#27 - [Audio Post]

[totallyinaband]

[The audio on Stephen's device crackles to life, and when he speaks his voice is low and husky - he sounds tired or hungover. Possibly both.]

Hey guys.

Does anyone know how long I've been gone?

Comments

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

Secret is safe with me. [She mimed a locking motion and threw away the key.] And Neil's not mad at you. He missed you. A lot so take it easy on him. 'Kay?

[totallyinaband]

Yeah, of course.

It's just that -

[Heavy sigh]

I've got my own shit to deal with right now. And with Neil...

We kinda used to look after each other, back when we were in school. And sometimes I feel like I grew up and moved on and he hasn't.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

[Lucy ponders this and then nods. She understands it, kind of. She's always in charge of taking care of Jill. She's just never reached the point where she minds. She smiles and takes a sip of her beer.]

Take care of your stuff first then. And if you need some help dealing and I can help, just ask.

[totallyinaband]

Thanks, man. You're kind of awesome.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

[Lucy sighs dramatically, her hand going to her chest.] It's a hard job but somebody's gotta do it.

[totallyinaband]

[/friendly arm punch]

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

[He gets an eyeroll because she's still a girl.]

Boys. Thinking everything can be communicated through punches. [It's teasing though. She leans in and kisses him on the cheek] You're welcome and anytime.

[totallyinaband]

Hey!

[Girl slobber on his manly beard. Gross.]

Do you wanna go to a movie or something? One with a lot of explosions in it? I kinda wanna stop thinking for a few hours.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

If I were a boy you'd be okay with it. [She says it teasingly and she's hoping that he's ready to take it that way because it doesn't occur to her that she shouldn't tease until after the words are already out of her mouth.]

Explosions and lack of thought sound good. Let me go change really quick. [And she starts chug a lugging her beer and she gets up and heads toward the stairs.]

[totallyinaband]

[Yeah... give him a few more weeks and he'll start going along with the teasing. Right now he just coughs a bit awkwardly.]

Yeah, no problem. You don't need to make an effort or anything, though. It's just me.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

No effort. Just not pajamas. [She says this as she's going up the stairs. She comes down a few minutes later, hair in a ponytail, wearing jeans and a pink tee shirt that says 'Ala-Freaking-Bama' on it. She is wearing some ridiculous pink high heels though. It's Lucy. She doesn't go much of anywhere in flats.] Ready? [She tosses her empty beer bottle and grabs her bag.]

[totallyinaband]

Yeah, sure.

[He grabs his jacket off the back of the couch.]

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

So do you do this often? The whole mind numbing explosions movie thing? [She's locking the front door behind them and moving out into the hall where the stairs are as she asks this.]

[totallyinaband]

Yeah, totally. Who doesn't like big, dumb, awesome action movies?

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

Good point. They've got all that testosterone and sweaty boys and rawr-ness.

[totallyinaband]

Sometimes you just don't feel lie anything intellectual.

[Stephen slings a friendly arm around Lucy's shoulders as they head down the street.]

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

[Oh good. Things won't be weird with them. Lucy slides her arm around Stephen's waist, leaning into him.]

And nothing that will make you cry or make you feel guilty because you fail spectacularly at relationships.

[totallyinaband]

Yeah.

[Stephen's kind of been doing a LOT of that recently. He could blame the Big Gay Crisis but he kinda suspects he's just terrible with relationships, period. But hey, at least they can fail together. Lucy's shoulder gets a squeeze.]

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

[Lucy smiles a little and squeezes Stephen back around the waist.]

At least we're both really awesome people.

[totallyinaband]

I'm glad you're here to remind me. Sometimes I wonder.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

Psh. you totally shouldn't.

[totallyinaband]

You're probably right. Just... what kind of asshole has a sexual identity crisis at age twenty-three, you know?

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

Did you date a lot pre-sexual identity crisis?

[totallyinaband]

Yeah. But just Julie, mainly. A little in high school, and then... Julie.

[mghtbconcussed.livejournal.com]

See, you didn't really have enough dating experience to make a decision.