[PRP] It's been awhile / Hello, Moose. (Finn/Ripley)

[Enoh Love]

Shift weight, step forward. One foot in front of the other. Repeat.

Three hundred and twenty seven steps to his room. Three hundred and thirty steps to his bed, where he could finally fall and succumb to the darkness that his whole body craved, where he could finally block out the world around him. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he continued to ignore it; it wasn't on the list of things he wanted to deal with right now, and if it was a legitimate emergency, he imagined someone would have come to find him.

Or perhaps the building would light up in sirens.

But until then, he had goals: Bed. Sleep. Forget.

One foot in front of the other. Head down, focus on the hallway.

Only three hundred and nineteen steps to his room.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

Bad habits died hard. At least, in Finn's particular case, that seemed to be true. Weeks after the tower had fallen and he hadn't bothered to check in on his "friends" to see if any of them were okay. Glimpses of them in the hallway or training fields were enough to tell him that they were alive, and beyond that, he cared very little. Beyond that, he also spent most of his time alone, in his room, preferring the solitude that reminded him that he didn't need anybody else.

But a text he had received a few days prior from one friend in particular, one that had garnered not a single follow up afterwards, no matter how obnoxiously Finn answered in return, was rankling on his nerves, more then he cared to admit.

So when he saw a familiar flash of pale hair in the hallway as he was leaving his room, Finn's eye narrowed. It was difficult to decipher the stunted range of emotions he was feeling at the moment, which focuses mainly on a mild sense of both relief and agitation. So, Ripley was still alive then? Good to know, though it would have been better heard from the man himself.

And so, with little thought at all (as most of Finn's actions seemed to be driven by), he strode down the hallway towards the wayward sondeath trainee, reaching out for him from behind, gloved fingers closing around the other mans shoulder before attempting to both turn him and shove him quite forcefully into the wall, without a single word spoken, and a hard glint to the perpetual coldness of his eye.

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

His mental count had dipped below the three hundred mark when he felt something curl over his shoulder. As brief as it was, it was also the only warning he was given before he was turned quite abruptly and shoved backwards, his aching shoulders hitting the wall with little room to do much else. His limbs shifted uselessly around him, not even trying to avoid the surprise attack. He was simply too tired.

Hollow amber eyes peered up at the all-too familiar form in front of him.

"What do you want?" He asked, his voice on edge. Then, he shook his head slowly, as if he decided he didn't care.

"Let go, Finn, and go back to ignoring me." Both hands raised, trying to knock the other man's arms away in unison. "I don't have time for you." He was being cruel, even for him, but at that moment he didn't care; if anyone could take it, it was Finn.

Besides, all he wanted to do was sleep.  

[Seussi]

The fun thing about never thinking before ones actions was not knowing what to expect as a result of them. Sometimes, in rare cases, that was actually the best part. Not knowing. The anticipation of finding out. Ripley had quite visibly been dragging his feet as he walked along the corridor to what Finn presumed would be his room as a final destination, an indication of fatigue. He had just been on a promo mission, and from that Finn could also assume it had not been something simple, perhaps even horrifying in some way, as missions often were.

Now. What reaction would he receive from the forceful grab and shove? He leaned forward, closer to Ripley's face, eye narrowing more and.....

Slow blink. A slight upturning of lips in a smirk that was far from satisfied.

"Weak." He muttered under his breath, fingers digging in just slightly harder into Ripley's shoulder before suddenly letting go, a slight shift in position having him stand back just slightly to give the other man a little more room, regarding him with a silent gaze just a moment longer.

"Really? That's the best you can do? Well then, let me clarify something for you, jackass. You are not in some way ******** special for having lost my acknowledgment of existence. You were simply one among many." The smile spread, as Finn's gaze travelled down, and back up, deliberately, slowly, before he leaned in more with what was now a grin.

"Besides, I believe in this case, it has been the other way around. Check your phone often, Ripples?"

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Weak? No s**t. He was having a hard enough time even walking back to his room, let alone create a string of words that would somehow not only pacify the other hunter, but shut him up entirely. On a good day he could barely swing it, and now he had no chance.

"Oh no, my whole world revolves around your acknowledgement!" Ripley replied, at least having the mental faculties to support thick, dripping sarcasm. He fell silent as the man continued, partially because he had hit home, to a small space that was reserved for the guilt linked to that flashing light on his phone. It sat in his pocket now, blinking away, unused and untouched since he left the Island.

He also simply didn't care at that moment, because thinking was hard.

"Only when it's actually important." He sneered, staying there for a moment or two before he seemed to realize that he wasn't being held to the wall any more, and Finn was just far enough away to attempt an escape. So he did just that, sliding to the side to better step away, content enough to continue on his original path.

Only without the head count, thanks to Finn's fantastic interruption.  

[Seussi]

Finn couldn't help but snort at the shear amount of sarcasm he had just been subjected to in a single sentence. Ripley was most assuredly tired, or if not, severely off of his game, or quite probably, both.

That and Finn was almost certain he had pissed the other man off simply by not being there for the last two weeks. Almost certain, because that was assuming the other man was capable of actually being pissed off, something that Finn had yet to witness. Not a text, not a call, not a knock on the door. Considering their history of infirmary visits to one another (because they both seemed adept at landing themselves under medical care), it was likely considered odd behaviour indeed.

But not really, considering Finn had taken his fair share of breaks from peopling several times before. Though perhaps this time had been a bit different then others, driven by other forces and factors to consider. For an entire day, Finn had forgotten Death, and for that day, he had been, unfortunately, gloriously happy and invincible and full of emotions he had not thought possible for him to ever experience again.

And then the nightmare. And then the need to simply be alone again, because he himself was all he ever really deserved, at the end of the day.

"Cute." He laughed, as Ripley slid along the wall, making a break for it, though not one that Finn couldn't have stopped if he wanted to. "Really cute." He watched the other man as he began to move away, his wide grin smoothing away to a much more blank faced look, something to actually match the look in his eye for once.

"Well, I'll tell you what. You just go ahead and slink off to your bedroom, and read your god damn messages, and then and only then can you decide whether or not which of them are important to you. In the meantime, I'll be in my room, pouring myself a drink, or maybe I'll pour two." He shrugged his shoulders. "And maybe I'll end up drinking them both, or maybe somebody might like to stop by and share." The way he said the last word seemed to indicate that he wanted to share more then just a drink, like perhaps words (or more accurately, an account of just what the hell had happened to Ripley on his promotion).

"Though if you'd rather go and sob in your little girlfriends lap while she braids your hair for you, I guess all I can say is......gross, but have fun~ I mean, I guess I really just can't compete with that pre-pubescent teenage charm." He was back to the full on smirk now as he turned to walk away back towards his room, clearly intending on now being finished with goading his so called friend.

Enoh Love

its late and I'll probs regret half of what nonsense I wrote when I wake up tomorrow but here have a tag anyways

 

[Enoh Love]

If Ripley had anything to say to his quips, he didn't show it. Granted it wasn't uncommon for him to lack the expressive mirror to his thoughts, no matter how tired he was. The only part of Finn's goad that even draw a reaction was the very last line, and that was punctuated with a small twitch of his eye, no doubt a flinch. He was quick to lower his head, and continued to say nothing. It was the only way he could avoid prolonging this painful moment in time, and the fastest way to return to his room.

Though he did consider throwing something at him, simply because it would be rather satisfying, but he resisted for now. That could come later, and all he wanted right now was to heed the siren call of his own bed.

He didn't recall closing the door, or even locking it. How he managed those last tedious steps was well beyond his comprehension at that moment. But after a good forty-eight hours straight, complete with several little altercations, he was finally able to rest. He practically died the moment his face hit the pillow, and his heavy limbs pulled him into a deep, soundless sleep.





When Ripley woke, he was surprised to find out that only three hours had passed. He had expected at least triple that, or perhaps a whole day - but no, the alarm clock on the night stand didn't lie. He didn't feel well rested, but he felt rested enough, which was just fine for him.

He sat up and rubbed his face, grumbling to himself as he fished his phone from his pocket, the message indicator light still blinking away. For a moment he stared at the light, finding comfort in almost rhythmic way it flashed on and off.

His thoughts drifted back to the hallway meeting with Finn, convinced enough that it was a real thing that had happened, and thought about what had been said. Yes, he was angry. He was bitter, and sore in more ways than one, and above all else, he was convinced he had been cheated. None of these things were directly the fault of Finn, it was simply that the other man had an amazing knack for being at the wrong place at the wrong time, and then later said or did the wrong thing about said place and time. That was Finn, it had always been Finn, but he wasn't the one that had created the initial problem in the first place. It wasn't necessarily Finn's fault.

Just like it wasn't Finn's fault that Holly had died, or that he didn't know what had happened, or about his fairly recent break up. He knew better than to think that those subjects would have been avoided, but he knew that under the circumstances he'd at least be a little more tactful about it. Minutely, anyway.

He simply had no reason to fake being nice to him, and knew that he could take whatever sour words or gestures that were thrown. It was one of his few redeeming qualities.

Then he recalled the offer of booze, and wondered if the three hour late visit would matter. There was only one way to find out really, and that involved getting up, pocketing his phone, and leaving his room in favour of crashing Finn's. The locked door wasn't promising at all, but it didn't hinder him either. Even the moral implications of picking the lock on a friends door didn't bother him in the slightest, not today anyway, and he simply opened it up and headed inside.

At least he closed the door behind him.

The room was empty, which meant that apparently his friend did give up after three hours, which was understandable. Well, he could at least wait unto he came back, for the belated shot and share. Which means now came the waiting game. Apparently Ripley's line of morality was drawn at taking booze without asking, because he didn't touch what was out, and didn't try to find what he knew was hidden.

Instead he sat down on the bed and observed the room he hadn't been in in months...and, at some point, he stretched out on his side to make himself comfortable as he waited.

Then, quite against his own will, he drifted off into another deep sleep.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

As the moon intermediate really had no expectations for Ripley to be joining him anytime soon, considering the way he had looked as he had wandered back down the hallway and towards his room, he did not waste any time pouring drinks, instead simply setting out a bottle of whiskey and two tumblers (both placed upside down on either side of the bottle), while taking a few quick puffs of the half a cigarette he had left for himself to enjoy later (later being that moment).

Satisfied that he really did not need to do anything more then that, and feeling quite safe in his presumption that he would be quite alone for at least an hour but quite possibly more, He then removed his boots, jacket, and shirt, butted out his finished cigarette, and flopped down on his own bed, tired from having barely slept the night before, and ready for his own nap.

Just over an hour had passed when he awoke again, feeling refreshed, ready for a full cigarette this time and, hell, why not just a shot of whiskey as well. Ripley still hadn't shown, and Finn checked his phone out of idle curiosity.

No messages. Not really surprising.

Cigarette finished, drink thrown back and tumbler set back down, though this time right side up, Finn pulled back on his shirt, jacket, and boots, and headed out for the remainder of the afternoon, locking the door behind him.

-----------

Hours later he returned, key making it's way into the door handles key hole, turning only to find that the entire knob turned with it, swinging open with ease, indicative of somebody already doing the job of unlocking it for him. While to some this might have been alarming, to Finn it was commonplace. Fini often snuck into his room while he was gone, having her own key to it's entry, and so it was also no surprise at all that via a quick half glance, he noted a body lying on top of his bed.

Ignoring what he believed to be a non-intruder completely, he quickly began to go through the process of removing his jacket, undoing belts, shrugging himself out of it's restraints, before letting it hang on the back of a chair. His boots came next, his shirt quick to follow, though that was folded up neatly and set on the chair top.

Yawning, stretching, dragging nails along the edge of his torso to scratch a mild itch, Finn then casually made his way over to the edge of his bed, still giving the body lying there barely any mind at all.

Until, of course, he dropped his gaze to what he was expecting to be a silvery haired woman with a tanned complexion, instead finding something much too pale, not nearly as curvy, and with hair that was white.

........Huh. Unexpected. Not wholly an unpleasant surprise by any means but...yes. Unexpected.

Without much thought, Finn dropped to his knees at the bed side, shuffled forward on them until his body was touching the blanket that was tucked in around the edge, and leaned down, placing his chin on his hand and an elbow on top of his bed, as he studied the other man for a few moments longer.

And then, suddenly, in a voice that should have been loud enough to rouse him. "Okay, so I feel like I could make some kind of Rip Van Winkle joke right now, but that seems way too easy. Rise and ******** shine, princess, your prince has returned."

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

The sudden voice so close to his face startled him awake, but not the sort of awake that was any stretch of properly conscious. He jumped yes, his eyes opened, yes, but he didn't process what was happening and why.

"Shut up." He grumbled instead, pressing a gloved hand into Finn's face to push him a little further away - though he had aimed for the shoulder - and rolled over, putting his back to the other man.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

Finn couldn't help but let out a disgruntled sound from the back of his throat when a gloved hand pushed against his face, effectively knocking him off of his chin-in-hand perch while simultaneously forcing his eye patch askew. Sitting back on his heels to readjust, he let out a small sigh when Ripley then turned back over, before shoving himself to his feet.

Making his way back towards the chair, he gathered up his folded shirt, slipping it over his head and arms and back into place. When it had been the promise of a cuddle with Fini, going shirtless would have been par for the course. But Ripley? Better to not tempt him with such raw, incredible masculinity.

Once re-clothed, he made his way over to the dresser, to pour himself a tall drink and to fish a new cigarette and lighter out from one of the drawers.

Within moments, he was settling himself back on the edge of his bed, this time sitting with his back against the headboard and a cigarette dangling between his lips, before none too gently nudging his knee against Ripley's back.

"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Or are you actually in need of a rousing kiss first?"

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

He had fallen asleep almost immediately, and nothing, not the ruffle of cloth, clink of the glass, or the eventual weight on the mattress behind him even stirred him. It was the first time in a long while that he actually slept as deeply as he had been that day, and if he thought about it sometime later, he would find that wasn't a comforting,nor even nice, realization.

While the noises did nothing, the knee between his shoulder blades certainly did. He woke with a start and a curse, rolling forward to avoid anymore unwanted pressure, and glared over his shoulder.

"The <********>, Finn?!" He grumbled the moment he realized who it was, fixing his glasses as they had skewed over his nose. In his groggy mind, he had to wonder why the other man was in his room...and when he finally realized that it wasn't in fact his room, he let out another small grumble and struggled to sit up, rubbing his face with both gloved hands and pushing his glasses up to his forehead in the process.

"Sorry." He sighed, fixing his glasses again before he could look around, eyes still lidded with sleep. "What time is it?"

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

If Finn was in anyway perturbed by Ripley's reaction to being forcefully awoken (though he could have been a lot meaner in his methods), it most definitely didn't show in his smirk, hidden only when he took a sip of whiskey from his glass, or in the amused chuckle that slipped out after the liquid had gone down.

Not speaking for a time while allowing the other man time to get his bearings, Finn continued to sip and smoke in turns, until Ripley asked his question, at which time Finn passed the glass towards him.

"Late...ish. You missed lunch. And dinner." He shifted his weight slightly as he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, glancing at the time.

"7:56. Are you hungry? I might have something you can put in your mouth." The way his smirk grew along with the words was likely not even a necessary indication of barely hidden innuendo.

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

He took the offered glass, thinking nothing of taking a sip of the stinging liquid from the shared glass, and then another, before passing it back to its original owner. It had a funny way of waking someone up, the way it burned down his throat.

<< And Breakfast. And yesterday's dinner. And lunch. >> Wilhelm piped up helpfully, which made Ripley shake his head slowly. << You ate half a breakfast before that? >> The gruff voice was heavy in disapproval, and by then the white haired intermediate was pinching the bridge of his nose, as if it was the snooze button on an alarm.

"Not big enough for a meal." He couldn't resist the tiny smile that formed on his lips, just the barest of pulls at the corners. "I'll go to the caf." Though he didn't seem eager to move to fast right now; those two sips of whiskey were in great danger of going straight to his head. "Want something?" He could avoid all other topics for now, and certainly pretend that the hallway thing didn't happen.

Or that he had still hadn't read his messages.

Seussi

 

[Seussi]

The little return quip actually earned Ripley what might have seemed like a sincere smile, had it not been for the usual coldness of Finn's gaze. It was, however, somehow good to hear. Comforting, in an odd way, and better then what had been an utter failure on the other mans part to come up with anything even half decent in the hallway earlier. Taking a final long drag of his cigarette, Finn leaned over the edge of his bed to butt out in an old glass bottle, before he settled back and took the glass back from Ripley, not taking a sip from it right away.

"No, don't bother. I've got food here." Well, MRE's were still considered food, right? Though if Ripley wanted to leave, Finn certainly wouldn't have bothered to stop him. Shifting himself to the edge of the bed, Finn made his way back towards his dresser drawer, pulling one open, and rummaging around before squinting at something he could see hidden within the depths of folded t-shirts, beyond the foil covers of MRE food.

Pulling out a box labled "poptarts, Finn gave his head a small shake, before tossing it towards the bed, along with a few of the before-mentioned foil packages as well.

And then, for whatever inexplicable reason, without even waiting to see if Ripley would refuse and go off to eat something only slightly more edible from the cafeteria, Finn crossed the room to his door and clicked the lock into place.

He had his reasons.

Now finally taking a long swig of his glass of whiskey that drained well over half of what had been left of it in one go, Finn turned back towards the bed, and it's disgruntled occupant, simply watching him with eyebrows raised slightly in question.

Staying, or going?

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Ripley had half a mind to complain about the offered food, but the moment he held a package between his gloved hands it didn't matter that it was nearly inedible. It was edible enough, and it would certainly give his stomach something to attempt to digest. And he was starving.

"Thank you." He didn't even look to see what sort of meal he had picked up, but as his fingers worked to open the foil container, he heard a soft click. Curiousity had him lift his head, peeking through his bangs to try and find the source of the noise. What he found was Finn by the door, his hand on the lock, and giving him a look.

How familiar.

"What do you think?" He grumbled to the look be was being given, and immediately dropped his attention back to the food of known origins he was about to consume with as much gusto as could pull off. Finn has essentially locked him in the room and offered him food; a gesture that was just as welcoming as it was harrowing, but at the moment he was willing to risk being 'trapped' in the same room as his friend.

Because there was actual food involved. He certainly had his priorities straight.

Two bites into the MRE though - which happened to be a really gross attempt at beef teriyaki - and he was already regretting his decision. He would have killed for an apple in that moment, but alas. He made do with what he had, and at least it shut Wilhelm up as well.

"That drink offer still up?" He asked around the disgusting food he was eating, wanting something to wash it down that would also make him forget just how bad it was.

Seussi