Morning Coffee And Sweet Surprises (Closed to Poprockz)

[Poprockz]

The look on Vin's face unsettled him slightly, the man wondering if Vin judged him for giving in so easily. That was understandable considering that most would probably have told him to trust that Cora wouldn't believe her. He couldn't trust that though, since anything left to chance was a risk he wasn't willing to take. Damien didn't trust that Cora would believe him because a normal person wouldn't, especially given his history.

"...it sounded like that's not the first time something like that has happened to you."

He shifted on his feet, not looking up at Vin as he quietly listened with furrowed brows. In actuality, he was surprised that Vin had picked up on that, but perhaps he should have used different words to describe things. When Vin paused, he didn't offer any words, simply waiting for the man to continue. When Vin did, Damien's face became masked, not willing to disclose what he was thinking about.

How ironic was it that Vin was saying such things about consent to him. He had taken several women, done things to them without their consent. True, he hadn't harmed them, but Tiffany wouldn't have harmed him either. Was he different from Tiffany or were they the same disgusting creature? Her weapon of choice was coercion, while his was influence and strength. It didn't seem fair that he had the right to say no when he had taken that very choice from others. In addition, he had no place to complain about things; in a way, it would have been a fitting punishment for a fraction of his misdeeds.

It was only because of Cora that he was any different today, otherwise he would be the same monster stalking the streets. So in a sense, it wasn't that he had changed, it was just that he was beholden to her, his angel of mercy, the only one willing to restrain him with the chains of her love.

"That's why you need me, honey. You're weak. Too weak to change the pathetic, disappointing son you turned out to be... You'll always need me, Damien. Always." His fists balled up tensely for a moment, the man struggling to push down those feelings of shame and inadequacy. For that reason, he was grateful that Maverick passed them by as a distraction, the buff man glancing at them before going into the bathroom.

When Vin turned to go into the bathroom and advised him of what he was doing, he simply nodded and headed back down the hall. Vin could take care of himself with Maverick, and he really did want to check up on how Cora was doing.

Tiffany walked past Vin as he came in, the woman looking like she had been crying. Though instead of going toward the sleeping bags, she headed for one of the back rooms to chill out. Maverick was using one of the stalls for a moment before coming out and washing his hands, glancing at Vin as he approached. He knew something shitty was coming; Tiffany had never been one to get along with people very well.

 

[Drobabes]

By the time that Damien came over, the panic had mostly passed. Cora had let the blanket fall off of her shoulders a bit, and while she was still absentmindedly petting Bowie, she wasn't clammy or pale anymore. Her hand went up to tenderly touch the side of her cheek where Tiffany had punched her back, and she let out a little sigh of sadness.

Now that everything had calmed down, she felt a little hypocritical for blowing up like that. Did she really have any right to go off and punch Tiffany, when she had chosen to love a man who had done no less than what she had been trying to do? She didn't know. All she knew was that it had felt wrong, and the only thing that had ever served her right in her life was following those very basic gut moral instincts. It wasn't right, what she was trying to do, and someone had to put a stop to it. And although she was loath to think about it, she knew in her heart that if Damien ever really did go back to his old ways...she would leave. She could love him more than anyone else in this world, but she couldn't ignore what she felt was wrong.
________

Delvin leaned against the doorway and crossed his arms once again, staring hard at Maverick for a moment before clearing his throat to speak.

"So... Cora just caught Tiffany threatening Damien into having sex with her. She told him that if he didn't, she would tell all of us that he had raped her."

He went silent after informing him, waiting to see his reaction. This could only go so many ways, and depending on how it went, if he had to, he would make sure Lizz left with him tomorrow.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien was relieved to see that she looked somewhat more calm. He wasn't sure what had happened to her, the way she had paled and had an unfathomable expression on her face. The man had been concerned that maybe Tiffany had hit her somewhere very painful, but it seemed like whatever it was had abated.

He was also happy to see that Bowie had decided to make another appearance, perhaps sensing Sabastian's worries, or hearing Cora's angry voice. The way she stroked him looked to be soothing her, and he couldn't ask for anything better from the affectionate snake. As he approached, he thought he smelled sandalwood, but that seemed a bit unlikely, the man putting it out of his mind before sitting down next to her. He was about to reach out and put his arms around her when Sabastian held his own arm out and said, "stop. She doesn't want to be touched right now."

The man's arm had hesitated, lowering to rest his hands in his lap. He didn't want to overstimulate her, despite his very powerful desire to scoop her up into his arms. Damien didn't really know how else to show his support other than to nod at Sabastian and then say to Cora softly, "Feeling any better?" She looked sad for some reason, but he couldn't fathom why. He wondered if maybe she regretted fighting with Tiffany, tender-hearted as Cora was.

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He looked at Vin seriously as though trying to confirm that Vin himself was serious. When it was apparent that Vin wasn't exaggerating, Maverick was quiet before sighing and running his fingers through his hair. The man spoke quietly as he replied, "fuck. I never thought she'd go that far. Flirting can be harmless, but blackmail..." He shook his head and thought for a moment. His expression was pained, as though he wished this hadn't happened, though it was obvious that he recognized that there was no going back now.

After a few moments of contemplation, the man turned toward Vin and looked him in the eye with a resolute expression. "I can have us leave tomorrow if you want, me and Tiff. I'd prefer to stay in a larger group, but I can't leave her, she's too important to me. I know you probably think she's a garbage human being, but... we have history. For what it's worth, I'm sorry though. That was out of line of her to do to your friend. If you could at least help us get a working car so we can try to get to a military base or something, we would appreciate it."

The man was serious, fully prepared to accept the consequences of Tiffany's actions. He wasn't going to try to discount what she did, and he knew that Damien didn't deserve that kind of shit. It was unfortunate though, how things had turned out.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora looked over at him when he asked how she was feeling, and then she glanced at Sabastian. Letting out another sigh, she rubbed the good side of her face with her palm and closed her eyes.

"Yea I'm alright. Can we just go back to bed, please?"
________

Delvin listened to the man and believed his sincerity, although the part about them having history together made him knit his brows a bit. He couldn't understand why Maverick would want to stick with her after what she had just pulled.

"We'll see what we can do. I wouldn't suggest a military base right now, though. The last time I was at one, they put a mark on me for having survived a zombie bite, and they weren't letting anyone leave who had the mark. The only reason I got out of there was because something happened to cause an explosion, and I left during the confusion."

He was only telling half the truth, of course, but after the way Maverick had just owned up to what he was told, Vin thought he deserved to know the danger he might be getting into.

He let out a long sigh, looking away for a moment, then getting up away from the wall. It was difficult to see in the bathroom, only the candlelight to go by, but he tried to make eye contact with Maverick again.

"You sure you want to stick with her man? That was some low shit she just pulled."

 

[Poprockz]

He nodded but then hesitated, "I would love to sleep with you in the bag, but if you need to not be touched right now, I could sleep elsewhere. I can fall asleep just about anywhere as long as I have my back against a wall, so it would be fine." Damien looked at her, offering her a concerned smile, unsure of how to handle her in her seemingly fragile state.

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There was silence and then, "a military base is better than nothing. Where there is no law, people are just as dangerous as zombies, perhaps more. It's better to be at a hub of civilization than wandering by ourselves. Tiffany doesn't know how to shoot a gun, and I doubt I would be enough to keep us safe for too long by ourselves. Besides, neither of us have been bitten yet, so we wouldn't have to worry about the marking."

"You sure you want to stick with her man? That was some low shit she just pulled."

Maverick let out a little half-hearted chuckle, "I have a responsibility to that little woman, and I'm all she's got. I understand what she did was very wrong, but I don't think she should be condemned to die for it, scared and alone. The punishment should fit the crime. Still, it'll suck leaving you guys, especially since I haven't even see anyone's ass yet." He let out a weak chuckle this time, as though his joke was hollow, trying to lighten things up a bit but failing.

He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, "in any case, we should probably go to bed. I'll... go talk to Tiff. Maybe we'll sleep in one of the other rooms."

 

[Drobabes]

"No, you don't have to sleep somewhere else. I'm alright, really."

She pushed her hair back out of her face and then got the blanket untangled from around her. Before she got up to go back to their sleeping spot, she looked over at Sabastian and reached out to give his hand a gentle squeeze.

"Thank you. Sorry if I...well. Thank you."
________

Vin simply nodded, agreeing with his reasoning even if he didn't trust the military himself.

"If you want to take that chance, that's up to you. If you do end up going to any bases, you should look for an army boy named Tommy Grater, or a General Kuznet. They were good to me during my stay there, so if anything too shady happens, they might be the people to talk to."

Delvin really had no clue of Cora's past with the General, nor did he understand the trap which he himself had fallen into. All he remembered was that when given the chance, the General had let him walk away, seemingly knowing about the bite marks but giving people a chance to leave anyway. That, combined with the way he had been training Tommy, put the man on his list of people to be trusted.

"Maybe we'll sleep in one of the other rooms."

He nodded, agreeing.

"I think that would make everyone more comfortable, and tomorrow I'll talk with Lizz and see if she would be willing to help fix up another car for you two."

Now that things were settled, Vin turned to walk away from the man. It was awfully late and it had already been such a hard day.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian smiled at her and turned his hand so that he could give her a very gentle squeeze as well. "Hey, don't mention it. We all act differently when we're upset; with what-all happened, I don't blame you." With one final little squeeze, he let go of her hand and got up, looking down the hallway and seeing the dim flicker of light from the candle. He wanted to go to Vin, but he would have to wait until the man came back and put it back on the table away from them.

The blonde went to his own sleeping bag and wiggled inside, waiting for his partner to come back with that warm body of his. Having been out of the sleeping bag for a bit, he felt a bit chilly and hoped that their bag would heat up again soon.

When Cora moved over to their sleeping spot, Damien got himself situated there as well, cuddling up to her back and spooning her. He felt so tired, he just wanted to sleep in peace with his brave lover. His arm went around her waist gently and he smelled her hair before sighing. "Goodnight, love... and thank you."

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"I'll just grab our sleeping bags real quick," Maverick replied, following Vin back into the main room and grabbing the two metallic mummy bags. He remembered having given Cora his supply of essential oils, so he spotted the little case and set down the mummy bags so he could quickly close the case and take it back to his bag in the office. If someone stepped on it, it would not only ruin his oils, but it would be a smelly mess and hurt someone's foot.

When he came back, he slung the bags over his shoulder and retreated to the back rooms, finding Tiffany crying gently in one of them. The man laid down the bags and pulled her against his side, petting her hair and wondering what they were going to do if Lizz couldn't find them another working car. Eventually the two fell asleep, hearing the sound of raindrops just as they drifted off.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin didn't waist much time after Maverick left the bathroom, returning the candle to the table once more and then snuggling up with Sabastian again.

In their own sleeping bag, Cora rolled over and buried her face gently against Damien's chest, simply breathing in his scent and for a while, letting her worries get the better of her. What would have happened if she hadn't gone into that bathroom at that exact moment? Would she have believed Tiffany? She didn't want to think that she would have, but she knew the truth, and the truth terrified her.

Eventually sleep claimed them, however, and the rest of the night passed without anything else to disturb them.
________

Lizzy woke up almost the minute that the sun began to brighten the sky, and she stretched for a long moment before crawling out of her sleeping bag. It looked as if everyone else was asleep, and she wondered why she had woken up so early.

The morning was surprisingly cold, and as she got up, she picked the sleeping bag up to wrap it around her shoulders, and then she went to stand in front of the window, staring out at the strange turn of weather. It was a welcome relief from the summer heat though, and she wasn't about to complain.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien cracked an eye open when Lizz got up, his light sleep most likely a result of being on guard with Maverick and Tiffany being around. When he saw that it was just Lizz, he closed his eye and tried to go back to sleep and was thankfully successful.

A while later, Sabastian was the first one to wake up after Lizz. It was an odd thing, waking up with a boner pressing against his ass. It never failed to make him blush at the idea of Vin perhaps relieving his morning wood by rubbing it against him in the morning. Of course that never happened considering they were sleeping in a group, but he imagined that were they in private, maybe the big man would have been tempted. He himself was sporting a below-waist salute, so he carefully got out of the sleeping bag and went to the restrooms.

The blonde hadn't noticed that Lizz was awake, but after he relieved himself and took care of his own morning wood, he dressed and came back out. Lizz was spotted near the window and it was at that point that he noticed that it was raining. He walked over to her and looked out the window.

"Quite a change of weather, isn't it?" he said softly, not wanting to wake the rest of them up yet.

 

[Drobabes]

Lizzy hadn't realized just how long she had been standing there, simply staring out the window, until Sabastian came up to her. She looked at him and nodded, then looked back out into the rain.

"It's really nice, but man, it's making me super homesick."

She pulled the blanket up and over her head, then pulled it down snugly against her skin. Unlike everyone else, she had slept like a rock through all the fighting, so she had no clue what had happened last night.

"I would kill for a cup of Starbucks right about now" she said absentmindedly, then yawned.
________

Cora had woken up when she heard Sabastian's feet padding across the floor, and she tried to turn her head to see what it was. Her cheek and around her eye hurt like hell when she did, however, and she suddenly remembered what had happened last night.

She reaches up with her hand and gently lays it over Damien's chest, trying to feel his heartbeat without waking him up, as she closed her eyes and tried to fight down the anxious feelings that wanted to bubble up to the surface. Just for a moment, she wished she could have frozen time to stay with him, just like this, forever.

 

[Poprockz]

"Call me basic, but I'm kind of craving a pumpkin spice latte right now," Sabastian replied, her yawn triggering a yawn of his own. He reached up and wiped the corners of his eyes, his eyes having watered a little bit.

"Speaking of being homesick though... Any juicy childhood stories you can tell me about Vin before he wakes up? Embarrassing ones are preferred, but I'd take a funny one too. He doesn't talk about his past all that much, so it would be nice to get a little peek," his voice was soft but eager, hoping that Lizz was in the mood to spill some beans about his favorite guitar player. "Pluuuuus, it might make you feel a little less homesick."

The blonde looked at her like an hopeful little puppy, not intending to give her a puppy face, but his excitement hadn't been stifled one bit when his sapphire eye met hers.

-------------------------------------------------

He was still on guard, so her movements almost woke him up again. Damien stretched his arms out and then drew her close, his face nestling against her neck as he sighed in his sleep. With that, he drifted off more deeply again, contented by the comforting feeling of having her in his arms. The previous day had been long and straining, and he was going to cling onto his blissful sleep with her for as long as he possibly could.

 

[Drobabes]

Lizzy looked up at him, giving him a mischievous smile of her own, before she looked over her shoulder. She spent a good solid minute simply staring at Vin, making sure he was actually asleep, before she turned back to Sabastian.

"Ok, ok, so," she started, seemingly excited to spill some beans.

"Have you seen him get creeped out by anything yet? Or squeamish?"

________

Her worries were momentarily pushed aside, the way he stretched making her smile despite herself. It reminded her so much of a cat stretching and she always found it amusing. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to go back to sleep,but for the moment at least, she was content to just let him hold her, and try and listen in on Sabastians conversation as a distraction.

 

[Poprockz]

"Oh!" Sabastian raised his finger, "at the lake! We were swimming, and then he got weirded out and took us back to shore in a hurry. There was some lake sea-weed or something on his leg, so he pulled it off and chucked it back as far as he could. It was super cute and hilarious." He let out a quiet little giggle, hoping that Vin didn't mind them talking about him.

Truth be told, Vin had also displayed an aversion toward being touched with the appendages, but that was more a more complex issue due to his having had a horrible experience with another zombie's tentacles. He had willingly touched Sabastian's tentacles, once in the woods and once in the bathroom, though he wasn't sure how he felt about it. Sabastian assumed Vin thought they were gross and squiggly- how could he not? The only reason he had made Sabastian use them the other day was so that he could watch Sabastian moan as they writhed inside him.

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The sound of padded feet could be heard as Maverick quietly walked down the hall. He could use a good, strong coffee, but that probably wasn't in the cards. Now that he was awake in the morning, he was bummed. Bummed that Tiffany had fucked this up for them and that they were going to have to leave. He supposed it didn't matter though- it wasn't like this group was probably going anyplace better than a base.

He came into the main room and glanced at Sabastian and Lizz before crouching over the food stockpile. The man grabbed some beef jerky and got up, turning and heading back down the hall. He should probably be there when Tiffany woke up, but he had to grab something to much on first.

 

[Drobabes]

Lizz pulled the blanket up over her mouth so that she could attempt to muffle her giggles, which lasted for a few seconds before she got herself under control and cleared her throat.

"Right, so, he totaaally hates certain squishy or wet things, especially when they're cold. Like that seaweed. So this one time, me and Damaris-that's Vin's sister, went out right after it rained like this, and we gathered up a big bowl full of earthworms."

She started giggling again, not being able to hold it back before she could get to the good part of the story.

"Ok, so, we had this bowl of earthworms and,"

Tears started to come to her eyes with how badly she was holding back her laughter.

"We waited until he got in the bath, and then Damaris kicked the door in while I ran in and dumped the whole bowl in the bath. Sabastian," she said, pausing briefly to bring a hand out from under her blanket and lay it over his arm.

"He screamed" she whispered, leaning in close.

"Like a little girl."

Lizz very quickly covered her mouth again, trying hard to stifle her laughter. When she saw Maverick glance at them, she smiled and nodded in greeting, before going back to her story.

"And he, ha! He went running down the hallway back to his room with nothing but the towel to cover his ass!"
________

Cora very gently turned her head to see who else had gotten up, and when she saw it was Maverick, her thoughts went back to the night prior. She wondered again at how he had recognized her panic attack, and very briefly, she wondered if maybe something had ever happened to Tiffany. She still held the belief that most people were not just born monsters, and she wondered what had happened to that women to make her act like that. Not that she was completely sympathetic to her, but without really knowing, the most she could really feel was anger at what she had done last night.

With a little exhalation, she recognized that she probably wasn't going to be able to sleep, so she very carefully starts to try and wiggle herself free of Damien's warm embrace. It was not an easy thing to do, and it's not like she was really fighting that hard not to wake him up, but if she could she wanted to avoid it.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian hung onto her every word, his grin growing as she continued. He also looked at Maverick briefly, but didn't give him any sort of greeting. At this point, he didn't really know what to think of the man. Just when he thought that Maverick fit into the box of being a total asshole, he turned around and did something unexpectedly thoughtful for Cora. What was his deal, and what had Vin said to him last night?

"And he, ha! He went running down the hallway back to his room with nothing but the towel to cover his ass!"

He couldn't help but start giggling, the giggles escalating until he had his hand over his mouth to keep himself from laughing too hard. The thought of the big, bad man running down the hall with that weirded-out look on his face, clutching a towel to his ass was just too fucking hilarious. Sabastian wasn't sure if he was ever going to tease him with that story, but it was good material to think about if he ever needed to be cheered up.

So now he knew that Vin's weakness was wet, cold, or squishy things. It took him a second, but a sobering thought came to him. If Vin was repulsed by such things, then Sabastian was probably right in his assumption that Vin didn't like his appendages. He was probably just too concerned about how Sabastian would feel to say anything about it. While that was sweet in a way, he decided that he would only bring the lubey one out when they were having sex. Otherwise, he would keep them hidden. He had been using them more often lately, becoming more comfortable with his new appendages, but he never wanted Vin to feel repulsed by him, even secretly so.

A soft smile came to his face as his laughter died down. "Ahah...hm... That would have been a sight to see." His eye travelled to Vin's sleeping form and back to Lizz. "Okay, so um. I don't know if it's okay for me to ask, but I kind of feel awkward asking him about it. What... what happened with his wife?" His voice was very quiet, as his question was only for Lizz's ears.

-----------------------------------------------------

Maverick disappeared into a room down the hall, the door closing with a click behind him.

When Cora started to wiggle out of Damien's grasp, she would find his hands coming up around her and gently pulling her back against his warm body. This time however, his eye cracked open and he murmured, "Mmm... Good morning, my lovely lady." Both of his eyes opened then and he looked at her sleepily, the man leaning forward and kissing her softly before pulling back. "Are you in the mood for coffee? I can make some outside or something."

With the sleep still clinging to him, the worries of the previous day hadn't descended upon him yet, and at this point he just wanted to have a quiet morning with Cora.

 

[Drobabes]

She wiped her eyes after her little laughing fit, and then let out a relaxed sigh. When Sabastian then asked about his wife, her expression didn't change too much, although she gave him a little shrug.

"I mean it's not some big secret, but he could give you more details and would probably appreciate it more if you asked. But they just didn't get along and got a divorce. There's really not much more to tell honestly. As time went on, she just got more controlling and didn't like that he wanted to travel. Oh, and she hated when he went to any LGBT meetings. I never could quite figure out why she hated it so much, but I think secretly she just had some hang ups about it from her family being so against all that."

She looked up at him and let her voice go down to a whispering volume for a moment.

"So don't tell him I know this, but I was staying the night once and I overheard her start a fight with him just because he was watching some porn that wasn't strictly hetero. Like, who the fuck cares what you like in porn? It doesn't mean he looked at her any differently? But I think she took it personally or something."

She cleared her throat, and continued at a somewhat normal, though still hushed volume.

"Anyway, yea, they were married for like two years until the fighting just got so bad that he decided to call it off."

Of course, while Lizz was giving him all this information about his wife, what she was failing to tell Sabastian, and never would even think about telling to anyone, was that Vin had had a very special lover when he was still very young. That had been a horrible disaster, however, and was not something that anyone had any right to talk about, other than Delvin himself.
_______

Well shit. So much for being a sneaky minx.

She smiled into his kiss, closing her own eyes for a moment when he pulled back and simply breathing softly.

"Mm, no coffee today" she whispered. The last thing she needed was caffeine adding to her anxiety.

When she finally opened her eyes, she stares into his for a long moment before bringing her hand up to softly rub his cheek.

"I love you" she says quietly.

And she did. God, she loved him so much, and it hurt so badly to think of what could have happened last night. She only prayed that someday she would be able to trust in him completely, to have that absolute confidence that if anyone were to ever accuse him of such a disgusting act, she could look at them and know that they were lying, or had been misinformed. But she wasn't there yet, and no matter how much she wanted to be, it couldn't be rushed. He needed time, and she did as well.

 

[Poprockz]

Sabastian listened intently, wanting to know more about Delvin's past marriage. Part of him wondered if he was so curious because he wanted to know what things to avoid in order to stay with him for as long as possible. Anyway, it was strange that they married if she didn't approve of him travelling. He was a very free-spirited guy and it was obvious that he had a lot of wanderlust in him. Perhaps she was the sort of woman who wanted to stay in one place, and therefore wanted him to want that also.

The LGBT thing was weird though. It was commendable that Vin went and led such meetings, providing support for vulnerable members of his community. Even if he was bi, it didn't mean that everyone that passed him on the street was going to be attractive to him, nor did it mean that he was more promiscuous. It made sense though if she or her family was more conservative in that way, or religious maybe. If her family disapproved, maybe she didn't like to be "embarrassed."

When Lizz mentioned the porn scenario, Sabastian blushed slightly, imagining Vin stroking himself to the sounds of two men groaning and writhing against one another. He personally didn't have a problem with porn. After all, the smutty comics he read were basically just that.

"When you're in a monogamous relationship, I think porn might actually be healthy since it lets people kind of live out their fantasies without having to cheat. Fantasy and real life are very different." He mumbled shyly, choosing to look out the window instead of at Lizz. If he had to look her in the face after saying that, he knew his cheeks would only darken.

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He smiled softly, "I love you too. You make me so happy with just those three simple words." The man's gaze was tender as he brushed some hair away from her face. "Have I ever told you how sexy you look when you just wake up? I don't know what it is about you, but I'll never get tired of seeing you first thing in the morning."

Damien seemed contemplative for a minute, his eyes surveying every detail of her face and hair as though trying to find the hidden answer. "Maybe it's just you." He wondered if she knew what he meant. It was hard to put into words since he always found her to be attractive, but for some reason the morning simply accentuated her beauty to him.

 

[Drobabes]

She shrugged again.

"I just don't think it should be a big deal at all. So what if someone likes some porn? As long as they aren't hurting anyone."

She yawned again and stretched out her arms wide, then pulled the blanket back over her chest as that morning air was still really cold. For a moment she was quiet, and then she suddenly seems to get an excited look in her eyes.

"Oh my god, if you want funny stories, there was this one time that me and Damaris took Delvin snipe hunting and-"

Her voice was suddenly cut off and a large, dark skinned hand wrapped over her mouth. The arm belonging to that hand was sporting some familiar tattoos, mostly of mythological creatures, but an occasional pretty lady for added effect.

"You say one more word little girl, and I'm going to give you the worst atomic wedgie you have ever experienced" he rumbled, bending his big form down so that he can lay his chin on top of her head.

"Way worse than sixth grade."
________

Her hazel eyes stared at him softly, but his words made them crinkle up a bit as she smiled and laughed. Her hand came up to lightly slap his bare chest, not even close to enough force to make it sting, but just more for the gesture than anything really.

"Dork" giggles, although she was flattered.

 

[Poprockz]

He hadn't even heard Vin get up, so when that hand went around her mouth, he simply looked up in surprise that Vin had snuck his way over when they weren't looking. The way he had his hand over her mouth leaning over from behind her, it reminded him of their time in the bathroom. Although, this was totally different since he and Lizz were good friends, but he was almost 100 percent sure that neither of them had feelings for the other, or had in the past.

It felt weird to see him touch her like that though, resting his chin on her head with such familiarity. He couldn't help but feel a small pang of jealousy, though he forced it down hard. He was not going to be a jealous lover, and he was not going to give credence to those feelings- it was better to ignore them and shove them down. They knew each other so much better and had so much more history, but he should be content with the fact that Vin had chosen to be with him. Wasn't love supposed to erase doubt? Was it doubt he was feeling, or just envy? Damn it, he needed some time alone to think about this confusing shit.

He gave them a light-hearted chuckle and said, "dang it, I really wanted to hear that story too. Ah well... I guess you'll just have to tell me later. I'll protect you from this wedgie maniac as long as you deliver the goods." The man winked at her before looking toward the bathrooms.

"Well, I'm going to grab some water real quick. Damien could probably make some coffee with it and I am jonesing for some joe. I'll be back in a sec." With that, he turned and headed off toward the bathroom, a bit disappointed in himself for letting such a small interaction affect him.

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He grinned happily at her, "the dorkiest." His gaze followed Sabastian for a moment as the blonde mentioned getting water for coffee and headed toward the bathroom.

"Hm. It would seem that the masses demand the hot bean juice. I'm going to get up and see about making some along with some breakfast. I think we'll do pancakes again this time, and perhaps I'll even make some fried potatoes as well. Who knows?" Damien unzipped their bag and got up, reaching down to help her up if she was inclined to get up with him.

It was then that he noticed that it was raining, the man thinking to himself that it wasn't ideal weather for a shopping trip. Maybe they should wait a day before gathering supplies and heading out. If they all got wet, it would take a while for their clothes to dry. While Sabastian and himself had extra clothes, Delvin and Maverick currently did not.

 

[Drobabes]

Vin waited for Sabastian to leave, and then he released her and stepped around in front of her.

"What were you two talking about all hush hush over here?"

Lizz pouted her lips up and looked away from him.

"None of your beeswax."

"You said my name, so you were obviously talking about something."

She continued to look away from him as she shrugged nonchalantly.

"I may or may not have told him about the bowl of worms story."

His eyes widened for a second, and then he stepped forward and made a jab at reaching inside her blanket. However, her lack of reaction to him made him take pause.

"Yea, good luck with that" she said, giving him another nonchalant shrug, except this time, she added a smug smile to the mix.

"I'm not wearing any underwear."

He stepped back, and while it wasn't quite the same look that he had had back at the lake, when he felt that slimy seaweed on his foot, the disgusted look that came over his face was still pretty damn close.

"Alright, you know what you little brat, come here!"

That got her attention, as she squeaked and turned to run, only to be caught before she could get more than a foot away.
________

Cora took his hand and stood up, getting in a good stretch after she did so. She was just starting to reach down to grab the blanket when she happened to hear Lizzy's voice, muffled, but clearly protesting to something.

When she looked over her shoulder, all she could see was a body in a zipped up sleeping bag, struggling to get free, and Delvin wrapping a chain around said bodies arms and tying it in a knot. She then wordlessly watched as, once he had the chain tied, he lifted her up by her waist and carried her over to a high metal shelf, where he proceeded to plop her ass down on it. Once there, there was no way she would be able to get down by herself without injuring herself.

"Delvin! You asshole!"

"Stay. You're in timeout."

"DELVIN GET ME DOWN FROM HERE!!"

Vin turned around and put his hands in his sweatpants pockets, walking away with way too much of a satisfying gait. When he spotted Damien and Cora, he gave them a toothy grin.

 

[Poprockz]

Damien had simply watched with interest, wondering to himself what Vin's comeuppance would be later. If the man wasn't careful, he might end up with bugs in his sleeping bag or something. It was odd for him to see such a hands-on display of closeness. Vin was certainly doing something that could be considered rude, but he got the feeling that despite Lizz's protests and seemingly angry attitude, it seemed almost like foreplay. Perhaps that wasn't right though, more like friend foreplay. He wondered to himself if that was how one acted when very close to someone in a platonic relationship.

Maybe it depended on the person though. Even if Vin and himself ended up being friends for a long time, he couldn't see himself doing that to Vin, nor Vin doing that to himself. He couldn't see him doing that to Cora or Sabastian either though. Maybe in that case it was more like a familial friendship that they had, so there were different friendship rules and boundaries.

When Vin looked over at them, he couldn't help but give him a half-smile, finding the situation pretty funny. "I was going to start making coffee and breakfast, but it seems like you already made yourself a breakfast burrito." He gestured at Lizz. "That being said, I would have to make a fire outside I think, so it would be great if I could have you watch my back while I do it. Are you up for that?"

If Vin didn't accept, he supposed he could always wait for Cora to use the restroom and get dressed, or have Sabastian accompany him.


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Sabastian was in the bathroom by the time Vin had put Lizz in time out. The man sighed and filled up an empty gallon jug he had grabbed on the way over, his eye watching as the water level sllowly went up. Another heavy sigh escaped him, the blonde looking around for the cap he put on the counter.

"Hey there, shorty." The teasing voice of Maverick said softly near his ear, the man having leaned over his shoulder with his hands behind his back.

"B-gah!" Sabastian flinched hard and some of the water splashed over Sabastian's chest and hit Maverick in the face.

There was silence for a few long moments before Maverick reached up and wiped the water out of his eyes. "Well. If I wasn't awake before, I am now. What's eating you? Your sigh was so loud, I thought the air conditioner had come back on for a second." He grinned and walked over to the paper towels, taking a couple out and wiping his face. The man had a cup in his hand, presumably having come into the bathroom to get something to drink for himself or Tiffany.

"Why the fuck would I talk about my personal problems with you?" He crossed his arms and furrowed his brows.

Maverick shrugged, "I don't know. Me and Tiff aren't sticking around past today, so it's not like you have anything to lose."

This made Sabastian pause, wondering if Vin had convinced Maverick to leave and take Tiffany with him. After last night, it would probably be better if Tiffany left, and Maverick probably didn't think she had done anything wrong the way he also shamelessly flirted. Still, he didn't really feel like talking to the man. "It's none of your business."

"Hm... Trouble in paradise perhaps? You seem kind of like the type that would feel insecure."

Sabastian again was shocked by how tactless and rude the man could be, despite being correct in this case. He glared at him and screwed the cap on angrily. "What the fuck do you know? Just fuck off, Maverick."

The man shrugged again, filling up his own cup of water and moving past Sabastian. When he was almost past, he looked at the blonde and said, "let me give you some advice. What you feel doesn't mean shit sometimes. It's what you do with shit that's important." He patted Sabastian on the shoulder before exiting and heading back to Tiffany, taking a sip of the water himself as he went.

What the fuck? Sabastian didn't really know what was up with that guy. Was he trying to be helpful, or was he just fucking with him? A bewildered look came on his face as he thought about it, leaving the jug on the counter before moving to the paper towels and drying himself off as well. With that done, he grabbed the jug and exited the bathroom, heading back toward the main room.

He heard the shuffling sound of a sleeping bag and the clinking of chains, causing him to look up and see Lizz up on the shelf; she was pretty high up too. "What the fuck?" He hadn't even realized he said it out loud.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora had covered her mouth and was fighting off a giggle fit, not wanting Lizz to hear her. She knew all too well the rules of siblings, and if Lizz heard her laughing, then she would possibly get lumped in with the punishment later.

"...but it seems like you already made yourself a breakfast burrito."

Vin got a bit of a funny look on his face, and then he shook his head with a little laugh. He knew Damien meant well, but that had sounded so wrong.

"Gross man, don't say it like that. She's practically my sister."

"Delvin goddamnit!"

He looked over his shoulder, seemingly just checking to make sure she wasn't scooting herself closer to the edge where she would fall, and when he looked back he gave him a regular smile.

"Yea, I'll come out with you, let me just get her down before she hits her head or something."

At this point, Cora was wiping tears from her eyes and trying not to look at the mummified Lizzy. However, when she saw Sabastian and the look on his face, she couldn't hold back the loud snort that worked it's way past her hands, although she quickly covered it with a cough.

Vin started walking back over to her, but for a moment, he just stood there with his hands on his hips and gave Sabastian a little wink.

"You want down Lizzy?"

"Delvin" her muffled voice growled.

"I swear to the holy mother that if you do not let me down, right goddamn now, I am going to..."

"You'll what? Hit me with your shoe?"

"I'll tell Damaris what you did when I get back home!" she whined.

"And I'll tell Demmy you were being a tattling little shit head."

The little sleeping bag that was Lizzy began to rock back and forth with sudden ferocity, and with a loud laugh, Vin reached his arms out just in time to catch her as she wiggled herself off the shelf, a high pitched scream leaving her lips as she fell. Still laughing, he sat her down on her feet, and then he turned tail and all but ran from the furious little ball of anger.

"Alright, let's go" he said, a big grin still on his face as he tugged on Damien's elbow for just a brief second before making his way out the door.

"Saaabasstioon" Lizzy whined.

"Can you untie me please?"

 

[Poprockz]

"Gross man, don't say it like that. She's practically my sister."

Damien's face became confused for a moment before his own cheeks went a bit pink and he reached up, rubbing his stubble with his hand as a somewhat embarrassed look came upon his face. He certainly hadn't meant it like that, but he could see how it could have been perceived otherwise. Delvin had already turned away at that point so he figured his embarrassment hadn't been witnessed fortunately.

By the time he had turned back, Damien had cleared his throat and recovered. Giving Vin a slight nod when he mentioned coming outside with him.

Sabastian was simply watching, unsure what he had walked in on. All he knew was that when Vin put his hands on his hips, looked back at him, and winked, he could feel a stirring in his pants and his heart. He couldn't help but think to himself how cool Vin looked, So self-assured with such rugged charm that it felt his heart flutter. Jesus, he felt like one of those people in the soppy teen romances, he needed to pull himself together.

At Vin's escape, Damien jogged after him, an unfamiliar feeling creeping up on him. It felt like he was included, the lightheartedness of the group festivities somewhat foreign to him. Sure he had sat around the fire with them, but this felt somewhat more intimate for some reason and he couldn't quite figure out why. In any case, it put him in a really good mood and he got the feeling that it was going to be a good day.

Although, when he got outside, he remembered that it was raining and had to think for a second. Looking around, he saw a covered area near the shop and pointed to it. "We might be able to make a fire over there. Do we still have some of the firewood? I'm not sure if it got loaded up or not."

Inside, Sabastian grinned at Cora before walking forward to Lizz's rescue. Man, Vin had really tied the chains tight. He didn't actually think he could untie them. Looking around to make sure no one other than Cora was looking, he went behind Lizz and very carefully pulled two of the links apart. "Oh shit! There was a broken link back here the whole time! If you had wiggled just a bit more, it would have come apart on its own I think."

The chains fell to the floor and Sabastian unzipped the bag, freeing the mechanic.

 

[Drobabes]

Cora grinned back, but she knew what was coming, so she busied herself with cleaning up so that she wouldn't laugh at Lizzy when he freed her.

When Sabastian unzipped that blanket, the little mechanic had the most pouty, angry, and heated face if ever there was one. Her curly hair was hanging down in front of her eyes, and her cheeks had darkened from a mixture of anger and being stuck inside the sleeping bag. There was a deep scowl set on her face, and her lips were pursed as she slowly looked around the shop.

"Where," she said quietly. Dangerously.

"The hell did he go?"

Cora's shoulders were shaking with barely controlled laughter. She recognized that tone, as it was the exact same tone she often got when her brother pulled such shenanigans on her. Instead of answering her question, however, she cleared her throat and spoke without looking back at them.

"Interesting how he always walks around barefoot in the morning, isn't it?"

Lizz looked over at her, opening her mouth slightly to say something, but then she quickly shut it. A nasty little gleam came to her eyes, and shrugging the blanket off her shoulders, she started walking around the shop in search of...well, something.
________

"I think we have some, but I thought I saw a bag of briquettes laying around here..."

He stepped out into the early morning, seemingly not caring if he got wet. Although, to Vin, it honestly just felt kind of good on his skin, like the type of warm rain in Hawaii.

After a minute of walking around and lifting up random junk in piles, he finally found a half empty bag under a tarp, along with a little one person barbecue grill. He brought them both over to the spot that Damien had found, and sat them down for him.

"If we can fit it in the car, we should probably take this grill with us. It would be easier than digging a pit every time."

 

[Poprockz]

When he saw her free, it felt like he had released the kraken. Vin would have to watch out or she would drag him to a watery grave of revenge. He was silent as she asked where he was, not daring to say anything to put Vin in danger of getting the bajesus knocked out of him. Although Cora's comment made him look at her with a wide-eyed look.

Squishy, wet, squiggly things. It was raining. She couldn't possibly be thinking of maybe going outside and grabbing some worms or something? Maybe she was looking for a bowl to gather them up in, though he couldn't make rhyme or reason of her actions just yet.

The blonde walked over to Cora and watched Lizz. "I wonder if Vin knows how much danger he's in." He thought out loud, next directly addressing Lizz. "Why did he wrap you up?"

-----------------------------------------------------------

His expression turned confused as he wracked his mind about what briquettes were. He was at a loss before Delvin turned up with some, the bag seeming somewhat familiar. Maybe he had seen them on a movie or TV show before or something. He walked over to the dry spot, getting a little damp in the process as well.

"Hm..." Damien looked at the grill and the briquettes, wondering how the hell one worked one of these. Obviously you put them in the grill, but did one light them on fire, or did one have some kind of kindling that they put in there to get the fire going? Was it a normal fire, or was it more like coals? Did the briquettes have some sort of flammable coating or something? He just had so many questions but didn't really know how to approach getting answers. Perhaps he would just roll with it and try something.

"Uh, yeah. I think that's a good idea." He stared at the grill for a while longer until the silence started to feel awkward for him. "I'm... going to go grab the pan and some food. Then I'll be back to put some cattails in there before we light it on fire." The man walked over to the car and started grabbing supplies, hoping that he could pull it off and not make a fool of himself.