11890/Falling In Reverse

Falling In Reverse
Date of Scene:	02 August 2020
Location:	66 East 11th Street, Greenwich Village
Synopsis:	Andrea finds some old memories of Jay's and talk a bit. They're sickly in love with each other.
Cast of Characters:	Rage, Icarus

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Rage has posed:
Last night was a mix of highs and lows for Andrea. While she celebrated on the exterior for her new ablum and how it charted, on the inside, she was a bubble of emotions and self-sabotaging. Having slept on the couch last night after staying up late in talks with her manager and refreshing the news online to see what people were saying about Neon Dreams, she put some distance between herself and Jay once the night ended.

Now tucked away in her studio room with the sound proofing panels that line the ceiling and each wall, she is currently settled on a large, squishy beanbag chair in a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. She looks tired and strung out with circles under her eyes and a thick pair of headphones on. Next to her is several coffee in a cans that are empty she chugged on at about five in the morning when she woke up.

Having found a thumb drive buried in a box in the closet when she was searching for something, she had it plugged into her laptop and is listenig to whatever is on it. Currently curled up in a ball and on her side, she reaches up to wipe at her eyes at times, winding the cord of the headphones about in her fingers at times.

Icarus has posed:
He hated when this happened. It wasn't often but Andrea felt every thing so strongly that sometimes a thing might have this result, with her distancing to deal with her emotions and leaving him feeling lost on how to fix it.

He had finally started to learn that it was best to give her some space. Then when he had the opportunity, reach out to see if she was ready. If she was not, back to staying out of her way.

Jay wandered down the hall toward her studio. He had two things in his hands. One was a bottle of water, chilled and straight from the fridge. The other was a sandwich. It was a PB&J, cut from corner to corner. With the crusts cut off cause that was how his Ma did it when they were little so he thought it was a nice touch when trying to get back in his gal's good graces.

A light tap on the door may have been missed due to the headphones. He opened it, peeking in cautiously to spot her. "Baby? I brought you some lunch..."

Rage has posed:
With her back to the door, Andrea's body looks as if it's just a curled fetal position with her feet dangling off the edge of the beanbag. Though even with the music cranked up loud in her noise canceling headphones, she can still feel the shift of the air, the feeling of footsteps creaking the floor below, his scent. She gives another quick wipe of her eyes before she peels the headphones off, then rustles her hair a bit into place.

"Huh? What'd you say?" She says as she looks over towards him with her raccoon eyes. From the headphones, songs of an older life can be heard. One of his most personal songs that he hadn't had a chance to share with her yet. She reaches out with her finger to tap the spacebar on her laptop to pause it, then puts the headphones to the side.

Icarus has posed:
Jay watches as she wipes at her eyes before taking off the headphones. Crying. He can tell, even before she turns his way. Not surprising when she's upset so he begins to think that he may need to give her more space. She is so unlike her usual self, the dark circles, the lack of bubbly vibrance. But this is her too, a side of her the world doesn't get to see. It is his and even this is beautiful.

"I said I brought you some lunch." He holds up the bottle of water and plate as if to show her what he means.

When those sounds reach him. The tortured screaming at the end of a song he never imagined anyone would hear. The sinking into the madness of pain and depression as he tried to find answers within himself and found nothing but more questions. He froze, for that instant all of it fresh again. How it had felt when he had recorded it, not professionally, just on the computer at the club he'd gigged at with his band back home.

"I...I'll go." Because retreat seemed best.

Rage has posed:
"I didn't know it was lunch already. You didn't have to go through the trouble." Andrea rasps out as she pushes herself up to her feet. She can see the shift in his mood, can taste his emotions in the air with just a twitch of her nose. Her lips press together thinly before she moves forward. Her arms seek him out, wrapping about him as she pulls herself in against his body. Wolfishly, she rubs her cheek along his neck, letting out a soft sigh.

"Sandwich looks good. You don't have to go. We can get out of here together if you want. I can throw some clothes on and take a shower, then we can just get out of here and do something. We can drive up to the Jersey Shore or we can just hang out in the park."

The arms about him tighten a bit harder, as if she was afraid to let him go. Her fingers wind up into his shirt at his hips, pulling him flush to her. "Does that sound good?"

Icarus has posed:
As she approaches, Jay sets the two items aside so he can pull her close. His arms are tight, almost clinging to her. He rests his head atop hers as she rubs on him, the wolf strong in her when she is most emotional like this.

"We can go pick up something from a food truck and hang in the park if you like. Get us outside. But you might get a lot of attention after yesterday so would the drive be better?" he asks softly.

Yet there is the elephant in the room as he looks at her now silent headphones by that beanbag. "That was...a long time ago." At least emotionally speaking. "Before I was sent to Xavier's but after everything happened back home." As though it needs explanation. "I never expected anyone to listen to it. Where did you even find it?"

Rage has posed:
"Shoebox inside one of the moving boxes. I thought it was a pair of your sneakers and I was going to put them at the front door. Was just a bunch of stuff that you threw together I guess and never opened it. Probably should have known by the fact it was duct taped shut. I just thought it was a country thing." Andrea says softly as she rakes her fingers along his back as they sneak under his shirt. She just wants to feel the warmth of his skin against her hands.

"You don't have to talk about it. I get it. I have a few of those shoeboxes as well." She says in the way of symbolism. "I shouldn't have even been curious about it." Of course, she doesn't speak about the other things she found on the thumb drive. Pictures of him and Julia together, just a couple. For a moment, she felt the pang of jealousy rise up within her. Will he ever love her as much as he loved her? Will he ever write a song like that? No. She had to shake those away. Those were selfish thoughts.

She leans back just a bit to look up into his eyes, giving him a quick smile of assurance before she finally lets him go, but not before her fingers graze along his stomach. "I'll get showered and throw something on. We can do whatever you want."

Icarus has posed:
"Yeah, I meant to get rid of it at some point. Didn't even realize it was still around," Jay admits though he did grin that she thought the duct tape was a country-thing. "I must have shoved it in a box to go to Xavier's and just never unpacked that box fully. And it just got loaded up and brought here."

He brushed her hair back from her face, looking at her with all the love that was within. He loved her just as deeply, perhaps more after the loss of the post. He wanted to cling to her and keep her safe from the world, so she was never gone. It could be unhealthy how deeply he felt if he didn't keep himself in check.

"I'll pack up a picnic lunch while you shower. We'll drive until we find a spot away from people then settle in for a day of just us."

Rage has posed:
"I don't think you should get rid of it. The songs on there are incredible. I've listened to all of them at least twice. It's like another side that I've never seen of you. It's so raw and beautiful." Andrea says as she gives another long stretch of her body.

Peeling out of her shirt, she throws it against his chest as she backsteps towards the door, giving him a teasing look on her face. Sometimes she forgets her own brother lives here, but knowing him, he's probably asleep. "Feel free to join me if you finish packing early." She says as she turns and heads out to stride down the hallway to their room and masterbath.

Despite the playful antics, her mind is still lost within the lyrics of those songs and how powerful they were. She remembers her own couple she wrote after her breakup with Mason, the songs that never made it to the album past Backstabber. Some were not radio friendly and never should have made it past her notebook. A twang of gulit tugs at her gut now that the truth is out.

Turning the water on and sliding off her shorts, she steps in to douse herself in scolding hot water and strawberry body wash within the massive walkin shower with multiple jets, a bench and LCD lights to set a mood. It's so 'extra'.

Icarus has posed:
It is less than five minutes when the door will open and she is no longer alone. The door the shower is next and Jay gives her a smile as he steps in.

Sometime later...

Jay was in the kitchen finishing packing the picnic lunch he should have finished earlier. He was dressed in a pair of shorts and a tank top, wings out behind him. He has a pair of socks and sneakers covering his feet. The little picnic basket, complete with red and white checkered cloth lining, was right out of a movie. He'd ordered it a while back and this was their first chance to actually use it.

Rage has posed:
It was longer than five minutes that they were in the shower and Andrea ensured that not a second was wasted between them.

After she dried off and got dressed, she heads into the kitchen wearing a pair of white denim shorts that are frayed along the seams and a hot pink tank top with her 'Mutie Cutie' design and logo on the front, as well as a pair of sandals. As she sneaks up behind him, she curls her arms about his waist, leaning in to brush her lips against his neck, pulling herself closer against him.

"I love you so much, rooster." She whispers against his ear, followed by a light nuzzle into his red hair. "Sorry if I upset you last night."

Icarus has posed:
He didn't turn, because they were never going to get this done if he did. Jay continued putting chips, a few snacks and the non perishable items in the basket. A little insulated cooler was nearby for the sandwiches and drinks, to keep them cool. Ice packs had already been placed inside.

"I love you too. And I'm the one that's sorry. You didn't upset me. Just surprised me. I just know Ma and I fear she's going to be a hard sell. It isn't I don't think it's a good idea, but I do think that it would be good if we approached it very carefully. That's all."

Rage has posed:
"Maybe you need to just rip the band-aid off with your mom and tell her to pack her stuff up and get in the car. You guys don't own that racist hillbilly town a damn thing. They never cared about your family the moment you guys started flying around and popping wings. It's safer for your mother and siblings to move out. It's a better school. It's a fresh life. It's a /safe/ life. But that town didn't care about you, your dog, your girlfriend, your Mom, your dad. None of that. Because they're racist bigots who can't evolve past the 20's."

Andrea is blunt as she speaks, peeling away from him to head to the fridge. She opens it up and wrinkles her nose. "And I think buying the Cabbot's old place and land is a bad idea. It's just gonna piss off your neighbors. Make 'em all think that your mutant family is giving everyone the finger and rubbing it in their face. It'll just cause more problems."

Icarus has posed:
"You caught that huh?" After all, Sam had just mentioned buying land. The brothers understood each other that Jay figured it out but it probably wasn't a big leap. After all, it was property by Ma's.

"You know the entire town isn't like that, right? The Cabbots are. There were a few others. But most of the people there are good people who just want to go to work and earn money to take care of their families. Good men and women who aren't prejudiced. Mutants made some of them uncomfortable but it is just that unknown. The good far outnumbered the bad there. It isn't fair to hate the whole town just by the actions of the few that hurt us."

Rage has posed:
"And how many of those good people stood up for you when they were hurting your family? How many of them spoke out at a town hall? Am I willing to guess it's less than how many fingers I have on both hands? Silence is the loudest form of complicity. What about the police? They ever take any complaint seriously? Arrest them? Or did they show up with them at your Mom's front door and threaten your family also?" Andrea says as she gives him a frustrated look.

"Small towns like that have some good people, a ton of complicit people and the rest are assholes. Either way, everything else applies. Better school. Better life. Better shopping areas. Better supermarkets. I just want what is best for your family. Anyone would kill for a chance like this, to get out of poverty and to feel like they're getting a reset button. It has nothing to do with pride or tradition. It's about having the best shot at life as possible. That's the American dream isn't it?"

Icarus has posed:
"And we will approach Ma with those things, instead of all the rest. That'll be the best direction. Let Sam and I work on it first before we leap into the deep end of the pool and tell Ma. That's all," Jay says, giving her a soft smile as he closes up the basket followed by the cooler.

"Unless there is something else you want to bring? I think we are all set?" The basket even had a little compartment in the top sectionw here the blanket they could lay out on the ground was all folded up.

Rage has posed:
"Fine, you two talk to her. But if she gives you push back, I'm just gonna wolf out and throw her over my shoulder and stick her in the car myself." Andrea says as she leans in and kisses his cheek. "Sides, she needs to get used to the idea of me being the bossy daughter in law. We're definitely getting married one day." She says with a grin. "Lots of kids."

As she struts past him, she snags a bluetooth speaker off the counter that she uses for music in the kitchen, tucking it into a backpack that she put together as well with a few things such as extra clothes. One never knows. "I am ready when you are. You're driving I take it?"

Icarus has posed:
"Your security people going to let us do that?" Jay asks immediately as he picks up the chest and basket in either hand. Then he moves toward the door. "I'll be glad to drive though I have no idea where we are going. Up to you though. If you want to, I'll sit in the passenger seat and put my feet on the dash."

He wouldn't actually put his feet on the dash. For more than a few seconds as a joke. At the front door, he waits for her to open it since his hands are full.

Rage has posed:
"Of course. I only bring the security out for events these days. No point in spending money or wasting their time for us to go on a picnic." Andrea says as she slides her arm into his, fingers curling about his bicep as she leans into him to bump her shoulder.

"I can drive if you want. But we're taking the wolf mobile." Which is the Tesla SUV she may have snagged a few weeks in a stunning white color with solid black rims and a barely street legal tint job. Even the license plate says: ALPHA on the back with a wolf logo. The vanity license plate was worth the laughs they had together when it arrived.

She takes her keyfob out of her pocket and pops the trunk open with a push of the button, then loads her backpack in, then turns to help him free his arms up. She loves this car. It's her pride and joy and there will be no feet on the dashboard. Not until she gets a piece of carpet she can velcro to the front of it.