(Untitled)

[neededproof]

As surreal as it was, the whole experience of getting tossed back and forth between the island and Newport in a time that wasn't his own, Ryan wasn't as fazed as he maybe should have been. It seemed natural somehow -- not the part where he'd been in some dream world of Seth's making, but how complicated it all was. His life on the island had, for

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[neverlanded]

Despite the very simple solution to having something to wear when living in a house that was almost entirely filled with such things, that was to say through the method of washing them, Wendy Darling had the somewhat unfortunate habit of gathering new clothes to replace ones that had become soiled. It was a sign of laziness but without a maid or a mother, her laundry skills were less than par.

Standing on the steps to the basement room, she chewed her lip as she looked at the older boy and his companion. Such creatures had a way of making her feel even more out of sorts than unicorns.

"Hullo."

[neededproof]

"You okay?" Ryan asked, smiling a little. She was familiar in the way that most people in this place became after a while and, he was pretty sure, a friend of Miles'. Right now, though, she was just a girl who looked a little uncertain. That, and she provided a stop-gap in Taylor's one-sided conversation, even if he could feel Taylor still looking. It was a touch unnerving.

[neverlanded]

"Fine," Wendy made an elaborate gesture, waving her arm as if that would assure any onlookers that there was nothing at all to see.

Laughing at her stupidity, she wrinkled her nose tugging on the ends of her hair. She did so hate the new rules of etiquette and how they did seem to be quite lax.

"Beg pardon. I am not interrupting am I?"

[neededproof]

"Nah, not a thing," Ryan said, shaking his head. If she was, it was a welcome interruption. "There's plenty of room." Taylor might have been taking up space at the clothes box, but he didn't doubt she'd move over. Reaching up, he scratched his neck, glancing thoughtfully at the girl. Instinctively he wanted to put her at ease, though he wasn't sure how. "Come on in."

[heatedrod]

If there was one thing Johnny hated most about this place (other than not having his powers, not having Sue around, not having money, no bikes, no cars, no...okay, there was a lot he didn't like), it was the clothes box. That he had to shop for clothes from a cardboard box said a lot. What, he wasn't sure, but it did.

Still, he did his time just like everyone else, heading down whenever he was bored just to pass the time. If he got something good out of the deal, then it was a plus.

"Yeah, hey," he told the guy, practically waving him off to head over to the clothes box.

It wasn't that Johnny was rude, really. He was on a mission. That there happened to be a pretty girl in the same spot he was headed...well, for once, that was a coincidence.

"Hey there," he greeted, giving her a warm smile. "Come here often?"

[humanquagmire]

Well, that's more like it. Taylor's perfectly aware Ryan doesn't really care what she has to say, which isn't anything new, but he's familiar and that counts for a lot around here. Actually having the attention of a hot guy, though? That counts for a lot more.

"Well, hello yourself," she says, smiling sideways at him. "Only as often as is strictly necessary. There's only so much a girl can handle in the way of sequins and gauze in any given week."

[heatedrod]

"Switch girl for guy and I'll agree with you," Johnny replied. A quick glance down showed that he did indeed have a variety of sequined shirts and pants to choose from.

Not even the Skrulls were that cruel.

[humanquagmire]

"Oh, but I'm sure this would look just darling on you," Taylor joked, reaching down to pull up something in neon blue she was hesitant even to describe as a shirt in the first place. Tossing it back, she rolled her eyes. "Whoever coined the phrase 'Beggars can't be choosers' never had to live on this island."

[shareofdevils]

It shouldn't have been instinctive for Marissa to hesitate in the doorway when she noticed that Ryan was doing his laundry, not now, after everything... but it was. Maybe it had been going home that had done it, residue from that surge of awkwardness felt while they'd all sat crammed into a booth at the diner, or maybe it was just how things were. Maybe she'd always feel a little weird being around him, even when she knew she shouldn't.

"Hey," she greeted when she finally moved inside, her arms full of clothes to be washed.

[neededproof]

"There's an empty one over here," Ryan offered, nodding nearby, smiling a little. Being back here, he was certain he was as grateful for Marissa's presence on the island as she was for Seth's and Summer's, though it wasn't a feeling he ever cared to examine in any depth. She was there and safe and apparently pretty content. That was enough, or should have been. "How's it going?"

[shareofdevils]

"Honestly? Weird," Marissa confessed, and stepped over to the washer Ryan had pointed out. "Does it feel weirder here to you now? After going home, I mean."

They were standing right next to each other, and there were panties in her clothes. Her underwear, right there for all to see. It hardly mattered that Ryan had probably seen them before. The entire wad of clothes got shoved hastily into the washer and the lid slammed shut.

"It feels weird to me," she continued, and awkwardly cleared her throat.

[neededproof]

Ryan turned his gaze upward, though not quickly enough. "Uh," he started, then nodded, "yeah. Yeah, it's... pretty weird. Like this is the dream, not that."

He had a feeling Marissa would understand. He was too intent on trying not to look as awkward as he felt to be more articulate than that, though chances were he would have left it at that even if he weren't trying to ignore how ill at ease they were.