BONER AU: DAY AFTER

[forkedroad]

Annabelle had always been a decent sleeper, but whenever she and the Tanners were due for some excitement, she often slept restlessly. The previous night had been different, despite her excitement; she'd pretty much fallen asleep the second she'd flopped onto their bed into a deep, hard sleep, soon drooling pretty ungracefully.

And the next day, they all awoke more or less frantically—or at least, Lauren and Annabelle certainly had. Lauren, out of anxiety, and Annabelle out of excitement. The three of them had done their thing, aiding the nice town they were in with their talents.

Now that all the excitement is over, the three of them have been paid for their efforts. They've been invited to a boundless meal, as well as wine and ale, in the evening, because the town, frankly, loves to party, and has a great reason to celebrate. But that invite, though accepted, doesn't help them soon enough, and so they've found themselves at a pub for some lunch.

They're seated at a communal bench table, and the brothers are sitting next to each other across from Annabelle. Annabelle has been desperately trying not to look at Lauren more than she would normally, which has made her realize she has no idea how often she does or doesn't do that kind of thing. Right now, her jaw is set against her palm, thin fingers curled into her dark, wild hair while her eyes are lid downcast at her food, which she's kind of just. stabbing relentlessly (but not so frantically so as to make a pub-wide scene) with her fork.

It's not that she's in a bad mood, or anything—she's been quite chipper, if somewhat stilted and odd. At the moment, she's just lost in reminiscence. She's trying to find what the hell had come over here the night before. She bites her lip, and the fork slips, causing an unpleasant squeak against the porcelain.

Comments

[forkedroad]

"Sure," Annabelle answers too quickly, her face feeling hot. She anxiously stuffs a big piece of bread in her mouth, glancing away. She was planning on it, anyway.

"I meanf, what elph would there be to do."

[mylastchance]

Lauren shrugs, this is why he hadn't wanted to go out tonight in the first place. He'd just end up doing or saying something dumb.

"We'll all talk."

[wild_magic]

That's not exactly what he meant of course, but it's okay. As long as Lauren will still go then that's what really matters.

"That's okay though, I can talk to other people if you want me to."

[forkedroad]

Annabelle is just—baffled by the tension and the mood. As if she isn't contributing.

"Let's just see when we get there, yeah?" She laughs in a way that's kind of nervous. And maybe annoyed? "It feels a little silly to be planning something as trivial as who talks to who so far in advance."

[mylastchance]

"You're the one saying who can't talk to what." Lauren comments feeling more irritated as he picks up on Annabelle's own irritation. He doesn't like her comment either. Susan was just trying to encourage them to talk because he no doubt picked up on how fucking weird Anna was being. Susan was allowed to suggest that without Anna saying it was silly if he wanted to.

[wild_magic]

"It's okay, I'm only offering, I'd like to talk to either of you or both of you too! I just thought, maybe you wanted to talk to each other. You know." He thinks it's obvious, at least, that they should. They were both acting weird after all.

[forkedroad]

"I'm not saying you can't talk to anyone, Lauren," Annabelle says pointedly, leaning forward with her hands on the table. "I'm saying you don't. At parties."

She gestures to Susan loosely, glancing at him.

"I just felt badly that you seemed to be suggesting avoiding..." Her expression becomes distant before she can say 'us.' She shakes her head, appearing as if she's lost her train of thought. She folds some hair behind her ear, clearing her throat as she glances off.

[mylastchance]

Lauren sighs before looking back at his own food. He just wants everything to go back to normal.

[wild_magic]

He shakes his head, looking almost alarmed at her saying that.

"No, I don't want to avoid you! Just..." He pauses, thinking his words over.

"It just seemed like maybe you and Lauren have something you need to talk about. Unless there's some other reason you're acting funny."

[forkedroad]

Frustrated, Annabelle rubs at her forehead, dropping her head. "Nooo," she groans. "No, no." Without looking up, she rather suddenly blurts out "I'm ... it's just, I'm on my period."

There. Believable lie, in her humble opinion.

[mylastchance]

Lauren abruptly begins to choke on his food.

[wild_magic]

Susan doesn't really know what that means, but it doesn't explain to him why Lauren is acting weird, either. He looks to his brother, looking a little confused and worried.

"Is Lauren on his period too?"

[forkedroad]

Taken completely off guard, Annabelle drops her head onto the table, the hand she was rubbing her face with opening up in kind of an Agony Claw as she begins to guffaw.

She wants to answer Susan, she does—she didn't consider that Susan wouldn't know about this stuff, but why would he?

She folds her hand over her head, her shoulders shaking as she laughs. She snorts.

[mylastchance]

Lauren shakes his head, reaching to take a drink and clear his throat.

"No. I'm not." he finally chokes out, looking bright red.

[wild_magic]

"Then, why are you acting weird? I thought you two had a fight or kissed!" Now he's even more confused, and he doesn't understand why apparently something he said is enough to laugh and choke about.

[forkedroad]

"Susan!"

Annabelle shoots up, her face bright red from laughter. She reaches over the table to gently take Susan's hand, still clearing up her giggles, using the knuckles of her other fingers to gently wipe at the corner of her eye.

"Susan, only women get periods. A lot of men are uncomfortable about them! Lauren is uncomfortable about most things, so he's amongst them; that's why he's being weird.."

[mylastchance]

He wasn't being weird! He was just startled!

But.

"Yeah... Sorry."

He just looks down at his plate. He doesn't like lying to his brother.

[wild_magic]

Susan frowns, still confused and a little concerned, but he nods slowly at the explanation.

"Okay... I guess that makes sense." Maybe. He still doesn't really know what a period is but he does know that Lauren gets uncomfortable about a lot of things, so it isn't obviously a lie to him at least.

[forkedroad]

Annabelle stares at Lauren. She's not even trying to—she's trying to step around this, but she just feels like she's bullying Lauren. Which is fine when it's on purpose, but. Where she's trying to be careful, or helpful, it's frustrating. She's not sure what the hell's going on, and she knows she's being weird.

She stands up kind of abruptly. She smiles kind of unnaturally, pushing her hair behind her ear.

"Anyway, I'm going—to go deal with that. Have a bath or something. You know. Get ready for the bonfire."

Which was in like...what. Seven hours.

She moves past them, glancing anxiously at Lauren.

"Sorry," she says awkwardly and uncertainly, barely above a mumble, and lifts her skirts to go hurry up the stairs.

[mylastchance]

He looks up as he hears her chair pull away from the table. He's surprised she's leaving. Idly he wonders if he should stop her. He thinks about reaching out to her with his hand, but doesn't. Maybe she simply needed some time alone. In the end he looks to Susan as Anna's footsteps echo up the stairs.

"Sorry for frustrating you."

[wild_magic]

Susan watches her go, confused and surprised as he still doesn't quite understand what's going on. Lauren's words only make him frown, and he looks down at his plate.

"You aren't frustrating me. You just aren't making sense."

[mylastchance]

Lauren sighs, looking at the table. He feels just as confused as Susan, to be honest.

"I don't get it either." Maybe she was mad at him? Did she regret what happened? Was he acting weird towards her? He'd been trying to act normal, but it was hard when you couldn't necessarily remember what normal was.

[wild_magic]

Susan doesn't know what else to say, and so he just keeps looking down sullenly at his food as he tries to figure out what to do. Now he is getting frustrated, now that it seems his brother won't tell him or doesn't know what's going on.

[mylastchance]

He stares at the table, studying the grain of the wood as he tries to make sense of the situation and his own feelings.

"...I think I made a mistake."

[wild_magic]

He looks over at Lauren, still a bit frustrated looking but also curious.

"What do you mean?"