vanillajello | Room 324, Monday After Classes

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Room 324, Monday After Classes

Kate was twitchy. She supposed it was a natural side effect of knowing one of her best friends was pretty much going to walk into his death in a few days, and she was supposed to go... see him off, or something. That was not something she wanted to be dealing with.

So after classes, she'd pulled on her PVH garb, and sat down in front of her computer. This was easy, this was so far removed from everything else going on in her life. She got to talk about the whole Princess Valhalla mythology, and random other stuff too. In fact, she was just in the middle of a good rant about the latest season of one of her favorite trashy shows when the guy on the screen (fourth_mister, again) interrupted her.

"Uh, I'm sorry but... I don't actually watch The Real Housewives of New Jersey."

Kate blinked, a little taken aback. "Oh," she said. "I... thought you said I could talk about whatever I wanted."

"I did!" the guy assured her hastily, and gave her a smile. "But now I wanna do something else."

Well. This was unexpected, but she supposed she was game. At least to find out what it was he wanted to do. "... Okay. What?" If it involved her taking her clothes off, she was so not doing it.

"Do you have any cake?"

What? Kate laughed, just because that went way over her head. "Cake?" she repeated, then sobered up some, because she really had no idea where this was going. "Why?"

"Um... I was hoping you could, um..." He swallowed. "Sit on it?"

Uhh. Kate didn't even know what to say to that. After a moment of hesitation, she told him she didn't really have the means to fulfill his request at the moment, but that she'd think about it, and then she announced she had to go, and ended the chat.

With a sigh, Kate started changing out of the costume into some regular clothes, her mind buzzing with several different kinds of things all at once.

[ooc: Door is closed, post is open! The contents of the conversation under the cut are NFB, please and thank you. Taken again from UsoT S02E08.]

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He wasn't the only one. It wasn't like Kate had failed to notice how she seemed to just be moving from difficulty to difficulty, lately. If it even was just lately: the last two years had been pretty full of drama, actually.

Maybe it wouldn't get better after all.

She shifted a bit, so she could look at the ceiling too. "I wish we could just have a nice conversation."

Bod shrugged a shoulder. "Nothing is nice right now for you. It makes nice conversations difficult. Maybe soon."

He didn't know. He shrugged again.

"I think I might try and get in contact with Silas while you're gone. I'd like to see him and if he's in the country, maybe show him the local holiday."

He didn't know why he'd shared that other than, well, it was on his mind especially after her questions of earlier. He didn't know if he'd actually try but he wanted to.

"Mm, one clueless Englishman showing another clueless Englishman an American holiday," Kate mused, mildly. "Maybe you should."

She actually meant it. Might do him good.

"I don't even know yet if I'm gonna get back in time for Thanksgiving or not."

"I assumed you wouldn't be," Bod said, shrugging a shoulder again. "If you are, you're free to call me but I don't know if I'll still be here. If I can contact Silas, I'm going to meet him if he'll let me."

That was just no guarantee.

"I hope he does," she replied sincerely. "I don't know what kind of company I would be, and I don't generally really give a fuck about Thanksgiving, anyway. And it's kind of a family thing."

And so was what was happening this coming Wednesday, too, if she was honest with herself.

"And I really have no family."

So, there was that.

"We'll see, I suppose."

"Silas is your guardian," Kate pointed out quietly. "He doesn't get to be family?"

"No," Bod said and left it at that. He didn't know why he thought that way but Silas just wasn't family to him. He was important but it was hard to group him in with his real and adopted parents.

"Oh." Somehow she hadn't expected that, though she wasn't sure why. Maybe it was just the way her own mind tended to think of things. "Well. He doesn't have to be."

"Could we maybe not talk anymore?" Bod wondered, making that rare request himself. He was getting upset again and that coupled with his ongoing sadness was making him feel a little emotionally unstable.

He rubbed his eyes and took some slow, controlled breaths.

"Sure," Kate replied, after a pause. She kept her eyes on the ceiling, stretche out a little. "It's not really working for me either."

Bod didn't say anything but he did roll onto his side, turned away from her and switching his focus to one of her walls. Maybe he was acting like the difficult one but it hadn't been easy for him lately either.

He just had less control of himself than usual. He was sure that would right itself later but he wasn't fighting it now.

But at least he hadn't left. Since he'd actually said he would at one point, Kate was considering that a minor success. And it did feel a little like they were playing each other roles right now.

Right up to the way she turned her head towards him when he turned away from her, and didn't know what she should do, whether she could or should get closer, or just let him be.

Bod didn't even know what he wanted. He felt worse than he had in awhile and he wasn't even the one going anywhere or doing anything. He just felt terrible.

He stayed as he was though, on his side, quiet and turned away from her. He hadn't left even if there was a thought or two to actually going.

Kate hesitated for a moment, then reached out to gingerly touch a hand to the back of his neck. Just to trail it lightly down his spine. Just to do something to gauge the situation.

Bod closed his eyes at the touch even if she couldn't see it. He sighed somewhat raggedly and shifted the tiniest bit backwards towards her hand. He didn't know if it was surprise at being touched or just the want of some kind of affection.

Reassured by that (since she'd been prepared to yank her hand back), Kate made her touch a little firmer, splaying her fingers against his back as her hand moved further up again, trying to soothe.

Maybe some kind of silent affection was needed.

Maybe it was. He didn't know if she'd be able to soothe (because he honestly didn't know what was wrong) but it felt good and maybe he could stop feeling like everything was starting to crush his shoulders.

His next sigh was a little less ragged. Bod stayed where he was though, still on his side but he was responding to her now.

And that, she found, was a very good thing that made her feel... maybe not better, but a little less tense. She pushed her fingers into his hair for a brief moment, then slid her hand down a bit to lightly rub the back of his neck.

His poor neck. He was going to have to soak in some hot tub or just go somewhere away from the world to get all the knots out of his neck and shoulders.

Still, her hand felt good even if it was light and he sighed again, loosening up somewhat but remaining mostly curled up on his side and turned away from her.

Kate didn't mind that. His position made it easier for her to rub his neck, then one of his shoulders. To just keep letting him know she was there, paying attention to him.

Bod would probably never admit it in his lifetime but sometimes he really did just need some attention. He prided himself on helping other people and rarely tried to help himself.

He thought about talking, about saying something but he kept his mouth and eyes closed, keeping anything to himself for the moment. He didn't want to say something and have it just add to his continued worry and sadness.

And Kate kept touching him. She traced shapes against his back with her hand. Just random things, a circle that turned into a spiral, a zigzagging line, a heart.

Eventually, Bod reached back for her hand, getting a grip on it and tugging it around his waist. It meant she'd probably have to move too but he hoped she wouldn't mind.

She was totally outraged by that. Only not at all. She shifted closer, settling against his back with her arm around him.

No, she didn't mind at all.

Room 324, Monday After Classes

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