Lawric is Cuckoo

[Lawric]

^{This thread takes place two days after the Ball and before the start of Awakening, during their "vacation."}

---

Lawric stepped out of the shower, grabbing a white towel from the towel rack on the wall and rubbing it roughly over his hair and face before wrapping it around his hips and tucking the corner to hold it in place.

He moved over and sat on the edge of his bed, resting his elbows on his knees and burying his hands in his wet hair. It had been a pretty long shower. The soft sound of the water showering against the tile around him had been comforting, in an odd way. It was almost like the static that had been going on in his head for the past several days, but in the shower he could really hear it. Something of a release, maybe?

He sighed.

What is going on with me.

In the days since the Ball, he hadn't done much. Jun's number sat on the corner of his bedside table, scrawled in her neat handwriting on his handkerchief, given to him before the end of the night. She'd been so reluctant about writing on it, but he insisted, saying he had more of them anyway. He lied. It was the only one he had--well, the rest of them were back at the apartment in Balamb. He hadn't called her, which was not something he felt proud of when he thought about it. She was so humble for how gorgeous a girl she was, and so kind too... why hadn't he called her?

The Lawric of a few weeks ago would have called her the very next morning and taken her to breakfast. He probably would have set aside the whole afternoon to take her through downtown Balamb, buy her flowers. Maybe they'd even have lunch too. Somewhere quaint but cute, overlooking the ocean. He'd charm her with fascinating and funny stories about all the places he'd been and the bizarre people he'd met.

But as lucky as he knew he was, the Lawric of right now didn't even want to talk to her.

He'd felt this strange sense of disassociation from everyone around him--ever since he came back. Even with Deo, Vanesse, and Jaime, who were the most important and influential people in his life, the people who brought him back in the first place. How could his feelings be so minimal? As close as he was to his niece, he had no desire to see her. He had no desire to see any of his family. He had lost it all, gotten it all back, and now... he didn't even care.

So yeah, he'd spent the past few days sort of hanging out with the others and sort of not. They'd done things, and sometimes he was having fun and feeling good. But more often than that he found himself lost in this weird state of apathy. He had talked to almost no one but his three friends, which even he himself could recognize was an extremely weird thing. And he was sure they must have noticed his strange mood, but maybe none of them felt comfortable breaching the subject with him?

He had been wrestling with himself for days, and wasn't getting anywhere. He felt like a fussy little infant or something. Like his ability to rationalize his feelings had somehow been crippled, and he was now reduced to this nonsensical mess of suffocated emotion.

I need someone to talk to.

He stood suddenly, crossing the room and yanking open one of the mahogany dresser drawers, snatching a pair of gray boxers from within. He shut it and stepped back, jerking the corner of the towel and letting it fall to the ground before pulling them on. He crossed the room again and picked his jeans up off the ground from where he'd carelessly thrown them down earlier and hurriedly put them on also. The last thing was his shirt, which was halfway hanging off the foot of his bed. He quickly pulled it on as well and made for the door, not even bothering with his shoes. Her dorm wasn't that far away, and right now it didn't matter.

He stopped when he came to her door, bringing a hand up and knocking hard against the wood. It was now ten o'clock at night. He stepped back slightly, running a hair over his damp hair with a sigh, hoping she hadn't already gone to bed.

[waterlily43]

Jaime was curled up in bed, eyes wide open in the dark. She had tried to make her bed as comfortable as possible, burying herself in a small mountain of soft pillows and cuddly toys she got from Balamb Town yesterday in a therapeautic shopping trip, hugging a bolster tightly. In the day she was fine, but at night, she found it hard to fall into restful sleep. The nights were long, full of tossing and turning and she kept wishing for the daylight. Because when she couldn't sleep her mind started to wander, and it would inevitably fall on a certain person.

She pulled at her hair exasperatedly, throwing a pillow across the room. It landed on the floor. She buried her face into another one, screaming into it, the sound muffled into the pillow. Why did she have to suffer like this? She tried to be a good girl everytime, maybe except for those little annoyances she played on Lawric but still, no one could ever accuse her of earning what she was going through right now.

"IT'S ALL HIS FAULT!" She muffled into the pillow, threw it away to join the first one.

And then there was a knock on the door. Perfect timing. If there wasn't something to distract her she would most likely grow insane from thinking too much. Jaime wished she didn't have brains sometimes.

She jumped off the bed, tugging at her spanking new frilly pink nightdress which had shifted in her vigorous antics. She almost tripped on the pillows along the way, hopped on a foot, and stumbled towards the door, opening it with a big action.

"Yah?" She asked without looking at who it is. Then she realised it was Lawric.

Her heart gave a queer little jump. What was he doing here? And he looked like he had freshly showered, his hair still retaining the kind of sheen it had when it was wet.

"What, you're too scared to sleep alone?" She smirked, pushing down her sudden acceleration of heartbeat and an image that threatened to invade her mind again. She shooed it away with a slight wave of her hand, placing the other hand on her doorframe. "Nooo you can't borrow my soft toys if that's what you're after."

[Lawric]

Lawric smirked at her appearance. He had seen her in pajamas before, but this pink thing was definitely new. Totally not age-appropriate. Totally Jaime, though. he thought, amused. From the way she looked, she had probably been in bed.

"Nooo you can't borrow my soft toys if that's what you're after."

"No, I don't want any of your zoo animals," he remarked, pushing the door open and inviting himself inside. It was dark. Yup, she was in bed. Oh well, he thought. I'm here now. He reached up and took hold of the tiny chain dangling down from the ceiling fan in the center of the room, pulling it gently to turn on the light.

"Are you very tired?" he asked, smirk fading away now. "You might be halfway right about me being scared of sleeping alone. I could actually really use some company." He looked back at her, waiting...

[waterlily43]

Jaime frowned at Lawric's smirk at her after he had glanced at her nightgown. She was sure he was having some smart-ass remark in his mind about it. And the way he just invited himself in was totally him too. He didn't even care that the whole room was dark and she might've been asleep...even if she wasn't.

She let out a little sigh. She was used to it by now, if she still got offended over this kind of thing they wouldn't have been such good friends.

Friends... The term kinda stabbed her a little but she shoved it away. There was absolutely no way she would lose control of herself the way she had at the ball, and she had overcome it, hadn't she?

In a way his natural attitude helped her to relax too. Either he hadn't found out what had really gone on that day, or he chose not to speak about it. She was glad, that nothing irrepairable had happened.

"Nah I'm not tired. Can't sleep." She shrugged, sitting on the couch and patted the seat beside her. "You can sit here but don't put your dirty feet on my coffee table." She ribbed, knowing he wasn't the kind to do that anyway. "Want something to eat? I've got leftover cake from this afternoon."

[Lawric]

Lawric raised an eyebrow at her comment about putting his feet on the coffee table.

"Nah, I think I'll just make myself comfortable right here," he remarked lightly, stepping back and falling backwards onto the bed. He pushed himself up and scooted back further, placing his hands behind his head and leaning against the headboard and pillows behind him.

He looked back at her with a grin.

"And you know what Jaime? Cake sounds absolutely wonderful."

He folded and flexed his toes, his eyes just twinkling with mischief.

[waterlily43]

Jaime flashed a grin at him.

"ONE BLACKFOREST COMING RIGHT UP!" She chirped going into the kitchen and pulled open the refrigerator door, staring into it unseeingly.

The short moment where his face showed signs of...discomfort? Uneasiness? She couldn't tell...but it hadn't escaped her. There had to be something on his mind, and it was heavy. She thought back to the dance they'd shared. It didn't take long for her to guess that this surprise visit had a lot to do with the talk he needed. Jaime was suddenly angry at herself. She should've approached him right away after noticing his abnormal mood these few days. He always seemed to be drifting away or out of sorts, and she and Van and Deo worried about him, but she let that stupid feelings thing get in the way. Some sort of friend she turned out to be.

If I'm not careful I'll even lose that status. She bit her lip. It upset her more than anything else. She didn't want to think about not being around him, which was why she didn't take any chances about confessing her feelings to him anyway, wasn't it?

A sound from the other room broke through her thoughts, and she came back to present discovering that her face was now cold with the chilled air blowing from the fridge. She grabbed the cake from the middle shelf, banged the door close with her hips and took a pair of forks from the cutlery drawer, all the while balancing the half-eaten cake in her hand. She decided against bringing plates. They didn't need plates when eating her cake.

"Here it comes. Cake de la Jaime." She announced with a grin as she came out of the kitchen, setting it on the bedside table.

"Come on, don't be shy." She handed him one of the forks, still with a playful grin on her face. "Hahaha shy Lawric. Yeah, as if. I'm such a hoot tonight."

[Lawric]

Lawric's gaze wandered around the room after Jaime leapt up and rushed off into the kitchen to fetch the cake.

The bed was very comfortable, he noticed, settling back into the pillows. She must have went out and bought one of those luxurious 600-thread count bedcovers, like the one she had back home that she would never shut up about. He took a deep breath, feeling rather relaxed. She hadn't been staying here long, but already she'd managed to make 'home' of the place. The scent of her cooking lingered in the air, which--like the sound of her rummaging around in the kitchen--was very familiar, and made him smile. Her 'soft toys' were piled up on either sides of him, unnecessarily hogging bed space.

"Here it comes. Cake de la Jaime." She came back into the room, deftly balancing the whole cake in one hand, brandishing their utensils in the other. She set the cake down on the bedside table and thrust a fork at him. "Come on, don't be shy." She grinned playfully. "Hahaha shy Lawric. Yeah, as if. I'm such a hoot tonight."

He smirked and shook his head at her joke. Jaime, Jaime, Jaime... Taking the fork she offered, he turned his attention over to the delicious looking cake.

"I really appreciate this Jaime," he said in a serious tone, stabbing the fork into the soft cake and breaking away a bite. "I was going insane, all by myself." he laughed in a half-hearted way, sticking the fork into his mouth.

[waterlily43]

Jaime sat down cross-legged beside the bed, watching Lawric eat her cake with a mixture of pride and perhaps...maternal instinct or something. She laughed out loud at the thought of baby Lawric with a bib and bonnet, covering her mouth slightly so that her spittle wouldn't land on the cake.

She turned serious at Lawric's words about going insane.

"You know you don't have to be awkward around me." She frowned a little. "Just tell me what's on your mind, surprisingly I might be able to help you even though I annoy you other times."

[Lawric]

Lawric shrugged, chewing the mouthful of cake slowly and savoring the taste. After a few moments he finally swallowed and looked over at Jaime. The smile on his lips was strange--sad, almost. He looked back at the cake in front of him.

"You don't annoy me that much, Jaime," he remarked. "To be honest with you, I think you're a big part of the reason I've been able to function as well as I have during the past several days."

He glanced at her again, gauging her reaction.

"I don't feel so great." the words sort of just tumbled out. He looked back at the cake, poking his fork into it and cutting out another bite. He didn't lift the fork to eat it though, instead letting the end rest against the tray that held the cake. He stared down at it, feeling conflicted. He had wanted to be here, and now that he was, he didn't know why. Why should he try to talk to her? She wasn't going to understand, and he was going to look weak and foolish. But common sense told him that nothing but good could come from talking to Jaime. Deep down he knew she would be kind and empathetic, and make him feel so much better. Except there was a very stubborn outer layer that didn't want to resort to that. The sides were locked in a battle of wills -- his vulnerability against his pride.

"I mean--I'm just not in a great mood." he added finally, "It's no big deal. Just felt like hanging out with a friend." He brought the fork to his mouth and bit off the piece of cake, avoiding her eyes.

[jaimelewis]

"Lawric." Jaime narrowed her eyes at him, her frown deepening. "We've lived in the same house for more than a year, you think I dunno when you're lying?" She threw up her hands ."It IS a big deal, and there's no shame in admitting that. Or is it because you don't trust me enough and you think I'd laugh at you? Is that it? Somehow I don't think that's the issue cos if it really is would you be here?"

She went to the other side of the bed and climbed up beside him, poking him on the side. "Fess up or I'm gonna force you to..." She readied her hands in a 'tickling' stance, a devilish gleam evident in her eyes.

[Lawric]

Lawric grinned and turned his head, eyeing her over his shoulder. "Jaime, no... " he said slowly, his tone full of warning but his eyes teasing. "You and I both know that tickling me is only going to result in me wrestling you down, which will you pout."

He laughed. "And yes, I trust you not to laugh." His smiling lips came together, and he shook his head a bit. "It's just a weird thing to try to talk about, you know?"

He set down his fork and cleared his throat, turning and bringing his legs onto the bed. He put his hands behind his head and reclined back. "I feel like I'm not appreciating this enough." He glanced at her. "My second chance, or whatever this is..." He looked away. His mouth opened as if he were about to say something, but the words hitched in his throat before coming out. He put his lips together again, staring at the foot of the bed and silently thinking.

"This has changed me." He finally stated.

[jaimelewis]

Jaime listened intently to Lawric, her eyebrows coming together when he tried to articulate his troubles. She had been naive in thinking that just telling him to let everything out would solve the whole weird feelings stuff that Lawric was obviously going through, but it wasn't so easy.

"Lawric, I don't know how it feels to die and reborn." She put an arm around his shoulder and squeezed gently, "But nobody can tell you how much is appreciative enough or not appreciative enough cos nobody else has gone through that. It's alllll in your mind." She turned to face him, a goofy grin lighting up her face and she poked the right side of his temple with a finger. "It's Allllll in your mind. Repeat after me. Allll in you mind."

Her grin faded and she laid back down next to him. "If only it was that easy." She smirked. "But you know what? Nobody is going to bother if you're praying to Hyne everyday to thank him for having a second chance, people are just too involved in their own mess to do that. And maybe it's just a phase, maybe you just have to find some way to vent out all those complications, I dunno what that is but it'll come to you." She paused for breath. It took a lot of effort for her to come up with this, she had no idea how to comfort him, but she would do anything that would help. "There's no rush Lawric. And even if you've changed you're still Lawric, you're still one of the most important persons in my life." She glanced into his eyes.

He probably had no idea the amount of truth behind those words.

[Lawric]

"It's Allllll in your mind. Repeat after me. Allll in you mind."

Lawric laughed at her little mantra, leaning away from her poking finger. His laughter died away with hers as she laid down on the bed next to him. He smiled, watching her as he listened. The cake and the stuffed animals, the 600-thread-count sheets and the uplifting sound of her voice... Where he felt alone and oddly empty in his dorm, he now felt like he had a warm and familiar blanket wrapped around him. He smiled slightly at her last words, looking back into her eyes.

"I could say the same for you, Jaime." he replied quietly. He settled down into the soft pillow, staring back at her. For once, the silence around him was comfortable. He was in a safe place. Nothing could harm him here, not even his invasive thoughts. For the first time since he could remember, he felt completely and totally relaxed. He inhaled deeply and exhaled, closing his eyes.

"I really don't want to go back to my dorm." he mumbled.

[jaimelewis]

"Well then don't go back! You can stay here for as long as you want." She burst out, but in her mind she realised how inappropriate it would've sounded, almost feeling a blush coming on but quickly smothered it by not thinking about the words. She looked at the weird expression on his face, and hastened to explain. "Oh You know what I meant. Just treat this as your own dorm, if you're afraid of tongue waggings then I'll sleep over with Van. But if you're not I'm glad to accompany you."

She placed an arm on his shoulder.


"You wanna know what I'd do when something really bothers me?" She grinned mischievously, getting up on her feet and started bouncing on the bed. "Give yourself a good shake and shake away all those weird stuff in your head."

[Lawric]

"Well then don't go back! You can stay here for as long as you want." Lawric's eyes opened, and he raised his eyebrows at her. Real-- "Oh I know what I meant. Just treat this as your own dorm, if you're afraid of tongue waggings then I'll sleep over with Van. But if you're not I'm glad to accompany you." she added hastily, flippantly -- almost.

And then abruptly she sprang to her feet on the bed. Looking up at her as she bounced, he couldn't help the broad grin that spread his face.

"You and I both know I'm not about to jump on this bed." he said to her, shaking his head slightly. "But go ahead and knock yourself out, Jaime." he added with a laugh. He turned on his side, nestling his head into a pillow and trying to make himself comfortable despite all the jostling around caused by her.

"And since you're alright with it, I'd like you to stay here with me." he said. "I'd rather not be alone." He yawned and glanced up at her.