ArchivedLogs:Pre-Date Pep Talk

Pre-Date Pep Talk
ALL OF THE HUGS. _ALL_ OF THEM.
Dramatis Personae Peter, Ivan	2013-02-26 Peter and Ivan talk about Ivan's date. HUGS ARE INVOLVED.
Location Peter and Ivan's Dorm
Classes have ended, and there is NOISE in Peter and Ivan's dorm room. A lot of it. There's the hum of bug noises from the glass housings which are somewhat louder than usual today, but that's nothing compared to the TV-- it's on, playing a Russian movie without subtitles, and the volume has been turned up uncomfortably high. Ivan is seated on the edge of his bed, but he doesn't seem to be paying any attention to the TV. Or to what are possibly the cheapest headphones in the world slung around his neck, droning out a female singer's voice that can only occasionally be heard over the rampant dialogue and soundtrack of the movie. The bug boy seems preoccupied. Moreso than usual. He's /scribbling/ again, filling pages and pages with cyrillic alphabet writing, save for... save for the name 'Rasa' that appears above every attempted paragraph. Some of them are smudged or crossed through, yet more sheets of paper lie crumpled around him. His face doesn't look /too/ terribly fussed, though, but his shoulders hint at the frustration more accurately, being uncomfortably propped up. "OmiGOD," Peter exclaims, "motorbike racing costumes cost a FORTUNE." This completely unrelated aside is brought to you by the internet. Also, Peter is -- *was* -- upside down on his bed, feet up on the wall, head bent down as he surfed the web on his phone with one hand -- his other still in that sling. Now, suddenly, he is directly behind Ivan, peering over his shoulder at all the stuff he is writing -- ohboy he moves fast. He's currently dressed in loose slacks and a red collared shirt -- untucked. "What are you writing -- Izzat Russian? Rasa -- oh hey I remember Rasa -- she -- wait is it shi? Zhi? Zhi I think that's it though I'm not sure why I think somebody said zhi doesn't use she because zhi's not comfortable with it yet but /man/ that can be confusing and why are you writing about Rasa?" There's an unmistakable twitch from Ivan in response to Peter moving nearer so fast, but he either has the reflexes of a turtle or he's gotten used to Peter darting around, because the boy keeps writing, far from an attempt to hide his unfinished work-- his /failed/ work, judging from the fact that he scratches out another few words with his pen. Nope. The headphones, not even on his ears anymore, quieten as he reaches into his pocket for the phone they're plugged into and shuts off whatever it was playing. "I am not writing /about/ Rasa." He replies dryly, shoulders pulling upward even more. He kicks a leg forward to shove himself further onto the bed as he attempts to find a more comfortable position to write in. "Oh okay, you're not writing /about/ Rasa, but -- wait then why is Rasa's -- oh is this *for* Rasa? Like you're writing *to* Rasa?" And now, Peter is perched on the end of Ivan's bed -- knees poking out, crouched down like a hopping frog. "Wait why are you writing to Rasa? Is Rasa in trouble? Does Rasa need --" Dramatic pause, *lower* voice: "--SUPERHERO help?" So much for Ivan's serious face. He finally tears his eyes off of the paper to look to Peter, an amused smile pulling at his lips without his consent. "You are grounded from superhero help." He attempts to hide the smile and succeeds halfway, fidgeting with the pen in his hands as he stares down at the paper, then at the television across the room. The next thing he says comes a little more quietly. "It is a request." "Yeah but *you* aren't. You could be, like, the _backup_ Spider," Peter says, and now he wiggles his fingers in pantomine of a spider. "Like, fill my costume up with spiders and run around the city and oh MAN people would be terrified. You'd be the scourge of the underworld!--" That last bit catches Peter's attention, head perking. "Request? Request for what?" And then, eyebrows shooting up -- *remembering*, at long last. He wasn't here for it, but he _heard_ about the dance...! "Oh man you -- you LIKE Rasa! Like, _like_ like!" Backup Spider. Ivan will have to remember that. He seems momentarily a little lost, trying to imagine what a spider-filled personshape would look like and what sort of havoc it could cause. But he snaps out of it when he's asked another question, blinking sluggishly. The assessment of him like /liking/ liking Rasa is met with an affirmative nod, and he rummages to find the remote to the television under a bunch of crumpled up pieces of paper. The volume is lowered not so he can hear better, but mainly so he doesn't have to talk so loudly. "A date." Two simple words, lacking in both passion and shame. But what else is new. "And you're..." Peter looks at the paper, then back at Ivan. "...writing a letter? To request a date?" He wrinkles his nose -- but it's clear that among Peter Parker's many talents, *date-advice* is not among them. So he's not really in a position to criticize. "Man I hope that works. I have no idea what works." Hop! Now he's on top of his own bed, rocking back and forth, thinking. "I asked my uncle once how he convinced aunt May to go out with him. He said he arrested her fiance. I don't think that would work. I don't think Rasa _has_ a fiance." Then: "Is there anything I can do to help? I could totally pretend to be a super-villain and you could _save_ Rasa from me and oh man that is a TERRIBLE idea isn't it?" Ivan does not, in fact, think it is a terrible idea. He seems to considering for a good few seconds, but ultimately shakes his head again. "I will do this by myself." He then states as fact, though clearly doing it by himself will be done /later/; he shoves the rejected date request drafts onto the bed, and just peers at Peter all of a sudden, opting to stare inspiration out of him. Or maybe asking would be more efficient. "What about your parents?" ... Or maybe not. When Ivan seems to consider Peter's suggestion, he perks _up_; but when Ivan decides he will do this himself, Peter just nods. As if he understands. Yes, MANLY MEN LIKE THEM MUST CONQUER THESE CHALLENGES ON THEIR OWN. But when Ivan mentions Peter's parents, his eyes get briefly wide, and: "Oh! Oh, uh, *ha*, I uh have no idea," Peter says, and he sheepishly grins, apparently taken by surprise. "I mean I haven't talked to either of them since I was -- _six_, I think?" He quickly performs a verbal backflip out of AWKWARD PARENTAL WOES territory: "Uh maybe you should ask Shane for help, he's like _always_ got somebody." Manly man Ivan's head tilts curiously at Peter's uncertainty, quietly deciding not to press any further whether or not the subject is changed, and is quick to answer when it does. "He is /already/ helping." Ivan seems unsure of this even as he says it, being pretty unfamiliar with Shane as it is. Something seems to occur to him, then, sending him off staring blankly into nothingness. A sure sign of Ivan-brand anxiety brought on the by the realisation that this is going to be either /very good/, or... /very bad/. Peter seems to detect it; he suddenly *hops* back to Ivan's bed -- landing beside him. "Hey," Peter says. "Um, if this doesn't work out -- and I mean it totally could! But if it doesn't work out, I don't think you should feel _too_ bad because I mean I know you like Rasa but you can control _bugs_ and I am pretty sure that there are _so_ many people who would _love_ to date a dude who can control..." he fades off, realizing that this might not actually be true. But, anyway: "Maybe you should just go for something really simple? I mean, I don't know a lot about this but just asking Rasa if, like, zhi wants to go see a movie or a restaurant or something, or... uh." Peter may or may not notice it, but the room's gone awfully quiet. No background noise for the TV, and even it silently rolls into the credits of the movie. Ivan doesn't seem to want to move, even when Peter's landing causes a tiny shockwave to bop him up and down. His brain is too busy creating hypothetical situations. Not all of them bad, sure! But certainly some. As for keeping it simple... well it's a little late for that, isn't it. "It will be fine." He eventually mutters, tone flat, eyes dead. Yep. All fine. Everything. All of it. COMMENCE MAN-HUG. It's rather awkward, since Peter has only one good arm, and it's the one on the *opposite* side of Ivan -- prompting Peter to have to hop over to Ivan's *other* side to sling the arm around his shoulder. But Peter nevertheless slings said arm! And as he does, giving Ivan a little shake: "It _will_ be fine. Even if it isn't."