dirk.roxy rp hannah

[02:16] TG: She'd shrugged off her bag, letting it fall carelessly next to the small pile of shoes by the front door. Getting off of work early meant she could get some shit done. She had planned on cleaning up the place a bit, maybe tidying up the living room that had been left a bit decimated from a rather euchre game the night before. A few of their work friends had stopped by and... well, one thing had le
[02:16] TG: d to another and suddenly there was a deck of cards. Now, if there was anything Roxy liked more than hacking and drinking, it was playing cardgames. Drinking just put her in a gambling mood, sometimes. Or maybe she had wanted to clean the bathroom? Do the dishes. Whatever her plans had been, they were totes inconsequential now, seeing as it was two hours later and she was in her room with half a b
[02:16] TG: ottle of vodka ((that had started as a full bottle two hours ago)), a jar of olives and the rest of her drink-mixing swag. She was drunkely pestering Janey online, seeing as she missed the fuck out of that buck-toothed bestie of hers. "ya odl habits die hadr dont they el oh el" was the last thing she had typed in reply to one of Jane's typical 'drinking too much' accusations. She was fine. All she
[02:16] TG: wanted to do was get her drink on and have a bit of fun. Was that really such a big problem? Pfft. Her cat, Frigglish the Second ((normally just called Frigglish for short)), curled around her legs as she typed. "idk ehll be home soon probs, ill totes tell him u said hi".
[02:41] SC: Dirk heaved a sigh as he emerged from the subway station. Sort of half-heartedly shoving through the crowded stairwell to the street, he recounted his day. Well, work last night had been hellish. Ladies' Night always was down at Neon. All those dumb bimbos up in his shit, 'oooh DJ Strider, I showed up in my barely-there skirt with a touch of ass floss just to pretend I'm modest" nonsense just to g
[02:41] SC: et in his pants. What bullshit. Then there was the fact that he had to go to that joke of a class today and listen to that asshat professor try to rant about how homosexuality is a disease and that the great cultures of the world frowned upon it. Fuck, is this guy for real? Have you ever heard of Achilles and Pericles? Gay lovers, bro. Every Roman soldier had a gay lover. Fact. Greeks? All of the
[02:41] SC: homo. Fuck, they even had an island chalk-full of lesbians. Still exists today, dipshit. The island of Lesbos, perhaps? Arguing with HIM was exhausting as fuck. Then, the subway tried to jip him on his weekly pass. Piece of shit terminal. You've destroyed things that have worked better than that hunk of junk. He fumbled with the keys as he approached the apartment building. He took the elevator up
[02:41] SC: to his floor, and headed for apartment number 413. Another moment trying to get the key to work before the door swung open. He stepped inside and tossed his bag to the ground, closing the door behind him. A quick glance at the bag on the floor alerted him that Roxy was home and - judging by the fact that evidence remained from last night's euchre escapades- already cracked into the sauce,. He sho
[02:42] SC: ok his head a bit, and simply called out to her. "Sup, Rox. 'M home."
[03:02] TG: She tacked a quick 'brbrbrrb' into the chat window upon hearing the door close, slamming the rest of her martini and standing up away from her computer. She opened her door, trotted down the stairs, and opened the door that led to the living room from the stairwell - swinging out a bit as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. Gripped the doorframe. Eyed the 'intruder'. "Y'didn't say 'hone
[03:02] TG: y 'm home', or ask why yer dinner wasn't made yet." Her voice was falsely stern, and she smiled at him. Frigglish trotted into the living room, immediately rubbing against the other blonde's leg. "Yeeessss Friggly, daddy's home. Now y'can be all obnoxious at him." She let go of her doorframe, wobbly steps taking her to stand before Strider. She smiled up at him sweetly, suppressing a giggle. "How
[03:02] TG: was work?" she questioned, finally gathering her bag and ushering it into the hall closet. "I was gonna clean but fuuuuuuuck that shit. I'll totes do it t'morrow." Leaning against the closet door, she sighed. "Ugh. R'mind me again why I wanted a desky job? It's too fuckin'... A secretary. Seriously? Is it the fifties again 'r somethin'?" It wasn't that she hated her job, really. It just... wasn't
[03:02] TG: exciting enough for Roxy. She was no adventurous son of a bitch like Jake by any means, but even working at a grocery store would give her some semblance of being useful to people. That giggle finally surfaced, and she shook her head. She missed her martini.
[10:56] SC: "Well, shit, Roxy. My bad. If you really want, I can come in and try it again. Hang up my hat, fetch my robe and slippers and enjoy a good old fashioned smoke while I read the paper. Since it's the fifties and shit." he shot back, a grin quirking up the corner of his lips. He crouched down to pet the cat that was demanding his attention, and looked up at Roxy. "But in reference to your question,
[10:56] SC: work wasn't horrible. Sure, I saw more fake tits there than on the Vegas Strip, but fuck. Wasn't so bad. Spun some pretty sick beats. School was shitty as fuck though. I swear, I might as well teach that shit myself." He gave an irritated sigh as he untied his shoes, placing them off to the side, next to his bag, before standing and making his way to the living roo, intent on cleaning up some of l
[10:56] SC: ast night's shit. "Not quite sure why you wanted the desky job, though. Maybe because when you aren't busy you get to surf and roleplay smut with my auto-responder?" He shot her a pointed look, tapping his glasses gently.
[11:10] -- spectralCompatriot [SC] changed their mood to BEMUSED --
[11:10] -- spectralCompatriot [SC] changed their mood to RELAXED --
[11:12] TG: Not one to be too much of a lazy asshole, she exited the hallway, shuffling drunkenly into the living room to help. "You alwayss'spin sick beats. The sickest, in fact. Actually if they got any sicker they'd belong in a wicked hospital of some sort." She nodded as-a-matter-of-factly, starting to collect the cards from the table. "School givin' you the big B and S? Glad I take my shit online. Don't
[11:12] TG: deal with any fuckers I don't wanna, there." Although she found it incredibly difficult to focus on classes that weren't... actively being taught. Online shit was very, very hard to keep her attention with. The comment about work, however, made her grin privately to herself. "Hey," she began in a playfully defensive tone. "It's not my fault he likes it." She sauntered over to him, standing on her
[11:12] TG: tip-toes, looking at the glasses. She dragged a single finger over the very edge of one of the lenses, very slowly. In an oddly sensual way. "You're just jealous he doesn't let you read it."
[11:27] SC: Dirk raised an eyebrow slightly. "Shouldn't you at least file and alphabetize your pesterlogs so you're actually doing something secrataryish? And as far as jealousy goes, I'm not. I COULD read those logs if I really wanted to. Shit, I made these glasses." There honestly wasn't that much left to clean up, he noticed, sidestepping Roxy to clear the final remains of trash from the living room floor.
[11:27] SC: "But on the topic of my oh so sick beats, yes. They're always pretty sick, but today it was like I was a motherfuckin' doctor. Ph.D in bitchin' sound. And I just diagnosed those beats with a chronic illness to a nasty degree. No cure for how sick this shit was." Dirk tossed the trash into the bag, and then pulled out a chair from the table, plopping down in it. "But seriously, Rox, what's on the
[11:27] SC: horizon in the ways of food? We might have to cook the cat if we don't get something in my stomach soon."
[11:43] TG: Giggling, she almost stumbled heading back to the table, cleaning off what was left. "Pffft. I could. I totes could. But organizin' shit is def not the first priority when it comes to gettin down to business with the AR." Oops. That might have been a bit too much. She frowned though, suddenly, thinking about it. The AR was all she had, in a way. Well, no - not all she had. She had Dirk. Mostly. So
[11:43] TG: metimes she wondered though... how much he actually thought about Jake instead of her. What! No. What terrible thoughts. There was no need to think of it like that. She'd netted the love of her life and that was final. Pushing the thought from her head she smiled at his explanation. "No survivors on the sicknasty beat front, eh." She scuttled into the kitchen momentarily, fetchng herself one of th
[11:43] TG: e fruity, alcoholic beverages from there. Hey man, her 'tini was all the way upstairs. Fuck that shit. She made her way back to the table, nearly tripping again as she fell into one of the chairs. "Fuck," she laughed at herself, shaking her head. "No one's eatin' my damn cat!" she stuck her tongue out, vaguely petting at her hair to try and put it back in order from the bit of a drunken roll she h
[11:43] TG: ad on her bed a bit ago. For no reason. Just felt like rolling around drunkenly like an ass. She sighed though. "Pizza? Chinese? Are Chinese places open this late still? I really don't wanna cool." Not like she'd be able to in this state. She giggled in spite of herself.
[11:55] SC: Seeing her return with her drink, he issued a tired and pretty well useless warning."Easy on the sauce there, Roxy. I swear to god, I'm not building you a liver when yours quits." For some odd reason, Dirk felt a twinge of irritation at that statement. Woman needed to calm down with his computer and find a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend. Shit, maybe he'd build her a boyfriend for her birthday. In any
[11:55] SC: case he brushed it off as best he could. Roxy was a good girl; a little bit impaired on the good judgement front at times, but good. Thinking about it, she seemed like she was hitting up the AR more than usual lately. It, in turn, was blocking more logs from him. That meant one of two things: One, holy fuck he had the perviest auto-responder in the history of forever, or Two, there was something o
[11:55] SC: ff and AR wasn't going to let him in on it until he picked up on the problem himself. He decided for the time being that AR was a skank who was getting it's robo kicks from his best friend. "Well, you're toasted, so cooking is way out of the question. There's that Chinese place down the street. Ya know, the one where the old lady keeps telling us she's gonna adopt us and stuff our faces until we g
[11:55] SC: ain like 45 pounds? Although, I don't know. Friggly does look pretty tender..." he teased, picking up the cat and gently pinching its sides.
[12:14] TG: The girl waved her hand in irritation. Pfft. Pfffft she said. "My liver's just fine. Totes gonna last forever. Its like a motherfuckin' well of survival instincts. Or something, I dunno." She was fine. Really. And the AR thing... was best not to think about. She'd just... kinda... been lonely lately. She'd had the dream again. The dream she hadn't mentioned to anyone but Dirk. She'd left out a sup
[12:14] TG: er huge amount of details, mostly her feelings and the fact that she WANTED to jump out the window. She left out parts like 'what if i want to fall, strider?' and the fact that her fucking intense feelings for the stupid Dirk were what made her do it. She'd told the AR. As far as she knew, he hadn't told Dirk. It didn't have much to say on the issue - not in a bad way, not in a way that said it di
[12:14] TG: dn't care. It'd told her to tell Dirk herself. She refused on the grounds of his feelings for Jake. The pain had felt so real, though... All of it. The glass in her foot. The heartache. The broken arm felt the most real of all. The thought caused her to look at her own arm where the break had been, tracing it gingerly with a solemn look. "Huh?" Oh, Chinese. She laughed. "Nice lady. Yeah, I'm totes
[12:14] TG: down with that place. And no, fuck off. We're only eating him in the event of a zombie apocalypse." If she didn't accidentally kill him, first.
[02:24] SC: He noticed her falling quiet, watching her trace her arm absently. Dirk continued observing her, taking note when her face seemed to fall. Something was definitely on her mind, lurking underneath the veil of that alcoholic haze she put herself in. "Hey, I'm gonna go ahead and order. We're getting this shit delivered this time, though. You want your usual?" Dirk was trying to get her mind off of wh
[02:24] SC: atever she was thinking about. Granted, that probably wasn't the best way to go about it, but shit. It was a start. As he searched through his contacts for the restaurant, he glanced over at her. "So, you been talking to Jane at all recently? It's been a while since I've actually talked to her, what with all the shit I've got going on."
[02:45] TG: Taking another swig of her drink, she nodded through it. "Yeah, please. Can't wait to get some yummy wontons into me. And I'm totes down with that. Make sure she tells her delivery monkey not to charge us a delivery fee." The pair of them practically lived at that restaurant. Drunk, obviously, she quickly forgot what she was upset about. It'd resurface again. But - oh! janey! That was right! "Oh s
[02:45] TG: hit, yeah! I was talking to her before you got home actually. She says hiiiiii." She took another drink, petting Frigglish as he lounged on the table. "She's doin' good. Havin' fun in school. Culinary school. Who woulda fuckin' guessed, right?" She laughed a little, shaking her head. She didn't dare mention that she'd spoken to Jake recently... She didn't want to think about it. N-not that she had
[02:45] TG: anything against Jake. At all. Jake was a sweetheart and also one of her besties. But she knew what mentioning him would do to Dirk. "She misses us," she appended quietly.
[01:01] SC: He had whipped outm his phone, searching for the number for the restaurant. "Get Frigglish off the table, I don't want cat ass mingling with my food." he chastised before he carried on the conversation. "Well that's good. She should come out here and fucking invade sometime. It'd be rockin to see her again." It was true, he would have liked to see Jane. But when he thought about Jane, he thought a
[01:01] SC: bout Jake. And how Jane liked Jake. And how he liked her, too. He tried not to think about that and dialed the number, placed their usual order, and hung up. "Next time you talk to her, tell her that she needs to take a fuckin break from school and get her ass out to see us. Seriously, it's bullshit that it's been so long. She's never online when I'm online anymore." He sat back down at the table,
[01:01] SC: giving Frigglish a little nudge to try and shoo him off the table.
[01:38] TG: Nodding emphatically, she took a small sip. "I totes agree with you on that. I think she'd love bein' out here, too. S'nice out here." She smiled in a sneaky-like way, eyeing the boy across the table. That was... kinda how it happend with Dirk. 'come stay with me for a while', she'd said, a few years ago. He had, and had fallen in love with NY much like she expected him to. Shame she also hadn't m
[01:38] TG: anaged to make him fall in love with her. No, fuck! No thinking like that. Jesus Christ, Roxy. Dirk was getting many of the same depressing thoughts, so it was almost fair in a tragic sort-of way. No, though. She shouldn't think about it. To distract herself she took another long drink, closing her eyes and listening to Dirk make the order. Fuck man, she really liked his voice. She was almost as i
[01:38] TG: n love with it as she was with him. She remembered.... her dream, when he had called her - she hadn't heard his voice before. It almost unnerved her that what she'd heard in her dream ((and what she heard now)) were exactly the same. It'd also somewhat been the final nail in her coffin. Like he was always meant to protect her. Be hers. Opening her eyes as the phonecall was done, she sat up again,
[01:38] TG: nodding and helping to shove the cat off the table. "I'll get 'er here. Y'can count on me."
[02:24] SC: He gave a small nod. "Yeah, 'specially with all the quality bakeries and shit out here. She'd probably end up better off here than with that Batterwitch's shit company." Dirk was quiet againas the two of them sat at the table. There was something on Roxy's mind. He wasn't quite sure what, but he could tell. She was quieter than usual, and she seemed a bit distant. He set his phone down and looked
[02:24] SC: at her with a calculating sort of gaze, deciding on what it could possibly be. She wasn't looking at him directly much when they talked directly, and seemed to be looking at him more when he wasn't paying attention. Judging by that,he would have guessed it had something to do with him. He hadn't upset Roxy, had he...? Was there something he'd done...? Dirk grabbed his phone again, and sent a quick
[02:24] SC: text to his AR, requesting to see the latest logs. He was irritated when his AR sent essentially a message saying "fuck you, figure it out yourself". So, after a long pause, he hesitated before asking "Something on your mind, Rox?"
[08:17] TG: She smiled distantly at the Batterwitch comment, thoughts clouding with her suddenly. Fucking... Batterwitch, man. Many a drunken evening had been spent ruminating over her, trying to thnk of ways to get Jane to just... ugh. Forget about her stupid empire. At least she was attending school instead of sitting in a cookie palace or something, lording over her kingdom. Heh. Larding. Again, the questi
[08:17] TG: on had caught her daydreaming. "Huh? Oh... nothin' really. Thinkin' about food." Only a half lie, really. She sipped her booze, then waved it in Dirk's direction. "F' you don't get any of these an I drink em all by myself, iss yer own fault." She meant it, too. These were really delicious, and easy to slam back. Tasted like fucking juice or something. Something was on her mind, but... she really d
[08:17] TG: idn't want to talk about it. She never did. Not with Dirk, anyway. Which, in a way, wasn't really fair - but she talked to the AR a lot about her feelings, finding a fucking robot more capable of being sympathetic than the actual human that made it was. The thought angered her, and she briefly gripped her drink in agitation. She said nothing, however; her facial expression remaining much unchanged
[08:17] TG: . She wondered if.... she could get ahold of the AR now. Her phone WAS in her pocket... "Somethin' on YOUR mind, cutie?"
[09:21] SC: Normally, Dirk didn't drink. It was something he tended to avoid, preferring to be as alert as possible at all times. And he bore that in mind as Roxy gestured to him with her drink. "You know I don't drink, Rox. And seriously, slow it down. Your liver's going to leave you one day. Just up and fuckin walk out the door." He knew she could handle it, but it was precisely the thing that worried him a
[09:21] SC: bout her. She was a smart girl- pretty ridiculously brilliant- but for whatever reason, she insisted on being consistently soused. There had to be at least one reason for it. Smart girls didn't do this to themselves for no reason. Especially not when they were pretty on top of it. And he had to admit....she was a very attractive young woman. Anyone would be stupid not to notice that. Charming, pre
[09:21] SC: t ty, smart as a whip. That was pretty much Roxy Lalonde to a tee. As she shot back with another question, he felt another twinge of irritation. He hated when she did this; she knew he knew something was wrong- the fact that AR wasn't ARing was proof of that- and she beat around the bush. He didn't want to have to pick her mind apart but-- "There's ALWAYS something on my mind. Just depends on what
[09:21] SC: it happens to be at the time. Right now it's the fact that you're not telling me the whole truth. We live together, we've been friends since we were kids. We've had eachother's backs for fuck knows how long, and I can't get the full truth out of you when I ask you what's wrong." That came out a bit more irritable than he had intended, but after the day he had, he hoped she could forgive him. Almo
[09:21] SC: st as an afterthought, he added "Also, wondering if they're gonna fuck up my crab rangoon this time...."
[09:32] TG: She immediately frowned, hand very sneakily slipping into her pocket to fetch her phone. She logged in - but invisible. She knew that the AR could see her, so she waited for him to pester her - not wanting to get Dirk's attention. "Sssssssomeone's grumpy," she pouted in a slurred tone, drinking the rest of her booze and finding herself requiring another. She needed the burn in the back of her thro
[09:32] TG: at. Needed. She stood pointedly, slipping her phone into her pocket before Dirk could see - and swayed into the kitchen again. "Hopefully not. Las' thing we need is somethin' t'make you even more crabby." Regardless of how smart she was, she drank. It was fucking important. God, it... Standing in the threshold of the kitchen, her hand went to her forehead. Fuck. Her dream floated uncomfortably in
[09:32] TG: front of her eyes, the reasons for her drinking that Dirk had unearthed being entirely fucking true. It just killed her. Scored her so deep sometimes that she wished... /What if I want to fall?/ She recovered after a slow moment, settling into her seat again. Waited hopefully for her phone to buzz. "I think yer food'll be fine. Maybe she fired that incompetent asshole."
[10:05] SC: AR's display blinked momentarily before Dirk's eyes, but before he could read it, a large padlock baring the words "Nice Try, Motherfucker" appeared, and he wrinkled his nose slightly.
[10:08] SC: AR had received Roxy's message, and if he were a human, he would have been exasperated- he thought that would be the appropriate word. His creator was a completely fucking clueless asshat. Seriously, here was this clearly attractive female, very much interested in him and NOT on some god-forsaken island halfway around the world and he didn't even realize her legitimate feelings for him. Meanwhile,
[10:08] SC: as much as AR enjoyed talking with Roxy, it was high-time she came clean. They'd been talking for years. It had to stop. Roxy had to connect with the Creator and that was that. So, his response was two simple words. "Tell him."
[10:41] TG: Roxy didn't /want/ to stop. It was so nice, so comforting to have the AR to talk to. In a sad way, it was like she had Dirk anyway. The AR was Dirk, just... stuck in a pair of glasses. Sometimes when he slept she put them on, think-typing with the AR until she fell asleep. On nights that she did that, though, she made sure to set her alarm to get up before him - put them back where they belonged.
[10:41] TG: Dirk was none the wiser as far as she knew. The words the AR sent her made her frown and shake her head, glancing up at the shades that rest on her flushcrush's forehead. 'i catn' she sent to him. 'i rly cant, nmot now' She took a deep breath, running a hand through her hair. Her leg was jittery; something that happened when she was... nervous. Upset. Besides, if she confessed to Dirk... would tha
[10:41] TG: t mean she couldn't talk to AR anymore? The thought panged painfully in her heart, and she anxiously took a drink from her new bottle of tasty booze. 'pls dont make em' '*me'.
[11:46] SC: AR observed that Roxy was now losing her composure. No doubt Dirk had noticed, too. It was blatantly obvious; the nervous bouncing of her leg, the unsettled swigs from her bottle--- she was growing more restless. He calculated the chances of her actually admitting her feelings to Dirk, and , at the rate he was antagonizing her, the chances were 75% and increasing. And so, with that he quickly resp
[11:46] SC: onded to her. "I can tell you for sure that we'll still talk, babe. No worries there. I promise I'll still hang around. But here's the thing. You're 18 now. Shit, you two have been living together for almost, what, a year? Year and a half? It's time you said something to him, you're only causing yourself emotional stress and physical damage, seeing as how you're essentially swimming in booze 90%
[11:46] SC: of the time. And before you ask, yes that's accurate. I did the math."
[11:53] SC: Dirk was really getting irritated now. He was sick of the AR locking him out, and he'd hack the files later. But whatever was going on, Roxy was clearly messaging him, and continuing to skirt around answering him. He wanted to help her. He really did, but he COULDN'T until she let him. Finally after another buzz from Roxy's phone broke the silence, he stood. "I'm right here. You don't have to talk
[11:53] SC: to him, you know. Especially when -I'M- asking you the questions. Not him. I can go ahead and actually talk to you. I'm a human being, Roxy. Capable of actual fucking thought and conversation. If you have something to say, you can say it to me. I'm not going to sit here and put you on trial for every motherfucking thing you have bouncing around in your head. I don't fucking judge, you should know
[11:53] SC: better than that. I'm a bit irked that someone I call my best friend isn't even being straight up with me." He stood and headed to the fridge searching for something to drink himself. "So, what's the deal with that? Or are you gonna talk about that with AR?
[11:53] SC: '"
[12:13] -- tipysGnostlagic [TG] changed their mood to ACCEPTANT --
[12:18] TG: Visibly unsettled by the AR's comments, she sighed shakily. It was like he could read her mind, he knew her so well. And the alcohol thing... Sign. She typed that. 'sign' And then 'its rly hard' 'im not as strogn as u both seem to thikn i am' She glanced up again, nervously. And jumped, as Dirk stood. H-he was mad at her. And it frightened her. 'jeki' '*grlp' '**help' she typed frantically, trying
[12:18] TG: not to look at her phone as she did so. His words really hurt her... but they also made her really mad. More hurt than mad at this point, though, she stood to follow him. She laughed bitterly in spite of herself. Who needed to be straight with whom? The entendre floored her. "Maybe I will," she challenged, her voice rising and her tone shaking. "I m-mean, fuck - 'least I can get through a convers
[12:18] TG: ation with him 'thout bein' snarked at!" Yeah, she remembered all the conversations. She had logs, too. Dirk had always been such an abrasive asshole to her. She was standing in the threshold again, arms folded, phone in her hand. Her eyes were glassy from the alcohol - and she'd downed her entire new bottle of it just seconds ago. Fuck, she was... messed up, right now. 90%, huh? Seemed pretty acc
[12:18] TG: urate to her.
[02:17] SC: The AR sat for a moment, processing Roxy's request for assistance. He considered typing back a message that would in some small way comfort her, but at the same time he was faced with a dilemma. Dirk was irritated, yes, but Roxy couldn't ALWAYS run to him whenever she had issues with the Creator. He would sigh if he had the physical ability to do so, and decided to show Roxy that he couldn't be he
[02:17] SC: r safety net all the time, casually ignoring her text. Almost simultaneously, he received a message from Dirk telling him to kindly "deactivate immediately" or that he'll "be the posterchild for technological homicide". Welp, that was almost enough for AR. He would have been snarky right back, but Dirk was irritated enough. So, he simply met halfway and went idle.
[02:24] SC: Dirk felt a bit more comfortable now that he knew AR wasn't trying to message Roxy while they were talking. He was being an ass to an extent, but he was just so....oddly upset with her. Upset was not something that rose to the top of the Strider spectrum of emotions on a regular basis. "Ever consider I might snark a little less at you if you actually spent more time talking to the people that you
[02:24] SC: have right next to you as opposed to something that's just a fucking shadow? It's bullshit, Roxy. I'm going the hell out of my way to ask what's wrong with you and prepare to help you. What do you do? You drown your problem in the nearest bottle until you can talk to AR about it. I'm right here, telling you that you can tell me anything, ready to be a fuckin stand in therapist if I need to be, and
[02:24] SC: you go and get wrecked." He was being hurtful. He didn't like that. He could see his words were getting to her, and he wanted so much for it to stop. But now that he had started it was difficult to stop; all of this frustration was simply snowballing, and it was gradually turning into anger and something akin to dejection. "I know I've been an ass to you before, but shit, I thought I more than ma
[02:24] SC: de up for it by now. Clearly, I'm wrong."
[02:25] SC: "What's the matter with me, Roxy? Am I just not good enough for you to talk to?"
[02:52] TG: In frustration, the blonde threw her phone away from her, watching it bounce across the carpet. Tears were angrily clawing at the corners of her eyes now, furious and terrified that someone who had the ability to just... power her down had been silenced. By himself. She needed the AR. It was awful to think that she needed him over Dirk, but sometimes she just couldn't get into his head. She blinke
[02:52] TG: d, tears clinging to her eyelashes as she stood in the doorway, shaking and listening to what Strider was saying. Sniffling in spite of herself, she reached for the half-full ((see? optimism!)) bottle of vodka on the counter next to her, wanting to down it all right there. He was right! Soooo fuckin' right, huh? Just drunk ol' Lalonde. Fucking failure of a friend and mood-killer extradinner. His w
[02:52] TG: ords cut her like a thousand tiny knives, each finding a particularly vulnerable part of her head and heart and sticking in deep, to the hilt, and twisting themselves. It brought the tears down her cheeks. When his speech near-concluded, she opened her mouth to tell him that he wasn't wrong; he had made up for it but she just - The last statement made an anger so fierce bubble up in her that befor
[02:52] TG: e she knew what she was doing, she had whipped the bottle of vodka at him. It missed, smashing violently into the wall behind him - sending vodka and shards of glass everywhere. She took in a shuddering breath. "How fucking /dare/ you," she enunciated in a tone as cold as ice, trying to blink the tears from her eyes. She stalked closer slowly, an angry passion burning in her eyes that had never ev
[02:52] TG: er presented itself before. "How fucking dare you incinuate that you are anything less than absolutely fucking perfect." Wow, that came off a little creepy. "Why the fuck else would I spend my spare time drinking myself into oblivion if I didn't think you were worth half a shit? Fuck - Dirk..." Her hands clenched into fists and she swallowed a sob, turning a bit and resting her hand on her forehea
[02:52] TG: d. She couldn't handle this. She absolutely couldn't handle this.
[03:34] SC: He was lucky that he moved when he did, and that Roxy was already pretty toasted. He stared at her, relatively shocked, although his expression barely changed. She was crying....He made her cry. God, that felt shitty. "Roxy..." he began, but he wasn't sure how exactly he wanted to continue his sentence. He wanted to apologize to her, wanted her to stop crying. He wanted to see that loopy little s
[03:34] SC: mile she could have on her face from time to time. He carefully crossed towards her, analyzing her carefully. The AR had clicked on once again, and messaged him. 'Good job, asshat. Way to make the lady cry. You better fix it, cos you seriously have no fuckin clue as to what's goin' on in her head right now.' Dirk snapped back that he intended to, and that he wasn't good at dealing with people dir
[03:34] SC: ectly. He continued to advance until he was about a half-an-arm away from her. "Roxy, I'm sorry...I didn't mean to say that...." he coaxed her gently, trying to lead her to the couch where she could sit for a moment and collect herslf. "I'm sorry, Rox." Dirk repeated, sounding solemn. AR was still pestering him to tell his feelings for her thus far. He thoughttyped a rather testy "Got it, Asshole.
[03:34] SC: " Hey, come on...don't cry...."
[04:24] TG: The girl shook her head sadly, not wanting to be collected. Not wanting to be pacified. "You don't unders-stand," she stammered, her tone still cold. The laugh that came from her was equally as unfriendly. "Y'have n-no fuckin' idea." Her slur had returned. She wanted to accept the apologies. She wanted to be led to the couch, to lean against him, to be enveloped by his scent and his arms and his p
[04:24] TG: rotection. More than anything in the world right now, she wanted to feel safe with him. But she knew that if she just rolled over and accepted it, things would stay the goddamn fucking same. Nothing would change. She'd still feel like shit and Strider would still be fucking clueless. Nothing would be solved and she'd drown herself in alcohol. Hell, they had a second-story balcony, didn't they? It
[04:24] TG: was starting to seem like tonight was a pretty good night to see if she'd get her wings or not. Her dream fluttered back into her head again, causing another wave of bitter tears. "Y'don't fuckin' know... h-how bad it hurts..." Her words were shaking, and so were her fists - hands balled up tight enough that her nails were biting into her palms. "Yer right fuckin' here in front 'f m-me but I can't
[04:24] TG: even..." She couldn't look at him. "I know y'still have feelins' for J-Jake. And I kn-know th' only reason yer h-here is because y'can't h-have him. You settled for m-me. I'm second place. And I d-don't 'ven have a f-f-fuckin' trophy to show f-fer it or t'make me feel b-better." How many times had she begged him for just one date? To give her just one shot, that she might surprise him - that he
[04:24] TG: might actually love her as much as she loved him. Her words were angry again, and she let the bitterness of them seep in. "I throw m-myself at yer feet constantly. And all you f-fuckin' do is step on me. 'You're drunk, Rox' - you a-always fuckin' say that! A-as if being inebriated s-somehow nullifies the way I feel fer you."
[06:33] SC: Settled? Settled? A Strider never -settles- for anything or anyone. He'd been in love with Jake, yes. But that was not to say he hadn't maybe perhaps had a small crush on Roxy. Something that could have possibly grown to more than a small crush; he wasn't quite ready to admit that. In any case, he withdrew from Roxy slightly, trying to give her a bit of space. It was clear that she didn't want him
[06:33] SC: to touch her right now, and he could at least do that for her. But her statement....about how he just stepped all over her, tugged at his nerve's again. "Roxy, have you ever considered that every time that you've ever tried to show any sort of affection towards me it's after you've made it clear you've had a few. Have you thought of maybe- oh, I don't know- that I would want to hear something lik
[06:33] SC: e that from someone who's obviously sober. Fuck, let's get REALLY crazy here and pretend I actually take things seriously when I'm POSITIVE they're sane and sober!"
[06:55] TG: Roxy's head was screaming. Her head and heart flip-flopped wildly, feeling dizzy and sick and - scared? Why was she feeling scared? Breathing fluttered, and she turned back to Dirk angrily. She was hurt. She was scared. She was... She hated this. She hated fighting with Dirk. She hated feeling this way. Constantly. There was a reason that percentage the AR had given her was 90%. The only remaining
[06:55] TG: ten was being incredibly generous; you could be asleep and drunk at the same time. And the reason she didn't talk to Dirk when she was sober was because... she felt like she couldn't say anything to him about her feelings. Alcohol was the social lubricant she needed to be honest. She... couldn't take this. Tears ran down her face, taking her makeup with them - she looked like she'd been dumped on
[06:55] TG: prom. "I killed myself in that dream, Strider." She only used his last name exclusively when she was... being serious. He had to know this. The AR wouldn't not let her do this. "I killed m'self because all my friends were in love with each other but nobody fuckin' loved me." She bit her lip, wanting to stop. But it just... kept coming. "I'm s-surrounded by my friends - I GET that. I'm surrounded
[06:55] TG: b-by so much fuckin' platonic BULLSHIT that I could fuckin' drown in it." All her friends were in this circle-jerk of emotions for one another - everyone conveniently neglecting that Roxy had feelings too. She wasn't going to be the fucking ashen princess. She refused. Roxy was shaking, the phantom pain in her arm and the bottom of her foot flaring. Whimpering, she swallowed and went on, her infle
[06:55] TG: ction rising - more and more angry with every word. "I drink b-because I'm fuckin' lonely. I drink because you don't fuckin' care. I drink because you've got this asinine flushcrush on someone that isn't gonna reciprocate - Fuckin' christ, Strider. I d-drink because I'm so fuckin' in love with you I -hate- myself." She turned, the, heading out of the kitchen, towards the stairs. She knew he was fo
[06:55] TG: llowing her. "I told y-you I fell off that balcony. What I didn't tell you is that I w-wished I had jumped, instead." She was at the bottom of the stairs, heading up into her room to do something.. really stupid. But she was so fucking tired of this. Feeling this way. She turned, glaring up into his eyes. His beautiful eyes. For an instant, her expression changed - almost an apology to the AR. He
[06:55] TG: didn't deserve to see this. "C-comin' to watch me jump? Pull up a chair, asshole. It'll be one fuck of a show."
[07:24] SC: His eyes widened behind the shades, and without thinking, he grabbed her upper arms, and yanked her inside, slamming her against the nearest wall. "ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE, ROXY LALONDE?! WHAT THE HELL IS THE MATTER WITH YOU?" He was yelling now. Dirk never yelled. Ever. But the thought of losing Roxy, the idea of her taking her own life....that caused a whole new spark of panic that he'd never exp
[07:24] SC: erienced before. It made him sick to his stomach to think about it. "THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? DO YOU THINK YOUR ANSWERS ARE WAITING AT THE BOTTOM OF THAT DROP? YOU THINK EVERYTHING'S GONNA BE HUNKY FUCKIN' DORY IF YOU SMASH YOUR HEAD ON THE PAVEMENT?!" He didn't realize how tightly he was holding her arms at first. But he released her, bracing his hands on the wall on either side of her
[07:24] SC: , preventing her from moving away from him immediately. "Jumping isn't going to FIX anything, Roxy!!" In his anger, more to prove he was serious, he tore his glasses off and threw them to the ground, glaring at her dead in the eyes. "I did not SETTLE for you, Roxy! That's a bullshit thing to do to ANYONE. Yeah, I loved Jake, but I know nothing's gonna come of it. I gave up on him. I developed the
[07:24] SC: feelings I have for you now ON MY OWN. Not because I got FUCKING rejected!" Dirk paused for a moment, breathing heavily. He then stood back, and took her place on the balcony, and locked eyes with her again. "But, if you honestly feel like finding out if you can fly or not, you're going to have to go through me first. And I'm gonna go ahead and wish you good fucking luck on that one."
[08:19] TG: She screamed as he grabbed her, giving a sob as her head collided with the wall. Dizzy stars danced in front of her eyes, the blonde's head lolling a bit before her wits momentarily returned to her. "Letmego," she wailed, struggling against his grip as he yelled at her. Sh-she didn't want him touching her. She was so warm. And furious. And scared and upset and she just loved him so fucking much -
[08:19] TG: "S-stop yelling at me, please-" She gave a sharp cry of pain as his hold tightened, fat tears sliding down her very red cheeks. "Y-you're hurting me," she whimpered. She was so stupid. So fucking stupid. She just hated being overwhelmed with pain and misery all the fucking time. She absorbed herseld in school and her job to try and forget about it - fuck, to even try and get sober. But nothing wor
[08:19] TG: ked. Nothing fucking worked. Nothing fucking worked and she ended up feeling like this all the time. How had she even let it get this bad...? When was the precise moment she lost all her shit? Hands crept up her face, gripping into her hair, the blonde grossly sobbing between Dirk and the wall. Eyes tore to the glasses as they were ripped off, feeling a jerk in her heart as they were. She felt lik
[08:19] TG: e an idiot for making him see all that. God, his eyes were so beautiful. Tangerine-coloured. His words were like knives again but she was listening to them as best as her noisy head would let her, still sobbing near uncontrollably. H-he had feelings for her, that much she knew. But what was the extent of that sentiment? Dirk was very emotionless. Except now, obviously; he was very... enraged. But
[08:19] TG: he never cried, was never flirty or anything that Lalonde could gain any insight from. She was clueless and he wasn't telling her anything. That's what hurt. It hurt that he told her he didn't settle but he didn't give her any evidence to the fucking contrary. Anger flared up in her again, the kid shoving herself tipsily away from the wall and storming up to him. "Get out of my way," she whimpered
[08:19] TG: , hands balled into fists again. Sh-she'd... hit him, if she had to. She wasn't thinking clearly. She just hurt and she wanted it to stop.
[08:54] SC: He held out his arms in clear defiance. She could do anything she wanted, he wasn't moving for anything. "Not a chance, Roxy." He saw her fists clench, and he braced himself for the hit. It was times like this that he wished that he would have been able to be more-- gah, what to call it...open. More...social, he supposed. But there was no time to lament about that now. He wanted to help her stop h
[08:54] SC: urting. He wanted to see her smile, hear her laugh. She was always pretty when she had a smile on her face. "Roxy, please don't. Let's just sit and talk about this. One hundred percent, straight-up honesty." He spoke with a calmer tone, closer to what he usually sounded like. "I'll stop yelling and take it easy, if you'll calm your tits and back away from the window and talk to me." Dirk paused b
[08:54] SC: riefly, before adding. "Or I can pick you up and carry you away from this window. Up to you, really."
[09:08] TG: She didn't weild fistkind for no reason. She stepped closer, her hands shaking. And she hit him. Just once, in the ribcage with all the angry, hurt, drunk force she could muster. And then she sunk to her knees and started crying again. Her head hurt. Her everything hurt. Her hand, her head, her heart. "M-m-my tits a-are... perfectly calm..." she sobbed, rubbing the tears and makeup off her face. O
[09:08] TG: r rather, giving herself a nice set of smokey black coon-eyes. Face red from crying, head spinning from the booze and the bump, she trembled there, on the floor, helplessly. "I-is th-the carrying me option... th-the bad one?" She looked up at him, her lilac eyes red and puffy. She must have looked a sight. "B-because I'd... I'd really just like y-you to hold me." Even if he started to yell again,
[09:08] TG: even if it was to dump her in her bed and put her on a time out. She just wanted his arms around her. God, she was hopeless.
[09:24] SC: He winced at her hit, coughing slightly. But he was steadfast, refusing to move out of the way. And as she sank to the floor, he relaxed slightly. Upon asking him to hold her, Dirk knelt next to her, wrapping his arms around her and holding her close. "Right now, you have the least calm tits ever, Rox." hesaid softly, rocking back and forth gently, trying to soothe her. "You're okay, Roxy. I've go
[09:24] SC: t you." He sat there with her for another few moments before he scooped her up and carried her up to her room climbing into bed. As shitty as the situation was, this was kind of nice. She was warm against him, and as he held her closer, he rested his cheek on the top of her head. He continued small mantra of "you're okay"s and "i've got you"s until he could feel her calming down.
[09:47] TG: For a second she flipped out, her drunken state immediately setting her off as he touched her. She scratched him, giving a sharp whine and digging her nails into his arm before he spoke. Her sobs tapered, and she was reduced to simpering tears; hand clinging into his shirt. F-fuck, she... she just had so many feelings for him. She loved him. Was in love with him. Why couldn't she stop? Resting aga
[09:47] TG: inst him she was sure she was getting her ugly makeup and tears all over him, and she wished she could have cared more. Wrapped up in him like that she continued to cry, wanting more than anything for this to be under different circumstances. Why couldn't he hold her like this when she wasn't upset? When she was actually sober? She wouldn't have to drink if he would just... She took deep breaths,
[09:47] TG: trying to let herself be calmed. "You do got m-me," she breathed almost silently. "Y-you've always had m-me..."
[10:13] SC: Dirk's lips twitched up into a smile at that. "And I'm sorry that I didn't realize that sooner." he murmured. He didn't care about the tear and makeup stains all over his shirt. He didn't even mind that Roxy had clawed the fuck out of his arm for a minute. This didn't suck, being here with her like this. Shit, he'd have to do this more often. Maybe now was a good time for him to say it. Yeah, go o
[10:13] SC: n. Lay that Strider swag on her. "You're pretty all right, Lalonde." ...Come on, numbnuts. You can do better than that.
[10:23] TG: Tentatively, her fingers touched the scratches she'd made on him. Her pink nails needed repainting. The paint was chipped and cracked. And she'd hurt Dirk. She frowned, running over the red raised area. She'd gotten him good. She was about to apologize for it before he spoke again, and she turned to look up at him. Her eyes hurt. Her fist hurt from punching him. Oh god, she'd punched Dirk. Tensing
[10:23] TG: , she almost wanted to get up and just... apologize for everything, say how stupid she'd been, and go to bed. They still had good coming, too. Oops. "Y-you... think so?"
[01:58] SC: "I know so, babe." he replied, hesitating only for a moment before pressing a light kiss to Roxy's forehead. His arms did sting a little from where her nails had raked him. and his ribs were still a bit sore from where her fist had connected with his ribs. "Actually on a scale of one to fucking awesome, you're at least as cool as Rainbow Dash. And I mean that completely unironically."
[02:35] TG: Sighing again, she definitely felt herself calming down. Her heart was slowing, her breathing was evening out. Her head pounded still, and she was still dizzy as fuck. She smiled distantly at the comment, taking a deep breath. "At least," she echoed with a playful roll of her eyes. Her hand returned to his chest, fingers twitching a little from the aftershocks of her little panic attack. She could
[02:35] TG: hear his heart beating. It was.... immensely comforting. Even if it was a little fast. So she had worked him up. Her guilt was growing exponentially. She let the silence stew for a bit before speaking again. When she did, however, her words were shaking. "S-so... about that honesty, huh?" She could feel Dirk had something to say, too. And it wasn't like Roxy really had anything else to say. She'd
[02:35] TG: sort-of already... said... basically everything. Everything that'd been bothering her for almost the past 6 years. Her darkest secrets. Her confession of love. Her confession of what her love made her do. It.. made her crazy. She had to know what he had to say. This would make or break her and she could feel it.
[03:16] SC: Dirk was silent for a moment. He felt extremely vulnerable right now...No shades to cover his eyes AND he was about to spill his guts? The feelings he'd been holding back for roughly 3 years were all about to be revealed, and Dirk wasn't quite sure how he would handle telling her everything, but he had promised her complete honesty. So, if it was honesty the lady wanted, it was honesty she was gon
[03:16] SC: na get. He inhaled deeply, and then began to explain. "I pretty much knew that...things weren't going anywhere with Jake about three and a half years ago. Not too long after that was when you asked me to come and visit you for an extended period of time. Starting with the time I got here, I could already tell that there was something that had developed that was deeper than our for friendship. I co
[03:16] SC: uld tell that you had some sort of feelings for me....but I just wasn't ready to accept them or reciprocate them yet....I felt shitty for always being so aloof and distant with you. But that's how I protect myself...In anycase, after I decided to move in with you, I began developing more intense feelings for you ." Ugh, this was awkward. So awkward. He felt so weird and exposed telling her all o
[03:16] SC: f this, and letting her see his eyes. He averted his eyes to gaze off to the side. "As time went by, I began to realize more and more that you were in love with me. Not to sound egotistical or anything, but still. I just....wasn't ready to deal with that sort of emotion yet. AR kept telling me constantly that I need to tell you, to be honest. But I just couldn't." Shit, was his face warm? Was that
[03:16] SC: a fucking BLUSH that was creeping on to his face...? Fuck. "So....Like I said....I developed feelings on my own...."
[03:49] TG: Had she mentioned before that she loved his eyes? She was absolutely fucking enamored with them. If there was anything that immediately sprung into her head whenever she thought of him, it was those eyes of his - that he kept hidden behind his shades, that she rarely got to see. They were beautiful, they were honest. They were steeled and yet they were the warmest she'd ever seen. Not to get all E
[03:49] TG: lectra complex or anything, but she kinda imagined them to be the type of eyes her father might have had. She bit her lip as he started talking, little hiccups of her anxiety fit coming up once in a while that she quelled with a serious look directed at herself. Like this, she felt incredibly safe. Accepted. And if she had zero tact on the delicacy of the conversation at hand, she might have even
[03:49] TG: said she felt loved. Taking a shaky breath, she watched him glance away. Watched him blush. Her hand lifted, still-trembling fingertips lifting to rest against his cheek. She was glad she had AR. Would Dirk have ever come clean otherwise? "Feelings of your own." Shit, that could mean anything. Pale was a feeling, wasn't it? Was she too drunk to actually understand what was going on? Was she too dr
[03:49] TG: unk to understand where he was going with this? Or was she just trying to remain entirely oblivious so his obvious response of 'bottom line, rox, i'm not in love with you' wouldn't hurt? She felt bad for Dirk. She really did. Caught in Madame Roxy's Web of Intruige like this. And Jake. As much as she wanted Dirk happy she knew that Jake wasn't for him. He was too goofy, too proud, too absorbed in
[03:49] TG: adventure to really be with someone like Dirk. Her entire hand rest on his cheek, silently urging him on. She had to know. This... was vital.
[07:39] SC: He felt her trembling fingertips brushing against his face, and his eyes turned back to gaze into hers once more, leaning his face into her soft touch. Dirk was really nervous now. He hated being nervous, it felt so un-Strider-like, so uncool. It was just....he'd never told anybody anything like this. Taking a deep shaky breath, he really focused on her eyes....her beautiful, hopeful, lilac eyes.
[07:39] SC: Swallowing slightly, he hesitated for a moment before finally confessing what he should have told her a long time ago. "Roxy, you do know what I mean by 'feelings of my own' don't you...? I'm telling you straight up that I one hundred percent, straight up love you. Completely and unironically. And I have for a wihile, now."
[07:51] TG: Immediately she felt a sob rise in her throat, swallowing it back down with a small noise. God, fuck, those eyes - she felt her own sliding in and out of focus. Was she dreaming? There were no doofy purple outfits or agents trying to kill them. Could she push her luck? Should she try? She shifted a little, holding his face now with both hands. Watched into his eyes. "W-would you say you're -in- lo
[07:51] TG: ve with me?" She wanted to take it back suddenly, rather than saddle the already stressed Dirk with bullshit like that. He'd confessed, hadn't he? Told her that he loved her. But a part of her needed to know. She needed to know if... if she should keep trying to pursue. Love meant one thing. Being IN love meant something else entirely. Her thumbs stroked gently over his cheekbones, still basically
[07:51] TG: melting in his arms at what was going on. It was all just... so beautiful.
[08:01] SC: When he heard her ask that, he blushed a little more. Her fingertips were warm against his face, and his heart was now absolutely pounding in his chest. He was pretty well certain that she could hear it. Instead of giving her a verbal response, he went with the old Strider standby. Actions speak louder than words. And so, taking her question into quiet and careful consideration, he nodded. But ins
[08:01] SC: tead of just leaving it at that, he raised one of his hands to her face, tilting her chin up just a fraction of an inch more and leaned down. He was nervous as all fuck now. He'd never kissed anyone before. Oh, sure, he'd seen what it was supposed to look like, heard what it was supposed to feel like, but fuck. This was one thing that he had absolutely no practical way to practice without looking
[08:01] SC: like a fucking moron, and he was terrified of doing it wrong. He pusshed that thought to the back ouf his mind, however, as he pressed his lips to hers gingerly, his eyes sliding shut.
[08:22] TG: Roxy -could- hear it. She could feel it, too. She could feel the heat of his blush beneath her fingertips, she could feel his chest rising and falling with his nervous breathing. It... was all very endearing, really. It made him seem more human. And it made her love him more. Her own heart fluttered as he took her face, eyes darting to study his in a moment of disbelief. H-he was... going to... Oh
[08:22] TG: god. She breathed a 'Strider' across his lips the moment before he kissed her, her own eyes closing as one of the hands on his cheeks ssssssssslid into his hair, fingers combing into it lovingly. After a hesitant moment she very cautiously tested the waters for a kiss a little bit more intimate... unsure if Dirk actually... wanted to... Do that. With her.
[11:11] SC: He froze for a moment when he felt her push for a more intimate kiss. He wasn't quite sure if he should go on at first, slightly doubtful of his own abilities. But in the end he decided 'mind over matter' and pressed on, gently taking her bottom lip between his teeth and giving a light and playful nip, before lightly sliding his tongue along her lower lip. God, he was unbelievably nervous.But as l
[11:11] SC: ong as hecontinued slow and steady like this, maybe she wouldn't notice. Yeah. That's it. Just keep on stridin' with all the swag he had. Just keep puttin' the moves on her and she'll melt.
[11:31] TG: And it was not difficult to make her melt. At this point, nerves entirely frayed and mind buzzing louder than anything she'd ever heard, she was very much melting into the moment. She hesitated again, though; feeling his nervousness. She had known him for years. She could tell. Gently pulling his face from hers, she stroked through his hair again, looking up at him. "W-we don't... have to do this,
[11:31] TG: " she murmured, the pad of her thumb running over his cheek. In spite of herself, she laughed. "I mean you've already pretty much charmed the fuck out of me by like... basically telling me what I've been trying to hear for six years. We don't... have to do anything that you don't want." God, she'd do anything. If it meant taking things as slow as Dirk needed to, she'd totes turtle and go as s l o
[11:31] TG: w as he needed to. She fell silent, though, after a moment. "I'm... sorry I hurt you. A-and I'm sorry I said those things. I just -" she glanced away, ashamed. "I'm so in love with you. It's been absolutely killing me for a long time, very slowly. I didn't think you'd... ever..." Slow blush crept onto her cheeks, tears stinging her eyes again. Fuck, she was still really drunk. "Recip...rocate..."
[12:03] SC: He peppered her face with gentle kisses all over her face, trailing down from her forehead. "You're fine, Rox. You're perfectly okay. I...." he swallowed hard, resting his forehead against hers, mumbling softly. "...i one hundred percent reciprocate, babe." Not quite what he had in mind, but the meaning was there. He wasn't ready to say 'I love you' just yet. But in time, he would. He held her tig
[12:03] SC: htly, nuzzling their noses together for amoment, before kissing her lips again. Soft and sweet like before, but this time he brought one hand up to cup her face, dragging his thumb across her now flushed cheek.
[12:12] TG: Smiling again shyly, she nodded - just... really relieved. She didn't know what she'd do if he hadn't... said the things he had. What if she'd actually... y'know. Gone off the balcony? Wrestled Strider to the ground somehow, pitched over the edge? It'd just felt so... necessary. Like she couldn't live with herself if she couldn't have him. It drove her mad. She almost found it hard to believe that
[12:12] TG: she'd lived with those feelings for so long. Unrequited love fucking sucked a giant cock. She closed her eyes, 'mmm'ing softly at the nose rub, sighing. And he kissed her again, the blonde girly now wrapping her arms around his neck, a hand in the hair on the back of his head. She heard something, though - was that a knock at the front door? Oh shit, their food. What a cockblock.
[12:36] SC: He heard the knock on the door and audibly groaned. "Do we HAVE to eat...?" he grumbled. He didn't want to move now that he was finally getting into the mood and relaxing. But, as his stomach rumbled, he remembered his priorities. Food first, smooth Strider ops later. Dirk detangled himself from Roxy, and made his way to the door, answering it irritably. After a small tiff with the new deliveryboy
[12:36] SC: , and telling him exactly where he could shove the delivery charge, he brought the food to the table. "Hey, Rox. Dinner in bed or at the table. Your call."
[12:59] TG: Roxy, too, groaned as he left her, kicking her feet in a tantrum as she lie on her stomach, pouting and lamenting the loss of the arms around her. Her head spun, even laying down like that. She needed something to eat or else she was going to be sick and drunk forever. Would Dirk take care of her? She couldn't think of a time when he hadn't. While he was taking care of the food, her mind wandered.
[12:59] TG: Would things be different? She'd certainly feel a fuck of a lot better about everything. But would she? She chewed on her bottom lip in thought. The air was at least a little clear, with their feelings outlined and everything like that. But if they didn't take action she might not... be able to cope with that! Step one of a three-step plan was completed. Operation 'find out if your shitty feeling
[12:59] TG: s are worth trying to keep around' had resulted in a resounding success. She heard him calling from downstairs and thought on it for about a second and a half. "Beddddddddd," she replied loudly, rolling over onto her back and waiting for him to come back up.
[01:20] SC: He grinned a little bit at her reaction. It was then that he noticed that his glasses lay discarded on the floor where he threw them. Shit. How long had he been like that? He snatched them up and put them back on his face. He distributed the food to the necessary plates or bowls and carried them back to Roxy's room. "Here we go, babe. Time to eat." Dirk took a look at her face. Judging by her expr
[01:20] SC: ession, she was really coming to grips with just how drunk she was, and was beginning to feel the effects of it. "Come on, sit up, and let's get some wonton soup in your system. It'll soak up SOME of the alcohol, anyway."
[01:27] TG: Smiling up at him, she reached for the bags. "It's not breakfast in bed, but it's a start." Using the bedspread to hoist herself up, she swayed a little where she sat. She'd come down fully now, from her little spaz - still a bit too drunk to really feel all the guilt from it. It'd come tomorrow, in the form of an awful hangover - that she'd nurse by herself, alone in her room. It always went like
[01:27] TG: that. Well, at least it wouldn't be a hangover AND her stupid, nagging feelings for him. She glanced over, smirking a little. Good ol' glasses. As much as she liked his eyes, he looked pretty fucking sexy in those glasses, too. She crawled over, taking a deep breath. "Gonna feed me or are you gonna make a poor, drunk broad do it herself?"
[01:46] SC: He grinned a little, sitting down on the bed with her. "I got ya covered, princess. Just you relax." And he proceeded to distribute the food, pouring some soup into a bowl first, and grabbing the nearest spoon. He was going to show Roxy he cared in whatever way he could. And if that meant nursing her back to sobriety, well then fuck. Paging Dr. Strider. He loaded up a spoonful of soup and held it
[01:46] SC: towards her, carefully moving the bowl underneath the spoon so as not to spill. "Say 'ah' doll."
[02:01] TG: "You're so good to me." The blonde smiiii~iled again, humming into the emotion as she leaned forward, opening her mouth and letting him feed her. It was a little hot, but not unbearable. She sighed happily. "God help me, I'm going to get fat eating from here." They seldom ordered out anywhere else, and Roxy was perfectly okay with that - she loved the place and the little old woman that ran it. Ca
[02:01] TG: lm as she was her head was still a bit noisy, and she accepted the next spoonful with a bit of a tired look. Not sleepytired, kinda... put-off tired. Was it really all so simple? Was she just overthinking things? Would the drama in her head ever subside? She'd gotten what she wanted, mostly... so why did she feel all funny? "Can I talk to him, quick?" She asked suddenly, halting the next spoonful.
[02:01] TG: Meaning the AR, of course. She shook her head. "No funny business, promise. I just want to apologize." She blushed again, looking away. "For being an idiot." And... maybe... ask him just one or two more things. And her phone was all the way downstairs.
[02:08] SC: Dirk paused for a moment, but nodded, and took the glasses off his face, handing them over to Roxy. Things felt better between them, but there was still something nagging at him. Something he felt like he needed to do...it was an odd drive, sort of primitive, to be brutally honest. And he couldn't quite peg it. Ah, well. He leaned back and started munching on a dumpling, waiting for her to be done
[02:08] SC: with AR.
[02:14] SC: The AR really only started processing data again from the time Dirk had picked him back up. So, when he was handed over to Roxy, he was a bit surprised. "'Sup Roxy?" came the question, before she could say a word.
[02:23] TG: Sliding the glasses onto her face, she reached out and touched his arm in a quiet 'thank you' before sitting back, thinking into the glasses. TG: hey TG: whoa TG: so not used to seeing proper typing TG: guess it's too much to ask for me to use entirely proper syntax TG: oh fucking well - She smiled a little, not saying anything out loud. TG: i wanna apologize for all the bullshit TG: for real TG:
[02:23] TG: i'm a fucking idiot and i feel bad that you had to like TG: see any of that TG: because you're my broham and i don't... want you to worry about me TG: i mean i like it when you worry about me but not because i'm an idiot or anything TG: holy fuck i'm rambling TG: is this what it's like in my head all the time - She was blushing.
[02:29] SC: If AR had a face, there would be a smile on it. Roxy's text came across sober and clear. Something good must have happened while he was offline. TT: Hey TT: Don't even worry about it, Rox TT: You're rambling in the most sober of states I don't even give a fuck. TT: Good to see that you and dipshit are getting on so nicely. TT: You're not a fucking idiot, by the way. TT: You do some stupid shit. TT
[02:29] SC: : But you're not an idiot. TT: But I'm glad to see that shit's finally coming together for you.
[02:54] TG: She smiled again, but it was a little less than enthusiastic. She was still buzzed. And she'd be buzzed tomorrow. And the day after. Habits were hard to break. But if she drank because she wanted to, and not because she NEEDED to... Well, that was something, right? TG: no i am an idiot TG: a fucking idiot in fact TG: i guess you must not have seen what happened TG: well almost happened TG: our boy
[02:54] TG: 's a right knight in shining armor - She was still blushing, but it was for a different reason. She shifted a little uncomfortably. He hadn't seen. That meant she'd have to tell him and fuuuuuck she was not looking forward to it.
[02:57] SC: AR was nonresponsive for a moment. TT: Oh yeah? TT: Did that assclown finally figure out that he was causing you grief? TT: What then? TT: Did he sweep you off your feet, toss you up on to his noble steed and gallop off into the sunset to the magical land of Equestria. TT: Shit, are you messaging me from Equestria. TT: All sorts of unironic jealousy TT: But seriously, Roxy. TT: What happened while
[02:57] SC: I was out? TT: What's making you say you're an idiot?
[03:06] TG: TG: wow no now i wish i would have requested that instead TG: i'm sharing in your jealousy unironically TG: but also seriously, AR TG: i uh TG: may or may not have TG: in my batty, drunken stupor TG: told him the disgusting details of my dream TG: on accident TG: i think you saw me throw the vodka botte at him though oh fuck i really feel shitty for that i'm a terrible person TG: that's something
[03:06] TG: else i'm writing on this wall here TG: of what makes me an idiot TG: along with the fact that i may or may not have wanted to TG: uh - She closed her eyes, inclined her head in embarrassment. Goddamn this was almost as hard as dealing with her emotions for the NOT computerated Dirk.
[10:04] SC: AR let her speak, and when she finished (more like trailed off), he piped up. TT: You're lucky Dirk's a speedy little fuck, and that you were wasted. TT: That shit almost hit us clean in the face TT: And wanted to what, Rox? You're not being spec- TT: Oh fuck TT: Roxy TT: You didn't try to jump off the fucking balcony, did you? TT: Jesus fuck, Roxy. - The computer was probably the closest thing to
[10:04] SC: pissed as a robot could be. He hadn't really expected Roxy to try anything. He'd pegged her for a smarter human than that, thought that maybe she might try to find another way. TT: Okay, THAT might constitute as idiotic.TT: But are you okay?
[10:21] TG: She was blushing deeper, almost feeling like crying again. She hadn't wanted to - ughhh. She really was stupid. TG: he was really great, AR TG: stuff that chick flicks are made of TG: i'm so sorry TG: god please don't hate me TG: i'm okay now TG: still shaken and kinda still dealing with some anxiety over this TG: but i'm okay i promise - She wiped under the glasses, catching a few stray tears tha
[10:21] TG: t had managed to slip out. Oops. TG: thank you TG: i love you both very much and i'm sorry i'm so stupid
[11:00] SC: TT: I couldn't ever hate you, Rox TT: Two reasons TT: One, I'm glasses TT: Two, you're Roxy Lalonde, and I do the closest thing to loving you that I can. TT: I'm just happy to hear that you're not hurt. TT: Good thing that Dirk got his head out of his ass TT: Congrats, doll
[11:06] TG: She nodded a bit, smiling once again in that sad little way. TG: thank you TG: but TG: eye dee kay TG: oops TG: idk rather TG: this thought to type thing is weird TG: bluh TG: i'm not 100% sure i'm satisfied TG: i mean TG: this is great TG: and i'm glad we both cleared the air TG: but a part of me thinks the air isn't entirely cleared yet TG: i don't know TG: i guess i want something more than a c
[11:06] TG: onfession TG: am i asking too much? am i being too hopeful here? TG: should i take what i can get and drop it?
[11:47] SC: AR was conisdering this carefully. At first he considered telling her that she needed to just go for it and keep pushing, but for now- TT: For now, just be happy with your new air cleared status. TT: Dirk's an odd creature, TT: Just let it sink in TT: Unless he makes a move TT: Then you jump all over that
[12:08] TG: TG: you're right TG: i'm sorry TG: i'm just worried, you know? TG: like TG: i don't want to be so close TG: and then all of a sudden it's gone TG: and i lost my only chance TG: but you're absolutely right TG: i'll chillax TG: but hey here's to move-making right TG: i'll talk to you later <3 TG: and thank you TG: idk how i'd even function without you TG: both of you
[10:17] SC: If the glasses could smile, he would. TT: No problem babe TT: Just go ahead and do what you do best TT: We're always gonna be here for you, okay? TT: But listen, I think maybe you should get back to your new boyfriend TT: He might be gettin jealous
[10:28] TG: Nodding, Roxy blew a mental kiss to the AR and slid the glasses off, handing them back. Boyfriend, eh? Did AR really think that it had already progressed to that...? Had Dirk ever spoken to the AR about his feelings for Roxy? At all? She smiled over at him, almost looking a little... shy. And still feeling like shit for putting him through that. "Thank you." She opened her mouth expectantly, wanti
[10:28] TG: ng more soup to be shoved into it.
[10:45] SC: Dirk replaced the glasses on his face, and he grinned a little. "No problem," was the reply as he brought another spoonful to her lips. "You feeling any better?" He was wondering what the two had talked about, and was seriously considering checking the logs. He sincerely hoped that AR hadn't managed to give anything away to Roxy while they had their little chat. God, the one time he had slipped,
[10:45] SC: that would be the one time that AR would log that shit and use it against him later, fuckin up his whole game.
[10:54] TG: Swallowing the mouthful of soup, she nodded a bit. "Yeah. I think my tits are sufficiently calmed, finally." She still felt bad, but there really wasn't... anything she could do about it, now. Not in the still-tipsy state she was in. "Thanks for... putting up with me." He did it a lot. In his own way he took care of her, and she obviously appreciated it. Obviously in the fact that she probably wou
[10:54] TG: ldn't still be here if Dirk hadn't been around to inadvertently keep her from doing stupid things. Tonight was no exception. She held out her hands, meaning to take the soup from him. "I think I'm good to eat. Fill your own dumb face." She was smiling though, her mind lingering on the conversation she'd had with the AR. Hm... It certainly wouldn't be a problem if he didn't do anything. Made moves
[10:54] TG: and whatnot. She was... pretty okay with what was happening. She still felt insecure, but she'd gotten used to the feeling by now.
[11:34] SC: "Good." He handed the soup to her, picking up his own bag and fishing out the steamed dumplings that waited for him. "For the record, however, this face?" He drew an imaginary circle around it. "This face is sex. Strider-bred. Dumb is nowhere near part of this equation of swag and fuck-yes and epic." A little grin tweaked the corner of his lips once more before he shoved a dumping into his face. F
[11:34] SC: uck, that was good food. Little Chinese place knew what was up. When he heard Roxy's thanks for putting up with her he simply shook his head. "No bigs, babe. It's not a problem."
[11:42] TG: Taking the soup from him, she began feeding herself. ...and promptly gigglesnorted. "Ohhhkay dollface, you keep telling yourself that." She shifted to sit a little closer to him. "Maybe one day it'll come true." She believed it though, of course. All of it. It was true, afterall; she hadn't fallen in love with him for no reason. Not to say Miss Roxy Lalonde was shallow or anything, but hey - being
[11:42] TG: good-looking was definitely a plus. She smiled though, at the reply to her thanks. It meant a lot to her, it WAS a big thing. But if he could pass it off as nothing... it must have meant that it didn't bother him. Eating in silence aside a quip between them here and there, she finished the soup and leaned to set the bowl on the floor. She saw he was done too, and she glanced over at him for a mom
[11:42] TG: ent. God, what had even happened in the past few hours...?
[12:16] SC: "'Maybe'? 'One day'? Babe, when one day rolls around, I'll be irrefreakinsistable. I mean, more so than I am right now. Shit, look at all this swag. Surprised you haven't jumped me a few times before." He joked a little bit. For a moment, he was silent, just kind of looking Roxy over, analyzing her. Damn, s
[12:16] SC: he was a beauty. He couldn't really get over it....
[12:30] TG: Blushing, she looked away, a private sort-of smile on her face. "God, how I wanted to." She laughed helplessly, rubbing her forehead with the heel of her hand. "I didn't wanna fuck anything else up. So I was a good girl." Quiet again, she sighed. It was weird to wonder if... Dirk found her attractive. In the same way. Considering his infatuation with the young English. Past infatuation. Whatever it was.
[12:41] SC: He raised an eyebrow slightly, leaning back against the pillows linking his hands behind his head. "You've got the chance now." It was partially an invitation, partially a rhetorical dare. He wasn't quite sure how to proceed from here. And hey, if Roxy jumping him was a way to go about it, then shit. Why the fuck not.
[12:57] TG: Her eyes whipped back to him again, wide and almost incredulous. "Are you fucking serious?" She was laughing, but she was also incredibly... shy all of a sudden. Evident in her blush. "Dirk, I wouldn't even -" She hadn't... ever... Honestly, who would she have had an interest in? T-to... do that... with. Not that she didn't want to right now. Oh god, she wanted to. But where would she even start..
[12:57] TG: .? It was so odd. Not because it was Dirk, but because she had never thought about it actually happening.
[01:12] SC: He surveyed her for a moment, he sat up, leaning towards her. "Well, let's break this shit down from the beginning." He felt his face flushing slightly, making the few light freckles that remained on his face that much more apparent. "If we were to start doing touchy-feely shit, we'd start with the basics, right? Kissing for starts." So, how was he supposed to go about kissing a dame, having never
[01:12] SC: kissed ANYBODY before, and still come off looking smooth. Ah, he'd figure the details out later.
[01:27] TG: She smiled again wryly. "You seemed to have it pretty down earlier." Before they were interrupted by the food being here. She moved a bit, on her hands and knees, closer to him. Their noses touched. "But I like kissing." Their lips were just barely touching, Roxy's eyes juuust barely open. Hand lifted hesitantly to try and... rest on his cheek... Her voice was a whisper when she spoke next. "I lik
[01:27] TG: e kissing you."
[01:50] SC: He nuzzled their noses together lightly. Hesitantly, he brought his hand up to cover hers. She was warm, comforting. "Luckily for you, little lady, I like kissing you, too." He started closing thgap between them. He closed his eyes, and pressed his lips against hers gently. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck, he was getting the shakes. Why the hell was he so nervous all of a sudden? Shit. Goddamn What the hell.
[01:50] SC: Come on, Strider swag, anytime now.
[02:53] TG: Smiling into his lips, she closed her eyes; a gentle sigh leaving her. She could feel his nervousness and felt a little guilty for bringing it about, but she couldn't make herself stop. She wanted this - fuck, she'd wanted it forever. Pulling back a little, she lifted her other hand, swaying a bit, and ran it through his hair. "We can stop... I don't want you to do this if you've got any doubts. O
[02:53] TG: kay? I promise I won't be upset." She'd be more upset if she made him upset, or nervous, or made him do something he didn't want to.
[03:03] SC: Dirk shook his head slightly, clenching his jaw. "No. No way, we're doing this, Roxy. We're making this happen." He reached up and pulled his glasses away from his face, setting them off to the side, looking Roxy right in the eyes. He could do this, and he was fine with it. It was just...first time jitters, that was it. He leaned back in to nuzzle her nose again before capturing her lips in anothe
[03:03] SC: r kiss, this one a bit more passionate than the last one. His hands placed themselves on her cheek (much like she was doing to him), tangling one hand in her hair, the other reaching out to rest on her hip.
[03:21] TG: She nodded, forcing herself to believe he wasn't doing it just to satisfy her - that he wanted to, himself. Looking into his eyes again, her worries immediately faded; placated entirely by those gorgeous orange peepers. She couldn't entirely count out her own jitters... the fact that she'd been waiting so long for this catching up with her and bringing a shiver to chase through her spine. The nuzz
[03:21] TG: le made her eyes close once more, blondie accepting those lips with an attempt to match the intensity in which was delivered to her. She implored him silently to do whatever he wanted; take control and explore. Her thumb brushed softly against his cheekbone, the hand in his hair swooping back to gently cradle the back of his head.
[11:23] SC: He brought his hand up to tangle his fingers in her hair, nipping her bottom lip gently. He lightly traced his free hand down along her neck, dragging across the contours of her body to wrap his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. This felt right...being with Roxy like this....she was...soft...warm. He couldn't honestly think of any place he'd rather be right now.
[11:33] TG: Finding herself to be quite maneuverable in this state, she was easily brought closer to him, smiling at the minute affections that he was giving to her. Fuck, it felt so surreal. Like this wasn't actually happening. It was probably the alcohol, but the past few hours were just... barely there to her. Had she really almost killed herself? Had she really confessed all those fucking feelings to Dirk
[11:33] TG: ? It troubled her, that this might be some illusion. She pulled back with a difficult look, studying his eyes carefully. Her brows were knit just a little, her hand sliding off his cheek onto his shoulder. She gripped the fabric almost desperately. "I love you, Dirk," she whispered, her hand shaking. "You don't have to say it back, I just... it's important that you know it."