[R] Particle Fever (Tallulah & Nick) [FIN]

[Silverah]

When it came to documentaries, Tallulah’s tastes skewed heavily towards academic subjects and she was grateful to have found a partner with similar interests. After all, if they were going to dive head-first into wedding planning after only five and a half months of dating, she needed a lot of reassurance that her decisions were good ones and not just the result of outside pressure and survival instinct.

“Paris recommended hiring a wedding planner,” she said, tucking her feet up under her and flipping through her Netflix queue. She’d bookmarked this movie weeks ago - she just needed to find it again. “Said it would save us a ton of stress.” A planner would add costs, though, and- Tallulah sighed uneasily. Kaatje had already pulled her aside and said that money was no object and she’d cover everything, and that made her uncomfortable for, well, a lot of reasons. Even if Tallulah wasn’t exactly in a position to say no to having her wedding paid for--she understandably wanted to keep costs down. Kaatje had never struck her as the kind of person who gave things away for nothing.

“So, it’s called Particle Fever,” Tallulah said to Nick, finally finding the movie in question. “It’s about the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Sound good?”  

[shibrogane]

Nick settled himself on the bed after finally washing off the smell of antiseptic. It wasn’t that he didn’t like the shifts where he got to assist in the emergency room, it was only that antiseptic smell clung to his hair for hours afterwards, it felt like. (Smelled like.) “I’m alright with that,” he said. “I’m sure we could handle it, especially if we kept it small, but I’m not in this to cause you any more stress.” Like, from what he’d heard about Paris, her wedding had been something of an event, and this would be… the opposite. Hopefully.

In case this was unclear, he said, “I’m, uh, still not really up for crowds. So keeping it really small would probably be for the best. And yeah, that sounds great.” He’d seen posters for the movie at the local arts theater, but he hadn’t had time to go see it between his multiple, uh… issues. Like getting engaged and working full time as a doctor and part time with Kaatje.

He was all for Tallulah doing what she liked as far as the wedding went, he just… really didn’t want it to be a big thing. Nothing his mother or brother might hear about. He wanted them to stay far away, since they couldn’t be there as his family. God, purifying sucked… “Whatever you want to do, darling.”  

[Silverah]

Tallulah started the movie, and then, on second thought, turned on the subtitles so that they could keep talking. “Small sounds best,” she agreed. It wasn’t that Tallulah didn’t have friends - but she had very few who she’d want present at her wedding, and her family wasn’t the largest. Since Kat’s disappearance, her parents didn’t even really talk to any of her aunts or uncles. Besides, Nick knew hardly anyone, and a wedding of only her friends would be, well, weird.

“Maybe… twenty people?” she asked. Did they even know twenty people? Well, she supposed once you accounted for the fact that some of her friends would want to bring dates. You couldn’t invite Paris without Chris, after all - that would just be rude. “We can make a real list later, get a ballpark figure.”

“My parents are sort of nominally Anglican,” she said, threading her hands below her chin. “But I haven’t set foot inside a church since I was sixteen and I’m pretty sure being a magical superhero from outer space disproves any traditional understanding of god, so I’m not attached to having a church wedding or even any kind of religious service at all.” Had she and Nick ever talked about religion? Tallulah couldn’t remember ever actually having a real conversation about it.

“I mean, unless you want something like that,” she added. “Otherwise, I don’t even know where to begin on picking a venue or setting a date. Paris said I should order my dress three months in advance, so the end of the summer at the soonest…” She sighed. “Indoor is probably better,” she said, consideringly. “The weather that time of year can be erratic.”  

[shibrogane]

“Tops,” said Nick, because to be honest twenty people cut down on his social anxiety by a lot. He knew at least twenty people. Being in a room of about twenty-five-odd people (counting himself, Tallulah, and whatever officiant they had) would be doable. After all, he’d done hospital orientation in a similar group. (That was actually very different and he wasn’t going to think of how, he just was not.) “Twenty tops.”

He pulled a face at the discussion of religion. “I guess I was Protestant,” he said. “Episcopalian, to be exact. I’m not attached to it.” Religion had been a stressful topic in his house for a while. Never let it be said the Catholic/Protestant divide was neatly healed with the end of official discrimination. His birth family was living testimony to the fact that it was definitely not. His own religious upbringing had been a matter of luck rather than any real warmth towards it. “To be honest, we could probably get away with Kaatje officiating as long as we got a marriage license.” Although who on Earth would want Kaatje van der Weydin officiating their wedding? It’d be like… asking a drill sergeant to do it. He wasn’t sure that was a great idea.

He did kind of want a priest there. But not if it was going to cause the kind of schism in his relationship with Tallulah that it did with his parents. “We should probably do a prenup,” he said. “In case of dissolution of marriage, sensitive information not to be given to outside parties, things of that nature.” Without a prenup, he supposed his parents’ divorce would’ve been a lot more awful. “Not that I intend to divorce you,” Nick clarified, “but on the off chance Avalon decides she ships us with different people.” It was a joke. He tried to smile.

Instead he turned to look at the scientists on the television, who were discussing neutrinos with very serious faces. “I might ask Finn to be best man,” he said.  

[Silverah]

Ships. Tallulah snorted. “I should have never gotten you started on young-adult fiction,” she said, patting his arm. Paris had advised her in favor of getting a prenup, though, and she’d already made up her mind that one was probably essential. “It’s a good idea though, you’re right,” she agreed. “Especially when superhero secret identities are involved.” She’d never understood some people’s insistence that senshi were anything but superheroes - why not call a spade a spade?

“I’m not sure Kaatje officiating would be the best idea,” she said, pressing her lips between her teeth. She’d been very tired and slightly drunk, but Tallulah didn’t think she’d make up something like one of her best friends kissing her. “If you want a priest, we can find a priest,” she said, although that seemed to necessitate finding a church, although she was pretty sure her parents were far more regular in attending services than she was, so they’d have a connection.

But, again, two different denominations, so it didn’t much seem to matter. “Finn would be a good best man,” she said, happy to move on from the subject. “I was thinking of Kaatje and Paris as bridesmaids. I’d ask a few more friends, but then there’d be no one to invite as just plain guests.”  

[shibrogane]

“I don’t see it with Tally and David, I really don’t,” he said disconsolately. “Shay is so much better for her. They balance each other, and are badasses.” Extras was just right out. Like it would’ve been good on its own, but really? Really, Scott Westerfield?

He was two books into the Midnighters trilogy and a little embarrassed about it.

The problem would be finding a lawyer who wouldn’t find that weird, and then wouldn’t communicate the weirdness to anyone they knew. That was a puzzle to be solved later, he thought, because he certainly wasn’t going to worry about it right now, when it was ten o’clock at night and they were watching a movie and no sane lawyer would be open anyway. “I don’t know that I want a priest,” he said. “It might be nice, though.” He slung an arm over Tallulah’s shoulder and pulled her close, and then on top of him, with one arm thrown over the small of her back to keep her there.

“I think Kaatje has a thing for you,” he said. “She looks at you all the time when she thinks no one’s looking at her.” Him, jealous? Actually no. Tallulah had his ring on her finger and Kaatje would have far too many morality conflicts with his fiancee to ever make a real go of it; he wasn’t worried.

But-- “I was thinking I’d keep it to just Finn, on account of not knowing anyone else on God’s green earth who could fill the role.” His life was depressing.  

[Silverah]

“I’m trying to watch the movie,” said Tallulah, twisting so she could see the screen. “Unless you’d rather I turn on an episode of Cake Boss. It’s better background noise.” (She knew Nick’s opinions on that show, so maybe not.) “I’ll ask my parents if they’ve got a preference for officiant,” she sighed, and settled back into his lap - craning to look at the screen was hurting her neck.

Kaatje? A thing for her? Was it that obvious? Tallulah smiled wryly. “You think so?” she asked, and decided she was not going to say anything about getting drunk in a hotel room with her while he’d been in outer space. That had been completely innocent! “Well,” she said, twisting her engagement ring. “She missed her chance.”

She didn’t think she and Kaatje would ever function as a couple, anyway. Sometimes she couldn’t believe they even functioned as friends.

“There’s nothing wrong with having a really small wedding party,” she said, but she got his drift. “We’ll find you some friends,” she said, frowning. Having your whole social circle obliterated had to suck, she thought. Maybe Paris and Chris would be interested in a double date-

-Although Chris and Finn as groomsmen would be a disaster and she didn’t need any psychic powers to know that.  

[shibrogane]

He said, “Don’t you dare turn on Cake Boss. I can take the ring back.” If he was serious, he wouldn’t have been smiling. That was the logic. He kissed the top of her head, and turned his attention to the movie for a moment.

“Yeah,” he said, over the discussion of truth and beauty quarks. “She did.” He pretty much wanted to kiss her on the mouth, or something, but she was quote-unquote watching the movie, which, while well-shot and definitely interesting, was not as interesting to him as her.

Nick half-smiled. “I’ll be okay. I’ve got you, and Finn, and Kaatje even. And there’s that little blonde Finn likes. I could talk to her.” What he was trying to communicate was, I am not at risk for recorruption, with varying levels (low levels? he hoped not) of success. “I’m sure things will pick up,” he said. “And I’ll make friends at work. I’ll be fine.”  

[Silverah]

“Elke,” Tallulah supplied. “Her name is Elke.” She was more Finn’s friend than hers, but they’d crossed paths a few times. Not that Tallulah had the best record with working with Zodiacs - but that was all old politics and not worth dragging Nick into. “She’s nice. I’m sure you’ll be fine.” What she was trying convey was I don’t think you’re at risk for recorruption. She wasn’t sure how successful she was being.

“Maybe we should save this for later,” she said about the movie, leaning over and hitting pause. “I mean, we’re having this conversation, and I have no idea what anyone’s said for the last three minutes.” She leaned forward to kiss him on the mouth. “No cake boss,” said Tallulah, rubbing her thumb along Nick’s jawline. “I promise.”  

[shibrogane]

Nick sighed, and said, “As long as you mean no Cake Boss. That’s a deal-breaker. That guy drives me up the wall.” He considered her for a moment, and tangled his hands into her hair, and kissed her again. “We could save whatever hell-spawned TV show you want to subject me to for later, too,” he suggested. “I wouldn’t complain.”