gooseberryhigh | (no subject)

Who: Ree Hobbs and Dominic Tremblay
When: After this.
Where: Azurcrest camp grounds
What: Ree explains her failed ward to Dom
Warnings: None yet.

Ree wasn’t really a person who paced, as a general rule. She didn’t worry about things enough to warrant it. She took things as they came and made the best of them and it usually went just swimmingly for her. And when it didn’t, she went with that too. So: no pacing, usually.

She was pacing now, though. The one time she’d actually really, really wanted what she said under a ward to be private, it had to happen on Broken Journal Day. The one time! Usually wards were more of a convenience than anything, just a way to filter a conversation. This time, she’d told a secret, or at least something she didn’t want people to know was on her mind yet. And this time, everyone could read it.

She could’ve just refused to admit to who she was, sure, but…yeah, that didn’t sit right with her. Maybe if someone had said ‘who is this,’ she could have ignored it, but when asked outright if she was Ree…well, not answering was tantamount to a lie. And she wasn’t going to lie. Not even today.

So now she was pacing, and fretting, and feeling very weird about it, too. This was not normal for her. Not at all.

But then, neither was knowing that her bestie was leaving and was hurting and not being able to do anything about it.

At least Dom was coming by. He wouldn’t be able to fix anything, no, but at least she could talk to him without feeling like she was spilling secrets to people she shouldn’t be, and he’d proven pretty good at distracting her. That was something.

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Dom had been pretty damn worried at first. Was Ree going somewhere? Was she pissed at him? That being a worry at all, though, would have to be a thought for another time. Ree being Ree, she had revealed herself reasonably quickly and invited him over. And lo, there he was.

Making short work of the hike up to Azurcrest from the lodge, Dom spied Ree in her pacing and held his hand up in a wave. "Salut, ma belle" he greeted her affectionately as he approached.

Ree- still being Ree- launched herself at Dom as soon as she spotted him, throwing her arms around his neck and clinging on. She needed affection right now, and she was by no means too shy to demand it.

"Hey," she said into his shoulder. "Thanks. For, I don't know, walking over here."

Dom couldn't help but smile at that. One of the thing he loves so much about Ree is the honesty with her emotions, and her seemingly endless affection for the people she cares about. It was, and always would be, endlessly refreshing.

"Any time, babe, you know that" he replied, kissing the top of her head before stealing a kiss from her lips. His arms were still wrapped around her, supporting her and keeping her up.

"Want to go sit somewhere and tell me about what ails ya?"

Ree nodded, but didn't pull away from the embrace right away. After a minute she sighed and did, leading Dom over toward the center of camp, where the chairs were set up.

"So it's...uh, two things, but one thing is because of the other thing, and it's that thing that might upset you or piss you off or whatever, so I don't actually know which to tell you first? Like, should I just get the thing that you won't like out of the way, or...ok, I'm babbling, this is weird, huh?"

Dom sat down, but immediately raised an eyebrow at her words. "Piss me off?" he enquired, realising too late that this was clearly also him giving a response to the choices he'd been offered.

Was she actually leaving? Unlike what he'd said in the anon post? Or, were they over? She was clearly expecting him to be bothered by her next words, but he couldn't think of what else might actually bother him.

Ree took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. So. The ring is, I can't be your prom date. I mean, if we were on for that? I know- but it's for a really good reason, I promise, and it's not that I don't want to. At all."

She looked over at Dom, expression nervous. Which was a strange expression, on her.

If they were on for that? He was sure they'd had that discussion. Had she forgotten? Wow, that would be hurtful. But, also all on him. Dom being Dom, he had agreed to come along and hear her out, and hear her out he would.

Ok. He wasn't answering. BAD sign. Still, Ree rushed on. "I mean- I'm a little flustered, I'm sorry, this sucks. So the thing is, Calvin, he's- his parents aren't letting him come back next year? And he broke up with his boyfriend? And I just, I told him we'd go together, because he's my best friend and I'm going to miss him so much and he thinks we all won't stay in touch or sonething, and I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry."

It all spilled, out of her in a rush, and she stared at Dom, biting her lip like she had to physically keep herself from continuing to babble.

Dom blew the breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding out of his mouth, buying thinking time before he responded. Main thing? He didn't want to be an ass. He liked this girl, after all. But he really, really found himself being frustrated right now.

"Not gonna lie, Ree, I really wish you'd said something sooner" he replied, looking pretty drained by this conversation that had barely started. "Because I know you, when your mind is set on something, that's what you do. But I can't help but think that we could have worked something out to help everyone out, here."

He sighed.

"I'll support your decision. You know that." His accent a little stronger and more clipped this time, but fuck, he was trying.

Ree swallowed. She was really not used to feeling like this: not quite sure of herself, pretty sure she'd done the wrong thing for the right reasons, upset and guilty all at once.

"Look, you have every right to be really mad at me," she said, looking away from Dom and then back again like she couldn't help it. "You do. And I feel like shit about it, but like...I also feel more like shit about Calvin leaving and being so upset about it and the thing is, you and I will both still be here next year. You know? We can go to prom next year, if you still...want to. I hope we'll still be doing this, I mean, this whatever-it-is we're doing together, because it's awesome, but if you don't want to be I get that. I get it and I can't hold it against you. I'm kind of an asshole sometimes but I'm not so much of an asshole that I see when I'm being an asshole. But I'd really like it if you'd forgive me and dance with me anyway, even if you're not my official date, because I just...I'd really like that. Even if I don't deserve it. Ok?"

Dom raised his eyebrow a little when she finished, letting her let it all out.

"You could take along multiple dates" he said with a teasing grin. "Get yourself a backup harem with a bit on the side."

Well. There was an idea. Regan wasn't sure what that idea said about her as a person, but Dom looked like he was teasing, so okay.

"You're okay with being my side piece?" she asked, her own eyebrows shooting up. "That's kinda hot."

Dom said nothing, but cheekily wiggled his eyebrows in return. Lightening the mood couldn't hurt, right?