"No way, your face screwed up like you ate a lemon." He laughed dumbly, for a moment forgetting that they were surrounded by people and in the kind of place that Levy hated. Wren had that effect on him though, allowing him to disengage from the world and simply be. Even if eventually he always slipped back into his body, he never changed. He was the same frightened kid he'd always been. Looking about the room only reaffirmed what he always knew about himself, which was he could never allow himself to be like them. To be comfortable in his own skin.
[break][break]
Wren always made things easier though. The smiles and the laughter, no matter how ill-suited it felt to him, always came naturally due to the other's influence. Admittedly, he was beyond thankful that Wren didn't drag him into the crowd to dance. Mainly, it was because he didn't know how to dance. At least, not in a way that wasn't an awkward shuffle like an awkward school dance.
[break][break]
He looked back at Wren, still a little surprised. Wren didn't exactly come to a party to seek solitude and quiet, so it was mainly done for his good. It made him feel selfish, like he was holding the other back. "Only if that's what you want, but sure okay..." There was also a distinct undercurrent of feelings that surfaced at the implication of a quiet place at a party. They spent plenty of time together, alone, so why did the idea of that seem intimate in this scenario? "Lead the way."


[break][break]

+ wren rourke | m: a little party never hurt nobody | T-T

He didn't have to wait too long, which he was supremely thankful for. Even the sparse shade he'd managed to lurk under didn't do much to stave off the heat for long so seeing Fern in the distance felt like a godsend. Not that he'd tell the other that, considering how full of himself Fern could be. It was easier having company, for some reason, ever since Wren left. Like maybe loneliness wasn't the only state of being. What a needy bastard he could be.

"I'm not brooding, I'm just waiting for you, thanks." He grumbled, a little snappier than he might have otherwise. He blamed it on the heat. Fern had somehow seemed to dress more fitting than Levy and yet... "The hell are you wearing?" Even if he wouldn't have warn anything with that many colors, he did envy the other considering he was sweating through his clothes.

He focused on the rodents in the distance with a sigh, "Let's get this over with, got places to be." No he didn't. He had nowhere better to be than out in the heat collecting electric rodents. That was so sad.

fern delaney | m: pika pickup

☉

Maybe one day he could learn to relax a little. Maybe be a little less of a feral animal, bristling at the slightest threat of social contact. They were two entirely different people and that didn't always make sense for them. Instead, they required adjustment. Levy had to attempt to be social to make the other happy and Wren had to recognize Levy's limits. It wasn't always easy but they did pretty well all things considered.
[break][break]
Levy tried not to think too far into the quickly replied: Always. He knew that, in the end, that's all that he could hope for, that Wren meant it when he said always. That sounded suffocating though, didn't it? To pledge that kind of commitment. In reality, Wren probably didn't even realize what that meant to him.
[break][break]
"The look on your face," He laughed at that, sipping a little more. His own face didn't do much better in camouflaging the distaste either. Levy only ever had alcohol socially, it was a means of adjusting to a crowd. It didn't always help 100%, but it was still easier. The taste hardly mattered though if it could lessen the tension he felt, and it did (for the most part).
[break][break]
Though still, his eyes glanced around at the sway of movement, bodies almost too close together. Some dancing and others simply talking. It was a little uncomfortable though, like he too should be like them. The idea of dancing like some of them were with Wren... well it definitely made him want to drink more so that he might not think too much on it. "Do you um... what to do something. I don't know what you do at these things."

[break][break]

+ wren rourke | m: a little party never hurt nobody | T-T

The heat was blistering and Levy, as to be expected, was over it. Under normal circumstances, he was allergic to sunlight and having to drag himself down route 102 for some pikachu wasn't his idea of a good time.

Right then, he wished he'd decided to wear anything else but the usual black ensemble, but unfortunately his wardrobe was dominated by the singular color scheme. The only shirt he had was a baby blue tshirt that wren rourke got him when he left a week for some nature camp. It had trees and a very smiley sun on it, not exactly his style, but he kept it anyways. Right then, he would have preferred to wear that though.

Luckily, he wasn't alone for this mission, which would hopefully mean that it would get done sooner. They just needed to keep from getting electrocuted. Salandit seemed to be enjoying the sunlight, unlike him. The little salamander pokemon was already at the crest of the hill, sunning delightedly. They were on two entirely different wavelengths, it seemed. Now, he just needed to wait for fern delaney and hope the idiot didn't talk his ear off that day. Even if he, maybe sorta kinda, wished for the company for once....

fern delaney | m: pika pickup

☉

Fingers tightened around his own as he was led through the mass. It was always nice. Even in the beginning, when the very concept of touch had been bewildering and terrifying, it had also been such a wanted concept. Levy spent a large portion of his life observing other people, watching them live their lives with such careless splendor. He used to always wonder what that might feel like, to have and hold something so confidently knowing that it will never be taken away.
[break][break]
In his life, nothing had been such a certainty. Wren had felt like an exception, but now he realized he'd been a little selfish. One day, Wren was going to live his life and Levy might have to do what he did best, which was to sit back and watch. It had been selfish to dig a place there hoping the spot would always fit him. Sometimes, people outgrew things.
[break][break]
It was a slow process, working himself into accepting what was happening right in front of him. The warmth of the other's hands made him melt a little, the same way he did whenever Wren hugged him. As if the icecaps he'd erected were thawing again. It was an exposed feeling that he'd never really got used to and hoped he never did.
[break][break]
Wren led him to the liquor bar. Levy looked at said cauldron and decided he'd be the one to try the possible toxin. Ladling a cup, he held it up. "If I die, remember me fondly?" He snorted before drinking. The taste wasn't awful, but the strength of the alcohol cleared his sinuses. He shook his head, "Wow that's bad."

[break][break]

+ wren rourke | m: a little party never hurt nobody | T-T

The little eevee was cute, even if she was a bit feral. It reminded him of himself, admittedly. Or at least, who he was before he met Wren. The other had fixed him though, with a lot of effort. So, why did he think himself unable to do so with an eevee? He really was the pokemon whisperer, as far as Levy was concerned.
[break][break]
"I just..." He paused, sighing. The last thing he wanted to do was seem unappreciative of the gift. That really wasn't it. Wren thought he could help the little creature, for some reason. It was a daunting task. "I'm just afraid I'll mess her up more, you know?" Two broken things didn't make a good combination.
[break][break]
Wren reached across the table, hands overlaying his own. It had a dual effect of both calming and making his heart pick up a little. Only Wren seemed to have these effects on him. Levy didn't figure himself too trustworthy when it came to his feelings. He was too messy. His affection for the other could have easily been from the attachment he felt to him. Wren was, admittedly, his only friend and that was no small task on the other's part.
[break][break]
"Okay... I..... thank you, I'll take care of her. What's her name?" He asked, looking over at the small feral creature. Only briefly, as he could see her shrink under the direct contact. Too much. She was that far gone. Truthfully, he could understand her for that reason. So, maybe Wren was right, but Levy was afraid of proving that wrong (especially at the detriment of the poor tormented eevee).

[break][break]


[break][break]

+ wren rourke

"Yeah I'm sure." He said, attempting a smile. The truth was he was uncomfortable, but he was more uncomfortable in the idea of disappointing Wren than anything to do with this crowd. It wasn't like Levy didn't have fun, even if his fun was more... reserved. Maybe he was kinda boring in comparison to someone as outgoing as Wren. He could still pretend, even if it wasn't necessary with the other. He knew that his insecurities were quick to surface, but it was all noise. Wren wasn't going to reject him, not because he was a little dull.
[break][break]
Liquor had a way of making things a little easier (within reason). There was a firm line between good and too much. That side of him was messy and no one had seen that except for Vee. He was not about to reveal that he was more of an emotional mess than he put on. Especially considering their hanging out was more brief these days. It didn't have the comfort of permanence that it used to. Wren wasn't his and that didn't change just because he was leaving to the opposite corner of Hoenn. They'd never been like that.
[break][break]
Wren gripped his hand as they dove through the crowd in the direction of the kitchen. It did feel relieving to have the other there. For a moment, all he could focus on was the tether of their hands. The way fingers linked tighter around his own. It was a good thing too, because it proved to distract him from the discomfort of the party scene. "Yeah could do with a drink, I think." He affirmed, hoping that it would be just the thing he needed to lighten up his mood.
[break][break]
The decorations in the room were the tacky sort from a cheap pop-up Halloween store. A warty nosed witch stirring a caldron, paint flaking at the plastic creases. A plastic black cat at her feet, tail mechanically lashing with a warped yowl. It was amusing at least. Truthfully, he'd rather spend the night talking with Wren, figuring out how things were going. But also, he was afraid to do so. Maybe this was a good excuse not to talk. Nothing good came from talking about his feelings after all.

[break][break]

+ wren rourke | m: a little party never hurt nobody | T-T