LOG: Restock, Aisle Every Single One

[protective_logic]

Who: Delta Ai (Native), York (Native)
What: Delta restocking the Ai household with York's help
Where: Grocery Store
When: Afternoon 1/9
Warnings:

It's not that they were eaten out of house and home. But they were pretty much eaten out of house and home. With a family that often has to have shopping done every day, keeping food stocked for bad storms isn't easy. There is always a supply of extra rice, beans and canned veggies when things go bad, and they've almost run out.

Which is why Delta's here, and not just with a little cart. If York wants to spend time with him, it has to be on a timetable that doesn't ruin Delta's carefully managed schedule. Which means getting things together. And York has a damn car. So it is that Delta leads his friend through the grocery store with two carts. Bless the thing for already having restocked after the storm.

"We need more bread, and definitely peanut butter and jelly."

Comments

[protective_logic]

"In your place, I'm not sure focus would be easy for me, were I with someone I was in love with," Delta answers simply as he pulls them over to the produce. So much needs to be gained here. More potatoes, more fruit. Definitely a sack of onions. And to think, when they have a larger home there will be more kitchen space for more food. Amazing.

"Is he happy with you? Sigma and I... don't talk about relationships much."

Because Delta doesn't want to think about his own. What he's lost. The chances he'll never have and how Sigma was at the core of that.

[depthlesslock]

'It took a bit of practice, but you don't have to be actively expressing your love for it to be there,' he says, adding a bag of carrots. 'Or we don't anyway. Sometimes we just... hang out. Sig does his homework, I look at lock schematics. We just do normal stuff, but together. And sure, sometimes we get distracted by one another, to varying levels.'

Should they be talking about this? It's dangerously close to the stuff he's trying to avoid. He'll be careful.

'I sure hope so. And if he wasn't, I hope he'd tell me. From what I can tell though, he is.' He's certainly happy with Sigma.

[protective_logic]

"I miss that," Delta says simply to the idea of just being together with someone he loves. And he leaves that at that.

"Have you determined what you might do if he goes away for graduate school?"

This concerns him. Sigma shouldn't lose him just because he has ambition.

[depthlesslock]

Uh oh, this is where he didn't want things to go.

He's trying to think of a change of topic when Delta sort of give him one himself.

'We're still talking about that,' he says. 'Part of it depends on where he ends up. If he's close enough, I'll visit when I can. If not... we're not sure yet.'

[protective_logic]

Delta halts his inspection of bell peppers and turns to look very hard at his friend. There is something calculating in his eyes. Maybe a question of how worthy he thinks York is for that 'we're not sure' comment. But he doesn't give his judgement yet.

"How serious are you about my younger brother? Is this just a fling for you, or a relationship where you're hoping the two of you can come to agreements for it to be more?"

In other words, if all went well, could he see himself as another brother?

[depthlesslock]

He doesn't like that look. Quite apart from feeling like it's drilling into him, it looks doubtful. And the questions annoys him even more.

'Are you kidding? Delta, I've never been more serious about anyone in my whole life, of course it isn't a fling! Putting aside that flings don't usually last this long, they're usually only about the sex and we're way more than that, that's why we're talking things out to figure out how we can make it all work instead of just saying "see ya" and being done with it as soon as one of us goes off anywhere.' Does Delta really think so little of him? Of them?

[protective_logic]

And that gets Delta smiling, warm and happy in a way he hasn't smiled in so long. York has been judged, and found to be more than acceptable.

"That fire, that passion... don't let it go. Always fight for him, no matter who stands in your way. And if he pushes, fight for him before just giving up. Giving up... That's not you, York. You promise me you will fight to see my brother happy."

[depthlesslock]

He blinks. That's... Why does he feel like a kid being praised on a high scoring exam by a teacher?

But what Delta says, that melts his anger away and he smiles back. 'I promise.' And he will. He's not losing Sigma without a fight. 'We... We've agreed that if something's wrong between us, we talk about it.'

[protective_logic]

"Never fail to do that, no matter how tempting it might be," Delta begs, his voice softening. That... hurts too and he just moves back to the bell peppers and selects a few for dinner before moving away to where he can get a sack of oranges.

[depthlesslock]

'Promise,' he breathes again. He doesn't dare tell him that they made that agreement after Delta and Maine broke up. Because Delta and Maine broke up over miscommunication and rash choices. Delta might well have guessed though. So a distraction.

'Are two cucumbers enough, or do you want three?'

[protective_logic]

Yeah, he know when there is a distraction being thrust at him. And fuck that.

"Good," he says sharply as he ignores the cucumbers and walks away to go find apples and lettuce. He's going to make York pay for some of the groceries.

[depthlesslock]

If he beats his head with the cucumbers, will he have to buy them? Probably. Sighing, he puts two of them in the cart and follows Delta.

'That was an legit question. Maybe with two intentions, but I thought you were getting uncomfortable, so I t-shanged the subject.'

[protective_logic]

"Two are sufficient. Would you go acquire a bulb of garlic?"

[depthlesslock]

'D...' He trails off. Not bringing it up. If he does what Delta wants, maybe he'll calm down a bit.

'Sure.'

[protective_logic]

Delta lets his shoulders sag a bit. "I'm sorry. Having... him there hurt. Seeing him. Talking to him. Hearing his voice... Getting to ask if..."

But there was no more chance. "I want him back, and I can't have him. I'm a child that took some fragile toy, broke it, and then got upset when no one could put it together again. How pathetic is that?"

But he doesn't want an answer. He wants a bulb of garlic. "Think they have good ginger?"

[depthlesslock]

York pauses when Delta speaks again. He bites his lip so he won't say anything stupid. Or anything at all. That's not what Delta wants. As much as he wants to tell him it's not pathetic and it's a lot more complicated than that... it's not what he wants to hear.

'We can look. Should be around here somewhere.

[protective_logic]

Well, it's a lot easier to just talk without someone to judge him or give him grief about it. Good.

"Thanks," he says, moving to look for the ginger. But that's why he doesn't want people to tell him it's okay. It's not okay. He broke it as thoroughly as he could, and his desires to have it restored is just immature and illogical behavior.

[depthlesslock]

This is a lot harder than he'd expected, and he knew it was going to be hard.

'Got your garlic,' he says, holding up and putting it in the cart.

[protective_logic]

"Thank you," Delta answers as he takes the cart and advances. "Can... we be done talking about him, even in veiled ways? I don't want to be mad at him, or bitter over the idea that he doesn't want to give me a second chance or any of that."

[depthlesslock]

'Of course we can,' he says. 'I might... slip up. But if you just let me know, I'll stop straight away.' This is going to take some getting used to.

[protective_logic]

"Thank you. If I can just stop thinking about him, maybe I'll stop having feelings for him. If I didn't remember..."

This is one of the rare instances he wants to know what Price did. Some repeats can't be bad, right?

[depthlesslock]

You wouldn't learn. It's on the tip of his tongue and he feels a small tang of copper in his mouth a moment late from biting it back.

'Thought we weren't talking about it. Need any more veg?'

[protective_logic]

"We could stand to get a lot of dried beans," Delta says thoughtfully. HE isn't quite sure though. "Normally we don't put too much money in it. They are difficult to stare and hard for me to get home."

[depthlesslock]

'Well I can pay for some if that makes things easier. And you've got the car this time, remember?' Maybe they should do this more often. If Delta can get bigger loads home, he won't have to shop so often.

[protective_logic]

"When we get a new place we'll also get a car and maybe I'll only have to go shopping maybe four times a week. Who knows, maybe even three."

That's just how it goes, right?