Got a week, gonna tweak, make it A-ok

[marcusisaspaz]

Spring break, 2044The wind whipped both Liam's hair and the mane of the jet-black mare he rode, wind generated not by air currents so much as by blazing speed. He could have switched to his own horse-form and ran himself, but his Aunt Cait would have had to slow down to allow him to keep up with her. No shame in that, even his father and uncles

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[liam_did_it]

Marcus still laying on her, Chuck wiggled and squirmed until she had enough give to rest her arms over Liam's thigh, her head on her left forearm as she looked up at the out of town college boy. "He's going to make you meet his girlfraaaand." Chuck mangled the word and made it sound like something obnoxious.

Marcus just grinned. "Yeah, we'll probably do some stuff with Laura and since Chuck is supposedly a girl--ow, don't kick me, we can double-date or whatever. Sorry, Li. She's your lot unless you can manage to find someone hot in the next two days."

"First thing we are doing is smothering him in his sleep tonight." Chuck wasn't going to dignify his comments about her looks or 'dating' Liam. No way, no how. "Actually, I thought it'd be fun to do some stupid touristy crap. We haven't done that in a while and it's a nice cover story if we decide on more fun things to do sans adult supervision."

Chuck, always thinking ahead. "Oh, and Fuckface's special snowflakes are also home on spring break. I think they are going to some beach city with fellow losers but they're trolling the building this weekend." Marcus did give her a sympathetic sound for this and Chuck fixed her dark eyes on Liam's blue, "So I am not going home tonight. You two are just going to have to deal and have whatever macho male bonding reunion with a witness or put it on hold."

[marcusisaspaz]

Liam grinned and gently ruffled the blonde head currently draped over his thigh. "I think any macho male rituals can cope with a witness, Pixie Girl." He'd heard enough about Chuck's dysfunctional relationship with her steps not to wish her back in that environment if they could provide an alternative. "You're welcome as far as I'm concerned."

Nor did he have any issues with hanging with Chuck on their outings. After all, on this trip he was here to relax and enjoy himself with family and friends, not play college boy on the make in the big city. Besides, this way he and Tiny Mighty Mouth could rescue each other if the new lovebirds got a little too gooey to deal with.

He grinned at his two partners in crime for the week. "Stupid touristy crap and whatever else we can come up with works for me. Been ages since I got to poke around the city."

[verbal_vomit_1]

"We're going on a tourist scavenger hunt." Chuck wasn't asking for input on the matter, she was declaring it law much the same way she used to try and dictate their play dates as small children. She liked devising games pulling entertainment options out of thin air. She also loved Manhattan and could be counted on to drag the pair of them all over the city. "And I'm bringing my camera."

Marcus groaned and dropped his head to rest against her back. "No camera. No pictures. I hate that."

"I'm not interested in taking pictures of you. Country Boy needs to take proof of civilization back to his college friends out in the Wilderness. Yogi and Boo Boo need to know that there is more to life than pic-a-nic baskets." She gave Liam a wink. "You know, like those cookies you lurv and real pizza."

"If he wants to take pictures of civilization back with him, he's not going to shoot food. There are hot girls in the city, Chuck." Marcus was about to mention Laura, for example, when the blone girl rolled her eyes.

"No. You are not using my camera to shoot amateur porn and take boob shots of people. God, grow up."

"You're just jealous because you don't have any--OW! Fuck, Chuck. That hurt." Charlene Adler Worth, Mistress of the Nipple Twist had just tweaked Marcus but good.

"So, what are we doing tonight? You tired or whatever?" That was directed towards Liam. She'd assumed that Cait had picked him up from the airport earlier.

[marcusisaspaz]

Liam snorted roundly at her description of his home in Montana. "Gonna take you out to Yellowstone and feed you to a bear one of these days. Not that you'd make more than a light snack for one ..."

Liam had a camera of his own with him. He had a habit of shooting both people and locations at odd angles and challenging folks to figure out what they were looking at. He supposed he'd have to take straightforward pics as well, for Mam and Da's edification at least.

He barely stifled a smirk at the nipple twist. You'd think Marcus would have figured out by now that he couldn't keep calling Chuck the Titless Wonder and other variations without some kind of retribution.

"Nah, I'm not tired," he said in answer to the Chuckster. It was Aunt Cait who'd done the real work after all. "I am getting kinda hungry. Do you know if Uncail Rory has dinner plans made?" This of course was directed at Marcus.

[liam_did_it]

He was sitting up, rubbing at his chest while glaring at Chuck, who was still half-sprawled over one of Liam's thighs. Marcus was tempted to push her feather-light form right off the foot of the bed and onto the floor. "Yeah, I don't know. Food of some sort." Turning towards the bedroom door, he bellowed, "Hey, DA!?"

The look on Chuck's face showed just how impressed she wasn't with his communication skills. "And you aren't taking me anywhere some big furry thing will eat me."

"It's not like he'd waste the time to drag you to Yellowstone, Chuck. He'd just take you to Flint Creek and feed you to one of the horses." Marcus was up and off the bed, across the room and to the doorway, ready to yell again but he added just to see the look of horror on Chuck's face grow, "I've told you about those kelpies. Why do you think there's a creek running through the ranch? Drown you first and then--"

"Shut up! Shut up shutupshutup!" Chuck had her hands over her ears and her dark eyes squeezed closed as she tried to block out the terrifying images Marcus' taunt brought to mind. God, she hated him sometimes.

[marcusisaspaz]

Liam, having a front row center view of Chuck's reaction, was sorely tempted to chuck a shoe at Marcus, hard. He settled for leaning over to grab a pillow and smacking him with it. "He's just jerking your chain, Tiny."

He maybe needed to say something to his cousin about aggravating this phobia of Chuck's. Marcus probably didn't even realize what he was doing; he could be thoughtless, but he wasn't cruel.

Uncail Rory appeared at the door just then with an amused smile for his son. "You rang?"

[verbal_vomit_1]

"Li is bellyaching about food and hitting me with things." Never mind that it was a pillow and it didn't hurt and the fact that he likely deserved it, Marcus was going to fudge the truth in the name of keeping childhood idiocy alive and well.

For her part, Chuck was curled up on the bed, face in the comforter trying really hard not to have a panic attack or cry. She wouldn't think about people-eating horses. Wouldn't, wouldn't, wouldn't.

[marcusisaspaz]

Jesus. She was really scared. Liam's flicker of irritation at Marcus melded with a tinge of guilt at those times he'd joined his cousin in teasing Chuck. Years ago now, but still ...

Uncertain of how to help, he finally settled for giving the girl's hair another ruffle and cupping a hand over her shoulder. Maybe touch would be comforting, or at least distracting. He hoped so, anyway.

Liam glanced up at the sound of his uncle answering Marcus. "Cait said she'd just as soon stay in herself, so I've got a pan of Alisha's enchiladas in the oven. If you don't feel like Mexican or are too hungry to wait, I suppose we could ship you three off to get whatever you'd like."

[liam_did_it]

Liam may have grown out of taunting Chuck, possibly after the Baby incident that got them both in so much trouble, but Marcus still found the girl's phobia ironically funny all things considered. Of course, he also failed to realize just how serious her fear was most of the time. World view: focus of one, that was Marcus MacEibhir a lot of the time, teenage norm.

Chuck did at least stop cringing at Liam's touch. His hand was warm through her shirt and she couldn't help but have her thoughts derailed and set on another frightening topic, though one that she was actually willing (and planning) to face down some time this week.

"I don't care. Whatever you want." Marcus was looking at the two still on the bed, Liam's hand on Chuck. "She feel like a Mexican to you?"

[marcusisaspaz]

"She feels like a minuscule Pixie Girl, like usual," Liam shot back. He rubbed Chuck's shoulder idly, not really thinking about it as he contemplated his food options. He was hungry, but they were talking Alisha's enchiladas were always worth waiting for. And they probably wouldn't take too long ...

Uncail Rory delivered the clincher with a chuckle. "We also have Alisha's salsa and guacamole."

That decided him. "Works for me." He gave the tiny blonde a pat. "Enchiladas work for you, Tiny?"

[verbal_vomit_1]

"Not hungry." Chuck muttered. Not hungry at all, in fact, thanks to being preoccupied with first being scared to death and then dealing with the way Liam still had his hand on her shoulder.

Marcus shrugged and grinned at his father. "I guess we're staying and Chuck's not eating."

He was such a wonderful friend sometimes.

[marcusisaspaz]

Such a wonderful friend that Liam had to restrain himself from taking a second shot with the pillow. He succeeded mainly because he suspected that Chuck might not want a ton of attention called to her nerves right now.

In fact Uncail Rory was giving the small blonde a thoughtful look, but he said nothing beyond, "We'll call you three when it's on the table, then."

As the door closed behind his uncle, Liam braced his hands behind him and leaned back. He'd thought of another possible distraction. "So, touristy scavenger hunt. Where should we go first?"

[liam_did_it]

Marcus leaned against the door once it was closed and shrugged his shoulders, "You know, Laura'd probably like to come along, she hasn't really seen a lot of the city proper..." Oh, hey, there's his consideration for other people.

"Oh, yay." Chuck finally rolled over and gave the ceiling of the guest room its due consideration. "What's her deal anyway? She some sort of shut-in from Westchester or what?"

The redhead ignored her question and walked back across the room to flop on the bed, forcing Chuck to move closer to Liam lest she be squashed. "Knock it off, Chuck. She already thinks you don't like her."

"I like her. She's fine. I don't like you when you're around her because you act like a total ass." Sometimes, just sometimes, Chuck could be straight and to the point. Besides, she figured Liam deserved a warning of some sort if Marcus was going to try and include is girlfriend in everything for the week.

"I said I was sorry, Chuck. And I wasn't ignoring you. The hell is your problem with the massive case of butthurt?" Marcus elbowed the girl, probably harder than he should have because she winced and moved even further away from him so he wouldn't hit her again.

"Whatever." She considered the conversation over and tipped her head back to look at the other MacEibhir, "I thought we could start with Central Park. You know, the Literary Garden with all the bronze statues. It's fun."

[marcusisaspaz]

Liam smiled down at the tiny blonde. "Sounds good to me." Central Park was arguably his favorite part of NYC, not so much for the greenery (he got plenty of that at home), but for all the nooks, crannies and points of interest tucked into the acreage. "Maybe we could poke around Bethesda Terrace for a while too." He could always find plenty of fun shots there, both of scenery and of people.

He shifted his weight to one arm and directed his grin at his cousin. "And at some point tomorrow, I gotta pick up some black and whites. Sorry folks, but the addict needs his fix."

[verbal_vomit_1]

"No." Chuck and Marcus answered in unison regarding the cookies, neither one even remotely serious but both equally aware of how much Liam loved the New York favorite. "Those are for natives only, new state law that went into effect at the first of the year. Sorry, Country Boy, none for you. You can watch Marcus and I eat a couple thought."

While Chuck continued to verbally harass the dark haired boy, Marcus was looking at his cousin curiously. Head tipped to one side and eyes narrowed, he had honed in on a gleam of light that reflected off his cousin's earlobe as Liam shifted on the bed. Was that...could it...did he..."No way! Man, you did not pierce your ears! Holy--how are you still alive? Aunt Laine didn't have a stroke, did she?" These probably were valid questions, but Marcus didn't wait for an answer before moving in to get a better look at what the other young MacEibhir had done. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to do that?"

For her part, Chuck decided the best way to verify Marcus' screaming about earrings was to climb into Liam's lap and grab his face in her hands, turning his head this way and that before pinching one earlobe between her fingers and giving the gold stud a flick with her thumb. "Those are kind of pretty, not gonna lie. You haven't had them in very long though, have you?"

Yes, Chuck knew a bit about piercings and she was gently rotating the little metal ball then bending the lobe over to look at the back and making certain the piercing didn't look infected. "You change them out yet?"

"Oh for fuck's sake, Shrimp...move." Marcus wrapped an arm around the girl's middle and tried to pry her off his cousin. "Get off of him, you're like some sort of human lamprey."

[marcusisaspaz]

Of course Chuck responded to an order from Marcus as she usually did, with resistance. In this case that meant latching on to Liam so that Marcus was effectively hauling on both of them. The end result, after considerable yelping, cursing and wrestling from all three participants, was a tangled heap of MacEibhir with a Chuck center. At that point everyone seemed willing to declare a spontaneous three-way draw and disentangled to flop on the bed.

"To answer your questions," Liam continued, still breathing a little hard from the interruption, "obviously I did, and Mam doesn't consider ear piercing as grounds for murder, though I'll admit she had me wondering for a couple of minutes. I didn't tell anyone beforehand because I got 'em done on the spur of the moment a few weeks ago. They're pretty well healed, no discharge or anything, so I figured I'd swap out earrings while I'm here."

He bounced up from the bed and retrieved a box from his backpack before flopping back down on his side next to Chuck. "I thought for sure Mam was going to spit tacks, and she sure didn't look any too thrilled about the holes in my lobes ... but she gave me these." He opened the box to reveal an assortment of small, understated pairs of earrings. "They belonged to my Uncle Wesley."