He fucked you up, your science dad.

[defrostedpride]

Who: Even and Xion.
What: So, about that whole Replica thing...
Where: Their house.
When: Backdated to shortly after this and ensuing additional screaming.
Warnings: Feels, drama, poor parenting.


After the way their last conversation had ended, Even was more than a little leery of starting a new one - mostly due to his personal embarrassment. Once the (pestilential) emotions had calmed down a bit, he was aware just how irrational, how childish he'd acted in front of Xion. There was no call to behave that way.

He was certainly not going to do anything of the kind again. He was going to have a calm, mature discussion, like an adult, concerning Xion's wishes and wellbeing, and no one was going to scream, and then he would...decide how to proceed from there based on the results. Yes.

He knocked on her bedroom door. "Xion? We should. Talk."

Comments

[defrostedpride]

"Good." Now that that was out of the way...so much for anything else to talk about. "Good," he repeated, then allowed a significant pause for her to say something or run away, or possibly both.

[skysmirror]

The conversation, short as it was, certainly seemed to be coming to an end. Xion herself was unsure of anything else she could add. "If you think of anything you can do about it, you'll let me know?

It's not totally a question, more like she's wanting to have a thought confirmed.

[defrostedpride]

"Of course, of course. And - ah, you know you needn't stay here, if you'd rather not? I expect, well, since Ienzo is...gone, there should be some room with Aeleus - you know Aeleus, don't you? Of course you do."

Unsure how to deal with a teenager and thus offering her the opportunity to be passed off to the only person he knows who does? Perhaps.

[skysmirror]

It was a valiant effort on Even's part, and Xion would have appreciated the thought if she'd known. He still wasn't getting rid of her that easily.

"Oh! Yeah, I know Aeleus, but I wasn't planning on...I'd like to keep helping out here, if that's okay."

Of course, if Even would rather keep some distance now that was understandable.

[defrostedpride]

"Well, I'm certainly not going to stop you, if that's really what you want," Even said somewhat dubiously. He didn't understand why, but experience had taught him that few people found his work or presence congenial (and good riddance to them). Xion was, in this as many other aspects, something of a grey area. "Besides, if you left I would have to deal with customers."

Which was as close as he was likely to get to expressing a fondness for her presence.

[skysmirror]

Xion knew Even well enough by now to read between the lines of what he said.

"I want to stay." It wouldn't feel right to leave. She couldn't quite put her hand on why, which meant it was probably one of those things that had a lot of reasons behind it. For now, it was enough to say that somehow this place had come to be home. Xion hadn't realized she'd tensed up at the suggestion of going to stay elsewhere, but she did noticeably relax at the reassurance that wouldn't be a necessity.

That relief offered her exhaustion a chance to catch up to her and she had to stifle a yawn. Once she'd recovered, she looked a little sheepish. "Sorry. Maybe I should try to sleep again."