(For chesstotem )

[gcpd]

It was a few days since the night he got beat up. The Batman was all over the news and it was the hot topic. Had he really returned? Hadn't he died? Those were the questions people were asking, but they obviously weren't going to get any answers. John arrived at her hotel just as he said he would. After parking in the underground parking lot, he took the elevator to the lobby and then another elevator to her floor. He was still pretty bruised up along with his cracked rib but his face was getting better.

When he got to her floor and walked down the hall, he knocked on her door.

Comments

[gcpd]

"Alright." He finished his carton and then munched on one of the egg rolls.

[chesstotem]

Ariadne grabbed her portfolio, pulling out the sketches she'd been working on and spreading them on the coffee table.

[gcpd]

John wiped his hands with a napkin before picking one the sketches up.

[chesstotem]

"It'll probably change a lot between now and the finished product," she pointed out as she watched him.

[gcpd]

He nodded. "It looks good," he said before picking up another sketch.

[chesstotem]

She smiled. "I like where I'm going with it. It's a good project."

[gcpd]

"Yeah," he said. "I'm sorry I can't contribute any remarks about it."

[chesstotem]

"You don't have to. As long as you stick around to appreciate my work and tell me how great I am once in a while, that's all I want."

[gcpd]

He grinned. "I could do that."

[chesstotem]

"Only if you want, of course." She grinned, and ran her fingers through his hair affectionately.

[gcpd]

He leaned over and kissed her.

[chesstotem]

She smiled into the kiss, her hands resting lightly on his shoulders. "How are your ribs feeling? Still on pain meds? You're moving around a bit better at least."

[gcpd]

"They don't hurt as much, but they look pretty gnarly at the moment."

[chesstotem]

Ariadne laughed. "I bet. All the colors of the rainbow?"

[gcpd]

He huffed out a laugh. "Yeah."

[chesstotem]

She traced his jaw with her finger lightly. "At least you have a good sense of humor about it."

[gcpd]

He shrugged.

[chesstotem]

"You wanna watch some TV or something?" she asked.

[gcpd]

"Sure, whatever you want," he replied.

[chesstotem]

"You're the guest," she said with a laugh. But she grabbed the remote and offered it to him.

[gcpd]

He turned it on and the first thing that showed up on the screen was a clip of Batman on the Batpod.

[chesstotem]

Ariadne leaned back against him, careful not to put her weight on his ribs. "Too bad he couldn't save you from being mugged," she joked.

[gcpd]

"You can't expect him to stop one mugging," he pointed out.

[chesstotem]

"It was a joke," she said, giving his cheek an affectionate pinch.

[gcpd]

"Oh." He laughed a little.