Trooper Station, Friday

[firstofitskind]

Yeah, Liam wasn't entirely sure what was up with the island's version of Christmas cheer this year but things had dropped off rather dramatically after that first week, hadn't they?

It was all very strange.

As was the fact that thanks to the barely-perceptible humming in the kitchen this morning as he'd been preparing breakfast, as well as the same in the Station's breakroom, Liam was now humming that song about the bells as he worked.

[ooc: work continues to be a tire fire. this ooc note is me shamelessly begging for entertainment.]

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[hashtag_chocobro]

Prompto had been meaning to do this for a while now, ever since that conversation with Nina, and he'd finally managed to get a Friday off to do it and hitch a.portal back to the island so that he could swing by the trooper station with a small fancy box from.some Insomnia bakery tucked under his arm.

"Hey, Sheriff," he started. "Err...Mr. Kincaid-Price? Liam. Sir?"

What even was the right way to address your sister's dad, anyway???

"Um. How's it going?"

Perfect, Prompto. Not a paragon of.awkwardness at all!

[grenadesandohana]

Steve was back to pull his name for the Secret Santa now that Danny had put his foot down.

He hoped he didn't get Calvin.

"Howzit, Liam."

[firstofitskind]

Totally not awkward at all!

“Prompto, hey,” he greeted with a friendly smile. “Come on in!”

[firstofitskind]

“Can’t get that one Christmas song out of my head,” Liam admitted. “The bells one, you know? How’re you doing?”

[thatwaslucky]

Rey showed up before training with a drink in hand and an inflatable reindeer under her arm.

"I brought you something," she said, holding out the tea. Not the reindeer.

[grenadesandohana]

"Silver Bells?" Steve asked, frowning. "And I'm good, man. Here for the Secret Santa that I'm sure the guys told you about, right, guys?"

[firstofitskind]

“They absolutely did not,” Liam said, shaking his head.

Which didn’t mean he didn’t know about it! He just assumed it was one of those things the boss wasn’t supposed to be part of, so he left it alone.

[firstofitskind]

“I’m full up on reindeer,” Liam said instantly. “But this I’ll take off your hands gladly,” he added as he took the tea she was holding out.

[thatwaslucky]

"Did you take any reindeer?" Rey asked, since she didn't know where the first few had gone.

[hashtag_chocobro]

And it was only going to get even more awkward as Prompto started to remember how deeply uncomfortable the troopers actually made him feel when he was around them, and for reasons he understood all too well now.

So he just focused on why he was there.

"Thanks." He tried a small smile. "I won't bother you too long. I just felt that this was a little overdue."

He held out the box for Liam to take, the one that held a slice of kupoberry cheesecake.

"Just something to, you know, say thanks. For everything you've been doing for Nina lately. Especially since I can't really...be here...a lot..."

[grenadesandohana]

Steve joined him in shaking his head. "For shame, Ralph."

[firstofitskind]

“You didn’t have to do that,” Liam said. “Still, I’m not one to turn down baked goods...”

He gestured for Prompto to take a seat. “Sit down, if you have a minute? I did actually want to talk to you.”

[firstofitskind]

“I just figured none of them wanted to worry about drawing my name,” Liam shrugged.

[firstofitskind]

“I did not,” Liam said. “The amount of inflatable reindeer I need in my life is zero.” He paused as something occurred to him. “Although...”

[thatwaslucky]

"I still have two reindeer. You can give one away," she said immediately.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"...oh." Prompto blinked a little in surprise. Such much for a quick drop off and flee! He felt something harden in his throat, failed to swallow it down.

He almost said something like no thanks, I'm good, but thankfully had a little more sense than that.

"Okay," he said instead, pulling a chair a little closer before moving to sit down in it. "Sure. What's up?"

[grenadesandohana]

"Why not?" asked the guy who had basically adopted his entire team back home.

[firstofitskind]

"I might know someone who'd enjoy having an inflatable reindeer of her very own," Liam said.

Nina was getting a reindeer now. Lucky her!

[thatwaslucky]

"I will bring it by," Rey said, gratefully. "This one is for Master Skywalker."

Whether he liked it or not.

[firstofitskind]

"You're important to Nina," Liam said, carefully. "That means, by extension, you're important to me. "

[firstofitskind]

"I don't know, but they've always been kind of... insular," Liam pointed out.

Liam had always been the odd one out, even back home, where his status as a non-Implant had set him apart from the other Companion-Protectors.

[firstofitskind]

Liam snickered. "What'd he do to deserve such an honor?"

[thatwaslucky]

"It was recommended that he get one and I don't want to look at these anymore," Rey said honestly.

[hashtag_chocobro]

"Oh."

Prompto tried to not look down at his fingers knotting together in his lap.

"Um."

He just wanted to bring you adorable cheesecake, Liam! Not deal with that thing that he's really bad at dealing with!

"Thanks?

"I mean..." He hesitated a little. "You're important to Nina, too, so I guess that means, by extension, you're also important to me?"

Which was weird, because he didn't really know the guy, and he was pretty sure Liam had way more weight on the important scale now, and it sounded like a smart thing to say at the time, but now it probably just sounded stupid, and oh gods, he should have just FedEx'd the damn cheesecake with a nice note or something...

[grenadesandohana]

"Well, yeah, but Danny made them open up, so you should be included, too," Steve said, nodding. "Maybe you'll get Diego and that'll be easy. He wants knives."