Reason With Thunder

[Erika Paige]

How could she not laugh? Because this situation wasn't even remotely funny. That was why. Maybe she took a much serious take on all of this than what he did, but that hardly changed facts. Yet, the brunette didn't say anything. She remained quiet, considering what he'd said and shrugged it off. Instead, she settled back onto her stomach and shook her head. "Yeah, I'm practically laughing my ass off. Can't you tell?"

And why did he have to smirk? It was annoying. Like, seriously annoying. Which likely explained the brunette's next move and why the boy within seconds would find a pillow thwacked against his face and the brunette rolled onto her side with her back against him. "Now that was funny."

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor had to admit he deserved the pillow. In truth he figured he probably deserved worse than that, though he was relieved if Erika thought so as well, she didn't act on it. He couldn't help the short laugh that came after the pillow caught him flush in the face. It wasn't a laugh at Erika or in defiance but rather an incredulous gesture that expressed just how farcical he was finding this whole thing.

With a low sigh Trevor fell silent and, to his credit, sobered up. His eyes turned to the brunette woman's back and he watched her for a moment. He had to admit his parents knew how to pick girls. Erika was, at least, smart, ambitious, driven and, there was no denying, beautiful. "We'll make it work. Okay?" He said believing every word that passed through his lips as he reached over and gently rested a hand upon Erika's shoulder. "At least we're in this together, right? This fucked up world we're in is a little easier to get through when you're not alone."

[Erika Paige]

The brunette was about to reply when she felt the hand on her shoulder and she could feel every muscle in her body tense. It only lasted a second and it wasn't something her body had done because of him, but more so in response to the sudden contact - which was the last thing she'd expected. Her muscles relaxed almost instantly and she nodded. She could feel the snarky reply building at the tip of her tongue, but she quickly swallowed it down. "Yeah," she replied instead.

"You still deserved the pillow though," she added for good measure. She was almost tempted to give his face another meeting with it, but she figured he'd gotten the point. "Stay away from the jokes and don't smirk, and I'm sure you'll live to see another day." It wasn't a threat, not was it offered with any sign of malice. If anything, it was simply her being jokingly defiant. Although, the jokingly part was somewhat questionable.

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor let his hand fall away, fingertips brushing against Erika's shoulder in the process. He didn't know how this was all going to turn out, though that was hardly the first time that thought had crossed his mind today. If he let himself he would lay here awake all night and contemplated exactly what it would all mean in the coming days, weeks and, if they were so lucky, years.

"I did." He freely admitted. Erika had already read his mind on that one. Trevor wasn't so sure, though, how well he'd be able to meet her other demands. "Oh? I can't even smirk? What's wrong with my smirk?" He asked genuinely confused. He'd never heard anything wrong with the way he smirked. Did he even smirk? More than usual? What was wrong with his smirk? "Yeah, well, I'll see what I can do." Was all he could promise as he settled even further into the bed, shifting so he was now laying flat, on his side facing Erika.

[Erika Paige]

"It's annoying," she threw back at him. She could feel him move and shift around, but didn't make any indication to move herself. She didn't know what or why she had that association with his smirk, but she figured it was probably because she didn't know him and all she could really base all of this off of, was the little personal information she'd picked up and what she saw with her own two eyes.

She turned her head then to look at him. "It looks sleazy." In a very... Alluring kind of way, but she wasn't going to mention that. It was like doing something dangerous that you knew were bad for you, but couldn't stop yourself from doing anyways.

[Trevor Paige]

"Annoying? How can it be annoying?" Trevor repeated, his brow furrowing as he thought this over for a bit. He then couldn't help but let out a low chuckle which had certainly brought out that smirk of his again whether he planned it or not. It was sort of his blessing and curse, he supposed. "It's not like I try to." He reasoned. "It's my face. I hate to say it but you might just have to get used to it."

Sleazy. Now that was a word Trevor hard heard before. He didn't agree, seeing as how he never dealt with anything illicit or illegal as deemed by the council of Axios. Sure, there were many who didn't like someone who claimed to be a businessman who's trade happened to be whatever he could get his hands on but that was beside the point. The wastelands were a harsh mistress that necessitated harsh preparations. It wasn't his plan to get into guns and weapons, that was simply where the money had been. "Is... that what you think?" He asked, not sure if he was bothered by the thought that his wife, regardless of the circumstances, felt that way about him or not. Either way, the idea didn't sit well with him.

[Erika Paige]

"It just is," she countered with a shrug. "I... I don't know," she sighed. She realized how stupid it had been for her to even mention it when she didn't even have a good reason as to why she disliked it so much. Or rather, not one she could properly hand out without sounding like an idiot. Well, more of an idiot than what she did already anyways. Shaking her head, the brunette fell silent. She didn't really have much else to say about this.

Shaking her head, she offered him an easy smile. "No, I think your smirk looks sleazy. Not you." She didn't know him well enough to think such things, but from what she'd seen, he seemed like a decent enough guys. He wasn't exactly first on her list of people she'd call sleazy, that much she knew. "Bid difference," she added with a shrug. "You look more..." she trailed off, making circle motions with her hand as she tried coming up with the right words.

[Trevor Paige]

"You... don't have to answer that." Trevor said abruptly before she could elaborate. He let out a low chuckle, a gesture he seemed to be doing a lot tonight since it was better than laughing maniacally at the sheer lunacy of the situation he'd found himself in. A light chuckle was enough to at least fill the awkward silences that threatened to creep in between every exchange. Of course, in doing so it meant small traces of that smirk of his would come out here and there.

Trevor fell silent then, the smirk melting away even though a thin smile did remain toying at the corner of his lips as he studied the young woman in front of him. It struck him that once all was said and done he was now married to someone he found undeniably attractive. Of course, that was more than likely just the mid-twenties male inside coming out to play. He realized this train of thought and quickly glanced away with a furrow of his brow. "Uh... sorry..." He muttered quietly as he realized he'd been staring.

[Erika Paige]

Silence fell around the two of them and they seemed to be frozen in some kind of staring contest. Although, the way he looked at her was different from any of the other times. Usually, it was only brief and mostly awkward glances. Now he looked almost lost in thought. Furrowing her brows, the brunette wasn't entirely sure what to make of it. Although she was sure he didn't mean to stare at her while being lost in thought, she couldn't help but feeling slightly awkward about it. Did she have something stuck on her face?

Boy, did she wish she could read minds right about now.

"For what?" she asked confusedly and offered him a sheepish smile. Her brows knitted tightly together and she ran a hand through her hair, loosening it from the braid and letting it fall down her shoulder and back.

[Trevor Paige]

For a brief moment Trevor considered his options when it came to answering Erika's question. It wasn't, in any way unwarranted or even unexpected. He'd been the one staring at her like a kid would a shiny toy in a store window and then turned away like the same child had been scolded. In all it was an awkward exchange that made him uncomfortable simply because of the lack of tact and control he'd exhibited. He was Trevor Goddamn Paige. He feared nothing and no one. People were his instruments, tools to be used until no longer needed and then discarded. His words made far more potent weapons than the rifles and shotguns he sold and here he was shyly looked away from a young woman who had to know she was beautiful. It was foolish and wholly unlike him. If Erika could read minds she would hear Trevor's berating him for acting like a child. As a result, Trevor took a deep breath as a certain calm settled over him.

"I didn't mean to stare." He said clearly and concisely as his eyes returned to Erika's. "It just struck me how beautiful you are."

[Erika Paige]

The brunette's eyebrows shot up at that and she didn't entirely know what to make of it or how to respond. It wasn't at all what she'd expected to hear, and well... What did one even say to something like that. 'Uhm, thanks?' didn't seem to really cover it and it would probably make things even more awkward than the current silence that seemed to sweep down over them like a veil. The brunette simply stared at him with an almost blank, but confused expression.

Instead, the brunette did the worst thing she could possibly imagine doing. She cracked a joke. "Just? What, are you blind or something?" She immediately regretted it and hadn't it been for her stubborn nature, she would have smacked herself in the face for saying something so incredibly stupid. She could at least have said something like 'thanks, you too' or... And not that. "I mean," she quickly added. "Thanks?"

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor smiled. It wasn't a smirk but a genuine smile that carried with it a hint of warmth and sincerity. His eyes gleamed as he watched the flashes of emotion play upon Erika's features as she processed his abrupt statement. It was cute, to say the least, to see her stumble over the blunt assertion. "Well, no." He said plainly, offering a shrug and a faint shake of his head. There was something empowering at having said exactly what he was thinking. It wasn't as though Trevor feared the result of doing such a thing.

"I thought that the first time we met, what? Six, seven years ago?" Another 'what can you do?' shrug followed that admission. "And, in my defense, I'd been a little distracted today, even when you were walking down the aisle. Easy to get lost in your own head, you know? Furthermore..." He spoke as a lawyer would stating a clients case. "It's a completely different train of thought to come to the realization that you're married to that beautiful woman."

[Erika Paige]

"Riiight..." she said, her brows furrowed as she followed his explanation. "Okay then, well, I'm glad we got that cleared up." Why he decided to tell her this now, she didn't understand. She probably never would. Well, she supposed there was only one way to find out. "Why tell me now?" she asked as she tilted her head. That was the part she couldn't quite wrap her head around. Well, save for the tiny hint of blush that had spread over her cheeks, but it was faint. She hoped he hadn't noticed.

"You're weird," she said and quickly turned her back against him again. She pulled the blanket up to her face and closed her eyes. Now, it wasn't that Erika was particularly self-conscious by any means, but that didn't mean she was used to hearing those kind of things. Especially not so bluntly. She had lived a sheltered life, after all.

[Trevor Paige]

In Trevor's mind it was all obvious. The day had passed. The deed was done. The two of them, after a dreadfully brief 'courtship' that allowed for precious little time to actually be spent between the young couple the ceremony was over and they were now left to look forward to an uncertain future together. It had been the calm following the storm that caused his gaze to shift and take in a much softer, almost warmer image of the young woman beside him.

"It just struck me right then." Trevor admitted freely. There was little hesitation or even weight to his words. It was simply something he thought and was expressing it. It wasn't ground breaking, world changing words he was spilling, merely that he found his wife beautiful. He didn't think such a thing was worth the attention it was getting. Even if he did catch the faint trace of crimson that had touched Erika's cheeks before she turned away.

"I am." Trevor would agree with that with no problem. They way he'd been raised, even for the wasteland, had been weird. From within the relative safety of the city Trevor had been tirelessly groomed to not just exist but thrive in the world around him through deception, manipulation and the spoken word as opposed to violence and strong arm tactics. "But it's worked so far." He chuckled again before shifting to lay on his back. He issued a low sigh as he exhaled and attempted to get his body to relax by closing his eyes. "Being weird got me a gorgeous wife, didn't it?"

No. He couldn't help it.

[Erika Paige]

This time the brunette really felt he deserved it. The moment he'd opened his mouth and issued the last sentence, Erika sat up straight, balancing on her knees and once again she grabbed the pillow and thwacked the man lying beside her - repeatedly. She couldn't really help it. It was an instant reaction to how annoyingly smooth he was. Seriously, it was annoying. This would be the death of her, she was one hundred percent certain.

Although, it wasn't annoying in the sense where it made her mad, but rather in the way where he got under her skin so easily. That was the part she didn't particularly enjoy. For someone as prideful and stubborn as Erika was, she'd always considered herself hard to get to, but this guy was playing her like a fiddle and she wouldn't stand for it.

Naturally that meant repetitively hitting his face with the pillow. Because that was currently her best, and only, weapon. She almost toppled over several times, but she didn't care.