LJ Idol Season 10, Week 7: Where I'm From
So this piece totally got away from me, but here we are! Just under the wire. :) Much thanks to n3m3sis43, because without her I probably would've been stuck on the last section 5ever with no real direction. She's the real MVP. <3
“So where are you from?”
Savin blinked before he turned towards the girl he’d sat down next to in the overly large lecture hall. He nudged his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing as he glanced around the room -- just to make sure she was even talking to him, in the first place. Given the expectant look making its way across her delicate features, she was, in fact, talking to him.
“Delborn,” he answered with a quiet sigh.
“No I mean -- where are you from?” the girl pressed, leaning in closer to him. Her voice took on an odd edge to it as she squinted at him, adding: “Which country?”
“Um, I was born here in the Empire?”
The girl scrunched her nose. “Where’re your parents from, then?”
“Does it fucking matter where his parents are from?” snapped another girl, turning in her seat and locking eyes with the first. She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulders, narrowing her brown eyes. “He says he’s from the Empire -- that’s all you need to know, isn't it?”
The first girl’s eyes widened. She glanced between Savin and the other girl who’d spoken, then scowled and gathered up her things. “I was just asking a question,” she muttered under her breath, slipping past Savin’s seat and making her way towards a different row of empty seats.
“God, I hate it when people think that’s any of their business,” the second girl grumbled. She followed the first with her eyes, her full lips pursing together for a moment before she turned back towards Savin and offered him her hand. “Hi, I’m Mari Hadley,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. "And you are...?"
“Savin Bates.” He took her hand in his, offering her a shaky smile of his own. He glanced towards the one girl, who was now sulking at her desk, her arms folded over her chest. “You didn't have to do that.”
"She was making you uncomfortable," Mari said with a shrug of her thin shoulders. She glanced at the now empty seat beside Savin. "Is it alright if I sit next to you?"
"S-Sure.” He swallowed, hoping the gulp wasn’t audible as Mari made her way to her new seat. He found himself watching her every move, doing his best not to make his staring obvious -- and apparently failing, given the knowing little smirk making its way across her lips as she slipped into the seat beside him.
“So what’s your major, Bates?” Mari asked, that little smirk growing into a teasing, flirty smile.
“Pre-med,” Savin answered, ignoring how his face heated up. He picked up his pencil, toying with it between his fingers until he trusted his voice wouldn’t crack when he spoke next. “You?”
“Same here,” Mari said, grinning. She looked towards the front of the lecture hall, watching as their professor strolled towards the front of the class. Conversation around them fell silent, and the professor introduced herself, her voice carrying unbelievably well. Part way through the lecture, Mari pushed a piece of paper towards Savin.
Her handwriting was as attractive as she was -- each letter placed with the perfect width and height. Savin read the words, another blush creeping across his cheeks. Wanna get coffee when class is done?
Are you asking me out on a date? he scribbled back, nonchalantly pushing the paper back towards her. He hoped his teasing tone would somehow come through in his words. Maybe he should’ve added some half-assed smiley faces or something, just to make it clear.
Could always go with me and find out ;)
Savin glanced up at her, brushing his own black hair out of his eyes. She raised an eyebrow, and he found himself realizing he could very well get into a lot of trouble with this girl if he wasn’t careful.
Sure, I’ll go, he wrote back, a slow smile making its way across his lips as he watched her read his words. Her face lit up with his answer, and he became absolutely certain of one thing:
He had no intention of being careful.
***
Savin let out a ragged sigh, resting the back of his head against Mari’s thigh. “I wish I didn’t look just like my dad,” he muttered, his lips twisting into a frown. He glanced up at her over the edge of his glasses, tipping his head back a little to do so.
“Is that because Hajime’s a jerk?” Mari quipped, quirking an eyebrow. She flipped the page in her book, glancing at Savin and trying to ignore the frustration and pain present in his expression -- it was obvious he was trying to hide it.
Savin blinked, then laughed and shook his head. “Dad’s not a jerk, he’s just -- traditional and thinks I should’ve just married you when I had the chance.”
Mari snickered, sliding her fingers through Savin’s hair and brushing it away from his forehead.“‘Traditional’ in the sense that he only wants you to marry a woman, or ‘traditional’ in the sense that he only wants you to marry someone the same race as you?”
“I honestly couldn't tell you -- do you know just how many guys want to date me because I look ‘exotic’?” Savin countered, leaning into Mari’s touch.
Mari snorted. “You’re not the only one with that problem, y’know,” she said, giving Savin her best wry tone. “I take it your date didn’t go so well, then?”
“Nope.” Savin pulled his glasses off, rubbing his eyes. “First thing he told me was he thought I’d be more -- I don’t know, delicate? I can’t remember, exactly.” He paused and sat up right, picking up his glass of scotch Mari had poured for him when he’d walked in the door. “Second thing he asked me was where I was from.”
Mari winced, letting out a quiet noise of displeasure. “They always have to ask that, don’t they?” she asked, picking up her own glass and sipping at it. She studied Savin for a moment and sighed, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s okay to call these assholes out for that shit, y’know. You can’t always expect a pretty woman to barge in and save the day.”
Savin shrugged, then smiled as he met Mari’s eyes over the edge of his scotch. “Look, we can’t all be Dr. Mari Hadley, badass extraordinaire, mate,” he said. He pushed himself up onto his feet, leaning forward to press his lips to Mari’s forehead before stepping away from the couch. “When do you start that fellowship? It’s soon, isn’t it?”
“Next month,” Mari said, watching as Savin strode over towards the kitchen -- most likely to pour himself something he could down a little more readily. Mari knew he liked scotch, but with the kind of mood he was in, he likely wanted something he could drown in. “I already have a new lease lined up and everything. The apartment’ll be all yours.”
Savin paused, and Mari saw his shoulders tense. “When did you do that?” he asked, his expression pinched as he looked over the now open door to the fridge. “I didn’t even know you’d started looking for a place.”
“Savin, I should’ve looked for a new place years ago, when you broke things off with me,” Mari said, standing up and folding her arms over her chest. Savin’s cheeks colored and he looked away from her, turning his eyes back to the inside of the fridge. “Besides, I needed an apartment closer to my new job -- I wasn’t about to commute over an hour each way for it.”
“Next month,” he repeated, licking his lips as he closed the fridge, empty-handed. He glanced around the apartment, his green eyes shimmering with tears. “Mari, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She shrugged, half-sitting on the back of the couch. “I thought waiting until I knew I had a place would be better for you.”
There was a long pause as Savin stared at her, his lips parted just slightly. He then thumped the counter with his fist, looking anywhere but at Mari. “That’s -- okay,” he said, giving a slight shake his head. “I should probably go take a nap -- I’m in in a couple of hours.”
Mari blinked, but let Savin walk out of the kitchen and down the hall towards his room. He didn’t have work at all tonight, she knew. But if he needed a moment to himself, it was better to let him have it.
She just hoped he would forgive her for this.
***
She didn’t hear much from Savin after that. They sent texts here and there, had the occasional phone call whenever their free time happened to align, but --
Every time was a little more painful than the last. Mari had initiate contact each time, and whenever she did, Savin seemed almost… disinterested in having even a brief conversation with her. And every time she called him out for it, he’d deny it.
If she had known he’d react this way to her moving out...
Her phone chirped in her pocket, and Mari blinked, putting her book facedown on the arm of her new couch. As she reached for her phone, she furrowed her brow as she saw Savin’s, his text message cut off part way by another notification.
Hey, can you meet me at Pop’s? I wanna talk
She wanted to say no. She wanted to type why was he even bothering -- except she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she glanced at the time. Considered the distance between Pop’s and her apartment -- roughly thirty minutes. What time? she sent back, biting her lip as she waited.
Much to her surprise, her phone began to ring, and she lifted it to her ear. “You could’ve just texted back an answer, y’know,” she said, forcing a quiet chuckle into her voice.
“I’m kinda driving right now,” he said; there was a palpable emotion to his voice. “Listen, I know I’ve been a jerk and I wanted to apologize in person. Just -- please? I can be there in twenty, if you can meet me there now. I’ll pay.”
Mari toyed with her bottom lip with her tongue, then sighed and shook her head. “I can be there in thirty.”
She got there in twenty-five. And when she stepped inside the diner, Savin was already at their booth, two mugs of coffee sitting in front of him. He wasn’t wearing his glasses -- his beautiful eyes wide and apologetic as she stepped into the diner. He cleared his throat as she sat down and glanced at the old vinyl records and the even older war time posters -- the past ten years of their friendship hitting her square in the chest.
They’d come here after class just about every day when they were in pre-med together. The ritual continued throughout med school. They’d stopped coming for a bit when Savin broke off their engagement, the location too painful, too personal for them both.
Savin nudged one cup of coffee towards her -- black compared to the milky tan of his own. “It’s fresh,” he said, giving her a wry little smile as he lifted his own mug to his lips. “I made sure of it.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking the cup in her hands. She closed her eyes and took in the warmth of it through her fingers, wishing her stomach would stop twisting itself into knots. “Savin, look, I’m --”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Savin said, shaking his head. “You told me you were gonna move out if you got that fellowship -- it’s not your fault I didn’t take that seriously.” He paused, sipping at his coffee before putting it back down on its little saucer. He folded his arms over top the table and offered her a small smile. “I’m sorry I was being distant. I just -- never thought you actually would move out because even if we aren’t -- dating or anything, you’ve just… always been there for me. And I appreciated that -- a lot. I still do.”
Mari nodded, tightening her grip on her coffee. She took in a deep breath, letting Savin’s words settle her stomach. “It’s okay,” she said, meeting Savin’s eyes. She smiled back, propping up her chin with the palm of her hand. “So -- anything interesting happen in your life, lately? I think I’ve missed out on a couple of things…”
Savin’s smile widened, and his shoulders relaxed. “You didn’t miss much,” he said, his tone reassuring. “I mean, I met someone? But -- he and I aren’t really dating yet, just -- getting to know each other, I guess? He’s poly, so -- he has permission from his partners to date me, and he’s been up front about them to me, but… I don’t know. We haven’t really done anything yet.”
“Has he asked you where you’re from, yet?” Mari quipped, her spoon tinkling against the inside of her coffee mug.
Savin blinked, then laughed, the sound a little too loud for the all-too-quiet diner. “No, he hasn’t,” he said, grinning at her. “Should I wait and see if he does? I’ve only known him a few weeks. now…”
“If he hasn’t asked you yet, you just might’ve found the one, Bates,” Mari said, dabbing the round end of her spoon at him.
The slow, radiant smile making its way across Savin’s lips along with the flush on his cheeks filled Mari with another quiet warmth. “He just might be,” he whispered, lifting his eyes to meet hers.
“Then he’ll probably never ask,” she said, lifting her coffee to her lips.
“So where are you from?”
Savin blinked before he turned towards the girl he’d sat down next to in the overly large lecture hall. He nudged his glasses back up the bridge of his nose, his brow furrowing as he glanced around the room -- just to make sure she was even talking to him, in the first place. Given the expectant look making its way across her delicate features, she was, in fact, talking to him.
“Delborn,” he answered with a quiet sigh.
“No I mean -- where are you from?” the girl pressed, leaning in closer to him. Her voice took on an odd edge to it as she squinted at him, adding: “Which country?”
“Um, I was born here in the Empire?”
The girl scrunched her nose. “Where’re your parents from, then?”
“Does it fucking matter where his parents are from?” snapped another girl, turning in her seat and locking eyes with the first. She flipped her long, dark hair over her shoulders, narrowing her brown eyes. “He says he’s from the Empire -- that’s all you need to know, isn't it?”
The first girl’s eyes widened. She glanced between Savin and the other girl who’d spoken, then scowled and gathered up her things. “I was just asking a question,” she muttered under her breath, slipping past Savin’s seat and making her way towards a different row of empty seats.
“God, I hate it when people think that’s any of their business,” the second girl grumbled. She followed the first with her eyes, her full lips pursing together for a moment before she turned back towards Savin and offered him her hand. “Hi, I’m Mari Hadley,” she said, flashing him a brilliant smile. "And you are...?"
“Savin Bates.” He took her hand in his, offering her a shaky smile of his own. He glanced towards the one girl, who was now sulking at her desk, her arms folded over her chest. “You didn't have to do that.”
"She was making you uncomfortable," Mari said with a shrug of her thin shoulders. She glanced at the now empty seat beside Savin. "Is it alright if I sit next to you?"
"S-Sure.” He swallowed, hoping the gulp wasn’t audible as Mari made her way to her new seat. He found himself watching her every move, doing his best not to make his staring obvious -- and apparently failing, given the knowing little smirk making its way across her lips as she slipped into the seat beside him.
“So what’s your major, Bates?” Mari asked, that little smirk growing into a teasing, flirty smile.
“Pre-med,” Savin answered, ignoring how his face heated up. He picked up his pencil, toying with it between his fingers until he trusted his voice wouldn’t crack when he spoke next. “You?”
“Same here,” Mari said, grinning. She looked towards the front of the lecture hall, watching as their professor strolled towards the front of the class. Conversation around them fell silent, and the professor introduced herself, her voice carrying unbelievably well. Part way through the lecture, Mari pushed a piece of paper towards Savin.
Her handwriting was as attractive as she was -- each letter placed with the perfect width and height. Savin read the words, another blush creeping across his cheeks. Wanna get coffee when class is done?
Are you asking me out on a date? he scribbled back, nonchalantly pushing the paper back towards her. He hoped his teasing tone would somehow come through in his words. Maybe he should’ve added some half-assed smiley faces or something, just to make it clear.
Could always go with me and find out ;)
Savin glanced up at her, brushing his own black hair out of his eyes. She raised an eyebrow, and he found himself realizing he could very well get into a lot of trouble with this girl if he wasn’t careful.
Sure, I’ll go, he wrote back, a slow smile making its way across his lips as he watched her read his words. Her face lit up with his answer, and he became absolutely certain of one thing:
He had no intention of being careful.
***
Savin let out a ragged sigh, resting the back of his head against Mari’s thigh. “I wish I didn’t look just like my dad,” he muttered, his lips twisting into a frown. He glanced up at her over the edge of his glasses, tipping his head back a little to do so.
“Is that because Hajime’s a jerk?” Mari quipped, quirking an eyebrow. She flipped the page in her book, glancing at Savin and trying to ignore the frustration and pain present in his expression -- it was obvious he was trying to hide it.
Savin blinked, then laughed and shook his head. “Dad’s not a jerk, he’s just -- traditional and thinks I should’ve just married you when I had the chance.”
Mari snickered, sliding her fingers through Savin’s hair and brushing it away from his forehead.“‘Traditional’ in the sense that he only wants you to marry a woman, or ‘traditional’ in the sense that he only wants you to marry someone the same race as you?”
“I honestly couldn't tell you -- do you know just how many guys want to date me because I look ‘exotic’?” Savin countered, leaning into Mari’s touch.
Mari snorted. “You’re not the only one with that problem, y’know,” she said, giving Savin her best wry tone. “I take it your date didn’t go so well, then?”
“Nope.” Savin pulled his glasses off, rubbing his eyes. “First thing he told me was he thought I’d be more -- I don’t know, delicate? I can’t remember, exactly.” He paused and sat up right, picking up his glass of scotch Mari had poured for him when he’d walked in the door. “Second thing he asked me was where I was from.”
Mari winced, letting out a quiet noise of displeasure. “They always have to ask that, don’t they?” she asked, picking up her own glass and sipping at it. She studied Savin for a moment and sighed, placing a hand on his arm. “It’s okay to call these assholes out for that shit, y’know. You can’t always expect a pretty woman to barge in and save the day.”
Savin shrugged, then smiled as he met Mari’s eyes over the edge of his scotch. “Look, we can’t all be Dr. Mari Hadley, badass extraordinaire, mate,” he said. He pushed himself up onto his feet, leaning forward to press his lips to Mari’s forehead before stepping away from the couch. “When do you start that fellowship? It’s soon, isn’t it?”
“Next month,” Mari said, watching as Savin strode over towards the kitchen -- most likely to pour himself something he could down a little more readily. Mari knew he liked scotch, but with the kind of mood he was in, he likely wanted something he could drown in. “I already have a new lease lined up and everything. The apartment’ll be all yours.”
Savin paused, and Mari saw his shoulders tense. “When did you do that?” he asked, his expression pinched as he looked over the now open door to the fridge. “I didn’t even know you’d started looking for a place.”
“Savin, I should’ve looked for a new place years ago, when you broke things off with me,” Mari said, standing up and folding her arms over her chest. Savin’s cheeks colored and he looked away from her, turning his eyes back to the inside of the fridge. “Besides, I needed an apartment closer to my new job -- I wasn’t about to commute over an hour each way for it.”
“Next month,” he repeated, licking his lips as he closed the fridge, empty-handed. He glanced around the apartment, his green eyes shimmering with tears. “Mari, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
She shrugged, half-sitting on the back of the couch. “I thought waiting until I knew I had a place would be better for you.”
There was a long pause as Savin stared at her, his lips parted just slightly. He then thumped the counter with his fist, looking anywhere but at Mari. “That’s -- okay,” he said, giving a slight shake his head. “I should probably go take a nap -- I’m in in a couple of hours.”
Mari blinked, but let Savin walk out of the kitchen and down the hall towards his room. He didn’t have work at all tonight, she knew. But if he needed a moment to himself, it was better to let him have it.
She just hoped he would forgive her for this.
***
She didn’t hear much from Savin after that. They sent texts here and there, had the occasional phone call whenever their free time happened to align, but --
Every time was a little more painful than the last. Mari had initiate contact each time, and whenever she did, Savin seemed almost… disinterested in having even a brief conversation with her. And every time she called him out for it, he’d deny it.
If she had known he’d react this way to her moving out...
Her phone chirped in her pocket, and Mari blinked, putting her book facedown on the arm of her new couch. As she reached for her phone, she furrowed her brow as she saw Savin’s, his text message cut off part way by another notification.
Hey, can you meet me at Pop’s? I wanna talk
She wanted to say no. She wanted to type why was he even bothering -- except she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Instead, she glanced at the time. Considered the distance between Pop’s and her apartment -- roughly thirty minutes. What time? she sent back, biting her lip as she waited.
Much to her surprise, her phone began to ring, and she lifted it to her ear. “You could’ve just texted back an answer, y’know,” she said, forcing a quiet chuckle into her voice.
“I’m kinda driving right now,” he said; there was a palpable emotion to his voice. “Listen, I know I’ve been a jerk and I wanted to apologize in person. Just -- please? I can be there in twenty, if you can meet me there now. I’ll pay.”
Mari toyed with her bottom lip with her tongue, then sighed and shook her head. “I can be there in thirty.”
She got there in twenty-five. And when she stepped inside the diner, Savin was already at their booth, two mugs of coffee sitting in front of him. He wasn’t wearing his glasses -- his beautiful eyes wide and apologetic as she stepped into the diner. He cleared his throat as she sat down and glanced at the old vinyl records and the even older war time posters -- the past ten years of their friendship hitting her square in the chest.
They’d come here after class just about every day when they were in pre-med together. The ritual continued throughout med school. They’d stopped coming for a bit when Savin broke off their engagement, the location too painful, too personal for them both.
Savin nudged one cup of coffee towards her -- black compared to the milky tan of his own. “It’s fresh,” he said, giving her a wry little smile as he lifted his own mug to his lips. “I made sure of it.”
“Thanks,” she said, taking the cup in her hands. She closed her eyes and took in the warmth of it through her fingers, wishing her stomach would stop twisting itself into knots. “Savin, look, I’m --”
“You don’t need to apologize,” Savin said, shaking his head. “You told me you were gonna move out if you got that fellowship -- it’s not your fault I didn’t take that seriously.” He paused, sipping at his coffee before putting it back down on its little saucer. He folded his arms over top the table and offered her a small smile. “I’m sorry I was being distant. I just -- never thought you actually would move out because even if we aren’t -- dating or anything, you’ve just… always been there for me. And I appreciated that -- a lot. I still do.”
Mari nodded, tightening her grip on her coffee. She took in a deep breath, letting Savin’s words settle her stomach. “It’s okay,” she said, meeting Savin’s eyes. She smiled back, propping up her chin with the palm of her hand. “So -- anything interesting happen in your life, lately? I think I’ve missed out on a couple of things…”
Savin’s smile widened, and his shoulders relaxed. “You didn’t miss much,” he said, his tone reassuring. “I mean, I met someone? But -- he and I aren’t really dating yet, just -- getting to know each other, I guess? He’s poly, so -- he has permission from his partners to date me, and he’s been up front about them to me, but… I don’t know. We haven’t really done anything yet.”
“Has he asked you where you’re from, yet?” Mari quipped, her spoon tinkling against the inside of her coffee mug.
Savin blinked, then laughed, the sound a little too loud for the all-too-quiet diner. “No, he hasn’t,” he said, grinning at her. “Should I wait and see if he does? I’ve only known him a few weeks. now…”
“If he hasn’t asked you yet, you just might’ve found the one, Bates,” Mari said, dabbing the round end of her spoon at him.
The slow, radiant smile making its way across Savin’s lips along with the flush on his cheeks filled Mari with another quiet warmth. “He just might be,” he whispered, lifting his eyes to meet hers.
“Then he’ll probably never ask,” she said, lifting her coffee to her lips.