[Futurelandia] An Eventful Valentines and beyond (happy new year)

[generalflirt]

[ Nathan moved into tow and that was awkward, Yamato and Nariko probably have some sort of a relationship and that's awkward, Yamato's been trying to make new friends so that's interesting, and Masaomi and Nariko are hopefully solid as anything after that trip, Nathan and Yamato complications aside. There's a new pack member that Masaomi met at a party and Nariko met in class. It's been over a month since the new year began and the old one concluded.

A lot's changed and yet not a lot had at all.

And frankly, things were probably just going to change that much more in the coming days and weeks. this might be edited to something more poetic later once we conclude more stuff about that other log ]

Comments

[chasingthemorning]

[ That's--

Okay, no, no. This time, in a strange flash, his annoyance turns to anger, and he takes a half step towards Audrey, the pills now out of his pocket entirely and brandished as if they were a weapon or something. But the real anger was in his eyes, and he's not even sure what it's Truly towards.

That said- ]

Okay, if I can't call you kid, then you can't turn around and think I'm braindead. It does not work that way.

[themaelstrom]

[She doesn't like that half step nor the growing sense of jumping anxiety that's making an infinity loop from the middle of her stomach to the edge of her toes. It's the anger that gets her mostly, it's what leaves her unable to call Tom's name even though right now she really, really wants to. This is a situation she's lost control of and -]

I didn't - you're not! I just - I didn't mean to upset you!

[Masaomi. She wants Masaomi or Nariko or Yamato or someone who wouldn't freeze in large sections, who wouldn't be weak right now.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ And the hero we deserve was, ]

Hey pal, come on, back off.

[ Sullivan. He sounds so mild-mannered as he says it, but it's with a stern voice, not exactly Alpha material, but more than enough to draw Nathan's attention and make him realize that he looks like a crazy person. The dumpy man half walks half runs over to the pair, and in fact steps between them, making to brush Audrey behind him ]

I don't know what's happening, but you can't get in Audrey's face like that.

[ Nathan inhales deep, and he looks down at his hand. At the pills. Sully does too, and ... he recognizes them, even through the case. his eyes widen, and then they look back up at Nathan and narrow. The suspicion cuts into nathan's heart, and he wants to drop the pills, hide them, eat them, something?

But... ]

I... I didn't mean it like that, don't worry.

[ Sully ... ]

Look- we talked earlier and you're Nariko's brother, so I know it's fine. But you're scaring the girl and so just- just... get the hell out of here.

[ He sort of ends lamely there, waving a hand to shoo Nathan. Who is - he blinks once, and then puts the pills in his pockets and turns to walk away ]

[themaelstrom]

[She doesn't really know what's going on for that whole first half. Sully's there and with Nathan pretty much completely blocked out of her vision Audrey finally breathes - suddenly realizes that she wasn't and so it's no wonder she feels lightheaded. Her brain finally tunes in and, sure, maybe Sullivan isn't being all Alpha-y but if it's enough to diffuse the situation then Audrey is just as grateful.

She doesn't move until Nathan's left the room.]

Sullivan. [When was the last time she actually said his full name?] Thank you.

[It comes out a little watery and pathetic, her eyes are welling up, face contorting with delayed fear and fresh anger. God, she's an idiot.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ For the record, Nathan leaves, his mind filled with dark thoughts of incest, of what else he doesn't know, of his own failings, and of his sister. he's heading to the master bedroom to finally rid himself of these pills and then he'll...

He doesn't know.

But as for Sullivan - ]

Hey, no I-- [ He would have done it for anyone? True, but it's not the right thing to say here. He didn't do anything? Clearly not true. Some cool line? Man he wishes he could say some cool line here. He can't think of anything hip, and so he wraps his arms around her ] Sorry about that.

[themaelstrom]

[That's not it, though. She knows he would have done it for anyone, it's not an event which was specific to her in the least. But it still feels awful to have been so pathetic when the confidence she projects always gives an incredibly different impression. She's worked so hard to become stronger after leaving her parents and one idiot gets in her face and suddenly she's a mess.

It's no wonder Sullivan thinks she's too young to be taken seriously. He's right.

And she just hates it.

But since he's being the competent and righteous adult here he can stand there while she sniffles against him. There's really no need for a cool line, Audrey just wants to finish crying.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ Putting on the record, never said that. But if course he can't know what she's thinking, he only can hold her and brush her back, holding her close to his chest to cry into it. And he...

He...

It takes all of his courage, but he leans his head down to kiss her brow. It was something he would do for anyone, but he also wanted to say something cool after it in order to impress her. He doesn't think she should necessarily commit to something so serious with the likes of him, but. It didn't mean he didn't like her a lot ]

[themaelstrom]

[The idea that something that easy and simple takes so much work when they've fucked at least a good, solid few times now if not way more than that? It'd be so amazing to her. Really, there's no reason to be so scared of a girl that's still terrified of shit that was supposed to be left behind. But when he does kiss her she seems to relax almost immediately, the shaking stops and she goes from gasping to hiccups, to evened out breathing.]

Sully. [She sounds like she's been crying, which is bad, but Audrey wipes at her face anyway.] I want to go home.

[Fuck whatever party is supposed to occur, she doesn't want to be in the same house as that guy.]

I don't use this one enough

[idiotduo]

[ She wants to go home. He... Well, he didn't drive here, so he can't really drive her back. But they're also only like a five minute (if that) walk from home. It's not the best way to get her there given that she's been crying and it would just be more impressive to use a car, but hey, it's economical. Or something.

Sully squeezes her close, and nods ]

Alright, then let's go home.

[ He'll stay with her there, they can ditch the party. He knows that Masaomi might want him there but... well, Ada will be there to cover for him, and he can trust them both ]

wait omg tom's icons are all zelda games, and sullivans are fire emblem???

[themaelstrom]

[He can fret over stuff like that if he wants, walking will be good for her, and it's not even vaguely far so there's no reason to be concerned. Mostly she's just happy to be held for an extra moment or two.

Eventually she does pull away, properly wiping her eyes but no matter what she does her face will still be a little red when she looks up at him.]

You know, I feel like I'm supposed to make a joke about being a hero, here. But I can't. You just were one.

[And she's grateful.]

Yes I'm super lazy with keywords

[idiotduo]

[ He was a ... hero . . .

His cheeks flush at that, and he lowers his head a bit as if that would hide his eyes or his baldness. The man reaches around to brush the back of his own head, patting the hair that is there, and generally feeling a little bit awkward. But he inhales and shakes his head ]

I... I mean, if you say so. [ . . . . . .. . NO HE CAN DO BETTER THAN THAt ] Thank you.

[ Still probably not right . . . ]

I think its cool! also they're deserving of their own thread if you'd like to continue it

[themaelstrom]

You're welcome.

[Nah, it's fine.

She manages a real smile, and takes his hand. Time to go home.]

I Was just thinking that myself even if I felt bad for Nathan but oh well

[idiotduo]

[ Yeah. ... Should he tell Masaomi or Nariko or Ada before they just walk out the door? No, he can just text them, it's not like he's leaving behind anything important and it's not like most of the work isn't done. As they step outside, holding her hand, they pass and area clearly meant for flowers or some sort of garden, but nothing is planted there yet. Walking past that and then the small lawn, they make their march back towards the house.

... He didn't have a good topic planned. He should have. ]

AND THEN WE SKIPPED TO THE PARTY

[chasingthemorning]

[ So he spooked Audrey and both her and that blade guy left. He went back to Ada, but quickly found that she actually wanted to just be in the company of that red haired guy in the first place. And so he vacated himself, sliding back to his master bedroom so that he could give up the pills. He puts them in the master bedroom medicine cabinet and... leaves back to help out with more lugging of furniture and movement for moving in.

And...

Well.

Now they're at he party. He's the guest of honor, but it's still strange. Masaomi ordered a bunch of Japanese food for the party, which seems to have overjoyed some people and annoyed some other people. For Nathan's part, he can't help but wonder if there's some message in that, but the mood overall is decent, so he thanks everyone for helping and promises to so whatever he can to repay it as they make use of of his kitchen and a small outdoor table in his modest backyard. And, slurping down a plat of soba noodles himself, he tries to talk with either his sister or her mate. Or both. ]

I am unnaturally pleased right now

[gunslingerqueen]

[... All the Japanese food really might have been a message, but it's not enough of one to pick at her mate about. Mostly it's just really weird. Did Nathan even like Japanese food? Had he been there? Considering he'd been on an involved tour, it was a valid question.

Nariko had, for the most part, been forced to do nothing but delegate because even though she was barely showing, it was so easy to become exhausted. The slightest bit of heat made her nauseous, her boobs hurt, she was unbearably horny one second and then frigid the next - apparently this kid was going to be an indecisive little shit, and the following months were going to be even more hellish than they had been with Koji.

Thankfully she's free of the nausea when she sits down near him, eyeing his meal.]

You know, I wanted to make mac and cheese.

[That's a vaguely awful opening line, because the Kraft microwaveable stuff was all she could make for them without burning the house down, and until their mother let her buy groceries again. But for her it's just the image she's still got - Nathan always reading and eating macaroni and cheese.

Still an awful joke, though.]

Glad to help Let's have fun with it

[chasingthemorning]

[ Or could it be that there's two kids in there with entirely different dispositions?! Spooky noises...

That said, Nathan is actually glad to have run into her mostly alone in the kitchen. Most everyone else is outside by now, the sun set and the sky is pleasantly cool before the temperature drops down the frigid - plus someone thought ahead to give him heat lamps for his back porch. He's pretty sure he saw Koji walk past there earlier and that Olivia girl seemed to be able to appear out of nowhere, but for the most part... Yeah. He smiles, even laughs a little while waving a hand that was holding a fork in it, the other holding his bowl. He shakes his head ]

I'm not sure everyone else would get the joke.

[ But that's a sure sign he does. ]

[gunslingerqueen]

Probably not, but that's okay.

[Even if it's not what he had wanted or what she had wanted, they could have little things kept between them, right?]

So, how do you like it? The house, not the soba, although feel free to give your opinion on that, too.

[She laid herself over the island, half closing her eyes so that he was a weird, half cut image. She'd been so worried about being alone with him all day, about what she might say or do or feel, but it was fine. Probably because they weren't really alone, at any given moment Masaomi or Yamato might come back inside, after all.

But it's good to pretend that they're perfectly normal siblings, too.]

[chasingthemorning]

[ He'd been worried all day too and even now he was trying hard to contain his scent. He was trying hard to collect himself and trying to not make a scene. He's more tense than he would like right now, but... it's strange. It feels like he doesn't need to.

( Incest... )

He had asked some other people about it, but none of them had really wanted to commit to saying much of anything so far. And he grunts as he shifts in his seat and looks up and around the room and over towards the statue Tom and him placed ]

It's great. I helped pick it out of course, but all the work you've done is great. [ A beat ] and I like a lot of Japanese food but I'm still not sure I get soba.

[ Slurp ]

[gunslingerqueen]

Well, it's not going to feel completely right until you've been here. Thanks, though.

[She had learned her lesson, thank you very much, you could do all the preplanning in the world, but a house became a home when it followed it's own ideas, and they usually came with time.]

Mm, yeah, it is a little weird, but you're definitely still eating it.

[Of course no one was going to say anything concrete, it wasn't their place, except for Yamato and Junko's, if that's specifically what he questioned. ... Mm, she probably needed to talk to Yamato eventually and see if he was alright with all of this.]

Are you feeling better, though? You were kind of a mess before.

[When he got off the plane. She's asking the question while knowing the answer, which is unfair of her, but Nariko also isn't entirely sure of what's wrong. He's tense and she's briefly heard about Audrey, but none of that is definitive enough.]

[themaelstrom]

[He doesn't need a topic because she really, really doesn't feel like talking right now.

Walking outside reveals exactly how late it had become and there's something both unsettling and grounding about the fact that so much time has already passed. It's the sort of feeling that only feels comforting because it solidifies that there's an awfulness left in the past. Despite the occasional sniffle an rub of her face Audrey walks rather briskly, her fingers wrapped around his.

... She really doesn't want him to tell them everything that happened but that's unrealistic. She should have told Tom, though. Maybe he won't worry, though.]

[idiotduo]

[ Well...

It's the middle of February, so the nights are long and they start early. As they set out into the night, there isn't that much snow on the ground (it's been fairly warm, honestly) but the sun has set, and it was a little cool as they walked back towards the pack house under he light of the street lamps. The older man squeezes her hand as if that'll warm both of them up, and keeps them close together as he kept them along that path.

He considers texting Masaomi or Nariko now, but he'll do that once they're home - it'll be only four or so minutes. He hopes she isn't too cold - he didn't have a jacket, but he did have a vest on over his top - he could put it on her ]

[themaelstrom]

[For Audrey that's such a shame, the snow was always the most fun and she's not looking forward to head congestion and looking at all the joys of spring through watery eyes. Still, she's glad the house isn't too far off: Not because she's cold but just because there's something vulnerable and she wants familiar territory again.]

What were your parents like?

[She's asking kind of idly, not because there's a lack of care or curiosity, but more because it's probably best to talk anyway. Eventually she might work up to what really needs to be said.]

[idiotduo]

[ What were his parents like, huh? Sullivans rolls it over in his mind, and then answers, ]

Well, to begin with, my old man's gone - he passed away five or six years ago. [ He starts to reach her hand which wasn't holding her hand to brush his hair. Stopping himself, he grins a little though ] But my mom's really great - she's a sweet old lady who I think everyone would love. [ Mmm ] -- They were old even when I was young, by the way, they had me in their mid-forties so my mother's in her mid-eighties now, sort of at the back of a pack which's based an hour north of here. They were both sweet and attentive when I was growing up, but the whole age gap made it hard to connect when I was young, too... I didn't really connect with them until I was older.

[ He was cool when he was young, you know! ]

[themaelstrom]

Trust me, it doesn't work out any better when they can connect with you at a young age.

[Audrey was a shining example of that, though it could also be said that her father has used that aspect of their relationship against her because he knew how well it would work.]

I'm sorry about your dad, though.

[She still misses her grandpa, so she's imagining it as a thing that never really goes away, just kind of fades into acceptability over time.]

[idiotduo]

Thank you.

[ Because he does miss him. Not really actively, not really anymore - but he does wish that he could see the old man's face sometimes. Wish that he went out while on better terms with him. It's just useless regrets though, the sort of things you can't hold onto or qualify. ... Hardly the sort of thing anyone wants to hear out of the oldest one in the room, or the adult there to help you. Or the idiot.

Or any of the other hats he wore.

The older man does smile at her, and breaks their hand contact so he and wrap his hand around her shoulder, pulling her up against him. It's a little chilly, after all, so maybe it's better to walk like this. ]

I'm sorry about how things happened with your parents.

[ Her effective break up. It would be impossible for him not to know at last the edge of it ]