Room 323 [Tuesday, After Classes]

[comeoutwrong]

This was just exactly the reason that Effy avoided phone calls home, (except for the ones to Tony) like the plague. Couldn't manage one sodding five minute conversation without going off on one about something.



... "Now Elizabeth, it's important for you to remember, your mother and I still love each other--" Like she was five. Seriously.

"No, we don't." Her mother's quieter offering from the background.

"... No, that's right. We don't." At least they were being honest, right? Effy shook her head, even if they couldn't see that.

"And that's why you're leaving."

"That's why I'm leaving. That's why I am fucking out of here, woman." Ah, there was the yelling and swearing. Right on cue. They didn't even need her for this. "I am on a fucking plane, you're dead right.... So little imagination you have to shag my fucking boss. Could've fucked the turd from Tesco, but no--"

Didn't take much of that back and forth before Effy deliberately hung up and threw her phone down onto her bed and cranked up some music in the hope that might drown out her thoughts. Ten quid said it took them a good twenty minutes to even notice she wasn't on the line anymore.

Just when she thought she was four thousand miles away and they couldn't keep fucking with her emotions. Just fantastic.

[[NFB on the contents of the parental conversation, which once again was taken with some modification from Skins 3x05, because I can't just let her be yet. Door's cracked, and the post can be open, sure, if someone actually wants to deal with her emo.]]

Comments

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You've only known me for a few months, you have no fucking idea what I did before I got to this podunk island," he said, shaking his head. "I've yelled plenty. It doesn't always help."

It rarely did, in fact. Yelling for the fun of it was a lot less fun than yelling at someone.

"Besides, did you not listen to what I said?" Alex asked, making a face. "You don't want to yell or rant, do something."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"Something, like what?" Effy was pretty sure it wouldn't help, whatever she did.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Jesus, pick something, Effy," he said and shook his head. "Or just tell me to go so I'm not wasting my frigging breath on an apparent impossible task."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

There was no instant 'make me feel better!' solution to this, and they both knew that. Yelling, hitting things, whatever else he would go for was... Effy was far too used to keeping things internalised around other people, honestly. She'd had worse than this to deal with, and managed to come out the other side.

What there was, was not fucking thinking about it, and going that niggling little desire to lean over and kiss him, and shut him up like that. At least he wouldn't be wasting breath.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Truth be told, he was probably more expecting to get his ass tossed out of her room just to show that he could. Of course, he wasn't going to argue with this turn of events (he wasn't stupid) and kicked his brain into motion by returning her kiss.

He didn't try anything else for the moment, letting her do what she wanted since he'd basically said 'do something' to her and she'd chosen this. He'd pick up any slack, if it was needed.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Alex should have really learned to expect this sort of thing from her. When she couldn't do anything else, or wouldn't (because hey, she wasn't completely incapable of yelling), she fell back on what she knew. One thing she was really fucking comfortable with.

For once, though, she wasn't pushing it with the harsh and hard, as she slid her hand up around his neck. Their mutual sniping had hit that note quite enough for one afternoon.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Contrary to Alex's ego, he couldn't always predict what people would do. He thought he could but, in some instances, he was surprised. This was one of them. Pleasantly, though. Pleasantly surprised.

The atypical pace of the kiss didn't throw him, though, and he was proud of that. He just eased right into it, reaching up to briefly touch her cheek before that arm went around her waist loosely. After the mutual button pushing, though, he could see the allure of something like this and didn't try to push anything himself.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Implying she wanted him to fuck off the last time he'd stopped in had apparently worked just that well as a deterrent from returning to that method of dealing with her Alex-induced irritation.

Other end of the scale, she was far happier with. This didn't leave her feeling crappier than she'd felt before, the opposite, even. Something almost comforting about it, not that she'd admit it. Barely let herself consider that sort of thing.

Didn't really want to consider it now, and ignored that little lingering thought as she drew her thumb along his jaw and deepened that kiss.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex tended to induce irritation in a lot of people. She just seemed better equipped to handle his behavior than most. That or she was willing to put up with it and that was a little nice to think about it.

Not that he thought about it long. No. That was a prickly path that he was trying to avoid. Trying trying trying.

He poured his focus, instead, into her and that kiss and following right behind her when she deepened it. He leaned into her fingers some and stroked his own hand up and down her side, from under her arm to down near her hip and back again. Sometimes, he just liked to touch because he could.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

And if you could, why wouldn't you? Effy's free hand curled over his shoulder as she moved closer to get a little more comfortable. Getting neck crick wasn't on her 'want' list for the day.

"Something," she murmured. It was a better something than other things she could've picked.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Good something," he complimented, giving credit for credit was due. He brushed her cheek with his free hand, brushed her hair back and smiled briefly against her lips before he kissed her again.

He turned a little more towards her, unable to really duck or anything when he was sitting down but wanting to do something to prevent a neck kink of his own. Of course, since they were doing this uncharacteristically slow, he was pretty sure they'd figure something out.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Of course it was a damn good something. Whatever he might say, she could do this, and she could do it well. It was always going to be a good something.

Just might take them a little longer to settle into than it usually did, that was all. Almost new territory for them, going with the more relaxed approach.

Effy was finding, that for the moment, she didn't actually mind that too much.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Well, hey, they'd actually innocently slept together the other day so taking things slow here could just be added to the list of new things. Alex didn't really know what it meant to be trying new things but he wasn't going to argue with it.

Alex slipped a hand under her hair and around her neck, covering the skin there with his (warm, thank you) hand. Since there seemed to be no hurry, Alex slipped his mouth off of hers, sliding it across her cheek and towards her ear, nipping the lobe before kissing the same area.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

New things, seemed to be working out okay, strangely enough, even if it wasn't something she'd have imagined to.

This really was a great way of avoiding thoughts of everything going on back home. Being focussed on in the good 'mouth on my skin' sort of way was never a bad thing, in her book, and Effy tipped her head a little and shifted on her knees to get closer.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Alex was perfectly fine with the closer part of this equation. He kissed her ear again before moving down the side of her neck and to her shoulder. Still clothed and, showing his restraint (he totally had it!), just pressed another kiss there.

Back to her ear and he blew a light stream of cool air across it, just enough that she'd feel it before saying, "This mean I can stay for awhile?"

Look, slower pace, he could be a little silly.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy breathed a little amusement, and nodded once before ducking enough to press her lips to his temple. "Think I'd be okay with that," she muttered after a moment.

More like, think she'd complain if he didn't.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"You always make it sound like I gotta prove my worth," he joked, turning his head towards those lips and grinning. "I can make you Pop Tarts tomorrow morning, if that helps."

Which...showed how long he wanted to stay in an indirect way. But he'd totally make Pop Tarts too. Those, he could do. Staple of his home life!

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Not like she had a roommate to worry about these days. Already realising those great little benefits. Could keep him around a hell of a lot longer without worrying about getting walked in on.

"Poptarts, huh?" she said, smirking a little. "That a promise?"

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Yep." He even stuck out a hand to seal that deal. "And it'll be the good strawberry kind with the sprin--"

Jesus, he knew too much about Pop Tarts.

"Shut up," he said, more of a preventative measure than anything, and just covered that up by going back to kissing her neck.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Too bad, not quick enough to stop a short laugh from escaping, as she reached to take that hand he'd offered, even with his lips against her neck.

"Good thing I found the expert," she commented.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Shut up, they're cheap, I ate them back home a lot," he said and bit her neck just for the taunting. "I'll burn yours if you're not nice."

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

"What about this isn't nice?" she asked, sliding her hands up his arms and letting her eyes slip closed.

Look, she thought she was being plenty nice here. One slipped snicker did not make her evil and deserving of burnt breakfast.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

"Please, even if I burnt yours, you'd just take mine," he reasoned, amusement in his voice. He pressed a kiss against the hollow of her throat and then wriggled his tongue against the same place. "You'd call it the right of the room or something."

He was just assuming here. But he could see her doing that if he brought burnt breakfast back.

[pastmewrong.livejournal.com]

Effy shrugged, completely innocent. "Maybe," she allowed, tilting her head back with a little smirk. Well, now she would. Might not have thought of that before.

He was putting ideas into her head. Bad plan, Alex. Bad plan.

[fratboybitch.livejournal.com]

Well, he'd never been accused of always being smart. He had his lapses. Apparently, that was one right there.

"I used to make them for my mom," he said, letting just a sliver of his guard down even while he kept his face pressed against her neck and his lips moving on her skin. "She'd eat them even if they were burnt. She said the 'extra crispy meant extra good.'

See, he could share! A little. A very little. It was something.