text to rocky:

[that_cost]

Nolan gets to hang out in the hospital for another day or two and my apartment is too quiet. I also think I'm starting to get on Nolan's nerves being around all the time. Do you want to come over and hang out? I'll make you dinner and we can play something. I have Octodad: Dadliest Catch and want to try it on co-op mode.

Comments

[rockysmash]

only if u have seen my videos of OCTODAD. watch them if u havent. if u still want to play with me after? absolutely! But you should know what ur getting into playing that game with me. ;P

[that_cost]

Just think of the kittens.

See you in a bit?

[rockysmash]

Ah, the kittens--nope, ur still gonna see me rage the fuck out.

ill be there soon. ;-D

[that_cost]

looking forward to it.

and to just seeing you in general. you're fantastic.

see you in a bit.

[rockysmash]

i'm literally a professional dork, & u wanna hang out with me while i dork.

question all ur life decisions. :P

[that_cost]

I have approx. 1400 years to question everything I've ever done, but I'm naturally too laid back to dwell on it too long. It's a phoenix thing. The only time we ever really sit back and go 'oh i fucked up' is if someone we care for got hurt because of us.

[rockysmash]

so its just kinda in ur nature to be chill with everything?

[that_cost]

as long as it's not me coming close to or actually losing someone I care about and as long as the people I consider my family aren't in danger

[rockysmash]

huh. you'd make a good Beta.

btw, question: is it creepy if im here already?

[Yes, he was already coming to see you. No, he didn't have a reason.

...shut up, Charlie.]

[that_cost]

[ Charlie simply stares at the text before peeking outside her apartment window and then hurrying barefoot across the wood floor to the door, pulling it open and grinning at Rocky. She's in a black thigh length track to that says 'I fight like a girl' in white lettering and a pair of tan shorts that just peek out from the bottom. Her hair is tied back and, all laziness aside, she looks like she actually got some sleep. Some. ]

Hey. C'mon in, creepy.

[ Teasing.]

[rockysmash]

[Rocky grimaces sheepishly, but accepts the invitation in, opening his arms to greet her with a hug.]

Sorry, it's just...different city, not my territory, everything smells weird and I'm all paranoid about staying in neutral territory. I mean, I don't have to, it's just a courtesy thing--being that I've been throwing around a lot of weight since I got here.

[Rocky finally draws back, wrinkling his nose apologetically.]

Shutting up now. I digress: hi. Love the shirt. Your hair is pretty. Octodad?

[that_cost]

No, it's fine. Perfectly fine. I like seeing you, so this works out. I'm not going to work for a few days, so feel free to come over whenever.


[ She hugs him back, practically radiating happiness and staying in the hug as long as possible before looking up at him and blushing.]

Hi. You're cute when you're babbling. The shirt used to have River Song on it, but she fell off in the wash. And, yes. Octodad.

[rockysmash]

[Rocky perks up at the mention of River Song, beaming sunnily. Oh, if he didn't look at her with a covetous eye before...]

Geronimo! [Said, of course, with fists in the air and hollered at the top of his lungs.] Please tell me Eleven is your doctor. If he is, I'll have to take you home with me 'cause that's the perfect woman.

...sorry. Octodad! Point me at it so I can curse and lose my mind for your personal in-home entertainment?

[that_cost]

Well, looks like I have to pack my bags.


[ That, Rocky Devereaux, would be a yes. She reaches for his hand and leads him inside her apartment. Welcome to the first floor. The first room they hit is the livingroom, complete with large wide-cushioned couch, chalkboard coffee table and loaded TV Stand. The ps4 is already running, the music to Octodad playing softly.

To the right of the livingroom is the kitchen Charlie does a lot of her filming in. The set for it is halfway between her Silent Hill set and something Pokémon themed, directions for cake pops on the small book stand. ]

Make yourself comfortable. Do you want anything to drink? I have sodas and water.

[rockysmash]

I'd love a water, thanks.

[Instead of heading for the couch, Rocky follows her to the kitchen, taking in her set work with keen interest. He's already thinking about sending her something she can stick up in here, but only because he just bought himself a new Captain America hoodie on ThinkGeek, and he got sucked into browsing the site on his phone for about two hours at the hospital.]

So what's your filming schedule like? Do you record a backlog? Or shoot per episode?

[that_cost]

Water, it is.

[ Charlie opens the fridge (which is very organized, btw, charlie's doing) and pulls out one of the bottled waters, holding it out for Rock. For herself, she grabs one of the Cokes. She's still not 100 percent just yet, so hopefully the caffeine helps a bit. ]

That depends on my schedule and Nolans. He has school stuff, I have From the Ashes. We do a lot of parties at work that people have to reserve for and if there's a big party coming up, I kinda have to prioritize. We try to record a couple episodes at a time when we have free time, that way if I can't record one week, I'll have something for Saturdays when I post videos.

[ A pause and then she turns again, picking up a familiar set of dog tags from the counter. ] By the way? Thanks for these. I love them. We were working on a video where I open stuff people sent me, before everything temporarily went to shit.

[rockysmash]

[Rocky's in the middle of a sip of water when she picks up the dog tags, and he hastily swallows so he can answer, wiping a dribble of water away from his mouth with the back of his hand.]

Oh my God, I would have waited to send 'em if I thought you'd be doing a 'read your mail' vid. [He smiles sheepishly--what? He's not blushing. Why would you think he's blushing?] I just spend way too much time on those nerd gear websites, and I saw 'em, and...I dunno. I had you pegged as a Browncoat.

[But speaking of everything going to shit...he does smell a shift in her chemosignals, and so after a moment of wrestling with himself he sets his water on the counter and moves over to hug her again. This time, it's not so polite: it's a bear hug, complete with tucking her head under his chin and rocking her just a little, a tiny sway as he just envelops her with his arms and his scent.

Mine.

He ignores the voice of the wolf in his head...a little less than he has been.]

What happened to you and Nolan is never gonna happen again. [He mumbles the promise against the top of her head as he presses his nose there for a second.] That's not a threat or a promise, it's a fact. It's--what I do back home. For my pack. Do you understand?

[that_cost]

You're the reason we were doing a 'read your mail' vid. We both saw who sent it and set the living room up within seconds. It was the highlight of the whole thing.

[ She goes to say more, wanting to say something along the lines of there's now fan art of her and of them, but the way he moves towards her silences her and she watches him with curiosity.

Now, her kind? They're not the most touchy-feely of creatures. Charlie's an exception. She probably got it from her mother. Victoria was a hugger and a cuddler, so this was very welcome.

It was the most welcome thing to happen in weeks.

With the dog tags gripped tightly in one hand, both arms go around Rock and she practically buries herself against his chest, eyes closing. She listens to what he says and sighs, relaxing more than she has since Nolan got hurt, letting out a soft "mm-hmm" when he asks if she understands. ]

...would you think I was weird if I said I didn't want you to let go for a bit? This is really nice.

[rockysmash]

[Rocky snorts at that, like she's crazy just for asking, and to prove his point he hunkers in a little closer to press his face against her neck and shoulder. It's intimate, but absolutely platonic as he shuts his eyes and tries to will comfort into her, to take all that radiant heat he can feel coming off her body and give it back to her with the same soothing, cheerful heat.]

Werewolf, remember? Cuddling's kind of our thing. Just say 'when' if you've had enough.

[And that's it. He just...stays there, just holds her. After a little bit, he straightens back up, but just so he can tuck her head under his chin again and get more comfortable.

And that's...it.]

[that_cost]

I remember.

[ She laughs some at him pressing his face against her neck and shoulder, almost pulling away because it's a bit new, but she likes it. She's more than fine with it. Her eyes open softly as she leans her head against his for a second, just enjoying everything about being held. ]

You're good to me. I appreciate that.

[ Tilting her head back to look at him, a grin on her face, she's subtle about letting him know she's hit enough. At the same time, if this happened again? She wouldn't fight it. ]

Thank you.

[rockysmash]

[Rocky smiles down at her, his hand drifting up to cradle her cheek for a long moment. It almost seems like he might kiss her...

But instead, he leans forward and nuzzles her forehead, a quiet, lupine growl rolling out of his chest, deep and soft and wholly content.]

It's what pack is for, silly bird.

[that_cost]

[ Charlie leans into his touch some, eyes almost closing. There's her own sign of contentment, a faint hum that lasts only a second as a slow smile spreads across her face at Rocky's growl. ]

And I'm part of your pack?

[ This is kinda surprising, never mind the fact that he's said it a few times already. ]

We have exaltation's. That's what we call our loved ones, the people we consider ours.

[ She's quiet fora moment, thinking over how Rocky's presence since everything went south had been soothing and settling. Steadying. ]

You're part of that.