Who: Liam me_lucky_charms Alastair walk_in_silence and Will [NPC] What: Confessions, confessions! When: Saturday evening, August 28th Where: Liam's apartment
"Don't go in there!" Liam cried, throwing his hands over his eyes theatrically as the door on his television screen slowly opened with an ominous sound.
The teenage boy sitting next to him cackled evilly and when the inevitable on-screen battle commenced, he began madly pressing the buttons of his PlayStation 2 controller while his tongue stuck out of his mouth in concentration. "Muahaha! I am the king of Fatal Frame 3!" he cried when the pixelated ghost had been suitably exorcised. "I love this game!"
Liam, who was sitting on the floor beside Will who happened to be the son of his recently absent best friend, grinned and he shrugged his shoulders. "I don't think leprechauns are meant for ghost games. Sorcha always gets higher scores than I do too." It only made sense. Sorcha was a banshee. "I always get scared and the ghosts throttle my little, girly body to death."
Will snorted and he paused them game, springing up from the floor easily. "I want a soda. You?"
"Chocolate milk!" Liam called to Will's retreating form and then he leaned back, spreading out on his carpeted floor so that he didn't end up with cramps in his leg muscles. He was staring up at the ceiling when he heard his front door open and close. "Did you just abandon me in the middle of a game, you little ingrate!?" he yelled out to what he assumed was a now empty house.
There was a long pause, and then Liam heard the voice of his best friend respond. "It's me, Liam."
Liam sat up, his crazy hair forming a messy halo around his head thanks to the carpet. "Alastair? Will and I were just playing!" Quickly he grabbed his remote and clicked off the television, though the game was still running. He knew Alastair did not approve of video games and he wouldn't like Will playing them, but Will wouldn't appreciate losing his progress in the game.
"Oh, that's fine," Alastair said, brushing it off. It was completely out of character and so Liam did something out of character in response. He frowned.
Liam stood up and he faced Alastair directly. Will was now standing behind Alastair looking incredibly uneasy. Liam had been spending a lot of time with the boy lately and to his surprise he found he wanted to hug the boy to make him feel better. He wasn't entirely sure where that had come from, so instead he said, "do you want something, Alastair?" He hadn't meant to be unfriendly, but he wasn't impressed with seeing Alastair at work and nowhere else. Sometimes even at work Alastair seemed distant.
Liam felt slightly vindicated when Alastair looked guilty. "Actually, I wanted...I wanted to ask you for help."
Liam sniffed and then he crossed his arms, intending to look firm and disapproving. Really, though, he just looked ridiculous. Like a pouting child with frizzy hair trying to look adult. "With what? Because we're busy, Will and I." At that, Liam motioned for Will to join him and he was rewarded with a gigantic grin from the boy before Will crossed the room to stand at Liam's side.
Alastair bit his lip, but he continued. "Liam, can...can I talk to you alone, maybe?"
"No," Liam answered back quickly.
"Liam, please? I need your help."
"Well I've been needing your company and you don't care about that!"
"You're acting like a child," Alastair groaned.
"You're acting like a child!" Liam shot back, rather like a child.
"Oh my god, the both of you are acting like children! Married children! Or something! Jesus, just talk to each other. Stubborn jackasses." Will shook his head and he left Liam's side and then the apartment altogether, though before he did so he said over his shoulder, "he wants to talk to you about his floozy," and then the door slammed shut behind him.
After several moments of silence, Liam looked up at Alastair. "Floozy?"
"She is not a floozy!" Alastair said quickly and his voice invited no argument. "I've been seeing someone. She saw Will and he wasn't really thrilled-"
"Will met her and he didn't tell me! And you didn't tell me!?" Liam was completely taken aback. His best friend had been seeing a woman and he hadn't known. He knew everything Alastair did! Oh god, was this serious!? Had they held hands yet? "You're both just secretive, mean people!"
"Will probably felt it was my job to tell you," Alastair said quietly.
"Oh." Liam moved back into his living room and he sat down in his favourite chair. "Okay, he's forgiven, but you are a jerk and I don't like you any more!"
Alastair smiled to himself and he joined Liam in the living room but he didn't sit down. He knew if he did, Liam would make him stand up again. He had witnessed enough of the leprechaun's tantrums to know. "Of course you don't. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Liam, I've just been a little preoccupied."
"We spend hours a day together at work!" Liam protested.
"I know. And I didn't feel like telling you there where you could react like this. I'm dating a woman, Liam. And she's amazing and I think I'm in love with her."
"Ew, why!?" Liam asked, wrinkling his nose up with distaste. He didn't understand why people did it. The falling in love thing just seemed so messy and painful and pointless.
"Because that's what people do," Alastair said with a shrug. "And I know you're mad, but I could use your help. She's asked me to accompany her to a movie premier and I need to find a nice suit or a tux and I have no idea where to do that. I know you know quite a few tailors. I've been given a few addresses as well, but I have no idea what will look right."
Liam may have had strange ideas about what he liked to wear, but for centuries he had been following trends so that he could make fashionable shoes and later so he could know what shoes to order for his shop. He did know some tailors and if Alastair tried on some ready-made suits, he could tell the man what was acceptable and what wasn't. The question was whether he would or not. "You are asking my help after ignoring me?"
"I am. I'm sorry, Liam. I promise I'll try harder to spend more time with you. I've just...I haven't been with anyone in a long time and she's so...she's perfect."
"Well hoo-ti-doo-doo!" Liam said, crossing his arms again. "Fine. I'll help you. You're half-bald so you need all the help you can get, really."
"Oh, thank you!" Alastair said with a laugh. "Liam, I really appreciate this. Though I think Will might like coming along too."
"No," Alastair said, waving his hands around. "It's all about shopping, Will will just be bored."
Liam wanted to sat that Will probably would not be bored since he kept bringing up things like Gucci and Armani, but because Will had yet to tell his father he was gay, Liam said nothing. He was keeping secrets from Alastair just like Alastair had kept secrets from him. "Sure. I think you should talk to him though. Ignoring me is one thing. Don't ignore him."
"That was almost insightful, Liam," Alastair said fondly.
"Sometimes I can surprise people too, you know! So, what is this lady's name?"
Alastair, knowing it was safe now, took a seat. "Abby," he said, and for a brief moment Liam thought he saw a flicker of something across Alastair's face. As if Alastair was still keeping something from him. And since the last secret that had come about was that Will was gay, Liam had to ask.
"And...her name isn't really Andy, right? And she isn't really a he? Because if it is, that's okay with me-"
"What?" Alastair asked, politely confused. "No. No, not at all. Her name is Abby and she's beautiful. And I want to impress her which is why I need your help!"
"Alright then!" Liam said with a laugh. "I said I will, but I have conditions. I want a nice meal and I want to eat it with you and Will. Boxty?"
Alastair smiled and he didn't even put up a fight. "Of course. I'll make boxty and I'll even make you dessert." He stood then. "I'll go tell Will."
"You can send him over while you're cooking so he can finish his game?"
"You know I don't like those video games, Liam," Alastair protested, though from his tone Liam knew Will would be back in a few minutes, playing Fatal Frame again. And Alastair seemed back to normal. At least mostly. This Abby might pose a problem in the future but for now things seemed back on track.