Ellen

[furrywall]

If he's honest, he's not entirely sure why he's here.

Well, he knows the basics. Jackie had made it all very clear when she'd left Naples in his care for the year. Make sure the boy goes to school. Check. Make sure he doesn't flunk out. That one was easy enough, given that his spawn is practically a genius. Do the right thing as a parent and attend all parental-type school related activities. That's why he's here.

But he still doesn't understand the purpose of a parent-teacher conference. He knows how smart and well behaved his son is, he can't imagine what a teacher might have to say to him that he doesn't already know.

That's why he's drunk. Well, he's drunk because he has a drinking problem, too, but partly because he's here. At the school. Sitting in a little plastic chair, waiting to be called into the room where Naples' teacher lives. Works. Whatever it is she does in there.

Comments

[shewaswarned]

"Oh, so you pulled out all the stops for me?" Ellen counters, raising an eyebrow with a small smirk playing at the edges of her mouth. "I'm flattered."

As vehement as he is, though, she has to wonder if he's telling the truth. His son does seem like a very near and dear subject, and there's no disguising real sincerity. Her gaze softens, but only slightly.

"I'm sure you are a good father. Whatever you're doing, it shows."

[furrywall]

For a moment Aldous just looks at her, trying to decide if she's being sincere. It doesn't seem like she's teasing him, though, and he relaxes, giving a nod. "He's my world," he says honestly. Not even music makes him feel as good as Naples. None of the drugs can even come close and he thinks that's why he does them so often.

"So are we supposed to... you know, you really have to stop pushing your breasts up in such a fetching manner if you expect me to be able to concentrate on this," he says.

[shewaswarned]

Her next smile is more sincere, not laced in sarcasm or skepticism or anything that might have been the underlying meaning. "Well, I guess it's also just reassuring to see that he has some support at home. Clearly you want him to succeed, and that's good."

His next words throw her for a pretty big loop, her arms tensing briefly before she quickly forces them down to her sides. "That's just - wildly inappropriate," she fumbles.

[furrywall]

"It is," Aldous agrees. "But most of the time women don't even realize what they're doing, which makes it hard on us straight men. And lesbian women, I imagine. They must enjoy the sight of pushes up breasts as much as we do..."

He trails off, distracted by the thought of two women and pushed up breasts, then finds himself again. "Anyway, no need to apologize. Most women don't even realize they're doing anything inappropriate."

[shewaswarned]

"You know that was directed at you, right?" Ellen finally replies, when she can think of anything at all to say. She finally leans back, taking a beat or two to collect herself, and then starts to round the desk, choosing to put a considerable amount of distance between them.

"Are there any questions you have for me?" she asks, trying to steer the conversation back on track.

[furrywall]

"Yes," Aldous says, considering. There are plenty of questions he can ask, though none of them really have anything to do with Naples. His son does well, that's all that he's concerned about.

"Are you single?" he asks with a smile. In the time he's been in the office, he's sobered up a bit. Not completely, but enough that his words aren't slurred and his eyes are bright when he grins at Ellen.

[shewaswarned]

"Am I - " She pinches her lips together firmly. It's not the question she intended, and she's certain he realizes that, but maybe if she just answers it, gets it out of the way, they can press on from here.

"Yes, but I don't see what that has to do with anything."

[furrywall]

"It just means that I can feel slightly less guilty about trying to get you to sleep with me," Aldous answers honestly, giving her another grin. In truth, he wouldn't feel all that guilty anyway, because if a woman is willing to sleep with him when she already has a man, clearly that man just isn't doing his job properly.

Like Lars Ulrich.

But it's nice, knowing there isn't someone he has to worry about coming after him.

[shewaswarned]

Fine. Two can play this game, she thinks, once she realizes this isn't a topic of conversation he plans to readily drop. If anything, it makes her all the more intent on catching him off-guard for once, the way he'd looked for at least half a second there when he'd thought she was his ex.

"Slightly guilty, then?" she asks, lifting an eyebrow slowly. "But still a little guilty."

[furrywall]

"Well, still a little," Aldous agrees, though he isn't sure why he's letting her know. "Because you look like Jackie, I think, or maybe because you're Naples' teacher. But that's what makes it exciting, too."

He grins at her, leaning back in his chair a little bit. "And the sex is always better when it's just a little bit naughty."

[shewaswarned]

"Is it?" she asks, and there may be a part of her that's more than a little curious now before she pinches her lips together firmly. Down, girl, she tells herself, glancing away for a moment.

"Well, I wouldn't know," she mutters, busying herself by rounding the desk again to collect some stray papers, clearing her throat softly.

[furrywall]

For a moment Aldous just looks at her, his eyes widening just slightly. "You wouldn't know?" he repeats, completely scandalized. "You wouldn't know? Honestly? A woman as beautiful as you doesn't know that naughty sex is more exciting than the regular kind? I mean, the regular kind is great, too, don't get me wrong, but..."

He trails off, shaking his head sadly. "Well. Let's remedy that, shall we?"

[shewaswarned]

"What?" She nearly wrenches her neck in how fast she turns her head to look back at him, eyes widening subtly before she starts to shake her head slowly, feeling her face flush.

"Oh, no. No, no, no," Ellen murmurs, punctuating it with a nervous chuckle, and despite her willpower, there's a moment when her hands tremor as she reaches for that paperwork. "No, I don't think that's - that would be beyond inappropriate, it would be - " She pauses, hesitates, meets his gaze for a beat. "Wrong," she mouths.

[furrywall]

Despite the large quantity of alcohol he's put into his system this evening, Aldous still manages to get up from the chair smoothly, a smile in place. "What's wrong, love, is you not knowing how wonderful a bit of naughty hanky panky can be," he says as he approaches the desk. She's on the other side of it now, but it's just a desk. In fact, it can be used to his advantage.

"But there's nothing wrong with two consenting adults enjoying the pleasures of each others' bodies," he continues. "That's just natural."

[shewaswarned]

"Natural, yes, but - " She glances up when he rises from the chair, her eyes carefully tracking his movement. Maybe if she can keep him in her line of sight, she can keep a lid on this before it gets too out-of-hand - and yet she can't deny that there's something hypnotizing about him in the movement, the smoothness of the motion, seemingly sobered up despite the untold amount he's had to drink.

"We shouldn't. Couldn't. Can't. Absolutely cannot," Ellen declares, pursing her lips slightly.

[furrywall]

"Why?" Aldous asks simply. He isn't pouting -- not yet, anyway -- and it's merely a question as of this moment. It's a good question, too, one he thinks she should consider, give him an honest answer to.

Because, as far as he can see, there isn't a single good reason they shouldn't or couldn't or absolutely cannot. In fact, all he can come up with are brilliant reasons why they absolutely should.

[shewaswarned]

"Because," Ellen says, and for the life of her, she can't come up with a stronger reason or even summon up the desire to do so at the moment. It's ridiculous. She's starting to sound like one of her students.

"Because I'm your son's teacher, and because - " She takes a step back for every one he takes forward, but the blackboard is looming behind her and soon she'll have nowhere else to move to. "Because - "

[furrywall]

Aldous has slept with his son's teachers before, so that's really not a good enough reason, as far as he's concerned. And it seems like Ellen doesn't have any other good reason, so he smiles as he nears her.

"Because?" he prompts gently, his head tipped to the side, his gaze sliding down from her face briefly. But it isn't just her breasts he's interested in, she has an exquisite face as well.

[shewaswarned]

"Because," Ellen echoes, one last time, except for the part where her voice falters on the last syllable, turning into more of a hushed whisper, and she swallows visibly when his gaze descends over her.

"Mr. Snow," she utters, only she's not completely sure what she's trying to protest anymore, or if she even intends to at all.

[furrywall]

"Yes?" he asks sweetly, bringing his hand up to cup her cheek. She's astonishingly beautiful, not only because she looks like Jackie, but in her own right. And her skin is quite smooth.

"You must moisturize every day," he says musingly, his thumb stroking over her cheekbone. "You know, you still haven't come up with a very convincing reason why we should stop this."

[shewaswarned]

"Well, I - " she starts, tipping her head slightly into his hand, her cheek nudging his palm. It's surprisingly gentle, that touch, and she finds herself drawn towards more of it, stepping in close despite some lingering reservations.

"No, I suppose I haven't," Ellen confesses, tilting her face up to his.

[furrywall]

"And here I am, having given you all these good reasons," he continues softly, his other hand lifting to gently push her hair back. She's a beautiful woman, very much like Jackie in some ways, but she certainly isn't in possession of Jackie's tendency to either jump on him or punch him in the face, which he's quite grateful for in this moment.

[shewaswarned]

"Wait, remind me what those reasons were again?" Ellen asks, brow furrowing slightly as she tries to think back to - oh, moments before. It's getting a little harder for her to mentally backtrack when he's lingering in close, his hand gentle against her cheek. She swallows visibly and takes a steadying breath, her chest rising and falling slowly.

[furrywall]

"It's loads of fun," Aldous murmurs, his thumb tracing along the line of her jaw and down to her chin. "And sex is always better when it's a little bit naughty, remember? That was the number one reason that I gave and I stand by it."

He does, too. It's the truth, whether people want to admit it or not, and it's the reason he and Jackie were caught in public so many times.

[shewaswarned]

Rather than tense under his gaze, or stiffen when he reaches out to touch her, she leans in, removing all remaining distance between their bodies.

"Kiss me," she whispers, if only because she wants to know what it feels like, just the once.

[furrywall]

That's it right there. That's what Aldous has been waiting for -- not that he needs to be asked, of course, he'll kill anyone anytime even without them having said he should.

"Yes, teacher," he says in a low voice, a grin curving his lips before he leans down, capturing Ellen's mouth. It's not like kissing Jackie. Not at all. Her mouth is different and she tastes different, but it's good. Better, even, given that Ellen probably hasn't also kissed a drummer.

[shewaswarned]

This is as far as she plans to let it go - at least that's what she tells herself, seconds before his mouth closes over hers.

It's not perfect, though. She can taste the liquor he's had still lingering on his breath, but his mouth is warm, and despite herself, her eyes slowly fall shut as she clings to him, one hand fisting in the leather of his jacket.

[furrywall]

Aldous takes this as a cue and he wraps one arm around Ellen, pulling her tight against him. He'll wait a moment or two before trying to sweep all her things off her desk and for now he concentrates on just kissing her. The taste of her lips when he parts them gently with his tongue, the press of her breasts against his chest.

As far as he's concerned, this is the best parent teacher conference he's ever been to and he has half a mind to ask Jackie if he can go to all of them from now on.