michaelaconlinhasmoved-deactiva:

requested by little-lance

connie.

    “ we both had it tough. “ connie grinned a little more, eyes
    finally meeting his features. they both did have it rough and
    connie didn’t see hers any more worse than his since suffering
    wasn’t a competition. “ thank god you’re around to assure me. “

     edges of his lips keep up; it’s practically impossible to frown
     with connie around, sam finds. a hand lightly presses on her
     shoulder, squeezes it as an act to assure, then lets his hand
     fall back to his lap with hopes a second longer of lingering
     wouldn’t seem awkward. “no problem, connie. i should be
     thanking you, honestly.” he laughs, short, but genuine.

herjunior​.

   connie was never used to being told such positive and
   sweet things, so her response took a couple moments.
   “ thank you, sam,“ her eyes seemed to be having very
   minimal contact with him; this is where some of her slight
   awkwardness had shown. “ i’d like to say that i hope so,
   but i manage to hope too much. “

“yeah, well,” he’s had experience in that field. be brought up well
     by his parents, always fed with support, only to have it strip away
     after each visit to school. hope is hard to attain, nowadays,
     whether others were against them, or themselves. “still. i get it’s
     hard, but it’s better than thinking bad all the time. believe me, i’ve
     got enough years of that. i mean it: you do deserve better.”

connie.

    ah, there he was. thankfully, he made her snap out of her own
    thoughts and she was back to reality. turning her head with a 
    smile she had turned off the fire and pulled out a seat in the
    kitchen for sam to sit down. “ oh, there wasn’t? i was so sure 
    there was. well, don’t worry. “ she came over with a bowl and
    set it on the table and filled it with that night’s dinner.

    “ sam, “ she sat across the table, still grinning and taking a 
    breath from moving around so much in the kitchen. “ i’ll take 
    the couch, you take my room. that why, if skylar chooses to
    come right in through the front door, i’ll be there to get ‘im. “

     arms fold against his chest. he watches her as she set the filled
     bowl down, delicious, warm scents rising from the pasta. it’s
     when he sees connie’s grin that the stern lines of his face
     smoothed out, momentarily.

     she’s right to be worried after sam’s unexpected visit. he’s the
     one who placed a grenade in her hands & expects her to do
     nothing about it except merely BE there, “yeah, but–” & he
     feels as though he’s reeled back to his childhood, filled with
     conflict & anxiety. some things he just can’t live and let die,
     no matter how old he got, “a-are you sure?” 

     his problem; not hers.

connie.

once her hand was released, she stood up too and they split
    ways. connie made her way to the kitchen to finish up the pasta
    and whatever side dishes she decided to make. “ no, no! “ she 
    shouted, almost like a mother. “ if there’s no guest room, then 
    you take my room, i’ll sleep on the couch. i’ve slept worse places,
    sam, “ a light chuckle was sounded towards herself. “ i promise, 
    it’s okay if you do. “

    once it was somewhat quiet again, connie stood by herself
    in the kitchen. she had lost herself in thought. normally, times
    like those, they would start out very well, but then she’d over- 
    think and go too into the outcomes. all she could think about,
    though was how much she had been smiling after she calmed
    down sam. she hadn’t smiled so much since they adopted her
    son and that was around the time she would’ve finished freshman
    year in college. 

      smells from the first floor caught up to sam. it was a delicious
      smell that prodded at the dormant hunger-beast in his stomach.
      he took a gander at the second floor, peeking inside each door
      lining up both sides of the hallway. bathroom, closet, bedroom..
       a guest bedroom? no. 

       he returns downstairs, only bringing himself closer to the pasta’s smell. 

      “connie?” he peeks his head into the kitchen, then steps in. “uh,
       there’s no guest bedroom – but i’ll be sleeping on the couch. it’s no
       problem, really.” he smiles, hoping to not enter a minor dispute over
       who takes the couch. though if connie was adamant, he would take
       the bedroom. 

connie.

there was a story behind why she had become so mastered in those
    types of skills, the reasons ranging from bad and good. though, she
    didn’t and never did plan on sam knowing and if he ever did her whole
    world would probably diminish once again. so, she kept smiling, holding
    onto his hand with a comfortable touch and reassured once more. 

    “ you came just in time anyways, because i just finished making dinner
    for chris and harrison. uh, i’m sure there’s a guest room upstairs. “ and
    the reason why she was so unsure? because she never left her empty
    room. it was only her in there and she would spend most of her time in
    there. she only left when things like this came up. which meant chris had
    to be the one to make dinner mostly. 

    “ or you can share a room with harrison, “ she joked. “ go look upstairs
    yourself and tell if there is one. “

     he hasn’t personally talked to chris or harrison, unaware of the
     situation that both encases connie & her home. that would be
     sure to change soon, sam believes, after hearing of the possibility
     of sharing a room. still, he can’t help but quirk a brow at the notion
     of connie being uncertain of a guest room existing after living here
     for so long. 

     his hand loosens its grasp with connie’s, then turns his head to
     comply with her suggestion. “uh, sure–” he says, voice not laced with
     any discomfort or strangeness. he’s slowly evolving with it, anyhow. 

     “i mean, i could sleep on the couch downstairs, too. i really don’t
      mind,” he speaks to connie while progressing up the stairs.

connie.

    the position that connie was putting at this moment was never
    a position she had been in before. she was always the one that
    received the calming, not giving it. she had sam sit down beside 
    her on the couch, hand still intact so that he would still remain
    somewhat calm. they were dealing with that kind of anger, the
    rampaging one. the kind that didn’t have a reason. 

    “ okay, so if someone has gotten upset over you disagreeing with
    ‘em and they act out this way, then yes he may be insane. even if
    he’s still after you. look, i’ll reassure you right here and now sam. “
    she tried getting him to quiet down and look at her in the eyes. “ i
    am trained in archery, throwing knives, and almost everything that
    subjects to combative skills. if you feel like you can’t be alone, then
    you’re welcome to stay here, okay? “

     he moved his hand so their fingers can intertwine properly, saying
     thank you without sparing the words. he sat as she does, still
     confused & perplexed, just hoping the abnormal weight throwing
     his stomach off will ebb away. at first he looks away, feels unable
     to maintain this sort of eye-contact with fear he’d convey a bad
     sense of SHAME, but he concedes & meets her eyes.

     there he feels more comforted. 

     there’s a quality in a person that, once unearthed, opens a lot
     of doors for trust to pour out from others. sam believes he’s
     found it in her. he nods, swallowing to rid of the dryness in his
     throat. “that’s a good range of useful skills,” he quips. the ends
     of his lips quirk into an awkward, dimpled smile, “thanks, connie.
     i– i think i will. for tonight.” if he ever glances out the window,
     home alone, to see a strange silhouette AGAIN, he would never
     be kept at ease.

theotherclerk:

      Randal’s eyes rolled sharply, heaving a sigh as
      he looks up from the 12 inch television.

    ‘ As an adult, shouldn’t you already know what kind
      of movies you like, instead of relying on the word of
      a guy who honestly couldn’t care less what you leave
      here with? ‘

        “um,” he considers the validity of the clerk’s question,
         but shrugs, “well, yeah, but i was kinda hoping to get
         another person’s recommendation. try something new,
         y’know?”

connie:

open

    “ WHAT are you doing here? “

    “is it okay if i drop by–? i kinda need to talk to you.
     there’s this one guy & he’s .. pretty insane.”