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 Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 7:43 am
It had been -
- well, he wasn't even entirely certain how long it had been, but it had been an awfully long time since Chance had even seen Ripley. And not only that, but he was pretty sure that the last time they had talked was that night in the woods, on their camping trip...
Whoops.
But that had been months ago, and Chance had made up with Finn, thankfully, but he hadn't talked to Ripley in the slightest; an oversight and an error on his own part, because in Ripley's own words, they were good friends, even with all that had happened. Chance owed it to him to try and make amends.
Which he hopefully could.
He meandered down the hallway to Room 171, Chance hesitating only a moment before he knocked.
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Posted: Tue Mar 08, 2016 8:21 pm
A lot had changed since he last saw Chance. At first, he found the disappearance odd. When confronted about it by Finn, it suddenly became obvious. Then, over time, it simply slipped his mind as his focus went to other things: Creation, most notably, and the six months he spent with his emotions sealed.
So when he opened his door to see Chance standing there, he couldn't help but look briefly surprised. Under his arm was a smaller box, and behind him, the room was practically empty.
"Chance." He said in way of greeting. "Hey. Been a while." It was the first thing he could think of to say, because it was quite true.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 12:53 pm
The door opened and it was -
- well, not empty. Just mostly empty, save for a few boxes here and there. Chance blinked at them, and then blinked up at the familiar, white haired man standing in front of him, looking understandably surprised to see him. He had yet another box under his arm, and it didn't take much to deduce what was happening.
"Hey," said Chance, flashing him a smile. "Yeah, it's been forever. What are you doing? Are you moving out?"
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 5:39 pm
"Ah…" Ripley looked over his shoulder at the mostly empty room behind him, as if confirming to himself that it was, indeed, empty. Then he looked back at Chance, a small hint of sheepishness crawling onto his expression. "Yeah." There was a small pause, where he wasn't sure what else to say. If he even really wanted to say anything. After all, he had spent so long keeping it under wraps. Even though there was no doubt in his mind that Chance knew. Old habits won out, and he didn't elaborate any further.
"How've you been?" He probed, stepping out of the room further to close it behind him. "I was starting to wonder about you." Well, he had. There was a six month gap where he didn't wonder about anyone but himself, but before that, he did. "Good to see you still alive."
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:28 pm
Chance looked into the mostly empty room, then back at Ripley, then back at the room again before a slow, knowing smile slid across his face. Ripley's expression, combined with the facts at hand, were enough for him to understand what was happening.
"That's awesome," he said, and clapped a hand to Ripley's shoulder before dropping it a way, grinning. "Seriously. I'm glad for you. And now, hopefully, this means I have an inside man to tell me all about the secret inner workings of Finn's mysterious mind, right?"
He winked at Ripley, Chance stepping aside so that Ripley could lead the way, his hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans. A slightly rueful laugh escaped him.
"I've been all right," he said, and then adopted a sheepish expression, "Yeah, well. It's been kind of a ridiculous few months, I sort of fell out of contact with everyone except Otto for a while."
Chance glanced sideways at Ripley. "But I'm glad you're doing all right, I've missed talking with you."
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 7:46 pm
Well, seemed he didn't need to explain. He did, however, manage to look exasperated at the idea of being an 'inside man'.
"If I don't kill him first." It would be an interesting time, anyway. He felt he knew Finn pretty well as it was, but the man always surprised him, and he was certain it also went the other way around. Still, he sighed, and shook his head lightly. "Thanks, though. I guess." As delighted as he was to be closer to the man who more or less saved his mind, he was also very well aware of their personalities and history. It would not be an easy road, but they had survived for this long already.
He listened to Chance's explanation in silence, his gaze shifting between the man and the hallway, to pay attention to both without bumping into the other. The little tidbit about Otto, curious as it was, was stowed away for the time being. Instead of replying, or offering the same honest formalities, Ripley eventually came to a stop on the stairs, half way up the flight to the second floor. Amber eyes sought him out, and fixed him with a carefully blank stare.
"Were you avoiding me?" In typical Ripley fashion, his question was point-blank. He wanted it discussed and out of the way as soon as possible, preferably before getting to his new room. There was a chance that Finn was there after all, and he wasn't about to bring this up again.
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Posted: Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:14 pm
"Such a loving relationship," Chance sang, grinning. Not that he could say much whatsoever considering his own unexpected relationship; and since Otto threatened him about three times a day at least, it was really the pot calling the kettle black.
"You guys'll make it just fine, I think," he said, Chance turning his head to look at Ripley again. "You've been dancing around each other for as long as I've known you both, so I'm just really glad to hear that things are settling for you two."
He stopped as Ripley stopped, Chance giving him a curious look - which melted away, a second later, to the sheepish one he'd worn before. A sigh passed through his lips, Chance lifting a hand to rub at the back of his neck.
"Yes," he said, because he was nothing if not entirely honest. Chance had never lied, and he wasn't about to start now. "I thought you might...be angry with me. Or something."
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Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 5:16 pm
Ripley snorted lightly through his nose, a short show of amusement. He did give the following comment some thought though, his head tilting to the side as he considered what Chance was saying.
"I wouldn't call it dancing." Their relationship had progressed too fast for the both of them, though he realized some would think it agonizingly slow. They moved at their own pace, picking through old scars and patching up stubbornly open wounds. "But after…certain events…" Ripley cringed without meaning to. "We thought that it was time." Though it was Ripley who said it, he still felt it was something of an understatement. Creation's meddling had stopped them from their slow crawl, and forced them to build a bridge.
When he stopped on the stairs, his full attention went to Chance, taking in every small gesture the other man made. Every flicker of emotion that crossed his face. Body language spoke volumes, and Ripley remained passive despite his attention, observing it all cooly. His suspicions had been confirmed at least; that Chance had been avoiding him.
"Why?" He had some ideas as to why Chance thought he would have been angry, but he wasn't about to offer any of them. More importantly, the time frame for his biggest suspicion didn't quite make sense to him.
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Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 7:24 am
"Dancing, twisting, whatever you want to call it," said Chance, sounding somewhat amused; but his pleasure at the two of them finally getting together officially was genuine. Ripley and Finn had been two of the first people he'd met upon coming to Deus; he liked the fact that they'd figured their s**t out.
"Well, whatever happened, I'm glad," said Chance, resisting the urge to smack Ripley jovially on the shoulder.
As ever, he was lacking in pretense, a fact that had always been relatively endearing to Chance. He lifted a hand and ran his fingers through his mop of curls, wondering if there was a way of explaining things without getting the same reaction he had from Finn.
Doubtful.
"Look," said Chance, and he took a breath. "Here's the thing. When we had our little camping trip, it was great, okay, I don't regret that at all. It was what it was, and believe it or not, it helped me a lot. But I don't get between couples; I don't do drama, and I figured it would be best if I just took a step back for a while, you know, so you and Finn could get your s**t together."
His lips quirked up in a crooked smile. "But Finn yelled at me for being stupid, which was pretty damn true I suppose, so there you have it. I was being stupid."
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 11:13 am
So many things had happened. Chance happened. Life happened. Creation happened. There was good, bad, and terrible, though the final straw had been the worst; he wasn't certain if he should be glad about it, but considering it had ended favourably, he considered it a good idea.
He waited patiently for Chance to answer his question, and simply continued to watch him in that same studious way. The other man was given the floor - or the stairs, as it were - and he wasn't about to interrupt.
"You caused more drama by trying to avoid it like that." Ripley pointed out, uttering a short and thin laugh. There wouldn't have been any to begin with had life continued as if it didn't happen. By bringing it up, he caused a very brief ripple through the relationship, but ultimately nothing more than a passing warning. It was amusing, and backwards, but it was long since over and dealt with. Picturing Finn yelling at Chance was rather amusing, nor did it take much to imagine, and it left his smile lingering a little longer.
"Fair enough. We're all a little stupid sometimes." He shrugged. "Next time, maybe talk it through with me first, eh?" No point in going running to his (at the time) not-boyfriend. Still, he offered another smile, a small shake of his head, and was happy enough to consider the matter closed. "It's been an overwhelming few months. I could've used a friend." He moved on, and also literally; he resumed his walk up the stairs, heading to the second floor.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 2:52 pm
He winced a little at the obvious statement, Chance holding up both hands in a gesture of submission, palms facing Ripley.
"That's what Finn said as well," he said, somewhat sheepishly. "That I ******** it up more by acting stupid about it instead of being my normal self about it. Which, okay, granted, I fully admit that I may have ******** it up a little more than I intended to, but that's why I'm here now."
He followed Ripley up the stairs, feeling a small twinge of guilt, but Chance reached out and set his hand on Ripley's arm, his expression surprisingly serious as he gently but firmly pulled the other man to a stop once more, just outside the door.
"I'm your friend," he said, and smiled a little. "I know that's a novel concept for me, but when you told me in that tent that we were good friends, I took that seriously, and I still do - even if I did fall off the planet for a while, embarrassingly."
He let go of Ripley's arm and gestured for him to continue on.
"So what happened over the last few months?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 4:36 pm
Ripley looked down at the hand on his arm. He had stopped walking, and slowly turned to better face the other man. He remembered the breathy question, and his own tired reassurance; how innocent it had seemed, but how necessary for the both of them. The silence that followed had been considered a strange coincidence. Until Finn brought it up later on, in passing, when it only stung briefly. Like Chance, he wasn't used to having friends.
"For the record: you didn't actually ******** anything up. s**t happens, and all that happened between Finn and myself was a passing conversation about sharing." The last few words dipped almost mockingly, though he mocked the memory and not the other man. Finn's choice of words had been Speaking of flesh…be careful who you share yours with. The only reason he had been upset, even in passing, was because he was a private man and a piece of his private life had been shared. He didn't bring it up now, though. He was fairly certain there was little other people to tell. "We were in a fight then anyway. A bad one. His opinion on the subject means less than s**t to me." His arm had been released, but he stood where he was, unmoving.
"I don't regret sleeping with you, and I won't." In fact, if he could go back and do it all over again, he probably would. "It helped me figure things out, too. The disappearing act was a surprise, but I'm glad you're back now." He meant it, of course; he didn't have many friends by design. "As for the rest…that is a long story." One not suited for a hallway, either. Finally, the pale man moved, and unlocked the door to his shared quarters.
He held open the door for Chance, waiting to see if he would stay.
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 5:01 pm
Chance Bones was not used to having friends. It was a conversation he'd had with Dawson more than once, with Finn and Ripley both on separate occasions, even with Otto. He had never really had them before coming to Deus. Acquaintances, yes, people he saw more than once, yes, but never anything even remotely close to an actual friend.
That had changed - he had changed, though it had taken some time.
The corners of Chance's lips twitched a little at the sharing comment, unable to fully conceal the little smile of amusement. But it was the rest of what Ripley said that Chance concentrated on now, and he felt a certain sense of warmth and reassurance, even with Ripley's quiet, simple delivery of the words.
"I don't regret it either, for the record," he said. "It was great for what it was, and you're a good friend, Ripley, probably one of the closest I have here."
Chance followed Ripley out of the stairwell and into the second floor hallway. The door held open was an invitation, and he flashed a grin at Ripley, stepping inside and glancing around with a low whistle.
"Man, these full hunters sure get nicer digs than the trainees, don't they?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 5:34 pm
"That's sad." The corner of his lip twitched at his self-depreciating humour. Poor Chance, stuck with him as a close friend. Ripley stepped into the room after Chance, and closed the door behind him. The room he shared with Finn was incredibly tidy, everything in it's place, and thanks to Ripley, anything with labels was facing outward in perfect rows. It looked like it had two particularly tidy people living in it, which it did.
"They do. Lucky bastards." Granted, it seemed rare to live long enough to become a full hunter; might as well get rewarded with nice digs, as Chance put it. The box he held was deposited onto a nearby surface, and he headed towards the kitchenette and the little two-person table that rested there.
"Can I get you a drink?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 5:53 pm
"Not as sad as Finn being one of my other closest friends," Chance quipped, with a little grin. He glanced around the room which looked - frankly - very Ripley-ish in terms of how neat it was (Chance himself wasn't so much as neat and tidy as he was simply a minimalist in how many things he had).
"Any soda or just water is fine," said Chance, trailing after Ripley into the kitchen. He slid into a seat at the table and drew his leg up, resting his foot on the edge of the chair and wrapping an arm around his knee.
"So," he said, fixing Ripley with a look. "Tell me about why things went so rough for you during the time I sucked as a friend."
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