Private Roleplay

[zuisouroku]

This is a private roleplay between top tsundere and zuisouroku.
Feel free to read, but please do not post or bump.

Thank you very much~

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

6:00 AM and the shrill ringing of an alarm clock stirred the naked sleeping figure from his deep slumber. That was weird. Usually he'd have been awake a couple of hours early unable to sleep. Maybe the exhaustion had finally caught up with him. But he wasn't about to complain. He was glad he finally got a good night's sleep, so he pulled himself out of his bed (which was really just two mattresses stacked one on top of the other right on the floor, no bed frame) and dragged himself to the kitchen of the three-bedroom house to ingest the unhealthy daily dose of coffee and meds he had become so accustomed to. Today would be a good day. It was a Friday, and he knew as soon as he got home from his shitty desk job at a nearby office, he could look forward to seeing his daughter for the weekend. That, and the new roommate was supposed to be moving in some time today. Everything had been settled over the phone already, so they had never actually met each other.

But, the guy was a few years younger than himself and the other roommate who shared the apartment (who was still sleeping), so he couldn't be that bad. He felt a lot better with a younger guy being around rather than an older guy for some reason. Either way, they desperately needed another roommate.

With a little sigh, Sebastian dressed in the usual shirt and tie and slacks combo before leaving for the day. When he returned, he parked his silver Buick Century in the driveway and glanced at the green numbers of the clock on the dashboard. 5:34 PM. It was getting late, but there was no sign of any other cars yet. It seemed that neither of his roommates, not the new one or the old one, had arrived yet.

Well, that was fine. He'd just go inside and make something for himself to eat. He pushed his glasses back up over his green eyes and ruffled his short brown hair before stepping inside the little house. He approached the refrigerator of the kitchen, smiling at the various crayon and printer paper masterpieces magneted to it. He especially like the one of the two green stick figures standing in a field of flowers and trees with arrows pointing to them, indicating which one was "Daddy" and which one was "Kayley."

He tore his gaze away from the picture to look inside the fridge for something to eat, spotting a Tupperware container filled with spaghetti from the other night. He grinned and grabbed it. Spaghetti always tasted better the longer it sat in the fridge.

((feel free to bust in the house 8D ))

[zuisouroku]

→ ???

Suddenly, the front door swung open to reveal a sultry mess of long, dark pin-straight hair that stood partially hunched over yet proudly on two pale, fairly toned legs...ever so accentuated by equally bold, black fishnets. With an exasperated huff, the curtain of raven locks reared back to reveal a pair of high cheekbones, and a prominent, finely cut jaw which framed a thin, slightly upturned nose and a pair of darkly painted almond eyes and lips. At first glance, everything about this individual screamed "woman"—"harlot," even—yet as soon as they opened their mouth, their designated gender beneath all the flashy frills and face-paint was undoubtedly clear: this harlot wasn't a harlot, per say, but a rent-boy.

"Damn, you really weren't kidding about the rent situation—just where can a guy expect to get some food in this joint? I'm starving..."

His sharp baritone rang out and into the room as his brown eyes scanned the rather barren and poorly furnished premises; slightly raspy, with a gruff undertone: a smoker's voice, with a big attitude. Without missing a beat, the newcomer continued to show himself in, dragging a large, leopard print suitcase behind him, as if his vinyl, fire engine red miniskirt and four-inch knock-me-down black high heels didn't already complete the bizarre picture.

"I take it you're Sebastian? The one I spoke to over the phone, recently?" He directed at the man seated at the table, eyeing him warily with an arched brow, almost judgmentally. "Where do you want me to put my stuff?" Yet, before he could be directed, he began to wander off on his own, past the kitchenette to where he believed his empty room was.

"Don't worry about not having space as far as parking goes: I got dropped off. I don't have a car." He called back, growing increasingly more irritated and impatient. Just what was with this place? It's in need of some serious redecorating, to say the least... Even the thought made him grimace.

After two wrong guesses, he finally found what was supposed to be his room; sure, it had four walls, a fan and a light switch, along with some outlets and the like, but he couldn't really call it a room.

"Now you've really got to be kidding me, old man..." He grumbled aloud, staring in disbelief at the sorry excuse for a bed: just two mattresses stacked on top of one another. On the floor. Sighing heavily, he bit his lower lip and ran his fingers through his hair. "...No bed frame, and I seriously doubt that they're even Queen-sized, if that."

The rest of the room wasn't much better, or even much to look at, in his (high) opinion: drably painted, without even a window. And no adjoining bathroom. He would really have to walk in the morning. —goddamn. The least I can do is pray that I don't have to share it... If he were really lucky, maybe there were two, and maybe, just maybe, he could con one of the other two out of giving him his own bathroom. But, that was just more than likely wishful thinking on his part.

"I've gotta hand it to ya, but I don't know how you do it," He halfheartedly commended out of sarcasm as he strode back into the presence of the other, before pulling out a chair from the opposite end of the small table and seating himself, legs crossed at the ankles. "No wonder you need my help..."

His voice drifted along with his gaze, and he came across the small multitude of drawings that covered the refrigerator. A kid? How quaint. And with who, your roommate? It's not like I see a ring on your finger. Living with two middle-aged men, and otherwise two men who were approximately, if not exactly ten years older than he was would be...interesting, to say the least, for a 20-year old such as himself.

"Mind running the details by me again?" He would take just about anything, as long as it at least sounded better than the reality—like it had over the phone.

"...and my name's Asher, in case you didn't catch it. Feel free to call me 'Ash.'"

It was going to be one hell of a ride, he could already tell.



(( So sorry that it took me so long! Trying to come up with a name proved harder than I thought it would. >< ))

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

Startled at first by the sound of the front door swinging open, Sebastian nearly dropped the fork he was using to eat the cold spaghetti as he leaned on the counter of the kitchen. His eyes laid on the intruder and as soon as he saw the... man, Sebastian choked on the noodles and and started coughing, having to lean over the sink and force himself to spit out the bite of food he was eating. After regaining his composure for a moment and breathing properly, he washed it down the sink and grabbed a glass, filling it with the tap water and gulping it down. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve before looking up again.

Yep. He had seen correctly. Not that Sebastian minded that much. Sure it was strange and he himself would never think of dressing that way, but he didn't judge people. How could he? Unfortunately, his roommate didn't have the same ideals. This would cause a whole mess of problems. Like, a giant s**t-storm was about to destroy 2321, Westend Road.

"Y-yeah, I'm Sebastian. Sebastian... Ford," the older male replied as he put the food back in the refrigerator, suddenly not hungry. He was far too worried about how he would get bitched out by Andrew for this. Well, Andrew just have to deal with it for now. They couldn't afford to kick Ash out immediately.

Details. Details? Oh, yes. There were a few ground rules about the house that Sebastian would make sure to run by Ash again.

"Uh," he started, pinching the bridge of his nose and readjusting his glasses again. He'd have to remember to tighten the screw in the damn thing later. "There's no smoking inside the house. And no guests unless you run it by either me or Andrew." He paused and tried to think of anything else that should be said. Hopefully this nightmare would end soon. The worst part about it was that it had hardly even begun. He was going to get so much s**t from Andrew. "I have custody of my daughter every weekend, so there's no cursing around her, please."

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

At Mr. Ford's subsequent reaction towards his outward appearance, Ash fought hard to refrain from rolling his eyes. So, I'm dealing with a couple of those guys... He sighed heavily, managing to keep any further outbursts under control, albeit his now, slightly clenched fists were steadily whitening beneath the table. However, he couldn't, and wouldn't let any form of intolerance stop him: he would just have to set them straight.

Briefly, Ash closed his eyes and straightened himself in a single, deep, calming breath, and once his hands returned to what had been their previously folded position in his lap, he proceeded to lock his gaze on Sebastian, offering the poor man no chance of escape. A bit of diplomacy was to be in order.

"Let me make one thing perfectly clear, Mr. Ford," He began in an almost chillingly soft tone, "I do what I need to, to get myself by, and I certainly don't need to hear anything from you, or your roommate—Andrew—about my choices." Because, when you're a high school dropout in a withering economy, what else can you do? He absolutely hated it, but he couldn't deny the fact that it was still money. Sure, he had other options, but... You make choices, and s**t happens. All he could say was that it was better than nothing. He could pay their rent, and that was all that mattered, in this situation.

"Don't worry about me with the kid," He continued, glancing at the refrigerator out of the corner of his eye; if but for a moment, he cracked a small smile. He knew he didn't look it, now, but honestly: deep down, he loved kids, and they always seemed to love him, for some reason. "And as far as guests go: don't worry about that, either. I can assure you that I won't have any. I have clients, not friends. But I will be needing my key, so that I can go to work and not have to worry about being locked out when I get back... You've made me a key, right?" As for no smoking inside the house? Well... He'd let that one slide, pretend he didn't hear it. He could always use that against either of them, if they happened to piss him off.

"But aside from that, I have a few other questions for you. What's this Andrew guy like?" If he's anything like you, from what you've already demonstrated, we're going to have some problems. "And, just how many bathrooms does this place have, again?" He could learn to deal with whatever the first answer going to be, but the answer to that last question was very, very important.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

"I won't say anything," Sebastian responded quickly. He was nervous now that this Ash guy got the wrong first impression from him. Well, that tends to happen when you spit out spaghetti all over the sink just at the sight of them. "I just... I mean, I don't care. It's just that Andrew..." he stopped and let his voice trail off for a second, trying to think of how to say this very important detail as he shuffled through a kitchen drawer, searching for one of the spare house keys. "He's my friend but, uh, I don't quite agree with all of his morals." Oh, he could have said a lot more than that, like why, but there was no way he could let that little detail slip. He'd be in a whole world of hurt, emotionally and financially, if he lost Andrew just because of this struggling sexuality thing. Well, maybe this experience would be good for Andrew. Then again, maybe not. Sebastian wouldn't put it past him if he tried to move out the next day.

With a little sigh, he walked over to the kitchen table and handed the key to Ash. "Oh, to answer your other question: we have two bathrooms. The master bedroom has one, but that's Andrew's room. You and I will be sharing the one in the hallway, if that's alright. If you want your own, well..." he stopped, realizing there really wasn't anywhere to go with that sentence. So he just shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you."

His eyes glanced over to the clock on the microwave. five forty-five. His daughter would be dropped off here around six-thirty and Andrew would be home at seven. God, did Sebastian dread seven o'clock. Already he could feel his heart racing and unease settling in as he tapped his fingers on the counter nervously.

"I-If you need anything, just ask me," he stated suddenly as he opened up one of the cabinets and pulled out an orange prescription bottle and unscrewed the cap, pouring one of the little pills into his hand and dry swallowing it quickly. "I wouldn't bother Andrew for anything," he finished his statement as he put the lid back on the bottle and placed it in the cabinet once more.

"I'm uh, I'm going to sit down," he said as he exhaled slowly and exited the kitchen to the connecting living room, sitting down on the couch, leaning back and staring up at the ceiling as if at a loss.

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

For the most part, Ash sat quietly and simply watched as the other paced nervously around the room, taking the small key that had been handed to him without a word. He could care less about someone else's morals, and he would make sure that they knew it, if push ever came to shove. It wasn't until Sebastian opened his mouth to explain that not only was he going to have to share a bathroom, but share a bathroom with him, no less, that Ash stood merely out of protest, palms down on the table, and rather shamelessly and bluntly said:

"Well, ********—" Oh, was he ever going to lay into Andrew as soon as the b*****d got home... You're well on your way to making my permanent s**t-list, and I haven't even met you, yet, buddy. The master bedroom and bathroom? No. Just no.

As if to emphasize his thoughts, he shook his head, biting hard on his lower lip as he briefly took the opportunity to regain his composure while his long hair veiled his face, before turning his back to the other and walking off in the direction of his new room, the steady click-clack of his heels the only sound before the sudden closure of the door ushered in complete silence.

A solid ten minutes passed before he reemerged, completely changed and with a clean face. Now, Ash sported a white, pinstripe shirt covered by simple black waistcoat and a matching pair of black slacks, his high heels having been traded out for a pair of black loafers. Hopefully this would lessen any problems, but he doubted it.

"—If Andrew has a problem with me, he can confront me about it, himself. Otherwise, I'll stay out of his way as long as he stays out of mine. Simple as that." He announced abruptly, and rather coldly, wasting no time in showing himself around the kitchen. You can't rely on anyone but yourself. There was no way in hell he'd be asking either of the two for help with anything, ever. Certainly not at this rate. "His 'morals' can suck my..." Audible or not, he didn't care if Sebastian heard, or even paid attention to his grumbling: he had every right to complain. This night just kept going from bad to worse.

Armed with a plate, a napkin, and some silverware, he proceeded to brave the fridge—and, what a surprise: pretty barren, much like the rest of the place. That was it.

"I'm going out," He looked over his shoulder at the man seemingly uncomfortably seated on the couch as he spoke, before placing everything he had taken out on the table and walking off once more to retrieve his key. "There's nothing to eat, and I sure as hell am not going to starve to death."

However, even somewhat to his own surprise, he found himself asking "Do you need anything?" when he finally made his way to the front door. It was more out of reflex and habit, more of simple common courtesy than actual caring, but even still. He really wasn't as much of a hard-a** as he tried to play himself off to be, and if but for that very moment, the man he tried so hard to keep locked away beneath a tough exterior, showed.

"I mean... I guess Andrew's going to be hungry, too... And it'll be nice not to have to worry about what to eat for the rest of the week."

If he was going to be living with the two of them, might as well attempt to make nice, no matter how unbearable... Right? And maybe he'd be lucky enough to dodge a bullet. At least for now.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

'You gotta tell him that yourself,' Sebastian thought in regard to Andrew and Ash keeping to themselves. Then again, Andrew would most likely seclude himself from Ash whenever and however possible. That's what the roommate usually did, and Sebastian knew it. Andrew never said anything, never even looked at the person, just avoided them as much as possible even to the point of not even acknowledging their existence if they talked to him. All of that just because of a lifestyle. It was sickening, but a friend was a friend, despite secrets and differences.

He sat there with both of his hands grabbing fistfuls of his short, messy hair as he stared up at the ceiling. Only when he was addressed with another question did he force himself to calm down and look over at Ash, who was standing in the doorway. Admittedly, the male looked a lot better without the disguise, but Sebastian wasn't going to say anything about that.

Did he need anything? Well damn. They were in desperate need of a trip to the grocery store, but he figured he'd go tomorrow and take Kayley with him so she could pick out some things to eat for the weekend. He was a bit surprised that Ash had even asked though. He seemed like such a hard-a** so far. "No," he responded with a little smile, appreciating the offer. "I'm going to go shopping tomorrow, so just worry about yourself for now."

He didn't know how long Ash would be gone for, but perhaps he'd be back much later and it would prolong the time he had to figure out how he was going to go about dealing with this whole situation. Maybe he wouldn't have to deal with it until morning.

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

That was all that needed to be said; Ash could take a hint. It was clear enough from Sebastian's overall body language alone that he wanted him to be gone for a while, despite the small smile he had offered.

"For the record, this is going to be just as hard for me as it is for you, maybe even harder." He murmured quietly, a touch of sadness growing in the undertone of his voice. The longer he could keep what he did for a living from Andrew, the better, and he would be relatively safe until then, he assumed... But the question still remained: just how long could he manage to do that? The other was bound to see him in dress-code—for lack of a better term—sooner or later, and it wasn't like Sebastian would (at least voluntarily,) cover for him. Damn it all. Not that he cared what people thought of him; he'd gotten over that ages ago. The only thing he was concerned about, now, was being able to keep a roof over his head. In other words, getting kicked out wasn't an option, and whether this Andrew liked it or not, he was determined to stay. At least until he was presented with better options, if any.

In the meantime, he hoped that the pair's need to pay rent would prove strong enough, even in spite of eventually being 'discovered'.

"I'm off, then," He continued, and with that, he began his long trek to the nearest grocery store, closing the door firmly behind him; as much as he hoped that he wouldn't have far to walk, at the same time, he knew that there was no way that he'd be coming back anytime soon, surely giving Mr. Ford the time that he so apparently needed.

"Maybe I'll stop for some tea... Yeah, a cup of tea and a nice, long smoke sounds good..."


Around 9:30 that night, Asher returned to the complex, entering as calmly as he had left, with the vague hope of going about his business relatively unnoticed. Although, once he reacquainted himself with the tiny kitchen, it wasn't long before various aromatic spices filled the air, while a heaping of rice mixed with chicken and vegetables sizzled lively in the pan.

"I hope you like stir-fry, because there's more than enough for two, here," He called absently to anyone who would listen, though he was mainly thinking of Andrew, unless the man had already helped himself, earlier.

After serving himself up a plate, he returned to the grocery bags to pull out a single, king-sized Hershey's milk chocolate bar; carrying it back to the table with him, he set it down in the center, and began to eat, momentarily excusing himself once more when he realized he'd forgotten to grab himself something to drink.

"I got your daughter a little something," He said as he closed the refrigerator door and made his way back to his place at the table, having contented himself with a glass of water. "I hope she's not allergic to chocolate." He pointed casually to the chocolate bar in front of him.

Maybe this sort of "peace offering" would help some, too.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

When nine-thirty rolled around, Sebastian and Kayley were contained in the living room with the television playing a Disney movie in hopes that the energetic little girl would soon get tired and want to go to bed. It was already past her bed time, but with some negotiating on her part, she had convinced her father to let her stay up until nine-thirty. She was his only child, so it was a bit hard for him to deny her anything within reasonable limits. It pushing it, but he supposed it would be alright once in a while. He was just about to get up and turn off the movie when Ash entered the house.

The brown-haired girl perked up from her seat on the leather couch when she heard the front door open and watched with interest as a man she had never seen before walked into their kitchen and began cooking something. "Daddy, who's that?" she whispered in his ear, making Sebastian chuckle.

He stood, picked her up and carried her into the kitchen to greet Ash. As soon as the girl saw the chocolate bar on the table, she smiled and wriggled free from her father's grasp, climbing up onto one of the table's chairs to grab it.

"Woah woah woah, Kayley," he said quickly. "You can't eat that now. It's time for bed."

The green-eyed girl pouted and frowned. "But Daddy," she started, but she was cut off.

"You can have it tomorrow, okay? Tell Ash thank you." He gestured towards the younger male sitting at the table. The girl looked at him for a few seconds and said her thank you before slipping off the chair and going back towards the familiar figure of her father. "He's going to be staying here for a little while, too," he continued as he knelt down to face her.

"Oh, like a sleepover with you and Mr. Andrew?" she inquired curiously.

Sebastian nodded warily. "Yeah, kinda. But you know what? You need to sleep in order to have a sleepover. Now go get ready for bed, okay? I'll be there in a minute."

The little girl nodded before rushing off towards the hallway.

Sebastian stood straight again and turned his gaze back to Ash. "I think Andrew is in the shower right now but he'll probably be out in a few minutes," he stated with a little shrug. "Thanks for the candy bar, and for making food. I'm not hungry, but Andrew will probably eat some. By the way, what kind of food do you like? Just so I can have an idea of what to get at the store tomorrow."

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

He was unable to hide his smile as the little girl came bounding towards him, even if was just for the chocolate bar. She was a pretty young thing, but the one thing he noticed about her, first and foremost, were her vivid green eyes. Gorgeous... He had a thing for green eyes; ironically, hers were almost, if not exactly like her father's. Under any other circumstance, he never would have entertained his thoughts with the older man who stood nearby, but now—now that he had a real opportunity to look at him—he couldn't help himself: if but for a moment, his mouth gaped open ever so slightly.

Am I seriously trying to convince myself that this guy is even remotely attractive? He caught himself thinking. But those eyes... And his tousled hair, not quite unlike that milk chocolate bar: a very pleasant, rich shade of brown. He rather liked the way it framed his face, and noted that Sebastian had strong features, much like his own, albeit more squared. A bit of age showed on his face, but Ash supposed that was to be expected from having to work an office job. His lips closed into a smile once again, yet one that was much smaller than before, and what would be called uncharacteristically soft, given his attitude up until now. He shook his head to clear his mind, and returned the man's gaze.

"A sleepover, huh?" He chuckled. "And I'll eat anything." Pausing a little after he realized what he said, and what it could be taken as, especially after his initial impression, he cleared his throat and immediately corrected himself with: "I mean, it's no trouble. Whatever is fine. I'm not a picky eater." But even at that point, he contemplated biting his tongue: everything he was saying to Mr. Ford sounded wrong to him, or at least he could see how it could be taken the wrong way, and of course there was nothing wrong with a little perverted humor, but he doubted that he was dealing with the proper crowd and now particularly wasn't the time and place for that, anyway...

"You going to bed, now?" Asher was quick to change the subject as he got up to serve himself a second helping. "Don't worry about the dishes, then. I'll get them. And I'll keep an eye out for Andrew, too. And, uh... Don't worry about the chocolate." He added quietly. "It must be tough, being a single father."

Quitting while he was ahead was a lesson he'd yet to learn, and he wished that he had just kept his mouth shut, right then. Why was he opening himself up to this man, anyway? Why did he care?

...damn you and your green eyes.

That was it, and nothing more. Merely a passing fancy. There's no way he would ever fall for someone like that.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford & Andrew Walker

Well, now the older man was content knowing that he wouldn't have to buy anything special. It wasn't a problem anyways, but it was a little less to worry about on his already troubled mind. He didn't say anything in return though, even though he could have easily started to explain that he wasn't going to bed and probably wouldn't be for a long time. It was because Asher's last comment struck a chord inside of him, one that made him stop and think for a moment. Ash was right: tough wasn't a strong enough word to describe how it felt being single and being a father at the same time who couldn't see his daughter like he wanted to. It was hard going through a divorce and having to move away from everything he had been so familiar with before, but being away from Kayley for most of the time was what hurt the most. Granted, he saw her almost every weekend, it still wasn't enough time. He wanted to be there for her every day.

But those thoughts remained in his head and he simply offered a little, almost sad smile to Ash in return to the comment before leaving the kitchen. He passed a freshly-washed and clothed Andrew on his way to the bedroom to tuck Kayley in for the night.

Andrew was a fellow of average height, whereas Sebastian was a bit on the tall side. Mr. Andrew had brown eyes, and the color of his hair couldn't really be determined as he kept it extremely short, almost a military buzz. He and Sebastian were both on the fit and toned side, but Andrew's muscles were just a bit more prominent. He stepped through the living room and into the kitchen, catching the aroma of cooked food with a grin on his face. "You the new guy, eh?" he said as he walked in and spotted the male sitting at the table. He inspected him for a moment, noting that there was just something strange about him but he couldn't pinpoint it. It bugged him, but he supposed it could be ignored for now. Besides, there was food ready for the taking. "I'm Andrew... What was your name again?" he asked as he fixed himself a plate and grabbed one of the only soda cans left in the fridge.

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

Sebastian's sad, parting smile instantly gripped his heart, and that look in his eye—Asher was all too familiar with that look. He wanted to call the other back to apologize, or something, but amidst his struggling to find some words, Sebastian was gone.

Me and my big mouth... If only he knew of a way to make it up to him, somehow, as the comment was borderline uncalled for to begin with, even though he had only been trying to express a little sympathy. Regardless, he would certainly be more careful from now on.

Although, he had little time to dwell as Andrew waltzed in from out of the shower. Briefly, Asher moved to stand and shake his hand as he passed him on his way to the sink, to take care of his own dishes.

"Just call me Ash." No more, no less. However, upon standing, he noted that he was slightly taller than the man, albeit not nearly as physically built: as Andrew was more of what he thought to be the muscular, almost body-builder type, Ash was very lean, and rather lightly toned in comparison, and even to Sebastian.

"So," He began, in an attempt to break the silence, "How long have you two been rooming together?" Honestly, he didn't know what else he could say, and he wasn't particularly sure that he even wanted to get to know the guy anymore than that. Casual, or even hard indifference would be just fine, and perhaps even for the best.

[top tsundere]

→ Andrew Walker

"Ash... okay," he replied, committing the name to memory as he pulled out a chair from the table and sat himself down. He took a few bites and swallowed before answering the new roommate's question. "Sebastian and I were roommates in college for a few years," he started. "Then we graduated and he got married and we both went our separate ways for a while until recently. He needed to move out of his house and I needed a place to stay, so we decided to pitch in and rented this place out. We've only been here for a few months now. But we both have shitty incomes, so..." he stopped and left the rest of that sentence hanging. Not like it mattered anyways, the rest of it was painfully obvious.

He finished eating and rinsed off his dishes, then put them in the dishwasher and searched the fridge some more, not particularly clear on what he was looking for, but he was still hungry. He glanced up when Sebastian came back into the kitchen. "Kayley asleep?" Andrew inquired as he shut the refrigerator door in discontent.

"Yeah," he replied, glancing between the two males in the kitchen. So far, he didn't sense any hostility in the air. That was a good thing. But he really didn't have anything else to say, he just stood there a bit awkwardly until Andrew left the room and went back to his own, clearly bored. That left Ash and Sebastian in the kitchen alone once again.

"Well, good night I guess," he said, dropping his shoulders as if he was extremely tense before Andrew left.

[zuisouroku]

→ Ash

Ash only listened quietly as Andrew spoke, secretly hoping he would say something about the stir-fry, but when it became clear that the other could obviously care less, he tried his best to forget about it. It's not like he was out fishing for compliments, anyway, and in all honesty: that look on Sebastian's face from earlier still lingered in the back of his mind, making it a bit hard for him to concentrate.

Enough so that, when Sebastian finally reentered the kitchen, Ash almost jumped when he turned and saw him standing there. "O-oh, Sebastian..." He stammered slightly, clearing his throat and quickly running his fingers through his hair. "Um, yeah—goodnight, then, I guess..." Should he apologize for earlier? But how? If he didn't do it soon, he would leave again; before he could really think of something, his body moved into action on its own, and he found himself moving after him and reaching out to ever so gently rest a hand between his shoulder blades.

"You know, I'm really sorry about what I said earlier," He went on rather quickly, almost as if he were trying to defend himself, hoping that Sebastian would get what he meant. "It was a bit uncalled for, I realize that now. I just..." He didn't even know where he was going with this anymore, and just what did he think he was doing, reaching out and touching a man he had barely just met? Immediately, he withdrew his hand, and thanked his lucky stars for the dimness of the kitchen as it hid the embarrassed flush that covered his cheeks.

"Um, do you—or Andrew—like coffee in the morning?" Again, quick to change the subject. Anything to forget what had just happened. "I'll make some before I go to bed, if you do, so that you'll have it. And you know, I'm surprised that Andrew didn't say anything about my cooking..." He forced a quiet laugh. "He sure ate fast, though."

The sooner he was alone, and perhaps even out of the apartment for the rest of the night, the better.