InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "When Avery cries, we all cry."

Chris Argent (argentum) wrote in paradisolog,
@ 2016-04-23 00:18:00

Entry tags:

chris argent (argentum), ~isaac lahey (theprettybeta)

WHO: Chris Argent and Isaac Lahey
WHAT: Isaac's finding Chris. AWKWARD MUCH?
WHEN: Friday night-ish
WHERE: The beach
WARNINGS: None but we'll come back!
STATUS: Closed, incomplete

Well, wasn't this just a crap-all situation? Soaking wet was not the way he wanted to be. But he'd been worse, really. Impaled by rebar and dying came to mind. So hey, why was he bitching? He'd take it and get back to camp. Thank God he had directions, too, because otherwise? Yeah.

Even so, it took him a minute or two to orient himself because quite honestly? This place was distracting as all hell. It was kind of gorgeous when it wasn't raining to the high heavens. He had plenty of time to marvel at things later, though. He was going to sog his way to the main camp, right now, thank you very much.

Except oh hey he wasn't alone on the beach. There was someone else a little ways down, and coming his direction. He turned slightly towards them and cocked his head, trying to see who it was. Not that he'd know who it was, most likely, but seeing who was coming was a damn good thing. Especially since he wasn't armed whatsoever. The only thing he'd have would be seeing who was coming if this was anything worth worrying about.

If he happened to shift his weight back slightly into a defensive stance, well... old habits died hard.

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theprettybeta
2016-04-23 05:34 am UTC (link)

Isaac was walking in a haze, but it was because he wasn't ready to go back to the main camp yet. His experience had been so surreal, so otherworldly, that for the first time in literal days he just needed a moment alone to let it soak in so he could process it all.

He didn't see the person in the distance for quite some time before he finally looked up, and his steps halted for a moment before he gave an annoyed huff through his nose. Really? Now? They were going to have a new arrival now? It had to be the middle of the damn night, and the poor guy was probably wandering around in the dark for who knew how long just trying to get his way back to the main camp. It looked like Isaac's alone time ended just as soon as it had began.

He started to walk again toward the figure, and the closer he got the more Isaac squinted against the darkness. Their silhouette looked familiar... very familiar, actually, and when a breeze picked up Isaac took the opportunity to scent the air in an effort to see if it was anyone that he recognized.

And it was.

Gunpowder, leather, aftershave. It was a scent that he had grown familiar with, and one that he had convinced himself he would have never smelled again outside of the loft in France that it still lingered in. Isaac's heart picked up a bit, beating a little faster, and when the realization of exactly who that was dawned on him, he broke out into a slow jog that gradually grew into a sprint.

When he got close enough he could see Chris and he looked exactly as he did the day that he left. People who left didn't come back. That didn't happen, but he was there. Alive. And Isaac didn't allow himself to believe it until he could see the whites of the mans eyes.

He didn't stop running, instead colliding with Chris at full force, throwing his arms around him in a vice-like embrace as if afraid the man would vanish in thin air if he didn't hold on tight enough. Perhaps it was unwelcome. But it looked like Chris would just have to deal with that now, wouldn't he?

"I thought you were dead."

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argentum
2016-04-23 06:13 am UTC (link)

Oh, God, Isaac. It was Isaac. The good kind of "oh God", though, the very good kind. The kind that had him laughing at the collision and then clinging to the boy. "Not dead," he said, hugging him as tightly as he could. "No, not dead."

That one sentence told him that Isaac was from after France, after he'd taken off and left him there. Well, then. This wasn't awkward or anything, now, was it?

"I'm sorry I didn't contact you," he said, not pulling back from the hug because after not seeing Isaac for as long as it'd been and as much as Isaac meant to him? He thought he had every right to cling for a while. And he was pretty sure Isaac wasn't going to mind. "Things went to hell and I wasn't going to risk putting you in danger. You're too important to me."

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theprettybeta
2016-04-23 06:24 am UTC (link)

His fingers curled in the back of Chris' shirt when the older man hugged him and Isaac took in a deep breath, relief washing over him and coming with an almost instant sense of elation. Everything about this night was unbelievable, and Isaac wouldn't help but wonder if Arva's timing had been on purpose. It had to have been. She would do something like that.

The dead didn't come back to Isaac. Those who he had lost were gone for good, but not Chris, and with Chris it meant more. With Chris is was almost like losing a father. A father that he wanted.

He let go to pull back enough and see Chris' face, looking him over as if making sure that he was really there, really in one piece. "I didn't know what happened, I wasn't sure, it's been - I haven't seen you in almost two years I - what happened? Why were you in danger - what are you doing here?"

Oh.

Oh, Chris was here.

Chris was here. In this place. Isaac's face paled a little.

"...You know what this place is, right?"

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argentum
2016-04-23 07:03 am UTC (link)

Chris would've laughed at the realization dawning on Isaac's face if it weren't Isaac. If Isaac weren't like a son to him. "Yes, I know what this place is," he said gently. "You do kind of have to sign on for this whole business, after all."

He tucked his hands into his pockets. "As for the why I was in danger... Let's just say three-fourths of it was my sister Kate's a crazy bitch, one-fourth of it was helping Scott, and leave it at that for now. Call it the Cliff Notes version." He smiled faintly, lips barely curving.

Which left them with... well... so much more to say and not knowing how to say most of it. Because really? How did you say three fourths of any of it? Because really, any kind of acknowledging that he was actually here to help repopulate was just going to sound kind of skeevy and he'd left skeevy way behind.

"I trusted you," he said suddenly, ducking his head and rubbing the back of his neck. "I left you basically alone in France at a stupidly young age because I trusted you. I knew you could do it. I should have found a way to contact you, yes. There's no denying that. But I left you alone because I trusted you and I knew you could do it. You could keep our work going."

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theprettybeta
2016-04-23 05:10 pm UTC (link)

Isaac stared at Chris awkwardly when he said that he knew what the place was, and before he could stop himself he pointed to the sand with both hands. "I mean, yeah, but you know what this place is for right? Like, you didn't come here to - oh. Oh god." His nose wrinkled and Isaac very quickly realized that he didn't want to know the answer to that, so he stopped himself before he finished his sentence.

It faded, however, when Chris went on to explain what happened, and his brow furrowed in confusion. "Kate is dead," he asked it more than stated, which was a strange thing to do considering any time Isaac had heard of Kate, she was gone. "And Scott is here. Stiles, Lydia, Malia, Derek..." Isaac shrugged with a little shake of his head, conveying that he didn't know how they had all ended up in the same place. He would have told Chris that Scott came directly from the night of Allison, except for one core reason; they didn't talk about Allison. Chris didn't want to and Isaac sure as he never wanted to. He had barely said her name in the two years that had passed until he had gotten to this island.

"I know you did," he finally said, a bit more gently, and he clapped Chris on the shoulder with a soft squeeze. "It's taken care of. After you left I kept helping people, there were a couple of omegas that had gotten together, made themselves a pack, the started to continue what we were doing. It's still going. You know I wouldn't have left unless it was."

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argentum
2016-04-24 02:51 am UTC (link)

Chris stifled the urge to laugh softly at Isaac's discomfort -- it wasn't funny, not really, but it was that absurd sort of funny. He could see how uncomfortable it must be for him to know that Chris was here for the same purpose he was. So Chris would do him the service of just letting that whole part of things roll on by.

He started to answer about Kate, but then Isaac kept talking. And then kept talking, telling him what he'd been doing after Chris had left. And damn it all, there was only one thing he could say. Simple though it was, there was only one thing he could say.

"I'm proud of you, Isaac."

The accompanying smile, though slight, spoke to how genuinely the words were said. Chris Argent didn't hand out praise lightly. He didn't hesitate when it was deserved, but he always made sure it was deserved. And he couldn't think of anyone who deserved it more.

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theprettybeta
2016-04-25 02:36 am UTC (link)

The comment came unexpected, because Chris didn't say things like that. Not lightly, at least. Pride from Chris Argent was like an award to Isaac, the man had been through so much and still managed to hold his head high. He was a fighter. He was wise, and Isaac had always looked up to him, even if he had trouble saying so aloud. So, when Chris told him that he was proud, Isaac stood a little taller and smiled a little wider despite his efforts to restrain his own reaction.

"I just did what I was supposed to do," he reasoned, still unable to keep his smile at bay. He couldn't stop staring, having been convinced that Chris was gone for good, and after a few seconds he clapped the man on the back before nodding in the direction he had been heading. "Come on. Let me take you back to the main camp. We'll work on building you a shelter tomorrow."

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