April System Mingle

[thespaceopera]

Who: Everyone!
Broadcast: Possibly!
Action: April System
When: Month of April!


[Welcome to the Belt, a huge asteroid belt that's been terraformed for life. Here you can explore the different asteroids, become a rock star, race on some ATVs, enjoy not being underwater.

In other words, it's a mingle! Get in everyone!

> System Info ]

Comments

[candothat]

[Honestly, avoidance is so much easier than talking and Chekov would be all for it if he didn't really want to like Winn. It'd make hearing about him all the time so much easier. Not that he dislikes the guy, he just... you know, feels grossly inferior and unwanted around him.

Why did this seem like a good idea?

Chekov orders the drink (surprise, it's vodka) and pays the bartender far too well. He's still feeling out this money business.]

You... ah, you sing very well.

[winn]

[ as awkward and immature as he can sometimes be about chekov - that's definitely not how he wants to make him feel. he's felt inferior his entire life. unwanted, too. he wouldn't wish it on anyone, and would hate to be the cause of it which is why he tries not to talk about their awkwardness to anyone. it's bad enough that the people who do know already know, he doesn't want him to have to feel compared when talking to people he just met. he doesn't want to feel compared, either. ]

Thanks - [ as he accepts the drink ] and - thanks - [ with another smile, at the compliment. he thinks about saying something else but - no, the person who encouraged him to sing initially was kitty. that would just be awkward to say, wouldn't it? ] Do you - sing?

[candothat]

You're welcome. [Would more awkwardness really make a difference? He smiles and shakes his head.] No, and I think that the universe is a better place for that.

[winn]

[ glad you think so, because he's earning money for an engagement ring here. ]

I'm calling blatant exaggeration there.

[candothat]

[Oh.

Well.

That's fine. Everything is fine.]

We will never know because nothing could compel me to try.

[winn]

[ some more awkwardness with your awkwardness, sir? ]

That sounds like a challenge. [ he's really good at those. ]

[candothat]

[Excuse you, that's not awkward, that's crushing.]

Did it? [He studies Winn for a moment, trying to determine how serious he is.] If it was a challenge, what would you propose?

[winn]

[ sorry, bro. still wanna like him? ]

More vodka. Lots more. And then karaoke. [ he nods. ]

[candothat]

[Nah, over it.]

A good proposal, but I think that there's a high probability that alcohol poisoning or maybe vague philosophical rants would come before singing. Yes, the order would be philosophy, alcohol poisoning, and then karaoke. All undesirable.

[winn]

I dunno, I enjoy a good drunk philosophy session.

[ but yeah, maybe the two of them losing their inhibitions around each other is not the best plan. ]

[candothat]

I am the last person in the Fleet that you should have any kind of drunk conversation with, probably. Philosophical or otherwise.

[winn]

Yeah I figured that out about a minute too late. [ he holds up his glass and points to it ] vodka brain.

[candothat]

After less than one drink? [He's amused for a moment, then he remembers that life isn't amusing.]

I do have a question to ask you, if I may.

[winn]

I had a couple before the show. And on muh break.

[ people keep buying them for him, okay. he nods. ]

Shoot.

[candothat]

Ah, then we're much closer to having a drunk conversation than I realized.

[Maybe that wouldn't be that bad, though...]

Would you like me to leave the Tourist?

[winn]

[ he is either too drunk or not drunk enough to handle this, just not sure which it is yet.

he sighs and puts down his glass ]

Look - I get why you transferred, it's the same reason I did. The Tourist is a great crew, we don't just exist together...we're a family. Which is why I haven't transferred to the Windr- I mean, the Twin Roses, even though I know I probably should. [ how ridiculous would it be to be a married couple with two ships, two rooms? but when shit hits the fan it's the tourist that makes him feel safe and that's hard to let go of. ] I don't want to leave it, I wouldn't ask you to, either. I know it's no Enterprise - but it's big enough for the both of us. We don't take up that much space. [ would he prefer it? of course. but that would be selfish. ]

[candothat]

[If he's sober enough to wonder, then the answer is definitely not drunk enough.

Chekov is visibly relieved.] It's fortunate that both of us are relatively small. [very, very sincerely:] Thank you, Winn. You're being much kinder than you need to be. I am grateful for that.

[winn]

[ ah, that clears things up. thank you!

he shakes his head. ]

You're handling this a lot more maturely than I would've, and I'm grateful for that. I don't wanna make it any harder than it has to be, you know? I do want you to be happy.

[ just not with kitty, not that way. ]

I want all of us - to be happy.

[candothat]

I would like that too.

[The all of them being happy thing. He just doesn't know how to get there.]

...You do make Kitty very happy. She tries not to say too much about you to me, of course, but she doesn't need to. [He focuses intently on his drink.] For a long time, I watched her love someone who had fallen out of love with her. It's good to see her like this instead. Loved back.

[winn]

Reid.

[ he nods; he's not even gonna try to hide the resentment in his voice. in the beginning of their relationship it was always - oh you have a crazy parent and a fear of ending up like them? so did read. you wear cardigans? so did reid. you're taking me to carnival? here's a super meaningful memory with reid. he has an inferiority complex and an intense need to be nothing like this man he's never met which is really difficult to manage because they never met, and he keeps accidentally being him and at the beginning it would drive him insane. it kept driving him insane until they got to the point kitty told him he's better for her. it still drives him a little crazy, though. he's just used to the guy's shadow looming over him. ]

That's never going to be me. [ he's incapable of falling out of love with her, of that much he's certain. even the atroma can't make him do it. ]

[candothat]

Oh, she mentioned him?

[That's about as close as Chekov will ever get to dark amusement because of course she mentioned him. Everything was Reid for the longest time, even when he was making her miserable. Maybe especially then. Kitty was so careful about being with Chekov because she didn't want Reid to see, didn't want to hurt Reid's feelings. There was a part of her that had refused to let go of him, and Chekov... well, he hadn't exactly been okay with it, but he was in love enough to be content with however much of her heart Kitty was willing to give him.

...Which is none of it now, so. At least he isn't sharing with Reid?]

But good. Please, just... try not to travel into your future and fall in love with someone else, okay? Please stay in love with her.

[winn]

Only like 5000 times.

[ winn had to live with some of that at the beginning - being kept at arm's length, being compared. he can't imagine what it would've been like if he were here. would they have gotten this far? it's difficult to tell. he's still afraid that if he showed up he could sweep her away. ]

Nothing's gonna make me fall out of love with her, don't worry. Pretty sure Kitty's the only woman in the multiverse to see me that way.

[ this guy, who chekov thinks is his superior, has spent most of his life feeling inferior. kitty and being part of a superhero team are changing it, but he's still certain that no one could ever love him the way she does. no one could ever see him the way she does. no one could ever care that way. ]

[candothat]

So only a modest amount.

[What a weird thing to commiserate with someone about. It'd be funny if Chekov wasn't still in love with Kitty.]

Don't say that. If that is true of you, then what chance would I have?

[He frames it as a joke, but really. If someone as handsome as Winn can't find anyone who'll fall in love with him...]

[winn]

[ there's a little snort at that comment. it'd be funny to winn too if he weren't still worried about reid. but those feelings he tries to always hide, so he tries to act out more on the funny aspect. ]

Hey - [ sorry chekov, did you not want your shoulder squeezed? he's had a couple drinks. ] plenty. I've heard 'Chekov is great' so much I'm starting to think that's just my name. [ jim, kara, kitty, he's not short on people who like him. and from winn's point of view, chekov is plenty handsome. intimidatingly so. ]

[candothat]

[Chekov is definitely going to have to mention what a weird jerk Reid turned into past the point where Kitty's memories stop. That would make Winn feel better. Kitty wasn't getting back together with that guy.

He doesn't not want his shoulder squeezed, but he's politely puzzled. Are they friends now? Because that's cool if they are, he just wasn't certain they were at a comradely-squeezing place yet.]

It would be a good name. Almost as good as 'Winn is great.' [A small smile.] Everyone is working very hard to convince me to like you. You should be embarrassed that they don't think that you can be convincing enough yourself.