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Movie Night

Which movie to watch was a hefty debate between Mint and Ashley, and they were both almost relieved when they were interrupted by a knock on the front door.

"Ah, pizza's here," Mint said as she stood up from the couch.

Ashley silently watched her walk off to answer the door, and then quickly took advantage of her absence to scroll through the movies on the television. The scrolling stalled at the sound of the front door shutting, and Ashley looked up to see Mint standing a few feet away from him, pizza box in hand. She contemplated the screen quietly, and when she neglected to say anything, Ashley suggested they watch Titanic. Mint made a face as she placed the pizza box down on the coffee table between them.

"Ew, no. That movie is so boring." Mint snickered, couch cushion dipping as she sat next to Ashley, who extended his bottom lip in a pout.

"Hmm, fine." Ashley considered for a moment, and finally asked,  "What about a Ghibli movie then?"

The regret about failing to ask sooner formed when Mint's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing the question. She snatched the romper from Ashley's hand with such ebullience that the room glowed with something more than the T.V.'s light. "I've been wanting to watch Princess Mononoke!" she exclaimed, scrolling through the animated movies on her television as fast as she could manage.

Ashley laughed softly, leaning back on the couch. In an instant, Mint's cheerful eyes became the only thing he was interested in watching. Before Ashley could stifle it, a thought presented itself snugly at the forefront of his mind, admiring how cute Mint was.

As soon as the thought processed, he quickly returned his attention back to the screen. No, I shouldn't think that way, he chastised himself.

Princess Mononoke was paused before it could even get passed the first second, and Mint stood up with a sheepish grin. "I'll be right back," she said, excusing herself to the hallway just to their left.

Ashley stared after her for a moment, then outstretched his arm for a slice of the pepperoni pizza that Mint had provided. It went down quickly, hunger from the busy day finally catching up to him as a twisting in his stomach. He was just about to reach for another when a door clicking shut caught his attention. Just as his eyes landed on the corner of the hallway, Mint ran out, blanket wrapped around her shoulders.

Ashley's eyebrow raised alongside a smile. "Cold?"

"I can't help it!" Mint laughed as she unwrapped herself and threw the blanket over the couch, covering Ashley in the process.

"Oh, uh. I don't need it—"

Mint waved him off, crawling under the blanket with no regards for Ashley's personal space. Not that he minded. "Nonsense!" Mint said. "It gets cold at night and you're my guest."

Ashley didn't even bother mentioning the repetition.

"Could you start it?" Mint requested, reaching for a slice of pizza while keeping her arm covered by the blanket as much as possible. She took a large bite of the pizza as Ashley complied, and they say back as the intro music began.

Thirty minutes hadn't even passed, and Mint was already out.

It was difficult to keep his scoff silent, but Ashley managed. He was wondering if he should pause the movie out of consideration for Mint's excitement, smile playing at his lips, before he felt a thump on his shoulder.

He wondered how red his face got as he turned his head down to see what it was. It wasn't much of a surprise when it was Mint's cheek that pressed against his shoulder, as he wasn't expecting anything else.

Ashley wasn't quite sure what to do in this situation. Moving her was out of the question, and she looked too comfortable to wake. After a moment, he relaxed the shoulder she claimed, hoping for her to gently slide off. Unfortunately, it went a totally different direction, and Mint fell more towards him.

He sighed to himself as he turned down the volume on the television, so as not to wake her.

Only fifteen more minutes passed, and Ashley was fast asleep too. Neither of them were conscious to note Ashley's arm curled loosely around Mint.