mila (listentoteeth) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2020-10-06 08:17:00 |
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Entry tags: | #april 2018, adrian, adrian x mila, mila |
Who: Adrian & Mila
Where: Aaron and Mila's new home
When: April
Warning: None
Status: Complete
Adrian had spent two nights in Aaron and Mila's new house now and it was really beginning to sink in just how trapped he was still. They might have rescued him but he couldn't live like this for long, no matter what Mila said. He still ate a lot and Mila was going to have a baby, there was no way she could keep footing this kind of bill. Even if she could, this was no way of living, cooped up inside a house, unable to go anywhere or do anything. He hadn't exactly loved living in his car but he'd been able to go places and that had helped. He was wearing Aaron's clothes and they were far too big for him because Aaron was a beefy guy and Adrian really missed his own clothes, limited as they had been. No matter how he turned these things around in his mind he couldn't really figure out what to do next so when Mila came back from work he beckoned her to join him in the living room to talk. Maybe they should have included Aaron and they still could when he got home but it felt right to talk to her alone to start with.
"I'm trying to figure out what to do next," he told her. "We both know I can't stay here forever but whether your witches can help me or not, I'm gonna either have to leave town and start over somewhere or... Officially come home. Let everyone know I'm alive." He licked his lips, nerves fluttering at the mere thought of that. Yes, he wanted to meet his parents again, he even wanted to work again but it was terrifying for a multitude of reasons. "I just don't know how to- I don't know how to explain what happened to me. Where I was all these years. What if they accuse me of killing my friends?"
Mila's pregnancy wasn't physically showing yet, but she was definitely feeling it. Her morning sickness had started to ebb, which was nice, but she was just tired all the time. Thankfully her doctor said it was normal, so she pushed through, making sure she got all of her work done at the office. She didn't want to give Anthony D'Onofrio any reason to fire her. When she got home, she set her things down, smiling a little when she saw her brother, although his desire to talk triggered some anxiety. She knew Adrian was going a little stir-crazy, not really being able to leave the house. She was doing her best to help him where she could, but they definitely need to talk to one of the town's witches. Caius was the most logical, given she worked with him... and listening to Adrian now, she realized she probably ought to do it sooner than later.
"Can you... can we say you had memory loss? That someone found you and... you've been living with them all this time?" Mila winced, aware of how convenient that excuse sounded, but sometimes simple was better. "They know you didn't kill your friends, Adrian. There was no evidence to even imply that you did."
"Amnesia is really rare in a young person without some massive brain damage," Adrian sighed. "And I know they charged Cruz with murdering the rest of us so why not me?" He wished he had a clear and concise idea for what to do but he was at a loss and he hated it. "I thought... Maybe we'll tell them about that place." As soon as he said it he knew it was a terrible idea but all his ideas so far had been terrible and he didn't think there was an idea out there that wasn't. The trick was to find the least problematic one and run with it. He did have a lot of scars, including on his face, so maybe the brain damage wasn't a stretch. It was just hard to sell amnesia and it felt like a cheap copout that wouldn't work in real life.
"Tell who?" Mila raised a brow. "The police? Mom and dad? They might believe you... I think maybe they deserve to know the truth. About you... and me. I haven't been able to do it yet." She took a breath. "And the police, we don't know that they're not connected to that place, right? What if they know someone? What if they try to blame you for the bodies in that building? We can figure something out. I think... I think it's definitely time for you to come back to life." Her lips twitched and she reached out to take his hand. "The Sheriff, he understands. He knows about what happened to me and he knows what happens here isn't always cut and dry. Maybe we can talk to him, explain the truth. Maybe he can help us. I know that totally contradicts what I just said about the cops, but he's not... I think he's different."
Adrian knew about the new sheriff but he didn't know the man, he didn't know most of the cops currently working so that didn't help his trust issues much. He did trust Mila however and as he listened to her and clutched her hand, he felt a vague sense of hope that this might be able to work. At the same time it felt cruel to come back to his parents who had already mourned him because what if things got worse again and they lost him again? It was all so overwhelming and he took some comfort in just holding Mila's hand. "I'm scared that if I tell them about the building they'll send cops there and... What if that monster is still there? Guns didn't work on it, I don't want more people to die." But if that thing got out, well, people would die. On some level he wondered if he should let himself go hungry and deal with it, it might be the only chance they had but right now it just felt like a far away thing - not their problem.
"We can't tell them not to do that, if that's what they want to do," Mila said, her brow furrowing. "But... we can tell them what we know. What you saw. They have to know at this point how dangerous Point Pleasant can be, all of the unexplainable things. Hopefully they would know better than to go there without properly knowing what they might be dealing with." Who even knew if that thing was still in the building. It made her shudder to think that it could have escaped, and she hadn't even seen it herself. "I think maybe we can tell them the truth, and if they want to see the building, just to corroborate your story, we can take them there. It doesn't mean they have to go inside, right?"
Adrian shook his head. "The two of you-" he said and gestured to Mila and more importantly Mila's stomach. "Are not going anywhere near that place again." He knew that any law enforcer worth his weight would go inside because they needed to be thorough and he didn't hold much hope for the local cops to believe them enough to stay away from that place. Not to mention that if they believed them they'd know there was something in there that needed to be stopped. If they were lucky the door would hold and the windows would be bullet proof and that thing would stay in there indefinitely but Adrian wasn't exactly brimming with optimism. "I think right now that's... The only thing I can do: talk to the cops." The only other thing he could do was leave town somehow but without Mila and Aaron's help that wasn't happening and he knew Mila would want to try every other way first.
Mila nearly argued, but she knew he was right. Going back to that building would be dangerous and while she would do it for her brother, she also knew he wouldn't let her. Neither would Aaron. She didn't want them going back there either. "I can go with you," Mila told him. "Aaron too, if you want him to be there." She could help explain to the Sheriff what had happened. If Barrett didn't believe them, or tried something shady, they could deal with it then. But he had been understanding of her own situation and it had been pretty bad. Attempted murder should have landed her in jail. "I don't want you to leave," she murmured after a moment, like she could see that possibility running through his head. "You've been through so much. You deserve to be home and to live whatever kind of life you can."
Without the strong roots Adrian had in Point Pleasant, he could easily see himself become some vagabond, living in his car - wherever it was now - stealing or hunting to stay alive, isolated from other people. There was a small part of him that wanted that, to not see any more heartbreak in the people he loved and that small part of him cursed how much he loved his family. Love really could be shackles because he felt trapped as well as safe. The lure of darkness was fairly new to him, he'd always been such an optimistic guy, he'd always done what was expected of him, a good upstanding citizen and all that crap. Now he felt like he had one foot on the other side, that part of life that had been so alien to him growing up. Now he kind of understood why some people were bums and rejected all help. He wouldn't do that - couldn't do that - because he was already stuck in that soft and loving trap.
He wasn't so sure what he deserved but Mila deserved to be happy and one of the things that would make her happy was him living his best possible life. "So I hate to bring it up but... We're out of meat again," he muttered, guilt lancing through him. The sooner he could clear his name, come back from being legally dead and start working again the better. He still had the faint hope that the witch who had done his tattoos had purposefully kept them weak and that one of the witches Mila knew could really help him but he almost didn't dare think about it, scared of jinxing it.
Mila had been through hell and back and she knew Adrian was experiencing the same. She couldn't bear to have him disappear again, especially now that she had a baby on the way. Mila wanted her child to know his or her uncle. She made a mental note to talk to Caius tomorrow at work and see if he could meet with Adrian and help him. She didn't know how, but witchcraft was certainly something she was okay with not understanding. And if Caius couldn't help Adrian, then maybe he would know someone who could. The mention of meat had Mila glancing towards the kitchen. "Okay. I can have Aaron pick some up on his way home. Unless you need it now? I could run to the store."
"No no, I'm good for another hour," Adrian replied hastily, not wanting her to make a fuss about it. If it took a little longer than that for Aaron to get home then he knew he would hear heartbeats again and that included Mila's baby. It had been somewhat of a revelation to be hungry around people he cared about and he knew now that he wasn't as badly off as he'd previously thought. This thing inside of him fed on hunger, weirdly enough, but it also fed on fear and rage. There had been plenty of fear when Aaron and Mila found him but having them there had helped so much. So maybe it wasn't too bad to be a little hungry and hear that rapid little heartbeat again. The thought made him smile and he gave Mila's hand a little squeeze. "Think you'll tell mom and dad about the baby soon? They'll be able to see it soon enough."
Mila would need to text Aaron about stopping at the store before he came home. She knew he wouldn't mind, but Adrian really was going through a lot of meat. Maybe they should find one of those bulk supplying places. Changing the topic to their parents certainly distracted her from the thought and Mila grimaced. "Soon. I just know how mom is going to react and I'm trying to avoid it for now. I think they both like Aaron now. They see how good he is for me. But we're not married and you know how that's going to go over." Adrian had been gone a long time, but it wasn't like their mother had become more progressive since his "death".
"Maybe we can arrange it so you tell her when I come back," Adrian said. "She'll be too overwhelmed with both news to really let us both have it." He wasn't exactly looking forward to coming home either, well he was and he wasn't. Saying Maria Moretti was going to freak out was an understatement. "Hey mom, I'm pregnant and also hey, Adrian's alive. Ta-da!" He made a sweeping gesture with his hand and grinned at Mila. It wasn't really a bad idea but it might truly be too overwhelming for their mother. A son she thought dead and a grandchild? He just knew she'd go easier on Mila if he was back, he'd always had an easier time with talking her down than Mila had.
Despite the worry, Mila couldn't help but laugh. "Oh, she would completely forget about the baby if you walked in the door, so that might work. Although, if mom and dad know you're alive and okay, it might make them less likely to freak out about my being unwed and pregnant. They'll still pray for my soul, of course, and probably push Aaron and me to the county courthouse, but it wouldn't be as bad..." She trailed off, her smile softening. "But, seriously, I don't want to use you as a prop for softening the blow of my own news. I can handle it. I know we'll get married eventually, I just don't want to push Aaron into making it official, you know? There's so much going on right now. And I want to get you settled and safe before I do anything else."
"Hear that, bambino?" Adrian murmured, glancing at Mila's stomach again. "That's your mom, always putting everyone else first." He cocked a brow at Mila then but his smirk was short lived because he absolutely understood all her concerns and it really was a lot. "Your cop friend-" he muttered, knowing friend wasn't really the right word here and his expression showed it. "Think he would come here if you asked him?" The thought of walking into the police station was a little overwhelming. He wasn't used to going places in the daylight and it was going to be hard to change that pattern of hiding his face from everyone he met.
Mila smiled a little and placed her hand over her stomach. Family was important to her. Now that she had her brother back, she was going to put up a fight before losing him again. "I think he would come here, if I asked him to," she said after a moment of thought. "He came to visit me in the hospital a lot. He never pushed me to answer questions and he never badgered me if I didn't remember something. Barrett is a good guy. He might need to know the truth about what happened that night with Cruz and the others, but I can't see him not believing you, Adrian. Everyone there's something in those woods that slaughters animals, and people would go missing all the time if they went on those trails. If Barrett believes you, maybe he can help you the way he helped Aaron's niece."
Amelia Lucas had a history that was possibly weirder than Aaron so Mila made a good point with bringing her up. "Maybe," he agreed and at this point he didn't feel like he had much choice in the matter. It was this or bankrupt his poor sister while going slowly insane hiding away in her house. "I wish I could just snap my fingers and make everything work out, this all seems like such a hassle." He wondered if Westin was capable of such a thing but he already owed that man too much, if he even was a man at all. Even if everything went perfectly he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they found Cruz's body and that old familiar guilt churned his insides all over again. He could tell himself he hadn't been in his right mind at the time all he wanted, it still didn't feel like that was true. "Can we do this soon?" he asked. "I think it'd take some weight off both our shoulders to get it over with."
Mila understood the desire to just make everything work out and be okay. But life never worked out that way, especially in this town. "Of course," she murmured. "I'll talk to the Sheriff tomorrow and... Caius D'Onofrio. If you're okay with him understanding what you are. He's kind of an asshole, but I get the feeling that he's powerful enough to help you." Maybe it would cost them something, but Mila was willing to do whatever it took to get Adrian some help. Leaning over, Mila pressed a kiss to his forehead and then stood. "Let me text Aaron and see if he can pick up some meat on the way home. Is there something special you want for dinner? I mean... besides ground beef." She managed a small smile. "I can cook something?" She knew she wasn't the best cook in the world, but she would try for her brother.
Adrian wasn't very excited about making Mila cook and only half of that was because she was bad at it. "How about you and Aaron relax after a long day at work and I cook," he suggested. "Enchiladas? Lasagna?" He would love to contribute something since right now Mila was doing all the heavy lifting and he still hadn't really gotten used to that. She was his baby sister and she was taking care of him. Maria Moretti might be happy to hear that but it didn't feel all that great for Adrian who wished it was the other way around. Sure, he'd gotten her out of that tunnel but she'd gotten him out of that institution so in that regard they were even.
Mila arched a dark brow and placed her hands on her waist as she studied him. "Are you offering because you really want to cook, or because you don't want to eat what I make?" Most of the time Aaron ate her cooking, although she noticed that more often than not, he never went back for seconds. She really didn't want to end up giving her kid food poisoning, so she would probably have to beg her mom to teach her the basics someday. But right now she was going to have a little bit of fun putting Adrian on the spot. Honestly, his offer to make dinner was a welcome one because that meant she could go take a bath and maybe nap a bit before Aaron was home.
Adrian leaned back in his seat and spread his arms, head tilted. "Both?" he murmured, jokingly putting on a slightly pained voice before grinning at her. "Both. I wanna be useful and your cooking sucks." His had too before he moved to Portland so there was hope for her yet and truthfully Adrian wasn't overly picky these days but if she wanted to put him on the spot, he could tease her right back.
Because she simply had to, Mila pretended to glare for a brief moment or two before she shrugged. "Okay, fine. I'm only agreeing because I'm tired and don't feel like cooking tonight anyway. I'll text Aaron and ask him to pick up a few things on his way home." Her expression softened. "And I'll talk to Barrett tomorrow... and Caius D'Onofrio. If they can't help us... we'll find another way."
Adrian really wasn't sure what other way there was except flee to another state and starting life over from scratch. It didn't appeal to him at all, especially since his loved ones seemed to be his strongest tether to humanity and he didn't want to think about what he'd become without them. "You'll be glad I offered when you get to eat," he told her cheekily and got up as well, moving closer to her to press a kiss on her cheek. "I'll go see what we need. Any preference for food?"
"Whatever you want to eat is fine, but you know I'll never say no to pasta." Mila took the kiss but quickly hugged Adrian instead, still so thankful that she got to be there with him after thinking he had been dead for so long. Maybe she was just being overly emotional lately, hormones and stuff, but Mila didn't care. It was so hard to predict what was coming, so she just wanted to bask in having him there in case something went wrong later. "Thank you," she murmured.
Adrian paused a moment, giving her a warm but faint smile. "Thank you," he replied and caught her hand to give it a little squeeze. "But I mean, what are siblings for if not to rescue each other from hell and provide food?" To be fair she was providing all the food - so much food - the least he could do was cook it for her. He let go and headed for the kitchen to write down a list of ingredients he would need. Since Mila was not helping with the decisions he'd already decided on a big dish of lasagna, he just hoped Mila had all the kitchen appliances he needed and god he missed his old apartment now. Maybe Mila had 'inherited' some of his stuff after he disappeared and he wondered if his stuff was still in storage somewhere or if they'd given most of it away. That was a later time question, for now he had far bigger things to worry about.