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Apr. 24th, 2013 12:39 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thomas_kemp posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
nevermore_logsWHO: Lena and Thomas
WHAT: Cuteness and actual conversation
WHEN: Tuesday night
WHERE: Lena's
WARNINGS: Badly written, but I want fluffies. Discussion of awkward conversations and sex
Lena had rehearsal until 10 at night, and Thomas agreed to pick her up afterwards. He wanted to see her and the fact that she had to spend so much time learning a new show made it difficult to schedule since he was busy during the day and she was busy in the evenings. Thomas was just lucky he didn't need tons of sleep to get through a day, and so having a late night wouldn't make that much of a difference.
He arrived in the auditorium just as the rehearsal ended and Lena caught sight of him and whooped. "Thomas!" she said, skipping over to him. "Sorry, I'm all jazzed from dancing."
Thomas laughed as she inserted herself into his arms and planted several kisses on his face. "You won't hear me complaining. Good rehearsal then?"
"It was awesome," she grinned. "But now I'm starving. Chinese food take out at my place?"
"Sounds really perfect actually." He had eaten with Jamie, but would never say no to Chinese food and he had been eating less than usual lately because of stress and it was starting to be obvious. Most of his clothes were too loose and he was quite aware he was normally a bit too thin anyway.
They picked up some food and once they had settled on Lena's bed they broke into the take out packs. "I love sweet and sour chicken," Lena said with a grin. "Thanks for picking me up. Taking the subway at night is such a drag."
"Of course!" Thomas helped himself to egg rolls and he leaned back against her pillows. "I can't wait to see your new show. How many of your songs are in it?"
"Two so far!" she answered cheerfully. "So, you got into Columbia, hmm? That is really awesome, sugar. All science jokes aside, I think it's fantastic."
It made Thomas proud he had been accepted into Columbia, though he was nervous about it as well. It was expensive and he just wasn't really used to doing things for himself any more. It felt selfish to him to spend money on tuition when he should be focusing on paying for Jamie's education. "Thank you," he said, his expression betraying how guilty he felt about it.
"Hey," Lena said gently. "What's that look for?"
Thomas shook his head. "It's- I just feel a little conflicted, but I'll be okay."
He couldn't really express to Lena how much it meant to him that she arched an eyebrow and gently said, "bullshit, what's up?"
He was unused to having a partner; someone he could actually talk like this to. He had kept his stresses and worries to himself for nearly two decades now, only really confiding some of them to his sister Anna. Now though, there was a compassionate and wonderful woman in front of him, actually willing to listen. It was going to take some getting used to. "Sorry, I...I'm used to having to pretend things aren't as stressful as they really are. I guess I'm worried about affording two tuition fees. We'll both get student loans, but they might not cover everything. I don't even know if I can afford to only work part-time. And Jamie's not three any more, I can't just shove him on my parents when things get rough. He'll know what I'm doing now and he won't let me get away with it. They have enough to deal with anyway."
Lena blinked at Thomas and then she put down her fork so she could focus on him. "You don't know how much you'll get for student loan yet, right?" Thomas shook his head. "So it might be fine! And stressing now won't change whether it is or not. Why not worry about that when you come to it? In the meantime maybe find out how much you would make working for Sappho part-time and do a budget so when you do find out about the loans, you'll know right away what your options are. You can always take one class at a time for a little while until you've saved up. It's your dream, I don't think you should give up on it because of money."
The fact that Lena not only listened but made sense caused a wide smile to spread on Thomas' face, despite the circumstances. "That...is actually really great advice and I wouldn't have thought of it myself."
"That's why you need me around," Lena winked at him and she reached for her food again. "What did you mean when you said you couldn't shove Jamie on your parents?"
Right. "When I was younger, if money was...so tight it was non-existent, I would send Jamie to my parents because I knew they'd feed him when I couldn't." He gave Lena a guilty look, but was surprised to find no judgement there. His mother had been so angry when he admitted it to her he tought she would hit him and Jamie had felt horrible when he had found out. Lena just looked slightly concerned. "It wasn't the smartest move, but it was what I thought was best at the time."
"So you didn't stay with them too?"
"Nope," Thomas said with a sigh.
"You just...sat by yourself?"
"And went hungry, yep," Thomas nodded. "Like I said. Not the smartest move."
"If you think for a second anyone you know would let you get away with that again, you're mental," she informed him. "I certainly wouldn't."
She kept making him smile. "I know, I really do. I just panic about going back to that all the time. I have nightmares about being short on rent and running out of food stamps and the food bank turning me away and the gas company threatening to turn off the heating for the fourtieth time." Thomas sighed and he shoved another egg roll into his mouth. "So when things look like they might possibly, concievably turn towards the not so financially stable, I tend to go into terrified mode."
"Totally understandable," Lena said gently. "That's a lot of fucking stress for anyone, let alone a goddamn teenager."
"Heh." Thomas ran his fingers through his hair and then he let his head fall back against the pillow. "I don't want to ever be there again. It felt like...like I was being choked by fear all the time. The little life I had with my son was so fragile. It was hanging by a thread and I was juggling 47 things at once...and a whole bunch of other metaphors meaning 'hard and bad'. I clawed myself out of that and it's been good for a really long time."
"And it still will be," Lena said, suddenly appearing above him. "You're not alone now. You're not eighteen years old. And you have a dancer girlfriend who sometimes gets hundreds of dollars a night in tips."
"No! Nonono, you don't have to- Really, you get that much in tips?" Thomas asked, shocked.
Lena laughed and she leaned down to kiss him. "I do, on a good night. Mostly on the weekends. Jealous?"
"A little!" Thomas laughed as well. "You know...I've been so stressed about this and the whole Huntington's thing I snapped and bought poor Jamie a bunch of condoms and lube. Because I kept worrying if I didn't do the dad stuff now, I might not be able to. It was good though, I mean the conversation led to me admitting what I was worried about. But first he turned bright red and I'm fairly sure he wanted to be anywhere else. Especially when I told him he could ask any questions because I dated a guy once."
Lena's jaw dropped. "You did?!"
"He was someone from my teaching course. His name was Ben and he was really wonderful, though Jamie doesn't really remember him because he stayed with my parents when I spend time with Ben. We dated for a while but eventually the fact that I had a kid and needed to be serious and he didn't want to be meant we had to break up. We still stay in touch though. He's a good guy."
"So- You did the bumbum?!" Lena asked with glee.
Thomas snorted. "I enjoy that I just told you about a lovely relationship and you're focusing on that."
"Duh! Were you topsies or bottom? Come on, tell me!"
Her question made Thomas laugh and blush at the same time. He clamped a hand over his eyes for a second before rubbing one of them as he answered, "I was...mostly the giver-"
"You're basically the cutest," Lena said with a smile. "And buttsex aside, you know you have time to do the dad thing. I understand freaking out about it of course. It's good you told him. And hell, it's good he has condoms now, in case. Even if you did make him blush. I'm pretty sure I do that every time I see him. And you too, apparently"
"Poor Jamie," Thomas said with a chuckle. "He puts up with so much."
"I don't think he sees it that way, mister. Now finish your egg rolls, I want to get into your pants. You can be the giver."
Thomas proceeded to shove the three remaining egg rolls into his mouth at once and Lena doubled over laughing.
WHAT: Cuteness and actual conversation
WHEN: Tuesday night
WHERE: Lena's
WARNINGS: Badly written, but I want fluffies. Discussion of awkward conversations and sex
Lena had rehearsal until 10 at night, and Thomas agreed to pick her up afterwards. He wanted to see her and the fact that she had to spend so much time learning a new show made it difficult to schedule since he was busy during the day and she was busy in the evenings. Thomas was just lucky he didn't need tons of sleep to get through a day, and so having a late night wouldn't make that much of a difference.
He arrived in the auditorium just as the rehearsal ended and Lena caught sight of him and whooped. "Thomas!" she said, skipping over to him. "Sorry, I'm all jazzed from dancing."
Thomas laughed as she inserted herself into his arms and planted several kisses on his face. "You won't hear me complaining. Good rehearsal then?"
"It was awesome," she grinned. "But now I'm starving. Chinese food take out at my place?"
"Sounds really perfect actually." He had eaten with Jamie, but would never say no to Chinese food and he had been eating less than usual lately because of stress and it was starting to be obvious. Most of his clothes were too loose and he was quite aware he was normally a bit too thin anyway.
They picked up some food and once they had settled on Lena's bed they broke into the take out packs. "I love sweet and sour chicken," Lena said with a grin. "Thanks for picking me up. Taking the subway at night is such a drag."
"Of course!" Thomas helped himself to egg rolls and he leaned back against her pillows. "I can't wait to see your new show. How many of your songs are in it?"
"Two so far!" she answered cheerfully. "So, you got into Columbia, hmm? That is really awesome, sugar. All science jokes aside, I think it's fantastic."
It made Thomas proud he had been accepted into Columbia, though he was nervous about it as well. It was expensive and he just wasn't really used to doing things for himself any more. It felt selfish to him to spend money on tuition when he should be focusing on paying for Jamie's education. "Thank you," he said, his expression betraying how guilty he felt about it.
"Hey," Lena said gently. "What's that look for?"
Thomas shook his head. "It's- I just feel a little conflicted, but I'll be okay."
He couldn't really express to Lena how much it meant to him that she arched an eyebrow and gently said, "bullshit, what's up?"
He was unused to having a partner; someone he could actually talk like this to. He had kept his stresses and worries to himself for nearly two decades now, only really confiding some of them to his sister Anna. Now though, there was a compassionate and wonderful woman in front of him, actually willing to listen. It was going to take some getting used to. "Sorry, I...I'm used to having to pretend things aren't as stressful as they really are. I guess I'm worried about affording two tuition fees. We'll both get student loans, but they might not cover everything. I don't even know if I can afford to only work part-time. And Jamie's not three any more, I can't just shove him on my parents when things get rough. He'll know what I'm doing now and he won't let me get away with it. They have enough to deal with anyway."
Lena blinked at Thomas and then she put down her fork so she could focus on him. "You don't know how much you'll get for student loan yet, right?" Thomas shook his head. "So it might be fine! And stressing now won't change whether it is or not. Why not worry about that when you come to it? In the meantime maybe find out how much you would make working for Sappho part-time and do a budget so when you do find out about the loans, you'll know right away what your options are. You can always take one class at a time for a little while until you've saved up. It's your dream, I don't think you should give up on it because of money."
The fact that Lena not only listened but made sense caused a wide smile to spread on Thomas' face, despite the circumstances. "That...is actually really great advice and I wouldn't have thought of it myself."
"That's why you need me around," Lena winked at him and she reached for her food again. "What did you mean when you said you couldn't shove Jamie on your parents?"
Right. "When I was younger, if money was...so tight it was non-existent, I would send Jamie to my parents because I knew they'd feed him when I couldn't." He gave Lena a guilty look, but was surprised to find no judgement there. His mother had been so angry when he admitted it to her he tought she would hit him and Jamie had felt horrible when he had found out. Lena just looked slightly concerned. "It wasn't the smartest move, but it was what I thought was best at the time."
"So you didn't stay with them too?"
"Nope," Thomas said with a sigh.
"You just...sat by yourself?"
"And went hungry, yep," Thomas nodded. "Like I said. Not the smartest move."
"If you think for a second anyone you know would let you get away with that again, you're mental," she informed him. "I certainly wouldn't."
She kept making him smile. "I know, I really do. I just panic about going back to that all the time. I have nightmares about being short on rent and running out of food stamps and the food bank turning me away and the gas company threatening to turn off the heating for the fourtieth time." Thomas sighed and he shoved another egg roll into his mouth. "So when things look like they might possibly, concievably turn towards the not so financially stable, I tend to go into terrified mode."
"Totally understandable," Lena said gently. "That's a lot of fucking stress for anyone, let alone a goddamn teenager."
"Heh." Thomas ran his fingers through his hair and then he let his head fall back against the pillow. "I don't want to ever be there again. It felt like...like I was being choked by fear all the time. The little life I had with my son was so fragile. It was hanging by a thread and I was juggling 47 things at once...and a whole bunch of other metaphors meaning 'hard and bad'. I clawed myself out of that and it's been good for a really long time."
"And it still will be," Lena said, suddenly appearing above him. "You're not alone now. You're not eighteen years old. And you have a dancer girlfriend who sometimes gets hundreds of dollars a night in tips."
"No! Nonono, you don't have to- Really, you get that much in tips?" Thomas asked, shocked.
Lena laughed and she leaned down to kiss him. "I do, on a good night. Mostly on the weekends. Jealous?"
"A little!" Thomas laughed as well. "You know...I've been so stressed about this and the whole Huntington's thing I snapped and bought poor Jamie a bunch of condoms and lube. Because I kept worrying if I didn't do the dad stuff now, I might not be able to. It was good though, I mean the conversation led to me admitting what I was worried about. But first he turned bright red and I'm fairly sure he wanted to be anywhere else. Especially when I told him he could ask any questions because I dated a guy once."
Lena's jaw dropped. "You did?!"
"He was someone from my teaching course. His name was Ben and he was really wonderful, though Jamie doesn't really remember him because he stayed with my parents when I spend time with Ben. We dated for a while but eventually the fact that I had a kid and needed to be serious and he didn't want to be meant we had to break up. We still stay in touch though. He's a good guy."
"So- You did the bumbum?!" Lena asked with glee.
Thomas snorted. "I enjoy that I just told you about a lovely relationship and you're focusing on that."
"Duh! Were you topsies or bottom? Come on, tell me!"
Her question made Thomas laugh and blush at the same time. He clamped a hand over his eyes for a second before rubbing one of them as he answered, "I was...mostly the giver-"
"You're basically the cutest," Lena said with a smile. "And buttsex aside, you know you have time to do the dad thing. I understand freaking out about it of course. It's good you told him. And hell, it's good he has condoms now, in case. Even if you did make him blush. I'm pretty sure I do that every time I see him. And you too, apparently"
"Poor Jamie," Thomas said with a chuckle. "He puts up with so much."
"I don't think he sees it that way, mister. Now finish your egg rolls, I want to get into your pants. You can be the giver."
Thomas proceeded to shove the three remaining egg rolls into his mouth at once and Lena doubled over laughing.
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OOC
Date: 2013-04-24 01:12 am (UTC)OOC
Date: 2013-04-24 01:18 am (UTC)