Backstitch

Chapter 5

Mandy surprisingly opted to spend the night. Needless to say, Nolan's previous exhaustion had been lost due to the change in attitude between the two dolls. The fresh energy was transferred into fixing Lou's pants since the blonde had coyly implied that Nolan's didn't quite suit his tastes. He was just ecstatic that they were getting along. More than that, it seemed they were actually being nice to each other. Of course, Lou always had a charm to his demeanor simply out of habit.

The blonde resettled himself on the armchair adjacent to the couch. He had insisted that if Mandy was going to spend the night, she could do so on something more comfortable than the floor or chair. "I don't need your charity. I'm fine on the chair," Mandy scoffed and stood in front of him, waiting for the doll the move from his new spot.

He shook his head, grinning, "That wouldn't be gentlemanly of me, now, would it?"

"And he's back," she rolled her eyes over to Nolan, smiling, "looks like your plan worked. I think our job here is done."

It had gone back and forth a few times, never manifesting into anything more than playful banter. But, as Nolan had predicted it to play out, Lou won and got the satisfaction of seeing Mandy stretched out on the sofa. She would be reluctant to admit that it was sweet of the ex-dictator to relinquish such a luxury. Nolan also decided to camp out in the living room, a child-like aura about him as he set up the blankets on the floor. When asked what he was doing, he simply responded that it was like a sleepover. An aspect of friendship that Nolan was excited to give Lou the experience of.

Morning came slowly as if blessing the birth of their friendship with a few extra hours of sleep. Light gently filtered the best it could into the living room despite the curtains blocking most of it. Mandy was the first to stir, seeing as how Nolan's giddy verbal planning last night didn't manage to keep her awake as it did Lou. She let herself wake up thoroughly before turning to pick her glasses off the floor. Nolan was sprawled out on the blankets. The one he'd intended to use to cover up with was tangled around his legs and barely served its purpose. Lou was still huddled up in a tight ball, his own blanket wound fittingly around him as if he were freezing. Even when Mandy had first walked in to see Lou sleeping on the sofa, he had been curled up rather than stretched out.

Either she was looking too much into such a mundane thing, or Lou was hiding an innate fear of being vulnerable. For now, she'd go with the former. Not much of their conversation from last night indicated any time of fear. Abandonment, maybe...perhaps Lou was scared to open up to others. Perhaps he emotionally closed himself as much as he seemed to be doing physically in his sleep. Mandy shook her head, suddenly aware she'd been staring at him the whole time.

She had done her job, anyhow. Nolan listed out a few more things he was anxious to do with Lou in order to get him back on his feet, and none of those things seemed to require her assistance. The dark-skinned doll got up, stretching experimentally before fulling standing. Hopefully, Lou would change for the better. Last night obviously could have gone worse. She was surprised that her spite toward him seemed to dissipate as quickly as it did. Looking at him now, he didn't seem to be that same rigid, harsh tyrant she'd come face-to-face with in the pipes. He seemed relaxed and peaceful.

Mandy crouched down by the armchair, temporarily fixated by this new Lou. She tried convincing herself she was just taking advantage of his tranquil state before he awoke, and all hell broke loose. A part of her could still picture it; the crazed look in his eyes, the clenched fists, the bite in his voice. The scene before her now was like an angel compared to that image. His hands were relaxed, curled up tightly to his chest along with his knees. There was no movement from his eyelids, suggesting he had at least been blessed with no dreams, either, so that he could completely rest. And the only sound coming from him were faint breaths that were only noticeable as they barely disturbed the bangs falling over his face. It was nice. Different. A good different.