Characters: Austyn & Casey Setting: Backdated to 3/2 - VT common room for starters Content: SFW. Cute warning Summary: Austyn was feeling a little upset, so Casey went over to cheer her up
Van Tassel was not one of the dormitories Casey frequently went to and it took him a moment once he reached the second floor of the west side of the school to remember where exactly what part of it the entrance to the dorm was. It didn't help that his mind was otherwise occupied with reminding himself of things not to do and debating on things he could possibly do.
All thoughts that mostly flew right out of his head when he made the correct turn and saw the blonde Junior waiting in the corridor for him. Casey couldn't help but smile as he approached although the grip on the small plastic bag he had with him increased a little with nerves.
"Hey," Casey said as he came to a stop just a couple steps from Austyn. Then managed a somewhat lame, "I managed not to get lost. Yay!"
After she got his last email, Austyn went into a minor girly-panic mode and changed into something that was less pyjamas and more ‘tv on the couch’. Tossing on a random hoodie over her tank top and checking for any last minute fuzzies or pop stains on her sweats, she accepted her appearance as ‘pretty cute’ and waved at Ginger as she booked it out of the room, her laptop bag in hand. She didn’t want him to get there before she did so she literally sprinted down the stairwell and to the lobby.
She thanked herself for her good luck and saw him walking up with a bag of goods, a smile branded on his face. Austyn tried to say hi in return but she just waved and then threw her arms around him, closing in on him for a very much needed hug. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she exclaimed with a squeal before letting go of him, her face flushed from the mix of running and blushing. There was no need for an apology this time, no need to ask if she could hug him. If he was embarrassed by it that would warrant some ground for apology but she was honestly just glad that he was here.
“So, do you wanna come in? I promise, the longer we stay outside the more likely we are to get lost.”
The hug came as a little bit of a surprise but he welcomed it enough that it did not cause him to stand there in shock, instead giving Austyn a hug in return. Being careful not to accidentally smack her with the bag, naturally. The last thing he needed to do was hit her with an external hard drive. The action did leave a noticeable hint of pink in his cheeks from a blush but there was no sign of embarrassment.
"Well, right now I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. But yes, let's head in before we get lost," He answered with a nod of his head and gestured for her to lead the way, hoping that the honesty in the first part of his reply didn't make him sound too corny. Normally it would have been a respectful gesture, letting her enter first and had there been a real door involved, but that was more or less lost on the fact that she was the one who knew how to get into the dorm. "We have some Austyn cheering up to do, after all!"
“You’re already helping though, Casey!” It was true; the fact that he dropped his plans and came to cheer her up was something that she really wasn’t something that she was used to, though she was starting to be very comfortable with him being around. If he needed her she would absolutely drop everything on her plate just to be there for him regardless of what she was doing. Secretly, she was hoping that tonight they could talk about what they were doing with each other, not what had happened between her and Kevin, though she would explain to him why she did it and hopefully he wouldn’t be too upset with her. It was a complicated situation but she had no feelings for the creepy homework kid which is why she had to hit him, he insulted her virtue!
Austyn did as she was asked and opened the door for them, holding it open that way Casey could walk in first. Though she was a southern girl, there was something to be said for reversed chivalry and she didn’t mind a bit. Playing host was something that she enjoyed greatly, it gave her a chance to be hospitable and show someone else her world. Granted the dorms looked similar to each other, it was fun to walk around the halls and take a few wrong turns before they ended up in the common area which was mostly deserted. It was a Friday, apparently everyone was in town - they ran into a streak of luck.
They had to snoop around for a few minutes to find an empty socket but there was one by one of the smaller couches and she figured that it would be okay, especially since they were sharing the computer screen. She pulled out her computer from it’s bag and pushed herself against the side of the couch, giving him a side grin as she booted the old baby up. “Don’t make fun of it too much, my parents wouldn’t get me a new computer until I got a part time job. I just didn’t want to get one so I am stuck with this beauty here.”
Casey didn't, and couldn't, really argue with her. There was nothing wrong with a little reverse chivalry. Although it did take him a second to realize he wasn't going to get to hold the door once it was open for her to go through first. With a smile and a quick "Thanks," he ducked in ahead of her and took a couple steps past the threshhold so she had room to come in.
He walked with her into the common area and although he had been in Van Tassel before, it wasn't often and he still looked around to see what was different about this common room than his in Van Ripper. But he didn't spend a whole lot of time looking around and helped Austyn with the search for outlets to power their cartoon watching, or whatever they ended up seeing.
The smaller couch was just fine for him and he plopped himself on it while she booted her computer up. "Fear not. I don't judge anyone by their electronics and gadgets. Unless they're still walking around with a walkman." Casey gave her a reassuring smile and went to get his headphones and his external hard drive from the bag he brought. Then proceeded to get himself plenty comfortable for the time being. "I won't poke fun of it as long as you don't poke fun of the amount of cartoons I have."