Who: Hayley and Mathias What: Nothin' much. Little B&E, lots of pathetic apologies and pathetic forgiveness. Where: Bathos 202 When: Backdated, after this. Warnings: Pouting.
After leaving Orin and Val’s apartment, Hayley was on a mission. She had promised Val that she would retrieve her valuables immediately, so that’s what she would have to do. She felt a pang of guilt as she walked back into her apartment, with only a wave and smile for the Sabliers. But she had to do this, for Valerie. The woman looked like hell warmed over, and to know that her treasured heirlooms were sitting under the floorboards of her old apartment was probably torture. It was the least she could do.
Though she had promised to go immediately, she needed this detour. She still smelled like food, airplanes, and suntan lotion. The water washed that all away, replacing it with a hint of floral and peaches. She didn’t have the time to dry her hair, merely tying it back into a tight bun at the back of her head. The white stripe of her bangs lay flat over the top of her head, a silver spiral twisting through her bun. Though a part of her wanted to dress as Rogue - to give herself confidence in the likely case that she was breaking into someone’s house for this - she knew that would be foolish. So instead, she wore a black short-sleeved turtleneck that nearly met the edges of her opera-length gloves, a sleek choice. It had been weeks since she’d worn jeans - it was far too hot for jeans in California - and they felt strange, as did her black boots. But she was doing this for Val - a bit of strangeness would be okay.
The bus dropped her off a few blocks from the Bathos apartment complex, and she easily walked the short distance back to it. Her winter coat was buttoned up clear to her neck, a faded green messenger bag hanging off her shoulder. She slipped into the building, hurrying up to the second floor and finding door 202. After knocking a few times and ducking around the corner, she concluded that there was no one there. Perfect. She casually pulled out her lock picking set - a gift from [Destiny] - and easily picked the lock on the door, opening it and sliding inside.
Upon seeing the apartment, however, her heart dropped. It was furnished. There were things hanging on the walls. Someone lived here. Heart pounding, she quickly moved through the apartment, counting the rooms as she went. Val had told her exactly where to find the plank, and after a few seconds of shuffling about, she was sure she was in the right room. Looking between the window and the door, she moved across the floor, hesitating beside the bed. It had to be under there. With a deep breath, she crouched on her hands and knees and crawled under.
The plank was at the very back, fully underneath the bed. Completely hidden, Hayley pulled her messenger bag close, as it contained a hammer and small crowbar just in case. Thankfully, the plank was a bit wobbly to start with, and she had little trouble digging her fingers under its edges and popping it out. Right where Val said it would be, there was the pouch. Hayley didn’t dare open it, instead just stashing it in her bag before replacing the plank. With a sigh of relief, she pulled her knees to her chest and turned, crawling to the edge of the bed with her bag dragging behind her.
She dragged herself out from under the edge of the bed, taking a sharp breath of fresh air. Her freedom would have been sweeter were it not for the man standing in the doorway of the bedroom, leaning on a cane and looking shocked. Green eyes wide, Hayley just stared at him in horror, jaw dropping. She couldn’t even squeak out a word, instead letting out a low whimper as she shrank slightly, body pressed to the floor.
Mathias needed alcohol after dealing with Orin’s friend, if that was what she was. Honestly, he didn’t know what the hell his cousin was doing with someone as... infuriating as she was, but he wasn’t one to question. Taking all of his past relationships into account, he hardly had place to talk. He sat at the bar for a bit, alone as he sipped his beer, and he was approached twice, by two different women who failed to impress him. And when they wouldn’t leave after he spoke of his disinterest, he tried a different tactic and told them he was gay. It worked well enough, and he decided that he was going to do that from now on. It seemed to make things a lot easier.
He took a cab home, since his one beer somehow multiplied into two more and three shots, and by the time that he got into his apartment late at night he was ready to drag himself to bed and fall unconscious.
That is, until he walked to the doorway to see a woman crawling out from under his bed.
The first thought that went through his head, his thoughts still a bit foggy, was that women do not belong under beds. No, certainly not, shoes and boxes and that shirt he liked but could never find on the right occasion belonged under the bed. But not a woman in tight jeans and a black turtleneck. It took him a while to realize that what he was seeing was real, and he immediately turned the lights on before staring at the young woman, his lips parted in a mixture of shock and amazement. There was a woman. Under his bed. “Who the hell are you?” He asked it in a bit of a harsh tone, before a realization dawned on him that only seemed to make him angry.
“Listen, if Adam sent you here, you can tell him to shove it because It’s not funny anymore. Did he give you a key to my place? Is he serious?? What are you doing under my bed??” His tone made her cringe, though she didn’t blame him for it. She was trespassing. Breaking and entering. She could go to jail. Suddenly, the horror was much realer, and she found herself struggling to breathe as she slowly dragged herself out from under the bed before rising to her feet, shaking. “No one sent me here,” she said, mystified by his questions. Why would someone send women to his apartment? “I-” She took in a quick breath, shouldering her messenger bag, as she shook with terror. “I used to live here.” Gloved fingers knotting in the strap of her bag, she looked down, lower lip trembling as she tried to put her thoughts in order.
“And I was under your bed cause there’s a loose board down there where I hid some stuff to keep it safe,” she said, the lies easy because they were 90% truth. This was just someone else’s story she was telling, but it was the truth. “I-I thought I was doin’ a good thing, keepin’ it there, but when I moved, I forgot, and...” She trailed off, flinching as she looked up at him. He had a cane. He was handicapped. She had broken into a handicapped man’s house and crawled under his bed. If she wasn’t going to hell already, she was now.
“I’m sorry,” she whimpered, shrinking slightly. “I-I shouldn’t have done this, i-it was stupid and...” She whimpered again, looking nervously at the window and wishing she could just jump out of it. “I didn’t take anything of yours, I swear.” Mathias’ anger seemed to quickly melt away the moment he saw the look in the poor woman’s face. She seemed absolutely terrified to be here, and when she stood, her body was practically trembling, and she was making little sounds that tugged the exact right strings of Mathias’ heart. He frowned, and when she started to explain her story his eyes moved to the floor next to his bed. There were things stashed under where he slept? He didn’t even want to think about that.
When she started to stutter Mathias put his hands up in effort to silence her, and it was obvious that he couldn’t take anymore of her emotions. Mathias couldn’t handle his own emotions, and now there was a woman in the middle of his bedroom, looking as if she was on the verge of tears. It would be the first time a woman cried in this room, and he wouldn’t be able to deal with that. Bad memories and everything. “Alri- ALRIGHT, alright, just, breathe, okay? I’m not going to call the police or anything, just... calm down.” He said the last part calmly, demonstrating how he wanted her to speak and he placed his cane on the door handle, the sharp pain in his leg momentarily forgotten.
“You left something in my- well couldn’t you have just knocked an- wait.” He was in the process of turning around, planning on grabbing the woman a coffee or something to stop her from having a miniature panic attack, before he stopped and slowly looked back at her with narrowed eyes. “If my brother didn’t give you a key, how the hell did you get in my hou- you know what, forget it.” He said it annoyance, realizing that he didn’t want the answer to that question, and he closed his eyes, trying to stop the pain that was already forming behind them. “Just... stop, alright? Just stop. You broke into my house to get something from a floorboard from under my bed an-” He stopped. Mathias didn’t even know where to start. “Who ARE you?” His confusion and irritation were both completely understandable, and somehow that made it worse. She couldn’t be angry with him for being upset because she had so drastically screwed up. She just watched him, not even trying to defend herself as he started and stopped, spoke and cut himself off. If she could explode and vaporize right then and there, she would have. Though her expression still made her look as if she’d just watched Santa cut off her puppy’s head, she was noticeably calmer, fidgeting less and standing a bit straighter. The glassiness of her eyes never developed into tears, though she still looked on the verge of them.
As his rant came to a close, she gulped. She could lie or she could tell the truth. She didn’t like lying, and something about lying to this man after breaking into his home seemed downright despicable. After a few moments of staring at his shoes, she timidly looked up at him, cringing. “My name’s Hayley,” she said, voice still fragile. “I know this is all stupid, I shouldn’t have...” She trailed off, flinching. “It made sense at the time...” “It made sense at the time.” He repeated her words lamely, staring at this woman as if he was prepared to scold her on the rights and wrongs of breaking into someones home (mostly the wrongs) but he fell silent, terrified that she would become emotional again. Instead, he tried to calm himself, and he lifted his hands in effort to make Hayley breathe. “Okay Hayley, I... just sit down, alright? I’m not going to call the police.” This woman breaks into your home and you’re trying to make HER feel better? You’re an idiot, Morgenstern. “Just, stay here, I’m going to make coffee, alright?”
He turned from the room and walked out, needing the time to clear his head as he started a pot of coffee. By the time he returned he seemed a bit more level-headed, but he was staring at the woman with fresh, organized thoughts. “Alright. Hayley.” He stared at her for a long moment, glancing at the floorboards again. Hiding things under his bed... it was almost impressive. In a creepy, crawl under his bed sort of way. “Why are you here? What are you looking for, and why could it not have waited until tomorrow? Say, perhaps, when I was home?” Hearing her reasoning come from his mouth was just another reminder of how absolutely stupid she had been. Worrying her lower lip with her teeth, she nodded as he told her to sit, sinking to the bed immediately. Her messenger bag laid at her feet as she sat with her hands on her lap, gaze on her knees. She listened to the coffee bubble and boil in the kitchen, closing her eyes tightly and trying to calm herself down. If he reported her - even though he said he wouldn’t - she’d be fired in a heartbeat. And Val’s errand for her would be exposed. Stupid, stupid.
When he returned with the coffee, she looked up with wide eyes, flinching as he approached. At his questions, she sighed. “I...I didn’t know anyone lived here. I’d left some family heirlooms my grandma gave me under the floorboard down there. Like I said, I thought it was a smart idea. Then I was talkin’ to my mom and she mentioned ‘em and I...panicked.” She pressed a hand to her forehead, letting out a huff. “I knocked and when no one answered, I thought it was empty. Then I came in, and there was stuff here, but I thought I was so far in I oughtta just go for it, and...here I am.” “You picked my lock and when you saw my furniture you though ‘oh hell, I’m already in, let me just crawl under a random man’s bed and tear up his floorboards instead of waiting for him to come home and asking him so he doesn’t have a HEART ATTACK when he sees me clawing my way out from under his bed.’ No, I absolutely understand your logic, brilliant.” He sounded bitter when he spoke but his tone had softened a bit as he sipped his coffee. She was pretty, after all. What kind of monster could yell at a pretty girl?
“Well as long as you got what you were looking for.” He muttered it under his breath and he sighed, sitting down in an armchair that was placed next to the bed. It wasn’t until then that he noticed; this was the first time Mathias had someone else in his home in almost a year. No.. over a year. He suddenly felt very pathetic... and the urge to get a dog seemed to overwhelm him. He briefly wondered if there were any 24 hour puppy stores around here before his attention was dragged back to the matter at hand. Breaking and entering. Right. But damn it, she really was pretty. You’re so pathetic, Mathias...
“So what was so important? What was hidden under my bed?” His diatribe about her logic earned a visible flinch, though she didn’t even try and counter him. It was right. It was all right. She just looked like a puppy that had been kicked, eyes wide and lips pursed into a sad, quivering pout. As he finished, she looked down, biting down on her lower lip as she knotted her fingers on her lap.
As he sat, she sighed. The urge to run away was incredible, but she stayed put out of fear that things might get worse if she bolted. His question made her glance up, momentarily shocked. “Heirlooms,” she said confusedly, certain she had told him that before. “My grandpa’s watch. A bracelet his mom had. That kinda stuff. It’s not worth much to anyone but us, you know?” Mathias had waited for her to describe the heirlooms that were left under his bed, and he let the thoughts settle in his mind for a bit. She broke into his home for a watch, and an old bracelet. He was getting more and more confused as to why this woman didn’t just wait, or come back the next day when she realized that someone had lived in this apartment, but nothing seemed out of place, and her clothing, along with her tight jeans, didn’t leave many places for her to hide his belongings. He was honestly starting to believe that all this woman was looking for was her family items, and the concept of family pulled on Mathias’ heartstrings. He understood the importance of it, after all. And the way she was pouting only made him want to forgive her. He never knew how women did that, with their perfect pouts, but he made a mental note to perfect it at some point. He couldn’t imagine the things he would get with a power like that.
“Alright.” He sounded calm now, and he carefully set his coffee down before he sighed, looking very tired. This was exactly what he wanted to come home to. If there was a woman in his bedroom the least that the situation could do was have her in a nice skirt, not a turtleneck and jeans with gloves. “I’m not going to call the police.” He assured her, but the look that he kept her under was a stern one. “I suggest next time you decide to break into someones home? Don’t. You might not understand this, but it’s illegal. And that means its bad.” His tone comforted her slightly, stilling the shaking of her hands and shoulders. She calmed a bit as well, though still looked both cautious and fearful. If this man had been more like the people she was accustomed to, more like [Destiny] or Lil, she wouldn’t be walking away from this. A part of her was waiting for him to attack, and her slightly tilted posture reflected her readiness to run if she needed to.
At his discussion of bad and illegal, she resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Under any other circumstances, she’d toss off something sarcastic. Instead, she just nodded. “I know,” she said quietly. “I’m sorry, I won’t do this again. To anyone, I promise.” It sounded pathetic, she knew, but it was what she needed to say. She’d grovel at his feet if she needed to - only now was she coming to suspect that she was pathetic. Mathias stared at the woman and he found himself doubting every word she said. A woman who was able to pick his lock and tear up his floorboards obviously knew what she was doing, which meant that this probably wasn’t the first time she did it. She was trying to shut him up so he didn’t call the police, and it was working. Damn it... He gave a tired sigh and he stood, walking over to his door and opening it for her, staring at her intently. “Well then? Go on.” He was watching her expectantly as he moved aside for her to leave. “I’m sure you know the way out. You did live here, after all.”
This was the perfect night. He sat in a room with a frozen cousin and witch, trying to treat hypothermia to a woman who treated him like the anti-christ, and now he walks into his own home to find another woman hiding under his bed. He decided that he was going shopping for a security system the next morning, but for now, all he wanted to do was take a shower and watch television while eating unhealthy food until he put himself into a coma for the night. “Before you leave, is there anything else you want to find here? Don’t take this the wrong way...” For the first time that night, Mathias cracked a small smile. “But I rather not find you in here like this again.” The prompt for her to leave was met with a sharp, wide-eyed nod. “Yeah, of course,” she said quickly, picking up her messenger bag and slinging it over her shoulder. Fiddling with the strap, she moved to the door after he did, pausing awkwardly. Just as she was about to apologize, he cut her off. His question made her laugh despite herself, cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. “No, I promise, this’s it.”
She paused, timidly returning his small smile. “Does that mean if I pop back just to see you again you will call the cops on me?” A look of surprise had lit in Mathias’ expression when she asked that, mostly because he thought that this girl was terrified of him since he arrived. He found himself giving her another soft, and almost playful smile, leaning against his open door with amusement in his steel eyes. “I think I would be a bit of a jackass if I said that, don’t you? No, if you want to visit me, I’m more than okay with that. Just knock next time, saves you the time from picking my lock.” He paused for a moment before finally realizing that he had no idea who this girl was.
“I’m Mathias. By the way.” If that really matters... “Do you have a name? Or should I just refer to you as the girl who hides under the bed?” “You’d be justified,” she offered to his rhetorical question, playing with the strap of her messenger bag as she watched him. “Though I kinda like the lockpicking beforehand,” she teased gently. “Amps up the anticipation for a visit, you know?”
At his introduction and subsequent question, she chuckled. “It’s Hayley. Hasn’t changed since you asked me a few minutes ago.” Mathias stared at Hayley awkwardly, as if trying to remember if she did tell him her name, but he was sure that she probably did, and that he had forgotten. He had gotten into trouble with something like that a few times before. He suddenly seemed sheepish at the concept that he had already forgotten the poor girl’s name, and he smiled apologetically at her, a soft burn of embarrassment tinging at the skin of his cheeks. “I know.” He stated with a playful smile. “I was just testing you. Make sure that you’re alright and completely coherent before you leave. I’m a doctor, it’s my job. You passed though, your memory seems fine.”
He couldn’t help but give a weak laugh at his own awkwardness, his eyes falling to the hardwood of his floor as he idly scratched at the back of his neck. He dragged his vision back to look at her. “Hayley. I’ll definitely remember that, then. Really, I promise.” The laugh that escaped her was light and genuine, and she actually covered her mouth with a gloved hand to try and stop herself. “Of course you were,” she said, fixing him with a knowing smirk. “Thank you, Doctor Mathias, for bein’ so caring about my health.”
As he promised to remember her name, she raised a brow, resting one hand on her hip. “I think it might be better for me if you didn’t,” she said lightly, before chuckling again. “But I’m kinda glad you will.” He found himself smiling softly when she laughed at him, and he seemed to relax a bit more as the tension slowly lifted from the room. At least she didn’t look like she was about to burst into tears any time soon, which was a fantastic improvement considering on her mood ten minutes ago. “Now don’t say that, I already told you I won’t call the police.” His smile had turned crooked, and amused. “So what harm could your name do? I’ll keep it to myself. I promise.”
He slowly walked out of the room, the muscles of his leg starting to ache again as his adrenaline slowly leaked out of his veins. His limp wasn’t too noticeable, but he knew that he would keep his feet up for the rest of the night if he didn’t want to feel like amputating his limb off again. He stepped to the front door and opened it for her, casually leaning against it to take the weight off of his leg. “Go on. I’m sure you don’t want to stick around here all night, you probably have other heirlooms to dig up.” His tone was light, obviously teasing. “Don’t get caught next time.” “Good,” she said contentedly as he promised to keep her name to himself. She idly pondered her incredible luck, if one could call it that. Though she’d been caught, this man seemed to be genuine in letting this go. She followed him to the front door, flinching as she noted his slight limp. It was minor, but while standing directly behind him it was difficult to ignore.
As he held the door open, she smiled, flushing at his warning. “I promise, you’re the only one that gets the honor of meetin’ me like this.” She stepped through the door, hesitating a moment as she glanced to him over her shoulder. “Thanks again, sugar. I mean it.” She wanted to say more, but stopped herself. Instead, she just waved before starting off down the hallway, walking at a brisk pace. The further away from Bathos 202 she got, the sooner she could reclaim whatever tiny scraps of dignity she had left.