Private Roleplay

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

He's not a kid. Sebastian itched to argue, however, he refrained from doing so. He didn't categorize Ash in with kids. Kayley was a kid. Ash was an adult, although a bit childish at times, Sebastian still had faith in him. Suddenly it felt like Jude was being much too harsh as opposed to the gentle nature he was led to believe. But, Sebastian was an only child - likewise, he couldn't imagine what it was like to feel responsible for a younger sibling and he attributed that to her stern attitude.

He quirked a brow just slightly, trying to remember if Ash had said anything about running away from scholarships before. It felt like new information, anyways. He mulled it all over in his head through the silence until Jude spoke up again, and it didn't take long for Sebastian to bite his lip and tremble with trepidation. Oh, she would not like hearing about Ash's previous job... And the fact that the young man in question hadn't said anything about it to her at all in the first place.

"I, uh, yeah, I got him the job," he started with a grimace. "But... I don't..." his voice trailed away as he switched between his two options: lie and betray Jude, or tell the truth and betray Ash. He was really caught in a corner and he had to make a decision, and fast.

"That's something you'll have to ask him yourself."

He breathed a silent sigh of relief to himself, hoping that answer would satisfy her even though he doubted it would. Technically, though, he didn't say anything specific about it, but it sure did leave a lot open to interpretation. She would most definitely confront Ash about it and Sebastian was the one who tipper her off, though it wasn't like he had much of a choice.

[zuisouroku]

→ Judith (Jude) McLean

It was obvious that she had put Sebastian in a precarious position, as she assumed she would have, but rather than call him out on his hesitation and thereby challenge him further, Jude merely held his emerald gaze with her own, for a time, relentless and searching, even in the dark. She held his gaze for so long in the silence that followed that her vision began to blur again with tears, and when he still refused to cave, she wiped her eyes, and instead, offered him a small, half-sardonic, close-lipped smile before turning her attention to the floor. Good to know that my brother's found a man he can actually trust, for once.

Sighing, the young woman ran a hand through her long, auburn hair, the youth seemingly stripped from her face, if but for a moment: 'responsibility' was an understatement. Truthfully, she didn't even know where to begin, though before she knew it, the untold tale that weighed so heavily upon her heart had already begun.

"It's hard," she murmured, "being the oldest child, on top of having a younger sibling. Your parents expect so much from you; you want to do them proud. You want to be able to set a good example, give your brother someone to look up to. To admire." As she spoke, she glanced up, slowly, and propped her elbows on her knees to rest her head in her hands.

"Mom died when I was eight; Ash was five. Nothing was ever the same, after that..." Especially not our father. "Between being pushed to do even better in school, having to raise my brother nearly all on my own, due to our dad's full-time job, and all the moving that came along with it, my childhood ended abruptly. I doubt Ash remembers much, if anything, honestly. I wouldn't blame him for blocking it all out. God knows I've tried to." Again, she wiped at her eyes, using the small moment to catch her breath and recollect her thoughts.

"When dad found out about Ash, things only got worse. I was out that night with a friend of mine, so I didn't know what had happened, but when I came home, Ash was gone." She continued, sullenly. "I called him, and he told me they had fought, but nothing else. That was four years ago. Between getting myself through school, and getting a job to help support our father, this is the first time that I've gotten to see him, since then...

"I really don't think Ash gets it, how much I've gone through—how much I've done for our family. I certainly could've used his help, in return for all the times I've had to stick up for him." Her words were forced, now. Nearly broken. "He doesn't realize that I've been the only one keeping our family together." With a deep breath, she turned to Sebastian, her lips twisted into a frown. She had only just broached the subject with the older man before, but her brother's sudden arrival, eager to know what Hyde had sent along with her to give to him, had made her think twice, that time. Now, she saw no reason to hold back.

"Our dad... He had a stroke, last year. He can't take care of himself, anymore, and it's getting harder for me to take care of him, along with everything else. So, I've been looking into nursing homes, and found a few here, in Florida." She chuckled, although it was a single, pitiful, hollow sound. "I thought it would be nice, you know? So that we could all be a family, again." Her lips quivered, and her green eyes suddenly turned pleading.

"When I mentioned to you earlier that I was actually thinking of moving down here: that's partly why, and partly why I'm here, now, to see them first-hand. My only problem is, I haven't told Ash. I... I don't know how he'll react, and honestly, I'm scared." Tentatively, Jude cleared her throat.

"You mentioned that your previous roommate moved out—" It was the briefest of pauses, but she was sure Sebastian knew exactly what she was thinking. The one you said Ash got into a fight with. "—and I'd prefer to make the move sooner, rather than later... So, if you need another roommate, let me know." By the end of her sentence, the redhead's voice had shrunk down to almost a whisper; it was difficult to say, after having given the man such a hard time, in the beginning, hardly at all like the previous talks they'd had. However subtle, it was a request for forgiveness, and a thank you, all the same: it was nice just having someone to hear her out, after having kept everything bundled up inside for so long. For the first time, she smiled. A true, genuine smile; the one Mr. Ford was used to seeing, by now.

"Did Ash ever give you Hyde's number, by the way?" She added softly, curious. "Have you called him, yet?"

It was probably a lot of information for the other male to process, she knew, and adding the guitarist into the mix probably wasn't the best idea, given that, but with his most recent relationship development with Ash, she figured that now would be the time to ask, if ever. It is almost November...

Hyde would be there, soon, and neither Ash, nor Sebastian, she thought, would truly be ready for his impending arrival. Though, I really hope at least one of them will prove me wrong.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

"I'm sorry about your parents," Sebastian said, though the sentiment was genuine. He had known something of the story from Ash, and after hearing the rest and more from Jude, that was all he could think to say, at first. "And Ash, but I know he appreciates you... And I know he loves you. He just... has a strange way of showing it."

What Jude wanted - what she was trying to accomplish, Sebastian thought it brave, and he found it touching, although he had to remind himself not everything happened in life like they did in movies. Ash's father had apparently been resentful, but... I hope they can make up. Sebastian didn't know the extent of the man's condition, either, nor how Ash would take hearing the news, but he had to know, whether it be sooner or later.

Sebastian cleared his throat. "Y-yeah... I have Hyde's number, but I haven't made the call, yet," he replied at length. A small, shaky sigh left his dry, parted lips and condensed into the cool night air. His right hand searched in the pocket of his pants for his flip phone, and he nervously fumbled with it, though didn't pull it out of the pocket just yet. "Was thinking I'd do that tonight." He wasn't ready to. He wasn't sure he'd ever be ready to, but it was something that desperately needed to be done, regardless. I wonder what he'll have to say...

He sighed again, looked over to Jude, and caught her gaze in the lingering darkness. His voice fell to a soft tone, just above a whisper. "I'll tell Ash about his father... And your reason for being here, too, if you want me to." It was about all he could offer to do, even though he himself was afraid of what the younger male's reaction would be as well.

[zuisouroku]

→ Judith (Jude) McLean

Unbidden, a demure smile rose to the young woman's lips, even as she shook her head in polite decline of the older man's offer. "No, you don't have to do that; I'll tell him. It's best if he hears it from me, anyway. I think I just needed to get it off my chest, was all." Sighing, Jude let out the rest of her pent up tension in a breathy laugh and proceeded to stand. It was an attempt to lighten the mood, however small. "Thanks for listening. I... I really appreciate it."

As for Hyde, the redhead said nothing—that was, until she reached the door, turning to look at Sebastian once again from over her shoulder, a tentative hand on the cool frame.

"If you are going to make that call tonight, though, best do it while he's still preoccupied." As she imagined her younger brother would still be in the shower for quite a while, yet, knowing him. "Doubt it'll take you too long." Although, Sebastian did want to hear Hyde's side of things, she recalled... In which case I hope he'll be in the mood to talk. Her eyes drifted to where his right hand still fidgeted with his phone in his pocket and she offered him another smile, able to imagine just how uneasy he was feeling.

Relax. "It might go better than you think." But I'll keep my fingers crossed, just in case.

With that, she resolved to give Sebastian the privacy he deserved, although whether he wished to remain outside or follow her inside, she was unsure, and so she left the door open a crack after quietly showing herself in.

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

He merely nodded to Jude, and watched as she quietly slipped back inside the house, leaving the door slightly cracked open in her wake. Sebastian, alone now in the night, fidgeted with the phone for a few more moments before he finally mustered the courage to actually pull it out of his pocket and flip it open; the brightness of the basic beach-scene wallpaper angrily blared at him. He squinted at it, grimaced as he flipped through the contacts and hovered the cursor over Hyde's name.

His thumb slowly slid over to the green call button and he sucked in a breath, quickly deciding to close the porch door all the way first before connecting the call.

He returned to his spot, leaning against the coquina wall with the phone pressed to his ear and his other arm securely crossed over his chest as if it would help his heart stop beating to fast and keep his hands from shaking.

What do I say..?

There was suddenly a click, and an answer, and Sebastian fumbled his nervous words for a moment. "H-hi. I'm uh - Sebastian. Ash's... roommate." God dammit. "I uh, heard you're coming down next month, but I wanted to ask you a few things, before I meet you in person, or... I wanted to know, if there was anything you wanted to say, to me, before then."

[zuisouroku]

→ Hirohide (Hyde) Nakamura

The familiar electric guitar chords and upbeat drumline of his anime-themed ringtone cut through the otherwise quiet night, catching him off-guard and causing him to nearly drop his cigarette. I need to remember to change the volume on that damned thing... Though, just who would be calling at this hour? 305. A Florida area code, but not a number he recognized. Even so, Hyde fumbled with the device for a moment before carefully putting it up to his ear and connecting the call, if only out of pure curiosity's sake. Could it have been Ash?

"This is Nakamura,"

The voice that answered him was even more surprising.

"H-hi. I'm uh - Sebastian. Ash's... roommate. I uh, heard you're coming down next month, but I wanted to ask you a few things, before I meet you in person, or... I wanted to know, if there was anything you wanted to say, to me, before then."

Hyde's dark eyes flew wide, and he exhaled the thick cloud of smoke left from his last drag; it was all he could do not to laugh. Now this was a surprise!

"So you're the fabled roommate I've heard so much about..." Whether Jude or Ash had dished out his number, he didn't know; all that mattered was that the other man had it, now, and had the nerve to call. "Yes—I'll be over in a week, actually, if you'd care to meet for coffee or something, perhaps? As anything I'd have to say to you is better left said in person, I'd think." He chuckled amiably.

"But, don't tell Ash: I want it to be a surprise. In the meantime, however, how can I help you, Mr. Ford?"

Just what kind of questions did this guy have in mind, anyway?

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

A week? "I, uh, sure. Let's meet up," he replied hastily, though the afterthought quickly came - what am I getting myself into? At least the guy didn't sound half bad on the phone. But, well... Sebastian was still unsure about him, and ten times more nervous now, thinking about meeting the guy alone somewhere to have an actual face-to-face conversation. "Just give me a call when you arrive and we'll figure it out from there."

"But, y-yeah," the fabled roommate stuttered suddenly before clearing his throat. "I've heard a bit about you, too... So I wanted to be unbiased, before we met. I-if you care to talk, that is. I know it's not really my business anyways, but, well," his voice trailed away and he finished the sentence in his head.

I want to know Ash will be safe, and happy, with you.

[zuisouroku]

→ Hirohide (Hyde) Nakamura

"Ash has talked about me?" For a moment, Hyde felt happy, relieved, even, in spite of his slight surprise. However, it didn't last long. Unbiased, huh? The smile fell from his face, and he fell silent, his breathing punctuated only by another quick puff from his cigarette.

"Ah. So you know." Came the guitarist's reply at last, his voice low. Dammit. "I was afraid you'd ask me that, but like I said: that's something we'll have to discuss in person." Makes me wonder just how much he's told you, anyway...

Regardless, he wasn't going to let Sebastian off the line so easily; he doubted the older man was hardly placated by that response, so he opted to change the subject, if only to make the call more worth their while.

"How is he, by the way? Heard he got into a fight, busted his jaw... Wasn't with you, was it?" He chuckled, only teasing. "I hope he'll heal up in time for the show. Best take care of him for me until I get there." If nothing else, his concern for the vocalist was genuine. "He gave you the extra ticket I sent with Jude, right? You coming? It'd be nice to see you there, honestly, though I'm not sure as to the kind of music you listen to, if any."

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

Sebastian nodded to himself. "Yeah, you're right..." The story was probably better said in person. He let out a small sigh, and was then caught slightly off guard as the other male continued to talk.

"Ah - yeah, no. But, he's doing well. He, uh, gave me the other ticket, so I'll definitely be there. Wouldn't miss it." He laughed nervously, paused, and then switched the phone from his right hand and ear to his left. "I... listen to classic rock, mostly. And to be honest, I've never been to a concert, so, I guess this'll be kind of a new experience for me."

"Anyways, we'll talk more next week. Have a good night." He hoped that wasn't too curt of an end to the conversation, but the longer it went, the more uneasy he got. Aside from that, Ash would probably be getting out of the shower soon.

Ash...

Sebastian shoved his phone back in his pocket, then reached up and touched the tender bruise underneath his jaw that the younger male had left him. He swallowed the heavy lump that had formed in his throat before he turned and walked back inside the house, catching Jude's gaze for just a moment and offering her a small grin. For a moment, he considered telling her about Hyde's plan to meet him for coffee, but quickly decided against it.

He sat down on the couch in the living room by his young daughter, who was currently preoccupied with crayons and a coloring book at the coffee table. "What're you coloring there, Miss K?" he inquired curiously, leaning over her shoulder to have a look.

"It's a garden of flowers," she chimed, holding the book up so that he and Jude could see. Among the green of the grass and the brightly colored petals were four hand-drawn stick figures. "I drew me, and you, and Uncle Ash, and mommy, too." She pointed out each one as she said their names, and the features on each figure were distinguishable enough to tell who was who.

A true, genuine smile then lit up Sebastian's face. "Ah, it's very good, Miss K. You're a true artist. Should we hang that one on the fridge, too?"

"No, not yet! I'm not done!" the little girl replied hastily, and subsequently went back to work on her masterpiece.

[zuisouroku]

→ Asher (Ash) McLean

The awkward pauses, nervous laughter, and overall lack of articulation were dead giveaways. Complete with an abrupt hangup, Hyde was honestly almost disappointed as he pulled his cellphone back from his ear and returned it to his pocket. At least Sebastian felt intimidated, if not even slightly threatened, but...

He's making this all too easy.

Perhaps their little coffee "date" would go better.



Jude caught the older man's grin upon his return, and flashed him a discreet smile of her own as he passed her on his way to the couch. Seems things went well, after all, she thought, rather pleasantly surprised. Good.

Perhaps things wouldn't turn out as badly as she feared, after all.


"Your daddy's right, Ms. K: you just keep getting better and better. Mind drawing something for me, sometime?" Ash emerged from the hall with a smile as well, in a plain white wife-beater and a pair of faded black sweatpants, running his fingers through his still damp hair as he sauntered over to view the little girl's latest masterpiece in progress, catching his counterpart's flicker of surprise out of the corner of his eye as he gently, briefly laid his other hand on his shoulder, before ultimately sliding up next to him on the couch.

His sister followed behind him, with a cup of what he just as soon realized was tea: chamomile, and likely decaffeinated, in order to help him sleep. He thanked her quietly, taking a sip and continuing to watch Kayley draw away, aware again of the new choker he sported about his neck as he swallowed: a simple, thick black hempen chord from which an iridescent red guitar pick hung. Another gift from Hyde; the guitarist's "lucky charm." It had gotten caught in the corner of the envelope, much like the other male warned against in his letter, and Ash had nearly forgotten about it until he'd gone to throw the envelope away before his shower and it had fallen out.

November's not that far away... Though, whether he was entirely comforted by that fact, the younger male wasn't entirely sure. But I'll have plenty of time to dwell on that, later. October wasn't quite over, just yet.

"Halloween's coming up in a few days," he piped suddenly. "Are we gonna go trick-or-treating, Kayely? What're you gonna be, this year?"

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

"I'm gonna be Frankie Stein from Monster High," the girl responded, smile beaming.

"I thought you liked Draculaura," Sebastian replied, a brow raised, but his grin never faded, even in spite of Ash's new accessory, courtesy of Hyde, he assumed. But he said nothing, only enjoyed the other male's presence when and where he could.

"I do, but I changeded my mind."

"Well then, we'll have to get you a costume tomorrow."



Indeed, Halloween rolled around quickly, and went by just as fast. Kayley was returned to Camilla, for the time being, although against Sebastian's personal wishes, especially with Andrew still in the picture there, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Due to that, his nervous anticipation kept getting worse, and as he waited for that phone call from Hyde.

And his only other moral support had since returned to California.

The exchange with Hyde over the phone was very brief - merely a when and where, so when the time came, Sebastian sneaked out of the house under the guise of 'running some errands' when Ash was preoccupied.

In the parking lot of the café, Sebastian sat in his car, just breathing and collecting his thoughts for a few quiet minutes before he finally worked up the courage to get out and go inside, despite the cold sweat that started beading on his skin. At that moment, he was glad he had told Jude that he and Hyde were going to meet, as she was able to show him a picture before she had left. At least he wouldn't be wandering around the café like an idiot.

In fact, he spotted Hyde almost immediately, even amidst the lunchtime crowd. With his two-toned hair and brightly-colored contacts, Hyde clearly made no effort to blend in to the native Miami crowd, who still wore their beach clothes and sunglasses and flip flops and bleached hair in the middle of November.

Sebastian was far from a Miamian himself, despite having lived there for so long. He thought he must have seemed bland and out of place, too, in faded dark blue jeans, a plain black v-neck with its long sleeves rolled up to the middle of his forearms, and his messy, tousled chestnut hair nothing less than a little unruly.

"Hey," he offered to the other male a greeting with a slight nod and a hand extended for a handshake. "N-nice to meet you."

[zuisouroku]

→ Hirohide (Hyde) Nakamura

Halloween was fun, though once Kayley had returned to Camilla's iron clutches and Jude flew safely back to the City of Angels, it was back to reality.

And it's not like Seb and I'll have much time to ourselves, either. Ash thought, sighing heavily. Maybe it was his imagination, but with Hyde's impending arrival, they both seemed to be busier than usual. Hell, he's off running his own errands right now... It would be hard to make time for one another, especially once the guitarist was actually here. Not that he could complain, however: he was busy doing his own thing, attempting to brush up on his Japanese, the soft whirring of his laptop echoing throughout the room as it warmed his legs.

But that familiar doubt steadily began to seep through the corners of his mind, and in the relative silence, Ash hoped against hope that Sebastian would be able to forgive him.


His sister, meanwhile, had lost her own nerve, unable to tell Ash about their father's condition before she left, much to her inner disappointment. There'll be another time. There had to be. Regardless, she would have to tell him soon. At least I could help Sebastian a little with Hyde. Though she had to wonder if that was any consolation. Absently, she pulled up the calendar application on her smartphone, slightly surprised when the day's date appeared in bold font with a note attached.

Ah, that's right— she recalled. Sebastian and Hyde were supposed to meet for coffee, today. Maybe I should give him a call, later, to see how things went...

Unless, of course, the older man beat her to it.


The guitarist himself had just finished perusing the little menu for the third time as Sebastian approached, and quickly put it aside to give the extended hand a firm shake. American mannerisms came naturally to him, although he couldn't say the same for some of his bandmates.

"Sebastian, yeah? Not that hard to find, am I?" He chuckled. Apart from his punk-rock getup, he quickly noted that there weren't nearly as many Asians in Miami as there were in Los Angeles. "Nice to meet you." He motioned to the empty chair across him as he spoke, urging the older man to sit down. We've barely begun, and the guy's already nervous... Heh.

This was bound to get interesting, to say the least.

Can't go wrong with smalltalk first, I guess.

"So, how do you like your coffee? Or are you a tea drinker?"

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

To Hyde's first question, he offered a forced chuckle and a small shrug. "Well, no..." he started, before clearing his throat and sitting down across from the guitarist. "Just because I've seen pictures of you, though."

"And, uh, I'm a coffee person." Perhaps unhealthily so. "Black coffee." Bitter and acidic. He didn't know why he liked it that way, he just did. However unfortunately, not matter how much he wanted to indulge, he knew that drinking a cup of coffee with caffeine in it would only make his nerves that much worse, so he ended up politely refusing anything for the time being.

He folded his arms and leaned on the table. His gaze flicked around the room, settling anywhere but on Hyde's eyes. "So, uh, what was it... that you wanted to talk about?" he asked tentatively, quietly, while slowly turning his head and finally making eye contact.

The small-talk was lost on Sebastian.

Ash, of course... he answered his own question in his head, mentally kicking himself. Whatever it was that Hyde wanted to say, he'd been dreading it for a while now, and he knew he wasn't going to like it. He felt like a kid sitting in the principal's office, waiting for a berating and what the punishment would be.

He let out a small sigh, if only to try to reassure himself. Hell, I might be concerned for no reason... It was a feeble attempt to console himself, too, as there was usually always something to be concerned about, especially when it came to Ash. He cared about the younger male more than words could say... even the word 'love'.

But, as far as Hyde knew, they were just roommates. Sebastian wondered how long he could keep that ruse going, if it was even still working...

[zuisouroku]

→ Hirohide (Hyde) Nakamura

"Jude told me as much," replied Hyde knowingly, pseudo-green eyes never leaving the older male. "Sorry about that." It had been poor planning on his part, not telling Mr. Ford what he looked like. I was just so excited to get here, finally… That, and he never expected to have to deal with Mr. Ford in the first place, if truth be told. Ah well. Not that it mattered, now. He'll be out of the picture, soon enough.

"Oh yeah? I drink mine black, too." Something he was surprised to see that they had in common. (Honestly, Sebastian had struck him as a café au lait or latte kind of guy.) Unlike Ash and some of his other bandmates, Hyde preferred coffee as opposed to tea. 

When Sebastian didn't order, and further pressed the (thus unspoken) subject, however, the guitarist quirked a brow and latched on to the chance to hold his gaze. Did he really want to jump into it straightaway? Well, you're asking for it…

"You said you wanted to know my side of the story." Hyde took a deep breath, and exhaled it heavily through his nose, as if to brace himself, then simply shrugged.

"Couples fight, break up, and get back together all the time, don't they? Ash and I had a fight one night, and I thought we could bounce back from it like we always did, but for whatever reason, he decided that it was the last straw. He left me without even an explanation as to why, afterwards, and without any way to contact him..."

Until now.

"Seems he's finally done being angry with me. So, I've decided that I've got to make it up to him. That's why I'm here, now. You said you were his roommate, right?" Hyde added, clearly choosing his words carefully. "You wouldn't mind if I stayed over for a few days, then, would you? Or if he came back to stay at my hotel with me?"

It all came down to this.

Was Sebastian really his roommate, or was there something more going on, there?

[top tsundere]

→ Sebastian Ford

"R-right," Sebastian mumbled, suddenly reminded of their planned meeting here in the first place. Had he really been so apprehensive that he had forgotten? Well, it wouldn't be the first time he'd done that, anyways.

Hyde's 'side' was hardly the story Sebastian had wanted to hear. He hadn't even spared the older man any details, which made him just that much more wary.

But now he really had no choice but to offer Hyde a smile, and a nod, despite how much he dreaded in doing so. He scratched the back of his head and replied with, "I, uh, I'm afraid my house isn't very glamorous, but..." his voice trailed off for a moment as he worked up the courage to continue, "If you want to stay, you're welcome to. Or... if Ash wants to stay with you, I really have no say in the matter."

Which was true, really. He couldn't, or rather wouldn't, stop Ash from going if he really wanted to. Was that the right thing to do? Or was he just too much of a coward to put up a fight for him? Sebastian didn't know.