xp_logs | Kevin and Laura | Saturday night

Out on the dock of the boathouse Kevin finally gives Laura the demonstration she once asked for before things take a more serious turn.

It was warm enough out that sitting out on the boathouse's dock as the sun set didn't require much in the way of extra layers. Laura, however, had an obviously oversized, hooded, long sleeved shirt on. It was obviously Kevin's, the one he had stripped off specifically so he could perch his chin on her shoulder as he worked actually. The artist was trying to cheer her up a bit and also show her how carving with his mutation worked at the same time. The block of wood had been set down in her lap when he'd made her sit down indian style and Kevin had sat down behind her, legs to either side of her and pressed in against her back. She didn't seem to mind him bursting her personal bubble too much most of the time and so he was thoroughly wrapped around her now, one arm around her waist and the other stretched out to the block of Padauk wood.

"Normally Ah just sorta don't let go but then all the dust and stuff stays so you wouldn't get to see how it works much," he explained in a very quiet voice from her shoulder. "Ah'll try to remember to let go so the ashes fall off so you can see, okay? But you might hafta remind me, too."

A quiet hum came from Laura as she watched the wood being carved. She was fully aware of how much skin Kevin was exposing at the moment, but the soft smell of him on the long sleeved shirt was---soothing. She liked the way he had wrapped around her, and it was almost tempting to close her eyes and slowly drift off on his arms. But, she was also interested in the draft. She would sleep on him later.

"I just-" Laura blinked as she tried to explain what she was seeing. "You are just- I don't know, shaping it. Like making a sculpture in creepy fast forward. Creepy awesome fast forward." Kevin couldn't see her face, but he would surely feel the smile growing on her face.

A soft laugh came as a response and he nodded. "Sorta." It hadn't taken him any time to get his mutation going. The sheer anxiety of having to explain why it wasn't working had been enough to kick start the decay. Fingers slid over the surface of the wood leaving the wood weakened wherever he touched. Kevin's touched skated over spots to work down the wood until dust fell off. The basic shape was already there, done with a single lingering touch until he was sure he had most of the excess gone. It had been something of an egg shape but petals were emerging slowly now. Kevin hadn't told Laura what he was going to make. "Like paintin' in reverse," he told her. "Instead of leavin' paint where the brush goes wood decays wherever Ah go. And if Ah do it right...then it'll be flawless when Ah'm done."

"That...is so cool. I wish I could do something as cool as this." She stared in silence for a bit longer, wondering just how many times he had done something like that. The shape of the petals was starting to show, but Laura was still wondering how it would look in the end. "Is that a flower? It looks like a flower." She leaned a bit, watching Kevin's skin closely, but she was already close enough, so that didn't help much. "Do you work with only the mental image...or are you improvising?"

"Improvising. Ah studied the flower Ah wanted. Photos and the real thing. Ah did sketches. But in the end they are never exactly like each other. They've all sorta got their own...character, Ah guess?" His hand was very careful as it moved with Laura leaning closer in. She was still more than far enough for him to be able to move freely, though. "Ah could do it all at once, too. It's harder, takes more concentration. Sorta like walkin' 'round in the dark, y'know?"

"Okay, Mister Artsy Pants, you are obviously skilled." So there were sketches and pictures; it made sense if you wanted to make a serious job, Laura thought. "I think they would lose their charm if they were mass produced anyway...unless you want to enter retail or something. Please don't enter retail or something." She had liked to see Kevin's art in a gallery, a lot, and that was where she supposed it had belonged all this time. "And you can take your time. I have nothing else to do."

At being told she had nothing else to do the arm around her waist tightened a little, as if keeping her there now that he knew he could. "Got no plans to go into retail. Ah don't think the general public would be all that interested in most of the stuff Ah do anyway. Bein' sold at Target and winding up on everyone's end table?" He made a face she couldn't see as if he tasted something sour. "S'not what Ah want. Ah heard a couple of my sculptures in the galley have sold so maybe Ah won't have to worry 'bout ever havin' to be in Target anyway." All the while his fingers gently coasted along the wooden surface, slowly decaying away layer upon layer as the flower emerged from the solid block.

"Good, I would feel betrayed if everyone could see your metal thingies every time they walked into their living rooms. Or sold with a discount if you bought a set of chairs, or whatever. That's not art, as far as I'm concerned." It was perhaps the context they were in, but Kevin's hand around her felt natural, almost as if it had been there the whole time. Finding herself not worried at all, Laura smiled. "Did you set them at a price, or your manager guy does that? Because you make it sound like you just made some good money." As the flower grew on definition, Laura wished to have brought a camera to record the process. It would have made from an awesome video, once you got rid of their voices.

"The gallery owner sets them at a price. He told me Ah ask too little and Ah had to learn what my art was really worth. Ah dunno how much they sold for but he sounded like Ah'd be pretty damn happy even after he took out the gallery's cut for doin' the work of sellin' 'em and all that." Kevin didn't even know what the gallery's cut was, to be honest. He knew scarce little about the business end of art, always too focused on the creation of it to bother looking into the selling of it. It would probably be a good idea to get some sort of knowledge on the topic. After all, he didn't think he was going to be ripped off this time but at some point in the future someone was likely to try it.

"So...you still don't know how much money you have?" A beat, and then Laura just started to giggle out of control, although she made a pretty decent work of not moving to much. "Are you kidding me!? I think you need a manager. If I had the time, I would offer myself to go and harass the art gallery guy to know your numbers and his rates." Maybe she would do that anyway, because even if Kevin didn't care, it would be too easy to take advantage of him like that. "And once you finish carving it?"

"Ah know how much money Ah have but not what he's sellin' my sculptures for," he clarified. Technically he didn't have the money from the sales yet, mostly because he simply hadn't gotten around to it yet. "Ah trust 'im. Might sound stupid but he's a friend of a teacher Ah took some classes with at Westchester Community. Ah don't think he's gonna rip me off and if he tries to Ah won't let 'im get away with it. Ah happen to know where two lawyers are and a lawyer-in-trainin'. Ah got my bases covered." Nathan would probably be all too willing to kick up some dirt on Kevin's behalf if need be anyway.

Raising the wood, Kevin blew some of the dust off of it from his spot on Laura's shoulder. The basic shape was all there now, he just needed to do the detail work to really make it good. "When Ah finish this? Well, then Ah gotta seal it so it can't rot or anything." That was only part of where the wood flower would wind up but Laura would either have to ask for more details or live with him being vague.

"Uh, do remind me not to try to scam you, then," said Laura with a grin as she watched the flower in more detail now. "Oh, so you don't...paint it? I mean, it looks like a rose perhaps? Although the wood is pretty red itself so, I don't know." She was somewhat used to his vagueness, so keeping on asking was only the natural way of proceeding for her. "And how do you seal it?" She wanted to hold the flower, but it would be all kinds of messy to try and snatch it out of Kevin's grasp at the moment.

"You sorta paint it with this clear, glossy stuff. But Ah don't like actually paintin' it. Ah like the wood grain and coverin' it up just seems...wrong." His eyes fell closed as his hand stilled and he concentrated. He wanted to do all the fine detail at once so when he let go the dust would all fall away and she would be left with just the finished flower. When his bare hand eventually pulled away from the finished product it swapped places with his other arm. His gloved hand left Laura's waist to pick up the wooden flower from her lap and hold it out to her while his bare arm carefully around its way around her waist, cautious to stay above his shirt she was wearing. "Unless you really want me to paint it, anyway. It's yours, after all."

Laura blinked as she stared at the prettiness that was the finished product. "M-mine? Are you sure?" He had sort of implied it was for her, but she hadn't really thought he would give something-something so pretty to her. Laura was glad Kevin couldn't see her face, because she was blushing furiously. Usually boys gave flowers, but not wooden ones, made with their bare hands even. "Hmmm no, I like how it looks right now. I'll have to look for a special place to put it in my room." Certainly not over a stack of papers. Laura wondered if something like that even fit in her room.

"Yeah, Ah'm sure." Kevin was grinning from her reaction, both arms now wrapped securely around her waist. "Ah got the wood when you said you wanted me to show you how my carving worked. Just hung on to it and tried to figure out what to make of it since then. Roses seem generic but they fit you so..." He shrugged a little and pulled his shirt's hood over her head so he could press a kiss into the side of her neck. Kevin's face was burrowed into her neck as well, nose pressed into the cloth barrier and only his eyes able to be seen by anyone who may happen by.

Well, if he was sure..."I think I'm going to buy a nice night table just to put this rose on it." The worst part was that she wasn't even joking; Laura had paid so little attention to the overall furniture on her room she hadn't stopped to check how classy it was. The mansion was classy enough for her anyway. She closed her eyes and relaxed as Kevin plunged his face into her neck, almost literally melting against him. Had it been anyone else, hoodie or not in between, and Laura would have reacted in a definitely violent way. "Hmm, you tease," Laura whispered as she used the fabric of the hoodie to press herself back a little more towards him. She felt in control, it was good to feel in control.

Raising his lips to her ear, Kevin whispered, "Ah never tease. Teasin's what people do when they won't make good on their implications." His tone confirmed the implication of his words solidly, he'd make good on any supposed teasing he did. This wasn't even the beginning of the ways in which he could tease her, though. Fingers trailed up Laura's side from where they laid against her, though they managed to stay in fairly "safe" territory before skipping over to graze down the inside of her arm. "Ah'd never lie to you like that. Teasin' is all lies..."

Against her best wishes, Kevin's hand made her recoil, if only a little. It brought memories of other caressing hands, but filled with evil intent. Kevin wasn't like that, she knew it, but the good feeling was somehow tainted and feeling the hand going up her hand was almost hurtful. She managed to keep it to a minimum but the recoil had happened and there was no taking back. "Too bad right now I'm probably not up for much besides teasing and banter, eh?" She tried to joke about it, but didn't think she had done it all that well.

The reaction had been noted and as soon as it had happened Kevin's hand had simply drifted back to its original place on her waist. He filed it away for later. He'd look at it then, possibly over analyze it for a bit and try to figure out what, precisely, had caused the reaction so he could avoid doing it again. All too aware of his own various issues with proximity and how long it had taken him to trust people being physically close to him, Kevin wasn't exactly one to push. The thing he hated most was the thought of making someone uncomfortable because he'd pushed too far too fast in any way.

A kiss was laid against her temple through the hood since he was unwilling to unwrap his arms from around her long enough to pull it back so his lips could find skin. He wondered if wearing his shirt might be something of added security anyway, all that extra shirt to hide in and all.

Quietly, he spoke into her ear, this time much less playfully and without a hint of anything but utter seriousness in his voice. "You assume Ah'm aimin' for more'n Ah am. Ah'm good with this." His arms gently squeezed her around the waist for a brief moment as his nose nuzzled her cheek. "Ah might play or whatever, but Ah'm good. And Ah'm patient. And Ah can go as slow as you want me to. Even if it means this is all Ah get of you for the next three years."

"This is the kind of stuff that makes me think you deserve better." It came all out at once, and she bit her lip when she was done. "I mean, I think I know you, and if I'm right that's so not what you might want but I-" She was babbling a lot of nonsense, right? "I wish I was better already, I wish I could turn and hug you and kiss you, but I can't." Laura brought her knees up, face hiding in her legs. "I'm still scared."

Even as she bent down to bury her face Kevin's body simply followed, chin landing on the back of her shoulder. He was making a point about her not getting rid of him so easily. "Ain't askin' you to be 'better' right now. And 'better' ain't really the way to think 'bout it. You're not sick. You went through something and you gotta figure your way through the rest of it. And Ah'm not goin' anywhere while you do that unless you really, honestly want me to. 'Kay?" Kevin kissed the back of her neck. "Ah want you and Ah'm stayin' long as you'll have me. Ah got me a Laurabear to sleep with most nights. What else Ah need?"

She laughed a little, face still hidden on her knees. "What I did to deserve you, I wonder..." But he was there and she wasn't going to make things more difficult, so Laura lifted her head and gave him a soft nod, her calm regained. "Slow then. You are too good, you know? I should just move to your room and let you hug me until you fall asleep as a reward. Also your room is probably a better place for this rose."

His grip on her loosened a little when she seemed to relax again, though he was a long ways off from letting go of her. "If that's where you want it then that's where it'll go. Ah'll take good care of it for you. But you can put it wherever you want." Kevin peered out over the lake to the purple and gold sky. It was pretty here, quiet and he wondered if the calm of the place did anything to calm the things inside Laura that twisted her up so much.

"Ah'm not that good, though," Kevin warned after some quiet time. "Ah get all possessive. Very claim-y. And Ah criticize other people doing weird, northerner things in the kitchen. Oh and Ah cling." He pulled her back against him more as if to illustrate the point. "Um...and sometimes Ah ignore everythin' just to work and Ah don't really like bein' 'round people all that much half the time. See, not that good." He probably had much worse flaws but Kevin couldn't think of them beyond the obvious. No one needed to hear how he killed things with his touch right now, though.

She grinned widely, head turning slightly so he could tell. "Yeah you are, trust me on this one. Each one of those things only makes me..." She sighed, feeling something funny in her chest. "I guess it makes me love you a little more." Was she blushing? Naaaah, that was an optical illusion, a weird light effect, surely. Uncurling, she gave Kevin a little bump with her back on his chest. "Don't let go of me, okay? Ever."

His nose brushed up along her jaw, skirting the edge of the cloth hood, then his lips pressed to skin as he kissed her cheek. "Ah don't think you're in any danger of me doin' that. Ah'll hoard you. Not share. Stake my claim and not let anyone else near you." As he spoke his voice grew softer and quieter. Another kiss, this one just outside the corner of her mouth.

"You're mine." Those two words held the fierce possessiveness he'd nearly never used when it came to Laura. It had certainly never been so overt.