bottle it up

she wasn’t a huge fan of talking about herself, but she always was curious about elijah and his life. he was always so much more interesting, a little less conventional, and someone who winnie could always be endlessly fascinated about. at the mention of the other two – now that had been a situation she needed an explanation for, but it wasn’t something she opposed at all – she sat up. “no, you haven’t! what happened?”

“Oh, that’s so dope! Yeah that makes sense,” DJ grinned. “I could definitely use one of those. Tell you what, I’m not a morning person but somehow I still wound up with an 8 am class.”

          “ you did? 8 am classes are a curse, i’m pretty sure. hmm that gives me an idea. would you want to help me test out the prototype? that way you can see if it helps get you up for your 8 am class in time.”

pink tongue pokes out the corner of her mouth — a childish, petulant expression. “not literally just you, dumbass ! ‘s just good to be home. around family.” she chokes back a giggle as a droplet of melted ice cream slides past his lips onto his chin. maybe he won’t notice till someone else points it out, and the image of eli’s embarrassed face sends a spark of mischief running through her. 

her heart warms as the boy checks off all the people closest to him in the brief recap. “all together, yeah, you mentioned! it’s so … grown up, wow. who would’a thought, huh?”

“thank you, eli. really. that’s very sweet.” she knew her cousin probably would have gone and chased tye down, had she given him the permission. thankfully, he respected her boundaries. “you’ll meet him one day, i promise. now–” sitting up, she moved closer to him, grinning. he was always much, much more interesting than he was, and considering it had been a hundred years since they’d seen each other, he wasn’t the only person who needed catching up. “what about you? what’s new?” 

“Wow. That is really cool. One quick question; I have no fucking clue what you’re talking about.”

          “o-oh, um, sorry. i tend to kind of ramble when i’m explaining my creations. it’s basically just an alarm clock, but it’s also a robot so you have to chase it to turn off the alarm. did that make more sense?”

elijah was perhaps her favourite person on the planet. he just made her feel comfortable, even when they were talking about topics that often made her uncomfortable or anxious ( which really, was most things ), which was rare. giggling, a light blush lit her cheeks. “if… do you want to? meet him, i mean. we’re not like, dating. i don’t think so, anyway.” if they hadn’t discussed it, that probably meant they weren’t dating… but winnie didn’t really understand how relationships worked. “don’t… don’t go hunting him out or anything. he’s just as anxious as i, so don’t, uh… don’t make it a big deal. we’re as bad as each other that way.” she told him. “he’s really nice, though. really nice.”

gemma walker isn’t a nervous person  .  she experiences no fear  .  spends her life chasing adrenaline in the form of dangerous exploits and she enjoys every moment of it  .  but speaking to her baby brother now about samantha crock has her organs twisting in on themselves  .  her fingertips trembling as she loops her thumbs through her belt buckles and straddles a nearby chair, rests her chin atop the seat back  .  «  samantha crock is   –   krystal crocks older sister  ,  »   she begins with a start  .   

«  we met online  .  she   –   helped me  .  helped me escape canada when i worked for a spy agency there  .  crap  ,  eli  .  my name isn’t even gemma  .  it’s   –  well  .  i thought it was bijou  .  turns out i’m actually an inhuman princess and my birth name is anastasia boltagon and everything is a mess  .  »  she’s sputtering that part out  ,  blowing over it quickly  .  «  whatever  .  point it  .  to return the favour  ,  i rescued sam from her father  ,  sportsmaster  ,  a couple of years ago  .  and i’ve been keeping her in hiding ever since  .  harbouring a refugee  .  not only that  ,  but  .  technically i’m also a refugee  .  and i lied to our whole family about it because i knew sportsmaster would somehow find her if i breathed a word of it to anyone  .  »  she swallows thickly  .  her gaze finds the panelled flooring  .  «  i’ve been keeping a lot of secrets from you all  ,  and i’m sorry  .  »

“oh, definitely.” she loved eli like a brother, and she was pretty sure the feeling was mutual. he’d always been there for her with a hug and comforting words, and today was no different.  “you’re the only one around here that gives me enough love so i don’t shrivel up and die like tinkerbell.”

she chuckles as he struggles to keep the vexed expression on his face — they could read each other’s bluffs plain as day, there was no use trying. “m’ hands are getting too cold anyway. take it.” the pint is shoved roughly in his direction. “and tell me what’s been going on in your life, please. i need a distraction.”

in all her years, winnie had never so much as held hands with a boy. she, at one point, had a fleeting crush on jay barton, of which she apologised for later on, but that had been the closest she’d ever gotten to… anything, really. and elijah would have been the first to know, should there have been anything. but tye was – well. tye was tye, and he’d been marvellous. “his name is etienne. he’s– he goes here, he’s not a church person or anything.” the redhead explained, waving a delicate hand in the vague, general direction of the church she worked at. “he’s very clever. and soft, and it’s– he’s wonderful.”

“ you don’t have to worry about that , “ the kree says with a nod. “ oh , yeah ? “ bella raising an eyebrow. most people thought that mostly everything that bella ate was ‘ TOO SPICY ‘ but after years of bland food she couldn’t handle it anymore. the best part about earth was the variety of foods and the FLAVORS. she couldn’t get enough. “ people do say that a lot. “

“ they SO are ! it’s ridiculous ! “ bella laughed. “ hmm , i suppose so. maybe i should just stick to trying to remember to drink water , myself , let alone another living being. “

statistics flashed through his mind. everything he’s memorised about his figurines, their strength, popularity, intelligence. it didn’t help that his parents and close family were all part of shield, making his knowledge wider than the average citizen. every birthday he was given a folder of their comprised information, and when he joined shield, those folders started containing secrets that he had clearance to know. smiling brightly in response to his statement, alexander brought down his figurine and nodded his head, wishing he could offer his hand like the common folk,

“ fitzsimmons… by the way. i… i believe people find it impolite ? if i don’t introduce myself ? and.. and.. uh, thank you ? for not pushing off my idea. ”

          as the boy introduced himself, elijah’s smile only grew. he didn’t really see anything wrong with the way his idea was presented. to him it made sense after some explanation he got it. ideas were way easy to figure out in your head, but trying to explain that to someone else was sometimes tricky. “ no need to thank me, it was a cool idea. it’s nice to meet you, i’m walters. elijah walters. would you rather be called fitzsimmons or your first name?”

“it’s still really kind of you to offer, elijah. you don’t have to, you just like to. that’s very generous.” the redhead did genuinely believe that it was especially nice for her cousin to be so sweet, and winnie couldn’t have been more appreciative if she tried. still, he’d asked for a good news story, and she was determined to give him one. after a moment of searching through her mind ( for there was only so long ‘top of the class’ could be interesting ), she settled on an answer. “i… went on some dates, though,” her first dates, to be exact. “if that counts for anything.”

❝  you don’t have to thank me  .  i figure if i’ve been cursed with these abilities  ,  i might as well put them to good use  .  ❞  she knows little about the pryde daughter and has no incentive to glean more  ,  but those strifes revealed to ebony in spider silk tapestries are nothing if not concerning  .   (  she oft questions the purpose of neith’s desire to reveal intimate details of persons and their lives  .  what ulterior motives does the ancient goddess possess  ?  it’s quite frustrating that the deity’s willing to divulge those of myriad innocents yet propose nothing about the archon’s own intents  .  she’s certain they cannot be  good  .   )   ❝  i’m doing alright  .  just recovering  .  there’s a telepath in our midst and between her and neith  ,  my mind was overwhelmingly loud for a while  .  ❞

«  of course i do  ,  you’re my little bro  .  i’m always going to apologize  !  i never want you to feel like i’m dipping out on your life  ,  okay  ?  you’ve got to promise me  .  »  with that little emotional hiccup out of the way  –  «  i could tell you  ,  but that’d spoil all the fun of you reading it yourself  !  so  ,  seems like you’ll just have to wait  .  »

she smirks with victory  ,  props her hands on her hips  .  hums to herself  .  «  there is something i can tell you more about  .  but it’s  –  “  not good  .  nice  .  pleasant  .  nothing i ever hoped to speak to you about  ,  eli  .  «  complicated  .  but it’s an important part of my life  –  SHE’S an important part of my life  ,  and   –  it seems she’s sticking around this time  ,  so if you want to hear about a friend of mine  ,  samantha  ,  who  ,  due to circumstance  ,  i’ve never been able to tell you about before  –  i’m ready to talk  .  »

          ❝ i promise you. and just know that i’ve never felt like that, okay? i know you’re always going to come back .❞ gemma was someone that elijah never had doubts about. he trusted her with his life and knew she truly cared about him, no blood tie needed. he laughed at her statement, having already guessed that it would be the case. . ❝ got you. i’ll just wait to read it for myself.❞

         maybe they should have felt bad for how flustered elijah was getting. they didn’t want to pressure or push him into anything he wasn’t ready for. but at the same time… they couldn’t help the teasing. his reactions and expressions were— charani wouldn’t say adorable but, they would say amusing. not only that but there was some part of the cambion that felt that the man would never step out of his comfort zone without a little push. it had taken quite a lot to get him to even kiss them. ( sometimes it was still an effort to have him make the first move there, as well. ) so. suggesting and pushing him a little… well. charani felt it’d help in the long run. 

         “ i would not have asked you if it was not a good idea, “ fingers still intertwined together charani pulled the other’s hand up to rest against their chest, directly above their heart. so elijah could feel the steady heartbeat. remind himself to stay calm and steady. “ see? i mean it. no joking or lying here. “ they let go of his hand, gently, before twitching the corners of their lips into a hint of a smile. “ if you really do not wish to— i will not force you. “ the brunette took a step back, finally moving to turn around. “ but i would like you to come. “ they were already starting towards the bathroom in the apartment, giving elijah a fleeting glance before continuing on.

          the fact that he’s not freaking out as much as he normally would is what occupied his mind. there’s no voice in his head yelling to be let out, to lose control and let someone else take over. it’s oddly quiet and that should worry him except there’s another heartbeat he’s feeling now. right under his palm, charani’s heartbeat remained steady and calm. eli always had that to count on when it came to charani. even as they teased him, charani found a way to keep him grounded. ❝ i can tell.❞his voice much calmer than before,able to make eye contact and smile at them despite the warmness of his face.

          as charani let his hand fall, elijah had already begun to make up his mind. no need to think about it further. with the hulk inside him calm and quiet, this was his chance. he waited until charani was nearly at the bathroom door before following behind them. taking in a deep breath, he reassured himself that this was okay. charani had said so and this was something he actually wanted to do. he had started to take off his own shirt, having it in his hand as she reached the bathroom doorway. letting the material fall to the ground he peeked in and met charani’s eyes. ❝ does that offer still stand?❞