put your arms around somebody else,

[coppelganger]

WHO: Sarah and George, later Sarah and Ruby
WHERE: De Chima, Maurtia Falls
WHEN: January 9
WHAT: Awkward conversations
WARNINGS: n/a



for George; De Chima, mid-morning
[ It's mid-morning when Sarah arrives at the apartment complex in De Chima where George is living. She told him she could come see him, and she's going to try and stick to her word, but that doesn't stop her from pausing before she knocks on his front door. She shifts back and forth, nervous, and runs a hand through her perpetually messy hair, and more than once thinks about turning around and forgetting all about this. She can't do that, though. She wants to see him—needs to see him, maybe—and that outweighs the desire to run and not look back.

It doesn't matter if George would be better off without her. It doesn't matter if she's scared. She reaches out and knocks on the door. ]

for Ruby; Maurtia Falls, later
[ Maurtia Falls is cold and gray, with patches of old snow on the ground, reminding her of Toronto winters. It's good, she thinks. She doesn't feel like having this conversation on a beautiful, sunny day. It wouldn't be right. She doesn't even know what she's going to say, but she knows it won't be pleasant for either of them.

In lieu of knocking on the door and risking one of Ruby's housemates answering, she pulls out her communicator and shoots off a text: ] hey, i'm outside. are you around?

Comments

[puppydoctor]

[George opens the door with a cup of coffee in his hand, and for several moments he just revels, his concerned face melting into an easier smile.]

... Sarah.

[There's pure love in his voice, even though he tries to mask it for her sake. He doesn't want to make her uncomfortable.]

[coppelganger]

[ For a couple seconds, she can only stare at him, taking everything in. She never thought she'd see him again, is the thing. He'd been gone forever, with no word, and that was it. Until it wasn't. ]

Hi. [ Despite herself, she can feel a smile tugging at her lips, and before she does anything else, she moves to hug him. ]

[puppydoctor]

[George tugs her close, the coffee sloshing just slightly. His free hand comes up to cradle her head, fingers lacing through her dark, familiar hair. This - right here, holding onto her - is the only home he's had since he died, and he can't imagine what it's going to feel like if she's moved on. He wishes he could put that out of his mind, just for right now.]

Hi, you.

[It's "I'm so glad to see you", "You look beautiful", and "I love you", all wrapped up in one.]

[coppelganger]

I missed you so much.

[ This she says muffled into his shirt, feeling the familiar warmth and solid weight of him pressed against her, his hand in her hair, the smell of coffee all around them. ]

Even after we talked, I had to see you. To be sure.

[puppydoctor]

I know. It's okay.

[After a few more quiet moments, he pulls back far enough to see her face, nose-to-nose. Her eyes are darker than he remembers them, and her cheeks sharper.]

... It feels like just a couple of days, for me.

[coppelganger]

[ She laughs, despite herself, though it's a sad kind of sound. ]

That's gotta be really weird.

[puppydoctor]

I keep thinking I've got work in the morning.

[He'd talked to the Nonah Medical Center - his spot was given up long ago, and they weren't interested in taking on anymore residents who couldn't guarantee they'd finish the program. That whole future, gone in a blink.

Sliding his hand down into Sarah's, he finally tugs her inside.]

Coffee?

[coppelganger]

[ She nods to the coffee—booze would be nice, but probably not the best idea right now—and follows him inside. ]

They gave you a different job? [ That's got to be hard on him, she knows. ]

[puppydoctor]

First Aid Instructor. I haven't gone yet.

[The apartment is no more than a studio, just a glorified bedroom with a tiny kitchen in one corner and a presumably microscopic bathroom behind a cracked door. It's cheap and barren, but not squalid - it looks suitable for a tidy, lonely guy.

George sets his coffee down and grabs his one other mug out of the cabinet. It fills up instantly, steam rising over the brim. He passes it to Sarah.]

The place came furnished, but I'm pretty sure the couch is clean.

[coppelganger]

[ She takes the coffee and sits on the couch. The place is cute, she guesses, for a single guy. Small. It reminds her a bit of her old place, before George moved in. Somewhere built for just one person. ]

You'll have to come see our new place. It's kinda falling apart. Sarissa wants to DIY it.

[puppydoctor]

[He joins her, looking both amused and impressed.]

That sounds very adult of you two.

[And he means it. Settling down with a sister and fixing up their own house? That's a big thing.]

[coppelganger]

Yeah. Think it'll be good for us.

[ With that, she falls into an awkward silence, just sipping at her coffee and wondering at how strange this feels, how familiar and safe at the same time. ]

[puppydoctor]

[Very strange, would be the answer to that. George shifts against the cushions, a shiver in his spine. He hates sitting this close and not knowing if he's allowed to touch her.]

... What's his name?

[It's gentle, quiet. He doesn't want to push. He just wants to know where he stands.]

[notsheepish]

[Sadly there is no return text, but a half-minute or so later, there's some rustling and a shout from around the side of the building.]

Hey! I'm back here!

[And slowly, Ruby is making her way around to the front, or at least halfway if Sarah moves to meet her, pulling off a pair of leather work gloves and tucking them into the back of her belt.]

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah walks around the side of the house and smiles when she sees Ruby, but there's something that keeps it from spreading to her eyes. She sticks both hands into her jacket pockets, tilts her head the slightest bit downward. ]

Hey. Whatcha doing?

[notsheepish]

Oh, a branch came down in the back the other day. I'm just breaking it up, figuring out if there's anything useful I can do with it.

[She finishes approaching and tucks a finger into the front of Sarah's jacket to tug her in a little closer.]

Glad to see you're alive. I was getting a little worried after you didn't answer my texts.

[She's teasing, mostly, and leans in for a quick kiss to soften the comment.]

[coppelganger]

[ Oh, god. Christ. Fuck. Sarah manages to keep from wincing, but only barely. And she doesn't pull away from the kiss, but she doesn't kiss back, either. ]

Can we talk?

[notsheepish]

[Oookay, that's different, and Ruby is immediately concerned, moving to put a hand on Sarah's arm.]

Yeah, of course. Are you okay?

[coppelganger]

I'm—do you remember, the night I asked you out, how I joked about my ex showing up again out of nowhere?

[notsheepish]

[There's a moment where Ruby just looks genuinely confused, before she freezes and her stomach drops. Sarah isn't exactly wearing the face of someone asking a rhetorical question after all.

Still, the sudden whiplash of all this out of nowhere leaves her off balance, so when she opens her mouth to speak, nothing comes out, and she just closes it again after a second and nods stiffly.]

[coppelganger]

[ She really, really hates herself right now, can't even make eye contact with Ruby as she speaks. ]

The thing is, I called him my ex, but we never broke up. He Ported out, and I thought I'd never see him again. But he's back now.

[notsheepish]

That's-- [She swallows and tries for a smile (emphasis on "tries").] That's great, isn't it? That you get to see him again, know he's okay?

[Please ignore any "less than great" thoughts that might be written on her face, okay?]

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah's not stupid. She knows Ruby is only saying what she feels like she has to. All the same, she can't help but be idiotically grateful that she's making this easier for both of them. ]

I'm so sorry.

[notsheepish]

Don't be. It's not like you did anything wrong. It's just... [She trails off into a silence for a moment, not sure exactly WHAT it is, then finally just shrugs and wraps her arms around herself.]

So, what now?

[coppelganger]

[ Sarah hesitates, swallows, stuffs her hands into the pockets of her jacket. ]

I love him.