InsaneJournal

Who: Lucas and Nell
What: The [future] roommates meet!
Where: Bathos 601
When: A couple weeks ago?
Warnings: None!

He was quite sure someone back in Chicago would have something to say about him offering his spare bedroom to a young woman looking for a place to stay, but Lucas hardly cared about what they had to say or who said it. After all, no rules had been set as to what he could and could not do, so long as he kept his eyes opened and his ears peeled for interesting activity related to the Creations. It seemed he was in the thick of it here, so even that wasn’t going to be a particular challenge. So with the prospect of Nell arriving after lunch, Lucas had done what was proper: he cleaned.

Of course, there wasn’t a lot to clean, since he had only been here for a handful of weeks, but dust still gathered and the floors still needed swept, and he made sure the odds and ends were put away, emptying the medicine cabinet of anything that might get him a suspicious, narrowed look. Once that was done, it was just after twelve, and since ‘after lunch’ had so many meanings, depending on the person in question, it was hard to say when she would show up. So Lucas settled in for a bite to eat, and before he knew it, even that was cleaned up and he was left to his own devices during the wait.

So when she arrived, he was camped out on the couch, feet up on the coffee table, a thick book spread out over his lap, some dusty, musty classic he had picked up at an estate sale. A dewy glass of cold tea sat on the table, condensation gathering around the base, likely to leave a ring where it sat, but he didn’t necessarily care about such things.

The apartment had been easy to find. Bathos had an almost stupidly simple layout when compared to Hamartia, and as far as Nell could tell, seemed blessedly free of those damn rats. She bounced her feet as she knocked on the apartment door, waiting for it to be answered. Excited anticipation was what had gotten her through her day after yesterday’s lunch with Monarch, and even moreso after this morning’s DNA sample business. But she wasn’t here to think about that. Regardless of what the outcome of the paternity test was, Nell still needed a place to live. It was time to put her friendliest face on.

Nell had put a lot of time into her appearance that morning. First impressions were everything, especially when one was trying to decide whether or not to live with a perfect stranger. A perfect male stranger. Nell’s stomach flipped at the thought of living with a man (the last time she had stayed alone with one was during the legal fiasco trying to get her away from her mom, and even then, she had just been staying with her uncle Sean). No, she told herself sternly. You are an adult, and you can’t behave like a giggly twelve year-old every time an older man paid you attention. Plus, a part of her mind added, he’s going to be your roommate. Nell had watched enough television to know how important it was to set a dynamic with a roommate of the opposite sex and stick to it.

The sound of footsteps on the other side of the door brought Nell back to reality, allowing her just enough time to get one last jab at herself in. I bet he’s not over- thinking things like you are.

“Hi!” She said brightly, to the figure behind the door. “I take it you’re Lucas?”

Once the knock was heard, it took Lucas only a moment to mark his place in his book, setting it on the couch and getting up to his feet to answer. Opening the door, his brows lifted at her bright smile, and in a move he hoped wouldn’t be held against him, he gave a shake of his head. “No. I’m Ben. Never heard of a Lucas.” It was hard to keep a straight face, but with a purse of his lips, he did his very best.

Nell quirked her brows. Lucas had told her he lived alone, and hadn’t mentioned having a friend or a brother stay over. She went with a hunch. “Oh, well then. Lucas’s loss. Do you need a roommate?”

Well, that hadn’t gone as expected. What he had been expecting, well, that was undecided, and being surprised by her reaction was, Lucas thought, a good thing. Predictable people were boring, after all. “Get in here,” he finally acquiesced, gesturing her in with one arm and closing the door behind her. “That was, I assume, a lousy attempt at humor. My apologies. It’s good to meet you face to face, Nell.” He stood a ways from the door, hands clasped behind him, his stance easy, expression open and warm. “You didn’t have problems finding the place, did you?”

“Hey now,” Nell warned mock-seriously, “who’re you calling lousy? I happen to like propositioning random men to live with them!” Unable to hold the serious look, Nell’s face split into a wide grin. “It’s great to meet you too, Lucas. The place couldn’t have been easier to find, especially compared to that hellhole my friend lives in. Don’t,” she paused, eyes growing wide, “tell her I said that.”

Lucas mimed sealing his lips and throwing away the key before letting out a laugh that was completely honest and open. “Shall I add that one onto the list of things I know about Nell? That she enjoys propositioning strangers for a place to stay?” A wink said that he was joking, utterly, and he unclasped his hands and gestured to the apartment. “Go on. Look around. The extra bedroom is down the hall, last door on the right. I haven’t anything in there, since I really haven’t had a chance to accumulate enough ‘stuff’ to need extra space for.”

Lucas’s laughter was infectious, causing Nell to chuckle along unconsciously. “If that’s the worst thing you end up knowing about me, I’ll die a lucky woman!” From the three minutes she had spent in the man’s company, Nell adored him already. Hopefully that wouldn’t be a problem. Resisting the urge to tell him how ‘charming’ his accent was, Nell turned towards the rest of the apartment, heading in the direction of the second bedroom he had described. “I love this place! And can I just say, good job on the clean up!” She threw him a conspiratorial grin at that last bit. “If you hadn’t told me otherwise, I would have thought you were some sort of a neat freak.”

Pleased at her initial observation of the apartment, Lucas trailed after her, ready to answer any questions or clarify anything that was needed. “Trust me. I am the furthest thing from a neat freak, but it’s hardly fitting to have a young lady over when one’s underthings are strewn about like party favours.” Of course, that was hardly the truth, but the mental image provided more than enough amusement for him. “Just your normal amount of clutter, I fear, though yes, I did clean before you arrived.”

“Lucky for you then, I’m not a lady!” The term made Nell think of women from period films, like Keira Knightley’s character from Pride and Prejudice. “Just a regular little girl, homeless and confused.” She stopped short when she reached the second bedroom. Maybe it was being around an actual person from Britain, but Nell couldn’t help but think of it as charming as well. Yes, that was it. Everything in this place was charming. “This is amazing!” she said over her shoulder, eyes scanning the room. The view was great and the closet... oh sweet lady gaga, the closet had actual space. “I’m going to have to go on a serious shopping spree to fill this puppy up.” Once she was done reveling in the space, she turned back to Lucas. “What’s the bathroom situation like?”

He couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped him at her reaction to the room, leaning against the door frame, simply watching with amused eyes. “You’ve never heard the saying that less is more, have you?” he questioned. “As for the bathroom. There’s a half bath up towards the kitchen, just a sink and toilet, and a full bath across the hallway. So long as you promise not to litter the counters with an army of bottles, I think we’ll be able to come to an arrangement. I tend towards minimalism in my toiletries, and I’ve never been a shower hog, at least as far as anyone has told me.”

“Perish the thought!” Now that she was going to have a roommate, Nell could go shopping for things without any guilt. Her mom hadn’t had a lot of money of her own, but when combined with what was left over from her Dad’s estate and what her Uncle Sean had insisted on giving her, Nell had a nice little nest egg. Plus, she was going to either go to school or get a job or maybe both, so it’d all be okay in the end. “I’ll just buy a dresser for in here,” Nell said with a sound nod. “That way you don’t have to be surrounded by make-up and perfume and other girly things boys seem to be allergic too.” Sharing a bathroom wouldn’t be a problem, not after that many years in a boarding school. But sharing a bathroom with a boy? Now that would be interesting.

Her mother would never have allowed it. Which of course, was all the more reason to do it. “So... how soon can I move in?”

Well, at least she wasn’t running for the hills, and he decided that that was a very good thing. “I don’t think it’s a matter of allergies,” Lucas started, another tease on his lips. “Just that we don’t understand them. But that’s quite all right. Whatever works best for you, hmm? As for when..” He trailed off, as though he had to think hard about the question and his answer. Finally, Lucas gave her a smile and a nod of his head. “Today, if you wish. The room doesn’t have any pressing plans you would keep it from by moving in today, but it would wait, should you want to think about it.”

“You might not understand them in their bottles, but you never complain once its on our faces.” Nell made a face. “Unless the girl in question doesn’t know what she’s doing. In which case...” she simply shrugged, leaving the rest unsaid.

Nell’s eyes grew wide. “Really?!” She rushed over to Lucas, and before she could realize what she was doing, had thrown her arms around him. “Thank you so much!” Pulling away, she looked up at him. “You have no idea how much sleep I’ve lost over the sounds of imaginary rats.” Well, she didn’t technically know they were imaginary, but she had a feeling at least half of them were. “How about this - today, we go celebrate as planned, and I’ll move in first thing tomorrow?”

The hug had come unexpectedly, and while it wasn’t particularly awkward, he was too surprised to return it before she was pulling back. So Lucas looked properly embarrassed, rubbing the back of his head as he gathered his thoughts together once more. “Well, you can be sure there are no rats here, so your sleep should be peaceful, I hope. And your plan sounds perfect.” Giving a grin, he stuck a hand out to her. “Shall we shake on this partnership, Nell?”

Nell grabbed the proffered hand and gave it two solid shakes. “Yes, indeed sir!” Her brows quirked up in thought, her hand still holding is. “I feel as though we’re going to need a name for this partnership pretty soon.” They headed back to the living room, so that Nell could examine things out there a little more closely. “So, you’re a teacher?”

As they returned to the living room, Lucas returned to his home on the couch, letting her roam and examine things without being a shadow lurking behind her. “A name? What kind of name are you thinking?” he asked, a brow arched. “And I don’t think you can qualify me as a teacher until I’ve spent some legitimate time teaching. Who knows, I may run screaming from the school a week into the term.” Not likely, but the possibility was always there, after all.

“Well, something that has a nice ring to it,” Nell called out from the kitchen, where she was examining the gas range. “Like Bonnie and Clyde, except without all the murder and betrayal. And as for the teaching, I’m sure you’ll be great at it. I mean, I might not know you very well yet, but I have faith.” Nell joined Lucas in the living room once again, apparently satisfied by the amenities in the kitchen. “I still need to make that ‘big important’ decision. You know the one,” she pushed her hair back as she perched on the arm of the couch. “To college, or not to college.”

Lucas had to laugh at the thought of calling themselves Bonnie and Clyde. “We’ll have to think something up. And I thank you for your faith. I’ll hold onto that as I have little in myself at this point.” Grinning, he patted the cushion beside him. “Make yourself at home. You don’t have to perch like a bird ready to fly off at a moment’s notice. As for college...” He trailed off, leaning forward with his elbows balanced on his knees, hands clasped together.

“Don’t do something that you won’t be happy with. I’ve been around for just a little while, between here and the other side of the portal, but I didn’t attend college until just a few years ago. Once you know what it is you want to do, that’s when you should go. If you’re still undecided, then perhaps there are other things out there that would provide a more fulfilling experience.” His shoulders shrugged just a little, turning to glance towards her. “Of course, take my advice with a grain of salt. My path is obviously not the only nor best path.”

“Oh, right!” Nell smiled sheepishly, as she sank down on the couch beside Lucas. Nervous energy expended itself through her hands, twisting and turning as she considered his advice. “I don’t really know what I want.” She admitted. Nell would have had reservations sharing her thoughts with a perfect stranger, but it had been a rough day. She had managed to put away most of the events of the lunch with Orin and Valerie (years of compartmentalizing had made her a pro at it), but she still needed to talk about something. She couldn’t talk to her friends back home, or uncle Sean or her therapist, which meant Lucas would just have to do. Besides, they were going to be roommates. They had to get used to talking about things.

“I guess I haven’t had a chance to think about it much. My mom died a few months ago, and then graduation, and all I could think about at that point was getting the hell out. Not really what I would do once I did.” The words came pouring out of her before she could stop herself. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to unload on you. It’s just... it’s just been a tough day.”

Lucas was quiet as she spoke, the words tumbling out as though a bottle had been uncorked, and it was quite evident that the pair had a ways to go before they even started to get to know one another. “It’s fine. You’re fine,” he said easily, scooting over, a hand on her shoulder the farthest he would go considering the extent of their relationship thus far. “You don’t have to explain, but if you need someone to talk to, don’t hesitate to ask. All right?”

Nell smiled gratefully. “You don’t want to know what the last two days have been like for me. Unfortunately for you,” her smiled turned rueful, “you’re probably going to find out. But let’s not talk about me.” Nell shook her head determinedly, as though to shake off the troublesome thoughts stirring in circles in her head. “Tell me more about you.” Tucking her legs under her, Nell propped an arm across the back of the sofa, intent on listening to her new roommate talk for a change.

“More about me?” He wasn’t going to push the issue of her situation, because, as she said, it was liable to come up eventually considering their newfound status as roommates. “Trust me, you don’t want to hear about me. It’s boring. Dreadfully so.” Grinning, he leaned back, kicking his feet up to rest on the coffee table. “Besides. Best to leave things to talk about later, isn’t it? Let’s go get a bite to eat, hmm? My treat.”

Nell narrowed her eyes at Lucas. “Alright, mister. I’m hungry right now, so you get a pass. But don’t think I won’t want the ‘life and times of Lucas Davies’ at some point!” Unable to hold the serious look, her face split into a grin. “And don’t forget the kitty we’re getting. Or,” she paused, gulping audibly, “karaoke.” A promise was a promise, and Nell wasn’t the type to back down.

Lucas laughed, tapping a finger to his temple. “There’s not much I forget, so do not worry about that.” Rising up to his feet, he extended a hand down towards her, expression open. It was nice to have plans, promises of things to do another day, and, at that, someone to do so with. “Come on. Let’s get going before you get so hungry you decide to devour a small child,” he said with a wink.

Nell placed her hand in his, considering. “I think it might be too late for that,” she said with a playful grin. She felt a stirring in her chest that she hadn’t felt in a long time. It was excitement, and actual happiness. Nell hadn’t had a chance to relax since coming to Seattle, being as worried as she was about finding a place to stay. Not to mention the emotional roller-coaster that had been her past two days, with the mystery of her parentage. But she wasn’t going to worry about that now. Now, was for letting go, having fun, and getting to know the man she was going to share a house with better.

And Nell had a feeling it was going to be fantastic.