why is it you always get to sit in the shade

[blackstarred]

Comments

[positiveinfluence]

Well, we probably wouldn't all fit in that apartment, so if we have to crash somewhere this is probably for the best?

[Yeah, that's probably still not the right angle to take.]

But it's nice to meet you, sir. And what my dad said. Thanks for having us.

[And please invite Mickey in in an unsuspicious way so that they don't have to ...

And just before he can finish that thought, Laurel appears behind them and frowns. "Are you just going to hold them hostage in the entryway? Come in, everyone. You probably want to shower off the road."]

[kapiushon]

I'm greeting them.

( was he supposed to bring them into the living room? )

It's nice to meet all of you. Maybe Laurel can lead you all to the rooms you'll be staying in. We thought maybe we'd order in a late lunch. Does that suit everyone?

[sullivansr]

That sounds great.

[Sullivan nods as he shifts his grip on his bag.]

Lead the way.

[kapiushon]

( "Thank you," Mickey says, with a smile.

While Laurel leads everyone up the stairs, Oliver hangs back, seeing if Mia is still downstairs. If she's her father's daughter, she's probably taking a sip from his glass.

Upstairs, William and Cooper are dropped off by his childhood bedroom. High ceilings and nerdery. His old desktop is still sitting at his desk, too.

William slings his bag down onto the bed, looking into his private bathroom with a smirk. He's not being 100% serious, but, he's also being serious, Cooper.

"We could conserve water. Shower together." )

[blackstarred]

[Mia is still downstairs, having gotten distracted downstairs. She is not with the alcohol, although she may have gotten there eventually. Instead, she got waylaid down near the family photos, lingering over the memories. Some she was part of, some she wasn't, but it's still her family.

It still makes her smile.

When she senses her father approaching, she doesn't look away right away.]

This place never changes. Not really.

[kapiushon]

( Oliver likes this wall. It has pictures of people who are gone, pictures of family he will always love, and memories that were worth capturing. )

It does. I don't keep it up as well as your grandmother did. We still hire out for that.

( He stops in front of a picture of a younger Mia and William. )

I like this one, you were - just graduating high school.

[blackstarred]

[She turns to look at the picture, and smiles. Things were a lot easier then. Her life was a lot simpler, and she felt like she knew what she was doing. Now ... she has a vague idea of what she's doing, but she's never sure if it's the right thing to do.]

Feels like that was forever ago.

[kapiushon]

Wasn't it?

( Compared to their lives now, to her life, and her brothers. )

How was it traveling with the hunters?

[blackstarred]

Not bad. Things were crazy, but I'm starting to think that with the supernatural are never not crazy.

[She glances over to him with a shrug.]

I think we should be getting a bit of a break, though. Be able to lay low and catch our breath.

[kapiushon]

Thank you for coming home.

( She knows how much he likes having his kids close. Before Mystic Falls, it had been months since he'd seen them. )

[blackstarred]

[She offers up a small smile as she nods.]

Believe it or not, I've missed it. I liked the castle, but it didn't really feel like home.

[kapiushon]

( The small smile is enough. )

Then I'm lucky you still feel like this is home.

[blackstarred]

This was always home.

[That never changed, never faltered. She was always bound to find her way back eventually. She just needed some time to get her head on straight. Like father, like daughter.]

I just needed to figure some stuff out.

[kapiushon]

Did you?

( He's felt a weight she'd been carrying since she'd left J.J. and disappeared. Even in Mystic Falls, there was a wall even he couldn't scale. )

[blackstarred]

[She shrugs because not really? Not in a way that the weight isn't still there. But she also doesn't know what to tell him about any of that so:]

I have to talk to J.J. I can't just ... leave things the way we left them. But beyond that, I'm getting there.

[positiveinfluence]

[Coop smirks at that suggestion, turning to his boyfriend with a grin.]

I am an environmentalist. Gotta save the turtles and all that.

[And considering they haven't really had any serious alone time since ... he can't really remember, it's probably long overdue.]

[slavophile]

( And the mansion is big. )

It'd be the first time anything happened here for me -- without just me. You know, I was joking at first, but I think we should. Late lunch means we can be - leisurely.

[positiveinfluence]

[He knows they need to have a conversation about Mickey and him leaving him alone with his dad, but Cooper is also not about to kill the mood. he stakes a step closer, resting his hands on his boyfriend's hips.]

I love being leisurely. No reason we shouldn't take our time.

[slavophile]

( Conversations can wait, Cooper.

After everything, once they're drying off and William moves to his bag to start to unpack and find something to change into, he lets himself breathe. )

I can't believe you're really here. You agreed to come and stay with my family. This is happening.

[positiveinfluence]

Yeah. I can't believe it either.

[A beat as he fishes out a clean pair of pants.]

Part of me thinks I don't really belong in a place like this.

[slavophile]

You belong here because I want you here. But, if it helps, I barely felt like I belonged here. And I lived here. Mia was the one who took to society like a cat to cream.

( She always fit in, or she did. )

[positiveinfluence]

[It was more knowing how she was supposed to act, what she was supposed to do. Now she has much less patience for it, but she can still play the game. Coop pulls a shirt over his head before moving in closer.]

Seems like you fit in well enough to me.

[slavophile]

Well, you don't really have a choice in this life. A Queen fits in just by being a queen.

( It doesn't mean he feels like it. He did like it, able to charm anyone when he wanted to, but it was never where he belonged. He hasn't found that, yet. Maybe it's with Cooper. )

Mia was always good at it, knew what it was supposed to mean by being a Queen. She was born into it, I... ( Moved into it. ) Well, I survived. ( He leans in closer, smiling. He's okay. This is okay. ) And now you're here. And your... dad. And Mickey.

( He moves away, back to his bag to find underwear. )

Do I need to be worried about him? Mickey?

[positiveinfluence]

[He shakes his head.]

Not anymore. There was ... we problem solved and he should be fine.

[He is so not used to having to justify these things so give him a minute.]

Now that he's off Klaus' leash the learning curve has been a little steep. But we got him some blood bags, so he should be good now. At least for a little while.

[A beat.]

Programming control into someone isn't the same as learning it.

[slavophile]

( Score one for the first concern William carried since the passenger swap. And Mickey being Klaus' vampire is up there with his worlds colliding coincidences.

Stepping into his underwear, he pulls them up under his towel, an old habit, unhooking his towel after. He has a thought he has to say out loud. But they're new. He doesn't want it to be a thing. Except, he didn't communicate with the last boyfriend, or the one before him.

So, he tries. )

Do I have the right to ask if he has feelings for you?