjustment, is all." He assures her as she pulls away, and though his arms remain around her almost possessively, his hold is loosened. His smile in unquestionably fond - though upon hearing her cut herself off, it is slowly drawn away.
"You think Michael what, Faith?" He inquires with concern, furrowing his brows darkly. "You can talk to me, you know. My day? Ah. It was long, and boring, and lame. We can move on to your day now. I feel like I haven't been able to talk to you in forever, you know?"
—
People wonder why she's so fond of him. They just don't understand. Sometimes feeling wanted, and safe, works wonders for a woman who is a wreck. "I'm glad it was just dull. After the way my parents reacted I was sure that they'd try to have you locked up." It's going to take a while, since the hints are extremely subtle, but this isn't the same Faith who left his apartment not all that long ago. The woman allows her hands to reach out for his shirt and hang on to it without seeming too needy. "The police station isn't dull, trust me."
He's switching things back to her and it causes her to sour her face. It'd be so easy to brush it off as she normally does, when she's normal. Ivan's risking so much for her, though, so she finally sighs. "He told me he doesn't have a claim on me anymore. That's fine. I just think he enjoys saying things to upset people is all. It's nothing, honest."
—
"Yeah?" Ivan grunts out, his lips curling in wry amusement. "Well, that's because they did. Yesterday." With this admission in place, he allows himself to inhale deeply and lick his lips. "They put out a warrant to search the apartment, but couldn't pin anything to me, because I just told them the truth. Well…a variation of it. That you were here, and then you weren't." And as they take turns catching up, Ivan finds himself blinking in confusion. "Wait - you were at the police station? Ah…c'mon, let's sit down, alright?"
He leads her gently, oblivious to her change in mental state, over to the couch before taking a seat himself, green eyes fixed upon her face curiously. "Wait a second - I'm confused. Michael…he's that vampire, right? So, he doesn't have any claim over you anymore? What's that mean? And what d'you mean, he just enjoys saying things to upset people?"
—
So it was true. She sort of freezes at his admission and then there's an anger building inside of her. Previous to this moment, she'd not ever had long moments of prolonged anger. "It was my father, I bet." This is said through clenched teeth before she reaches for her own cheek, the very place he slapped her. "I should have punched him. I'm so very sorry, Ivan. Really. If you want me to take my stuff and go elsewhere, I can. I won't be upset." Her anger is actually averted due to his relocating them to the couch. Once she sits she wiggles out of her jacket, using her wrist far more recklessly than she ought to. "And yeah, I went there, too. I thought maybe I could save you from the harassment."
Faith shifts, then, openly uncomfortable. "I didn't tell you that Michael had claimed me?" Maybe she is forgetting again, something she openly fears. "Or, I don't know. He just said that Mister Grant told him that he doesn't have claim over me. So no more protection from him. That could be why he wasn't around to help me, you know." The other part is let go for now. It's really not worth talking about.
—
Her anger surprises Ivan, who has never managed to catch the woman mad. Sad, yes, bitter, yes, but never actively enraged. It's a hint, as subtle as it is, to the shift in the woman's nature, but for the moment being Ivan writes it off as an anomaly. Besides, he doesn't have the benefit of knowing exactly how the real Faith is, therefore he has no comparison. Instead, he fixes on the issue at hand, which is calming her, trying to wipe away the things that upset her. "Hey - hey," Ivan begins, his tone soft and perfectly matching the sheepish smile that appears on his features. "Relax. It's alright, okay? I mean it - I'm fine, it's all cool. You could go elsewhere, sure…but then I'd be upset."
He can't help it. And the best part is, he doesn't have to help it anymore, though he is unaware of this. Slowly, he leans forward, looking to brush his lips against the apples of her cheeks in the gentlest of movements. It serves a dual purpose - to allow himself to indulge in the sweetness of fresh feelings and to hopefully calm her down. "They can't pin anything on me. I didn't do anything wrong, so there's no need to act as though we've something to hide."
"Uhh. I don't know. You might've, to be honest - I probably forgot. No big deal. It's been…yeah. A rather busy couple of days on my front." Once he assures her of this, his hand can creep its way onto her thigh innocently. "So. You can't count on him to protect you anymore, huh? I bet that's not the…best of things to find out right about now, huh? It's alright, though. It'll all be alright. How did it go? Y'know…at the institution and all."
—
He may find that he really doesn't like the 'old' Faith, for as long as she sticks around. This one is borderline violent and actually swears. She's also extremely angry. "Laying his hands on me, fine. Whatever. But going after you? I walked into that place on my own, for God's sake." If she could she'd be blowing smoke at this moment. Yet Ivan is there, to be reassuring. Honestly there is far more of a rant coming, yet he's right there, with that sweet little kiss.
Faith looks over to Ivan, into his eyes, and just watches him. Ivan the player. Ivan the bad influence. "No, they can't. I'm just tired of running, tired of making excuses." Just like that, the anger turns off. She still has it, yes, but she'd much rather focus on this fine man on the couch. "Just let me know if they continue after you, okay? I'll go to my mother and I'll get her to stop." So long as she can get her away from her father.
"I can protect myself." Obviously she's done well with it so far. "I'm making plans to ensure that." Those plans don't know it just yet. Faith half laughs as she shakes her head. "It was a joke. They tried to medicate me, my sister tackled one of them, and I damn near decked the other. Father threatened to take me home, Mother weeped because of my freaking teeth of all things and no one believes me. But at least I don't have to go back if I report in for therapy once a day." Stupid freaking doctors. "But that isn't important. Let's talk about you."
—
Ivan doesn't have much of an opportunity to soothe and calm the enraged woman on his couch, for he finds himself taken almost aback by her admissions. Immediately, Ivan grows somber, the vestiges of his previous goodnatured smile having disappeared. "Laying his hands on you?" He gruffs out, positively frozen in shock. "What did he do, Faith? If he hurt you, you can press charges. You should press charges. No one ought to be able to hurt you, to touch you in a negative fashion. You can use it, you know. To gain your independence from them." Beat. "Them coming to check my home isn't all that unexpected, nor is it something to be upset about. Not really. They didn't know where you were, so no doubt your sister must've submitted my name for investigation. I mean…after all, they were right, weren't they? You were here. It's alright, really. But I'll let you know."
With a heavy, tired sigh, Ivan leans back into the cushions of the couch he's sitting upon, allowing his eyes to shut for a brief moment. Soon enough though, he opens them once again, fixing thm upon the girl almost speculatively. "Hey…c'mere." And with that weary smile, he holds out his arm, clearly indicating that he wants her closer. "Now that you can protect yourself and all, how exactly are you planning on keeping yourself safe? And…are you sure they didn't medicate you you? Not even a little? Because I can't see your sister tackling anything, to be honest. Well…unless it's me. And only off of a cliff. But that's not the point! They're letting you stay here? I mean, your sister's letting you be with me?"
The desire to shift the topic over to Ivan leaves the man blinking with slight confusion. "Huh? Uh…'Kay. What about me?" He offers with a faint laugh.
—
The man is quite lucky that she's so taken with him because it spares him her ire. Being treated like a child is not something she's overly fond of, really, but he doesn't know. For all Ivan is aware of she does have the mentality of a child, after all. "Stupid nazi just slapped me, nothing much. But it was very hard not to return the favor." The injury is actually then waved off, almost as if it isn't that big of a deal. "I was being bitchy, but I think I had a right to. Still, they need to learn to stay out of my life. So long as I can actually convince someone that I'm sane I don't have to worry about it. And when that happens I won't hesitate to have them standing beside Green Oaks." Yes, she's meaning that she'll sue.
He's asking for it! Faith slides along the couch until she's dangerously close to him. In fact, she even tries to steal a kiss. In doing so she puts quite a bit of pressure on her bad wrist but doesn't even seem to notice. In fact, the wounds that she received during the blast seem to be almost healed up. "I'll have ways of protecting myself, against vampires at least." But not against players. What he says about Hope, though, causes her to just stare at him. She's not angry, but rather kind of cold. She's not happy about what he's saying but won't hold it against him. "I didn't tell anyone where I was staying, exactly. Oh, sure, they probably know but I didn't tell and I'm sure as hell not asking permission."
So her plan backfired. "I don't know," Faith finally response. "I just don't want to be the center of attention. I figured that you'd have some way of making that happen."
—
The inclinations that there is something wrong (or is it right or just plain different?) about Faith just keep on piling up. Beyond her anger, he's never had the opportunity to see her like this before. So…brash. It leaves him peering up at her, green eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You're different," he murmurs, almost surprised with himself. "You're so different then before, Faith." He doesn't mean it negatively, either, due to the sheepish way he curls his lips. "It's like you're a completely different person then the girl I met all those weeks ago. The one I showed my ah, magic trick to, you know?"
There will be absolutely no complaints from Ivan's end when she crawls her way over to him. In fact, he will be more then encouraging, judging by the comfortable way his arm wraps around her person, keeping her firmly in place beside his warmth, as well as the way his lips curl into a smile against her lips as he kisses her back. People have all these labels for him - player, whore, bad influence. Ivan doesn't see himself as any of them. And he's apparently hoping she wont either - it's rather difficult to convince someone of something if they already think the opposite. Despite the good mood he is put due to the lip lock, he is still perceptive enough to notice the coolness radiating from the dark-haired girl. And he pauses, expression turning confused.
"Uhh…s'there something wrong?" He asks her, using his free hand to scratch the back of his head. "But, alright. I just wanted to know whether to expect visitors looking for you or not. And…err. I can I guess. I just…don't know how exactly. Things at work are in shambles thanks to the parade and…" Beat. Suddenly, a thought strikes him as he reviews his last few weeks. "…Wow. I…I don't think you realize how important you are, Faith." He begins, voice low. Why? Because it's a startling, almost embarrassing admission to make, but he sees no reason to lie. "Ever since I met you, my life's kind of…you know. Revolved around you in one way or another."
—
To keep them close and conversation possible, she foregoes the embrace after a moment in favor for a more comfortable position. If he'll allow her, Faith will move to sit on his lap again, allowing her to be face to face with him. She uses her 'bad' wrist to brace herself on the back of the couch as she does so. "I'm sorry." The way she says that almost makes it sound as if she believes it. "So much has changed. I don't know how long it will last, or even if you'll like it or not." She -does- have to be honest with him as he has every right to know. Her other hand reaches out to try and play with his hair. "And don't worry about it. I've just always been protective of my twin. She's my twin. I know you have every right to talk about her like you do." A painful thing to admit to, but at least she's being rational.
Faith Rose Tyler is being rational.
Then something unusual for the 'new' Faith happens - she blushes. As she does so she lowers her head, almost as if looking at him will make her need to run away. "I really am sorry about that," she admits, the cold bitch backing off while around him. "I always hated getting people caught up in my life. Being a loner was easier, you know? You never really had a say in any of it."
—
Allowed? Hell, Ivan encourages the sudden shift in positioning, albeit with his brows arched in some surprise. As he exhals and leans back in the couch, he glances up to the woman straddling him and darts his tongue out to moisten his lips. "Eh? What're you apologizing for, Faith?" He offers, faint bemusement found in his tone of voice as his hands settle themselves low on her hips once again. The way she begins to toy with his curls draws a distinctively boyish grin from his face, momentarily distracting him from the situation at hand, but after a moment he's ripped back into reality. No, Ivan, you cannot jump into necking once again - there are certain things to take care of first.
"Uhh, wait! Oh, God, I swear, sometimes you make it hard to think. What do you mean how long it'll last? Your…sanity?" Beat. "How d'you know you're sane? You mean…that chick, she did it? She fixed you?" But there she is, blushing and looking down. He can just feel her retreating into her shell, and it alarms the man. Enough to noticeably tighten his grip on her and drive him to lean forward, lifting one hand to lift her chin and make her look at him. "Hey! Hey, stop apologizing. You didn't get me caught up in this, I did. I wanted to. I want to, or you wouldn't be here right now. Really. It's not so bad." Beat. Suddenly, his smile turns devilishly sly. "I get to sleep next to this beautiful girl 'cause of it."
—
It would be oh so easy to continue down this road. She's seen how it works before, and now she knows enough to know what sort of power she can hold over him. That hand continues playing with his curls as she can see him sink into that mode of comfort. This is where she wants Ivan. Life is too stressful most other days, at least for her. "I'm just apologizing because so much has happened and I haven't told you, that's all." Her voice is actually soothing at this point, yet strong. Of course, this is before she goes all instantly shy.
Once she does begin her retreat it is a short trip because he's right there to make sure it doesn't happy. Faith watches him close once she's all but forced to but doesn't try to pull back. "I remember," she finally says, finding her voice to be stronger than she would expect. "All of it, everything I've forgotten. I don't know if it will last, but I have it now. I know who I am." That is what Ivan was wondering about, isn't it? Despite her newfound strength, she is still blushing. Eventually she pulls back enough to demonstrate something, and in doing so removes that brace from her wrist. "Thinks like this keep happening to me," she explains, flexing her wrist without wincing. "You're sure you want to wake up next to this?" This last part is said with a grin, however.
—
The back of his fingers glide against her smooth cheek as Ivan lifts his hand higher, still, to run through the mass of her dark hair in an almost loving fashion. And as she admits to remembering things she never could, he purses his lips tightly. It isn't that he's unhappy that she remembers - it's that she doesn't seem happy. "And…that's good, right? You've got something that you were missing in your life, that's what you wanted, yeah?" Gulping down, Ivan comes to realize something. She is entirely to somber, entirely too doom and gloom-ish. "…That's why you're different…"
Ah, but she has not transformed into someone entirely unfamiliar! She's still grinning, still smiling at him. All is not lost. And suddenly, he decides that this is what he wants to do. This is what he wants to spend his time fixing, her happiness. "Am I sure…?" He inquires, smirking faintly. His hand travels down her arm, reaching over to lace his finger in with hers, an expression of clear intimacy. "Maybe. But I'm damn willing to find out. I'm sure of one thing, though. You want to kiss me right now."
—
Even if she were entirely miserable she couldn't be at this moment. The way he touches her just makes her feel so welcome, so alive. There is a flash of a memory, a time where she almost felt similarly but its different here. This is better. "I'm thrilled," Faith replies, her smile showing that she's telling the truth. "I worry that people won't want to associate with me any longer, but I don't want to go back to the way I was. Even if it means that I have to remember things you would never want to see." That might be what is bothering her, especially the way she reacts when she mentions it, but still she pushes past it. This will be a happy moment!
Hope will roll if she even catches a glimpse of any of this. For this reason, Faith will not live with her sister. The offer is there but it will never happen. "Maybe." There is the ever famous word that she chooses to use so often. Despite the tease, unless he stops her, she'll lean in for a real kiss. New or old, she's not about to be shy around him.
—
"You don't have to worry about me, you know. I'm stuck in this thing, and I'm going to see it through. Heh, I'm just stubborn like that, you know?" The murmur is exclusive, low enough to barely reach her ears, private. Just to reassure her of his devotion, and really mess with the warnings she has been getting about him. Player? Yes, no?
Regardless of the fact, there is no way in hell Ivan is going to stop Faith, after the effort he put into baiting the action into existence. His lips are sure, firm against hers as he feeds the proverbial fire that it stokes up into being. It's exciting in that way all new relationships are, the kind of contact that leaves Ivan's brain hazy enough for him to reach for the bottom of her shirt with his hands, the intention to tug that particular article of clothing off of her form made quite obvious. "Mhmm…wont your sister be surprised when she finds out about this, huh? You're just as bad as I am." The thought of shocking/infuriating Hope leaves Ivan giddy with joy.
—
For all she knows he's just a player that's very good at his job. If he's to keep her close, keep her happy, what better way than to trick her into a relationship? Whether this is the case or not, it really doesn't matter. Faith has already stated that she trusts him and she's jumped through hoops just to get back to him. That alone should speak volumes. Then again, he won't ever know what all she's been through if she never tells him.
Even when the kiss breaks she remains dangerously close to him. The art of using her body is not one that she's ever even thought to use, ever. This is a feeling that is very new to her, almost as if she were the type of teenager to toy with relationships. He's given a look, a raised brow, but she does smirk. Faith is protective of her twin but he's been granted his moments. "My sister knows exactly what I'm like, or used to be like. No matter what she says, I don't think she'd be surprised." In an act very unlike her, she removes her top easily enough, tugging it over her head and tossing it on the floor. He's given a playful grin as she nibbles on her lower lip. "Are you?"
—
The real question is why would he be investing so much time and effort into keeping her happy. It'd be alot easier to just force her into being safe if he didn't really have to take account of her wants and wishes. The look is met with a broad, boyish grin - the look a trouble-maker might give to an accomplice. He knows he's toeing the line…but frankly, feels as though he deserves to, considering the way her twin had treated him. Besides, he's starting to realize something: she lets him get away with things. With alot of things.
Leaning back with that wolfish gleam in his eyes, he takes the opportunity to really look at the woman in front of him and sigh in that satisfied sort of way. "…Huh? Oh! Right. But I thought you've never been on a date before me," Ivan drawls out playfully, dipping his head forward to press his lips against her collar bone, indulging in the texture of her skin. The rest of his words escape as a rumbling, seeing as he doesn't remove himself from her. "I thought you've not gone farther then a kiss with anyone but me. That I was your first…" Is he surprised? "Honestly?…Yeah, I am."
—
It won't last long, really - that patience she seems to have with him. He's given her so much room to breathe that he is owed some of his own, but it will only last for so long. Eventually Ivan and Hope are going to have to at least learn to be civil towards each other. If not she's liable to do something silly, like go be with Tripp. At least he accepts her, or used to. Things might have changed since she caused his death and all. It will just be easier to be strict with him when she's not sitting on his lap.
He's calling her out and Faith just grins. "Why, Mister Fontane, I'll have you know that I've always been a good Christian girl." Anyone can tell him just as much. Her head leans back with the location of his lips, her eyes closing out of reflex. "You may be the second person to kiss me, but you're certainly the first that" Oh, no. She doesn't even have to say it. Using their closeness to her advantage, Faith lowers her voice to a mere whisper. "And I liked it." Even with her memories, she's not completely her old self. She's a mix of new and old, and can claim middle ground on many things. Including this.
—
"You know what?" Ivan murmurs even as his hands wander along the planes of her nearly naked back, rising up for the clasp of her undergarments with a lopsided, smug sort of grin. Reluctantly, he pulls away from the woman just enough to beam up at her with that boyish charm. "I liked it too. Fuck, I loved it. And not just because I got to make the good Christian girl try being bad for a change, but because I love it when she moans…because I've made her happy and feel good for a change. You know…despite the whole sex before marriage thing…I think the guy up there, God. I think he'd be okay with this." He buries himself into her the crook of her neck, intent on working his magic to really hammer in his next question. "Now, I've a question for you, Faith Rose Tyler. Are you ready for round two?"
