Smile Time A-3, Saturday Morning

[thatsamilkshake]

Much like yesterday, Francine's first words of the morning were a variation on "Mrrnnrrf."

Followed, as she woke up enough to remember that her life SUCKED, by "Oh GOD" and shoving her head under her pillow.

That's not even considering the stuff she didn't know about yet.

[For a quiet and sneaky Ears.]

Comments

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Chuck drugged people. Not you or me," Merlin replied.

[thatsamilkshake]

"Only because I was dumb enough not to realize I was high the two times it happened before."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I was before we made the brownies too," Merlin said, as though that would help her feel better.

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine snorted. "You're from the Dark Ages. I'm from Houston. It's not like I don't know what pot is."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"You trust people, that's hardly a bad thing."

[thatsamilkshake]

"Sure it is. People trusted me and I gave them stuff that made them sick." Francine's eyes widened almost impossibly when something occurred to her. "Oh my LORD, I gave one of those brownies to MARSHALL."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"No one blames you--Who is Marshall?"

[thatsamilkshake]

Head completely out from under the pillow for the purposes of staring at him. "Our Beach Play teacher. Mr. Eriksen."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Oh." Oh. "Perhaps he didn't eat it?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"...Right, you never saw him in Food Appreciation. He ate it. Trust me, he ate it. I drugged a teacher!"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin hugged her again, turning his head into her cheek. "It will be alright. If he had been cross about it, I think you'd know by now."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine sighed, something stopping her from letting herself work up into a hysterical rant, even though she was just this side of it. "I don't think he knows, no. But I do. Getting high, dealing drugs, passing out in boys' rooms... Jesus, I'm a freaking Afterschool Special."

And mildly guilty for that last outburst in the way that only a suburban Methodist kid can manage to feel guilty for using the J-word but not the G-word.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I meant what I said when I told your that your honor is above reproach, m'lady," He informed her seriously. "Anyone who knows you knows you would never do that."

[thatsamilkshake]

Francine rested her head against his chest. "I love you for saying that."

Even if the truth is anyone who knows me knows I'm a gullible idiot.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Anyone says otherwise, they can answer to me," Merlin insisted. "Or Arthur. Or Katchoo."

[thatsamilkshake]

"...Arthur?" Katchoo, she wouldn't exactly argue with.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"He knows you and wouldn't allow anyone to say something against you," Merlin said with a firm nod.

[thatsamilkshake]

"He is sort of... full of chivalry," Francine said. "Like you."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"And we all care about you," Merlin added.

[thatsamilkshake]

"I'm not sure how smart that makes you guys," Francine answered, but it carried a bit of a laugh.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Oy, no need to be mean about it," Merlin teased, hugging her again.

[thatsamilkshake]

"That's me. Evil to the max." Francine squirmed about a bit in the not-dirtiest manner possible in order to get comfortable again on the narrow bed. Merlin had made her feel a bit better, but she still kind of wanted to stay under the covers forever.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Snickering, he shifted as well, pressing himself against the wall as much as possible. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"Never let me near a brownie again?" She'd be asking him to let her take that back in three weeks, tops.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I promise to never allow you near another brownie." Until she brained him to get one.

[thatsamilkshake]

She grinned slightly. "My hero."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"Anything for you, Francine."

[thatsamilkshake]

"I'll remember that when the time comes to lug all this crap back from the cabins." She really hadn't brought all that much crap this time, since they'd just spent so much effort moving it into a new room, but shh.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"I moved you into your new room, I doubt this could be worse."

...and he could always beg Arthur to help.

[thatsamilkshake]

"You could always just float stuff back," she teased, wiggling her fingers. Then... "Hey, why didn't you just float stuff down the hall when we were moving me?"

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"It wasn't necessary," Merlin replied. "I have two perfectly good hands here and--Oh god, I just sounded like Gaius there."

[thatsamilkshake]

"...Gaius likes to talk about how nice your hands are?" Not that Francine didn't agree.

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

"...What?"

[thatsamilkshake]

"You said you have perfectly good hands and then you --oh." Francine sighed. "It takes me a while to catch on sometimes. You might've noticed."

[bigdamndestiny.livejournal.com]

Merlin just chuckled and shook his head. "It's not as though I'm any different."

[thatsamilkshake]

"And again I point out you're from the Dark Ages. You've got a couple hundred years--" Or, um, more than that, Francie. "--worth of excuses."