Savannah Posey (jurisdoctor) wrote in remains_rpg, @ 2016-11-04 20:44:00 |
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When Pete walked into the living room after grabbing the gift he'd gotten for Savannah from his work bag, Maizie was the only one there. He took a seat on the couch next to her, set his gift on the coffee table, and swung one leg up to rest his ankle on his knee while they waited for the others to join them. Somehow, despite talking all through Savannah's birthday dinner together, this felt… Awkward. Then again, Pete was pretty sure this was the only time the two of them had ever needed to have a conversation on their own. He glanced over at Maizie, wondering what kind of small talk would be good, before he finally settled on: "How's school going?" Maizie shrugged. “It’s good, I guess.” She didn't really feel like talking about school, to be honest. Even though she was totally committed to actually learning this time around, it just wasn’t really an interesting or fun topic. At the same time, though, she respected what Pete was trying to do here with the polite small talk, and so she shifted to face him, hiking one leg up onto the cushion so she could lean back on the arm of the sofa behind her. “Let’s talk about you and Savannah instead,” she said, bluntly. There wasn’t any hostility in her voice, just curiosity. Maizie had actually been wanting to talk to Pete about this since watching him interact with Savannah during the days he stayed at their house after getting out of quarantine. “Are you guys, like, a thing again or whatever? I know you used to date back in the day.” "Oh. Um, we're not a thing again." The question had kind of half caught him by surprise (he hadn't suspected she'd broach the subject), half not (if he were in her position, he would've wanted to know, too). He couldn't help but remember the conversation he'd had with Nick right before leaving quarantine, though, and how he'd been so insistent that Nick needed to figure out what was going on between him and Lita once and for all. Pete knew he couldn't ignore the fact that he and Savannah had been hanging out more, even though nothing more than some bed sharing and dancing had happened. It wasn't fair to him to do that, or Savannah -- or even Maizie. He paused, looking back over at Savannah's daughter, and added: "Why? Do you think she likes me?" “I dunno.” Maizie shrugged. She had nothing concrete to go on one way or another when it came to how Savannah might be feeling. Which was just as well, since she wasn't comfortable speculating with Pete and maybe giving him the wrong idea. She probably shouldn't even be saying anything to him, since it wasn't really her business, except … Maizie couldn't help it. Whether you called it being protective or just plain nosy, she felt compelled to probe into whatever was going on between her mom and Pete. “I just noticed you've been around more and stuff, so I wondered if that was why.” Maizie pulled her knee up to her chest and wrapped her arms around it. “Do you like her?” His initial reaction was to shrug it off and claim otherwise, but after a moment's consideration, feeling the weight of Maizie's gaze on him, Pete frowned slightly, expecting the answer to disappoint. "I don't know. I mean, you're right, we've been hanging out more… We kind of talked about stuff during quarantine and decided to become better friends." He didn't know how much Maizie knew about the way he and Savannah had related to each other, but it didn't seem like the right time to go into details about how transient their friendship had been before. "She's my oldest friend here, and I guess almost dying… it kind of changes your perspective on things. And she's been a big part of that for me." He looked back over at Maizie then, wondering if she had been able to glean any insight from that. Even if Pete’s answer didn't really clear up anything at all, Maizie could still appreciate the honesty in it. And she didn't want to take that honesty, or the feelings behind it, lightly. After all, it wasn't like Pete had been under any obligation to give her either. He could have just as easily written her inquiry (and her) off. So she took a moment to absorb what he'd said, a pensive look settling across her features. “Ok, yeah, that makes sense.” Sort of. At least the part about how an experience like quarantine could leave a person re-evaluating their life. Maizie bit her lip, and half shrugged. “And, look, I'm not trying to go all ‘what are your intentions toward my mom’ on you or anything. I just wanna ask you to be careful, I guess, while you're figuring stuff out. Whether you guys are really great friends or whatever else, all I want is for Savannah to be happy. For the people she cares about to be part of bringing her that happiness.” "Yeah. I get that." The last thing he wanted was for Maizie to get worried about whatever was going on (or not). Collateral damage. "The last time we were together, a lot of stuff wasn't really handled all that well and now that we're figuring out the friends thing, we're both kind of… trying to avoid that." Pete paused for a moment, considering this, before deciding it was best to level with her: "It kind of messed me up when we split up and she got together with your dad. Not that I… I'm not mad about that or anything. Not now, anyway. But I know what that feels like and I don't want that to happen to either of us. So I'm being careful about it. You know?" Maizie couldn’t help but grimace slightly at Pete’s confession. She’d be grateful every day for the rest of her life that Savannah had become part of her family in the way that she had, but given the hints that she was starting to get that parts of her Dad and Savannah’s relationship hadn’t been so good … Well, the fact that the two of them being together had hurt Pete, who seemed like a decent guy, was insult to injury or something. “That seems very responsible of you guys.” She paused to clear her throat. “So, um, yeah. If it turns out that it works, then you should totally go for it. Don’t get caught up in that ‘what will the children think’ stuff, because I’m fine with whatever and I guarantee that Liv will come around. She just has to get used to the idea.” "Okay." Pete glanced at the stairs, double checking that Savannah wasn't about to show up and surprise them, before he gave Maizie a grateful smile. Even though he was nowhere near closer to knowing what was going on between the two of them, knowing Maizie would be okay with it was one less thing to worry about. "Thanks. I really appreciate it." ------- Somehow, Olivia was the last to make it back to the living room. After setting her and Maizie's wrapped gift down next to Savannah, she took a seat on the couch next to her girlfriend and grinned at everyone, oblivious to any conversations that had taken place in her absence. "You guys ready for presents?" Also oblivious to any conversation that had taken place between Maizie and Pete, Savannah had perched herself on the smaller couch next to Pete and fondly smiled around at the three of them gathered there for her birthday. Even if she wasn’t super excited at being thirty, she loved all of them and was grateful they were all there to celebrate with her. “It ain’t like I’m gonna say no to presents,” she grinned. “Who wants to go first?” Pete gestured towards the girls, raising his eyebrows and avoiding too much direct eye contact with Maizie. Their present looked like it was bigger than his, and he wasn't all that sure that Savannah would actually like what he'd managed to find, so he thought it'd be better for them to go first. “Yes, yes! We want to go first!” Maizie was practically bouncing in her seat as she pushed the gift bag from her and Liv toward Savannah. Last year they’d had to make do with a touching but homemade present. This year, thanks to the fact that there was mail order and everything, their gift was like a step up in awesomeness. She shot Liv, her partner in crime, a grin and reached for the other girl’s hand. “There’s more than one thing, but open them in the order that you find them instead of, like, pulling out all the little bundles of tissue paper and getting them all mixed up.” Maizie was aware that she really didn’t need to be giving Savannah instructions on how to open her gift, but in her mind the sillier part of it -- the World’s Greatest Mom mug that had both their faces on it -- really needed to go first. It was the part that Maizie liked best. The cute little purse and the cosmetics and the top that would follow were all good presents too, but they were, like, sensible. "And like, if you don't like it, we can totally return it." Actually, Olivia wasn't sure if they could return a custom gift like that -- after all, who would want a mug like that except for Savannah? But what if even she didn't like it? "I mean, it's just…." She laughed, wincing at how nervous it sounded. "You know, just kind of something we put together." “I’m sure I’ll love it--” Savannah said, in an attempt to reassure Olivia. She could tell that Liv was trying to play it cool but there was some underlying anxiety there, which Savannah assumed was blown out of proportion. Unwrapping the first gift that they’d instructed her to do, she immediately understood Liv’s worry. It was a very personal and emotional gift, which was something Savannah knew Liv struggled with, but Liv had no reason to worry. Tears welling in her eyes as she laughed, she looked up from their smiling faces on the mug and glanced over to Maizie and Liv. “Girls… This is great. I love it.” Setting it down carefully on the coffee table, Savannah pushed herself off the couch and crossed over to where they were sitting, putting her arms around both of them in a group hug. “So sweet and thoughtful,” she said, kissing Liv on the side of the head and then Maizie. “Thank you.” Olivia was blushing for some annoying, stupid reason -- but if she thought about it, she'd realize it was because she was totally near tears, but Pete was over and she wasn't about to dare cry in front of him. "You're welcome," she said as Savannah pulled away, her voice a little tighter than usual. "Open the others, okay?" Ducking her head, Maizie wiped away her own happy tears. Too bad they hadn't thought to grab a box of kleenex before sitting down, because she could really use a tissue right now. But this was probably the most emotional part anyway. They'd be good from here on out. “I'm really glad you like it, Mom. But yeah -- open the others. There's more in there still!” Sitting back next to Pete now, Savannah went through the rest of her present, smiling as she unwrapped each piece. The mug was the most thoughtful and sentimental of the bunch, but she liked the others just as much. Grinning across the coffee table over to Liv and Maizie, she said, “Thank you, girls. You’re both so sweet and thoughtful and I love everythin’ here.” "You're welcome," Olivia said again, glad she'd managed to get rid of the tears as she'd watched the rest of their presents get unwrapped. She beamed at Savannah, then shot a pointed look -- though it was less sharp than others she had in her arsenal -- in Pete's direction, wordlessly daring him to see if his present could even compare to the one she and Maizie had gotten. "Wow, cool stuff, guys." Indeed, though he wouldn't want Olivia to ever know it, Pete couldn't help but feel a little worried that the two glasses in his wrapped gift box were a little anticlimactic. Maybe he should've let them go second, but he couldn't change that now. He picked up the box, holding it briefly in both hands before he handed it over to Savannah. "It's just something I found at the hospital, of all places, but I was thinking it's been a long time since you've seen something like these." Intrigued by Pete’s lead in, Savannah grabbed the box and began to unwrap it, a smile tugging at her lips. In all honestly, she wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but glasses etched with the name of the bar she’d worked at in college was not it. A little stunned by the blast from the past, she traced over the words, before looking back up at Pete. “These are great,” she grinned. “Thank you, Pete.” He grinned back at her, exhaling out the anxiety he'd felt watching her open it. "You're welcome. I saw them in the cafeteria the other day, and I was like, 'Hey! I know that logo.' So I tracked them down and got them to agree to let me buy them off of them." Pete chanced a glance over at Maizie, knowing the Hole In The Wall was also how Savannah and Gray had met, then looked back over at Savannah. "I thought it'd be nice to have something from before, you know?" “That was really thoughtful of you to go through all that trouble,” Savannah said, eyes still locked on Pete as a warm feeling fluttered in her stomach. Pete shook his head, brushing off the compliment and finding himself unable to stop from smiling back at her. "It's okay," he said, running a hand through his hair. "It really wasn't all… that much trouble. Or any trouble at all. I just thought you'd like them. I'm glad you do." With a glance from Savannah to Pete, Maizie looked over at Olivia and gestured with her head toward the stairs. With the way they were gazing at each other, clearly these two needed a moment alone, and she was cool with playing wingman. “We’re going to head upstairs,” she said, and pulled Liv with her up off the sofa. “Homework, you know? Happy birthday again, Savannah!” Before Liv could object or either adult could try and stop them, Maizie had the two girls headed off up the stairs. With Maize and Liv gone, that left her and Pete alone together. She wasn't exactly snapped out of whatever she was feeling, but standing up and grabbing glasses he’d gotten her, she walked over to the kitchen to set them on the counter, Pete trailing behind her. It was still hard to believe that he’d gotten her such a thoughtful gift, but not because she didn’t think that Pete didn’t have it in him. It was just a reminder of the past that she’d had, one where things had been so carefree and simple, and it sort of felt like a reminder that she could have some of that back again. She couldn't erase the mess of the past few years, but finally she was feeling like it was okay to move on from that. “Thanks again for these,” Savannah said, turning to face Pete. “I really like them. You did good, Whelan,” she smiled. "No problem." He returned the smile readily, reaching one hand out onto the kitchen island as he mimicked her stance, facing her head on. Most of Pete's nerves had steadied once Savannah had seen his gift, gratified that she actually liked it and that it hadn't been a dumb idea, but the nervousness that stemmed from what he and Maizie had talked about persisted. Now that he was actively thinking about whether he had feelings for Savannah again, it was hard to get his thoughts away from it. "I'm just glad you like them," Pete added after a moment, once he'd gotten his mind back on track. "Kind of weird to think of things like that surviving, huh?" Not wanting to worry about the dishes on the night of her birthday, no matter if it was just those two glasses, Savannah turned her back on the sink and stepped closer to Pete. “Guess it’s just that resilient Austin spirit,” she smirked. It wasn’t all that applicable because they were talking about cups but she’d been using phrases like that so often these days that it was hard not to. He laughed, shaking his head slightly. Somehow, though he'd never meant to end up in Texas and even despite all the shit they'd been through, Austin had ended up growing on him. "I guess so." Leaning on the counter right next to Pete, she let out a sigh of relief, giving him a more genuine smile now. “Thanks for comin’ tonight. This birthday was so much better than last year’s. No fightin’ or cryin’ or anythin’ like that. It was--” she made an exaggerated faux-gasp “--almost normal. Except the part where I’m a total mom to girls who are less than a decade younger than me. That’s just biologically impossible,” she laughed before settling back into a smile. "Hey, no problem. I'm just… you know." Pete shrugged one shoulder as he sought the wording he wanted. Things had been so shitty on her last birthday, the last thing he wanted to do was make her dwell too much on this time last year. "Glad that everyone's in a better place this time around. For both you and your biologically impossible children." He smiled, placing one hand on her shoulder. "And I'm glad that you wanted me to join you guys at the actual celebration part of it." Savannah’s hand raised, coming up to rest on top of Pete’s hand, as she gave him a smile. “Of course I wanted you here. You’re important to me. Seems like no matter what life ends up throwin’ at us, we keep stickin’ around for each other, so... I’m just happy you wanna be around…” she trailed off, looking away bashfully. There was still shame and regret about how things went down between them in college, but she was grateful that they’d been able to move past it and get to a place where she could honestly say Pete was one of the most important people in her life. "Of course I want to be around," he said quickly. Pete knew things hadn't always been great between them, especially right after Gray had been killed and Savannah had allied her shelter with the Hellhounds, but that all felt like a lifetime ago. It was hard to remember how mad he'd been at her on her birthday last year when things between them had changed so much -- for the better, he thought. Instinctively, he reached out to catch her chin with his other hand, turning her face back up towards him. "You know that, right?" “I do now,” Savannah said, her voice suddenly quiet as her eyes locked on his. She felt that thing that she’d felt on Halloween, when they’d been dancing. It was another situation where he was so close to her and looking at her and touching her so tenderly. It felt so intimate and her heart thumped in her chest, wondering what was going to happen next. They’d decided to be friends, but this felt above and beyond that. Though given the odd nature of their friendship in the first place, were his actions really out of place or was she just reading too much into it? Because their relationship had never been normal, that seemed to be working against her when trying to analyze what was going on between them. "Okay." He smiled, trying to not let his sudden nerves get the best of him. In an instant, he had the answer to the question Maizie had asked him: yeah, he definitely was in like with Savannah again. "I, uh. Well, I'm glad you know that." Despite the butterflies -- and the stupid feeling she had for identifying them as such in the first place -- something felt weird between them. Maybe she really was just reading too much into this. Pete was her friend and she was happy with that. No need to go complicating things by making this into something it wasn’t. Giving him a smile, she moved back a step back. “Yeah, me too,” she responded, the electric charge gone just as soon as it had come. “Uh, wanna go watch a movie or somethin’?” "Yeah. Um, sure, that sounds fun." Pete moved away, too, but the disappointment he felt as soon as the distance sprang up between them was too much to ignore. He frowned, thinking through his options momentarily, before he stepped forward again, reaching out for her waist and pulling her in closer for a kiss. Savannah hadn’t gotten far away from Pete, but even still she let out a surprised gasp as she felt him pull her back. And then his lips were on hers and the butterflies in her stomach went crazy again. Her hands came up to cup Pete’s face as they kissed, and when she finally pulled back, breathing a little hard, she traced down his jaw and neck until her hands rested on his chest. “What was that for?” She asked quietly, biting her lip nervously. He looked down at her hands on him, unable to stop the smile from spreading on his face. She hadn't pulled away, which was a good sign, and she'd also returned the kiss instead of letting it all be one sided -- another good sign! "It'd been a while." It was an honest response, the first one that came to mind, but he knew despite his still-persistent nerves that he owed her some additional explanation all the same. Even more, he needed to be honest about what he and Maizie had talked about and the feelings he'd realized a few minutes ago. "I've been thinking," Pete added after a brief pause, "that we've known each other for a long time. And you mean a lot to me, you know? I don't know if you'd be… interested in trying things out again, especially after everything that's happened, but you kissed me back, so I'm kind of hoping the answer's yes." This was the conversation she and Pete should have had years ago. Who knew what her life would be like if they had… But in a way, it almost made this all that much sweeter. They’d needed that time apart to live their lives and grow up, and the fact that they’d come back to each other had to mean something. “You mean a lot to me, too,” Savannah said, tracing a finger absently over the lines of his chest while she smiled up at him. “And you’re right because my answer is yes.” More quietly, she added, “I’m glad we know what we’re gettin’ into this time around. You know I’m sorry about what happened but I think we’re a lot better about talkin’ these days. So long as we keep doin’ that, at least it’ll give us a fair chance.” "I think so, too." He pulled her in closer, resting his forehead against hers briefly, then lowered his head to test the waters with one more kiss. Pete already couldn't help but think this all felt better this time around. Maybe it was the fact that they were finally getting on the same page about the way they related to each other as it was happening, instead of after the fact, or maybe things were just different now that they weren't kissing just because they wanted to have sex, or because they were bored, or both. Either way, things were already looking up. Unable to stop the happy laugh that kept wanting to escape, Savannah pulled back from the kiss and grinned. “So you wanna go pretend to watch a movie and make out instead?” "Yeah, sure," he replied, grinning back at her. "As long as your kids aren't gonna creep on us from the second floor in some kind of weird generational role reversal." “God, I hope not,” Savannah laughed, before sobering and pausing a moment. “It isn’t weird, is it? That they’re here? That you and me bein’ together comes with kids?” "Nah." It was a quick, instinctive reaction for him, coupled with a shrug and a shake of his head. "If it was the first time meeting them today, maybe, but it isn't like I don't know them already. I think I'd be more concerned if you didn't want me to try and get to know them as a part of trying things out with you again. I always knew they'd be a part of us being friends, so this is just kind of like a natural extension of that." He leaned in for one more kiss, wanting to take advantage of the new shift in their relationship before his luck ran out, and smiled. "Let's go watch that movie." |