[ACTION]

[raced_god]

[IT'S SATURDAY. IT'S SUMMER. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and this dude is out on the quad. Like, right in the middle of the quad.]



[He is accompanied by a cooler of something that is definitely not soda and seems largely unresponsive to most things. Probably (definitely) he's thinking about how all y'all are nerds.]

Comments

[redshirted]

[It's Ian's turn to be less than receptive to the physical contact. He's numb, still reeling from the news of his brother's death, and doesn't immediately reciprocate.

But the gesture means a lot to Ian, especially when it comes from a woman he remembers who would balk at the slightest physical contact or jump when he threw an arm around her shoulder. He tentatively wraps his arms around her and is soon pulling her tightly into a hug. He isn't quite sure how long they stay like that, time seems to be standing still. Maybe surprisingly, he is the one who ultimately breaks the contact. He pulls away, but keeps his hands planted firmly on her shoulders.]

He, uhm-- he cared about you a lot.

[It was an obvious statement, but he's still processing. This helps make sense of it all.]

[icequeen_aran]

[Her hands drift up to rest over the tops of his hands, content to stand there. She offers a smile though it is the epitome of bitter-sweet. Her voice is barely just above a whisper.]

...I know.

[She doesn't have the heart to mention who uploaded his mind into a computer. Even that was long gone in her timeline now.]

He cared about both of us a lot.

[She sincerely hopes he doesn't take that the wrong way, considering it was Adam who ultimately caused Ian's demise. She didn't suspect Ian begrudged his brother for it, knowing his personality, but she supposed she would soon find out if that was not the case.]

[raced_god]

[After trying really hard to hold it in, Falcon sneezes.]

[redshirted]

[Ian squeezes Samus' shoulders. He offers the same bittersweet smile back to her. Who knows, maybe Adam will find his way back here some day in the same manner he did.]

Yeah, I kn--

[And then Falcon SNEEZED ALL OVER THEIR EMOTIONAL REUNION Ian's face sort of screws up and he shoots a look at Falcon.

And then he lets out a loud snort and starts laughing because all of this is just really damn absurd. He drops one hand of her shoulder and uses the other to turn and pull her into a side hug while he's still laughing at Falcon. There are still tears to be shed over this, but at least Falcon's broken the tension so Ian can deal with them in a more appropriate place: in private. In the meantime he mockingly chastises Falcon in between these fits of giggling.]

Hey, we were having a moment.

[raced_god]

Sorry.

[Falcon is kind of good at making things, like, super awkward. It has just happened, though he does seem to be genuinely apologetic.]

I tried to hold it in.

[icequeen_aran]

[Samus permits the side-hug, but very awkwardly and such that it would probably remind Ian of her younger self.]

...That was quite a moment you ruined.

[Said dryly of course, but it was accompanied by a look of mild forgiveness--at least it broke some tension and maybe Ian needed that. She wants to let Ian know it's okay to grieve but the words don't quite come out. If he wanted to grieve another time, (privately, she suspected) she could respect that.

Samus seems to be struggling most with trying not to reel too much from mood whiplash.]

[redshirted]

[He shrugs, both laughter and tears subsiding for now. Ian's far from being done grieving, but he's happy to leave that somber moment for now, quite possibly motivated by being in front of Falcon.

He gives Samus' shoulder another good squeeze before letting her go. She may not be quite up to his level yet, but it's eons above what she was comfortable from when he knew her, which was essentially just a few hours ago for him...]

S'alright. I should, uh, probably get going anyway. Figure out where I'm staying.

[raced_god]

Get settled in. If you want to come down to the autoshop later, I can show you around.

[LOOK HE'S STILL BEING SO NICE SAMUS ARE YOU NOTICING.]

[icequeen_aran]

[She's so proud.]

If you haven't seen the headmasters yet they can offer you room and board.

[The thought of also offering the firehouse as a place of SAFE SMASH-SHENANIGANS FREE SANCTUARY does admittedly cross her mind for a hot second but on reconsideration Ian has only just arrived and really needs to settle in on his own, nor is she sure she'd be able to handle his company in a prolonged manner without settling to the idea that he's alive and well herself.]

It's free, there's plenty of food here, and you won't be alone.

[redshirted]

[A nod.]

Sounds like a plan.

[He does that awkward shuffle where he really should try and leave, but it's hard for him to pry himself away from Samus. In a way, she's really all he's got left.]

I'll see you guys around then.

[Time to go try not to cry more about Adam and probably cry a lot.]

[icequeen_aran]

We'll see you around.

[That's a promise, no matter how long-term or short-term that ends up being.]