fandomtownies | the park ; monday morning

Sam didn't have a reason to be on the island other than wanting to take a break from Seattle. Nothing terrible had happened to him (which was a good thing) but it felt like he was waiting for something terrible to happen. That was how he tended to live, from one bad event to another. Brid hadn't wanted him to go but he'd eventually convinced her by telling her he'd call and text her as much as he could.

She was still worried he was going to disappear again. He wasn't. Though, he was still carrying around a lot of baggage from the time he did, he wasn't planning on doing that again. There were other things moving around now and he had to be present and accounted for in order to make sure nothing went pear shaped.

This was just a break. It was a respite to sit on a park bench on a cloudy day and drink some water. He didn't think he'd stay long but he hadn't been back in awhile. He was texting idly back and forth with Brid and even occasionally laughing at some of the things she was saying. Things had gotten easier with her lately too.

It was nice. Right now, he was okay.

[Open place in town, open post. I just missed him.]

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And Natalie was just taking a walk through the park on her way for breakfast at the Perk.

She kept walking even after she'd spotted him. They hadn't talked in over a month. Not since he'd come back from running away. Not counting the reunion weekend. She didn't remember much about that, anyway. And she'd been keeping her distance on purpose.

But this path went right past his bench so she was going to keep walking along it towards him.

For a second or two, Sam wasn't aware of anyone else coming towards him. But, he could eventually pick up some emotion so he glanced her way.

He stopped texting and watched her for a second or two before he looked back at his phone. He hadn't heard from her in awhile so he guessed she was done with him all together.

So, he was going to...try and keep his focus on his phone.

She hadn't heard from him either.

She stopped walking when she was pretty close to the bench. Pushed some hair away from her eyes. "Hey."

That wasn't false.

He kept his eyes on his phone for a few seconds longer, drawing out his lack of response to her before he looked up.

"Morning," he said, nodding.

It was okay to be slow to respond. Natalie was slow to figure out what to say. Her distance had been about giving him space, so she wasn't quite sure whether she was breaking her own rules just by being here.

"How've you been?"

Lame, but reasonable.

"I'm okay," Sam said, shrugging a shoulder and putting his phone down on the bench beside him. "You?"

"Okay," Natalie replied, and while it was the verbal equivalent of a shrug, it was also more true than it had been for most of the last six or seven months. "Coasting along the last of my time in Fandom."

"Yeah, congrats on that," he said, brushing some invisible dirt off his pants. "And then off into the big, scary world."

"Something like that."

Now she gave an actual shrug, while she wondered whether to share her plans. She found she wanted to. She still wanted to be his friend, after all.

"If I choose college, it probably won't be that scary."

"If?"

Sam raised an eyebrow at the phrasing. It seemed particular.

Especially for someone who'd been on the express track to higher education so far.

But things happened. And since he'd asked... "Peter's offered me an assistant position."

"Uh huh."

That was pretty much all Sam could say at the moment. There were other things in his head, other things he wanted to come out with but he held his tongue.

"Good for you."

It was only after Natalie had actually said it that she realized how it might sound to this particular audience. Not quite enough to make her wish she'd kept it to herself, but anyway.

"Good for me," she agreed mildly. "I've still got my sights set on university at home, though. Eventually, whichever way I decide."

Yeah, this particular audience wasn't the best to reveal such a plan of action to but Sam didn't have any say in her life anymore. So, he held his tongue.

"Better decide quick." From what he gathered, she didn't have much time.

And Natalie wasn't going to coax those thoughts out of him because it wasn't his place to judge anymore, and she didn't want an argument tearing open anything that might have gotten at least a little closer to healing.

She'd just privately wonder if this didn't make her a little more like Peter than she'd previously thought.

"I've still got a little bit of time." Even though she'd more or less made up her mind already. "Some weeks to go."

Sam was kind of guessing she'd already decided what she wanted to do. He still knew her somewhat well even if he'd been trying to get her out of his head for awhile. It was a lengthy process.

"Sure," Sam said neutrally. He took a few sips of water. "And what's your plan until then?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't really have one. Just getting my affairs in order for the move, wherever to, I guess."

"A lot of affairs to attend to?" Sam wondered lightly.

"Not really." There was a lot there that she wasn't going to get into with him. "I live pretty sparsely. Not too many loose ends around the island."

"Made it sound like it was gonna take you weeks to clear it all up," Sam pointed out.

"I was just trying to come up with something that might count as a 'plan' for the rest of my Fandom time," Natalie replied with familiar mildness. "There's no plan. Just living."

Guess they had that in common, then. Sam rubbed his chest with one hand and looked down. He couldn't find anything that he immediately wanted to say to that.

Natalie took a moment to find anything, either.

But there was more small talk left and available. "How's everyone else?"

"Fine," he said, nodding. "Just fine."

He considered telling her about some of the new developments in Seattle but...but, well, he didn't think she wanted to know anymore.

He was wrong, of course. But she could hardly blame him for assuming that. But she didn't say that. Yet, anyway. "I'm surprised Brid's letting you out of her sight even now."

He'd had them all so scared when he'd bolted.

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the park ; monday morning

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