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[You know the benefit of having such a sizable boyfriend? She can always fit on him just right without being obtrusive to what he's doing! It's always great. She leans into him to get all sorts of comfortable ... There's a good chance she'll either get sort of tipsy and then horny, or sort of tipsy and then sleepy.]

I really can't get over the fact that you're legitimately perfect.

[He actually wants to get married, she doesn't have to feel bad about the idea! Amazing.]

[You're pretty comfortable too, Nariko; she fits just right under his arm, her waist just the right height to hook his arm around it.

He's very interested in either one of those options, because no one cuddles better than sleepy Nariko does...and the horny option is more than acceptable too. Seeing her get tipsy on his hand-mixed drinks is always a pleasure.]

A perfect monster for the perfect woman.

[He loves you, Nariko, of course he wants to marry you!]

[His hand-mixed drinks are very, very good, so good that the first one is already pretty much gone, she leans forward to set the glass down and instead tap at his rum.]

Can I have some?

[And, added onto that:] You never asked why I had that cigarette.

[Because he's a nice individual who respects other people's privacy, and is willing to talk about issues as they arrive without forcing them. And Nariko ... Kind of takes advantage of that, because it means she never really has to deal with anything difficult. But if they're going to get married then that probably has to change.]

[Damn that was fast. It was a whole highball glass!]

Oh, sure.

[Against his better wisdom, he hands her the whole handle.]

Thought you already did: old vice.

[He shrugs. Given how private he likes to be about himself, he's not really in the habit of sticking his nose where it isn't invited.]

[When you have a goal you have to work quickly! She's a little gentler with his rum just because she's not rude, but she goes for a healthy dose of that, too.]

Mm, yeah, but all vices have their origins, right?

[And none of them are good.]

When I heard about it, I knew what they'd end up doing and it drove me nuts. It reminded me of being a kid, the lack of control, repeating what you know over and over again until you verge on doubting yourself, at times. [Just recalling it creates an unsettling itch under her skin.] I hate that feeling, and I hate dead bodies. Seeing one was enough for a lifetime.

[Dead body...dead body...it's something pretty sobering, but he doesn't seem to recall her talking about this before. He takes the bottle of rum from her to take a swig of it before handing it back to her.]

Don't think this is a story you've told me yet.

It's not one I like telling, or thinking about, or acknowledging as real.

[She takes the bottle back and stares at the rim for a good few seconds. Just - do it one go, it's like ripping a band-aid off, right? So she drinks, lets it burn, and then coughs out:]

My dad is - he died. I saw him. Die.

[There.]

Woah, Nariko--

[He's a little alarmed by how hard she's hitting that. It's straight-up rum, woman, you'll burn your esophagus out!

Wow.

Okay. Time to pause his game.]

You...gonna be okay?

[Let her cough in all of her ungraceful glory because holy shit that was a bad idea and now she's regretting it.]

Yeah - yes! [Okay, maybe it's time to lay off on the booze.]

'm fine.

[There might be a patch of her throat that's incredibly pissed at her but it takes a foot of dick on a nearly daily basis, it can power through just fine.]

You don't have to talk about it if it hurts too much...

[It pains him to see her in pain, mental or physical...still, he's, uh, gonna take that booze from her for now.]

I appreciate the gesture, though.

No, it's - I have to.

[It's only right, because it would be horrible to get years into it all and have it come out, to maybe have her intentions doubted.]

My parents were a mess, and I don't want to be a mess. I don't want to be a shitty wife, and I don't want to be an abusive, horrible excuse of a mother, either. I want a family in part because my own was a disaster, and that's - It's not the whole reason, but it's a big enough part that I can't not tell you.

[The alcohol is really settling in her because her thoughts are scattered and her voice is starting to lilt.] Even if it's a part of it, the more important one is that I love you and I don't feel like a fuck up when I'm with you, I can't ever imagine not loving you or doing anything horrible on purpose, okay?

[It's a very bad idea to drink quickly.]

[He takes a hand off of his controller and takes his arm--the one around her waist--so that he can take her hand in his own, gently running his thumb over the back of her hand.]

That's fair. I mean--one of my reason's kind of similar, right? I want a family because I never had one. And neither of us are perfect, but...that's why we're perfect for each other.

[A pause. The sequence of ideas is a little...alarming, now that he thinks about it for a second.]

Did...did your mom kill him...?

[When he holds her hands she relaxes, which is funny because Nariko wasn't entirely sure of when she'd tensed up so horribly in the first place. While he talks she makes sure to listen to his voice, to really take it in and accept it as something reliable, solid. It's calming to sort of ground herself in such a tiny way.

Of course his question threatens to unravel it, but at least he's saved her the trouble of saying it on her own.]

She did. They, ah, [Why is she tearing up? This is stupid. It's not something to cry about anymore.] they screamed at each other in the library and she just - just stabbed him with that stupid letter opener. [She always hated that thing. Who the fuck used a letter opener? Pretentious shits like her mom.] Twenty-nine times.

[Her free hand presses at her forehead.] I just stood there. I just - I was useless, I hated her. I hate her. But I could have - I tried to, but it was. Y'know. No one can really make it through that, so I just. [Screamed and cried hysterically until one of their neighbors had the sense to call the police.] I just kept pushing at his throat and he just kept bleeding.

[Jesus.

That's so much worse than what he's had to go through. For one, he didn't know the kid, and two, he didn't have to watch while it happened.

Boxer puts down his controller and leans down to wrap his arms around Nariko. Like she weighs barely anything to him, he pulls her up onto his mantled lap, arms enveloping her entirely while he holds her against his broad, bare chest. It's likely she couldn't escape this gentle bear hug even if she wanted to. He wants to say something along the lines of "I'm sorry," but he doesn't want to patronize her loss. All he wants her to know is that he'll always be here for her...especially if she chooses now to shed tears for it.]

She's in jail now...right?

[This bear hug and Boxer's presence as a whole, is all that's keeping her together, so the last thing she would want is to leave it. But that question gets a strange bark out of her, something between a laugh and a half disengaged sob.]

No.

[There would have to be some justice in the world for that to have become the case!] After ... It. She choked me, kept squeezing and said that I couldn't. I couldn't tell anyone or she'd wring the life out of me. [There's a very tiny, utterly humorless excuse of a laugh here.] Was really easy to believe at the moment. And then she left. Just took the thing with her and left.

[Nariko ... Hates crying. Crying is bullshit. It's painful and it makes her tired, but she's beyond entry level tipsy right now, and it turns out that feeling safe makes it easy to begin sniffling.] L-Later. I found out - she went to her fucking parents. They lied. Said she had been there all week and left me with Viktor, Nathan's father.

[Finger the lover for the killing of the husband.] And I couldn't say it! God fucking knows I can't keep my mouth shut now to save my sorry ass but for a whole year I couldn't say anything! She wouldn't have -- If I could have just --

[And there it goes, her voice wound up to a sharp, hysterical pierce before it broke down into an all out wail. Sorry about your ears, Boxer.]

[Thankfully, hearing isn't one of the senses he has that are attuned due to being monsterkind. So it'll hurt, but not as bad as hearing this story does.

He tightens his grip on her when she wails, and he'll sit it out--no trying to hush her or silence her, because at this point, it sounds like she needs to get it out. When he finds the natural opportunity to, he'll speak up.]

No one will hurt you like that again. Not while I'm around.

[Because as much as he tries to come off as a big harmless, skittish teddy bear...he's actually not. And while he might not try to kill someone to defend Nariko...maiming is definitely the likely scenario, and some people might not be able to handle it all.]

[Bless him for being patient because there's a lot to get out and she graduates from wailing to full on, heaving sobs that force her to turn and face him, forehead pressed against his shoulder, only sneaking her arm in when she can't stand the overflow of tears that are starting to burn. When it does all taper down to aimless hiccups and a gentle exhaustion, he's still right there and she -

She believes him.]

Thank you. [Her voice is a mess and so is her face, but for the first time in more than a decade she feels a little lighter, and a whole hell of a lot safer.] I love you.

[So much that it hurts in just the right way, and can begin to replace the parts that were tied up in keeping it all to herself. But, one last thing:]

.... I really need some tissue.

[Her nose is gross.]

Love you too.

[He gives her a gentle laugh when she requests tissues, and he gestures to the mantle below the television. He'd get them for her like the gentleman he is, if it weren't for the fact that she's (a) currently on his lap (b) a little more maneuverable in the leg department.]

Could you get one for me too?

[He has a little, uh, Nariko on him. But he's not grossed out, he accepts any and all body fluids she gives him.]

[She leans back a little to wipe at her eyes some more, further irritating them, and then laughs kind of thickly.] Oh, man, I'm sorry.

[Of all the body fluids those are probably the least desirable, and fairly so. She gets onto her feet and manages to avoid swaying too much before she grabs the whole box, just in case. When she comes back she plops onto his lap and blows her nose and cleans him up in the same moment.]

Better. [She's still a mess but it's just her and Boxer. He won't judge her horribly.]

Earlier - that's why I said not to worry about it. The detective looking into it he's ... The same one who figured it all out, same one who found me. [She blows her nose again.] So it'll be okay. I think I really owe the guy a fruit basket by now.

It's okay. Not that bothered by it. [Could be worse. Could be vomit.]

He's a nice guy. [Boxer could tell that from what limited conversations they had.] Rough job. Can't imagine having to do that for a living...

[He's much more content to just swim around and report to interested parties. When she settles into his lap again, he wraps his arms loosely around her.]

Guess I don't have to worry about meeting the in-laws then.

[Too dark? Too soon?]

[She stutters into a genuine laugh - nah, not too dark or too soon.]

No, thankfully we're both cleared of that special form of suffering! And the remaining relatives you might meet will adore you, I'm sure of it.

[With .... One very notable exception, but they don't have to talk about that right now.]

[Oh, now he's grinning.]

And when do I get to meet the rest of the Lunae clan?

Whenever you feel prepared to handle that level of batshit crazy, I guess. They always want to visit but my apartment isn't big enough to house more than a few extra people, and they all insist on coming at once.

[When you have like fifteen cousins it all becomes a mess very, very quickly.]

If I told my grandma she was going to meet my fiancee she'd attach herself to the first plane headed this way, and still manage to bring along pita bread for the journey.

[Food? Food?? Food???

His smile turns sly.]

In that case...do you know the one dock out by the bay that has that giant pavilion? The one usually dressed up in a bunch of Christmas lights and gets used for big fat cat parties? I can pull a few strings...make a reservation for it.

[Yes, food, Boxer. So much food, most all of which made by an enthusiastic grandma who has a boatload of old, reliable recipes. They'll get along amazingly just based on his appetite.

It's almost no surprise to her that he has a valid solution.]

That you would end up receiving the best lamb stew on Earth doesn't play a part in this, right? [She can barely make it through that mock question without laughing.]

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long dramatic tags oh gosh

eats it all up

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