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 Posted: Sun Dec 13, 2015 7:20 pm
Logan Hitchcock did not usually have people over.
Actually, uh. With the exception of Tolliver, he'd kind of... never had anyone over bar Daisy. That wasn't something that'd had a whole lot of thought put into it. She'd been super drunk, he'd also been pretty drunk, and it'd kind of been an all around mess even if it'd turned out okay. Kodi kind of popped by sometimes since she was their neighbor and all, but generally speaking, for all the times Hitch might have offered some people (Fritz) the chance to swing by and relax for awhile, no one (Fritz, again) had taken him up on it. Never mind cooking for people. He'd offered, yeah, but he'd never actually like... properly made a dinner with more than like two people in mind unless you counted too much made deliberately for a tupperware or something (also Fritz).
So when Jarias had finally answered with a resounding 'yes' a few days back, and said she was bringing a lady over to boot - Tolliver was then treated to a rare, almost frantic Hitch trying to make the place as presentable as possible. Which... given his attention to detail, usually endearing, coupled with his general lack of sleep, it had probably made him nearly insufferable.
(If only Tolliver knew what he'd quietly gone through before that first time he'd come for a drum lesson, yeesh.)
Here, now, with the two of them set to arrive any minute - much as he was trying to seem cool and collected about the whole thing, Hitch was fussing over his pasta and sauce, fidgeting over the glasses, and really just trying anything to distract himself from the thought that there was always a chance Tolliver and Jarias wouldn't hit it off and hey by the they he'd gotten engaged no ******** big deal really.
"Why the ******** doesn't this s**t taste right?" he snarled for probably the tenth time that hour as he tasted the sauce, pushing his bangs away from his face and groaning. "Tolli, babe. C'mere, try this. What'dya think? - it tastes weird, right?"
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Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2015 7:51 pm
Jarias had called up said special lady friend and was parked outside Hitch's complex, smiling over at the prettiest amber eyes in the northeast. It had been like...not even a day since she had seen the woman, tangled in sheets and heat. Her body sung with the weariness of happiness and she tilted her head to lay a kiss on the redhead's lips, lingering in case Van got her usual urges to deepen it.
Then she slowly peeled from the car and went up to the apartment that was labelled with the number that Hitch had given her. She actually, in all the years of friendship, never seen his place. She was excited, as she rested her arm over Van's hips and tugging her closer.
"My friends got a mouth on him, so you know like...if he says something to upset you? I'll give him a good kick to the nads. Like my knee comes to his waist though, so I might go for the kidneys." She laughed, cause she would never actually hurt Hitch in any way.
"Hope you like him though, I've never met his dude though, so we'll see!" Jarias knocked loudly and then hollered for good measure. "OI, MY LITTLE FRIEND, I heard you got something I want!!"
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Posted: Tue Dec 15, 2015 1:10 pm
Tolliver was terrified.
He couldn't remember the last time he'd ever spoken to anyone outside of Hitch, Fritz, and the scarce few people at the store on the few times he'd gone - and, well, Cinnabar, but Tolliver didn't really count her as much. Sadly, pathetically, he was as much a hermit as ever, in spite of his new acquisition of the identity now kept under wraps, and meeting new people was not something he had ever really sought to do before.
Hitch was different. Gregarious, snarky, friendly, and generally cheerful, he exuded the sort of personality that naturally drew people to him, whereas Tolliver's shyness and anxiety had led him to shrink back from most social situations in general. The fact that he wanted to makes friends apparently had no bearing on his mind, which reminded him consistently that it was too scary.
But here - here he was, with his fiance, in their home, getting ready to have guests - Hitch's friends - over, and Tolliver was utterly and completely petrified.
Hitch had not been annoying, mostly because Tolliver was running on autopilot now. He had been fiddling with the dishes for the better part of fifteen minutes now, stacking them and restacking them, organizing them and then taking them apart and wondering why he couldn't just melt into a puddle and disappear through the floor of the apartment.
"It tastes fine, Logan," he said automatically, but obediently went over and tasted. "It's - delicious, just - "
But there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by a yell, and Tolliver promptly dropped the napkins he'd been wringing around his fingers. The unfamiliar voice yelling only managed to set his nerves on edge further, and Tolliver hastily dropped down, wincing at his leg, and scooped up the dropped napkins, casting a frightened look at Hitch that clearly said you answer it.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:08 pm
Nervous. Vanessa was nervous. And happy. The excitement of meeting Jarias's best friend and his fiance had put a flush in her cheeks that bordered on permanency, but she was not frightened. People had always been easy for her, and she trusted that Jarias would not lead her anywhere unhappy. The evening was going to be lovely. Jarias's friends were going to be lovely too. She would like them. They would like her. Everyone would laugh and enjoy themselves. She had faith. "OI, MY LITTLE FRIEND, I heard you got something I want!!""Food!" She said, lifting her voice to match the volume of Jarias's holler, "we want food!" Vanessa laughed softly, and leaned in to graze the shell of Jarias's ear with her teeth. She made a happy sound, forgot that they were waiting for the door to open, and brushed a lock of rainbow hair aside so that she could press a tender kiss to the skin just behind that ear. Vanessa glowed. Clutched a tray of home-made brownies in her arms. Nobody had told her to bring dessert, but she hadn't felt right not contributing. And she so hoped that they liked her.
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Posted: Wed Dec 16, 2015 7:36 pm
He knew Tolliver was nervous - and he knew he wasn't being exactly as supportive as he should've been with him, knowing how anxious he got and all. ********, he'd probably just made it worse with all of his own ******** nerves and s**t involved. He knew that, he could see it in everything his fiance did and said, and he felt bad, and he wished he'd been better, he wished he was a better -
Not the time Logan, for ******** sake, really not the goddamn time.
The knock and the shout made his eyes go wide and his shoulders go tense, and he saw Tolliver drop the napkin, and <******** this was literally helping nothing. There was a second voice too, must be Jarias' girl why did that voice sound familiar? His heart was pounding and his own nerves were shot to hell, a splash of color settling into his cheeks because <******** this was it ******** felt like a battle. It was a casual ******** dinner with one of his best friends but it literally felt like he was about to step into goddamn battle.
Abruptly, he threw his arms around Tolliver and gave him the tightest squeeze, holding him tight and close and whispering something soothing to him along the lines of, "It's gonna be okay, she's gonna ********' love you, " and flashed him a small smile as he broke away, blowing a kiss after him before he turned to the door, drawing in a deep breath.
Then, Hitch all but flung open the door. "I'm only ********' small 'cause you're a goddamn giant Jari!" Of course that was his greeting. Although he was scowling, his eyes were smiling, at least until he caught sight of the person next to her ******** nibbling her neck to leave a mark (hey, with some of the s**t he and Tolliver had been pulling lately, he wasn't about the ******** judge) and - wait, that was -
"Wait. Van? - Jari, you're ********' doin' Van?"
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Posted: Sun Dec 20, 2015 10:57 am
"That's right! I am a goddamn giant! FEAR ME!!!" She reached over and ruffled his hair, looking around. The smell of food, and this was his apartment. The apartment he shared with his boyfriend. All of her eye narrowing around.
It got worse when he recognized her..uh...friend? Girlfriend? What were they? That had to be it right? I mean....
"You know Van?" She looked surprised. Like really surprised. AND THEN SUSPICIOUS.
"How do you know Van?" Also um rude, she was doing more then ******** her. Okay, That was like a really good perk. A REALLY REALLY GOOD PERK.
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Posted: Mon Dec 21, 2015 5:50 pm
The hug, however rib cracking, was much appreciated, though it did little to calm Tolliver's nerves. He was still trying to gather up the napkins while Hitch went to answer the door, and a babble of laughter and happy, chattering voices came wafting through to the kitchen.
Maybe he could do this. Maybe it would turn out all right. Maybe -
His fiance's voice came loud and clear through the apartment.
"Jari, you're ********' doin' VAN?"
Tolliver wondered if it would be possible to just sink through the floor into the carpet and then into the ensuing abyss. Or maybe a giant tiger would come out of nowhere and try to eat him. Or maybe the night would turn out to be something else, something other than a desire to climb out the nearest window and hide in the bushes along the ground.
He stayed determinedly in the kitchen, clutching the napkins, now slightly crinkled, and tried to figure out what the chances were of staying in there the whole night. When he deduced that, sadly, they were slim to none, Tolliver took a deep breath, inched forward, and peered around the kitchen doorway.
Then resisted the very strong urge to retreat right back in.
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Posted: Fri Jan 08, 2016 4:48 pm
'Wait. Van? - Jari, you're ********' doin' Van?'The flush in Vanessa's cheeks darkened considerably as a result of everything --from the fact that she'd been caught with her lips on Jarias's throat, to the fact that the person who'd caught her was Hitch, to the tone of his voice. She and Jarias had not designated any labels to whatever it was that they were. It was enough, for Vanessa, that she slept better in Jarias's bed than she did in her own. She tried not to think too much about it. Not because she didn't want more, but because Jarias was fun and Jarias made her laugh and it was all so good. "Hitch!" she smiled, teeth shining white. And then, catching site of Tolliver peering around the kitchen door, she said, "Hey there!" The tray of brownies in her arms was home-made, covered in a thick layer of cream-cheese chocolate icing. She presented them with pride, dark curls bouncing around her face. "I brought dessert. I hope you guys like brownies! Nothing surprising in them, though. I am sorry. Maybe next batch" It was so funny that Hitch was Jarias's best friend. Vanessa tilted her head in Jarias's direction, and then gestured from herself to Hitch. "We're starting a band together. I'm vocals."
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Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 9:59 pm
Hitch just about growled when Jarias ruffled his hair like a ******** pet, but he was grinning in spite of that, a light splash of color in his cheeks. It intensified when Van presented him with a tray of brownies. That was enough to make him smile outright, though, his teeth flashing white between his lips as he clutched the thing like it was made of gold.
"You didn't have to."
All humility aside though -
"I ********' love brownies. Thank you." He laughed, then, turning off set the thing down on a table and then waved a hand. "Don't tempt me, they test for that s**t at work man, " and he was joking, probably, mostly, maybe. Neither here nor there.
Van had the connection covered, but still, just to add a little more, "Yeah, Tolli, she's the one I met in the bar that night - I'm gonna be the drummer, " and that was stupid to say, given everyone there knew he drummed and there was literally a drum set in the same goddamn room. He cleared his throat, blushing again, trying to shake his nerves to the wayside as he slunk over towards Tolliver, throwing an arm around his shoulders and tried to coax him from the kitchen.
"So, uh, yeah, small world an' all - uh - Jari, Van, this is Tolli - Tolli, you get the idea - so yeah!"
God he was so bad at this.
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Posted: Mon Jan 11, 2016 12:34 pm
"No one would turn brownies down, I didn't know you were a singer?" She looked at Van, "I mean you have a great voice and I've heard it in the car, but starting a band, and with this one?" Jarias laughed, "Better keep him in line!"
She stepped in though and her gaze fell to Tolliver. As a best friend, she felt it her rightful duty to be sort of a d**k, but not really a d**k to him. For judgement sakes.
"Tolliver huh." Jarias looked him up and down and then held out a hand. "Jarias, this is my girl Vanessa, aka Van. I heard you moved in right quick." She smiled, "If you hurt Hitch, I'll string you by your toes. just so you know."
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Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:27 pm
He could turn and walk away. There was still time to just turn and walk away, to retreat back into the kitchen and spend the rest of the evening pretending as though he didn't speak English and had a magnet's pull to the stove top so that he couldn't leave it, even if Hitch was the one cooking, not him.
The redhead was beaming at him as she called a greeting out, and Tolliver found he had no idea which one was Van and which one was Jarias. He'd heard mention of both, after all, but trying to put names to faces was a difficult process that made his face flush with embarrassment.
He managed a nod, floundered, and stayed exactly where he was, fingers curled around the doorframe, most of his body still out of sight as he peered around the kitchen wall. It did, however, make him relax a little to see Hitch so...happy. The smile on his face was bright, endearing as he greeted his friends, and Tolliver felt a rush of affection towards him.
He tried to make his feet move, but Hitch had made the decision for him, stepping over to throw an arm around his shoulders. Tolliver felt his face inflame, and his hands found the hem of Hitch's shirt and curled there desperately as he stood beside him, his heart hammering a mile a minute, his cheeks burning pink.
"H - " His voice came out sounding like he'd swallowed sawdust. "Hello."
And Jarias - so that was her, the rainbow haired one - was tall and imposing as she stuck out her hand towards him. Tolliver hesitated only a moment before accepting, fingers shaking slightly as he wrapped them around hers and gave it the smallest of shakes.
Jarias' threat, however, made him freeze. Tolliver's eyes widened as he dropped his hand away, folding his arm up against his chest as he shook his head, casting a panicked glance at Hitch as though to ask what he was supposed to do now and if she was serious, was she serious?!
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Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2016 11:38 am
As a patron at the bar where they'd met, Vanessa had first noticed Jarias when the other woman knocked a man to the floor. And then, tucked away in Jarias's home with the lights turned off and the bedsheets crinkled, Vanessa had come to appreciate the strength in her hands. Everything about the woman who'd introduced her as my girl -and oh, if Vanessa's heart didn't sommersault over that- was bright and bold and colourful. Vanessa was not surprised by Jarias's threat, but she was torn over her own response. She admired Jarias, and her heart swelled with pride to be standing next to someone who stood by her best friend with such strong conviction. But Tolliver looked so frightened that her heart went out to him, too. She forgot to be pleased with Hitch for his excitement over her brownies. "It's nice to meet you," she said to Tolliver, grinning so wide that her teeth showed. "You'll both have to come watch us play sometime. I've got a pretty sweet set up in my garage for practice. There's pillows to sit on and drinks in the fridge, unless my roommates drink them all." Vanessa helped herself to more of the space without much nervousness. She peered at the walls- curious about the sort of things that Hitch and Tolliver hung on them, if they hung anything at all. "We don't have a band name yet. I was thinking something like Chandler's Third n****e or The Adventures of Van and Hitch or The Adventures of Hitch and Van, but those are kind of long so maybe just Roadtrip. But we're open to suggestions, so if you've got any ideas!"
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