[PRP] Dying to Chat (Finn/Ripley)

[Enoh Love]

Once he was dismissed to take care of his business, Ripley left the library with his file in tow. Finn had already gone on ahead, but it was fairly easy to catch up to him, all things considered. It was a quiet trip at first, as he lead them to his room on the trainee floor.

"I'm going to dye my hair for the mission." He informed Finn, finally, once they were about half way to his room. "Perhaps even cut it." His gloved hands slid into his pockets, keeping to himself the same way he had in the past week or so.

seussi

 

[Seussi]

They hadn't spoken much in the last week, and even on the two occasions that Ripley had crawled back into bed with him, conversation had been sparse (as had other things he had missed...). It had been a weird change, but one he hadn't pushed because Ripley had asked for time, and Finn had been courteous enough to oblige, though to say it hadn't been difficult would have been a lie. He missed talking, he missed physical contact, to a surprising degree. To be given permission to actually be near him now, when every day they'd gone their separate ways and spent there time apart, had actually been surprising, though Finn was trying not to read much into it.

No point getting his hopes, however small they were, up.

He had lingered outside of the library a little while to wait, and when they walked off together it seemed it would be in silence. He was curious to know what Ripley needed to do, but new he would tell him when the time came.

And when it did, Finn glanced towards him, the surprise he felt not showing on his features. "Why?" He said, before he could stop himself, and frowned a little. "Strictly out of curiosity. And maybe a little because seriously why??" It was hard not to grin a little, then. He honestly didn't mind that much, but found it hard not to give the other man a little bit of a hard time.

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

"My promotion mission." Ripley started, giving only a passing glance to the man at his side. "I was a teacher then too. They had my description." It would list him as a 5'8" white man with long white hair, off-brown eyes and was last seen wearing glasses and a dark brown suit. "I think it best." He didn't want to risk the mission. The areas were vastly different, but with the internet around he was sure there were plenty of conspiracy theorists and avid-crime waters. He knew he was being paranoid, but he felt it was for the best.

"Besides, it's time for a change." Even if he planned it to be a temporary one. It would feel weird to go back to having brown hair, after over two years of having a white-haired reflection. Their little chat took them the rest of the way, and before long they were standing in front of Ripley's dorm room.

"Will you miss it?" He asked, unable to help himself, as he reached for the door knob with one hand, the other unlocking it so he could allow himself inside.

seussi

 

[Seussi]

Ah yes, the promotion mission that had Ripley returning and looking like s**t, and from what Finn had heard about it, it was no wonder really, as the entire thing sounded like a total train wreck by the end. It didn't take much for him to figure out why Ripley would want to look different now. It was actually rather thoughtful, which wasn't at all surprising considering who it was.

"Maybe we should just use some make up and make you into a woman this time instead." He suggested, this time unable to hide his grin.

But Ripley's question had him pausing, becoming thoughtful for a moment. It wasn't like it really bothered him too much that Ripley was going to make the change. Finn had changed his own hair several times the past few years of his life, from color to style. But to try and picture the other man with anything but long white hair.....

"A little." He admitted, "But it's just a cosmetic change. You'll still be you, and...." He paused, a slight hesitation, before giving a casual, one shouldered shrug.

"I've missed you." He mumbled, quietly, so as not to be heard by anybody who might be passing by, a glance given down the hallway.

Feeling slightly awkward because feelings were stupid and he hated them, he followed Ripley inside.

Enoh Love

what is this tag idek

 

[Enoh Love]

"It wouldn't work." Ripley shook his head. "I'd be an ugly woman." Unlike Finn he managed to keep his grin intact, but it came out, at least a little, in the tone of his voice. It was almost nice to joke like this again. He had missed it more than he cared to admit, and even acknowledging that hurt. It scared him in a way he was not equipped to handle.

I've missed you, the words echoed in the room, quiet to anyone else's ears, but nearly screamed to him. He felt it resonate in his core, and it was enough to make him stop only a pace or two into the room, a brief look of pain crossing his features. Gods, he missed him too. He had only just started to crawl into bed with him again, but it wasn't enough. The feeling and the look of pain was gone by the time he turned around again, nodding at Finn to close the door while he moved to his desk, fishing out a box of brown hair dye.

"I'm...a little clumsy with this part." He said, his gaze on the box and not on Finn, but his initial hesitance showed in the way he pressed his lips together, and the way his free hand bobbed into a fist at his side. "I'd like you to do it for me. Please." He held the dye out to him, as if expecting him to take it.

seussi

 

[Seussi]

"Maybe. I think I would still do you, though." Yes, a little bit of light banter and a few small jokes like this did make things feel like they were going a lot smoother. It was like easing oneself back into a hot tub after taking a break to swim in the pool, and seemed to be becoming more comfortable over time. Still, he felt like he was choosing his words carefully, holding back his cruder nature, as if saying something too harsh might set off another terrible chain reaction of misunderstandings that had led them to this position in the first place.

Finn hated this too. There was so much about this that was hard to deal with, but he had made his decision on that first night to do what he had to, believing that it could be worth it, in the end, if he did.

There was no reply to his quiet admission as Ripley entered the room and Finn followed a step behind, though he did nearly run straight into the other man's back when he stopped. For a moment, he wondered if he might be told that this had been a bad idea, and asked to leave, but instead, Ripley turned and nodded to indicate the door needed to be shut, before he moved off towards the desk.

Finn obliged, pulling the door shut behind him and, with another moments thought, twisting the lock into place. It wasn't out of any real anticipation of certain activities (though he wanted it to be, oh, he wanted it bad) but out of natural habit. Besides, Ripley appreciated privacy. If Finn could take one piece of knowledge out of all that had happened, that little fact would have been the most prominent.

Turning his gaze back to the other man, he waited to see what part he would play in his little plan, and smirked a little when the box was held out towards him. "You trust me?" He asked, moving towards him and reaching out to take the box. "I'm so honored." He glanced down at the box, taking in the shade and trying to picture it on Ripley.

...It actually wasn't too difficult. He just had to remember New Years.

"If it makes you feel more at ease, I've dyed my own hair plenty of times." And Ripley would have known already that Finn cut his own hair as well, not an easy task but he had gotten pretty good at it over the last couple of years. "Shouldn't be a problem."

"Got a towel?" He asked, looking up from the box. "Or you could just take your clothes off. Wouldn't want to accidentally stain anything."

That smile was so innocent (not really).

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Ripley wasn't sure if he was joking or not, but he was inclined to believe that it was actually a little bit of both. They had their strange equivalent of radio silence for the last week or so now, after all; he could actually be touched about the gesture.

"I know." Was all he said, to all of the latter part; he knew Finn dyed and cut his own hair, and he knew it shouldn't be a problem for him to do it now. In fact, it might be easier, since he wouldn't be doing it to himself. "And yes, I trust you." He left it at that, as he had more important matters to think about; namely, if he would be willing to just take off his shirt, instead of using a towel. Though that did create another important little problem:

"Actually...could we use your room?" He inquired after that moment of thought. "You have your own shower." And if the communal showers were full by the time he got to them, he'd be screwed. Plus, half of his toiletries were in Finn's room anyway, which really only helped his case in his own mind.

seussi

 

[Seussi]

His comment might have been only half a joke. He had, quite often in the last week, wondered if Ripley would ever really trust him or open himself up to him again, or if he'd managed to have that door shut on him forever. It wasn't until Ripley slept in his bed again that his thoughts had shifted to maybe, but he'd still been too guarded to really hope much more then that. Ripley's answer, in this case, could have been taken in more then one way as well, but Finn once again, chose not to read too much into it.

Later. He could dwell on it later, if he he really needed to. He was still easing his way into hot waters again. No need to add a few paranoia sharks into the mix.

It was kind of funny that it never really occurred to Finn that his own bedroom might have been a better choice of location for what Ripley needed to have done. He blamed it on being rather distracted by other things. Of course, it made much more sense. Of course, Ripley being the sensible one would think of it first.

"Sure." He replied, "My room is practically yours by now anyways." He didn't mean that in a bad way. In fact, he never actually minded having the other man over ever.

Making his way back to the door, box of dye still in hand, he unlocked it and pulled it back open, making his way out and up to his room without further comment. No stops for towels would be needed, as Finn had his own, which were much nicer then the coarse, poor excuse for body drying fabric the trainee's got in the communal showers.

Once in his own room, he spoke again. "Okay I'm going to get this stuff ready, you...strip, or whatever you want to do. I do endorse the stripping, though." He opted to not say the next part that was on his mind, which was "And not because I haven't seen your hot body in too damn long."

But he did set the box on the table and suddenly begin taking off his own clothes while walking towards his dresser to get himself an old t-shirt and sweat pants that were usually worn while jogging or working out.

He wasn't about to risk slopping dye on his expensive shirt or jeans.

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

The room was practically his, wasn't it? Ripley took it for what it was; the truth. If Finn had a problem with it, it would have been made obvious by now. He was well aware that there had been no attempt to make him leave despite everything, which on its own was comforting. A new brand of scary for him, but comforting. The room belonged to the both of them until one of them decided to back out.

They made their way to Finn's room in relative silence, and after some consideration he stripped off his shirts and took a seat, allowing Finn to do his thing with the hair dye. He resisted most conversation but indulged in the harmless small talk. When the time came he took a shower, washing the excess until the water ran clear; and then he returned to the chair to let Finn cut his hair.

Only a few inches had been taken off; he kept it long, but trimmed enough to be able to slick back without it being too cumbersome. When Finn was finished, he left his side to take a long look in the mirror; he already didn't recognize himself right away, and once he lost his glasses he figured he would be safe. Their mission would be safe, at least from a vague identification of himself.

God, it had been so long since he had seen himself with brown hair. He tweaked a piece of his now brown locks between his scarred fingers, surprised how much he already missed the white. White, for all it stood for, was for the Ripley who was a Hunter. Brown was for the Ripley who did nothing but work. The Ripley who pulled the plug on his only remaining family, and for the Ripley who broke away piece by piece until there was nothing behind his mask.

God, he hated that Ripley. He hated himself anyway, but at least as a Hunter there was something to live for.

He looked away from his own reflection, staring at the bath tub for a moment and finally over his shoulder, catching sight of Finn as he milled around, tidying up the small mess that had been made in the process. That Finn never knew him with brown hair, and the Finn that did was a figment of their imaginations but - it had worked, hadn't it? There was a version of him wth chestnut hair that was fairly well adjusted. It existed, somewhere.

With a sigh he looked away, turning away from himself and making his way towards the man who had helped him out, despite being nearly alienated for the last week or so.

"Thank you for your help." He said, pausing a foot or so away from the other man, watching him carefully. It was all he could say, really, at least for now, and without meaning to he slipped into no doubt awkward silence. Amber eyes slid away, his cogs turning as he weighed his options, and then, softly and without looking up at him:

"Christmas."

seussi

 

[Seussi]

Either Finn didn't have much to say the entire time he was dying and cutting Ripley's hair, or he was concentrating too hard on not screwing anything up. He actually took hair care and styling very seriously, though a fair few people, the man who's hair was now in his capable hands included, likely already knew that. He didn't think there was anything weird about it, though. He simply liked to look good, and he liked to be able to control his appearance himself instead of allowing somebody else to do it.

Applying the dye itself hadn't taken all that long, but waiting for it to sit long enough to wash it out had. Idle chat passed the time from there, and though he might have been tempted to ask a few questions that had been nagging him since they left the library, he managed to hold his tongue. Ripley would come around when he was ready. He kept telling himself that over and over.

Once the other man left to shower, Finn cleaned up where it was necessary, and waited for the other man to emerge for his trim. When Ripley returned, he needed a moment to take in the new hair color, one that was not unfamiliar, only because of New Years, but still a little disarming.

He resisted commenting for now, instead getting to work on the hair cut, again working with silent diligence and careful precision until the task was complete. Letting the other man know when he was finished so that he could go and look, Finn really hoped he didn't come back to ask for more off, as he'd already taken off more then the Moon hunter had liked.

It only took a few moments to clean up, but when he was just finishing up, he glanced back towards the bathroom, noticing that Ripley seemed quite intent on the reflection in front of him.

He went quietly back to work, feeling strange for a moment as a weird sense of deja vu washed over him. But those memories weren't his. They belonged to somebody else, another version of Finn that had been depressed and was likely dead by now.

He was finished cleaning, and he turned to seek out a chair to sit in, when out of the corner of his eye he noticed that Ripley had come back out and was walking towards him. He paused, straightened, and took in the sight of him again, different hair but, really, otherwise exactly the same. That body and face was one that Finn was so familiar with that every single small detail was ingrained in his mind. It was still Ripley, and even if he looked a lot like one he'd known in another universe, there were still changes, different scars, different marks, and an entirely different expression.

For some reason, that thought was enough to make Finn smile, because this was his Ripley, and this was the Ripley he wanted. It was as he'd said earlier. He could alter his appearance, but he couldn't change the man. "You're welcome." He replied, and then, lapsed into the same awkward silence as suddenly neither one of them seemed willing to speak, and Ripley was looking away.

Frustrating. This whole ordeal had been incredibly ******** frustrating, and Finn was ready for it to stop. He just wanted to be able to move past this, for better or wors----

"Christmas." He repeated, blankly, his forehead furrowing slightly. "What does Christmas have to do with any---" He cut off abruptly as his brain suddenly filled in the gaps for him.

Oh.

Oh.

"Oh." He echoed his surprised thoughts, for once, unable to think of a reply. Nothing snarky, no joke to make light of things, just a sudden, unsure silence.

And then. "The zombie mission. I know, so romantic." he reached up and ran fingers through his hair, and let out a strange laugh. "But I'm betting you already guessed as much." After all, Finn had reacted in much the same way Ripley had, only without any confrontation needed. This admission, however, was followed by another short pause, and then. "Sooooo...." An eyebrow rose, an unspoken question hanging in the air.

Were they okay with this?

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

Ripley only gave one curt nod as Finn repeated him. He said nothing as the other man tried to sort it out, knowing that he'd get it eventually; he was a smart cookie, despite his interesting temper. As he predicted the pieces apparently fell into place, but what he got in return was something of a surprise. Somehow, he expected the focus to remain on him, and not be turned to the other party. He wasn't complaining of course, he could never complain about that, but the fact remained that it was his feelings that got them into this mess to begin with.

"I did. It was the first time you shut me out." He admitted to something he had only recently thought of. It was obvious to him now that he knew Finn had feelings for him, but at the time he had simply assumed it was due to annoyance alone. Funny how the two were so alike. His fingers curled into fists and tapped lightly against his own thighs, sucking in a small breath before continuing. "I think...mine might have been earlier. But I think Christmas is when I couldn't pass it off any more. So. Christmas." The urge to explain had been great, and so he did it as best as he could. It was very likely the first small speech he had ever done that made him feel terribly awkward, and probably the first that actually sounded that way, too.

He glanced up for the unspoken question, catching the meaning in the drawled word, and his gaze dropped again as he thought about it, his arms folding across his chest. The answer was obvious, of course, at least to him. The last week, as difficult as it was, spoke volumes. Screamed them.

"I don't like this, Finn. I don't. Feelings...it's a lot of power to hold over someone." Especially someone like him, who kept all of his cards close to his chest, but away from his heart. "But." He stressed he word, forcing it out with a heavy, almost shaking sigh. "I've realized that I can't sleep alone any more. It's not the same without you." A small part of him resented this fact, that he had gotten so accustomed to sleeping beside Finn that sleeping alone felt empty somehow. Sleeping with someone else just wasn't the same either, but that was something he kept to himself for more obvious reasons.

"And that I...really don't like the idea of ending this, either." The clause in their relationship had been that they could terminate at any time and simply go back to being friends, no harm done. Now, he didn't think he could accept being just friends any more, without at least a little bit of resentment. Finn had certainly been the first person he had opened up to. The first person he actually spoke more than short sentences to. It didn't seem like much, but to him it was everything; he couldn't give up that level of human contact any more. Not when he enjoyed it for what it was, as terrifying as it sometimes felt.

"And...you?" He turned the half-answered question back to the other man, knowing that it was just as much his choice as it was anyone's.

seussi

 

[Seussi]

Finn heard him out for a while, his smile hoping to grow a tad larger. "But I didn't tell you, until after everything that happened in the infirmary, of course, because even then I didn't want to see things how they were." No. It had taken a drunk conversation with Jack before he even considered analyzing things further, and before making the decision not to end things, but to give Ripley the option instead. It could have ended disastrously, but back then at least maybe one of them could have walked away unscathed by all of this.

After that he went silent again, listening very carefully to what Ripley had to say. It seemed, to start with, that it might not be going in a very positive direction, but then things shifted with that one small word.

But.

It was one thing to say that he couldn't sleep alone, that didn't mean as much as it should have, only because he could have found anybody else. It was the addition of Finn specifically in the follow up sentence that really meant something, and Finn felt that all too familiar recoil from the thought that he could mean something to anybody ever again, before the other part of him, the rational part, had to butt in and remind him that this is what he had wanted.

And he still did, he found. As frightening and distasteful as it was to go back to that place, to dance this dance again, only this time with somebody world's different then the woman he'd done it with the first time.

"I've done this once before, you know." He finally started. "It feels like a lifetime ago now, but it happened. I know exactly what you mean because I know exactly what it feels like, to have that power, and to be controlled by it. It's took me...no, it's taken me a long time to be able to even consider I might want to do it again. And maybe it's a terrible idea. Maybe I will just screw it up again. But-" He paused, as if considering something new, as if he hadn't already made this decision a week ago when Ripley first left his room and he'd thought that he wasn't coming back.

"If you're willing to take that risk I would, actually, like to try again. With you, if that wasn't already obvious. I told you once before that I thought there was something there, and I think...." He'd had a lot of time to think, "I really want it. No, I actually know I do." Because like Ripley, Finn didn't think there was going back anymore. Not to the way things were. If it was a choice between going all in or nothing at all....well, the last week proved how much he hated that latter option.

He laughed then, and shook his head. "What the ******** did you do to me."

Now to see if any of what he'd just said was enough to scare the other man off again.

Enoh Love

 

[Enoh Love]

"I could ask you the same thing." Ripley frowned, shifting uncomfortably where he stood. He didn't want to admit it, but this was actually the first time he had ever felt like this about anyone; before the island, his focus had been on work. Girlfriends - and the one boyfriend - he had were simply people he could tolerate for fair amount of time, or someone to satisfy a curiousity. He had never actively had feelings for anyone before, and it was all Finn's fault. Stupid, temperamental, persistent Finn.

"I want to try." He agreed as best as he could, fearing himself more than anything. Even Finn with his history and his temperament couldn't match it, not deep down. He finally looked up to catch the other man's gaze, offering him a thin and almost awkward smile.

"So can we...?" He reached out slowly, his fingers finding Finn's arm before carefully sliding down, lightly hooking his fingers against the other man's. The contact was short and light, easily broken should it become necessary. The gesture, and the words coming from his mouth, seemed almost echoed. As if he had said them before, as if he had made this gesture before, but he couldn't quite place it. "Please?"

seussi

 

[Seussi]

"Hey. I can't ******** help it that I'm so irresistibly charming." He grinned, a hint of his usual self ultimately taking this chance to shine back through. None of this had been easy, but the hardest part of all, harder then the last week had even been, was to stand here and admit what had been right there in front of him for a long time. Now that he'd managed to get it out, however, it was like a gigantic weight had finally been lifted. Ripley now knew how he really felt, and, it seemed, Finn had gotten a glimpse of the same from the death intermediate.

It hadn't been perfect. There was no magical moment. They were both awkward in this and still unsure, even if Finn had voiced his desire so decidedly. Nothing would come easily. They'd probably still argue, still have to fight through their differences, still make mistakes and figure out how to deal with it. Finn would still be abrasive and thoughtless at times. Ripley would...well, be Ripley.

And Finn honestly wouldn't have had it any other way. He'd take all of that bad with the good. He'd missed it all. It was what kept things interesting when it otherwise might go stale. As long as Ripley could put up with him at the end of the day, and vice versa, well, then they'd probably always be okay.

Ripley's answer was...well it was the best he really could have hoped for, though before he could say anything, he felt fingers glide down his arm, fingers that were scarred, familiar and sorely missed. The other man had reached out to him, and something in Finn's head clicked again, before his own fingers linked together with Ripley's, closing around them tight. He wasn't sure what it was. This felt familiar in a strange way, but he blinked, slowly, clearing his head of it, and moved forward to close the distance between them, his free hand reaching up, finger tips moving lightly across the other mans cheek, brushing against strands of drying chestnut brown hair, his gaze locking on Ripley's before his hand suddenly moved to the back of the other mans head, fingers raking through his hair, grasping at the no longer quite so familiar length that he knew he would get used to soon enough.

"What do you think?" His voice was low, not quite a growl but close, and he smirked, before he ducked forward, his mouth finding Ripley's, lips pressing against his rather insistently, hungry for the feel of them, for more, and more again. His other hand, the one that was holding Ripley's, let go, moving to glide up his stomach, before slipping around to the back of him and pulling him roughly forward, all while continuing to kiss him, again, and again, small pants of air between each that he cursed because breathing was such a god damn waste of valuable time, his lips eventually moving away from Ripley's and down, along his jaw, then his neck, adding small bites and grazes of teeth in between.

Enoh Lovex

I shouldn't try to write this late at night idek what I'm doing anymore plz enjoy my nonsense and babble

 

[Enoh Love]

Ripley rolled his eyes, but he couldn't say that he was wrong. As much of a trial as he could be, he also seemed to be that special brand of charming that resonated with him.

When Finn's hand closed around his, Ripley understood that as uncertain as they were, they would be okay. At least for now, and for the immediate future. They were on the same page for once, perhaps even for the first time, and that was a good thing. It would continue to be a good thing.

Familiar fingers brushed against his cheek and buried into his hair, holding the back of his head in the dominating, familiar way Finn always managed to have. Finn's mouth found his, and in that moment it became painfully obvious just how much he missed this. The insistent hungry kisses that had never lost their potency, no matter how many they had shared since they started this whole thing. He leaned into the kiss, just as needy and hungry for it as the other man; and when the hand pressed against his back and pulled him in, he went willingly. His fingers slid away from Finn's and ghosted up his slides, finally pressing his palms against his chest until he could loop his arms around his neck.

They only stayed there for a moment; as Finn's lips began to wander, his hands slid away to grip Finn's side, pulling him backwards towards the bed.

They still had plenty of time, after all. And a week they may not survive.

seussi