driftfleet | 07

Entry tags:

07 - video

Who: Winn Schott + you = awesome
Broadcast: yup!
Action: Tourist!
When: now!

[ the feed opens with a profile view of a sleeping winn. on his face, you can see an elaborate sharpie painted mustache (courtesy of opal) and from the ceiling right above him hangs a plastic flamingo in a coat and plastic sunglasses (courtesy of cisco).

to anyone who's been by to see him lately, it's a very familiar scene. but seconds into it something that hasn't happened in about two weeks begins to take place - movement. with a soft groan, winn reaches a sluggish hand to his face, shielding his eyes from the light. the hand then seems to decide that scratching above his upper lip is better use of its time and skills. slowly, his eyes blink open, struggling to adjust, to focus.

and then they do. on that flamingo.

he yelps, jumping up in bed, tearing the flamingo off its strings and throws it across the room, where he proceeds to stare at an off frame army of (four) flamingos. rubbing at his temples he mutters just loudly enough to be captured on film ] So Cisco's still here...

[ that seems to remind him of something, and with a sharp move his still sleepy mind can't seem to properly cope with, grabs at the communicator and misses. next attempt brings it into his hand and you finally get a close up of that glorious mustache.

he frowns into the camera ]

Of course it's rolling... [ his voice is raw, lips chapped, and he clears his throat in an attempt to bring back his usual volume ] Hi - Fleeters - if we're still calling ourselves that - Winn Schott here, back to the world of the conscious - if you recognize me check in and tell me how long I've been out - Kitty - you better still be here. [ because unless you call him within the next 10 seconds he's calling you as soon as he cuts this feed and if you're not there he will freak. he rubs at his painted mustache again, not quite realizing what's bothering him, and with a small tired smile fumbles to shut the broadcast off. ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Oh, Winn... I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I just didn't expect any of this. [Him running into Chekov. Chekov bringing it up. But also just...any of it being real. She can't really imagine wanting that kind of relationship with Chekov. She's not sure if it's because when she thinks of him she thinks of a time in her life when she was mostly just heartbroken all the time over Reid or because he looks so much like Nathan or because she's only now trying to understand it and she's just so Winn-sexual now.] I've had longer to process it and I...haven't. I don't know what it means that I could have even still been there and...what is she doing to him that she's with him and he just sees her being in love with Reid? Is she using him? I think he even implied she got together with Reid again for a little while and it just sounds like a mess. He deserves better.

[ he can't exactly disagree with that, sorry kitty. ]

I don't know the guy but he kinda reminds me of myself. [ with a sad little smile; that just makes it so much worse because it means he can absolutely see kitty falling for him. she fell for winn, after all! ] Willing to take any hit as long as he gets to be around you. Hopefully a little distance will help him with that. [ sorta did for him. meeting kitty was what really helped. ]

[She didn't want him to argue. She knows it's the truth. Well, not that she knows the full truth. She's sure she wouldn't be doing something malicious to Chekov, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't deserve better.]

He's a good guy. He always made me feel better about myself when I was feeling like something worse than nothing. [She can kind of see that. Her feeling unloved and alone and him making her feel both those things even if she wasn't attracted to him. Caring about him. Enjoying being around him. Getting the bands, but not using them... Maybe she was starting to see him that way or maybe it was the other thing he talked about?]

Full disclosure? He told me one more thing later. There was a system gli...um...technical problem. [We aren't ruining that word for Winn.] Or the wardens were doing it on purpose which is 10,000 times more likely. Anyway, people spent a day thinking 20 years had passed in the prison with whatever fake memories they needed for that. He and that Kitty thought they'd been married for the last 17 years and I think they were together that day. [Don't make her get more explicit.]

[ ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING HIM.

NO, REALLY UNIVERSE, WE'RE GONNA HAVE WORDS NOW, WHAT THE HELL DID HE DO TO YOU! DID HE RUN OVER YOUR PUPPY? DID HE SNUB YOU ON THE STREET? WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR DAMAGE, WHATEVER IT IS HE DID IT CANNOT BE BAD ENOUGH TO DESERVE THAT! HE'S NOT A BAD PERSON! HE'S HELPING TWO GODDAMN SUPERHEROES, WORKING ON THREE - NOT TO MENTION EVERYONE HE'S HELPED IN THE FLEET! HOW ABOUT A LITTLE GODDAMN SLACK??

he wants to throw things, he wants to get up and punch the wall (fortunately the waterbed foils that plan). it's almost enough to make him want to transfer away from the tourist which would break his heart in shreds. ]

...are you kidding me right now. [ he's not mad at her, but he is mad. he's furious. this is so cruel, it's so unfair. 20 years? 17 years of marriage? there is no way chekov can just get over that he could never get over that and yes he shouldn't assume everyone reacts the same as him but seriously a 17 year long marriage? even if you know it's fake, how do you get over that?! ]

[She shakes hear head a little, unsure if she should continue, but she does if only to lessen the blow some.] You don't remember everything afterward. You remember that day. The things you said and did and heard and saw and thought about directly. And even then it can be like remembering a vivid dream where it still fades around the edges. [Definitely speaking from experience here.]

[ okay that's better, but still awful. a vivid dream that gave him everything he wanted. only to have it taken away.

this is still incredibly cruel and unfair and how are things ever supposed to get comfortable? ]

A cruel dream. [ and what if kitty's suddenly given the memories of that mindfuck? what if it doesn't go away and she one day wakes up remembering being married to chekov for the better part of two decades and never forgets it? ]

They were good at those. [She squeezes his hand.] It's happened to me before. [She doesn't think she ever told him. There's a lot about home and the prison she never told him. How much do you dump on a person especially once you've already moved on? She'd share it all if he wanted it. He can tap right into her head if they get the chance. He can have it all. She trusts him.] That I remember. It wasn't 17 years, but it hurts for awhile and then you get over it. And if you're lucky you find the love of your life in outer space.

[ he squeezes right back, resigning himself to wherever this story will take them. nowhere good it obvious. he can barely even smile at her calling him the love of her life, but he tries. ]

Was it also a marriage? [ was it with reid. he swears to god if it was reid!!! ]

It was. Yeah. [It wasn't Reid. ~~It was Malcolm Merlyn! (except not)~~] I mean, they messed with our heads a lot, but yeah, I was thinking of the marriage.

Did you have feelings for him before? After?

[ this can only cause him heartache, but he wants to get a handle on this chekov situation, figure out if he's going to have to transfer. he really doesn't want to have to transfer, the tourist is the best home he's ever had. ]

Oh wow... [That is the "oh wow" of how is this ending well?] um, yeah, both kind of. Do you really want to know about this?

No. [ honestly it's the last thing he wants, he wants all of this not to matter. ] But I need to know if I can't stay on the Tourist anymore. [ just saying it is soul crushing. he loves kitty and would be proud to work on her ship, but jim is his captain. the tourist is his home, his family that he has been building up all year. it's his safe space. it's where he could always go when nothing else made sense. ]

What? [She had no idea that was going through his mind.] Yes, of course you can. That ship means so much to you. I'll ask him to move again if it's too hard. It's my fault he's there. I didn't know anyone on the Wonderduck when he was shuffled there so I told him about transferring. I didn't say the Tourist! I didn't think to mention you were there. ...I did suggest my ship. Which I'm seeing is also a bad idea, but it's my fault. You can't leave your ship because of me.

It's a logical choice, it's where Jim is. [ if it were him, he'd definitely check the roster before transferring to make sure where the boyfriend was at, but that's just him, he supposes.

there are tears threatening to escape his eyes at the very thought. that's where jim is. it's where kara is. fenris. chloe. jarvis. even marian who he doesn't know well but she makes fenris happy and teases him. it's where he has so many memories with margaery. if she had still been in the fleet, there would have been no room for him to transfer in and it's such a cruel exchange. he wouldn't ask chekov to leave - he got the girl, he can't ask any more, and it's not like he couldn't see them ever again just because he wouldn't be living there...but it wouldn't be the same and it would hurt and he doesn't want to hurt anymore. ]

It's not your fault, you care about him and it's not like he couldn't have found this out anyway.

[She does her best to hug him more tightly on this ridiculous bed. She can feel tears stinging her eyes.] I'd love to live with you, but I don't want you to lose anything. Your home means so much to you. [More, she suspects, than any other home he's ever had.] It'll work out. Please. It's still so early. It'll be okay.

[ will it, though? can it be okay when they're living on a reality show where drama is the purpose? even if they manage to work this out, the atroma's just going to mess things up further for their goddamn ratings, aren't they?

he just clings to her quietly, though, because he wants her to be right more than anything. he doesn't want to lose his home either. ]

[She is going to keep holding him.] I love you. I'm going to be your wife someday. This is all going to be so small compared to that.

[ he can't even begin to express what hearing her say it like that means to him, so instead he opts for a little attempt at a joke. ]

Look at that, I made an optimist out of you.

[She laughs a somewhat surprised, slightly wet sounding sort of laugh and holds him tighter.] You did. You're never going to get your money back if you try to return me now.

Not returning you for anything.

[ he tightens his hold in return and kisses her forehead. ]

There's nothing and no one I could want more.

Ditto. [Such a nerd.]

I'm keeping you. No matter what.

Like you have a choice.

[ of course she does as much as it would hurt if she wanted to break up he would respect it. but they don't need to be realistic right now, he's trying to kid. ]

You're stuck with me, Pryde.

[She has a feeling he's not oppressing her.] Funny. I don't feel stuck. I feel happy.

Mmmhm...I feel a little stuck, but it's the bed, not you.

I'll accept that. [Sliding fingers through his hair.] Should we get up? Order food?

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action

action