crossing_lostrp | [Megabyte] ST (Day 10): Return to the Land of the Living (tag Claire, open) (Reply)

"C'mon then, it's time to wake up already."

Megabyte heard the voice and pretended not to, clutching his pillow to his face. There was no possible way that it could be morning already. He could have sworn he'd only lie down to go to sleep mere minutes before.

"You're not fooling anyone you know." Fingertips danced down his bare chest, then up his side, tickling his ribcage. "I know you're awake under there, MD. I can tell by your breathing."

"I'm not awake," Megabyte protested, groggily through the feather pillow. "And I'm talking in my sleep."

"I'm not buying." The bed bounced and a warm, soft, very feminine weight landed on him, straddling his hips. This time the touch of fingers on his chest was not nearly as playful, nor were the movements of her body. "Do I have to resort to drastic measures?"

Peeking out a bit from beneath the pillow, and squinting at the brilliance of the sunlight that bathed the bedroom, Megabyte focused on Claire's smiling – and some what mischievous – face. He protested less than mightily, his voice bland and quiet. "No. Please don't resort to drastic measures."

Claire grinned wickedly and leaning slowly forward, yanked the pillow from his head and hit him with it. Then a second time as she tried to scramble away from him before he could retaliate. Newly awakened, his reactions were sluggish, and he barely managed to grab her around the waist and drag her back up against him. She squealed in his arms, but her 'struggles' weren't all that effective. In a few moments, Claire was in his lap, kissing him tenderly. His hand worked its way beneath her gown and -

Megabyte's eyes popped open, staring at the bits of sunlight that managed to filter through the strangler vine in which he'd taken refuge. He blinked for a minute, startled by the transition, then groaned as waking consciousness fully separated itself from the dream. Scrubbing his hands over his face, he sat up simultaneously relieved and hating the fact that the dream was slipping away from him so quickly.

It took another moment for his brain to process that fully.

(I'm dreaming about Claire now. I am in so much trouble.)

On the positive side, he felt far more refreshed and relaxed than he had when Charlie rudely woke him from a much needed nap.

(But I'm *dreaming* about Claire.)
Megabyte didn't need Freud or a psychologist to tell him what that meant. (I am so fucked. And I don't mean that literally.)

Running and hiding weren't working, so he was simply going to have to deal with this head on. It wasn't like he hadn't crushed on an attractive female before; when you were more of the geek than the Adonis, crushing on the opposite sex happened a lot. Unfortunately, crushing sometimes led to flirting and flirting led to hoping ... and that wasn't a road he could afford to go down with Claire. His romantic interest in her was a concern that she didn't need right now. Especially if they really were going to be stuck on the island for six months if what Ami told him was true; he had no reason to doubt that it was. Claire would end up having her baby here, and she needed support and friends, not some strange, psychic (and let's not forget how Claire feels about psychics) Yank mooning over her.

Life here was complicated enough.

(Jesus, for once why can't I develop an interest in a woman I actually have a chance with?)

Shaking his head, Megabyte sighed and steeled himself. He was going to have to find a way to deal with this. How, he didn't know yet, but hopefully he'd figure it out eventually. In the interim, he pushed the dream as far to the back of his mind as he could, gathered his blanket and pillow and crawled out of the nice, snug, but very good to sleep in strangler vine. The sun's position told him that he'd managed to sleep for a good four or so hours, which surprised him, but also explained why he felt (sort of) well-rested.

Getting his bearings wasn't a problem. He had a fairly good sense of direction and in no time at all, he passed by Dr. Pierson's still that he would be babysitting and was headed back toward camp. As he passed a flowering hibiscus tree, he impulsively plucked one of the bright red flowers.

Reaching the beach, he dropped off the blanket and pillow at the tent, and looked around until he spotted his target: sitting in the shade of her shelter, surrounded by palm fronds, weaving . . . something. Megabyte headed directly towards the blonde head, holding the flower behind his back. When he reached her shelter, but she didn't look up, he grinned cockily, "Hey there."

Claire jumped; evidently she hadn't heard his approach. She turned a bit pink and scolded him, "Damon! Don't you know better than to sneak up on a pregnant woman?"

He frowned in mock consternation. "Oh. I thought the guidelines said *sneak up on a pregnant woman whenever possible.* My bad.

"Ah well," Megabyte crouched down across from her, "I found something growing in the jungle. Maybe this will make up for my faux pas?" Grinning again, he presented the flower with a flourish. "Hibiscus. And I only know that because my mother grew them for years."

OOC: I'm assuming that Megabyte sleeps for a while, so this takes place sometime after Claire's impromptu Japanese lesson with Kenzaki.