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 Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:20 pm
Green eyes roamed about her room, taking in the color, the window where there was view of the street and the fire escape, and the dark pitter-patter of the rain. It was a gloomy, cold day, and her room still felt barren and unwelcoming. It wasn’t ‘Tate’ enough yet, and he wondered if he would feel better when she as finally moved in or worse. Even though she said she wouldn’t leave him, he had his doubts. She was still farther away than before, with more people her own age, and while some people believed absence made the heart grow fonder, he just felt that it made people forget. He didn’t want to be forgotten.
“I never painted before, but I can help. We can make a day out of it, but let’s hope it isn’t raining when we do so you can open a window and air it out. I do like the new colors.” It wasn’t something he would have picked first, but maybe the sea foam color explained why she liked his eyes. Was green her favorite color?
Tate didn’t’ seem all herself lately, and her last sentence brought his attention away from the window back to her. Sitting on the white bed, her blush was even more noticeable, and he felt his insides grip in alarm. What did she want? The room was quiet again, private, and he wished more people were here – or did he? Was she having trouble telling about something that worried her or scared her and wanted to tell him.
Knowing it was best if she did tell him anything she might have left to say, he swallowed hard and stepped a little closer. “What is it?”
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Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 10:54 pm
"Don't worry," she said, flapping one hand, "It's simple, and I'll show you how." She would just pick up a new roller or something on her way back here tomorrow.
Waiting for a response, she squirmed; it was kind of nervous-making, his silence. She wanted him to say something, or, well, anything really. He could have recited Newton's laws of physics and she would have been smiling with relief. As it was, he was just--looking at her, with that worried expression, and she wanted nothing more than to wipe that look off his face. "It was stupid."
But she had just promised to be more honest, so she backtracked: "It's just. I think. If Lieutenant Wolframite or the man in yellow hadn't saved me--I think--I don't think I'm--" She stared at her fingernails, picked away at the blue polish. How did she word this in a way that didn't make her look like... well, Mary Jane? She didn't want to be a helpless damsel needing saving all the time, goddamnit!
"You practice for track outside of school, right?... Would you mind if I joined you?" And now Tate was redder, her hands clenched on her knees.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 8:19 am
It was the quiet room that disturbed him the most. The fact that no one knew they were here, that they were alone, and that even the rain outside meant that not a soul was out in the drizzle. There was a privacy here that could only come from having one other person with you, where everything was quiet to the point he could swear he heard their breathing, and he felt cold inside and warm on his skin where he didn’t know if he should bundle up more or open a window. That lingering sentence begged him to finish it, and closed off from the world in this little room, his mind was fresh with ideas that only came to him when he alone. Would she mind if…she came close…..touched his shoulder……brushed his hair back…….kissed…….touched…….pressed in…. The images were as vivid as the zombie poster still laying on the floor, partially unrolled and in the process of being hanged up, but not as terrifying. He was use to Tate’s monsters, but not the new ones that rampaged his mind and body as of late.
I shouldn’t be feeling this. Thinking this.
She went in reverse, drawing close to something that he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear or needed to hear, but she returned slowly back to her point.
“Running?! You want to run with me?” It came out to quick, too loud, but it burst like a bubble from his mouth before he breathed out. “Oh – yeah. Of course! Whenever you want.” Of course it wasn’t anything else, and he scolded himself over and over for ever entertaining anything when he knew the simple facts. Tate was his friend and had a boyfriend who cared for her, even if he thought Zach was a jerk. She was happy, and as a friend, he should he happy for her. Right?
He ran a hand through his hair to brush a few stray hairs back. “Jeez. I thought you were going to say something like -" What the hell had been wrong with him to think that? "– like being attacked again, but yeah. I would like the company. Spring is coming after all so whenever the weather is nice and you want to go, just tell me.” Relieved, he went over and sat down, wishing there were more chairs around. “..but it’s better if you try not to go out at night. It’s dangerous, and some things you just can’t run away from.” He already had to teach Fallon this lesson, and he didn’t want to have to show Tate too. “…but it’s a great way to get in shape and have a small chance. Better than nothing, though I can teach you some self defense if you’re up for it.” Defensive maneuvers. His entire life had been ways to protect himself from attack, but he knew that the best way to protect anyone, including himself, was by force, and he just so happened to have that now.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 2:56 pm
She smiled nervously, unsure of how to take his outburst. Had he expected to hear something else?... well... Tate closed her eyes and took a mental step back. She was an older girl, as she had astutely pointed out earlier. He didn't have many friends, he'd said so himself, and she was one of his best friends, again--he'd said so. He valued her company, as evidenced by constantly wanting her to open up and keep close mentally, too. Could he possibly have thought she was asking...
Right, no, no way. She wasn't Ladon's type. Too old, and they liked all different things--green bean casserole was one of her favorites and he hated it. He fully hated it. Her favorite video games scared him to death (which helped, sort of, because he always heard when the music went silent). How could he possibly want her? She shook her head, looked back to where he'd been standing, then to her side. "Whenever you're going. I don't want to be any bother." She would definitely take him up on that offer, and smiled. Being so kind, he definitely wouldn't be interested in someone like her. Tate was needy, easily frightened, and jealous, and arrogant.
Her smile faded as she thought of being attacked again. She couldn't not go out a night; she worked, after all. But she could avoid being out after dark alone. "Don't worry," she said, nudging him gently; "I'll avoid going out after dark. Still, it'll be a little safer, yeah?"
Impulsively, she leaned over, brushed his hair back, and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Ladon. You don't have to do this." But Tate was glad he was.
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Posted: Thu Apr 01, 2010 4:25 pm
A little safer? He doubted it. The night wasn’t safe for a civilian, but he still had no answer to give to the people he wanted to protect that needed to live their lives. The only one he could think of that they should wait, that things would improve once the new Kingdom he was working for rose to take over and place everyone under it’s protection. If he could, he would want to keep Tate locked up from harm, but that would mean he would never see her or they could never hang out. The impulse to go outside would be overwhelming once spring hit and faded into summer, and he was sure more and more people would become victims. Running was no good, and he worried that if she started to run, she might become overconfident that she would continue to risk her safety. If only there were more than one of him, he could guard and protect her, but he had to work as hard as he could to let the Negaverse meet their goals. Every time he was out, patrolling or collecting starseed, meant a better life for everyone. He just hoped Tate would live that long in this messed up world.
He sat with his hands on his lap again, glancing over to Tate’s blue fingernails simply because he liked the color, and then returned to his own as he tried to occupy them. Training with Tate would at least bring together. The reason he hadn’t known more about her was because he was off being “sick” after being attacked. If more time with her meant he kept up to date on how things in her life were going, even if it was with Zach, then it was better than not knowing at all.
The mattress dipped down, and he felt the cool fingertips against his face, pulling his bangs back. His mind rushed back to the time a few nights back, but there was a new twist, and he felt plush lips press against his cheek. Before he even had time to recover from shock, she was sitting back, his skin, now flushed, barren of her touch.
Shock still, he turned to look at her, eyes wide, body frozen but mind racing. What did he do? Thank her? Kiss her back? What did it mean? She had a boyfriend? What sort of kiss was that? Nothing more than a friend kiss, but did friends even kiss at all? Then again, if it had been more, it wouldn’t have been on his cheek. He was overreacting. Girls were friendly, right? This was the current times. Girls kissed people all the time. Well, not that Tate was THAT type of girl, but she was still a girl. He was still her friend. Maybe. Right? He wasn’t speaking. He needed to say something before it got too weird.
A little nervous laugh escaped him and he quickly stopped it, turning redder. “It’s really not a bother at all.”
Maybe she sensed it, but soon she was talking about what her room would like once everyone was set up. Nudging him, she pressed him into helping her hang up some posters, something even he could do, and even if she was taking advantage of his fumbling, he gladly accepted. Anything to move past this moment of undecided meaning. With that, he headed to get some sticky tack from her desk.
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