genessia | four; why'd you have to go and make me like you

[ Unfortunately for Dave he wasn't wearing anything of the sort and probably would have rolled his eyes at the prospect had he heard the comment. He wasn't exactly dressed to the nines like usual, but he wasn't wearing anything resembling what a person should sleep in, either.

Instead of pajamas and the like he was just wearing what he usually did but in a more minimalistic way, as if Dave had texted him when he was almost done taking off his fourth layer of clothing. As it stood he only had his slacks and a button up shirt on, along with a scarf which looked as if he had put it back on in a hurry.

The motel room wasn't very spacious, so he got to the door in a few swift striders and unlatched the lock. It only took a moment for his expression to turn from neutral to worried. He knew Dave was there, too, but the uncharacteristic sadness on Airy's face had him moving forward to hug her without a second thought. Greetings be damned.

... it took him a few seconds to register that he'd accidentally elbowed Dave in the process. ]

[Airy is okay with Dave filling the silence. It's easier to listen to him then her own thoughts. Time hasn't seem to dulled anything and she feels worse than ever. She wants something to take her mind off of things and is now wishing that she had a job to use as an outlet.

She doesn't have time to answer Dave's question. Jefferson opens the door and then steps through, his arms wrapping around Airy's shoulders. There is a moment of stunned silence before Airy looks up at jefferson and then over at Dave. She gives Jefferson a quick hug back before speaking.]

I think you ran over Dave?

[ he gets wanting to rush and hug someone. he's seen John do it enough times. jade's hugged him. doing it for comfort isn't something he's been part of a lot (usually never the initiator) but he gets it. he's not going to stop Jefferson from comfort hugging Airy. That's good. She probably needs a hug.

He doesn't get why he's currently sitting on the floor after taking an elbow from Jefferson. Didn't see him coming, lost balance. He never did have the best footing while standing still. That's happened to him before. Having someone bigger shove past. It's not as hard as the last time an adult elbowed him out of the way. Nothing. Didn't hurt. He's had so much worse. It was an accident. Pales in comparison but he starts thinking about it too much and thinks he can feel the wind get knocked out of him by the last person that shoved him out of the way hard enough to knock him down. It was by the stairs. He warned you.

Did the air get extra thick? He's calm. Calm calm calm. Airy needs her hug. He'll wait.
Dave just stays there. Takes a deep breath that's somewhat shaky and then steels himself off in the face. No biggie. Jefferson's .... safe. Probably. He just wants to sit here for a minute. ]

That's okay. Hi Jefferson.

[ Oh god. Oh god, what had he done?

His eyes widened at the realization and his face paled just a bit as he let go of Airy and knelt on the floor beside Dave. He put a hand to his face, clearly horrified that he'd been so careless. His other hand went to Dave's shoulder, his touch hesitant and much more gentle.]

I'm so sorry. Oh my god. Are you okay? No, of course you aren't. I wasn't -- [ He moved his hand to cover his eyes for a moment and huffed anxiously when he removed it. ] I was so worried about Airy that I just... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. Where did I hit you? Please tell me I didn't break anything.

[ He turned back to Airy with a grimace and mouthed an apology to her too. Why? Because it felt necessary. Maybe he should keep apologizing for the next week. Next two, even? ]

[Airy doesn't mind when Jefferson pulls away and kneels down to address Dave. It's better to make sure that he's okay first. She takes a small step closer when Jefferson looks back up at her.

Without really thinking about it she kneels down and hugs the both of them. She found the situation tense and uncomfortable and if there is a hug it's going to be a ground hug. Her head rests lightly on Jefferson's shoulder with her eyes looking down at Dave. Her hug is short before she pulls away.]

What if we head inside first and make sure everyone's okay in there?

[It feels exposed in the hall of the hotel.]

[ there's a knee-jerk reaction to jefferson kneeling beside him. dave immediately tenses up and goes to slinks away from the hand on his shoulder without really thinking about it. his thought process catches up and goes what the fuck? to what he's doing. is he scared of this guy? why the fuck would he be scared? jefferson looks like he's having a freak-out that he knocked him over. he feels really bad for reacting like the guy might punch him in the face after accidentally knocking him over.

dave puts a hand over jefferson's to (keep it where he can see it) let jefferson know that's fine. that can stay there. everything is fine. ]

What? Yeah. I'm okay. Geez. Calm down, man. It's cool. Don't worry about it. Zero hurt. I just caught your elbow. I was standing like an unguarded asshole in front of the damn door cockblocking the heartwarming comfort hu-... Hey, Airy.

[ dave's stiff in the newly initiated group hug. it's too short to settle into. he's still surprised jefferson even knelt down. ]

Yep. Yep. Getting out of the hallway. [ he releases jefferson's hand (the grip he had on it had been getting increasingly tighter before airy hugged them) and is on his feet before anyone else is. he offers a free hand to airy to help her up. ]

That sure was fucked up.

Edited 2016-06-11 03:55 (UTC)

[ He winced at Dave's reaction. He was probably never going to grasp the concept of personal space. He went to withdraw his hand, but when Dave put his hand over his own he wasn't entirely sure how to react.

The guilt on his face stayed as he listened to him try to ramble his way out of the situation, but it turned to surprise when Airy wrapped her arms around both of them. He managed to relax enough to lean his head against hers in return and offer Dave a pat on the arm with his free hand, but it definitely was a weird sort of feeling. Kind of good too, though.

When Dave let go he stood and cleared a way for them to come in. He didn't have his coat to straighten like he usually did when he felt like he needed to assert some confidence, so he put a fist to his mouth and cleared his throat instead. ]

So, uh. [ He glanced at Dave, albeit in an obviously unsure manner. Poor kid. Both of them, actually. Poor kids. ] You brought the movies?

[Airy looks over at Dave when Jefferson asks about the movies. She remembers everything he had spoken about on they way there expect she doesn't remember the movies. She isn't sure what her memory is doing right now.]

What are we watching?

[She steps inside and immediately finds a seat in the corner of the couch. She wishes she had popcorn but she'd learn early on that she shouldn't imagine something and then eat it. It only does weird things to a person.]

[ Dave stood in the room for a moment, head turning while he took the room in. One of his hands is rubbing the spot on his arm Jefferson gave a pat. He has no idea what to do with himself for a moment (23 seconds - 24, 25, 26, 27... Shit. He spaced. ]

What? [ He looks back at Jefferson. Then turns to Airy. He missed the first question but recovers fast enough that he thinks they won't notice. ]

I've got only the trashiest of alien cinema. I'm talking god damn romantic flicks so bad they're kind of genius. Like Spanish soap opera levels of dramatic hilarity. [ and that's when he pulls a small stack of movies out. Where was he keeping those? Surprise. Dave looks like a magician. ]

If Karkat ever shows up, you can never tell him I willingly put these on, okay? [ he points at Airy] I'm only sharing his shit movies I have because I love you. This is a fucking friendship trust bond right here, Airy. And Jefferson ... [ point turns to him ]

You're cool. Keep being cool.

No idea. Something about aliens.

[ He shrugged.

He had noticed Dave's quietness, but it wasn't a surprise considering the weird experience the three of them had just shared. He could easily pretend he hadn't noticed. He was about to do something to break the silence, but that was when Dave snapped back into his usual demeanor.

He raised his eyebrows at being told he was cool, which quickly resulted in a laugh. He headed over toward Airy and scooped her up playfully before placing her in the middle of the couch. ]

Don't go thinking we're about to let you be in the corner all on your own, kiddo.

[Airy watches Dave's magic trick feeling a small smile tug at her lips. She can't help but smile at Dave's antics and she has no idea why. It's most likely due to a combination of his inflection and his unique choice of words. She leans forward to look into the bag of movies to see if there are any titles she knows.

When Dave points to her she looks up and nods her head in a swift sort of agreement.] Got it. He'll ask what movies? and I'll be like I don't know what you're talking about. [She phrases her reply in a very Dave way.

She isn't paying attention to Jefferson and a surprised shout falls from her lips as he lifts her and plants her in the center of the couch.] But I like corners. [Airy has no other arguement than that and after a moment of pouting she relents.]

Fine but I get to hold the snacks. [Popcorn, she wants popcorn.]

[ the movie titles are really long and in an entirely different language but she can probably recognize the covers as alternate versions of ones that exist from them. he moves them in front of her so she can pick one. watches Jefferson from the corner of his eyes, which is really hard to notice. see: sunglasses. ] Airy, are you mocking me? [ he definitely sounds amused.

he takes a step back when Jefferson moves her. Then another. Watches him like a hawk for a second and just ... gets really confused by the amount of comfort being exchanged between them. He feels like he's an awkward voyuer to their makeshift family bonding ]

I can go get snacks.

[ He turned to Airy and chuckled at her impression of Dave's speech pattern. Jefferson hadn't noticed Dave watching at first, but when he did he realized that it might be better if he let the two of them relax while he took care of the other details. ]

No, no. I'll go. You two figure out what we're watching.

[ He didn't wait for an answer. He was already across the room and pulling his boots on. Once he had hold of his jacket, he turned back to Dave and pointed to Airy. ]

Do not let that brat back in the corner.

[ He couldn't finish the words without a smile, though. He slipped one arm through a jacket sleeve, then the other. ]

Better tell me what you both want or I'll pick something boring like carrot sticks and prune juice.

[Airy has every intention of scooting back into the corner the second that Jefferson left the apartment. She doesn't think Dave can stop her short of picking her up though in comparison to the pair she is very small.]

Ew... Popcorn, gummies, apple juice [For Dave mostly but she wants some too.] Anything sweet and or salty? Chips.

[She just wants to eat things that are bad for her and feel fat. Airy glances over to Dave before curling her legs on the couch and tucking her knees close to her chest.]

Did I miss anything Dave?

[ dave's still eyeing jefferson, head turning to follow him. why is he darting out now? did he realize he was being super awkward over here. damn. ]

Got it. [ he can't stop airy from scooting back into her corner. he's not going to pick her up. he does the first best option he can think of an promptly occupies that corner space himself. airy is not in the corner. he's the brat in the corner now. ha ha. he looks at her with a smug little expression. ]

A- [ oh. airy's got the requests covered. gummies, juice. chips. he pauses, looking back to jefferson. he raises his hand ]

Uh. I actually like carrot sticks. I don't know why that's considered boring or gross here. What the fuck is wrong with you two?

[ He rolled his eyes and exhaled an amused sound at their behavior. He hadn't known either of them that long, but he liked seeing them goof off with one another. He liked seeing them happy. ]

Okay, I think I can remember that. Apple juice and three bags of carrot sticks, right?

[ He grinned mischievously but slipped out the door before he could hear any protest. He did lean back in before shutting the door completely, though. ]

There's a lot wrong with me, kid.

[ Don't act like you don't know, Dave.

Aaaand the door swung shut. ]

[Great thing about couches is that they have two corners. While Dave stole the far better corner Airy still has a place she can slink over too though it would leave the center of the couch for Jefferson. He leaves before she's able to tell him that she likes carrots. There aren't many foods that Airy doesn't like, besides the obvious like anchovies and ketchup.

She scoots over to the opposite corner and stares at Dave.]

I like carrot sticks. [Just so he knows.] I don't remember saying they were gross. I think that's the word you used. [It makes her wonder who had originally said that, more so because carrots don't have an overly pungent taste so it doesn't make a lot of sense to describe them as gross.]

You can pick a movie. [Airy doesn't want to.]

[ yeah Jeffersons madder than a cow with a disease that ruins the meat industry. only not at all. Jefferson seems pretty well-rounded, if not a little too single-focused. like do focused on something he barrels sixteen year olds over.

airy still found herself a corner. he lets out a loud sigh that she sat all the way of the opposite end of the couch. he flops on his side, occupying both spaces for the moment with his head closest to airy. a lot more relaxed just the two of them. they're established bonding. they've slept together (in the same hospital room). ]

You said "ew." That's universally acknowledged as being the equivalent of "That's fucking gross."

[ he points ] Troll Titanic. Like, they intentionally steer into the ship and Leo develops a hate-mance with Kate's dick fiancée. Also they like intentionally steer into the iceberg.

[Airy's lips form a thin line before she shakes her head. She will deny that 'ew' is synonymous with gross.]

I like carrots. I just like popcorn with moves and I like butter.

[She looks down at Dave noting his new position on the couch. She'd been thinking about doing the same thing but if she plops over now their heads will collide which will both be painful and uncomfortable. She puffs up her cheeks at his explanation of the movie.] I also like the Titanic but why would you intentionally steer into an iceberg and kill a lot of people?

[This doesn't at all seem happy. In fact, that movie is very sad.]

Ever watch Emma? It's cute but it's a mommy movie.

Well, yeah. Who doesn't?

[ he leans his head back to look at her, viewing her upside down. who puffs up their cheeks when they're a little annoyed? that's adorable. karkat never did that. ] ...Because they're a- ...Okay. Maybe not the best movie choice if you're not a fan of violence.

[ folds his hands across his chest ]

What do you mean a mommy movie? Like it's got moms in it?

[Airy doesn't get annoyed all that often for two reasons. The first is that there are very few things that annoy her outside of her younger brother. The second reason is because her young brother always made fun of her. Whenever she gets annoyed she'd puffs up her cheeks or throw her arms down at her sides. Jake would imitate her and be a jerk about it.

So Airy tries really hard not to be annoyed.]

Yeah, [Violence is still new to her. She doesn't hate it but it's new.] Oh...

[Her expression shifts and becomes thoughtful.]

A mommy movie is what mom and I call happy movies. They are movies that we'd go watch with my grandmother like Cinderella movies and things like that. Emma is a Jane Austin movie. There is a book too but it's a little difficult to read and I like the movie. It's cute but I don't know if they'd have it here.

Sorry. I hate violence too. Bad choice.

[ movies aren't real but he didn't even think of how shitty that is to put something with blood-thirsty aliens hatemancing on a sinking ship. it's no good. he's supposed to be cheering her up. she does not have the same sense of humor as him.

he bites his lip, thinking. shit. ]

Wow. Totally jealous of the maternal bonding you got. Uh...I have Cinderella? But we might wanna double-check with Jeff if that's cool. 'Cause he might, like, know her?

[Airy feels a small wistful smile tug at her lips.]

He knows Snow White so maybe. [She doubts that the people in Disney movies, or any movies are similar to the real thing. Jefferson isn't like any story book character she's read about.]

My mom is the best. Sorry. She was a software engineer and worked from home. So we had a lot of time where we hung out. Since she was always at home. [Airy misses her.] I think she would have liked you but you would have heard the mom voice.

[She pauses.]

The mom voice can be scary.

Did he actually say that? Holy fuck. Do you think she's actually white? Would I be paler than Snow White? Does she actually enjoy apples or did she just feel bad for the old lady? The questions, man, the questions...

[ airy starts talking about her mom so he stops himself from turning tht into a full on ramble. he just listens until she's done. craning his neck further ]

What's the mom voice sound like?

Like my dad voice but worse.

[ He tilted his head and raised his eyebrows. Yeah, he'd been eavesdropping for a minute or two. How they hadn't heard him come in he didn't know, but at least it made for a dramatic entrance. Those were the best kind.

Jefferson held up a bag with the nearby store's logo printed on the front to show that he'd actually brought more than carrots and juice before setting it on the old nicked up coffee table. He was pretty sure everything they asked for was in there.

Including prewashed carrots, because why not?

He peered from Dave to Airy, who unfortunately seemed to have won the battle and claimed a corner after all. He wasn't sure he felt comfortable in the middle, so he was sort of glad Dave had taken up the rest of the space. ]

What were you talking about?

You'll have to ask Jefferson.

[Airy replies as Jefferson walks through the door. She turns to look at him, wondering how much of their conversation he had heard.]

Wondering if we can watch Cinderella and questions about Snow White and my mom because we used to watch mommy movies together.

[That's the short short version.]

[ dave sits up when jefferson speaks up, retreating from that relaxed lounging position to his designated corner. he leans an elbow on the arm of the couch and rests his head on his hand. or he does for a second then is leaning forward to go through the spoils jefferson brought back. he's stealing juice and a handful of carrots ]

Yeah, Cinderella. Questions. But first, neither of you are answering my inquiries concerning voices. What's mom or dad voices sound like? Is that like when people do the baby-talk to dogs? All high-pitched and making fish-face. The orphan wants to know. Gimmie the deets. Possibly a demonstration.

[ He couldn't help but feel guilty that Dave seemed to feel so tense around him. Maybe it would be better if he left the place to them for the night. Then again, he didn't exactly know where he'd go. There was the urge to apologize again, but he pushed it down. That would just make it weirder. ]

You don't need my permission to watch it. Can't guarantee I won't end up mumbling about inaccuracies though.

[ He raised his shoulders in a shrug. Back to Dave. ]

No, that's not it. It's like how someone would talk to you when you're caught doing something you know will make them mad but ten times worse. I'm not going to just scold you on demand for no reason.

[ At any other time he might have played the part if only for a few laughs, but things were already a bit shaky. ]

[Airy notices the tension too and without another word she slips back towards the center of the couch. She'll push Dave if any part of him is still sprawled out, leaving just enough room for Jefferson in the corner. She holds her knees to her chest, her bright green eyes on the bags in his hands.

She can't help but be curious.]

I'd like to hear about the inaccuracies.

[It sounds interesting and she wants to know if Cinderella really did live happily ever after. Airy doesn't exactly believe in that. There is always something after the end and she wants to know what it is.]

Did you get popcorn? [She waits for a moment.] Please.

[ he raises his brows at jefferson, sipping the juice and trying to picture what that would sound like. the closest he's got is a tone rose might use but it never sounded ten times worse than angry because he never actually did anything that bad. that's probably more of a sister-voice. if those exist. bro was silent when he got pissed. there was no voice, only sharp objects coming for him. john never mentioned his dad actually scolding him for anything so he doubts he would really know either.

"ten times worse" his ass. eh. dad voice is probably not scary in the slightest. pussies. it's probably just that "i'm not mad just disappointed" thing.

he looks at airy then gets up only to put the movie on and then sit back down. guess airy's sitting next to him. that's cool. no corners. ]

Does she actually speak mouse or is she just fucking crazy? That's what I want to know.

[ he hands the bag over to airy ]

[ He was appreciative that Airy was keen enough to pick up on the thick air, but he didn't exactly express that sentiment. Again, trying to keep it as far out of the realm of weird as possible. ]

Wouldn't that just ruin the story?

[ Jefferson furrowed his brows as he contemplated his own question. People seemed to like their stories to remain unchanged from what he knew. He hung his coat back up before taking his place beside Airy, but he decided to keep the boots on. Things were more secure that way.

He smiled at her use of "please." ]

I didn't know what kind to get so I bought three. Is that okay? I don't know.

[ He sat forward and pointed to Dave when he finally had something to say again. ]

Not crazy. Absolutely not crazy. [ The pointing probably wasn't necessary but. Sensitive subject. ] Couldn't tell you one way or another about the mice. I mean, I've never actually spoken to her. I just know her from... around?

[ That kind of sounded shady. ]

[Airy tries to remain polite. She watches as Jefferson takes the coveted seat in the corner of the couch, her bright green eyes fixed on the bag. She can’t help that she really likes popcorn. Mircowaved popcorn is better than the bagged stuff but she isn’t about to complain. She’ll have to educate Jefferson in popcorn just as he had with her and tea.]

It’s good. Did you get butter and cheese then? [She doesn’t know what other common popcorns were here. There are so many types.

Airy doesn’t wait for her question to be answered. She gestures towards the bags and plucks out a thing of popcorn as soon as its handed to her. She then settles in and begins to munch on the fluffy kernels. Between bites Airy chimes in.]

I think crazy is just a point of view. No one is really “crazy” [She does air quotes with buttery fingers.] but sometimes people interact in ways we can’t understand and people put a label on it. I think it’d be really cool if she could understand mice. Either the mice talk or maybe she just knows what they are trying to say. I mean… mice talk to each other right?

[Airy realizes that she’s rambling and has totally lost the point of what she’d originally want to say somewhere in there. She goes back to eating popcorn.]

four; why'd you have to go and make me like you

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I guess I'll keep going until whenever Jefferson gets back

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