Astaroth is really just Astarte. (astarte) wrote in valarlogs, @ 2013-11-25 23:12:00 |
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Entry tags: | !complete, logan howlett (wolverine), seth balmore, velma kelly |
Who: Seth Balmore, Velma Kelly, and Logan Howlett.
What: Meeting up.
When: Saturday, 11/23.
Where: Vel and Logan's.
Rating: PG-13.
Status: Complete!
Velma was feeling mostly okay as she started a load of dishes. Seth was supposed to come over, and Logan was out now, but wouldn’t be for long. Eli was asleep, but they’d worked that out when they’d moved in. They wouldn’t talk loudly in the dining room, which was right over her bedroom. They could stay in the kitchen.
Seth had pulled into the driveway and she rang the bell. She’d had the day off, so she wasn’t wearing makeup and hadn’t bothered doing her hair. Jeans and a crop top and her hair in a messy ponytail was her day off MO, and she knew Velma wouldn’t care either.
Velma heard the bell and headed over. She grinned, opening the door. “Hey, stranger.” She went in for a hug, laughing. Seth hadn’t changed at all, at least outwardly. “You look so cute. How the hell you been?”
“Jetlagged to hell.” Seth hugged her best friend tightly, pulling her close before pulling away and grinning at Velma’s stomach. “Oh my god, you weren’t kidding, tell me everything eee!” She clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from audibly squealing.
It still made Velma laugh. “Relax, honey, I’ll fill you in. Hopefully you get to meet Logan before you gotta run.” She let Seth into the house, pointing toward the kitchen. “Want something? I feel like a cup of tea. Though God, I am so sick of ginger stuff I could barf. Wait. You know what I mean.”
“I do.” Seth laughed, wrapping an arm around Velma’s waist. “You’re not the first pregnant lady I’ve been around, you know.” She curled close, glad to be back around her friend. “Logan, huh? So, where’d you meet him, how long have you been together, tell me everything.”
“I met him online, when I was looking for a self-defense teacher.” Velma chuckled, leaning in as they headed into the kitchen. “In, I think, February? January? Something like that. At first it was just sex.”
“Well, all that grunting and sweating was probably a good way to get into sex. And I’m talking about the self defense part.” Seth pretended to drop into a mocking karate stance. “You know me, I’m not exactly a violence kinda girl.”
“Yeah, I had to find a new teacher.” Velma smirked. “But I don’t know, it just kinda happened. He’s actually kind of a commitmentphobe. I just am hot stuff, I guess.”
“Duh,” Seth singsonged, rolling her eyes. “I’d have slept with you Vel, and I don’t even like girls.” Playfully, she slapped her friend on the bottom.
“Don’t say that too loud, he’ll hear you and want video.” Velma pinched Seth’s ass, wanting her to squeak just for the fun of it.
“Already got it,” Logan said gruffly, leaning on the door frame and smirking at them as he looked at his phone. He wasn’t a luddite, he knew his way around technology, damn it!
Seth blinked, turning around and blushing. “What? I - “ Thank god nobody could tell she was blushing. “You scared the hell out of me!”
Velma, by contrast, turned around and just laughed. “Put it on youtube and I’ll kick your ass,” she said cheerfully, still with an arm around Seth. “Seth Balmore, Logan Howlett, my fiance. Seth’s one of my oldest friends.”
“Shit,” Logan replied, looking at his phone and squinting. “You better hope that ain’t the share button I just hit.” He stuck the phone in his pocket and held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, darlin’.”
Seth looked back at Velma, giving her a is this guy for real grin before turning to shake Logan’s hand. “You too, sugarpuss.” She wasn’t one for shying away from machismo, despite the fact she was petite and a model (one of the few petite models, she’d add). “So, I’m guessing the fighting turned sex was pretty damn decent, huh.”
“I can hurt you,” Velma told Logan gleefully before turning back to Seth. “Pretty damn,” she said, still smiling. “Logan’s a mechanic. Good with his hands.” She winked, hoping they both laughed. “He actually has an adopted daughter, too - who luckily likes me - but she’s asleep downstairs.”
“Yep.” Logan had more than the one ‘daughter’ but just one was legal. As far as he knew. He collected strays after all. He didn’t seem at all thrown off by Seth.
Leaning against the counter, Seth shook her head, still grinning. “You guys are so cute I could barf. But Vel and I had a bet from a long time ago, whoever tamed her would get twenty bucks.” She took out her wallet and forked over a bill to Logan. “Mazel tov.”
“Oh, fuck you.” Velma rolled her eyes, sighing. “I’m not ‘tamed’. This isn’t some Taming of the Shrew stuff.” But her tone was good-natured. Seth was a friend. She could joke.
Logan took the twenty bucks and held it up to the light as if making sure it was legit. “Who wants drinks? I’m buyin’.” Because he is an ass. And he knows it.
“We’re in a kitchen,” Seth deadpanned. “Do you have OJ?” Seth drank sometimes, but not often, and only for the taste. Booze was a slippery slope.
“You quit drinking?” Velma asked. She turned to Logan. “Seth and I met up back when I was about fifteen years younger and about fifteen times fucking crazier. I have done a lot of drugs in her company, but we both sort of got sick of it around the same time.”
Logan just shrugged his shoulder as he opened the fridge to reveal about 80 bottles of beer. He found the orange juice and poured Seth a glass, then popped a claw and popped the top of his beer with it. Water? Who needed it!
“I drink sometimes, but only when I want to taste it. Not like before. Besides, I have another show where I’m only in my skivvies soon, you know how bloat gets me in the tabloids.” She rolled her eyes and did a hand gesture that crassly showed how much she liked tabloids.
“Assholes.” Velma rolled her eyes. “I have no idea how you put up with that shit without punching people.” She went to pour herself some water. Speaking of assholes. “Logan, you headed out today?”
“I’ve punched them,” he said, proudly. “An’ yeah, got a few things I need to do. Need anythin’?”
Seth watched them interact, smiling broadly. “Dear god, you two are the cutest damn thing I’ve ever seen. I shouldn’t drink this OJ, you’re giving me enough sugar. And honestly, I don’t get too many paparazzi snaps when I’m out and about, just after shows.”
“Still. They’re annoying and should leave you the fuck alone.” Velma made a face. “And I could use some more of that cocoa butter stuff?” She was starting to get dry skin, and Logan liked helping her out with that. She figured better not say that, so as not to gag Seth.
“Yeah sure. Just what I need, walk into a place filled with all kinds smells an’ shit,” Logan replied, dryly.
“Oh, you should’ve told me, I could’ve brought you some argan oil.” She grinned at Velma, pulling out some hand cream from her purse and encouraged Velma to sniff. But Logan’s statement confused her. “Do you not like ... smelling?”
“He means a girly place.” Velma rolled her eyes. “And he’s being an asshole on purpose.”
“I smell things too good,” Logan replied, tapping his nose. “Comes with the claws an’ all the other shit. Too many strong smells just gets annoyin’.”
Seth blinked. “... what?”
“Yeah, um. There’s some special people here. I thought you knew.” Awkward. Velma looked over at Seth, hoping she wouldn’t freak or whatever.
Logan was amused that no one had noticed him use his usual claw bottle opener. He held up a finger, guzzled the rest of his booze, then popped three claws and cut the bottle up like it was paper.
Seth just stared. “Holy wow, that’s weirdly hot.”
“Oh, Christ, don’t encourage him.” Velma laughed. “I’ll tell you what else his claws are good for later.” She went to kiss Logan. “Just go to the drugstore or something? Please?”
Logan waggled his eyebrows at Vel and let her kiss him in front of her friend. “Fine. Twist my arm.”
“Ew, I don’t want to know that much personal stuff.” Seth laughed, teasingly covering her eyes with her hands. “I mean, I already know you at least did it once, that’s where I’m leaving it.”
“I’d hope I wouldn’t have to. Cause you love me.” She swatted his ass instead. “Thank you, really. Even if you are an ass.”
“That’s why you love me.” He dodged out of the way and called out to Seth as he escaped to the garage, “Try twice a day!”
“It is,” Seth smiled. She yelled back out to Logan. “WHAT, DRINKING OJ?” Denial was not just a river in Egypt, and she didn’t care.
“He’s ... yeah.” Velma sighed, turning back to her friend. “He’s the most loyal, dependable person I’ve ever met. He’s also a sarcastic asshole and loves trolling me and Eli both, as well as torturing her boyfriend.” And she loved him dearly and it was obvious.
“Well, that’s obviously why you like him, you silly.” Seth sipped her drink, crossing her legs and grinning. “You’ve always liked guys that are... challenging.”
“That’s one word for it. I think I just have a masochistic streak.” Velma was smiling a little, though. “What about you on the guy front? Or are you around too many men who use more product than you to think about it?”
Seth snorted. “I’m happily single, thank you. Even if I did know any straight men, I doubt I’d want to do anything that way just now. Life’s too hectic, you know? Maybe when it settles down soon.”
“Fair. It’s got to come at the right time.” Velma nodded. “I’d just moved here when I met Logan. Like, a couple of days. And weird shit was going on, so I figured maybe I better learn how to handle myself. Crap. Have you heard about the weird shit?” It was probably a good thing to ask before she got too into this explanation.
“What weird crap?” Seth was helping herself to an orange, carefully peeling it as to not make too much of a mess.
“Unusual. Borderline supernatural.” Yeah, she knew it sounded nuts, but she didn’t want Seth to freak out when she actually saw something go down. “You saw Logan’s claws. There are other people here who have powers. And sometimes stuff happens in the county. Like, one time, I could only communicate in song for a week. That sucked.”
Seth thought to herself - she’d seen the claws in person, and Velma wouldn’t lie to her. “Huh.” She paused in peeling her orange for a moment, cocking her head to the side. “That explains a lot.”
“Does it?” Velma was curious. “Did you see something you couldn’t explain?”
“Well, yeah. I always figured it was the coke, though.” Seth smiled sheepishly. “Honestly, I figured a lot was.”
“Lately?” Velma frowned. “I thought you’d kicked the stuff.” She didn’t want to turn into Seth’s mom, but still. She worried. They’d been friends for a long time.
“Oh, not lately. I haven’t been here lately. I only had the one relapse, and that was about 130 days into being sober.” Seth reached out to knock her knuckles against her forehead, hoping she’d keep her string of good luck.
Velma knocked on her own forehead. “I haven’t done coke since ... God, that one party down in the Castro with Miss Honey. The one where Adam fell and hit his head? Did you know Honey kicked the coke habit too, though? She still does some pot, but apparently she got off the coke and the meth.”
Seth snorted giggling at the memory. But hearing that their friend Honey had gotten healthy and back to herself made the petite woman’s face break out into a wide, genuinely sunny grin. “Seriously? We should go pop in on her for a visit. Occasional pot I can deal with ‘cause she doesn’t have to use while I’m around, you know?”
“Yeah. Same thing. And I’d be game, you know I love that bitch, but we’d have to take the train or drive.” Or teleport, Velma added, but she wasn’t about to tell Seth about Lo’s interesting abilities yet. No need to overwhelm her. “They say even now I shouldn’t be taking planes anywhere. And I just barely have a little bump.” Which was kind of exciting, in all honesty.
“Really?” Seth couldn’t help another squeal. “Or we could just fly the bitch up here.” Seth bounced on her heels, excited to be home. “Oh, Vel, never let me be based out of Milan ever again. I hate Italian men, I really do, they’re all hot and want to sleep with you. Well, me too. It’s not fun, always getting laid.”
Velma’s eyebrows went straight up. “Um. Right. Okay.”
“I miss dating sometimes, Vel. Life isn’t all about sleeping with male models, they only have half a brain cell most of the time.” Seth tickled her friend, grinning.
“Fair po - eek!” Velma squirmed, flailing away. “You’re gonna make me barf!”
That made Seth laugh so hard she almost fell over. “Oh my god please don’t.”
“I’m so tired of it, oh my god.” Velma was still laughing. “I’m excited for this kid - really - but God, I just want to not barf or pee or have bodily fluids come out of wherever at any given moment.”
“That’s what being a mother is, Vel. Leaking.” Seth giggled, clapping her hands over her head in case Velma tried to hit her there.
Velma biffed her upside the head, but only lightly. “May it happen to you one day. After you find a good guy, I mean.”
“Keep wishing. You’ll probably find a unicorn first.” Seth grinned and wrapped her arms around her friend’s waist.
“We’re probably only having a tiny thing, but you’re still coming to it, bitch.” Velma hugged her tightly. “I missed you.”
“Of course I’m coming, you couldn’t keep me away. I missed you too.” Seth closed her eyes, glad that she at least had this family.