( stargazing )

[honestypolice]

the stargazing meme

oo1. comment with your characters
make sure to put names, series, & preferences somewhere!
you can use < ! > sans the spaces to make the comment "blank"
oo2. reply to others in character
oo3. use the rng and enter 1-10
oo4. play out what happens—anything goes!
oo5. profit? oh yeah!

prompts

one → meteor shower you just saw a falling star! and another! make a wish!
two → aliens what was that? was that really? omg no way a ufo!
three → lunar eclipse you've been sitting out for hours, waiting for this. it's so cool!
four → comet does it move fast or slow? either way, it's amazing.
five → full moon the moon is so huge! just don't look too long, it's really bright too.
six → star dust anything can happen in space. make up your own plot!
seven → solar eclipse this might be happening in the middle of the day!
eight → planet sighting is that a new star? nope, just a neighbor in the solar system!
nine → constellations do you know the stories behind these odd patterns?
ten → deep space normal stargazing isn't that much fun. you got a telescope!

Comments

[teenyoda]

[Oof. He's back against the hood and lying there, hands resting at his sides because right, right, looking up at the stars. Nothing else. Just... star watching.]

Malia, you can't... look, you and your dad have both been through a lot and you just not staying at home is going to freak him out. And you shouldn't stay out here anyway. Not alone. It's not safe.

[instincts]

I've spent half of my life "not safe."

[ Seriously, Stiles, you're not pulling from the top shelf on that argument. ]

You're skinny and weak, but I can protect you from animals. I've been practicing.

[ Somewhere in there, a compliment is buried. ]

[teenyoda]

It's not the animals I'm worried about.

[A pause.]

Okay, it's partly the animals I'm worried about, but there's usually more out there than just animals. Especially lately. You need to be somewhere safe. And out here... no.

[He was going to ignore the skinny and weak comment because she wouldn't be the first person he'd heard it from. And it was true.]

[instincts]

I feel safe.

[ The statement is simple enough. She turns to look at him again, then back up at the sky. This is probably where she feels the safest. Everything is foreign and uncomfortable, but it's made easier beside him. ]

[teenyoda]

Until you're not.

[He turns his head to look at her, hand lifting and hesitating before he rests it over one of hers.]

I'd like it if you stayed somewhere that's actually safe. From more than just animals.

[instincts]

[ She's not the hand-holding type. Her first instinct isn't to cuddle. When she felt alone or cold, she'd mostly just curl in on herself. It's different now—Stiles keeps reminding her. Scott seems under the distinct impression that his best friend is the coyote whisperer, but it's really just that he meets her in the middle. She turns her hand to fold it into his. ]

Do normal people worry as much as you do?

[teenyoda]

If normal people knew half of what I know, they probably would.

[He tries not to push her with things like that. He's still sort of semi-nervous about touching her, like she's going to actually bite him, but he's starting to get the picture that it's not her as much as it's her instincts. And her instincts aren't use to people.]

[instincts]

[ She might still bite him. ]

Well, I don't.

[ As she turns onto her side, she keeps firm hold of his hand. ]

So, compromise. Stay out here with me and we'll protect each other.

[teenyoda]

It's winter. We should really, really be inside. Under blankets. In a warm bed.

[Mm... that actually brought some nice images to mind. Snuggling images. He wondered, not for the first time, if he could convince her to do a little bonding snuggling. That was a thing, right? It had been nice, even in the dingy basement of that hell hole to feel someone warm and solid all curled up with him.]

[instincts]

[ It's hard to argue with that when she can't remember the last time she was honest-to-goodness warm. Really missing that fur coat right about now. With the sun down, it's even more marked a change.

His use of 'we' was just ambiguous enough that she asks— ]

Together?

[teenyoda]

... Um, I mean... if you wanted to. Just to sleep. And be warm. Sleeping. Warm sleep.

[He was going to have to go take care of business in the bathroom before getting into bed with her.

Twice.]

[instincts]

[ But her den was hers. :( For so long. Omg letting other people into her routine and her life is so difficult. She wrestles with herself a moment—it'll be warmer. She'll be glad for the body heat. He probably won't make too many noises. Probably. And if she gets tired of him cuddling she can kick him out of bed. ]

Sleeping. [ Since he felt the need to reiterate, she'll go ahead and confirm. His heart's doing the thing again. ] Fine. Inside somewhere. [ Huff puff so much compromise. She's getting him outdoors when it gets warmer, so help her. ]

[teenyoda]

How about... my house? My dad's less likely to shoot you than yours is to blow a hole in my face if he walks in.

[Oh god. Was he actually going to have a girl in his bed? IN HIS BED? Had he changed his sheets? Shit, when was the last time he'd cha-- yesterday. That wasn't too bad, was it? Would her nose pick up anything? God, in his room? Probably...]

[instincts]

Maybe he's where I got it from.

[ Did anyone get her the memo about her real dad? We just don't know. But yes surely her violent tendencies are not born out of hunting and killing things as a werecoyote for years. ]

Okay. When it gets too cold, we'll go to your house.

[teenyoda]

[Maybe that was a secret everyone was trying to hide from everyone >>]

Okay. Not too late, though. My dad will be up early. He works in the morning.

[instincts]

So, you'll sneak a girl into your room, [ aren't you proud that she figured out that's a problem here, ] but you won't stay out all night. [ She's searching for the logic here okay. She's not complaining or digging her heels in; she's just searching. ]

[teenyoda]

He worries, okay? And... me being gone is more worrying than you being in my room. Though he'll be worried about that too, just... differently.

[If his dad walked in on them, he knew he could expect the 'safe sex/no means no' talk soon.]

[instincts]

Whatever.

[ It's still weird. She'll just accept it. She wiggles her toes at the edge of the jeep hood because wouldn't it be nice if she hadn't been forcibly bathed with wet-wipes. ]

Your dad didn't put you in that place, did he?

[ Eichen House. Malia's dad did. Maybe that's why Stiles wants to go home, and she doesn't particularly. Her dad's not a bad guy—he just doesn't get it. ]

[teenyoda]

[It didn't take him more than a blink to figure out what 'that place' was.]

No. No, I put myself there. He, uh, haha, he actually tried to get me to change my mind. Maybe I should have listened.

[No, things were good with the Stilinskis. They had a pretty tight bond.]

[instincts]

[ She knew it was because of the Nogitsune—doing it to himself is still hard to imagine. Her nose crinkles at it. People don't normally send themselves to Eichen House. One look at the place is all they need to change their minds. ]

Maybe I should have run. [ Bailed at the first mention. She shrugs. It happened. ]

[teenyoda]

Hey...

[He gave her hand a squeeze, turning more to look at her.]

I'm sorry you were in there. Your dad... I know what it's like to not be able to tell them stuff. It sucks. Because it would just explain everything, but sometimes it's for the best. I'm... not really sure your dad would be able to handle what happened.

But you have us. You can talk to us when you need to. Me, Scott, Kira, Lydia, my dad. Pretty sure even Scott's mom wouldn't mind giving you a few pointers.

[instincts]

I know: “I can take care of myself, but I don’t have to.”

[ She rolls her eyes a little, reciting the lesson. It will stick later, when she’s fighting with them. For now, they just feel like words. She puts very little stock in words, having gone without them for so long. ]

[teenyoda]

You say that, but you're giving me that look like I'm speaking a foreign language. Look, just... ask questions. Talk to us. About whatever. If you're not sure, ask. None of us are going to judge you for it, okay?

[instincts]

Why would I care if they judge me for it?

[ Genuine question. Which he said she could ask. ]

[teenyoda]

[Huh. Well...]

I guess because most people would? Some of us mere humans are a bit sensitive about our pride.