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[howmuchtrouble]

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[howmuchtrouble]

She'll let him lean pretty far, until it's clear that he's not actually trying to leave, before she shakes her head to pull him back in. "It's fine. We'll just have more for later."

She didn't actually want him to go anywhere anyway. The cool ocean breeze whips past, cutting through the heat of the fire enough to have her inching a bit closer.

[duderaider]

Nathan makes a small, dramatic noise at the wind's sudden break through the heat of the fire to go with the shivering shudder of his shoulders. He pulls Elena close again in earnest, before, "Man, I'm glad we actually went for the one with the firepit, though."

And for more than just the marshmallows. It's going to get cold once the sun goes down in earnest.

[howmuchtrouble]

She nods in agreement, curling in closer to keep the warmth close. It's a prime snuggle opportunity, and it worked with their adventurous lifestyle. Win-win.

"I don't think they could really call it a romantic honeymoon getaway without one." The firepit added an extra touch of fancy. "Adds a touch of class, and keeps us warm."

[duderaider]

"Classy," Nathan repeats, as if he's testing the weight of the word in his mouth to decide whether or not he likes it. "Look at us, being all classy." Yeah, he thinks he can live with this.

Though, after a beat, something in his mood seems to soften, sour just that tiniest bit, and after another, he starts, "You know, I could've turned that question back on you, earlier." And he plans on it, now. "You regret any of this?" He pulls away just enough to gesture between them. "Us?" Because he's not stupid enough to think he's not hard to live with, sometimes. God knows Sully told him as much many a time, growing up. God knows Chloe did, when they were a thing.

[howmuchtrouble]

He is a little hard to live with, but she also knows that so is she. Most guys wouldn't do well with her shipping off to far away locales for months at a time to work on stories about men who would kill her if given the opportunity. They both take their risks and they both have their passions.

She's just glad that they respect each other's.

"Only that you forgot the marshmallows," she teases, before leaning in to kiss him softly. "Otherwise, there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

[duderaider]

Nathan lets o a bark of a laugh, at that, muttering a Never gonna live that down, huh? before he moves to meet her. When they break from the kiss, and more seriously, he studies her for a moment, as if he's expecting to find a lie, and then nods, glancing away.

"Good. That's -- good." Also an understatement, but well, it's a rare thing when someone he cares about sticks around. Barring Sully, so many people have drifted out of his life in one way or another.

[howmuchtrouble]

She'll have forgotten about it by tomorrow, but she's never going to hold back on a good come back when she's got it. That being said, she's not planning on going anywhere. She doesn't want to go anywhere. But part of her worries that Nate's the kind of guy who will burn something to the ground first so that the other person can't.

"Hey," she says, nudging him gently as she rests a hand on his shoulder. "Where's your head going?"

[duderaider]

He'll probably try, regardless of how much he really does want this, wants her, the lean towards self-sabotage ingrained, at this point. People can't leave you if you leave them first. They should really discuss that, sooner or later, but not now. Now, he shakes his head faintly and summons up a smile for her.

"No where," he promises. "I'm right here."

A pause follows, largely for effect, and then he adds, "Well, maybe I'm a little in the house, on those marshmallows."

[howmuchtrouble]

She laughs, before shaking her head.

"You know what, I'll go grab them."

She'll even start to get up because if they're just going to keep going back and forth on this, they might as well get some roasted marshmallows for their trouble. It's only a good time if everyone wins.

[duderaider]

"Hey, whoa, huh-uh," he declares, starting to pull her back. Maybe eventually, someone really should go get the marshmallows for all that it keeps coming up, but probably not right now. "You really gonna leave me here, to freeze my ass off all alone?"

[howmuchtrouble]

"It'll only take me five minutes," she replies, giving him a look. "And clearly neither of us are going to put it to rest until we have them. I think the guy who fought his way through a train in below freezing weather can handle five minutes on the beach."

[duderaider]

Letting her go and despite the fact that, yes, he's dealt with colder, he starts, "Yeah, well, when you come back to a Natecicle ... "

He's being overdramatic and intentionally so. Hopefully, it's entertaining, which is the point.

[howmuchtrouble]

"I'll be sure to help thaw him out," she teases before heading back inside.

And as promised, a few minutes later she returns, bag of marshmallows in hand. She settles back down into her seat next to him, and glances over with a smirk.

"See? You didn't even have a chance to turn blue."

[duderaider]

Nathan pops his eyebrows, the expression suggestive, but ultimately lets her go. When she returns, he's curled up around himself to guard against the wind. He's quick to pull her back to him, once she's sitting again.

"You sure? I mean, I feel kinda blue."

[howmuchtrouble]

She shifts to snuggle in closer, before holding up the bag of marshmallows. "Well, I'm sorry to hear that. But I did bring back highly processed sugar pillows."

[duderaider]

"Least there's that," he allows. A pause follows, largely for effect (though he hopes it doesn't read as such, for the sake of the joke), and then he asks, "You get the little sticks, too?"

Those, he actually remembered. He hopes she hasn't noticed them.

[howmuchtrouble]

"I couldn't find them," she admits with a frown, as she pulls the bag in to start tearing it open. "But I figured non-toasted marshmallows were better than no marshmallows at all."

But feel free to come in and save the day, Nate.

[duderaider]

"Huh," he starts, leaning away from her just enough to reach for the bag of sticks. As he holds them up, he continues, "Lucky for us, then, that I've got these."

Please don't kill him for not mentioning that to begin with. He's trying to be smooth, here.

[howmuchtrouble]

She's not going to kill him. She looks amused more than anything else, glancing from him to the sticks. Go figure he brought the sticks, but didn't bring the marshmallows to roast them on.

"Whadaya know. My hero."

[duderaider]

"Yeah, well, y'know." He shrugs. That's what he's here for, and all that. "Wanna pass me one of those?" He's also here to put marshmallows on sticks.

[howmuchtrouble]

She nods before handing the bag over to him, but not before she steals one to pop in her mouth. She holds the open bag out and to him and smiles.

"Knock yourself out." Appropriately garbled by the marshmallow in her mouth, of course. Very sexy.

[duderaider]

The sexiest and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, Elena.

Taking the bag from her, he juggles it and the sticks so he can pop a marshmallow of his own into his mouth. That done and equally sexily, he asks, "So, how toasty are we getting here?"

[howmuchtrouble]

She swallows the rest of the marshmallow before shrugging.

"As toasty as you can get without it scalding off my tastebuds."

Which mostly might involve her controlling herself and waiting until it's cooled down a little more, but that is what she's looking for.

[duderaider]

"Okay, I think I can do that," he tells her, fitting a marshmallow onto one of the sticks as he swallows. He pushes it into the fire, then, holding it there for several seconds, before ultimately pulling it out. Without taking it off the spit, he holds it out for inspection. "Think that'll work?"

[howmuchtrouble]

She gives it a thorough inspection, before shaking her head. "I think it could be a little more golden."