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Jester can't explain the surge of energy that hits her when Caleb asks if he can see her room. On instinct, she grabs his arm and runs him upstairs before she can properly accept, only blurting out an excited reply at the sight Caleb's surprised face.
"Yeah yeah let's go! There was something I needed to do up there anyway so this is perfect!"
Caleb, still surprised, only nods and looks helplessly towards the direction of the rest of the group they'd left behind. As she reaches her door it dawns on her that, wow, she's taking a boy up to her room and she can't help but giggle. I mean, it's only Caleb after all.
It's only Caleb! So it isn't weird, is it?
She dismisses that thought and instead focuses on Caleb as she throws open her door and gestures to her room with a flourish.
"Come on in!"
He steps tentatively into the room, Jester following just behind but quickly ducking past him so she can see the look on his face.
Oh, and it's perfect.
She can't imagine how exhausted he must be after the day he's had. Being confronted by his past so suddenly (the memory of his voice reading Trent's letter made her shudder) and finally, finally telling them – her – what he'd done so many years ago. She could feel how he uncoiled, shaking and in tears when she wrapped her arms around him. And how weakly he'd hugged her back, just... tired.
And she could still see that on his face, eyes puffy and face drawn, but walking in – his eyes are alert again, the sharp gaze she knew so well flickering across the room. But best of all he's smiling, thank the Traveler, just barely but she can see it.
Jester can't help the smile that grows on her own face as she pulls him along and blabs about her room. She points out a few of her favorite drawings of the walls, laughing about how many times she'd asked Mama to have her least favorites painted over. She shows him a few of her favorite sculptures as well, scattered all about, though Caleb has her absolute favorite, and she's glad her little turtle can be used to bring them here all the time.
She's halfway through a tangent about the hole she'd accidentally made in the floorboards once, Caleb nodding along, when she realizes she's forgotten to show him the best part of the entire room.
"Oh, oh! Caleb! Get on my bed!"
Caleb startles at the sudden change in topic, not processing the request until he looks over at the bed then back at her in... fear? Embarrassment? Jester isn't sure, but it's a little cute.
She giggles and leads him to the bed by his back. "C'mon Caleb, trust me, you'll love it!"
He looks back at her, eyebrows drawn together, and she gives him an encouraging nod and smile. She smiles even more at his exhale as he dusts off his jacket before settling into her bed. It's just adorable, the way his feet are just hanging off the too small bed and his head is drowning in a sea of frilly pillows.
She can see him visibly relax as he looks up at the vast landscape hidden cleverly on the roof of the canopy. His eyes look softer now as he takes it in, and she beams at the sight of the smile growing on his face. She clasps her hands over her chest, feeling how rapidly her heart pounds at the realization that she'd let him stay in her bed forever if it meant he'd be this happy all the time.
And then she remembers this is a boy in her bed, IN HER BED, and her heart races even faster. But it's just Caleb, whatever! It's nothing! It wouldn't even be weird if they were on the bed together!
Which is exactly what she thinks as she nudges Caleb slightly, who startles as he snaps his gaze back to her. "Ah, should I... get up now?"
Jester shakes her head rapidly, almost too rapidly. "No! No, scoot over, I want to show you something!"
Caleb blinks up at her, mouth opening to say something, but nothing comes out and instead he moves to the edge of the bed, making only just enough room for her to take the other edge. Her left shoulder and leg are just hovering in the air, and that won't do, so she nestles closer to Caleb and she feels his arm move up and to the pillows below their heads to make room for her. She's fully pressed against his side now, taking in his smoky smell that will definitely linger in her bed tonight and marveling at how warm he's made her pillow.
This is nice. Like, really nice. And not at all weird, obviously, and that's great but also kind of weird in its own way. But mostly right now it's just really nice and soft and warm and she can feel Caleb's breath on her hair and her eyes are drifting closed—
"So. What did you want to show me?"
Oh! Right. What was it, again?
Her eyes flicker open and she turns her head towards him, their faces a little too close for just a moment before Caleb's head turns back to the painting above them. Right, the painting! She feels her cheeks heat up as she whips her own gaze towards the painting as well.
"Yes! Well, I used to sneak into to this really beautiful tower all the time. I think it belonged to an astronomer or something? Anyway, I’d spend hours and hours up there studying the view of the city trying to memorize it, find the perfect lighting, you know? It really was the best view ever!”
“Of course. This is the view of the painting, then?”
“Oh not at all, it’s my window’s view,” she says with a laugh. “I got caught one day and the lady was so rude, yelling at me about trespassing and she called me a thug! Can you imagine?”
Caleb’s eyes drift towards her, an amused smile on his face. “You? A thug? Perish the thought.”
She nods rapidly, and his smile grows. “Yeah! She was the worst! But, whatever – I got back at her in my own way.” She grins as she turns her head back to look at Caleb. His hair just tickles her nose as she leans closer to speak into his ear. “Bet you can't find the tower.”
His smile fades and his gaze becomes a bit more intense before he looks back up at the landscape. “Hm, let’s see…” His voice is low, a playful seriousness that makes Jester giggle and sigh just a little. She wishes she could see him like this all the time.
Then his eyebrows raise and a smile creeps back onto his face and her giggling grows. “Weeell? Did you fiiind it?”
He glances at her then back at the painting as he points up. “It wouldn’t happen to be the dick shaped structure just there, would it?”
Her giggling turns to full on laughter as she covers her face and nods. “Maaaaybe! Am I that obvious?”
She can just see from between her fingers the grin – grin! – on his face as he props himself up on his arm to look at her properly.
“On the contrary, you’re very unpredictable, Lavorre,” he says as he looks down at her intently. Her hands fall from her eyes but stay affixed to her cheeks that are absolutely burning now, at how wonderful her name sounds coming from Caleb’s mouth.
And it’s a really nice mouth, she's surprised to find, so her eyes quickly drift back up to his eyes and that’s definitely a mistake because they’re half lidded and beautiful as he looks down at her and his hair is just covering one eye so she looks at that instead. And that’s another mistake because she can’t help but notice that his ponytail is slightly undone from lying on her bed and she wants to undo it more, undo him and see him loose and free.
“Am I really?” Her hand falls away from her face and towards his, and she relishes the look on his face as she tucks his hair behind his ears. She lets out a weak laugh and lets her fingers brush his cheek just briefly.
Caleb studies her face, lips parted slightly. She hears a shuddering breath that she realizes is her own as Caleb leans ever so closer. No, nothing about this is weird.
“Jester… we-“
A loud pop interrupts Caleb and they both startle, struggling to sit up and nearly falling off the bed in the process. Nugget wriggles on the covers at the foot of the bed, and they look at each other in shock for just a moment before bursting into laughter.
Jester’s arm is pressed next to Caleb’s and her hands find his briefly, giving them a squeeze. Caleb looks at her, a smile still on his face, and Jester notes how infectious his smile is. She smiles back, shyly, though it drops immediately as her attention turns back to Nugget’s raised leg.
“Nugget, no-!”