hi holland!

[blondfragility]

Who: Ken & March.
What: March makes assumptions.
When: During the Aurora.
Where: Snowjo Dojo Casa Dreamhouse.

Content Warnings: goose shenanigans TBD.


The night comes and goes, and Ken is glad for the daylight. It's getting too spooky around here for him, especially at night. Even if the sun here isn't the bright, warm sun of the beach, it's still comforting in its way.

Bundled up, he makes his way down the stairs so he can get the fireplace going. He likes to keep the living room warm-ish, at least, as some sort of reprieve from the chill. Once he does his usual walking around town, it's nice to come back and thaw out in front of it. He's tossing a log on to the new flames when he sees March.

"Hi Holland! Did you sleep good?"

Comments

[blondfragility]

"Oh last time we talked was definitely more emotional. I cried a lot."

He's not afraid to say it, either.

With the fire crackling, Ken rubs his hands together to warm them up a bit, then thinks maybe he can get something warm for them to drink. The instant coffee found in the cupboards tastes horrible, but there's some tea that Ken likes, and he's learning how to use the kettle.

"But last time wasn't like last night. This time we really talked. She cared about what I was saying."

[questioningmermaids]

Jesus Christ. No wonder this was their first time together, crying ruins a lot of it. March has never cried during, before, or after sex, of course. Absolutely not.

(He has. A lot. It's embarrassing. But he can at least do one night stands now.)

"If you ever want to 'talk' more, just let me know. Huaisang's a pretty cool guy, we're trying to get booze sorted out. You guys are both cute, Barbie is a real dish and since you look like me you're obviously a spitfire casanova, but I'm not into hearing you guys. I'll just crash over there the next time you guys want to have sex."

[blondfragility]

He's about to say that's really nice of Holland but obviously he and Barbie can talk when Holland's at home, then he stops. He's fussing with the kettle and he frowns a bit, confused and also a little bit curious.

"When we want to what?"

[questioningmermaids]

It's March's turn to look confused but also a little bit curious.

"What do you mean 'when we want to do what?' You know. Get freaky. Boogie down."

[blondfragility]

"When we want to ... Dance?"

It seems like they're just going to stare at each other, perplexed and somehow miscommunicating something that should probably not be this difficult.

"You're not making any sense, Holland."

[questioningmermaids]

There's a flail of his arm--loose, awkward and disjointed, more limb and less grace, and March brings his other hand up to pinch at the bridge of his nose.

"Jesus Christ. No, Ken, I'm not sure how I can be more clear than 'if you guys have sex I can leave the mojo-jo-jo-snow-house-casadilla thing, whatever you guys call it, if you give me a heads up."

[blondfragility]

"I don't know what the means," Ken replies, hands coming to emphasize his own frustration. How can he be any clearer about this? "Why do you keep repeating yourself?"

[questioningmermaids]

March's shrug has upgraded to an all out flail.

"Because you're repeating yourself!"

[blondfragility]

"I'm trying to tell you I don't know what sex is!"

Ken throws his hands up, ready to just give up on the conversation all together, because he's got tea to make even if he still isn't sure about tea.

[questioningmermaids]

March's mouth opens to say something back, inhaling sharply and about to let the other really have it, mostly because now that they're both shouting he can't stop and naturally escalates almost every situation he's in when he's not actively trying to do the opposite. But what comes out of Ken's mouth is so dumbfounding that he just sort of...forgets how to speak for a few seconds.

"What, uh--sorry." A hand moves to his ear, scratching it, clearing his throat, calm and collected.

"Did you just say you don't know what sex is?"

[blondfragility]

"That's what I've been saying!"

Gosh, it only took long enough. But now March isn't shouting, so Ken isn't shouting, either, and he's just relieved that March is actually listening now.

[questioningmermaids]

March is quiet for a solid five or six seconds.

"Like, at all? Whatsoever? You've at least kissed?"

[blondfragility]

Ken scoffs a bit.

"Yeah. Of course. Obviously."

Come on, March, he's Barbie's boyfriend, of course they've kissed. Geez.

[questioningmermaids]

The other blonde gestures for him to continue, pinky ring glinting in the fire light.

"And then after kissing...?"

[blondfragility]

Ken looks a bit disheartened at the question, and he shrugs, doing a good job at just playing it off like it's nothing.

"It was always girls' night. I couldn't stay."

[questioningmermaids]

March laughs.

"It can't always be girls nights."

[blondfragility]

"Always. Every night for forever."

Ken's accepted it. More or less. Maybe because Barbie apologized for it, but it doesn't matter because Barbie wants to live in the real world now anyway.

"She doesn't like me the way I like her."

[questioningmermaids]

"That's the most depressing shit I've ever heard," March says completely honestly, blunt in his statement but very sincere. He has a dead wife and that's the saddest shit his ears have listened to.

He pauses, though, thinking on it. Wishes he had some of that scotch to pour him and Ken a drink, realizes he needs to find a way to make some sort of booze, makes a mental note to ask Huaisang about it.

"Hey. Before this, did you two talk all night like you did now? At home, in the Land of the Dolls or whatever."

[blondfragility]

"No." Ken pauses. "The closest was after she stopped me from turning Barbieland into Kendom and she was really nice to me, even though she didn't need to be. But it wasn't like last night."

He doesn't seem too upset about it. Resigned, maybe, but he's had a lot of practice at acting like it's okay.

"She told everyone she isn't in love with me right in front of me, but we didn't technically break up?"

[questioningmermaids]

March has no idea what that means, but context clues--and the fact that Barbieland and Kendom have their names in it--lets him piece most of it together. He thinks. with this conversation, he's not entirely sure.

"Were you, uh... Were you guys going out in the first place? I'm a little confused."

[blondfragility]

"Of course."

Ken says it like that should be obvious, because, you know, he was literally created to be Barbie's boyfriend.

"We've been girlfriend-boyfriend for forever."

[questioningmermaids]

Holland needs a minute. Just a minute.

He needs to carefully run his hands over his face as he absorbs this entire conversation so far.

"Wow. Okay."