Twenty-somethings gotta twenty-something

[mikangirl]

Who: Everyone invited, everyone gatecrashing (technically you're all invited, so...)
Broadcast: Who knows, maybe some drunken texting later on
Action: Iskaulit Pool!
When: 3 July

[It's a party for a narcissistic redhead who likes to be reminded she's alive.  Come celebrate!  Alternately, come sneak in and steal the food!  There's a bar set up for drinks drastically lowered to cost-price or to-be-paid-later-tab, a non-alcoholic punch in case of wandering minors (spike it and Nami will end you) and random snacks.

Oh, and a pool.  Which is heated.  Kind of important, that part.

Step right up, I'm reliably informed we'll have Thor with his shirt off, take pictures while you can.]

Comments

[candothat]

[He regrets mentioning Reid at all because he isn't sure what to say now. Reid was such an odd topic in Marina, and he hadn't discussed him here enough to know exactly how to approach the subject. It also emphasizes how far this Kitty has come--how much she's healed from that relationship--compared to her counterpart in Marina.

If she still had a counterpart in Marina after the point where her memories stop. Pavel's still half-convinced that Kitty--or her mind, or whatever ephemeral thing made them themselves in that virtual reality while their bodies stayed in pods--hadn't really been there. That he'd been interacting with a Kitty simulation and he hadn't noticed because he'd wanted so badly to believe that what was happening was real in the ways that matter. It's plausible, right?

He spends enough time in his brain for his response to be just a little too delayed.]

You're trying to dodge a compliment. Rude.

[passingthrough]

[That's a disturbing thought she hadn't considered. Who knew there were still disturbing thoughts she hadn't explored yet? As odd as it may be and as uncomfortable of the thought of her having a life and memories that she can't recall, she'd like to think whatever she and Pavel had was real and good even if she doesn't feel that now. She worries that she was just pushing herself to move on. She knows how much she was hurting and how off she felt after Reid back then. She has more perspective now.]

That I'm pretty? Thank you.

[candothat]

[Well! He's always happy to share new disturbing thoughts... but, like, when prompted. Throwing them out there unprompted doesn't usually earn him any friend points.

But whatever was going on in Marina, it's good to be reminded that she's doing so much better now. He doesn't even regret not being able to make himself useful by helping her anymore (and he's ashamed that he regretted it at all, but he'd felt so useless and expendable when he'd arrived to find that the problems that he hadn't been able to help with in Marina were solved). She's come an extremely long way in the time that he's known her.]

Thank you. [He smiles and tries (possibly too hard) to shift the conversation away from the serious. He still has a lot to work out right now, but it's on him, not Kitty.] Now you are supposed to compliment me. This is how these conversations are meant to work.

[passingthrough]

[Sometimes, time and distance are the only things that really help mend a broken heart. In Marina things were too small. Reid was maybe using the "move on by resenting the person so you don't miss them" technique and she was not (at least not in the set of memories she has now) so it hurt more. And it never healed and just kept getting bumped up against. And then found herself a rebound guy and went and fell in love with him too.]

Oh, right. You never fish for compliments and that's one of your most endearing traits. [Smiling.]

[candothat]

[Going to a different universe is rather helpful. Pavel's first two girlfriends broke up with him by going to different universes and, for some reason, that was fairly easy to recover from.]

True, never in my life have I tried to bolster my self-esteem by encouraging others to compliment me. [He smiles back. Everything's fine!] Which is why I won't ask you what my other endearing traits are.

[passingthrough]

Yeah, I can't even imagine you doing something like that. Which is good because if you did I'd have to gush about what a kind, loyal and supportive friend you are and how brilliant and clever you are. That would be terrible.

[candothat]

Shameless lies. [85% teasing, 15% certain that at least three of those are most definitely false.] But thank you. My self-esteem is very bolstered.

[passingthrough]

Call me if you ever need another hit. Not that it would have to be me. Anyone who knows you would say the same.

[candothat]

Thank you. [Far less flippant this time. It really is something that he needs to hear right now.] You're a good friend, Kitty. As much as I dislike being abducted and transported to foreign universes, I'm grateful that it happened and allowed me to meet you.

[passingthrough]

Hey, same here. Really. You mean a lot to me. [She wonders if she doesn't say or show it enough because she's feared leading him on.]

[candothat]

I know. [He doesn't doubt that he's important to her (who knows why that's still true, though, since he hasn't done her any good or been particularly kind or loyal or supportive in the fleet), and it seems like a fine idea to confirm that.] I do. Thank you.

[passingthrough]

Should we...get some snacks or something? [Maybe break some of the tension? Or maybe she should just hug him?]

[candothat]

Ah... I think that I might go, actually. [He takes her hand and gives it a squeeze. He doesn't want her to think that he's planning on going because of her, even if... yeah, that's true. Pavel has noticed that Vash is present, which is not a bad thing since he does like Vash, but Kitty might find it difficult to have fun with him if she's worried about doing something that could hurt Pavel's feelings.

(And although Pavel wants to imagine that he'd be fine, he is currently acutely aware of his lack of control over things like feelings.)]

[passingthrough]

[He may not want her to think it, but of course she is. She thinks about offering to leave instead, but of course that would probably just make him feel more awkward. She squeezes his hand in return.] Are you sure?

[candothat]

Yes. [This would be an opportune time to make up an excuse, but that would be dishonest and an insult to Kitty's intelligence. He goes for a smile instead.] I promise my motivations are entirely self-serving, you have nothing to feel badly about.

[passingthrough]

[She'd like to believe they are self serving in some kind of fun way where he actually has a better party to get to, but she can't shake the feeling that they are more self serving in that he'll feel better not being at a party with her right now. Maybe it's too self centered to think that way. That's really all that holds back more protest.] Okay. Well, I'll see you soon?

[candothat]

[No, that feeling of hers is pretty accurate. Being here doesn't feel great and Pavel doesn't suspect that sticking around will make it feel greater.] Of course. When have you ever managed to get rid of me for very long?

[passingthrough]

It was too long when I first got here. [Although if he'd arrived with her would she have ever ended up with Winn? That's a strange thought.] But I guess I can't blame you for that one.

[candothat]

It was annoying timing on my part. [That is an AU he has thought about and one that he has concluded (possibly pessimistically) would still lead to approximately where they are now. Except he'd probably feel better about it since he would've skipped the dating and the hope.] I'm sorry regardless.

[He gives her hand another quick squeeze.] I will call you tomorrow.

[And he will! And things will be okay-ish because a day is plenty of time for him to talk his feelings back in line temporarily. Until kisses are accidentally broadcast, anyway.]

[passingthrough]

[She likes having the tomorrow set like that. It's probably selfish. He might need more time. She'd understand if he did, but then she also didn't think at this point he'd still want more with her. So maybe her guessing skills aren't the best when it comes to what he wants.] Tomorrow it is. Have a good night.

[candothat]

You too, Kitty.

[He does need more time, as the future will reveal. He just doesn't think he should need it after having almost a year and a half already.]