room 216 ; saturday afternoon

[necroslacker]

Sam's week hadn't really improved after Brannoc's phone call. It hadn't gotten worse but he'd hoped for good news. Brid had called him last night and hadn't given him that. The conversation hadn't been terse, thankfully, but he could tell she was worried which worried him. Something supernatural was attacking locals in Seattle and she hated that she couldn't figure it out. He'd tried to remind her that she wasn't a superhero but she'd said she was and Sam had laughed because he kind of figured she'd say that.

No one had died though and Brid had promised to keep looking. Sam had hung up with her promising to call if things got worse. And he'd actually admitted a fear that maybe Douglas had somehow escaped which she'd tried to reassure him was false.

Currently, Sam was trying to shove dirty laundry into a too small basket and getting more and more frustrated with it as minutes passed. He knew it wasn't the laundry that was causing his stress and frustration but a build up of a few things and his poor clothes were just in the way. He felt like he just kept hitting brick walls in every area of his life. He'd manage to climb over one and hit another and it was just an unending process.

Sam was getting a headache from all the brick walls. And his laundry was just not fitting in the freaking hamper. That was the story of his life, right there.

[Door & post are open, sure]

Comments

[whenshewasnice]

That merited him another eyeroll. "No, Sam, I understand what you are saying," she enunciated carefully. "I'm not making you sound lazy. I don't think you're being lazy. Stop assuming, I hear that makes us into asses or something."

[necroslacker]

Considering he was already stressed about things, hearing her say that almost sent him right into irritation but he got a hold of himself and calmed down by taking a breath.

"Okay." He crossed his arms again and didn't move from his spot near his bed. "My mistake."

[whenshewasnice]

"You're doing it again," Natalie noted, reaching for trademark mildness again. "That thing were you say something's fine but I'm left with the feeling that it's not. Not really surprising right now, considering."

[necroslacker]

"I've had a long week," Sam admitted, shaking his head and shrugging. "It sounded like you were calling me lazy, though, the way you phrased it. You corrected me. I'm fine."

[whenshewasnice]

"If anything, you're doing more than the others I've dated," she replied, sort of idly, lightly. Masking that maybe that was important. "What's wrong with your week?"

[necroslacker]

"It's just been long," he said and exhaled quietly. "I got some bad news from home and nothing's changed the whole week. It's just been a crappy week."

[whenshewasnice]

"I hope the next one's better," Natalie replied, quiet but sincere. "You wanna talk about it?" She paused, resisted an eyeroll. "Now I feel weid asking that."

[necroslacker]

"You feel weird?" Sam asked, pretty sure that was the first time she'd asked him to talk about something. "Why's that?"

[whenshewasnice]

"I just do," she said. The communication thing wasn't coming easy right now. It was like she didn't quite know how to act. "I don't know. Because of what we just talked about. But it was just an idle comment."

[necroslacker]

"We don't have to talk about anything," Sam said, sighing again and dropping down onto the edge of his bed. "It's not a big deal anyway. Just stupid home stuff."

[whenshewasnice]

"It's not stupid if it upset you," Natalie replied. "And I didn't ask to be polite. I asked despite the weird."

[necroslacker]

The problem was that telling her what was going on would mean opening up that entire side of himself he'd kept hidden and he wasn't sure if she was ready for that yet. Or if he was ready for that.

"I talked to someone I hadn't since I left home and she and I didn't have a great conversation," he said vaguely. It was the truth but he knew the way he phrased it made it sound like the problem was Brid and not what was happening in Seattle. "It was another tense one for me."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie made no real judgment on why it hadn't been great, though. Not enough to go on. She had her guesses as to who it was, though, just from the various bits and pieces she'd heard before.

But she kept that to herself. "Sorry there's been so much tenseness for you."

[necroslacker]

"Like I said, it's not that big a deal," he answered, pushing that topic aside as best he could. "Thanks, though. I'll be fine. I'll work it out."

[whenshewasnice]

"Or take it out on your laundry," she drawled. "Whatever works for you."

[necroslacker]

"Yeah, that too," he said, pressing the heel of his hand against one of his eyes. "I'm sure if anyone can take it, my clothes can. They're resilient."

That just sounded stupid so he made a sound of displeasure and bowed his head so he could stretch his neck and shoulders.

[whenshewasnice]

"Well it's good to see you're as lame as ever," Natalie noted, sounding just faintly, wryly amused. "Otherwise I might have worried."

But maybe she worried anyway.

[necroslacker]

"Yep, still lame," Sam said, looking back up at her. He didn't sound amused but he'd really had a bad week and couldn't find that in him. "If things change, I'm sure you'll be one of the first to know."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie watched him silence for a moment or two, head just slightly tilted, like she was thinking.

She was. "You look like you need a hug."

[necroslacker]

"Do I?" Sam asked, actually sounding surprised about that observation and that observation coming from her.

[whenshewasnice]

Well, she stating it as a fact. "Yeah," she said. "Why are you surprised?"

[necroslacker]

"I don't know," he answered, shrugging. "I was just surprised to here you come to that conclusion, I guess."

[whenshewasnice]

Natalie rolled her eyes. It was better than to consider the implications in a statement like that. "Do you want a hug or not?"

[necroslacker]

"Yeah," he admitted, shrugging. "Yeah, maybe I do."

[whenshewasnice]

"So, get up," Natalie replied, gesturing for him. "Get up and you'll get one."