talk shit get hit

[irritating]

IC Date: Dec 28th

[ Apollo's had a busy night plus she's a lazy asshole, so even into the early afternoon she can be found, still asleep, on the couch where she had fallen asleep the night before. She's still completely naked except for her usual overabundance of bracelets and rings and whatever the hell else she wanted to put on yesterday - but, thankfully, she's laying on her stomach and although her back and her legs are clearly bare, she's managed to tangle a blanket around her waist in a such a way that she's not immediately, totally indecent.

Not that that takes away from the fact that it's extremely obvious what she was doing to end up where she currently is. Of course, her clothes thrown all over the place in every which way were probably going to be the first indication of that anyway.

Sorry, Marduk. Welcome home. ]

Comments

[oversleeps]

[ her reaction does nothing to make him feel any remorse for the punch. no, but it does make him laugh, short and a little incredulous. the fact that she's bleeding from it only serves to further his satisfaction; she deserved no less. maybe she should've listened to him, huh? ]

Sure fucking did. [ he leans back in an effort to distance himself from any counterattack, though with how close they've been sitting it hardly changes anything. ] Seems like it's something you should be used to, really.

[irritating]

[ No counter attack is attempted, if only because she's so genuinely surprised that she doesn't know if she wants to. Instead, Marduk gets his wish of a silent Apollo as she sits there, gingerly tapping the point where he had hit her and tonguing around her mouth to check for anything else. There's nothing, but she's spread the blood around enough that her saliva will be tinted pink now.

And then finally, she's looking back at Marduk. Her initial anger had passed as quickly as it had come - it was more an instinctual reaction than anything else - and now she was just fucking bewildered. And maybe - maybe - even a little bit impressed. ]

Uh yeah, you could say that but hey fuck you, ow, [ She poked herself a little too hard then. ] Holy shit Duckling, you ain't got a totally bad fuckin' arm there, fuck. Taken worse but damn, not bad for a magic fucker I guess.

[oversleeps]

You're an idiot. [ he hisses, but the edge is gone from his voice. they're practically back to normal, now. he sits back down with an irritated noise anyway, still mad but also still tired. this time he leans back, doing his best impression of ignoring apollo. he even follows through with it, crossing his arms again and otherwise staying completely silent.

... mostly silent. ] Don't you ever get tired of being an asshole? [ big words coming from him, he knows. but god, at least he has boundaries. ]

[irritating]

And you're a fuckin' dickhole.

[ Miraculously, Apollo allows the silence between them to actually happen by also not saying anything. She's not even really inspecting herself anymore, having very quickly assessed and gotten over the current state of her mouth, and is just sitting there letting him fidget or whatever the fuck it is he's up to right now.

But when he speaks again, she has no hesitation in responding. ] Nope. Puts a little spontaneity in my life, adds some spice, y'know, that kinda thing.

[oversleeps]

[ he doesn't know what he was trying to get out of that question. of course she doesn't care. shit, for the most part, neither does he. ]

Thought as much. [ he really, really did. since apollo remains firmly entrenched on the couch despite both the yelling and the punching, marduk gives up on that; he turns away from her, resting his head against the couch and closing his eyes. ] Try not to be so fucking loud, will you?

[irritating]

Why, is it naptime?

[ Not that she was actually making fun of him for his frequent naps or anything, shit she took naps all the time herself, but she was just more or less being annoyingly curious. Had Marduk really given up to the point of trying to go to sleep on the couch while Apollo was still there? ]

Wanna blanket? [ She's stretching and leaning over the arm of the couch she's been leaning on now, trying to reach a blanket that's on the floor nearby. ] I promise I haven't fucked anybody on this one.

[oversleeps]

No, I don't--

[ he cuts himself off with a sigh. (somebody sure got over getting decked really fast, didn't they?) maybe if he just agrees to put up with it, she'll leave him alone. he glances over his shoulder just to see apollo already trying to get him something. that just confirms it, really. ] Fine. Sure. Whatever.

[irritating]

[ Yeah well, when you spend your life brawling and fighting with fuckloads of people, you learn to take punches well.

She reaches a little further, her toes pressing into Marduk's thigh for a moment there as she flails about trying to reach it, before finally grabbing and pulling it up on the couch with them. It's the furry one she had made for him as a Christmas present, and she's tossing it over him as though he couldn't have done it himself. ]

There! Cozy, you fuckwit?

the shortest tag ever written in the history of me. merry christmas

[oversleeps]

[ he automatically grabs at the blanket as she throws it over him, scowling. he pulls it up even further from where it initially lands, face turning away from apollo again. ]

Yeah. Thanks a fucking lot.

its okay it's just stocking sized ty

[irritating]

[ She of course notices the scowl and the way he refuses to look at her, but still she grins at him through her aching face and bloody mouth. There really isn't a whole lot that bothers her, apparently. ]

Welcome, honeybee. [ And then, silence. Contemplative silence for however long it takes Marduk to get comfortable and possibly even close to falling asleep before Apollo's thoughts and need to speak catches up with her. ]

Marduk, are you... in love with Vanadi? Is he your boyfriend?

that's what she said

[oversleeps]

[ 'honeybee?' whatever. she's quiet enough after that, which is all he was hoping for. he's just about dozed off when she finally blurts out her question. marduk almost doesn't even register the question at all, being so used to having to tune out apollo as he is. when her words finally sink in, something in him seizes up; he's so startled he actually sits up a little, suddenly very awake.

he turns back to her just to stare in confusion, still trying to catch up mentally. the fact that it takes him so long to answer has got to be damning in some way or another. ] That's. [ nailed it. marduk draws the blanket a little tighter around his body, deciding to go for the easier question first. ]

We aren't... necessarily... romantically involved. [ and it only takes an age to say it, too. it's not the most honest answer he's given, either-- it's always been a grey area at best with vanadi, and there'd never been a reason to explicitly define it before. ] In the sense that you're talking. [ there; perfectly qualified. ]

[irritating]

[ There's something actually genuine in her expression as she watches him try to answer. Her head is tilted in a way that always gives away her curiosity, and she finds herself... well, actually understanding what's going on here. It's because she remembers this stupid gray area all too well herself, having lived in it for so long when it came to the person she loved too. ]

Yeah, and in what sense am I talkin'? What d'you think of him as, then?

[oversleeps]

[ eh. he gazes at the floor, lips pulling back in a snarl. there are a variety of answers he could give here, all with different levels of sincerity. it's just a question of honestly, though if apollo has been stealing his journal any efforts at duplicity are honestly wasted.

he'll take his chances. ] If I did think of him as something-- well, it wouldn't matter. Isn't that much obvious? [ like, given that you boned him and all. ]

[irritating]

Well, why don'tcha go make it matter?

[ For someone who literally just fucked one of the two people involved in this tangly relationship, she is surprisingly supportive and even encouraging when it comes to getting them together. ]

I ain't startin' another discussion on bein' spontaneous versus bein' a sad sack of shit, but I am gonna fuckin' tell you one more damn time not to pussyfoot around like an asshole.

[oversleeps]

( he shrinks further into the blanket, quiet and sullen. )

Advice noted and unappreciated. ( comes the eventual muffled response. marduk continues to pointedly stare at the floor. internally he debates about what else to tell apollo, if he even should mention anything else; something that would get her to back off would be ideal. what he comes up with is: ) I have someone else back home. ( and he turns away from her fully, returning to his old position. conversation over. )

[irritating]

[ Wow excuse you no, you can't just say something like that and expect the conversation to be over. In fact, that just gets Apollo even more on his back, because now she's smiling through still bloody teeth and she has about ten thousand more questions to blurt out. ]

Really? Shit, what's he like? What's his name? [ Of course she's just going to assume it's a guy here. ] How's your luck with the men anyway, is he fuckin' gorgeous too? Does Vanadi know? How long you been bangin' this one, anyway? Or shit, maybe it's more like lovemakin', huh? Is it?

[oversleeps]

( maybe if he pulls the blanket all the way over his head, she'll stop talking? marduk certainly tries, to no avail. somehow, these plans of his always seem to backfire... )

Vanadi is well aware of her. ( even apollo should pick up on that. he hopes. ) Do I really need to spell this out for you?

[irritating]

[ Pulling the blanket over his head just makes her lean closer. You know, since he probably can't hear as well underneath that furry thing and all. ]

A girlfriend! [ Tell her more, Marduk, she wants to know everything. ] Shit so-- aww, fuck, you can't choose, that's it, isn't it? What, don't wanna do one of them open things?

[oversleeps]

( he can feel her leaning closer and responds by shifting away, settling into the corner of the back of the couch and the armrest. a shame he can still hear her just fine in spite of all his efforts to the contrary. ) Do you mind? ( whether he's referring to her interrogation or her invasion of his personal space, the question is the same. )

[irritating]

No, should I?

[ It's debatable whether she's just being an asshole again or if the meaning of that question actually did fly over her head, but either way she's still there, and still talking. ]

So? Is that it, is that what's got your panties in a fuckin' twist? You got yourself a girl back home yet you wanna smooch an' love an' fuck a guy here?

[oversleeps]

[ he winces, though it's hard to tell under a blanket. when put like that, it sounds... ridiculous. at the same time, he feels another rush of irritation; just because he wasn't as goddamn loose as some people, honestly-- ]

Is that really something you need to ask for clarification on? [ with a huff he yanks the blanket back down. all the better to glare at her with. ] Why the fuck are you even still talking?

[irritating]

Shit calm down, I'm just checkin'! [ Oh hey there roomie, his glare is going to be met with her continual obnoxious smile when he finally pokes his head out. ]

I'm askin' 'cause I care! [ She actually is starting to take a genuine interest in what all happens in the life of Marduk these days, though possibly because she's a nosy piece of shit. ] I mean damn I just fuck, love an' not love whoever the hell I want which apparently you got some kinda fuckin' problem with, but you're in that stupid gray area, yeah? That shitty feelin's fuckin' universal when you're stuck there, no matter what kinda circumstances, y'know?

[oversleeps]

[ he throws his hands up, exasperated. ] Oh, sure, tell me more! Impart your grand wisdom on me, the fucking unworthy, and let me know where the hell I've gone astray. Please! Help me find where I've gone wrong.

[irritating]

[ She takes a minute then to inhale and exhale, as though she's gathering the patience to deal with him. Listen up asshole, she's about to learn you a thing here. ]

Alright, I've already told you where you're goin' wrong a thousand times by now and it ain't workin' so I'm gonna tell you somethin' else. [ She sticks out her right arm then with the purpose of drawing his attention to the hieroglyphs tattooed there, and recites the words in that second language he's no doubt heard her speak in before. Even when she begins to explain in English, she doesn't lift her eyes from the writing. ] It's an Azizan prayer for the safe passage and return of the lost. I have it on my arm 'cause the only man I've ever loved is Azizan, and he's missing. I dunno if there's... anything I coulda done to stop that, but I'm tellin' you right fuckin' now that if I had my time back, I'd do fuckin' everything I wanted to do but didn't.

[oversleeps]

[ he hates to admit apollo has surprised him with the answer, but there it is. while listening her talk about herself at length is something marduk is long used to by now, hearing something that's so personal evokes a whole new level of discomfort in him; he looks away.

he's beginning to feel stupid now, like he always does once he's been angry enough. he doesn't acknowledge apollo's words for a long time, nor the gravity behind them, silently staring into the fire as though it'll have a better response.

the worst part is, she really has a point. ] I don't think-- I want to live a life without regrets. [ god, does that sound dramatic. with a small grimace, he adds on: ] If such a thing is even possible.