Who: Seth and Starters Within Where: Around Wonderland When: June Rating: Updated as needed Summary: Working out feelings, and maybe a date at some point. Ping me if you want a starter The Story:
"Maggie, come on. Have we seen a time where I wasn't damn vocal about me and mine and what I like and don't like?" Given he is vocal about everything, it's pretty obvious he might be honest about it. And loudly honest about it. More loudly than she might want it to be.
"I figured you were a clean freak in other ways," he says, smirking but not entirely blowing it off as he nods. "I'm going to look like absolute shit as a blond. We both know that, right?" Which did bother him, more than the idea of bathing in bleach. He had worked so hard to keep himself to a certain level of handsomeness, and that does worry him.
"How do you cope with things like orifices and your eyes and all?" Which is a bit more serious question, thinking about things he's heard throughout the years of those that cleaned places, and cleaning up blood as well so it couldn't be traced back to him or others.
Yet even with the talk, he leans into her touch.
"I promise then. You know the only two people that even are close to me, well three but I'm not ever going to be intimate with one of them again, and you'd be one of the first to know if they ever came back here. No one else is any concern to me, Maggie. Most aren't. Not beyond casual shit." Or business and crime, which he didn't have as much here.
She laughs. "Promises, promises." Does Seth think she objects to
him being vocal about what he likes?
"Close your eyes and mouth as tight as possible and hold your breath. It's
just a few seconds, then water, then citrus foam to keep the bleach from
wrecking your skin. ...I volunteer to dye your hair, if it comes to that
and you care enough about how gorgeous you are to bother. You're not the
only terrible blond I've met. I'm just lucky this looks good on me."
Maggie has pretty healthy self esteem, and she knows she's beautiful.
"Even casual shit comes with risks, hence the promise about getting tested
or warning people," she reiterates, but smiles. "You know all of my
non-negotiable conditions. Anything I should know about how you want to
handle this before we jump in?"
"You're the first and only person to encourage me to keep talking," he teases, not that it isn't true, and he knows that she probably can see through that. Surprise that she wants him to. He's just not used to having that in his life, and he's glad for it.
Silent though, listening and showing he is paying attention and is serious about this. At least until she mentions the hair dye and he snorts. "Come on, Maggie. I wear a suit all the time. It's what I wear unless I'm working out. Please, I'm going to dye my hair. Me? A blond? With this complexion?" He snorts, shaking his head and fighting hard not to smile.
"Well one, I plan to still wear suits all the time, no matter who I'm dating." He pauses, realizing it sounds like he's being flippant. "Kate said I would change that soon as I started dating," he admits, because it is something he's considered. "Otherwise... patience? Up until Chloe I have never really dated, and I want this. I've actually put thought into this, Maggie, and if I'm going to try it, I want to with you."
"I suppose I can put up with the suits, as long as you don't expect
to get me out of denim and flannel too often. ...Or rather, get me out of
them and into something nicer." She grins. "I have no objection to you
getting me out of them otherwise."
The smile falls away and Maggie meets Seth's gaze seriously, telling him,
"I want this too. If I didn't care so much about you, I'd never consider
asking you to take risks with me. But I care enough that it's also hard to
accept you being at risk at all."
In other words, be careful. She knows that however paranoid he may be,
Seth is sometimes equally reckless.
He snorts, giving her a look though he is trying not to smile. "I will never ask you to be different than you are. That's how you caught me, wasn't it?" He likes her the way she is, and isn't looking to change that. No more than he wants to be changed.
Grinning though at the flirt, giving her a wink. "Out of them is another story, and you can get right back into them later."
His gingers brush over her hand, caressing the back of her hand and down along the length of her fingers. A gentle touch as he tries to show he is listening, considering their options. "I will do the best I can to be careful, Maggie. I can't promise I won't screw up, and not just about your condition. I just kind of rush in," he admits. He can warn about that, knowing the man he can be without any zombie virus being in the way.
"I know you do," she replies immediately. "It's the thing that scares me
most about this and about you. The people I love are usually more reckless
than I am, and I hate losing people."
Maggie shifts so that she can wrap her arms around Seth, pressing in close
to his side before she adds firmly, "But I still want this."
"Yeah well, if it helps I have no plans to die any time soon. The agreement I had with my loser brother was on a beach, with a beautiful woman, old. I still have to get old, right?"
As much as it might seem lighthearted and teasing, it's honesty from Seth. He has no plans to die. Not now. Not in Wonderland. Not for a very long time.
"We could certainly manage the beach and the beautiful woman, but you're
out of luck when it comes to growing old in Wonderland. You'll just have
to stay in one piece." She says it just as lightly, a breezy smile on her
face, but she's serious as can be. And she knows that when it comes down
to it, she's more likely to lose him via Wonderland whisking one of them
away, since the first few deaths here don't tend to stick. That still
doesn't mean she's willing to see him dye.
"Now," now that they've gotten through complicated conversations about
feelings, "what would you like to do with the evening?"
"Well then, guess I'm not dying," he says, and there's a determination there that Seth Gecko plans to stick to. "And hey, none of those looks. I've been here over a year, and all in one piece and plan to stay that way. Knock on wood."
With that he reaches over, rapping on the table.
He smirks though at that, canting his head because he really can't help himself.
"Well, after this talk that's an entirely loaded question, don't you think?"
Maggie grins. "I'd be delighted if tearing each other's clothes off
featured somewhere on the list of plans, but I'm happy to take requests. I
would also offer to cook you dinner if I had my own kitchen. I'm not so
sure I want to leave the room tonight, though. Rain check on that?"
They can manage something in the room, even if it isn't quite the same as a
home-cooked meal.
She'll be perfectly willing to curl up on the couch with him and watch
movies if Seth would rather not fool around immediately, particularly now
that she has an excuse to sprawl over him while they do. But the offer for
more is absolutely and explicitly on the table.
"Definite rain check on that, because I am very content on just being here tonight with you. Tearing off clothes or not," he says, grinning. "There's another Wonderland gift. Don't have to worry about an overnight bag or anything like that. You can take whatever you need from the closet," he says, one to often find the better parts of Wonderland.
"Besides, we can get popcorn," he teases, moving to tug her closer with his hold, just wanting her closer to him after what they've talked about and agreed upon. Together.
"I do love popcorn. And I baked cookies yesterday. Clearly a well
balanced meal."
There isn't much closer Maggie can get when Seth pulls her in, so
she considers for a second, then slides onto his lap and wraps her arms
around his shoulders. "I should ask whether you'd like to postpone your
first encounter with decontamination till another day, though, because I
need fair warning if I ought to refrain from kissing you all night."
"We have cookies? Well then, what else do we need?"
And given his life, and sometimes his diet, he may well mean that as he wraps his arms around her, holding her close to him. One hand stroked her back, smiling as he kept her close.
"I... Will you think less of me if I admit that I just want to do this for a while?"
"One of us has to be the sappy romantic," Maggie tells him, wrinkling her
nose playfully before leaning in to rest her forehead against his. "Of
course that's fine. You're also welcome to take a rain check on the sex
later if you decide to, but I'd appreciate it if you spend the night
regardless? I hate sleeping in empty rooms and I've been doing it for
months."
She laughs softly, adding, "Considering my virus, I definitely
predicted I'd solve that problem by adopting a dog rather than getting a
boyfriend. I actually burst into song when I met Cerberus awhile ago.
Granted, Wonderland is to blame for the singing, but still."
"That will have to be your job," he teases, smirking. "I'm the bitter cynic type." Which isn't entirely true but it is something that has kept him alive for a long time, and he turns to in times of fear and stress.
"I definitely want to stay. That wasn't ever in question," he murmurs. "Well only a question if you wanted me to. And any time you need me to stay? Say so. I can be here for you, Maggie." And that is something he would do for her for any reason. Not just because of where they've gotten to at this point.
He snorts then. "She named him after the guardian to Hell. I will never let her live that down," he admits, giving Maggie a look. "Surprised you don't have a dog yet here."
"Need is too strong a word, most of the time. I did ask you the one night
that qualified. But it's entirely too damn quiet, and you're welcome to
stay as often as you want. I like having you here."
She kneads her hands along Seth's shoulders.
"What else would you suggest naming Lucifer's dog? I appreciate the Greek
mythology reference." Maggie's dogs back home have a whole range of names,
more of them ridiculous than literary. "I didn't want to ask the closet.
We have so little control in Wonderland, it doesn't seem responsible to
summon more dogs into existence. If you find any strays below forty
pounds, though, I absolutely want them."
"Well, I won't invade all the time, but I will take advantage of the open invitation," he murmurs, voice softening as he sinks into the contentment of that moment.
Except when she mentions strays, and the weight limit and he realizes he has a moment here. Keep the mood and omit details that Maggie may need, or be honest and care more about her legit fears than his pleasure.
Seth sighs.
"Not to ruin the mood," he begins, realizing he's becoming a better man and kind of regretting that in a way. "Has anyone talked to you about the closet mistakes in the tunnels?"
Dammit, Chloe and Maggie. Now he's getting a conscience and shit.
She assures him, "I wouldn't make the invitation unless I wanted you to." She'd much rather not sleep alone, given the option for company.
"Moods are salvageable," Maggie tells him. She can detour onto something more serious or upsetting for awhile without destroying the rest of the evening. "What's in the tunnels, Seth? Are we talking horror movie monsters, or tragically deformed animals that haven't done any harm to anyone?"
He snorts, giving her a look. "Well, no. If you're going to put it that way then you're going to be disappointed," he admits. "Your garden variety large enough to be turned by your virus type monster," he notes. "In case that memory comes around again."
He pauses, considering that. "Do they repeat? I mean, we weren't here with the virus, but I remember being security in a world that I think was yours," he notes. "That said, it's a bear and a gator. Pets, I guess, people go through the closet."
"Seth, you're talking to someone who hosts horror film festivals. Where on
earth did you expect my mind to go when you mentioned the magic closets
making 'mistakes'? Of course I pictured dreadful chimeras." It's
both a great relief and a small disappointment that she was wrong.
But she'll stay far away from that bear, thanks. "Alligators can't turn.
Only mammals. Shaun and Becks once shot a zombie grizzly bear. I'll avoid
the tunnels, don't worry."
"Not Freddy Krueger. And you don't live with those monsters. Trust me. This place is more likely to throw culebra at you than the closet," he points out. "Or, you know, the other side of the mirror."
Where he definitely knew one lurked.
"Well, glad for that. Not sure why the place keeps either of them around though. What purpose do they even serve? In this place, that is."
"Did you really just ask what purpose the creatures lurking beneath this
bizarre nonsense world's mansion serve, as if you expect them to be
contributing members of society? I think it just makes sense. I'm only
surprised there aren't stranger things down there."
She decided awhile ago that the only way to survive Wonderland was to
anticipate it not making sense. Once you flip all your expectations around
and... not quite welcome, but at least anticipate... all the odd
genre quirks, things are a little easier to cope with.
"Thank you for the warning, Seth. I promise not to get eaten or create a
zombie bear. Now, I can think of better things to focus on than the bear
under the mansion."
"Why not just send them back to where ever they came from? I mean, what I do with my dirty suits and linens," he admits, shrugging. "Bad enough the shit they throw at us but a pet bear and gator? What's the point?"
He just finds it setting themselves up during the off time, when they have a few times to handle things themselves when they're not stuck in the middle of events.
"Though now I'm tempted to lure them to a closet and see what happens," he adds, because leave it to Seth to think that sounds like an interesting way to pass the time.
"Wait, right. Not distracted by luring bears into closets. Got it."
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"I figured you were a clean freak in other ways," he says, smirking but not entirely blowing it off as he nods. "I'm going to look like absolute shit as a blond. We both know that, right?" Which did bother him, more than the idea of bathing in bleach. He had worked so hard to keep himself to a certain level of handsomeness, and that does worry him.
"How do you cope with things like orifices and your eyes and all?" Which is a bit more serious question, thinking about things he's heard throughout the years of those that cleaned places, and cleaning up blood as well so it couldn't be traced back to him or others.
Yet even with the talk, he leans into her touch.
"I promise then. You know the only two people that even are close to me, well three but I'm not ever going to be intimate with one of them again, and you'd be one of the first to know if they ever came back here. No one else is any concern to me, Maggie. Most aren't. Not beyond casual shit." Or business and crime, which he didn't have as much here.
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She laughs. "Promises, promises." Does Seth think she objects to him being vocal about what he likes?
"Close your eyes and mouth as tight as possible and hold your breath. It's just a few seconds, then water, then citrus foam to keep the bleach from wrecking your skin. ...I volunteer to dye your hair, if it comes to that and you care enough about how gorgeous you are to bother. You're not the only terrible blond I've met. I'm just lucky this looks good on me." Maggie has pretty healthy self esteem, and she knows she's beautiful.
"Even casual shit comes with risks, hence the promise about getting tested or warning people," she reiterates, but smiles. "You know all of my non-negotiable conditions. Anything I should know about how you want to handle this before we jump in?"
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Silent though, listening and showing he is paying attention and is serious about this. At least until she mentions the hair dye and he snorts. "Come on, Maggie. I wear a suit all the time. It's what I wear unless I'm working out. Please, I'm going to dye my hair. Me? A blond? With this complexion?" He snorts, shaking his head and fighting hard not to smile.
"Well one, I plan to still wear suits all the time, no matter who I'm dating." He pauses, realizing it sounds like he's being flippant. "Kate said I would change that soon as I started dating," he admits, because it is something he's considered. "Otherwise... patience? Up until Chloe I have never really dated, and I want this. I've actually put thought into this, Maggie, and if I'm going to try it, I want to with you."
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"I suppose I can put up with the suits, as long as you don't expect to get me out of denim and flannel too often. ...Or rather, get me out of them and into something nicer." She grins. "I have no objection to you getting me out of them otherwise."
The smile falls away and Maggie meets Seth's gaze seriously, telling him, "I want this too. If I didn't care so much about you, I'd never consider asking you to take risks with me. But I care enough that it's also hard to accept you being at risk at all."
In other words, be careful. She knows that however paranoid he may be, Seth is sometimes equally reckless.
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Grinning though at the flirt, giving her a wink. "Out of them is another story, and you can get right back into them later."
His gingers brush over her hand, caressing the back of her hand and down along the length of her fingers. A gentle touch as he tries to show he is listening, considering their options. "I will do the best I can to be careful, Maggie. I can't promise I won't screw up, and not just about your condition. I just kind of rush in," he admits. He can warn about that, knowing the man he can be without any zombie virus being in the way.
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"I know you do," she replies immediately. "It's the thing that scares me most about this and about you. The people I love are usually more reckless than I am, and I hate losing people."
Maggie shifts so that she can wrap her arms around Seth, pressing in close to his side before she adds firmly, "But I still want this."
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As much as it might seem lighthearted and teasing, it's honesty from Seth. He has no plans to die. Not now. Not in Wonderland. Not for a very long time.
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"We could certainly manage the beach and the beautiful woman, but you're out of luck when it comes to growing old in Wonderland. You'll just have to stay in one piece." She says it just as lightly, a breezy smile on her face, but she's serious as can be. And she knows that when it comes down to it, she's more likely to lose him via Wonderland whisking one of them away, since the first few deaths here don't tend to stick. That still doesn't mean she's willing to see him dye.
"Now," now that they've gotten through complicated conversations about feelings, "what would you like to do with the evening?"
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With that he reaches over, rapping on the table.
He smirks though at that, canting his head because he really can't help himself.
"Well, after this talk that's an entirely loaded question, don't you think?"
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Maggie grins. "I'd be delighted if tearing each other's clothes off featured somewhere on the list of plans, but I'm happy to take requests. I would also offer to cook you dinner if I had my own kitchen. I'm not so sure I want to leave the room tonight, though. Rain check on that?"
They can manage something in the room, even if it isn't quite the same as a home-cooked meal.
She'll be perfectly willing to curl up on the couch with him and watch movies if Seth would rather not fool around immediately, particularly now that she has an excuse to sprawl over him while they do. But the offer for more is absolutely and explicitly on the table.
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"Besides, we can get popcorn," he teases, moving to tug her closer with his hold, just wanting her closer to him after what they've talked about and agreed upon. Together.
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"I do love popcorn. And I baked cookies yesterday. Clearly a well balanced meal."
There isn't much closer Maggie can get when Seth pulls her in, so she considers for a second, then slides onto his lap and wraps her arms around his shoulders. "I should ask whether you'd like to postpone your first encounter with decontamination till another day, though, because I need fair warning if I ought to refrain from kissing you all night."
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And given his life, and sometimes his diet, he may well mean that as he wraps his arms around her, holding her close to him. One hand stroked her back, smiling as he kept her close.
"I... Will you think less of me if I admit that I just want to do this for a while?"
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"One of us has to be the sappy romantic," Maggie tells him, wrinkling her nose playfully before leaning in to rest her forehead against his. "Of course that's fine. You're also welcome to take a rain check on the sex later if you decide to, but I'd appreciate it if you spend the night regardless? I hate sleeping in empty rooms and I've been doing it for months."
She laughs softly, adding, "Considering my virus, I definitely predicted I'd solve that problem by adopting a dog rather than getting a boyfriend. I actually burst into song when I met Cerberus awhile ago. Granted, Wonderland is to blame for the singing, but still."
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"I definitely want to stay. That wasn't ever in question," he murmurs. "Well only a question if you wanted me to. And any time you need me to stay? Say so. I can be here for you, Maggie." And that is something he would do for her for any reason. Not just because of where they've gotten to at this point.
He snorts then. "She named him after the guardian to Hell. I will never let her live that down," he admits, giving Maggie a look. "Surprised you don't have a dog yet here."
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"Need is too strong a word, most of the time. I did ask you the one night that qualified. But it's entirely too damn quiet, and you're welcome to stay as often as you want. I like having you here."
She kneads her hands along Seth's shoulders.
"What else would you suggest naming Lucifer's dog? I appreciate the Greek mythology reference." Maggie's dogs back home have a whole range of names, more of them ridiculous than literary. "I didn't want to ask the closet. We have so little control in Wonderland, it doesn't seem responsible to summon more dogs into existence. If you find any strays below forty pounds, though, I absolutely want them."
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Except when she mentions strays, and the weight limit and he realizes he has a moment here. Keep the mood and omit details that Maggie may need, or be honest and care more about her legit fears than his pleasure.
Seth sighs.
"Not to ruin the mood," he begins, realizing he's becoming a better man and kind of regretting that in a way. "Has anyone talked to you about the closet mistakes in the tunnels?"
Dammit, Chloe and Maggie. Now he's getting a conscience and shit.
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She assures him, "I wouldn't make the invitation unless I wanted you to." She'd much rather not sleep alone, given the option for company.
"Moods are salvageable," Maggie tells him. She can detour onto something more serious or upsetting for awhile without destroying the rest of the evening. "What's in the tunnels, Seth? Are we talking horror movie monsters, or tragically deformed animals that haven't done any harm to anyone?"
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He pauses, considering that. "Do they repeat? I mean, we weren't here with the virus, but I remember being security in a world that I think was yours," he notes. "That said, it's a bear and a gator. Pets, I guess, people go through the closet."
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"Seth, you're talking to someone who hosts horror film festivals. Where on earth did you expect my mind to go when you mentioned the magic closets making 'mistakes'? Of course I pictured dreadful chimeras." It's both a great relief and a small disappointment that she was wrong.
But she'll stay far away from that bear, thanks. "Alligators can't turn. Only mammals. Shaun and Becks once shot a zombie grizzly bear. I'll avoid the tunnels, don't worry."
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Where he definitely knew one lurked.
"Well, glad for that. Not sure why the place keeps either of them around though. What purpose do they even serve? In this place, that is."
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"Did you really just ask what purpose the creatures lurking beneath this bizarre nonsense world's mansion serve, as if you expect them to be contributing members of society? I think it just makes sense. I'm only surprised there aren't stranger things down there."
She decided awhile ago that the only way to survive Wonderland was to anticipate it not making sense. Once you flip all your expectations around and... not quite welcome, but at least anticipate... all the odd genre quirks, things are a little easier to cope with.
"Thank you for the warning, Seth. I promise not to get eaten or create a zombie bear. Now, I can think of better things to focus on than the bear under the mansion."
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He just finds it setting themselves up during the off time, when they have a few times to handle things themselves when they're not stuck in the middle of events.
"Though now I'm tempted to lure them to a closet and see what happens," he adds, because leave it to Seth to think that sounds like an interesting way to pass the time.
"Wait, right. Not distracted by luring bears into closets. Got it."