Alive
By: Aviantei
32 mph
To pretty much no one's surprise, Nate and Caleb ordered so much food that there wasn't any conceivable way to the four of us to eat it in one go, so I made them pack up the rest into the fridge, eat some for breakfast, and also shipped them off to school with leftovers the next morning. The sad part was that, even with all that, our fridge is still overflowing, but there are more than enough meals coming up that we should be able to get through it all before anything spoils. That's one of the benefits to having so many mouths to feed, I suppose.
I kind of miss how hectic things are around here, though.
Sleep's done me plenty of good, and I smile to myself once the boys are out and on their way. For the full Tailor family experience, we'd need Dad home, but I'm hoping that happens soon and then I can stop fussing. Not so sure he'll be delighted by the pile of food overtaking the fridge, though. If I can't convince him to change his line of work, he should at least start watching what he eats.
Don't think too hard about it, Kirsten. You can fight that battle when he's in front of you—
My thoughts cut off as something soft falls over my shoulder. I look, and Alexander's bequeathed me with a t-shirt and a pair of athletic shorts I forgot even stuffed into my bag. He's already geared up in his own track suit, which is about one stage less baggy than his usual ensemble. "Could you not think up a more polite way to tell me that I need to stay in shape?" I say with a teasing lilt.
"What I'm doing is offering you the chance to burn off some energy," he says, working on stretching out his shoulders. "Emotional stress aside, you've basically been cooped up indoors since we got on the plane. You'll feel a lot better if you go for a run or something." He smiles. "Whatever you like; you already know I can keep up. And then we'll work on the rest, okay?"
I look at my change of clothes one more time and know he's right. "Yeah, yeah." Tugging the fabric off my shoulder, I glance around the living room before looking back to Alexander. "Oh, wait, I get it. This is your way of asking me for a free show. Scandalous." Ah, there's the color rushing to his ears.
"Why are you like this?"
"Because you like me just the way I am," I say, working on tugging off my pajama top as I head back towards the bedroom. For all his foresight, Alexander forgot to snag me a bra to wear. I toss my tank top at him before he can decide whether or not it's appropriate to look. As if I care. "I'll take you up on your offer, though. There's a park nearby that's got some good paths, if I remember right."
Navigating your hometown can be a funny little thing. I haven't taken to the streets on foot in years (usually I'm navigating everything via public transport), and yet I can remember every little shortcut and way to avoid foot traffic. Every now and then I get tripped up on directions when one of my personal landmarks has changed—a building remodeled or a storefront replaced with another—but the roads are the same and it's like that cliché about riding a bike. I feel like I could be running with my eyes closed and I'd know exactly where I'm going.
Alexander was right; sitting still doesn't suit me at all, and it's been making my mood all the worse. Sure, it's not like the problems go away, but moving my muscles and getting the blood pumping helps work away some of the tension. Alexander doesn't have any trouble keeping up with me, only dropping behind every now and then to get out of the way of some other passersby. There's no need for words, just motion and moving together.
How lucky I am.
Though there's a few unexpected detours on the way, but we make our way to the park. We take a quick moment to drink from the water fountains and find a running trail before setting off on the second leg. The environment is such a stark contrast from the desert around IGPX city that it feels like a different world. The weather's not as hot, there's trees providing shade, and the color green actually fucking exists.
Since Alexander got me out the door without my phone, I can't keep track of however much time has passed since we set out, and that's fine. Without time, I can stop stressing about everything. Without time, I have no idea how long it's been since we've started, only that my body feels like it's pushing out all the negative thoughts along with the sweat.
Once I get my fill of emptying my mind, I find the nearest bench and collapse across it, head pressed against the seat and my legs bent over the opposite end. Alexander gives up and flops onto the grass, close enough that I can see him without exerting any real effort, but with enough difference that our body heat doesn't overlap underneath the rising run.
"I'm starting to think that Nate and Caleb have a point," I say between catching my breath. My eyes follow the vague patterns of clouds, making half-hearted attempts at finding shapes in them. "Why do you put up with me when I'm such a hassle?"
Alexander wipes the sweat off his forehead and raises an eyebrow at me. "You really think you getting stressed and upset is that much of a hassle?" I shrug as best I can while still lying down. "I don't know where you've learned about stress responses, but yours a pretty natural. I'm not about to judge you for that."
I groan. "Why do you always have the perfect answer to everything?" There's some more contrasts: no one else that I've gotten close to in my life has ever bothered to pretend that I'm anything less than a train wreck. When I close my eyes, the sun shines red against the lids. "Me getting pissed off yesterday. That's not the worst I can be, you know." I don't even know how I managed to hold myself back.
Except I didn't, and Alexander's the one who did all the hard work.
"Here's the funny thing, Kirsten: I kind of figured out you're not perfect that one time you broke into my hangar. You breaking into my house was my second hint." A chuckle escapes my lips. "So funnily enough, I don't expect you to be this pristine person. So if you get worse, okay, but we'll figure it out."
"That's unfair. I get to be a mess, and you get to be perfect." So talented, so composed, no matter what he's facing. A genius show off, and then me.
"Yeah, no." Alexander flicks my forehead, and I swipe out a hand in retaliation, but since I wasn't looking right, it's no wonder that my hit goes wide. I stick out my tongue. "Did you miss the part where I literally ran away from home just because I was bored? How I managed to work myself in a rut and just let myself sit in it and rot?" That small frown falls over his lips again. "I try my best, but I'm not perfect, either."
"That sounds suspiciously like something a perfect person would say," I mutter, "but sure, okay, you can be imperfect if you want, I guess." Alexander snorts, and I smile along with him. I know we won't be in this honeymoon-ish phase forever, but that doesn't mean I intend to waste all the easy moments of happiness that are around. Grunting, I sit up, my thighs half protesting against the idea of getting up again. "I vote we go home, wash up, eat something adventurous for lunch, then we go check on Dad."
"You see, I thought you were the one making a pass at me this time, but then you brought up the possibility of eating more spiders, and I distinctly feel like I'm getting lead into a trap here." That doesn't stop Alexander from rising to his feet and offering me a hand up from the bench. Even though I don't really need it, I still take it. "Is this how the rest of our relationship is going to work? You should have mentioned that in your disclaimer."
I tilt my head and put on the most innocent smile I can muster (which, admittedly, isn't very good). "If I were to ever do such a dastardly thing—and I'm offended you think I'm capable of that—then you could absolutely expect the rest of our relationship to be like that." I pat Alexander's chest once before stretching out my legs for the trek home. "If you still want to take a pass at me when I'm covered in sweat, though, I won't stop you."
I tighten my ponytail, toss my hair over my shoulder, and take off on the jog home, the sound of Alexander's footsteps intermingling with mine.
Our next trip to the hospital has two incidents of good news: the first is that a certain bitch doesn't show up in our immediate vicinity, which is plenty cause to throw a fucking celebration right then and there.
The second is that Dad gets the clear to go home, with a follow-up appointment already scheduled.
If I had a say in the matter, I'd corner Dad into another talk, but I inherited half of my ability to steamroll a conversation from him, and he ends up in an animated discussion with Alexander about work and all that stuff I guess you ask the person who's dating your kid. Alexander puts up an admirable fight, trying to steer the conversation around in a direction that works in my favor, but even I know better than to try and interrupt that train once it gets rolling. Our original mini vacation plans involved staying about a week anyways, and at least that part of the itinerary hasn't changed, so there's plenty of time to sort things out.
You're sweet for trying, though, Alexander.
Caleb bursts into tears of relief when he gets home and realizes Dad's there, and Nate may not cry, but he does sound choked up for a bit, though it's kind of hard to tell with him squished into a bear hug. Relief floods through my body, banishing the last traces of stress, at the sight of everyone in the family apartment, together and smiling.
The entire world in perfect color.
I'd sit around and soak it all in if I could, expect Caleb snatches my arm and drags me into it, and before I know it, Alexander gets pulled into our mass of tangling bodies. The blurs of vibrant shades are more than enough for me, and I don't even care that Nate steps on my toes while Dad's blow somehow makes itself at home in my ribs. And while I don't mind that I made my home in the middle of the desert, it's nice to be in the middle of a moment that makes me feel so much like I'm at home.
"Okay, okay," Dad says after a bit, patting a still teary Caleb on the back. "I know this is emotional and all, but I think we're forgetting that this isn't my party." With years of practice behind me, I'm able to detangle myself from the family hug faster than Alexander, and I nudge his arm once, tossing him a smirk when he looks my way. "Thankfully, we weren't planning on doing anything too hectic, so that means we have plenty of time to get things ready."
It takes a moment for Caleb to catch on, but when he does, he nods, and Nate follows a second later, though I can see that he almost wants to protest. Not that I let him.
"Don't even bother, Baby Bro Number One," I say, clapping my hands with finality. "Between Dad getting home and your birthday, I see absolutely no reason not to party."
[Author's Notes]
We are slowly approaching the end of this fic. Wild. Still have a few things left to go, though!
You know what happens next Saturday. Please look forward to it!
-Avi
[12.02.2019]
