InsaneJournal

"Use your words, Rythian!"
Who: Zoeya Proasheck and Rythian Enderson
What: Zoey wants to make peace.
When: Shortly after this
Where: Rythian’s place. Zoey found his address on the internet!
Rating: PG13. Maybe a slight TW for talk of accidental injuries.
Status: Complete!

Zoey wasn’t going to let Rythian get away with not responding that easily. A quick Google brought up a bit more information on him, and with a little narrowing down, she was able to find out just about where he lived - wasn’t keeping that information on the internet a little dangerous? She’d have to find someone to ask about that...

Pausing on her way there to grab some food - Mexican and cheesecake, which was totally the best combination ever - she did have to realise that she didn’t have much of a plan. Maybe plans were overrated. Maybe she’d figure it out, no matter what happened.

When she got to his place, the nerves had just about started to kick in. Trying to ignore them, she knocked on his door, hoping that one, she’d actually gotten the right place and two, he was actually willing to answer...

He was willing to answer, if only because he hated people knocking when there was a doorbell right there. He wiped off his face as best as he could before opening the door, still very obvious that he’d been crying. Seeing her made him debate shutting the door in her face, but he’d been raised not to treat anyone like that, let alone a lady who had shown you kindness.

“What do you want, Zoey? Come here to make me think of things I’ve never wanted to again?” To be honest, Rythian was starting to feel she was too much of a distraction for anything he wanted to do. Anything he wanted to keep simple and comfortable of his life. Even if comfortable meant no real friends and an ever broken heart.

Doorbells were for the weak! Also, Zoey hadn’t really noticed, but that was besides the point. “I want to apologise. And I brought food!” Because food definitely made making peace a lot easier. “Is that okay?”

“I... Guess it’s fine. Come on in.” Opened the door the rest of the way an led her in before shutting the door behind them. He locked it and turned the lights on. “What kind of food?” Rythian asked and reached for plates and forks for them both, along with grabbing himself a ginger ale.

“It’s Mexican, ‘cause, y’know, really nice place on the way here,” Zoey made a vague gesture in that sort of direction. If he wanted more details about the place, he was going to have to wait until she felt... well, less terrible about making him feel like that. “I’m one of those weird almost-vegetarians, so... it’s a chicken fajita. Also, I got you cheesecake!”

Cheesecake was the best peace offering, right? Zoey’d certainly always thought so.

“What other kinds of meat do you like?” Playful smirk, crying had done him some good at very least. He helped her dish up the food and chips, setting the cheesecake in the fridge for later.

...Did he seriously just go there? Zoey may’ve blushed, just slightly, and tried to force it away almost immediately. Maybe he’d meant it innocently and she’d just taken it the wrong way? A girl could hope! “I’m pretty picky... probably a good thing, right?”

“Probably, can’t be too frivolous with your choices now can we, you have to be careful.” Rested his back against the island in his kitchen. He was going to leave it innocent as of right now for her sake.

...Yeaaaah he’d definitely not meant that innocently. Oh well. Zoey was just going to pretend that hadn’t happened, just in case it was just... a thing that he did. Or something. “Careful is good, right? Even if there’s such a thing as being too careful.”

“Careful is very good... I don’t want you getting hurt, getting hurt tends to have an adverse reaction to what most people want.” Rythian gave a faint smile.

In any other time, Zoey would’ve taken that as an excuse to dub Rythian ‘Captain Obvious’. And probably make up a theme song for him. Right now, though, she wanted to be a little more serious... “I tend to be pretty careful! Except for... well. Not going into that.”

What? She was clumsy sometimes!

Rythian chuckled and shook his head, was it always going to be this way with her? Really? “So long as you don't get too hurt...”

It was definitelydefinitely always going to be this way. Zoey was Special, with a purposely capitalised S, and she wasn’t ever going to change. “Most I’ve ever done is accidentally cut myself a little. I’m actually pretty lucky, if you think about it.”

“Accidentally right? Not purposefully?” He was allowed to ask because he’s done it a few times in the past. Hasn’t done it in a year or so, so he’s totally fine. But its there.

Zoey wasn’t the type to ever do something like that, at least in her opinion. Sure, life could suck sometimes, but... there were better ways of dealing with it. “Only ever accidentally. And I always make sure to clean it up straight away, ‘cause infections totally suck.”

“I should know really, working at a pharmacy and all. See so many people come in with infections that could have been avoided.” Rythian rolled his eyes and rested his elbows against the counter. “So... Food?”

“Some people are pretty silly.” And Zoey, personally, had never understood any of it. Or, well, at least when it came to the bad kind of silly. “It’s right there, Rythian. I’m not keeping you from eating it or anything!”

“Oh...” Looked down and blushed slightly. “Totally spaced and forgot...” Took hold of one of the fajitas and began to eat on it. It was good. Zoey has great taste in food.

Aw. He was kind of adorable when he blushed... which Zoey was pretty sure she’d said before, and she definitely wasn’t going to say again, because that’d be really awkward and stuff. “Happens to me all the time. I’ll be in the middle of something and then, it’s five hours later and I’ve seriously not done anything.”

“I guess I can do that too... Would you rather we eat in the living room? I have a nice coffee table it can go on?” Why yes he was talking with his mouth full, oops.

Man, that was so attractive. Except, you know, not. “I guess it’d be a lot more comfortable!”

Swallowed and held a hand up. “Sorry... Come on.” Helped her gather the food and moved to the living room and set it out again.

This place really was nice... not that Zoey had any faith that she’d see it regularly or, well, anything like that. Much as she liked Rythian and all. “You have a really, really nice place here... I mean, you probably already know that, but it never hurts to say, so.”

“I like having it nice, and I had a designer come in and help me. Nice man, bit too gay to focus sometimes. He stared at me a lot. I’m not homophobic at all, promise!” Held his hands up in defence just in case.

Zoey wasn’t going to jump to conclusions about things like that. She liked Rythian, dammit, no matter what... even if what she was about to say was a tiny bit of a jump. “I don’t think I can blame him for staring. I mean, you’re kind of handsome, so.”

Rythian coughed and looked at her a little shocked. “Well uhm.. uh.. Well.. you.. me.. uh..” Way to completely break the poor man!

Aw, he was all adorable and broken! Zoey couldn’t help but smile, bouncing ever-so-slightly in her seat. “Use your words, Rythian! That way, I can understand you, and then it’ll all be awesome and supercool.”

“You’re rather gorgeous yourself...” There he used his words, okay?

And said words may well’ve made Zoey turn almost as red as her hair. “...Really?”

“Yes...Really.” Bit his lip. “But I want you to know that I’m really not comfortable with the concept of dating again... Not yet at least. If that upsets you I’m so sorry.”

Honestly, Zoey had expected that, considering the revelation about his wife. You couldn’t move on from something like that easily. “That’s completely, totally fine. I wouldn’t want to push it or anything!”

“But it is something you want.” He teased pointing at her. Because hey, he got her to admit she wanted something more! Points to the Rythian master. Chuckled and took another bite of the food, getting cheese on his pants. “Oops. Let me get paper towels.” Stood and walked to the kitchen.

Gah! Zoey couldn’t help turning an even more interesting shade of red, and made a valiant attempt at trying to hide it. A valiant failed attempt, but still! “You cheated! Distracted me with... something.”

Rythian chuckled from the other room, trying to keep himself from smiling a bit too much. “And it worked like a charm! You’re kind of adorable when you flail, you know that?” Leaned out of the kitchen to look at her whilst unwrapping another roll of the towels.

Oh, this just wasn’t fair! Was Rythian trying to make Zoey get even more flaily? Because it was seriously working out that way... “I... guess I might be? I mean, I don’t make a point of it, but...”

Okay, she was shutting up now. Just in case.

“Herregud, du är söt.” Rolled his eyes and pulled the towels out and cleaned up his pants. He set them on the table and went back to eating because he can. Yay for saying things in his native tongue!

Saying things in languages that Zoey didn’t understand wasn’t really fair, was it? She spoke English, Polish and French (badly), and not really much else... still! Maybe she could learn. “Really hoping that was a good thing.”

“...I said basically oh my god, you’re cute. Only in Swedish.” Bit his lip, hoping he wasn’t taking things too far.

Okay, Zoey was going to have to remember that one. If only because she could maybe use it on him some other time - you never knew, right? “Y’know, totally calling that a bigger compliment than saying it in English.”

“Really?” Blinked when he heard scratching at his window. “Agh that blasted stray again.” Stood after setting his plate down and tried to shoo the little kitty away. He was a pretty thing really, a dark grey and black tabby. “Shoo. Go.”

Oh, but he was adorable! Kitties didn’t come to people without a good reason, and this little one obviously already loved Rythian... and honestly, Zoey couldn’t blame it, but she was keeping that to herself. “Why not keep him? He likes you.”

“But... Why? He’s probably got fleas and ticks. And he’s skinny. And aren’t cats a lot of work and oh come on...” Looked down to see the cat rubbing between his legs and against his sides. He ran a hand through his hair and just sighed.

“They’re worth all the work. You love a cat, and it’ll love you in return.” Anyone who said cats were snooty and unappreciative were clearly sillies. Zoey’d never known a cat to not return love, often copiously and with mass amounts of purr.

“But...” Rythian let out a heavy sigh ‘Jesus Christ this woman...’. He looked to her before bending over to pick the cat up. “Fine. It gets a bath first and a check over for fleas...” Walked over and grabbed a towel and dish soap since you can actually use that to bathe a cat safely and turned the water on warm. Despite not having an affinity for cats, he was rather gentle with the feline. It didn’t take long for him to be finished and combed through with a lice comb he had on hand. From that one time he had it which was hell enough. The kitty would need a treatment, but it wasn’t too severe.

He dried it off and held it up. “I guess it must be hungry?”

“Probably part of why he keeps coming back to you.” Not that there probably weren’t many, many other reasons! Zoey could certainly think of a few more, even if most of them didn’t actually apply to cats.

“Here, you hold him and dry him off while I look for what it can eat.” Pushed the cat into her arms and went into the kitchen to find a can of spare tuna and some hamburger he’d not used. He did a quick cook of it with a little spinach because uh... why not? When he came back it was in a little saucer with another having water. He set it on the floor. “Uh... There.”

That cat was seriously, seriously far too adorable. Zoey’d probably barely noticed that Rythian was gone, up until when he came back with the food... then the kitty’s squirming made it all too obvious that he wanted down. Right now.

She set the cat down, after giving him an earscratch. “Go on, little guy.”

Rythian watched as the little kitty moved to start gobbling up the food, rather loud as it tried to growl and meow and purr all at the same. He squatted down beside the feline and stroked down it’s back till it stopped growling and just ate. “There. Don’t make such a fuss or I’m not feeding you again.” Though that is obviously said with quite a bit of affection.

That was actually even more adorable than the cat alone. Who’d have thought that Rythian could love a kitty? It was awesome, and Zoey more than approved. “You have any ideas on names? I mean, I think he wants to keep you.”

The man thought for a moment and stood up, only for the kitten to jump on the counter, then his shoulder. “Maybe Ravs? Could be a nice name. And it is a boy kitty so...” Squished up his face when the cat began nuzzling his face. “I do not need pussy hair in my face.” Oops, was that said out loud!

And it took all of Zoey’s strength not to burst out laughing at that. Oh, the innuendos! “Ravs is good! I like Ravs. Kinda fun to say.”

“So Ravs it is, do you like that little bitty?” He reached up to scritch at the kitty’s chin, rewarded with rather loud purrs. “Maybe tomorrow I can get him into a vet. For now he can sleep on my bed with me.”