Pleasantries - Chapter 3, Part 4
Sep. 17th, 2010 03:41 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
genlisae
Continued from Part 3
Advisories from Part 1 are still in effect, specifically Language, Angst and with the added bonus of Cuteness Overload! Also Underwear.
Pleasantries - Chapter 3 - Grunt Work- Part 4
11: 30 AM Friday, April 18
“So no one?” Telesto asked leaning back against the bench, his brow furling in obvious confusion, “Ever?”
Lilith sighed, “I didn’t say that, did I?”
“You didn’t say there had been either,” Telesto countered, still frowning.
Lilith pursed her lips thoughtfully, not at all comfortable with the Alien’s line of questioning. Had he been asking about anyone else she probably wouldn’t have hesitated to answer his questions. He wasn’t asking about anyone else. He was asking about Ripp and he was asking things that were best kept quiet.
“Fine,” Telesto shrugged folding his arms when it became obvious Lilith was not going to say anymore, “don’t tell me. I’ll ask Ripp myself next time I talk to him.”
“Ask me what?”
Lilith didn’t miss the brief look of panic on the Alien’s face before it was replaced by a wide friendly smile as he snapped his head around.
“Are you going to FM tonight?” Telesto asked his tone welcoming.
Lilith’s brows shot up. That was not even close to what the Alien had been asking about.
“I thought … Aren’t we …” Ripp stammered shooting Lilith an uncomfortable glance.
Telesto grinned, “Just checking you haven’t changed your mind.”
Lilith frowned.
“Only about a thousand times already,” Ripp admitted.
“Only a thousand? So you haven’t really given it any thought?”
“Not really, no,” Ripp flashed him a grin, “It would have to be at least two thousand before I could say I’d thought about it.”
Lilith leaned back in her seat as the boys carried on with their good natured banter.
This was not sitting well with her. Telesto had lied and Ripp was hiding something from her. This was not sitting well with her at all.
* * *
4:00 PM Friday, April 18
“You sure you are up for this?” Telesto asked as he and Ripp made their way through the living room, “That must have been some bug. You look like you haven’t slept in days.”
Ripp wasn’t sure he was up for it. He was still sore if he moved too suddenly and he was beyond tired, but he didn’t want to back out either. He’d been looking forward to this all week. Looking forward to seeing Tel.
“Yeah,” he nodded, “Maybe still just a little tired. I’ll be fine.”
“If you’re sure,” Telesto flashed him a grin, “I’m all yours.”
Ripp swallowed past the sudden lump in his throat. Innuendo again. If Tel had been doing it on purpose this could be a whole different conversation. It wouldn’t be because he was still himself and really why would someone like Tel even look twice at him? It could be though, if only …
“I’m sure.”
Telesto nodded, “We’ll take it slow.”
They met Rein and Juliet coming out of the kitchen.
“You guys aren’t coming to FM?” Rein asked puzzled.
“Not today,” Telesto replied leaning in to drop a kiss on Juliet’s cheek, “Hey Jules.”
“Hey,” she smiled, “Tel, can I talk to you for a minute?”
Ripp fidgeted. Something about the way Juliet was smiling at him was making him very nervous. Rein was not helping any either with her curious half smile. It felt almost as if they knew something he didn’t.
Telesto hesitated glancing at Ripp over his shoulder.
Ripp side stepped down the hallway looking for a way to escape the uncomfortable scrutiny, “I’ll just go …” he murmured pointing toward the door to Telesto’s room.
“I’ll be there in a few,” Telesto grinned at him.
Ripp set off down the hall toward Telesto’s room.
“Is he okay?” he heard Juliet ask, “He doesn’t look so good.”
Ripp cringed at her words. His friends were worried about him. He should be touched. He wasn’t. Instead he wanted to scream, to tell them to stop. He wasn’t worth worrying over. The only thing really wrong with him was his own failure after all.
“Yeah,” came Telesto’s reply, “Still a bit sick I think …”
The rest of the Alien’s words were lost as Ripp hurried to round the corner into Telesto’s room.
Closing the door behind him he shuffled over to the bed and sank down on the edge. Telesto had been closer to the truth than he was aware of. Ripp really hadn’t slept more than a few minutes at a time in days. Every time he closed his eyes the images replayed through his mind. Images he wanted to forget. Images he deserved to remember.
Tired. He was so very, very tired. Tired of lying, tired of hiding, tired of walking that thin line between who he was and who he was supposed to be. Mostly though, right now, he was just plain tired.
* * *
4:30 PM Friday, April 18
Telesto pushed open the door to his room. Ripp was probably bored stupid by now. Instead of only being a few minutes like he’d expected, his talk with Juliet had taken nearly half an hour.
“Hey,” He began stepping through the door, “Sorry about that …” the rest of his apology trailed off lost in the indulgent smile curling his lips.
Quietly he made his way across the room. Even in his sleep Ripp looked sad. He also looked like he’d been through hell and back.
Telesto frowned thoughtfully. If he’d felt half as terrible as Ripp looked like he did there is no way he would have gone to school, much less anywhere else. If he’d felt like Ripp looked he would have cocooned himself in bed and stayed there until he felt human again.
“What is your deal?” Telesto wondered aloud retrieving the blanket folded across the foot of the bed.
Just as he was pulling the blanket up to Ripp’s shoulder the other boy stirred slightly.
“Mmm,” Ripp murmured snuggling further under the blanket, “Thanks, Tel.”
Telesto jumped startled.
“You awake?” he asked, almost dreading the answer.
“Don’t wanna wake up,” Ripp mumbled, “Good here. Safe.”
Telesto chewed at his lip, thinking. No, Ripp was definitely sleeping and from the sounds of it had not been having very good dreams. Maybe he was still more sick than he’d thought? He might even have a fever. That could explain the mumbling couldn’t it? He should check.
That was an intimidating prospect. Weird that a simple shift in circumstances could take something simple and complicate it like this. Funny how that worked and no one would ever believe it. Not from him.
Giving himself a mental shake and a reminder that he was simply concerned for a friend who really did look very sick, Telesto reached out a hand lightly brushing the hair back from Ripp’s brow. He didn’t seem to have a fever.
Ripp sighed, a small smile playing about his lips, “That’s nice.”
Telesto snatched his hand back.
A deep frown creasing his brow he crossed the room to his desk deciding he may as well get his homework out of the way. Ripp didn’t seem to be ill, just tired. He may as well let him sleep.
Settling down in the chair Telesto stared down at the notebook before him. It was no good. His thoughts kept drifting back across the room.
Nice? It was just random sleepy mumbling. Ripp could just as easily have said ‘That’s awful’ or ‘That’s okay’ or ‘That’s pixies riding a unicycle’. People who spoke in their sleep weren’t exactly renowned for making sense or even really being coherent most of the time. Ripp obviously spoke in his sleep.
Telesto sighed twisting around in his chair to study the sleeping form on his bed, his brows knitting together thoughtfully.
Of course Ripp also seemed to be aware of where he was even in his sleep. Ripp seemed to be aware of where he was and who was there with him and Ripp had said ‘That’s nice’.
Nice. Such a little word with so many meanings.
* * *
11:45 PM Friday, April 18
Dirk climbed the stairs with a spring in his step. It was late and he was tired, but all in all things were going well. Best of all, he hadn’t seen his father with a drink in weeks and that was something well worth feeling optimistic about.
In fact his father was doing remarkably well, Dirk mused pushing the door open and stepping inside the house. The older man was cheerful, he was painting again, even venturing out of the house on occasion. It was good to see him making the effort, being alive.
“Honey!” the female voice calling from the direction of the kitchen caused Dirk to freeze in his tracks just inside the door, “I can’t find the orange juice.”
“It’s in the pitcher on the door!” came Darren’s response from the top of the stairs.
Dirk stared, blinking at what he saw leaning over rummaging through the refrigerator.
“Found it!” was the cheerful response from the woman as she stood up from the fridge.
“Who the fuck are you?” Dirk demanded finding his voice at last.
“Oh!” the woman gasped, spinning around, “Well this is awkward. I’m Haley. You must be Dirk.”
* * *
12:15 AM Saturday. April 19
“Wearing a fucking thong! A thong, Lil! In the fridge! Which means he fucked her you know that don’t you? And then they acted like it was all perfectly normal! That is not normal!”
“Dirk!” Lilith cut him off mid rant, “Calm down. I don’t even know what you are talking about.”
Dirk sighed and flopped down on the bed, “When I got home tonight there was some random chick wearing a thong and not much else digging through the fridge and calling my Dad ‘Honey’.”
Lilith blinked at him, “Your Dad is seeing someone?”
“No!” Dirk snapped, “Seeing someone would mean she was somewhere around his age. This is a fuck-toy.”
Lilith frowned at him, “You don’t know that …”
“Middle aged men do not have relationships with twenty-one year old women!” Dirk growled.
“She’s twenty-one?”
“And blonde and her name is Haley,” Dirk nodded, “Oh, and I think she mentioned karma about a dozen times in the first ten minutes.”
Lilith blinked at him, “Okay so maybe she is a bit different,” or possibly a lunatic, she added to herself, “But if he’s happy …”
“Don’t you get it?” Dirk demanded jumping to his feet to pace in agitation, “My Dad is banging some dumb, blonde, bimbo who is not even half his age!”
Lilith sighed, settling back on the bed. This from the same person who told her a week ago that age didn’t matter. Seemed it did when it came to his father.
“She’s wrong for him, Lil,” Dirk went on, “All wrong. She’s perky and bouncy and blonde, have I mentioned blonde and the karma thing? And she was standing in the kitchen, in the same kitchen where Mom died, in a damn thong! How could he do that?”
Dirk had stopped pacing.
Lilith stood and slowly approached him.
“How could he do that, Lil? How can he just replace her like that?”
Lilith reached out and pulled him to her. Now they were getting to what was really bothering him.
“How?” he pleaded, his voice dropping to a hoarse whisper, “How can he do that to Mom?”
* * *
So this is where I usually babble at you. I'm not going to. These guys sum up this part better than I ever could.I recommend volume and lots of it!
