doku | VISIONS I HAD BURIED UNDERGROUND / RETURNING TO ABUSE US

[She looks to where he's pointing.]

Oh! These aren't for you, though! These are for, like, random people.

[One night stands, gas station dude from back then, surprises. That kind of thing.]

Do you want me to wear a condom with you?

[UHHH..]

You're asking me that as if it's an option?

[Does she take the pill too or something? On top of that, he...

He gestures to the arm usually sleeved under his jacket.]

I've never been tested.

[No one ever told him during his blood tests so he might not actually have anything; then again, they might've just assumed he already knew, or didn't care.]

Edited 2016-04-04 02:10 (UTC)

[..... Krieg.]

You've been clean for years, right? Upwards-ish of ten?

[That's assuming he quit early at, like, sixteen, but that's probably not it at all. It's not like she ever asked the man for a timeline but mostly she's just proving a point.] It only takes those things a few months to develop into something serious, Krieg. And it's true that people with HIV can present without any symptoms, but as far as I understand you'd still have a higher chance of being sick in other ways that might indicate it.

[Fever, the rash, the headaches ... Something. But it wasn't impossible to go the whole time without presenting some kind of symptom, so:]

Also, why the hell haven't you gotten tested.

[Stern Friend Voice.]

[He scoffs.]

God, no. It's been one-thousand and fifty-six days. [Beat.] One month 'til my three-year sobersary.

[At her stern friend voice, he shrugs.]

I never worried about anything the doctors didn't tell me about. They took blood from me so often that I just...figured they'd say something if anything was amiss.

[Logical! ...right?]

[Holy shit that was recent!

But, still.]

And it doesn't drive you completely insane to not know, one hundred percent?

[Doctors were legally mandated to tell patients, right? That had to be part of their oath or something. But people could be assholes, and judgmental ones at that.]

Well. You're gonna know better than me, so you should pick the ones that'll fit. Just remember to take girth into account, and there has to be a little room at the tip, too.

[One thing she's never done is help a guy go condom shopping, and it's not like she'll be any real help since she's never so much as seen it, let alone felt it. Going bareback is so much more fun, but she can't currently think of a polite way to say 'get tested so we can have sex without condoms' and not sound a demanding, sex-addicted bitch.]

...It was never relevant?

[Check it out, his complete disregard for his well-being is showing its head again. Well...not complete disregard. He's a little better than he used to be.]

I'll be right back.

[And so he goes off to collect a meager box. They're plain, but black. Does that count for anything? He sets them on the counter as Nariko checks out, standing over her from behind. He leans down to whisper into her ear.]

I'll make an appointment when we get home after lunch.

[Her answer is a huff because of course his health is fucking important! He could be really sick goddamn sick! You don't play around with shit that serious and while there was no sense in blaming him for the addiction itself and the things that came along with it, she could be peevish at his lack of care for his own health now! But Nariko tries to take a calming breath and remind herself that Krieg is his own adult. He doesn't need her mothering him.

Except he kind of goddamn needs her to mother over him.

By the time he's setting the condoms down she's already handed everything over, but has apparently decided against the shower dildo, since it's set off to the side. Which means that when he says that she's free to whirl around and face him.]

Really?!

[It also means that she can make up for her lack of height by hopping up, and getting her arms around his neck to outright kiss him. It's longer and much firmer this time around! See what happens when you care about yourself, Krieg? You get some kind of positive affection!]

Good. I'm glad.

[And not just because she wants condom-less sex, but because he needs to be aware of his health! But they also have to pay, so she lets go of him after she can safely land on the floor.]

[It all could be chalked up to his perspective. He used to toe the line of life and death just to chase down that high, and he's been spending his time learning how to actually take care of himself ever since he cleaned up. It started with good, home-cooked food, sleep, and a healthy amount of exercise, but with Nariko's help he'll figure out how to work out the subtleties.

She won't need that shower dildo with him around...

The kiss, like the one from earlier, catches him off guard, but at least this one isn't a total shock to the system. In fact, he'll even have enough wherewithal to actually kiss her back, though it's tempered with a lack of experience and an uncertainty on what makes a decent kiss. He'll even support a bit of her weight, too, feeling the responsibility when she jumps up that entire distance just to land it, and letting her down gently when they part.]

I didn't realize you'd be so excited about bareback.

[He's teasing her, of course--he knows that it's more than just that. Still...he hopes he really is clean, so she'll be able to enjoy it in the end. Krieg thinks he remembers actually trying to get clean needles, but his memory of that time makes Swiss cheese look solid.]

[Progress!!! He's worked up to kissing back! She's very proud of him, but now isn't the best time to point that out since they're still at the checkout counter and all that. It's a good thing he didn't even blink at her launching his way! And also terrible, because now she'll be likely to do it far more often.]

Hush your face.

[But she grins because of course he's teasing and she's honestly more relieved than she had expected. When they're total is announced that has to be settled. It's a little pricey, and that's why it comes out of her personal account, not whichever one they both use for shared things like the cell phone bill, or whatever.

When they walk outside her arm is wrapped around his.]

Wanna go to more clothing stores? [Or have they got everything they need?]

[The slightest crack of a smile appears on his face when she tells him to hush. You're welcome to jump at him whenever, Nariko; she weighs less than what he'd bench-press. And he's a little too distracted with the feel-goods to notice the price!]

Depends. How are we doing on time?

[He opens the door to the truck and then freezes.]

Ah. Iko, we forgot something...

[He could go with or without it, but he feels like she'd be a lot more comfortable if he was wearing one...]

[Hey, hey, he's not paying, so he doesn't have to worry! But while Krieg reacts Nariko just arbitrarily arranges bags.]

Well, about that. [See, if he hadn't remembered then they wouldn't be having this conversation! The next time it came up it'd be in the moment, when neither of them would want to run down to the nearest adult store or think up makeshift gags. She had a speech prepared for that, not for this!]

I want to try it without a gag. If that's okay.

[Soooo. Yeah!]

Only if you're okay with it.

[With her admission, he hops into the driver's seat. He figures that, in a pinch, they could use tape or cloth wedge.]

I don't want to upset you in the heat of the moment.

Mm, well, if nothing else I'll just sit on your face and you'll learn how to use your tongue for the good of the world. Or mine, at least, same thing.

[... Okay but, yes, in reality they can use tape or another length of rope or something, although that probably wouldn't be very comfortable. Still! They back into the truck and she pulls out her phone:] It's been an hour or so, we might need to waste more time.

[She finds the list of stores again and looks a few of them up.] I want to drop by here, okay?

[Getting punished for his awful mouth through facesitting? Eating her out isn't something he'd fancied about before, but...that sounds like a pretty fantastic idea.]

Huh...

[Color him interested!]

This one? Yeah, sure.

[Beep boop on the GPS, and off they go. What's their next destination?]

[It is .... An interesting place! Most easily described as a retro, rockabilly shop tucked away into a little strip mall that's a good twenty minutes away from where they were. With no explanation she hops out of the truck and sort of fast walks in, immediately looking around. There's lots of dresses, bright colors, The Atomic Boutique is a cheery place and Nariko takes to it pretty immediately.]

Oh, this is perfect!

[There's also zero resemblance to the bohemian chic that she displayed as her band's lead, nor the overly casual outfits she's taken to since the beginning of their road trip. She goes right for a blue dress, searching through the rack for her size.]

[He gives the place a good ole college try, but he ultimately decides that the leather jackets are a little too much greaser to be his kind of aesthetic. He does pick up a black button up with stark white contrast, something he could keep open without an undershirt.

On his way back to Nariko, he stops by a cute ladybug-polkadot number reminiscent of a poodle dress; he grabs what he thinks is her size and by the time he joins up with her, he holds it up to her and immediately decides:]

This isn't your size.

[Sorry, Nariko. Women's sizes don't make a lick of sense.]

[No, they really don't.

She looks over his choice and gives a very approving nod.] If I fit this then I'm a double extra large for this, so they might have the right size!

[It just might be hidden, or somewhere in the back! Such is the fate of a bust that alters the size of every single damn thing you wear.] Give me a second!

[She doesn't even ask one of the store associates for help, it's easy enough to find an open dressing room and hop right into it! In record time she's got her shorts and top off, wiggles into the little blue sailor dress. When she comes out it sags on her a little awkwardly, and she's pouting.]

I can't zip it up.

[So here's another friend duty, Krieg! She turns and moves her hair so that he can do it up the rest of the way. The cut of the dress itself makes it easy to spot the a long scar that runs the length between her shoulder blades. It's old and raised, clearly standing out among otherwise pristine skin.]

Double extra large?

[But Nariko is so tiny! Why does she wear the same size he does in men's?! It's not like she's proportionally huge to her sex like he is!

What's her story, anyway? Does she have her clothes tailored to fit properly? Does she do it herself?]

Yeah, sure.

[He's comfortable enough zipping up a girl's dress that he might as well be The Gay Friend. There is a brief hesitation as he notices her scar--from its age, it looks like it's been there for a while, but he's surprised he's never noticed it before.

He'll have to ask about it. Later. Up goes the zipper.]

[Man, he's really never lived with a woman! Doesn't he know the world of clothing is complicated, that women's sizes aren't comparable to mens at all?]

Yeah, like, X and X and L. It's just the boobs and my hips, really. [She just thinks he's misunderstood what she was trying to say, because she's a happy little dense thing, at times. She knows the brands that suit her best and mostly sticks to them, and she can only get her bras from one specific store, too! It's a lot of adjusting for her curves, but she didn't always have stylists, so it's a labor of love.]

Thank you!

[Once that zipper is up her hair goes back down, and that's generally why no one's ever seen it: There were very few pictures that exposed the entirety of her back, and even fewer where her hair might be up enough to easily see it. But she's honestly so comfortable around Krieg that she hasn't thought to worry about it, she's way more concerned with looking at herself in the mirror.]

I have always wanted to wear one of these! [It's pleasantly snug on her, and when she does a little twirl the skirt lifts pleasantly.] It's so cute!!

Edited 2016-04-09 01:31 (UTC)

[He's lived with a woman! But the two of them were thrift store jockeys where things either fit or they didn't--and Gaige pulling around a strung-out Krieg doesn't really count as shopping.]

Not sure who else it's supposed to fit.

[Some no-curves twig? As he takes a seat on the padded bench nearby, he comments:]

It is really cute.

[Even though it doesn't fit her waist! Yet.] I like how it moves.

I do, too.

[When she was in a band everything had to be eccentric and sort of bohemian chic-ish which, granted, Nariko hadn't disliked! A lot of it was stuff she'd have worn anyway or approved of but there's no arguing that her look came to symbolize her place in that situation. Krieg had the right idea when it came to changing it up a little! But she might have to keep on looking because this isn't it, she can feel it while toying with the skirt a little more, smoothing her palms over the waist and up to her bust. It really does push her up a bit, and her bra straps don't match at all.]

Do you think it'd be okay for going to lunch?

[A more important question: Was she ever going to get rid of the vague sensation of falling or was that just a never-ending side effect of signing the release forms?]

[If that's how she feels, he might have to introduce her to the world of goth/grunge gear. They're partners now, they oughta look the part! ...But only if she wants to.

Krieg doesn't think he knows anything about women's fashion, so he shrugs--but he does offer this:]

It's definitely more lunch than it is dinner.

[Maybe it'll help when they're finally writing and publishing their own music? Hopefully.]

[Right about now she's more than willing to take suggestions, it might at least help her choose a direction instead of thinking about it sort of aimlessly.]

Definitely. [One more little twirl, and then!] Okay, I just have to find the other one in a decent size and then I'm done! [For a man who felt ignorant to women's fashion, he certainly picked out something that she liked! Give her a second to change back into her regular clothes, grab an attendant ... And they've successfully knocked off an extra twenty minutes or so!

If Krieg's nearby while her dresses are being rung up and neatly folded, he's going to find one arm grabbed by both of her own. Apparently he was needed for cuddling because, yeah, she'll probably feel a lot better when she can sing again, when there's some assurance that her talent wasn't related to her old label. For now she can make do with clinging a little bit.]

[He's just kind of idly staring at whatever until Nariko clings to him. Hello there! He looks down at her and manages to crack a smile.]

You really want to start rumours about the two of us, aren't you?

[Rumors about them dating, more than making music together! Still--he reaches up with his other hand to pat the top of her head.]

Let's go to one more stop and check in with Izzy, okay?

[She answers with a little huffing kind of noise and squeezes him as if that might cause some amount of discomfort. Aren't those rumors unavoidable? They live together, will end up making music together, and will constantly be photographed together! ... Of course he's just teasing, so she really shouldn't take it so seriously.]

Sure, lead the way!

[He sat through her menial side event, she can return the favor! Nariko even manages to let go of his arm when they get back to the truck and pile inside. If you ever wanted to take her somewhere incredibly weird, Krieg, now is your chance.]

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