talking like i'm falling downstairs {cleo&julian}

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

Okay, maybe bringing her blanket downstairs with her to get a snack wasn't exactly the best of ideas. But it was cold in the loft, and honestly her tank-top and pajama shorts were not the warmest. Her rose blanket was pretty big, so even though she had it wrapped around her, it still trailed. Which was how she had fallen. The blanket had found it's way in front of her weet while walking to the stairs, and when she stepped down, she tumbled. The wall at the end of the top set of stairs had broken her fall. All in all, it hadn't felt very good, but Marlena didn't know what to do. She never reacted well to sudden distress or pain, well, reacted normally. Because right after she was able to, she stood up in a little bit of a daze and walked over to her laptop, which was right next to the stairs on the desk.

After she had a conversation with Cleo and that guy Julian and some other people, she had fallen asleep on her couch, the nearest thing she could sleep on that wasn't the floor. Her brother had gone on a trip with his college friends, but she had forgotten that by that point.

When she woke up the next day, it was already dark. She had slept about 20 or so hours, which was not normal for Marlena at all. It also wasn't normal for her to be this sore and in pain. Ouch. Well, she got back on the computer, seeing as she had nothing else to do, and there were Cleo and Julian and other people again. And eventually, they told her to go to the hospital. But she didn't want to go to the hospital, she was really fine. Well, not really, she was in a lot of pain, but why did that mean hospital? Hospitals were for burns and cancer and births and things like that, right? Marlena had never really had to legitimately go to a hospital before. She hadn't been this hurt before, either, but that didn't matter. Of course, it actually did matter.

Eventually she caved when Julian mentioned he had a car and they for sure weren't busy. Marlena hated being a bother and regretted saying anything in the first place, but it was too late for that. And she hadn't even meant to complain, just to update everyone on how she was doing because Cleo was her friend and she was concerned.

Now all she had to do was wait. Shutting her computer down and painfully walking over to the couch, she clutched the blanket that had been the cause of her fall. She still loved that blanket, of course. It had belonged to her mother, who she didn't remember at all, but it was still nice to think of her wrapped up in it at night, staring out into the ocean in the old Florida home. Marlena smiled, and was surprised that that didn't hurt as much as she thought it would. Eventually, as she laid there still, the pain sort of went away, or at least to the back of her mind. She tried not to look at the nasty bruises because they would remind her.

After a while, she heard a knock on the door, and forced herself to move and answer it. While passing a decorative mirror on the way, she realized something. Marlena Cartwright was still in her pajamas from yesterday. Oh dear.

She normally wouldn't have a problem with that, except for the fact that it wasn't just Cleo coming to get her. Julian was also coming. Here, actually. And Marlena hardly ever wore a bra to sleep and it was just a tank top and pajama shorts and oh dear oh dear oh dear. If her brother were here, he'd freak out and probably lock her in her room.

Well there was nothing she could do now, because her clotheswere upstairs and there was no way she was going to go upstairs. Still clutching her blanket in one hand, she hobbled over to the door and answered it, smiling and pretending she wasn't wearing pajamas.

notes /facepalm words dunno tagged cleo/dani, julien/zelda outfit embarrassing lyrics Talking Like I'm Falling Downstairs by Sparkadia credit made for hedgie @ ouac for marlena cartwright

[CLEO EVERETT]

Cleo Everett took care of her friends.

Most of the time. As long as it was serious. She wasn't going to go out of her way if they had the sniffles or a minor headache. If it was a full-blown cold, maybe. The flu? Definitely. As long as there was zero possibility of her catching it.

Falling down the stairs and sleeping an entire day away? That definitely earned her attention and care. It also seemed to earn the care of strangers in chat rooms. Not that Julian was not necessarily a stranger. He went to the same school as she and Marlena did. So, already, that made him a schoolmate.

If Cleo took cabs everywhere, letting complete strangers driving her around, then she could let Julian drive her to Marlena's apartment. Sure, she could have taken a cab. But why would she do that when Julian could come with?

Cleo had totally seen it, never mind that they'd only spoken through the internet. She had totally noticed the spark between Marlena and Julian. And if Cleo could, she would definitely do what she could to get them to meet. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to have somebody else around in case she needed anymore help with Marlena.

Before leaving to meet Julian, Cleo had gotten a bag together with some things that might be useful. Every ice pack she had in the freezer, some vitamins, painkillers, and some tea bags because tea made everything better.

It didn't take long getting there. She knew where the apartments were from numerous visits (it was one of the few places she could get to on her own). Then, barely waiting for Julian but also waiting as patiently as she could, Cleo made her way to Marlena's apartment.

Cleo knocked, perhaps a bit frantically, before glancing to Julian and giving him a sheepish smile. "Sorry for being in such a hurry." Who knew if he even actually wanted to be here? The door opened and Cleo looked back to find Marlena... in her pajamas. Cleo almost felt embarrassed for her.

"Marlee! Are you okay? Feeling any better?"

[JULIAN SORENSEN]

Julian was...ungood about feelings.

It wasn't that he wasn't good with women. He was very good with women. And men, for that matter -- he didn't always limit himself when he was intoxicated. It was that Julian had never really learned how to...work...with feelings. As much as he had loved his father and as much as he had looked up to him, the man had taught him shit about manfeelings.

So the fact that he found something about a girl that he'd met over a chatroom two or three times...endearing, even attractive, was a bit alarming to him from the start.

And for once since he had plunged into his years-long depression, he was not filled with the urge to take advantage of her and destroy something beautiful -- not at all. He had done that more than once and felt bad about it at some point afterward, but now...he didn't even feel the motivation. She was...precious, and clearly fragile, and somehow, he felt this inherent need to protect her. He didn't know where it came from. It was like he had met her somewhere before, and he just couldn't remember where...

But that was stupid. That was incredibly, monumentally stupid. Of course he had never met her before. He had never met a girl named Marlena, he was sure of that. He would have remembered. It was such a beautiful name, so elegant, but girlish, like it was crafted for the sole purpose of--

Alright, he needed to stop.

He was overthinking this, like he overthought everything in his life. She was a girl he had met on a chatroom, and she needed help. This was the issue at hand right now, and this was what he needed to deal with. He could sort out the complicated labyrinth of his own foreign emotions at a later date.

Still, he thought as he walked up to Marlena's door with Cleo, something about this situation made his mind clear. For the first time in a long time, the weight of his father's death and his responsibility and his duty seemed just a little lighter. For the first time in a long time, he had something to focus on besides himself and his problems and his sadness and anger and oh, he was so, so angry all the time, it was exhausting. But he didn't feel exhausted now, he felt...energized, and it was great.

Doing something was great.

He offered Cleo one of his small, gracious smiles at her statement. "No need to apologize," he said in his soft, Danish-accented voice before stepping inside after her.

Immediately, after a brief glance at the interior of the dorm, his eyes fell on the girl who he assumed was Marlena.

She was radiant.

Julian was taken aback -- he had never seen a girl more beautiful than this one, not in his entire life, not ever. Even wrapped in a blanket and bruised and ill and tired, she was just...glowing. From her plump pink lips to the shape of her face to her big green eyes, she was gorgeous, and Julian could not take his eyes off her, even when he made an honest attempt to after realizing he must be staring.

"Um." Once upon a time, he was good with words, but now he couldn't remember any. "You must be Marlena. I'm Julian Sorenson."

Oh, God, was he being shy? This was unheard of.

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

Marlena kept her eyes on Cleo, not wanting to look into the man's eyes. Which was weird, man, because normally she simply referred to everyone sort of around her age range and younger as boys, but... No, he seemed different. More grown up and mature than most of the boys around her. Which was ridiculous, really, seeing as they had just met. But that didn't seem right either. He seemed familiar and she didn't know why. Well, she didn't think she had met him anywhere. Maybe she had one time at Barrie and she didn't remember. But this was different. She felt like she actually knew him, actually talked to him before, actually lov-

Oh dear, it was all just so sudden and confusing. This wasn't the time or the place for these feelings, right? And Cleo had asked her a question.

"I'm... No, I'm not really feeling all that better," she admitted. Now that her mind had been forced off of Julian for a second, the pain had retured. Which was also very odd. Wondering about that, she glanced towards him, and was hit by another wave of feelings she didn't understand. Usually, when that happen, though it didn't happen usually, she kind of just shut down and kept her mouth shut. But this time, it was so different that she could hardly keep herself contained. She wanted to burst out and talk to him and tell him everything and never hold back.

But she couldn't do that. It was probably just something she was feeling brought on by the recent tumble. So to avoid that for now, she just nodded at his introduction without saying anything. Her face, which had been one of the few things left unbruised, became a bit of a pinkish-red color when she met his eyes, realizing he was maybe staring at her. She looked away, shy as ever, of course, especially around people of the opposite gender. Her eyes met the floor and she realized she was still kind of blocking the entryway.

"Uhh, here, come in," she said, opening the door wider and allowing them room to come in. They probably weren't going to take her to the hospital right away, hopefully. Because she was fine. Which was a lie, because now that she was thinking of hospitals and not Julian, she remembered the pain and it came back. It was all just very weird.

[CLEO EVERETT]

They were TOTALLY in love. Without a doubt. She knew it. Definitely. Since Marlena seemed to be keeping eye contact with Cleo, she raised her brows at the girl and smiled just a tiny bit. As if to say ‘girl, you are in pajamas and a blanket and he is speechless.’ Yup. Cleo better be the Maid of Honor at their wedding. And no, she wasn't a total weirdo for already thinking all of this. Both Marlena and Julian's reactions to seeing each other totally gave her every right to be assuming all of it.

OKAY, OKAY, CLEO, ENOUGH.

That would have to wait. Because Marlena was not feeling better. Luckily, she opened the door not soon after and Cleo hurriedly stepped in. Just in case Julian didn’t follow, she grabbed his wrist and pulled him into the room with her. Just in case. For all Cleo knew, he could take off before anything big could happen. So what if she was technically a third wheel right now? Cleo didn't even believe in that third wheel nonsense. Letting go once they were definitely in Marlena’s apartment, Cleo turned to her friend.

She didn’t look absolutely terrible. Just a bit tired and achy. “I brought lots of stuff,” Cleo said, raising her bag as if to prove a point. Without another word, Cleo made her way to the kitchen, partially to get some things done but mostly to give Marlena and Julian a moment alone. Not that she even understood how romance worked. That was a good one. Unzipping her backpack, Cleo hurriedly put the ice packs into the freezer to make sure they stayed just that… frozen. “Do either of you want tea?” Cleo called, planning on making some either way. Even if they didn't, she certainly would.

Oh, she could probably also offer to grab Marlena some clothes. Was there a room down here that she could change in? Because, sure, she looked great no matter what but surely she’d feel more comfortable in clothes clothes. Leaving the kitchen and returning to Marlena’s side, Cleo smiled up at Julian, “thanks so much for coming, by the way.” It was way too sweet of him.

[JULIAN SORENSEN]

As he stepped inside, dragged there in part by Cleo, Julian started to realize that this had been a bad idea.

It wasn't that Marlena wasn't worth the trip, because...wow. She was definitely worth the trip. It was just that...well...now he was standing awkwardly just inside the house of a girl he'd never met, to whose residence he'd come for...what reason? Because he felt bad for her? Because she was pretty? Because he felt a strange attraction to her before they even met?

How strange it was. How long had it been since he'd felt more than a primal attraction towards another human being, more than a base feeling that urged sexual action and nothing more? He couldn't even remember all the faceless people he'd slept with in his downward spiral into depression and self-destruction. There were a lot, and none of them had meant anything. They were forgotten to him.

But Marlena was different. And that was what made this a bad idea.

Because not only was his current situation exceedingly awkward, and not only was he beginning to realize that he really had no reason to be here, but he was breaking his own rule.

Never get attached to anyone. In the end, they'll always leave you behind and break your heart, whether they mean it or not.

He was sick of being sad and he didn't need any more reasons.

Cleo left the room, and Julian felt his heart quicken with fear and anticipation, his blue-gray eyes fixed on Marlena for a moment before he looked away with an uncharacteristic shyness. There was something about her that made him...nervous. It was strange. He didn't get nervous, not anymore -- his apathy stifled all such emotions in him, made them dull and bearable. But being around Marlena, it was like the gray opacity of his mind was being cleared, like upping the contrast on a faded photograph. It brought everything into a bright perspective, and it alarmed him.

"Um," he began, trying to think of something to say. Fortunately, Cleo saved him with her inquiry.

"Y-yeah, tea would be great, thanks," he mumbled before looking back towards Marlena. He shoved his hands in his pockets in some desperate attempt to not look like an awkward teenage boy. He was twenty years old, for God's sake. He was twenty years old and very clever and why, why, why was a girl reducing him to blubbering? That never happened.

"So, um..." he began, hunting for words. "This is a...nice place you've got here." A natural poet, and that was what he managed? Pathetic. Pathetic incarnate. "Um, sorry, that was..." Lame? Stupid? Flat? All of the above? He shut his mouth before he could make a larger fool of himself than he already had. What an impression he had to be making. And he was usually so suave.

As Cleo came back in, he mustered an awkward little smile and inclined his head. "It's, uh, no trouble. Just tell me if I'm in the way, and I'll get out of it."

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

Marlena's face turned even pinker when Cleo gave her that look, and she silently replied with a wide eyes and a single subtle shake of her head, then looking at her feet, as if to say 'What are you talking about? That's just ridiculous'. She shut the door behind them after Cleo dragged Julian in. Oh, Cleo was being silly. He was just being nice, of course, and he was only speechless because the situation was a little odd and she was very bruised. There couldn't have been another reason, right? And he had only come because Cleo didn't have a car and he was being nice. Yes, that had to be it.

What else would it be?

Oh dear. Marlena had no idea what to say when Cleo walked into the kitchen. Why did she leave them alone? Being alone with a stranger wasn't a smart thing to do. Well, not really a stranger, right? They had talked a little in the chat room. Yes, and he obviously didn't lie about how old he was or whatever she heard people lied about on the internet. "Tea would be lovely, thank you," she called in response to Cleo's question.

Not finding anything good enough to focus her gaze on, she finally got a good look at him. The soreness went away as she studied him, though her perspective of 'studying' someone was getting one good look and thinking about them afterwards. Staring was rude after all, and she didn't want to be rude to a guest. Especially not Julian.

"Uhm, thank you. I live here with my brother, but I think he took a double shift today... I don't know." She really didn't know where Lucas was. He didn't go much of anywhere apart from his job at Starbucks ever since he dropped out of college, a decision Marlena hadn't approved of but didn't outwardly oppose. "My father used to live here with us, but he-" What was she doing? Bringing that up was completely unnecessary and now she was going to be confused and unable to think and... wait, why was she thinking clearer than she expected? This was... odd. No, focus on Julian. It seemed he was making her thoughts clear, maybe. "That was what?" She tilted her head, eyeing him curiously. It seemef like a proper thing to say to her.

Cleo coming back was at a perfect time, because she didn't know how much longer her speaking clearly could last. "Oh! Yes, thank you both for coming." Oh dear, how had she forgotten to thank them? Well, she thanked them now and that was okay, right? Yes, it was fine. At least she was still able to filter and choose what she said at that point...

"I don't think you're in the way," she blurted, though in a bit of a mumble. The others in the room would likely be able to understand her, though. Oh dear, why had she said that? It was... it was... true, but not something she would normally say. She didn't know where it came from, either. Oh dear, he would... and Cleo would never let her live this down. Her eyes were wide in shock as she realized she was unable to find anything else to say to revise it.

[CLEO EVERETT]

Weren’t they just precious? Cleo couldn’t wipe the little smile off her face. She was a total matchmaker. Tea, though. They both wanted tea. Wonderful! First things first… Cleo turned to Marlena and stepped a bit closer, “would you like me to get you some clothes?” Cleo asked quietly, “I think you’re rocking this look, but… just in case.” Once she’d finished that task, Cleo stepped back and looked between the two of them. “Tea, then! I take mine very sweet so if you don’t want your own cup of sugar, please let me know.”

With that, she returned to the kitchen. Hopefully, they were making conversation and getting to know each other. Sure, it may have been a longer shot. It had just been through some chat room and it had basically been breaking every stranger danger rule out there, but so what? Like she’d convinced herself before, classmates. They really did technically all know each other. Gathering together everything she’d need, Cleo got to work making the tea. Normally, if she was feeling lazy and wanted it quick, Cleo would just microwave a glass of water.

It wasn’t the legit way of making tea, though, and she wasn’t just making it for herself this time around. Once the water was heating over the stove, Cleo grabbed an icepack from the freezer. Cold! She wrapped it up in a towel and joined Julian and Marlena back out in the main room. “Here,” she said, handing the pack to Marlena. “For your bruises.” They looked worse up close and Cleo could only hope she knew what she was doing.

She’d barely been there much longer when Marlena said something Cleo would never let her live down. Her grin was almost mischievous before she managed to dial it down to a softer surprised look. “You really aren’t, though.” Cleo added, as if to reassure Julian that him being here wasn’t only fine, it was appreciated.

[JULIAN SORENSEN]

This was awkward. This was really, really awkward, but he had to remind himself that he'd gotten himself into this situation all on his own. Nobody had asked him to come. He'd volunteered. And now he was paying the price for it, standing there in the middle of the room with Marlena while Cleo bustled around busily, with nothing for Julian to do to help out.

Why had he even come...?

Still, he couldn't bring himself to regret the decision. Somehow, the presence of Marlena made up for it. Somehow, it was okay that he was being fantastically unhelpful, because it meant that he had more time to spend looking at Marlena. Somehow, it was okay that he was just standing there, because he was standing there with Marlena.

It was horribly cliche, but it felt like he'd known her all his life.

"Have we--" He was about to ask her if they'd ever met before, but that was ridiculous. They hadn't, of course. He would have remembered a face like hers, absolutely. "Nevermind," he mumbled, looking down at his feet.

He used to be so good with the ladies.

Fidgeting, he looked up at her and offered a weak smile. "You live here with your brother? What about your pa--oh." He stopped, his words running into hers. Then he stopped as she trailed off. Oh. Oh... Julian fell silent.

He nodded quietly to her, lips set in a firm line as if to say, I understand. Something had happened to their father, and she didn't want to talk about it. That was fine. Something had happened to his father that he didn't want to talk about, too.

He understood that feeling.

"I, um." Oh, boy, back to the awkward bit. "Nothing," he concluded hastily, shaking his head. "I, uh, don't know why I said that, sorry, I'm sorry, I'm not usually this..." He hesitated, grasping at straws for a moment. "...well, awkward," he concluded, reaching up a hand to scratch the back of his neck. Good God...

At Cleo's comment, he glanced over at her and called, "Not too sweet for me, thanks!" before glancing back at Marlena.

It seemed that the next few seconds involved a lot of Cleo running about, pressing some clothes into Marlena's arms, telling Julian he wasn't in the way. Marlena had just said the same, too. Well. He supposed he was wanted after all. He smiled a little crookedly. "Thanks," he said softly. "Just, uh, tell me if there's anything I can do."

[MARLENA CARTWRIGHT]

"Oh, uh, yes please!" Marlena said quietly back to Cleo, remembering that she was a bit exposed. She was grateful that she had Cleo as a friend and hoped nothing would ever get in the way of that. "I don't know, I'm not sure it's me!"[/b] She joked and shrugged, and that motion alone was enough to remind her of the pain.

Ouch.

She winced a little bit and bit her tongue while doing so, so she winced again. Oh dear, this was horrible! She should have been more careful, she shouldn't have carried her blanket so, she shouldn't ha-

But then she realized that she actually didn't regret any of this, because of Julian. She very nearly answered the question he had very nearly asked, because she had the same one. He wasn't a stranger, so she had nothing to worry about, that's how she was rationalizing things. He wasn't a stranger because he didn't feel like a stranger, though she knew she had never met him before, at least in this life.

Marlena knew full well that Lucas wouldn't agree with that logic, but at the moment, Lucas wasn't here. That sort of thinking surprised her, but she was too proccupied with Julian to mind.

Because he seemed to understand her, and she pondered over that. Had something happened to his father? Well, it was quite obvious that neither of them wanted to discuss such things, so she let it go while she listened to him. "Oh, um... I don't think you're being that awkward. I would know that feeling." She looked at her bare, bruised feet and blushed. Once she was able to get her voice above a mumble, she called "I like mine sweet, too, thank you." Though not necessarily Cleo-sweet, she did like sugar and it would maybe make her feel a bit better if she were less tired.

After Cleo handed her clothes, she looked up at Julian just in time to see him smile crookedly, and she melted a little bit and her cheeks were getting a bit red and she smiled, also. "Um, stay here?" she mumbled, and went into the downstairs bathroom to change. This was much better, she felt less exposed and vulnerable.

Actually, that was all a lie. What she had really wanted to say in a single thought that popped into her conscious from nowhere she knew, was 'hold me', which was not rational at all considering it would physically hurt her, but mentally, she didn't think she would have felt a thing of negativity. And also, she knew, there was no way she could ever really feel exposed or vulnerable in front of Julian.