You'll Want to Tear the Velcro [P]

[Everett King]

Everett was wringing his hands nervously, and he couldn't really be blamed. Not only was he about to experience his face date with Erika, but he was dressed in a blue velcro tracksuit. Even his poor fashion taste had winced at that, but it had been the only velcro outfit he'd been able to find. They weren't high in demand around Kalispell. Of course, it wouldn't matter if Erika didn't show up. With his usual nerves, there were hundreds of different scenarios racing around his head. Maybe she'd gotten lost, or she'd changed her mind. Wait, didn't she have a boyfriend, maybe he'd double booked her. (Right, that was the thing to worry about in that situation.)

It was just after six, and dusk was just beginning to fall. He'd be able to watch the stars wake up, which was nice since he'd been working in the forest for close to three hours already. There were muddy patches on his knees, and he'd managed to scratch his hands up quite a bit as well; but it was definitely going to be worth it. Or at least he thought so.
But what did know? It had already been decided that his taste was horrible.
Well shit, Erika was going to hate it.

Back to wringing his hands, Everett's breathing unconsciously sped up as he began to panic, sure he'd freak out if she didn't show up, and if she did.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

So, after everything that had happened the day before, Erika had talked to Trevor, and they were as it were, broken up. Surprisingly enough, she hadn't taken it nearly as hard as she thought she would have. Then again, things had been happened rather quickly, so maybe, she simply hadn't had the time to really let it all sink in.

And here she was, on her way to meet up with Everett. For a date. In the forest. With bears, apparently. Was she worried? Of course she was. This was Everett, after all, and who knew what he could come up with. This was the same guy who had almost drowned himself and lit himself on fire. Yep, there was totally no reason to worry. Aaaat all.

But that wasn't exactly going to stop her from going, or anything. Nope, she clearly never learned.

So, there she was, at their designated meeting spot and he was... "...what the hell are you wearing?" she asked the second she laid eyes on him. She wasn't sure if she was supposed to be suspicious or laugh. Both seemed rather likely right about now. But alas, the amused almost sheepish grin appeared on her lips, and the bubbling laughter that was starting to grow from the back of her throat was hard to keep back.

[Everett King]

He couldn't stop the beaming smile that broke his face when Erika approached. He didn't even try, and it only grew wider at her words. There was definitely some embarrassment in the smile though, maybe a tad of shyness as well under her scrutiny. Compared to Erika, who had of coursed dressed arguably appropriately for a date, Everett had dressed arguably appropriately for a night in the forest.

Hoping to somewhat remedy the situation, from behind his back Ever produced a bouquet of roses, black, white and red. The red ones were regular, and the smallest in number. The white ones were paper, crafted together to resemble a rose and covered in a small, scrawling font. Upon closer inspection, they were pages from The Fault in Our Stars. The black roses were the most special, and the fewest in number. They were made of ink.

"For you." He offered sweetly with the tiniest of bows, nerves evident by the furrow in his brow. "And then right this way." His arm gestured off the path and into the shadows of the forest, and mentally he hoped he'd remembered the directions.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

What was the most admirable about him, was that between all the dorky adorableness and complete and utter fail at taking proper care of himself, there was still moments where he left her completely speechless. The flowers -- the bouquet was one of those moments. The amusement previously fleeting over her lips was replaced by a softer, more genuine smile; Of course, though part of her wanted to point out that he had in fact butchered a book, she chose to keep quiet about it and rather appreciate the gesture.

And well, she was actually rather surprised at the fact that he actually knew -- or was simply good at guessing -- her favorite book.

Accepting the bouquet, Erika chuckled softly as she looked down at it, the tips of her fingers caressing the petals of her red roses. "Thank you," she spoke softly, her voice barely above that of a hushed whisper. Lifting her gaze when he gestured for them to start moving, Erika smiled again.

"This must have taken you forever to do," she said as her gaze once more returned to the flowers. And he had thought she was still mad at him. How could anyone possibly be mad at someone like him?

[Everett King]

The flowers were something he took pride in. Actual pride. The paper ones not so much, but the fact that he'd managed to draw some roses, and bring them off the paper without any of them attempting to start World War III was kind of big for him. He didn't bother mentioning though, he didn't need to. Erika's face was more than enough praise for him. That was what an artist lived for.

"Not really," he admitted truthfully with a smile. Cutting up the book had probably been the most time consuming part, but it taken no more than an hour overall. The rest of his day had been spent taking care of everything else.
Looping an arm gently around Erika's waist, he tugged her forward gently into the forest. For the first five minutes he was worried they really had gone off in the wrong direction, but then the first of the white fairy lanterns appeared in the trees, and he breathed a soft sigh of relief. After that, it was merely following the small lanterns bobbing in the soft wind.

He'd chosen a small clearing close to the path specifically because he knew he was likely to get lost. How romantic. The circular area was small, and he'd been up in the goddamn trees all day stringing more of the little lanterns from the boughs and stretching them between the gaps. The little flames flickered behind the thin covers, winking like stars. Now that had been a pain to get done. And not one incident of lighting himself on fire either. In the far corner was a small table and a rug, with a small basket and a battery radio emitting the soft tinkling of a piano. He wasn't entirely sure what was on the cassette, and finding a cassette to begin with had been painful enough, but from what he remembered Erika seemed like the kind of old soul that appreciated classical music over the 'grinding' tunes of modern day.

As he'd prepared, Everett plucked at the dirtied velcro suit and tore it off, until he was left with his spangly white tux. Old habits die hard indeed. Feeling suddenly self-conscious, and not because of the white tux, Ever turned and offered his hand, falling into a half bow. He risked a peek at Erika from under his eyelashes and gave her a pained smile. "We never did get that dance."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Even as they ventured through the dark forest, Erika kept her comments to herself. The comment about the bear was still edged into her mind, and although she wasn't even sure if there even was bears in Montana, she knew for a fact that these mountains had mountain lions and well, that was enough of a reason to worry. But her worry quickly vanished as the lanterns started appearing. Furrowing her brows ever so slightly, she stole a glance in Everett's direction.

And to think he had managed to get them all up in the trees and light them on fire without burning down the entire forest... Well, that was quite a feat.

As they reached the clearing, Erika's brown eyes took in the beautiful scenery; Again, speechless. She had to admit that it wasn't at all what she had expected when he had told her they were going into the forest, which had probably been the point.

And when he finally did rid himself of the horrible blue abomination and revealed... The white suit she loved oh so much, she couldn't keep the smile off of her face. Ah, that brought back fond memories, and some, not as fond. Regardless, the telekinetic wasn't going to let her mind wander. Lifting her gaze, she smiled. "Wow," she said breathlessly as her eyes wandered once more over the setting.

She didn't know what else to say, or if there even was anything to say.

With a flustered smile, she took his hand. "This is amazing, Everett. Really."

[Everett King]

The fact that he had refused to dance with her had been a thorn in his side for ages. It was his own fault; he'd never learned to dance and had never lamented the fact until he'd met Erika. Even now he was wincing on the inside, fearing his first attempt for the girl he loved, and dreading it. He'd never tried before, he didn't know if he could do it or not, but it didn't sound like something he'd be proficient in.

Seeing Erika's face was more than enough to dispel some of his misgivings, and Everett was confident that no matter how badly he messed up the rest of the night, he'd never forget this. Folding his fingers around her hand, Ever stood and tugged her closer gently. "It was worth it; seeing the face you just made," he informed her warmly, kissing her cheek. "Definitely worth it."

Settling his hand on her hip, almost timidly as if this were the first time he'd been allowed to hold her, Everett slowly began to dance. (He hoped) He was absently humming the music under his breath, as after listening to it all day he'd more or less got it memorized. It helped him keep pace, which was a relief since all he knew he had garnered from flicking through some old movies. "You know I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't know how to dance." He reiterated helplessly after a few moments. Truth be told he wasn't doing too badly, but it was hard to have confidence in something you've never done before, and dancing with himself that morning didn't count.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Smiling warmly, Erika looked up at him; She wasn't sure if it would ever stop surprising her whenever she realized just how easy it was being around him. All the things she normally hated doing, which mostly revolved around showing her emotions and keeping her guard up, it kind of didn't count for him. She wasn't sure why that was, but she didn't really mind either. Her love and adoration for him had always been unconditional and that was something she hoped would never change, even if they had to keep repeating the circle of him leaving and returning for many, many years. She would always wait for him, because honestly? She didn't want anybody else.

Even if it took years.

She had to admit though, that despite never really giving it much thought, he wasn't nearly as bad at dancing as she would have expected. Sure, it was a little awkward and she had to try hard not to take the lead, but once that was over and he seemed to grow into the rhythm, it was actually rather enjoyable. "You're doing a good job so far," she smiled at him. 

"Besides," she drawled with a devious smirk, "Until you pay me back for one of those nine lives you owe me, you have no right to complain." She could still remember the day they had met with a perfect clarity; It had actually been rather amusing, and kind of awkward, but she was still glad things had turned out the way they had.

[Everett King]

Everett had spent a lot of his life running away from things he didn't know how to deal with. Erika had been the first thing he'd wanted to be able to stand and face with pride, and even then he'd run twice. The fact that he had come back was impressive to him, maybe even more so than it had been for Erika. He didn't want to spend his life running anymore.

"Don't jinx me," he replied automatically, spinning her around with a laugh. Perhaps he should have tried dancing earlier, it was more fun than he'd expected. He doubted he'd have ever tried if it weren't for Erika. He doubted he would have tried very many things at all. Chiefly among them was his power, and the control she had pressed him to achieve.

"I'm down to seven now, aren't I? After the ship and the fire." Everett mused thoughtfully. "But I'll save the last for you." It was a promise he could make without giving it a second thought. Though in this instance, he'd been thinking the same thing for a while now.

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

She laughed as she was spun around, "Oh, right, because you have the worst luck possible." Well, either that or he was just extremely clumsy; Whatever had gotten him to jump off that boat though, that was still under debate. And yet, he scolded her for being the reckless one. It was kind of funny actually, as she wasn't the one who almost drowned or lit herself on fire. Nope. She just did a whole series of stupid things that rarely had a long term effect.

Well, she didn't count the whole getting kidnapped part. That had just been unfortunate.

"Down to seven as far as I know of," she corrected him with a smirk; Lord knew how many there really was. She wasn't sure if she truly wanted to know. After all, he had been gone for quite some time, and knowing Everett, who knew what kind of trouble he had gotten himself into. "I'm going to hold you to that one." And she would never let him live it down either. Nope, she would totally use it as an excuse to prevent any more fire or drowning incidents from happening. Not that she really thought he would mind though.

"I still don't understand what you were thinking... Swimming with whales and thinking a rope would be enough to save you." She shook her head at that. "And I'm the reckless one?" Ha.

[Everett King]

"You know it." He agreed with an easy laugh. "At this point it's a source of pride." He supposed still being alive and in one piece was fairly commendable at this point in his accident-strewn life. He had scars to display, for sure, but Everett had always loved scars, on himself and others. They were the manifestation of memory, good and bad, and there was no faking one. He'd be glad to remember what every scar decorating his body meant to him.

Conceding the point with a faint shrug, Everett smirked. "Fair enough." He allowed, though made no effort to set Erika's mind at ease. There were probably some things he'd experienced that Erika was better off not knowing about, and he was probably happier not speaking of them. After all, he was Everett King. Could a mountain climb really go in the safe, predictable way that tour guides often assured? Of course not; it was a freakin' mountain after all. He'd gained some new memories. "I haven't forgotten my promise yet; don't go doubting me now."

Snorting slightly at the memory, Everett tried to appear sheepish. "Alright, so a slight miscalculation on my part; but better than no rope at all, right?" He argued logically, in that simple way he had. "Besides, I was only acting out because I was upset about us."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

"Keep talking like that, and I might have to start stepping all over your ego," she warned with a playful smirk. Not that she would, mind, at least not seriously so. She quite liked him the way he was, even with his reckless behavior and sometimes foolish decisions. She had learned that trying to change someone you loved was a no-go as you could risk losing a part of someone you'd later find out you actually liked. No, Erika liked Ever for who he was and she had learned to accept it all.

Of course, the progress of acceptance was a slow one and something she was still actively working with.

Lifting her hand, Erika tapped his nose with the tip of her index finger, "I won't," she promised. After all, if past events spoke anything about just how much she trusted him, he already knew that she didn't doubt him. Though, he'd probably not allow himself to believe it.

Slight. Right. Ha. She almost wanted to snort at that, but she managed to bite down on her tongue and keep the snark to herself. She wasn't going to hold it against him, because in the end, things had worked out. Well, if you didn't count the whole leaving to France and everything that followed right after. "Well, the rope was the reason you got stuck in the first place..." Recalling the memories, the brunette sighed. Moving her hands to his shoulders, she caressed the dip of his neck with her finger and tilted her head somewhat to the side. "And yet, you scold me for acting out."

They were both just as bad at running away and acting out, regardless if they wanted to admit it or not. Maybe that was why neither put any blame on the other; They understood. It really was that simple.

"I don't like it when you're upset."

Stopping, Erika knitted her brows together as she sighed. Lifting her hands again, she cupped Everett's face. "Look," she said and paused to collect her thoughts. "I get being scared and wanting to run away. I really do. And that's okay; I will never hold it against you." She never had. "But next time you feel like running away, can you at least give me heads up and not just vanish off the face of the earth? You're not the only one who worries, you know." She smiled at him then. "Because honestly. I'll wait for you. Every time. I don't want anybody else, so take as much time as you need and run away as many times as you feel is needed. You can try telling me you're not good for me, or that I'm being foolish. It won't matter, and it won't change my mind."

She didn't know if she had ever been this frank about her feelings for him before. At least, not to this extent. At least she had grown a little from when she had felt extremely awkward and uncomfortable about telling him she loved him. "It's okay to be selfish; sometimes you have to be in order to be happy."

[Everett King]

"Now don't be like that. I can take an ego bruising from anyone but you." Everett replied playfully, stooping his head to meet Erika's eye. The only reason he'd ever be bothered by her words was because to him, her words were the only ones that mattered. It didn't matter what anyone else said, what they did, what they thought; Erika was his only relevance.

There were parts of Erika that he didn't take to heart of course, like her bad taste in beards. And there were parts of Erika that he disapproved of, like her reckless abandon. In his eyes, it only made his love for her more powerful. That was evident in the trust between them, and he knew that it was a trust everyone could see.

"Ok, so that's true," he allowed with an aggrieved nod. "But you'd yell at me anyway if I didn't use the rope, right?" That was a pretty safe guess to make, and he could more or less assume she'd insist on just not swimming. Often it was that the simplest solutions never occurred to Everett, mostly because he didn't want to see them. Life wasn't designed to be simple. "The last time you acted out you.....Well, you know." Ever trailed off with a dark mutter, annoyed by the reminder and unwilling to taint what had otherwise been a nice night with their memories. But really, Erika took 'acting out' to the extreme.

"Coincidentally, I don't like being upset either." Everett quipped, bapping Erika on the nose with his finger. "And so long as you're happy, my happiness is guaranteed. So how about you just keep yourself happy, and I'll be set for life?" It was comforting for him that he immediately assumed that in terms of 'them', life was an accurate description. He didn't even have to question it.

Ever fell silent, surprised by the sudden change of topic and the intensity behind Erika's words. He didn't doubt her for a minute, and that made him feel ashamed. Running away and coming back to her, no matter how strong she managed to sound, or how much she encouraged him, nothing could blunt the cruelty of his actions. Yet she was still urging him on, and it only made Ever love her more. Turning his head, Everett seized Erika's lips and kissed her happily, hands sliding further up her sides as he fought joyous laughter. "Tell you what," he murmured, pulling away. "How about next time, I'll just run away to you, and you can give me a good slap on the head for being an idiot for even thinking I could leave you at all."

[Erika Conner (Bellefonte)]

Erika wasn't sure if she could purposely hurt his ego even if she wanted to. Sure, she had several occasions playfully given his ego a slam, but there had never been any malice behind her actions. It was impossible for her to stay mad at him, or do anything to harm him. Again, at least not purposely. But being a reckless, naive and impulsive being, that didn't always work out too good for either of them. "I couldn't do it even if I wanted to," she smiled at him.

"Well, yeah..." she started but trailed off as she frowned. Okay, so maybe he had a point there, but still. Who in their right mind jumped off a cruise ship and thought they'd get away with it without getting hurt? Now that, that was the most naive thing of them all. However, her chain of thoughts drifted elsewhere at his next words. He was right, again, and she couldn't argue it; Just as he hadn't planned on almost drowning, she hadn't planned on... She sighed. "I know," she spoke solemnly. She was actually rather glad she hadn't told him the full story. She'd never heard the end of it if he ever learned what had really went down while she had been kidnapped.

Which reminded her, she had to tell Frank Cox to keep her mouth shut. She didn't need Ever to worry more than what he did already.

Wrinkling her nose at the bapping, she sighed and shook her head, "And what if I'm just happy when you are?" she challenged him, but put it to rest there, as she knew they'd only end up running around in circles yet again. They seemed to do that a lot. Instead, Erika looked up at him and smiled warmly, "See?" she asked and lifted her hand to point at herself, "Happy."

She was going to take whatever she could get.

Returning the kiss with the same glee he offered her, Erika smiled against his lips. Her eyes slid shut at the touch and right then, she couldn't picture somewhere else she'd rather be than right here, with him. "Promise?" Well, didn't that just sound like it was too good to be true? She didn't doubt his intentions, or his feelings. She never really had, but she knew all too well how easy it was to pick the easy way out whenever there was a bump blocking the road. She knew that resisting the urge to simply run away from everything and everyone was a hard one to resist and she still didn't know how to resist it herself.

Or maybe she'd be the one running away for a change. Who knew. She just wished they would overcome it and rise above it for a change.

[Everett King]

There was very little that could be said or done to Everett to actually damage his already meager ego, but so far Erika seemed to be the exception to every rule he'd ever set. He wouldn't put it past her to knock this one right over as well. "Oh yea? Don't underestimate yourself now, dove." He warned mockingly, leaning in to place a kiss against her jaw. The way Erika underestimated herself, particularly when it involved matters concerning him, was both endearing and disappointing.

An unbidden grin of victory crossed Everett's face, and he had to remind himself that smiling was probably not the correct response. Even still, he almost wanted to do a little victory dance, before he reminded himself he was already dancing. "And there you have it. Bow to my superior intellect, it only shows itself once a decade," Everett laughed, tilting his head back to allow the fairy lights to gild his jaw line.

Lifting Erika up briefly, he spun her again and chuckled. "Then I think we're going to be stuck in a very interesting cycle," he input seriously, shaking his head in mock fear. "But ok. I understand." The last part was added with quiet sincerity, eyes shining with unspoken emotion. He could easily see the circle they would continue running in, but so long as they both remained happy, he couldn't see a problem.

Catching Erika's hand, he laced their fingers together and nodded solemnly. "I swear it." He had meant it too. To think he could walk away from Erika and not regret it. The fact that he'd returned twice merely proved he was a slow learner. Unwilling to last on a subject that dwelled too heavily in their pasts and not enough in their future, he tried to steer the conversation to lighter ground. "I packed food tonight as well, and candles, in case we got hungry."