Backlogged: Conalie Storm
Who: Connor and Natalie
What: The storm brings out the worst in Connor
When: Saturday night
Where: Stark Residence/Thorne Hall
Notes: Sorry it was posted so late, neither of us have had a computer lately.
Natalie looked out at the raging storm that was crashing through her parents’ backyard. Her dad had taken in all the furniture, closed up all the windows and made sure that the cat was inside. They were all downstairs watching as much TV as they could in case the power went out - they were trying to prolong the inevitable game night for as long as they could so they could also prolong the inevitable Monopoly fallout between Nate and Mr. Stark. But Natalie stayed up in her room, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window on the left side of her bed. Her lights were off, but the gray skies were keeping the room illuminated.
When her phone rang, she answered it on impulse. She was totally transfixed by the storm. “Hey.”
”Nes,” Connor panted into the phone, “where the fuck are you?” He could hear the booming of thunder outside and the beating of rain down on his window. At least Andrew wasn’t around to see him cowering under his blanket like a bitch, but he couldn’t help it. The wind howled and he swore he could feel it whipping against his face and his trachea closing up. He pulled the blanket closer. “There’s a fucking hurricane out there. Do you see this shit?”
“Abe. Shit, I’m sorry. I completely forgot about the storm.” She blinked. “Well, I didn’t forget about the storm, obviously, I’m looking at it now. It’s just that I forgot about you... and the storm.” She winced a little. As much as Connor didn’t like storms, he hated talking about how he didn’t like them. “Is Andy there?”
Connor shook his head even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “He went home for the weekend, too,” he replied. The tree branch outside his window scratched against the glass. He winced, his breaths growing rapid and shallow. “Fuck, Nes,” he hissed, ducking his head as though the branch could break through the glass. “Come the fuck back. I fucking need you.”
“Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. God, next time you’re coming back with me, I don’t care if you stay here, but you pick the worst times to ignore me.” Natalie looked around for what she needed, but she didn’t actually need much. Guitar, right, she needed that. Lessons. She was going to take them. “Uh... okay. I’m gonna get dad to drive me back. I just... do you want me to stay on the line?”
Connor nodded vigorously. “But don’t tell your dad it’s because of me,” he added quickly as he caught the flash of lighting blazing through the sky from the corner of his eye. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Or maybe don’t come at all. But do come. Because... fuck.” His voice cracked. “There’s fucking lightning and wind and holyfuckingshitI’mgoingtodie.” He sucked in air as he ran out of breath from the word vomit coming out of his mouth. “Nes,” he whimpered helplessly.
“You’re not going to die, that school was practically built out of old tanks. I’m coming, okay?” After throwing on a jacket, Natalie ran down to talk to her dad. She gave a paper thin excuse about not wanting to miss school in case the storm was still hitting them by Monday. The drive to the school usually took twenty minutes, but because of the storm, it was twice as long and the only things she could hear were the rain beating down on the windows, her dad cursing and Connor freaking out on the phone.
Natalie hung up her phone as she signed back into the school and glanced around. The common rooms were empty. And, though security was usually pretty lax on the weekends anyway, it seemed downright dead at the school. She figured most people had gone home when they heard about the storm. Too bad Connor’s too busy to check the weather warnings. It was easy to sneak into Thorne hall undetected, even though she was carrying a guitar case and was dripping wet.
“Hey,” she murmured as she entered the room. She closed the door quietly behind her and shed her jacket. After propping her guitar against the wall she walked over to the mass of blankets on the floor. “My poor Abe.”
Connor peeked up from his blanket fort and quickly identified the familiar silhouette of his best friend. He tugged on her pant leg trying to pull her down when he realized they were soaked with rain. He shrunk back. “You have storm all over you,” he said childlishly.
Natalie sighed and stepped away, pulling her shirt over her head and stepping out of her sweats. “You better not tell anyone I’m stripping down in your room,” she murmured as she opened his drawers to look through something to wear. She grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and one of Connor’s shirt and then situated herself on his lap, the blankets wrapped around her when his arms came up. She kissed his cheek and smoothed a hand over his head. “My hair’s still wet, so don’t touch it.”
Connor wrapped his arms around Natalie’s frame. “You should’ve stayed out of the storm,” he murmured, burying his head into her shoulder, breathing in that feminine scent of a hint of vanilla. He laced his fingers with hers, gently gripping her hand, then took another deep breath, slowly calming down. “Don’t leave until it’s over, okay?”
“I won’t leave, Abe.” Natalie didn’t want to worry him about the news of the storm going well into the night. He’d be up anyway, there was no need to stress him about it now. “Do you want to lay down?”
He shook his head, pulling her in closer, finding comfort in the familiar configuration that had calmed him through every storm of his life. "Let's just sit for now, okay, Nes?" he breathed out quietly, "Just for a moment longer."
She sighed and nodded. “You haven’t been this bad since that Easter break in Greece.” Natalie winced - he probably didn’t want to relive that anymore than he wanted to live through this. “How was your first week?”
Connor cringed at the thought of the storm from their family trip two years ago. “It was boring shit,” he replied quietly, still a bit overwhelmed by the storm. His eyes drifted toward his desk, watching as the lightning lit up the outlines of his lamp and his books. “None of my teachers are babes. It’s bullshit. Dad’s been up my ass about getting my shit together so I can start thinking about what college I want to get into.” He sighed and leaned his head against his bed frame. “You?”
"Poor Abe. He doesn't have any hot teachers. Life just isn't fair, huh?" Natalie kissed his temple. "I made out with Puck. Not much else to say."
Connor snorted. "You made out with my little? Isn't he after Fabray's little sister? How's that working out for the two of you?"
"I gave him dating advice while we were making out," she laughed, ruffling his hair. "I'm a nice girl."
Connor laughed and ruffled her hair back. "I know you are. That's why I'm concernicus that you're making out with my boy, Puck."
"It was just for fun, no biggie." Natalie smiled - he seemed distracted from the storm finally. "Gonna need me to do your English again this year?"
Connor grinned. "So, you mean, you're willing to do it? Because that essay shit is boring and the teacher isn't even hot so it wouldn't even be worth it." He kissed her cheek. "Aww, I knew I could count on you to help, Nes."
Natalie laughed and pressed her face into Connor's neck after he kissed her cheek. "Only for you."
Connor relaxed his muscles, stretching his legs out from under Natalie. "I'm ready to lie down now. You?"
Natalie nodded and stood, hopping over Connor's head to land behind him on the bed. She rolled over to make room for him and warned, "Your roommate better not be a blabber mouth if he catches me here. There's enough drama happening lately."
Connor chuckled as he stood up and climbed into bed, pulling his cover over them before wrapping his arm around Natalie's waist. "Don't worry, Nes. Andrew's a chill guy. Plus, he's not back until Monday." He moved closer to Natalie, burying his head into her neck. "I'm glad you're here," he murmured softly, barely noticing the low roll of thunder in the distance.
"Anytime," she replied, playing with the soft ends of his hair. He had really nice hair. "You're my favorite, you know."
Connor smiled and shifted his hand on her back into a more comfortable position. "I better be," he joked, "I'm the best looking."
"Meh," she offered.
Connor chuckled softly. "You know I am," he replied, "And, plus, I love you best."
"You too, kid."
What: The storm brings out the worst in Connor
When: Saturday night
Where: Stark Residence/Thorne Hall
Notes: Sorry it was posted so late, neither of us have had a computer lately.
Natalie looked out at the raging storm that was crashing through her parents’ backyard. Her dad had taken in all the furniture, closed up all the windows and made sure that the cat was inside. They were all downstairs watching as much TV as they could in case the power went out - they were trying to prolong the inevitable game night for as long as they could so they could also prolong the inevitable Monopoly fallout between Nate and Mr. Stark. But Natalie stayed up in her room, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window on the left side of her bed. Her lights were off, but the gray skies were keeping the room illuminated.
When her phone rang, she answered it on impulse. She was totally transfixed by the storm. “Hey.”
”Nes,” Connor panted into the phone, “where the fuck are you?” He could hear the booming of thunder outside and the beating of rain down on his window. At least Andrew wasn’t around to see him cowering under his blanket like a bitch, but he couldn’t help it. The wind howled and he swore he could feel it whipping against his face and his trachea closing up. He pulled the blanket closer. “There’s a fucking hurricane out there. Do you see this shit?”
“Abe. Shit, I’m sorry. I completely forgot about the storm.” She blinked. “Well, I didn’t forget about the storm, obviously, I’m looking at it now. It’s just that I forgot about you... and the storm.” She winced a little. As much as Connor didn’t like storms, he hated talking about how he didn’t like them. “Is Andy there?”
Connor shook his head even though he knew she couldn’t see him. “He went home for the weekend, too,” he replied. The tree branch outside his window scratched against the glass. He winced, his breaths growing rapid and shallow. “Fuck, Nes,” he hissed, ducking his head as though the branch could break through the glass. “Come the fuck back. I fucking need you.”
“Okay. Okay, I’m sorry. God, next time you’re coming back with me, I don’t care if you stay here, but you pick the worst times to ignore me.” Natalie looked around for what she needed, but she didn’t actually need much. Guitar, right, she needed that. Lessons. She was going to take them. “Uh... okay. I’m gonna get dad to drive me back. I just... do you want me to stay on the line?”
Connor nodded vigorously. “But don’t tell your dad it’s because of me,” he added quickly as he caught the flash of lighting blazing through the sky from the corner of his eye. He squeezed his eyes shut. “Or maybe don’t come at all. But do come. Because... fuck.” His voice cracked. “There’s fucking lightning and wind and holyfuckingshitI’mgoingtodie.” He sucked in air as he ran out of breath from the word vomit coming out of his mouth. “Nes,” he whimpered helplessly.
“You’re not going to die, that school was practically built out of old tanks. I’m coming, okay?” After throwing on a jacket, Natalie ran down to talk to her dad. She gave a paper thin excuse about not wanting to miss school in case the storm was still hitting them by Monday. The drive to the school usually took twenty minutes, but because of the storm, it was twice as long and the only things she could hear were the rain beating down on the windows, her dad cursing and Connor freaking out on the phone.
Natalie hung up her phone as she signed back into the school and glanced around. The common rooms were empty. And, though security was usually pretty lax on the weekends anyway, it seemed downright dead at the school. She figured most people had gone home when they heard about the storm. Too bad Connor’s too busy to check the weather warnings. It was easy to sneak into Thorne hall undetected, even though she was carrying a guitar case and was dripping wet.
“Hey,” she murmured as she entered the room. She closed the door quietly behind her and shed her jacket. After propping her guitar against the wall she walked over to the mass of blankets on the floor. “My poor Abe.”
Connor peeked up from his blanket fort and quickly identified the familiar silhouette of his best friend. He tugged on her pant leg trying to pull her down when he realized they were soaked with rain. He shrunk back. “You have storm all over you,” he said childlishly.
Natalie sighed and stepped away, pulling her shirt over her head and stepping out of her sweats. “You better not tell anyone I’m stripping down in your room,” she murmured as she opened his drawers to look through something to wear. She grabbed a pair of basketball shorts and one of Connor’s shirt and then situated herself on his lap, the blankets wrapped around her when his arms came up. She kissed his cheek and smoothed a hand over his head. “My hair’s still wet, so don’t touch it.”
Connor wrapped his arms around Natalie’s frame. “You should’ve stayed out of the storm,” he murmured, burying his head into her shoulder, breathing in that feminine scent of a hint of vanilla. He laced his fingers with hers, gently gripping her hand, then took another deep breath, slowly calming down. “Don’t leave until it’s over, okay?”
“I won’t leave, Abe.” Natalie didn’t want to worry him about the news of the storm going well into the night. He’d be up anyway, there was no need to stress him about it now. “Do you want to lay down?”
He shook his head, pulling her in closer, finding comfort in the familiar configuration that had calmed him through every storm of his life. "Let's just sit for now, okay, Nes?" he breathed out quietly, "Just for a moment longer."
She sighed and nodded. “You haven’t been this bad since that Easter break in Greece.” Natalie winced - he probably didn’t want to relive that anymore than he wanted to live through this. “How was your first week?”
Connor cringed at the thought of the storm from their family trip two years ago. “It was boring shit,” he replied quietly, still a bit overwhelmed by the storm. His eyes drifted toward his desk, watching as the lightning lit up the outlines of his lamp and his books. “None of my teachers are babes. It’s bullshit. Dad’s been up my ass about getting my shit together so I can start thinking about what college I want to get into.” He sighed and leaned his head against his bed frame. “You?”
"Poor Abe. He doesn't have any hot teachers. Life just isn't fair, huh?" Natalie kissed his temple. "I made out with Puck. Not much else to say."
Connor snorted. "You made out with my little? Isn't he after Fabray's little sister? How's that working out for the two of you?"
"I gave him dating advice while we were making out," she laughed, ruffling his hair. "I'm a nice girl."
Connor laughed and ruffled her hair back. "I know you are. That's why I'm concernicus that you're making out with my boy, Puck."
"It was just for fun, no biggie." Natalie smiled - he seemed distracted from the storm finally. "Gonna need me to do your English again this year?"
Connor grinned. "So, you mean, you're willing to do it? Because that essay shit is boring and the teacher isn't even hot so it wouldn't even be worth it." He kissed her cheek. "Aww, I knew I could count on you to help, Nes."
Natalie laughed and pressed her face into Connor's neck after he kissed her cheek. "Only for you."
Connor relaxed his muscles, stretching his legs out from under Natalie. "I'm ready to lie down now. You?"
Natalie nodded and stood, hopping over Connor's head to land behind him on the bed. She rolled over to make room for him and warned, "Your roommate better not be a blabber mouth if he catches me here. There's enough drama happening lately."
Connor chuckled as he stood up and climbed into bed, pulling his cover over them before wrapping his arm around Natalie's waist. "Don't worry, Nes. Andrew's a chill guy. Plus, he's not back until Monday." He moved closer to Natalie, burying his head into her neck. "I'm glad you're here," he murmured softly, barely noticing the low roll of thunder in the distance.
"Anytime," she replied, playing with the soft ends of his hair. He had really nice hair. "You're my favorite, you know."
Connor smiled and shifted his hand on her back into a more comfortable position. "I better be," he joked, "I'm the best looking."
"Meh," she offered.
Connor chuckled softly. "You know I am," he replied, "And, plus, I love you best."
"You too, kid."