2013.08.31 - The Waiting Game

Leo is...upset. Being told 'no' or 'unwise idea', is not something he likes to hear. His plans and goals are threatening to unravel before him, and he...just wants to break something. But this is his apartment, he shouldn't break things in his own back yard as they say. He debates going out and finding something to break when the text from Fern first comes. His response: 'Have fun. Thinking life changing decisions here.' His only way to express his rage without being destructive.

Still, the follow up concern from Fern helps Leo reign in some of that rage he never learned how to properly control. He has the logic, but not the maturity of emotional response when it is this strong. Fern though is...calming, she's safe. And...she might help the rage go away so he can think. So Leo finally accepts Fern's offer to see him. Still, logic says unwise to go out, so he invites her to his place.

The texting from Leo though stated as a simple sentence was enough to make Fern ask to meet him tonight. There wasn't a reply for a while, until finally a response of: 'Alright.' To be so short-typed in text messages isn't Leo's style. Though a second text follows: 'My place.'

Now, to not rip the place apart in the meantime. Video games would make things worse as Bart is not here, and so he finally turns up the music to try and drown out the background noise of all the 'people, technology, and even animals' that his sensitive ears can pick up. The pain might help anyway.

The cryptic texts were more than ample to concern Fern, and it's not that much of a detour to stop by his apartment after work. Well, maybe it is, but it's a trip she'll gladly make. Concern brings out the mother hen in her, and she stopped to fill a brown paper bag with some smaller boxes before heading out for Leo's place. Now she turns up in his lobby, taking one of the boxes out of the bag as she talks to the doorman that she's met before. It's turned over to him, with it's cargo of cannoli, before she takes the elevator up to Leo's floor. She can hear the music as soon as the doors open, although it's muffled by the walls. At a normal volume it wouldn't be audible at all. Her hand comes up and she knocks, three sharp raps, the bruise on her wrist fading from the purple into a sickly looking yellow.

Even with the music turned up loud, Leo notices the knock. He stops pacing and turns down the music. He then heads for the door, looking through it first before opening it to make sure it is Fern. The door is opened, and he forces a smile, "Hey." He's still wearing his school uniform even this late...which doesn't seem Leo-style either, let alone hanging out at his apartment in school gear.

There's a concerned frown on Fern's face, drawing her brows together, showing clearly as she tilts her head to look up at the taller young man. "Hey," she says gently. She steps forward, setting the bag down just inside the door and unslinging her trusty messenger bag. The urge is there to hug him, but she's not sure if she should, so she says, "I was worried about you, is everything alright?"

One shoulder shrugs as Leo heads further into the apartment, "Not really. Basically been told to talk the talk, but don't walk the walk. It's 'unrealistic', so therefore, that means the ideal solution between law enforcement and superheroes is the one currently in place by default. Because to try and implement anything further would be 'for others', and not 'for myself'."

Leo moves into the kitchen and out of habit, pulls out a pepsi for you. He pauses, "You want the usual?" He remembers, even in his highly 'irritated' state.

The brown paper bag is picked up again as Fern follows Leo through the now familiar apartment to the kitchen. "Yes, please," she says to the pepsi, although she usually doesn't have sugar this late in the evening. "Slow down, and pretend that I don't know what you're talking about." The words are soft and hopefully calming, as well as truthful because she doesn't have the slightest idea what he's talking about. It's like coming into the middle of a conversation and trying to make sense of it. "Was it something at school?" She's guessing, since he's still in his uniform.

A glass is brought down, ice added, and then pepsi, as per usual. Leo goes through the motions as if habit, though this is only the third time. "I asked for assistance, some insight in obtaining my goal. To gain my Father's support in being a superhero without a mask, without a damn secret identity. She threatened to kick me out of the institute if I did it." He sets the glass in front of Fern. "Endanger the kids. I'm not even the one actively doing it right now. The purple kitty dude Justin Hammer seems obsessed with, Keith? He goes to my school. So just great, you know?"

Fern turns away as Leo keeps moving, letting him get it out of his system to try again to calm him in a little while. She starts taking boxes out of the bag she brought, setting them out onto the counter. They're not still warm, but it would be just a small matter for Leo to toss the leftovers from the restaurant into the microwave when he gets hungry. She has a feeling that isn't going to be in the very near future. She starts moving the boxes to the 'fridge as she talks. "Maybe it's just a matter of biding your time, Leo. Yes, it's what you want, but it might take you a bit of time to get what you want."

"How long do I have to wait? How much good or progress could I make while I'm waiting? How much further am I falling behind?!" Who is he in competition with? But Leo raises a hand to one temple and rubs with his palm, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He...knows he has a temper, otherwise he wouldn't be using a relaxation technique.

Carefully, he picks up the glass and sets it down in front of Fern. His eyes glance over at the boxes, "What's all this?" A bit of confusion, but it's a distraction at least.

"Leftovers from work," Fern explains, stacking at least six different boxes on the shelves before closing the refrigerator door. "Two kinds of ravioli, some rolls, and some cannoli. Heat them up when you're hungry." She picks up the pepsi and takes a sip, then sets it back down immediately. Reaching for Leo's hand, she gives him a gentle tug toward the sofa. "C'mon, sit down."

Wait, left overs? A new concept to Leo, but he doesn't say anything about it. It sounds like good food anyway, "Alright." You are going away for the weekend, so no sense in sending them home with Fern anyway. He just seems surprised. But he does move over at your gentle tug to go sit with you, his hand flexing a bit within yours, but he then calms down. Fern always throws him off center.

Fern stands, waiting for Leo to sit on the sofa. Then she probably throws him off even more as she doesn't sit next to him, but kicks off her shoes and climbs up onto the sofa, moving to sit on the back of it, behind him, a knee on either side of him. It's ok, she changed into shorts before leaving work, so she's not being indecently exposed in a skirt. One hand lands on each of his shoulders and she starts to massage gently, her touch firm enough to work knots out of the muscles if there are any, but without hurting. She talks quietly, near to his ear, as her hands move. "It's never easy to wait, but sometimes it's the best thing you can do. It's not falling behind, it's making a better strategy so that you won't blow things up entirely."

Leo blinks, not sure what Fern is doing until...she does it. The touching feels good, but...Fern will quickly notice, that Leo is built like a...tank? He seems a little nervous right now, "Ummm...Fern...," he can't exactly turn 'off' his Kryptonian powers of super endurance or super strength, just control them within reason. But Fern is talking then...

..."Could use some inspiration for a better strategy, my patience is wearing then." Maybe Fern can't get much pressure into his muscles, but...she will keep his secrets, right? And the touching, the feel of her legs on either side of him, and her hands on his shoulders...

Leo reaches up to capture one of your hands and draws it forward slightly as he turns his face to kiss your knuckles. "You realize, you are the only one I really trust other than my Father, right Fern?" He looks back at you. "I can count on you, right?"

It's hard not to notice the muscles that have muscles of their own, but Fern doesn't stop, going by her own experience that even sometimes just a warm touch does more good than all the words in the world. Well, doesn't stop until she is stopped, and she leans forward as Leo pulls her hand to kiss. She sighs softly, turning her head to plant a soft kiss at Leo's temple before she murmurs against his skin, "You can count on me. I'll always keep your secrets. I promise." It's not an oath she takes lightly, and she's an experienced secret keeper.

A turn of Fern's hand, and Leo kisses the palm lightly. "The Beauty to the Beast," a light curve to his lips. He lifts up easily to one knee, his body twisting as he moves one hand to your hip to hold you steady. Perhaps it's the fact he wants comfort that Leo feels more confident, or Fern's promise. But he is about level with Fern again as he now faces her, and leans in.

As long as Fern permits, Leo will actually move in for a kiss. One meant to explore and take the time to really learn the feel of Fern's lips, the taste of them, and even entrance. He is very careful though if permitted, still holding one of Fern's hands gently in his, and his other hand on her hip.

The kiss to her palm is nothing if not a heart melting gesture, so sweet and innocent, and Fern isn't immune to the romance of it. She doesn't pull away as Leo turns, pushing up to even their height, then leans in, and her lips are warm and soft on his own. It's not actually a tentative kiss, but it is tender and undemanding, with the light electric undercurrent of attraction humming through her nerves. Just look at him, it would be almost impossible to not be attracted to Leo Luthor on several different levels.

Sadly, some of that 'perfectness' is thanks to the very genes he half curses - the Kryptonian - and yet...Leo just wants to make sure that strength isn't used to harm Fern as he treats her gently. Leo is a guy, he fantasized doing this with a girl just...making out. But in reality, Fern isn't any girl, she's actually one he has grown to care about. The feel of her, her taste, it is things he commits to memory as he kisses her, and when it is finally broken, he actually ends it with a soft extra kiss at the end.

Part of him wants to scream at him for being patient and utterly crazy as the next words come out of his mouth, "Why don't you stay Fern," it coming out more statement than question. "I'd even agree to that crazy pillows idea." Maybe Fern makes him sane, or maybe she makes him mad...Leo honestly isn't quite sure yet.

Before the kiss is broken completely, Fern lightly catches Leo's bottom lip, a soft tug before that extra kiss. She has to smile at 'that crazy pillows idea', letting her forehead rest against his, her nose tip to tip with his. But what he's said about his father is the thing that gives her pause. "What if your father finds out I was here all night?" she asks quietly. "I don't want him to get the wrong idea." Not only is it important to her for Leo's reputation, but for her own as well. She's not one to go jumping from bed to bed, and she doesn't even want the illusion out there that she might be. And that's the first thing most people would think if she were to spend the night.

"Let him. He will think what he wants. If you don't mind it, I'm not going to either." Leo moves to touch Fern's red hair, fingers moving through it. He never really touched Fern so openly before, and...honestly, he feels a little giddy from it. "I think I'm already hooked Fern. Even if it all falls apart, I want to keep you as part of my life. The future will deal with itself, but you...you make me want to be a better person. Make that's the secret about it."

Leo smirks a bit at that. "Damn, Justin Hammer of all people...maybe that's the key. You make people want to be better than they are without you in their lives. It's just got the extra bonus of you being smoking hot and me being attracted to you," his tone slightly teasing at the end.

A light blush touches Fern's cheeks at Leo's words, and she shakes her head in a denial that can't be unexpected. "Everyone has good in them, it just takes someone to see it. I might just be good at seeing it in people." She pauses, torn over the decision whether to stay or go. She doesn't really have to be up early, so there would, theoretically, be plenty of time for her to get home in the morning, get packed, and be ready when it's time for the car to pick her up. But still.... "I don't know, Leo. What your father thinks is important to me."

Leo is not about to tell Fern that his father called her a 'conquest'. He groans a bit at that, "Really, really, don't put weight on my Father's opinion about my romantic life. Seriously." But he leans in to kiss you again, a lingering kiss, a simpler one this time though.

"Go home then," he says against your lips before pulling away. "You are leaving me lonely though," actually trying to look displeased, but really...it just comes off as wishful.

Fern looks into Leo's eyes as he pulls back, and the look on his face draws a crooked smile to her lips. "Don't scowl like that," she teases gently, "Your face might freeze that way." There's another pause, and her hand comes up to softly stroke the young Luthor's cheek. "I'll stay for a while. Maybe not all night. Maybe so. I trust you, too." There's no fear at all that Leo might use his size and strength to his advantage. He's confided enough in her that she isn't worried he just wants a conquest. If she'd thought that, she'd have been long gone already. "And I don't want to leave if you're still upset."

Leo seems to hesitate, but finally nods. "Well, how about you come on down here then?" On the base couch area. He shifts a bit, welcoming Fern to join him. In reality, it's just so he can get closer to her. "So, where you going this weekend anyway?"

As Leo shifts to make room, Fern slides down next to him, cuddling close, nestling beside him and fitting like a puzzle piece. "Since I have the next two days off, Justin is going to take me out on his boat. I can't wait," she says, and the excitement is creeping into her voice. "We're gonna sleep on the boat, and then come back on Monday. I've never slept on a boat before." She's not admitted to Leo yet that she often rides the Staten Island Ferry just for fun, and because it's free. To most it's just a means of getting from one place to another. For Fern, it's a wondrous novelty.

"Mmmms, now I'm jealous." Leo wraps his arm about you, hand resting on your hip once more. He then moves to kiss your temple. "You let him know, if he tries anything, I'll break his pinky. I picked the pinky, cause you like him," Leo half teases you. That does it, Leo is asking for a boat for his birthday!

Fern grins, tilting her head for the kiss and reassuring, "There's no reason to be jealous. I trust Justin as much as I trust you, and I know he won't try anything." There's a soft giggle as she adds, "But I appreciate your thoughtfulness in only wanting to break his pinky and not anything more serious." She twists with a little wiggle, pushing so her lips can find his, reward for such remarkable restraint.

"Hey...I try and succeed in kisses with you." Alright, there is some honest jealousy there. And then there is a kiss! Leo's arm tightens about your waist, pulling you more snugly up against him as he returns that thankful little kiss.

It's comfortable, the way Fern fits against Leo, curves meshing with his angles, and she has no complaint about it. She nuzzles her nose against his neck as she settles in, her voice soft. "Relax for a bit, don't dwell on things that bother you. They'll keep working in your brain, even if you aren't concentrating on it, and sometimes you find even better answers when you let it go for a while. If you're hungry in a bit, I'll heat up some food for you, or if you're tired we'll go to sleep. Ok?"

No one has tried to take care of him like this other than his Father, and not in so...intimate a manner (thank goodness!). Still, Leo stays half curled up with you. "Just...like this is fine. I guess until sleep. I'm not really hungry right now, just rather have you." Needing anyone other than...ya, getting the picture, Father complex...Leo would never have dreamed. But he settles, the music having been turned down at your arrive still playing softly in the background.

"Then you'll have what I brought for breakfast in the morning," Fern murmurs agreeably. She's not ready to admit it yet, but the security of someone strong close to her is comforting for her as well, especially with all the weird that's come at her in the past week. With her head resting against his chest, Fern can hear Leo's heart beating, and the night will be just as good for her as it might be for him. She can wait until morning to worry about what his father might find out, and what he might think. Suddenly it's not as important any more.