Dancing Shoes
It was half past eleven when he showed up at her apartment door, not even bothering to knock before slipping his spare key into the lock and walking in like he owned the place. She looked up at him when he hung up his coat, but neither of them had enough energy to say a word. As he walked past the couch, he dropped a comforting hand to her shoulder and squeezed gently before continuing to her bedroom in the stark silence of the apartment.
To say that it had been a long day would be an understatement, and he knew that after losing her mentor and father figure, the last thing she needed was to be cooped up in her apartment wondering what she could have done to change his mind. This was the only reason he had come over, cutting his own pity party short in order to make sure that she wasn't alone.
When he reached the doorway to her room, he turned back and glanced at her, a frown crossing his face at the sight of her curled into herself on the couch, staring blankly at the muted TV as it played an infomercial for some kind of knife that would supposedly eliminate your need for any other knife. Shaking his head, he walked over to her closet and pulled the door open, reaching for the first little black dress he could find -- a knee-length lace one that he had seen her wear on one other occasion -- and draped it on the end of her bed.
He sighed heavily and walked back out to the living room, coming to a stop right in front of her. "C'mon. You need to get dressed."
"'M not really in the mood to go out," she said, reaching up to swipe at her nose absently.
"Wasn't a request."
She met his eyes and frowned darkly. "You're not him, you know."
"I don't wanna be him. But I don't want you sitting her all night alone, either," he explained, taking her hand in his and pulling her up. "So you're getting dressed, and I'm taking you dancing."
She rolled her eyes and headed into the bedroom while he hung back, turning off the TV before sinking onto the plush couch. Reaching up, he loosened his tie and dropped his head back against the cushion, going over the day's events in his head.
The way things played out shouldn't have surprised any of them, he decided, seeing as the man had lived through a bomb blast that left severe physical trauma, not to mention the loss of fifteen years worth of memory and being forced to relive his wife and daughter's deaths, but ultimately that didn't make his departure hurt any less.
His dark thoughts were interrupted at the sound of her heels clicking quietly against the thin carpet of the apartment, forcing him to look up. "You're beautiful," he complimented, standing up and reaching for her hand again.
"I look like crap," she countered. "Can't we do this another night?"
"We both need this, and you know it. It'll be a low-key night, I promise. No clubs, just some quiet bar with a dance floor. We'll have a few drinks and a good time, then we'll come home."
"Fine," she agreed, unable to hide the small smile that spread across her painted lips when he grinned and headed to the door to grab her cape. "But you're paying."
The bar he had picked -- some dive that he frequented after closing a particularly tough case -- only had a few patrons, and none of them paid any attention when they walked in and ordered two beers before heading to a booth close to the jukebox. It wasn't anywhere close to being classy, but it was somewhere where they didn't have to worry about keeping up appearances.
"You come here a lot?"
He shrugged, sliding into the booth next to her. "Every once in a while. I have to be in the right mindset. It can get kinda depressing here if you're not in the right kind of mood."
She nodded and eyed the jukebox. "That doesn't play any of the music I listen to, does it?"
"I doubt it. The only thing I've ever heard it play is country."
"What do you think I used to listen to, growing up in the south?" She grinned, nudging him out of booth and browsing through the music selection. "Oh... my mom used to love this song," she said, slipping a quarter in and pressing play.
A slow song started playing complete with a lazy violin in the background and he placed a hand to the small of her back to lead her out on the dance floor. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder as they started swaying back and forth slowly to the beat, allowing the pain they had been feeling to melt away.
After they danced to a few more songs and finished their beers, they headed back to his apartment to spend the night, a fairly common occurance.
He sent her to get changed into something more comfortable while he made an ice cream sundae for them to share, and when he was done he found her sitting on the small balcony that was outside of his bedroom, wearing one of his t-shirts and a pair of boxers.
"Warm night, huh?" He asked, sitting down next to her.
She looked over at him and smiled before turning her attention back to the view of the city. "Yeah, it is," she agreed, scooting closer and dropping her head to his shoulder. "Thanks for taking me out tonight."
"No problem," he said offhandedly, handing her the extra spoon he had brought with him. They ate in silence for a minute before he spoke up again. "I'm sorry for what happened today. It was really shitty of him to leave like that."
"Yeah," she said quietly, taking a small bite of the sundae. "But it's nothing you could have fixed. I don't blame you."
"I know you don't. I just..." he stopped, releasing a quiet sigh. "You deserved better. I mean, he didn't even let you say anything."
She chuckled quietly, shaking her head. "It's sweet that you're outraged on my behalf, but if you wanna know the truth, it didn't surprise me. If anyone can talk someone out of a decision they think they're deadset on, it's me."
"I'll agree with that," he said, looking up at the stars. "You are pretty convincing."
"Think I can convince you to stay for forever?"
He looked down at her, noticing how small she seemed when she was talking about people she cared about. "Forever's a long time," he stated, nudging her gently with his shoulder when she looked out at the city lights again. "I might not be able to stay forever, but I can promise I'll never leave like he did."
"Okay," she conceded, offering him a small smile when she met his eyes again. "I love you, Tony."
He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, dropping a kiss to her hair. "Love you too, Abs."