twenty eight | what is love

[strike_you_out]

[Rather than read the assigned acts of Romiette and Juleo, or whatever it was called, Slugger is finding every imaginable reason to procrastinate. He discovers that knocking icicles off the roof and shoveling the driveway are good excuses for wasting time, though he finishes both a bit too quickly. After the last of the snow has been shoveled from the driveway, he turns to empty the mailbox and idly flips through its contents piece by piece.

There's nothing remarkable in the mail today, only a few envelopes, a post card, and a magazine. The magazine, at least, he could mutilate later for fun. On the back cover is an ad featuring the title "Young Love" in which a little girl is pictured kissing the cheek of a little boy. Slugger pauses. Young love? Dropping the snow shovel, he looks up, wide-eyed and silent as if stricken with a sudden realization.]


Phone

[Slugger gives the telephone a long and apprehensive stare before he dares to pick it up. Holding it to his ear, he opens his mouth to speak... then quickly hangs up. Several deep breaths later he tries again, this time with more success.]


Hi.


What do you do when--

[He briefly freezes up, near horrified at what he's about to admit.]


...when you think you love a girl?

Comments

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger straightens and folds his arms in a display of defiance. Horribly confused as he is, he's not about to give up on his plans without some sort of explanation.]

So?

[questionauthority]

So you're far too young for that sort of thing. At least wait until you both turn seventeen before even considering it. Maybe eighteen.

[If either of you even age.]

[strike_you_out]

I can't wait that long. [Especially since those ages aren't reachable for either one of them.]

It's just flowers.

[questionauthority]

You're going to have to---[Wait.] Flowers?

...you were planning on giving her flowers. Wrapped with a condom.

[strike_you_out]

The Captain said I would need one.

[Gift wrapping flowers sounds kind of hard but don't look at him. It isn't like he understands your bizarre human rituals.]

[questionauthority]

[...oh. This explains so much.]

The Captain is an imbecile, Slugger. Pay him no mind. And try not to let him kill any brain cells of yours the next time he decides to offer you advice.

[strike_you_out]

[...So he's starting to think that maybe something isn't what he thinks it is.]

Then what's a condom for?

[questionauthority]

...

[They aren't really going to have this conversation right now, are they?]

Ask Susan.

[Edward Nigma. Textbook definition of responsible.]

[strike_you_out]

[Slightly miffed, he sighs and directs his gaze to the floor. Soon he isn't even thinking about condoms anymore. The bigger issue is what to do about Ai.]

...

[questionauthority]

[Edward's quiet for a moment as well. He's really not sure what to say.]

You really do think you love her. Don't you?

[strike_you_out]

[a resigned nod]


Do you ever feel like there are things you don't deserve? Like... good things?

[questionauthority]

All the--- [He stops mid-sentence. All the time? It's an answer that even surprises Edward, but if he'd nearly blurt it out, it has to be true. Quietly, he turns his gaze away from Slugger and down to the floor.]

More often than you would think.

[strike_you_out]

[Slugger looks up at that. He was expecting to maybe hear "sometimes", not what was essentially "all the time". Judging by Edward's reaction, it would seem he's been carrying around with him a great deal of unspoken guilt for a while.]

It doesn't go away, does it.

[questionauthority]

...no. It doesn't.

[strike_you_out]

But it doesn't stop you.

[questionauthority]

Would you let feelings like that stop you?

[strike_you_out]

[This is a question that requires a bit of thought. There are a lot of things he has in Mayfield that he doesn't deserve. He has a best friend here, he has a family, he has people here who have accepted him for what he is and who support, protect and encourage him no matter what he does. Not a single one did he do anything to deserve and yet he has them.]

I guess I can't...