Sunday September 22nd 2019
Who: Remington and Nathaniel What: Meeting the occupant of his bed Where: Remy's apartment When: Late evening Rating: PG
There was a man in Remington's bed. Candi had warned him, but it still annoyed and worried Remy. He did NOT trust djinns. They always spelled trouble."Hey, wake up," he said while kicking the bed frame.
Nathaniel had never slept before. So when he had passed out, he had gone under and stayed under, deeply, until the amazingly comfortable bed suddenly shifted and he was forced awake. "Mwuh?" he blurted, lifting his head and looking around, his hair mussed and eyes watery.
--- "You're in my bed." Remington sounded irritated. His glare was equally telling.
--- Rubbing his eyes, Nathaniel sat up, the covers wrapped around him like a cocoon. "Mm?" he mumbled, yawning loudly. "Oh! You're Remy! Candi said about you, you're nice!"
--- Remington raised an eyebrow. "It's Remington, or you can call me Lieutenant Colonel Quinn." Remy wasn't usually unfriendly around strangers, but this guy was in his bed, and he was a djinn. They couldn't be trusted.
--- Blinking a few times, getting focus back in his eyes, Nathaniel nodded. "Oh okay," he said agreeably. "Lieutenan... lew... lun... um... Lewtinnyreminglequince."
--- Remington sighed. "Remington. Just stick with that." He didn't like how the Remy nickname was spreading. It sounded so juvenile.
--- "Remington. I got that. But Candi called you Remy so that is your name, isn't it? She called me Nathaniel so that's my name now. No one gave me-" Pausing to yawn again, he shook his head roughly, then sneezed. "No one gave me a name so she did. She's really nice. She gave me food an' a pair of your pants. They're soft."
--- Remington frowned upon learning Candi was giving away clothes. "Remington is my name. Only those who are close to me call me Remy. It's a nickname. Could you please get up?"
--- With a confused little frown, Nathaniel cocked his head slightly. "She told me to sleep... am I done now? I dunno when I'm s'possed to be done." Wrapping the blankets tighter around himself, Nathaniel scooted to the end of the bed, standing up beside Remy. "Okay I'm up now. Your bed is very nice."
--- "Thanks," he said stiffly. "I don't know how long you've been sleeping. I usually sleep about five hours, more if I'm able."
--- "Oh." With a nod, Nathaniel accepted this information. "I don't know either. Sleeping is really great. I like it." He liked Remy, too. Or, Remington. Holding out his arms, he stepped closer to Remy, trying to scoop him into a hug. Candi liked hugs, and Nathaniel liked them too, so maybe this guy did too.
--- Putting his arms out, Remington held Nathaniel at bay. "No hugs. Not between men who have just met. Handshakes." Since the djinn seemed clueless, Remington demonstrated by taking hold of Nathaniel's hand and giving it a squeeze and light shake. "It's a proper greeting."
--- "Aww!" Nathaniel whined, because he liked hugging. That much he had decided firmly. But a handshake was good too. He shook Remy's hand firmly, and nodded to coincide. "Yes," he agreed, although to what, who knew. "So, do you want to make me give you things? Candi didn't but most people do and you're a person so you do, right?"
--- Remington shook his head immediately. "No. No wishes. I will never ask anything of you." He'd have to be very careful about what he said. It was easy to ask for things by accident just in the way things were phrased.
--- With a confused little noise, Nathaniel scratched his head. "Oh," he said simply. "Okay. This place is really weird. Everyone just wants things but you and Candi don't want things. It's different. Are you sure we can't hug?"
--- Shaking his head and putting his hand up, Remington made it clear there would be no hugs. "It's been my experience that djinn gifts go bad in time."
--- Nathaniel was more saddened by the denial of a hug than the accusation. "A lot of times they go bad really quick," he admitted. "I think I'm doing it right, but then they go bad and it's terrible and then I get sent back in the bottle." Stepping his way around Remy, Nathaniel headed for the kitchen because Candi said he could eat whatever he liked, and he really liked milk. "Are you gonna send me back in the bottle?" he called over his shoulder. "Candi said she won't but maybe you will. Are you gonna?"
--- Remington followed Nathaniel, because he was weary of the intruder. He watched carefully as the djinn helped himself to food. Food that Remington had bought. "I'm not going to send you back to the bottle. You don't deserve that."
--- "Deserve it?" It was a phrase that confused him, because the bottle was his home. That's where he lived. Why wouldn't he deserve home? Remington Quinn Lieutennermant didn't make any sense right now. Grabbing the milk and popping off the top, Nathaniel brought the jug to his lips, then stopped. Candi had said use a cup. "Can I have a cup?" he asked, then added "Please, lewtennerman Renington Quinn."
--- For the first time, the hint of a grin snuck across Remington's lips. He gave a nod and headed over to get a cup, handing it to Nathaniel. "Just Remington." He paused. "Your bottle? It's like a prison. At least it is if people are sending you back there because they're upset. They're punishing you. I'm not going to do that."
--- Taking the cup, Nathaniel set it down on the counter, then let go of the milk and let it hover in the air, pouring into the glass then setting onto the counter while Nathaniel's hands busied themselves gathering up the blanket until it wrapped around his shoulders like a shawl, freeing up his arms. "My bottle isn't a prison," he told Remy, with a little chuckle. "There aren't any bars or anything in there. People don't punish me they just don't want me around anymore."
--- "Well, I'm not going to force you to do anything you don't want to do. If you want to stay out of your bottle, you can. I'm sure Candi feels the same." As much as Remington distrusted djinns, he wasn't going to treat Nathaniel like shit.
--- Chugging down his milk, Nathaniel burped loudly, then wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Mkay," he said with a shrug. "I like it out here. Your place is really neat. I like the stuff on the walls, and all your books, and your couch that's a secret bed. All of it is really cool. You must be a really great person to have all this stuff. Candi is so pretty, too. And she has a good smile. I like her."
--- "I like her too," Remington said hesitantly. He hoped Nathaniel didn't have stronger feelings toward Candi. Remington would do far worse than put the genie back in his bottle if that were the case. "But you can't stay here long term. You need your own place."
--- With a sad frown, Nathaniel sniffed. "Oh. I like it here. But I guess I'll go if you want me to." Of course, he didn't know where he could go, but if Remington wanted him gone, he would go. Maybe in his bottle where he belonged, but Candi had said this kind of place was a place for people like him. Maybe he could go there. "Well... bye, then. Thank you for your bed and your milk and your pants."
--- "Wait. Nathaniel. I said you can't stay here long term. You can stay until we find something for you. This is a school. They have lots of dorms and apartments."
--- "So... so I can stay for now?" There was a hope, bright and clear, in his eyes. His lips grew into a wide grin, and he threw himself at Remy, wrapping both arms tight around him. He felt great! And hugs felt great. And Remy would have to understand, right?
--- Remington did NOT like the hugging thing. But he didn't push Nathaniel away right away. He just let the dude hug him. "You can stay for now, but we are going to talk with the administrators at the school and see about finding you a job or getting you enrolled in classes."
--- After another squeeze, Nathaniel felt the hug was sufficient, and he let Remy go. "I can do that! I think. Probably! What kind of job would I need to have? I don't know what I can do except magic, but I can't do that too well I think. No one taught me. That's why I always have to go back to the bottle." --- "Then I think we should get you signed up for classes instead. They will teach you how to use your magic."