InsaneJournal

Current mood:	bouncy
Entry tags:	active: freddy freeman, active: nico di angelo

Freddy + Nico
WHO: Freddy Freeman & Nico Di Angelo
WHEN: Backdated to Saturday, June 29th.
WHERE: The apartment
WHAT: Awkwardness and anime
WARNINGS: Nope
STATUS: Completed via GDOC.

Of all the things Nico thought he’d be doing on a Saturday night (well, evening, technically, he supposed), hanging out and watching TV in an apartment that was essentially his (but not just his, of course, as other people lived here, too) with someone else was not high on the list. In fact, it didn’t even crack the top fifty things he’d ever expect to do. Maybe not even the top one hundred. But the last couple of weeks had been the strangest in his life, and this was coming from a kid born in a different century who was the son of an Olympian god, hung out with ghosts, and had fought monsters pretty regularly for the last few years.

Without the insanity of the world being in peril and his attempts to do what he could to prevent it, he was essentially lost. How did people live like this? How did people go about their daily lives when there was just so much of it? School, he guessed, and jobs, but like he’d mentioned to Natasha, he hadn’t been in a proper school in years. He wasn’t stupid by any means, but that didn’t mean he was up to the level of whatever grade he was supposed to be in. He didn’t even really know what people studied in school other than the basics, which, at times, didn’t seem all that important when it came to making sure people didn’t die (which was a whole other thing he worried about because he had too much time on his hands).

He was lost, more so than ever before, a kid out of his time and now out of his universe. It meant mostly that he wandered around the city without any destination at all hours, sneaking out when he couldn’t sleep (which was more often than not), trying to eat (which never went as far as he’d like, and it wasn’t lost on him that his clothes size was smaller than it had been, though he was trying to eat, he really was), worrying about what was going on in his own universe (especially with Hazel. Was she okay? Had they stopped Gaea? Did they even know what he’d been trying to tell them?), and having way too much time to think. Oh, and now, worrying about Klaus, who’d been nice to him when he’d had no reason to be.

And now, of all things, Nico was watching tv with his roommate, something he hadn’t had or done in years.

Freddy seemed really nice, but so many people had, and look where that had gotten him? He knew, deep inside, it was really just a matter of time before Freddy realized there was something wrong with him, that he was an aberration. He was the son of Hades, and while that afford him a certain amount of respect (not to mention a wide berth, generally speaking), it also felt like a curse. Mostly it felt like a curse, and it always hurt to try to make friends. One way or another, they always left. But still, he tried, if only because he was stuck in this place, though maybe he was a masochist at heart.

Still, he made sure he’d taken a shower and brushed his hair and brushed his teeth that day. His clothes, though they consisted of black socks with black jeans and a black hoodie (with a skull on it, because that’s what was in his closet here), were clean. Minus being too skinny (which he thought the hoodie hid well enough), he thought he looked presentable. Not handsome by any means, but definitely not like he flip flopped between not sleeping at all and passing out into fitful dreams. He looked normal, or at least as normal as he thought he could look.

With a resigned sigh, Nico opened his door and poked his head out of his room, listening for sounds. Popping greeted him, along with the smell of popcorn and what sounded like the microwave. (He didn’t have too much experience with microwaves, but he wasn’t beyond unfamiliar with them. They were just… different. And sometimes a little confusing.) He hesitated a moment before finally emerging from his room, shutting the door quietly behind him. He softly padded out toward the kitchen, eyes looking around and assessing everything.

It didn’t matter that he’d looked over the apartment multiple times in the last two or so weeks, he still couldn’t help himself from making sure everything was safe, nothing was out of place, there were no threats anywhere. There was just Freddy, making popcorn in the kitchen, and a wave of awkwardness that filled his stomach.

“Hi,” he said, voice quiet, stuffing his hands in the pockets of his hoodie to keep from fidgeting. That didn’t stop him from clenching and unclenching his fists, but at least he it was hidden in his pockets.

--

Freddy, until recently, found excitement through comic books so he couldn’t say he was stir crazy in Goodland, but he had grown accustomed to helping Billy with superhero stuff in his reality. Yes, Billy was the hero, but Freddy felt like he shared the responsibility with his foster brother, who, until he moved in with their family, didn’t even recognize a batarang. Freddy helped Billy discover his powers, but also told him that real heroes didn’t work for profit, but for those needing aid.

He regretted their last encounter. Billy disappointed him, but Freddy still cared about him, not because he was a superhero, but because he was his best friend and brother no matter what Billy thought. Buffy told Freddy Billy, being a hero and all, likely took on the villain that attacked them right before Freddy landed in the city, but the young teen knew she couldn’t swear on it. Billy, despite turning into an adult when he shouted ‘Shazam’, was still only fourteen and inexperienced. What if he got hurt? What if their whole family got hurt? Or worse? Freddy enjoyed meeting all the different individuals in Goodland, but beneath his cheery smile and excited babble, he missed his family and wanted them with him. Living on a floor with chaperones just wasn’t the same as having a family. Freddy thought Rosa and Victor would be his last parents, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be.

Maybe those old feelings of loneliness prompted Freddy to befriend people as best he could or, perhaps, he wanted a distraction. Either way, he did enjoy making new friends, even if he wasn’t sure his roommate wanted to be one. He liked Nico, Hades and all. Sure, it was weird, but so was Goodland. It wasn’t like Nico was going to set him on fire. He guessed anyway. No, he was fairly certain he wouldn’t.

Freddy also made sure to dress in clean clothes and brush his hair. He was unusually excited about showing Nico another show, but couldn't quite pin down why.

“Hi,” he replied, smiling brightly. He pulled the steaming bag from the microwave and dumped the popcorn into a large bowl. “Do you want extra butter? Extra salt? Extra anything?”

--

Nico tried not to watch Freddy’s hands as he moved the popcorn from the microwave to the bowl, but where else was he supposed to look? It would have been rude not to look at him, but was he supposed to look at his face? He did look at his face, because it would also have been rude not to, but he didn’t want to stare, either. Interacting with people was hard and exhausting, and a large part of him wanted to turn around, go back to his room, and fall back into bed. It was only the fact that he had already agreed to hang out with Freddy that he stayed. And maybe a tiny part of him wanted to because he enjoyed watching movies and shows. And he also didn’t hate Freddy’s presence, though he wasn’t sure Freddy didn’t think he was going to stab him or something.

Blinking, Nico looked from Freddy to the bowl and back. He shook his head slightly. “I don’t mind either way,” he said and meant it. ”But extra butter maybe?” Because butter always tasted good. And it reminded him of going to the movies with his sister. “Only if you’re okay with extra butter,” he added quickly, not wanting to make the popcorn gross for Freddy because of his own nostalgia. “I know too much can make it… soggy.” And no one liked soggy popcorn, at least as far as he was concerned. And if he had to subject someone to his presence, he wasn’t going to make them eat gross, soggy popcorn.

He glanced around again, looking the apartment over. Then he looked back at Freddy, hesitating a moment before saying, “Do you think we could watch in your room?” He wanted to say more, to explain that he was only barely used to Freddy and didn’t know this new girl at all, that he didn’t feel comfortable just sitting around so exposed in the living room. However, Nico had no idea how to explain that. So he just said, “I don’t want to disturb the new person,” which wasn’t entirely untrue, even if it wasn’t the entire truth.

--

“Who doesn’t love butter?” Freddy, grinning, asked before pouring extra atop the popped kernels. “Who needs movie theatre popcorn, huh?” He popped some in his mouth to make sure it tasted okay. He couldn’t help remembering movie nights at home with his family, but he pushed the thought aside. “Sure, we can use my room,” he added. He talked to Lux a bit via the web, but he hadn’t seen her yet, likely because he spent most of the day in his room. It was a lazy day --- that and he needed to pick the right show or film to show Nico. He didn’t want to disappoint the other boy. “C’mon.” He nodded in the general direction of his room before balancing the bowl in one hand so he could maneuver his crutch across the floor with his other.

--

Nodding a little, Nico followed Freddy toward his room. He briefly debated on taking the bowl from him, not because he thought the other boy wasn’t capable but because a part of him thought it was rude not to offer help in general. He stopped himself just short of saying or doing it, a strange fear creeping up his spine at the thought of saying something. What if it were interpreted wrong? Being polite seemed more trouble than it was worth just then, so he let himself follow, keeping his hands in his sweater pockets, desperately wishing for something to fidget with other than his skull ring, which was a little hard to twist when both his hands were separated.

“What did you want to watch,” he asked as he followed the other boy into his room, stopping a little awkward just inside, both to look around and to wonder if he should close the door. Was that weird? Should he leave it open? Close it? Pretend to take in Freddy’s room? Actually, he did bother to take it in while he tried to figure out what was the right move here, his eyes darting around the room. He didn’t know what to expect, but he knew Freddy liked superheroes, and he could see that in little figurines and… were those superhero sheets poking out from that comforter? Not that he was judging. He was more curious than anything, and his head tilted slightly as he took it all in, along with the window and whether or not there was anything outside of it (which, other than a strange city in a strange world, he didn’t see anything of interest).

--

Freddy set the bowl down on the nightstand next to the bed before placing his cane next to the headboard. He settled down carefully --a necessary nuisance with his spinal injury-- before pushing a pillow behind his back so he could recline against the wall. He flipped on the television (could the entity be all bad when it provided electronics, cable, and netflix?) and clicked the NETFLIX app with his remote. “What are you in the mood for?” Freddy asked. He patted the patch of comforter next to him. “You can sit,” he added.

--

Nico’s eyes darted to the spot Freddy patted on the bed, briefly hyper focused on his hand and the comforter beneath.He honestly could have sat on the floor and been fine, not at all uncomfortable (perhaps actually more comfortable) or weird. He could have even sat on a chair. But the bed? So close to him? That… that was a little… He didn’t really have words for it, and he couldn’t find an excuse to avoid being so close. He was starting to regret his suggestion to not disturb their new roommate by not sitting in the living room.

“Okay,” he said, making his way over towards the bed, trying to focus instead on the question asked. That was easier to think about than anything else, even if he had no idea what he wanted to watch. He’d briefly checked out the TV in his room, and he’d been a little bit overwhelmed by the choices to actually pick anything, though a lot of it looked and sounded interesting. And it seemed like no one was blocking him from watching anything above PG-13, which had been its own bonus.

Carefully sitting down on the bed, making sure to stay on ‘his side’ so as not to jostle into the other boy, Nico said, “We could try one of those cartoon things.” What were they called? Oh. “Anime. One of those.” He put his hands on his lap, idly twisting the skull ring on his finger. “Some of them look interesting.”

--

“Sure,” Freddy easily agreed. He was used to sharing things with his five foster siblings; in fact, he never had his own television or computer until Goodland. However, he enjoyed anime too so it wasn’t like Nico’s choice put Freddy off. “Good choice!” He had a hunch Nico suggesting a genre was as far as his friend would go. That’s right -- Freddy decided they were friends. He could pick the title. He flipped through the anime ones and settled on Cowboy Beboy. “Oh, Nico! Dude, I think you’ll like this one.” He clicked the “play” button before pulling the popcorn bowl between them.

--

What kind of name was Cowboy Bebop? He knew what a cowboy was, but a bebop? Was that even a real word? Or was that a noise? Nico furrowed his brows a little bit as he watched the opening sequence. At least the music was nice, he thought, taking a piece of popcorn and chewing thoughtfully. He still couldn’t figure out what it was about from the opening sequence, but he let himself relax a little as he watched the first episode, though his focus on the anime itself was still pretty intense. Really, he just wanted to take it all in and not miss anything.

As he watched, he decided a show about bounty hunters in space was pretty cool. A little strange, but overall cool. Especially Spike Spiegel. He was definitely cool. Definitely worth watching for, he thought, idly grabbing a few more pieces of popcorn from the bowl.

--