Perspective Shifts

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Doesn't have to be weird. Yeah right. I know! Why am I making this weird? her brain rambled on. Wait... how did he know I'm thinking this is weird? she suddenly thought and her mind happily settled into it's very comfortable defensive chair.
She could act on it easily, it was her style. Call him out for doing this to her on purpose or something.

That would be the irrational action she was intending to not do, though.
This was Matt. She could trust him, and she did. Besides, he seemed to know what was going on and probably had had relationships before... and that meant girlfriends... and that - no, that was then, they wouldn't be competition now. Stupid werewolf thinking. Right, exactly: he was a werewolf now and not back then. So no worries there.

She realised that she had been a little quiet for a little while, and glanced back at him.
What did he say again? Oh yes, now she remembered.
Okay, she could do this. No pressure. No time limit. No...

Her emotions finally got the best of her and harassed her mind. As a result she gave a short laugh and shook her head as she looked down and rubbed her forehead.
"Uhm..." she wanted to say more, but the words didn't want to align properly. She bit her lower lip softly as she tried to compose herself. Then she looked at Matt, her mouth ready for words to come out... and realising that they still didn't want to show up she could only chuckle at herself. Don't lose it, Joe. This is just... this kind of thing is normal... normally. For normal people, at least.

She looked at him again and straightened up, and when she spoke, it was surprisingly calm.
"Thank you, Matt.." she began, a little uncertain, "I'm sorry about the way I'm acting... or not acting." her voice sounded a bit more grounded. She then took a calming breath, "This is just very new to me... and, to be honest.." she hesitated a little as she thought carefully about her words, there were so many things running through her head that she could barely keep track. It was like her whole mind was on full alert, and everything was running around like headless chickens without any clear instructions of what they were actually supposed to do... "I know what kind of person I am and... I really don't want to screw this up because," Should she add the next part? ... yes, come on, you can do it. "... well I actually have nooo idea how this, whatever it is, works. But I do know that I trust you."
 
Matt kept very quiet as Joe spoke. The laughter had warned him that he was right, she was indeed struggling a little with this. That meant giving her time, and certainly not interrupting when she was trying to find words to express herself. He tried to smile encouragingly, but that seemed like it might come across as patronising, so he stopped.

Great, this is new to both of us. As he had that thought he realised he wasn't even sure if it was sarcastic or not. Sure, having no experience between them might make things a little tougher, but he didn't exactly like the idea of past love interests waiting in the wings... It also would not bode well for his own chances if she had a string of ex-boyfriends she'd eventually grown tired of and brushed off. And they'd be male werewolves. Ones that are actually her type, not like Addie... Yeah, so thinking about it he was actually very glad she didn't have tons of experience.

The bit about what kind of person she was took him by surprise and he almost broke his resolution to be quiet. The final part about not knowing how this worked made him laugh, and since she seemed to have finished what she was going to say, he hurried to explain that before she thought he was mocking her.

"Sorry, it's just... well, me neither. I've never done anything like this before and even if I had, I doubt it'd help." He hesitated, wondering if admitting his inexperience was a good idea. But he could trust her. "I've seen relationships spark up and fizzle out but I don't know anything about actually making them work... not that this is like that... a relationship, I mean." He paused again. He'd come into this with a clear goal: to excuse his laughter, and now he'd done that and he was ploughing into the rest of what he wanted to say without thinking. Oh well. Do what you always do: plough on regardless.

"... unless... well, unless you wanted it to be." As soon as those words were out of his mouth he regretted them. Too soon! Time to backtrack. "You don't, I get that. Sorry." He took a deep, steadying breath and closed his eyes, trying to get back on track. Ah, yes...

"As for what kind of person you are, I know that too: exactly the kind I want." He smiled, his expression sincere. "You'd really have to go some to screw this up. After all we've been through... you really think you can shake me off now?"


((Sorry this took so long - I watched Tangled and then fell straight asleep! Also, I will do text colours later from laptop because there is loooaaaaads of little bits of speech and thinking...))
 
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Interestingly, Matt's laugh helped to calm Joe about this, maybe even help her feel better.
"Oh, well... That makes things much easier, doesn't it?" She said jokingly and a little grin as she listened to him.

As he talked about what he had seen from relationships she nodded, having seen some of this, from a distance anyway. When he got to saying that this wasn't a relationship she suddenly felt... sad? That might be it. Though truth be told, he was right in a way unless friendship was classified as a kind of relationship. Even if it was, she then realised, it somehow didn't feel quite enough anymore.

"... unless... well, unless you wanted it to be."

Wow. That... That was a much bigger thing now that it was actually put in audible words. Her mind scrambled around trying to get its functions to properly function in a more appropriate functioning way - all it was doing now was telling her eyes to blink. Her heart blew some butterflies down to her stomach and somehow her mind noticed that and halted to have a look why. Matt's words slowly faded back in and she caught his sincere gaze.

Then her heart turned her mind to the part of Matt thinking that she didn't want a relationship. That wasn't true. If it was, then she wouldn't be having all these feelings right now. Strange as they were, but they were safe her heart said. It was the feelings her mom started to have for their dad long ago and it had made them both happy, right? Happy is good. Happy along with someone else is even better...

This was a lot to take in, but her mind finally wrapped around it. Perhaps it was with secret assistance from her now more feminine hormones, but they were sneaky enough for now not to be shunned by her mind.

"I never said I didn't..." she said, her voice soft but not exactly wavering.
 
"Yeah... But on the plus side, we get to figure it out together." That thought was comforting in the face of their complete inexperience, and in a way it meant they didn't have to conform to anyone else's rules. They could make this whatever they wanted it to be. Well, as long as what they each wanted matched up, anyway. That seemed unlikely, but he was sure he could be happy with however she wanted to do things.

He really shouldn't have pushed the relationship thing. There was no way to take it back and she was just silent, barely doing anything but blinking. Her blink reflex was still definitely functional. He gulped. Way to break a perfectly good friendship, idiot. Even if it wasn't quite in friendship territory any more, and even if friendship wasn't really enough for him, this had been too sudden and too soon. His mouth had gone dry and it felt like the bottom had fallen out of his stomach. Please don't freak out on me, he prayed silently. Please let's just pretend this didn't happen.

"I never said I didn't..."

Matt opened his mouth to try to defuse the situation, and froze. Wait, what?

What did that even mean? Was she just reprimanding him for making assumptions again? But if the idea was really out of the question, surely she wouldn't mind that he'd tried to take it back... It was his turn to blink and he made the most of it, his mind still reeling to understand what she was trying to say.

His stomach meanwhile had made a much shorter job of catching her meaning, and interrupted by swooping up from wherever it had fallen to. It felt like he was on a rollercoaster and his heart had started to pound as well. It might even have been that her emotions had altered her scent, and that stirred the reaction even more. The combination of all this made him feel suddenly a lot braver than before and it overruled the doubts in his head.

"So, would you maybe want to be my girlfriend?" It sounded corny and stupid out loud, but he decided that he wouldn't back down. Sure, she might say no, but apologising for the question wasn't going to help now.

His resolve didn't mean he was calm, though, and in fact his heartbeat was thundering in his ears as he stood there. He tried to surreptitiously wipe his palms on his trousers to rid them of the sheen of sweat. It almost felt as though he would pass out, but somehow he managed to stay standing, keeping it together as he waited for her to give some response.
 
Things were getting weird and awkward again, Joe noticed. Matt's reaction to her statement made her feel that way, at least... did she say it right? Or even withing the correct context?
Either way he seemed to be processing it and she found her... well, almost everything within her, standing on edge. She had figured from his words that he - at the very least - liked the idea of a relationship that was more than friendship.

How did she really feel about it?

Her and Matt, being more than friends.
As she actively thought about it, other thoughts that had been quietly waiting or hiding made their cautious appearance. Her mind, seeing them only now suddenly felt surrounded and wanted to turn defensive again. It wasn't that the thoughts were threatening, it was just that they were different, new. It was like facing a completely new scenario where the old tricks didn't work, and her mind didn't have other tricks ready and didn't know what to do to win. If she couldn't win then she couldn't survive, right? Her heart's answer was: this isn't a fight.

Joe noticed Matt's heartbeat and something else seemed subtly different. She couldn't quite place it but...

"So, would you maybe want to be my girlfriend?"

...

Ah, there it is! Confidence! Confidence enough to ask her to be his-

"Girlfriend?" she asked with a little surprised expression. With her knowledge of body language and how to notice things, his nervousness was sensed quite a bit. Despite that though, he had asked her. On werewolf standards, it was like facing what you feared in a little way. Getting to where you wanted to be despite the dangers. Of course, her instincts as a werewolf wanted to confirm something...
"So, you're staking a claim on me?" she asked and her voice was light and non-threatening, and with her own heartbeat picking up a notch it wasn't too hard to notice that she was maybe even excited.
 
Matt wasn't sure which he was more afraid of, that she might give his question due consideration and then say no, or that she might just laugh at him.

It was weird, but he'd seen some guys ask a girl out right after meeting her and barely even blink when she said no… and others hang around for years, wanting to ask but never quite working up the courage. In all of this he'd never thought it could be so mind-numbingly frightening after you'd worked up the guts to actually do it.

He just wanted an answer, to get this over with.

"Girlfriend?"
… ok, not that answer. That answer did not get this over with. He struggled to find his tongue to say something, to explain that they didn't have to call it that, only 'relationship' was too ill-defined and he felt it'd only cause problems. It was no use; his mouth felt as though it were full of ash and all he succeeded in producing was a small croaking sound.

"So, you're staking a claim on me?"
Again the croaking sound came from his mouth. With a great effort, he finally managed to swallow, but he still had no idea how to answer that question.

She wasn't giving him many hints. Her heart rate had kicked up a notch, but that could be good or bad – he couldn't tell if she was angry or excited at the idea. Her voice didn't sound angry, but then, she was good at sounding calm whilst internally seething. He weighed up his options. Honesty seemed like the only way to go.

"Well," he began, and had to swallow again before he could continue. "I'd like to, but I'm not stupid enough to try to do that if it's not what you want." He hoped that would be enough; she was obviously first and foremost her own territory, and it occurred to him that wolves, being territorial animals, generally didn't take well to others staking claims on what was theirs. Then again, they were pack animals, and a pack shared territory. And he was asking her permission.

As another pang of worry stabbed into his gut, it dawned on him that right now he almost didn't care what answer she would give, as long as she would give it to him straight. Better to know where he stood, than to be still left wondering.
 
Should I have said it like that? Joe wondered. It wasn't like he knew how werewolves did things, and that many things were done different from humans and even vampires. For one thing, a bunch of flowers meant pretty much nothing but being offered the liver of a kill was considered romantic... or even just the first bite could mean that too. She almost wanted to cringe...

"I'd like to, but I'm not stupid enough to try to do that if it's not what you want."

Any other male would just have answered "yes." and that would be that. Any guy would probably be completely thrown into confusion and probably reconsider or just blurt an uncertain answer.
Matt, she though, did it just perfect. His answer told her that he was respectful and trustful of her. It made it easier for her to start something that she never had before.

She was thoughtful for a moment, not looking at anything. Then she focused on him and her face showed confidence. "It is," she said, "and I accept it." then her eyes seemed to turn a deeper shade of blue as she added with a soft grin, "I accept it gladly."

This was a huge step for her, and she felt blind with only her heart (and most likely, at times, her annoying female hormones but she'd keep those in check... come hell or high water) to lead her. She knew that her mind would want to interrupt if things got tricky, and her instincts would be all too happy to do so too.

Her mind, feeling like it should indeed say something, reminded her of one little possible obstacle..

"So... shall we go tell my grandfather?" she asked and raised her eyebrows a little with amusement.
 
When she finally gave her answer, the fear and adrenaline deserted him on the spot, and he felt suddenly extremely shaky, as though they might have been the only things shoring him up. But it was the answer he'd wanted to hear. As it sank in, a warm sensation blossomed from his heart and filled his chest. She said yes! A little part of him wanted to rush at her and hug her, but he held it in check, and instead his face broke into a huge grin. Sure, he'd felt this way for ages and in one sense nothing had really changed, but now it was official: he had asked and she had said yes!

A part of him wanted to say 'thank you', but it felt like the wrong sentiment and nothing else was coming to mind. He was grinning at her like a fool and he had no idea what he could say that would be appropriate. Still, silence felt wrong, so he cast around and came up with, "I'm sorry, it's just... You've just made me happier than I think I've ever been." It seemed like an overstatement, but he knew it to be true.

The mention of her grandfather made him start, and now that he was brought back down to earth he realised he'd chosen pretty dreadful timing for this one. Sure, he didn't want to hide this from Faolan, but the conversation they were about to have was going to be a tough one. "Hey Faolan, so me and Joe have had a talk and now apparently I've made a claim on her, which might mean she's sort of my girlfriend, and also on an unrelated note can I move in?"

Ouch. This would not be fun. His complexion turned so pale that he looked very much like his vampire self. "Uhm... Yeah, so... Do you think we should maybe wait on the moving in thing, then? I can stay at mine for a few more days..." He scratched his nose warily before adding, "I mean, it's up to you, but I'm a little worried he might throw me through a closed window because he thinks I'm up to no good..."
 
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Her answer seemed to have had some effect on Matt too. It seemed to be a good one, as far as her senses could tell. The more she thought about it, the better it made her feel too... despite some uncertainty at the newness to this.
So, in all technicality she was his girlfriend and he her boyfriend. It still seemed... well. She wasn't sure but it probably just needed some time to sink in.

"I'm sorry, it's just... You've just made me happier than I think I've ever been."

Ooh, more butterflies... seriously, did her body have some sort of butterfly house or something that she was unaware of?
She lowered her head slightly as she chuckled, looking at him again her smile held the same consensus.

... "I mean, it's up to you, but I'm a little worried he might throw me through a closed window because he thinks I'm up to no good..."

Hmm. Joe thought a little more, but knowing what most new werewolves could go through...
"I think it should be okay, and to be honest... I'd feel better knowing you were close." she said finally. "Besides, the guestroom is on the ground floor and if my grandfather really has a gripe then he can close the stair doors or something." she shrugged and tilted her head sideways.
Not that Foaolan would be that paranoid... at least she didn't think so...
 
Right. Yeah, this will definitely be just fine. He tried not to dwell on all the negative aspects of this plan, although he had a vague feeling Faolan didn't approve of him. Maybe it was something to do with having brought her to the house dead that time. He wasn't exactly making a model demonstration of his ability to look after her, let alone respect her boundaries and all those other important things. Oh, and let's not forget the time he caught you eavesdropping through the window! ... Yeah, so Faolan probably wasn't his biggest fan.

Still, his reasons for wanting to move to the house were pretty legitimate. He was after all a werewolf now, and going home to a known vampire residence probably wasn't going to be the best move. That, and it wasn't exactly going to be easy changing species. The human stuff that had come back to him was hard enough, he dreaded to think what it would be like when wolf problems started coming up too.

"Sure," he replied to Joe, and tried not to look nervous. This was only her grandfather they were dealing with, the worst he could do would be refuse. Matt squared his shoulders and started the rest of the walk up to the house, dawdling slightly to make sure Joe was coming along too.
 
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She was glad that Matt agreed... she didn't want to go sending him back into unknown dangers and without any way of knowing whether he would be there the next day. He wasn't the only person wanting to protect someone that he cared for...
With an encouraging look she joined Matt and walked by his side to the house.

-----

As always, it was peaceful around the house and Joe noticed some sounds from the backyard. Faolan was probably sitting on the lower back wall and... thinking. She knew what he'd be looking at, or would at least be in his view, tucked inside a low fenced square and hiding in the tall grass. It was a little spot close to an old tree swing, complete with the knotted rope and large tire.

Thus, thinking that they should probably get to the point, Joe led the way through the front gate and around the house to where she saw Faolan sitting. As she had though, it was on the low wall and even the cat had decided to join him. With lazy eyes the cat looked at them as he lay on the wall and his tail was twirling at the tip, and then he gave a yawn.

Faolan looked back over his shoulder, "Oh, I see you're back..." and seeing Matthew there too, "and ye made it!" he added delightedly as he then got up to greet them. "So glad to see it, lad!"

Well, at least he was in a good mood...
 
Matt didn't question Joe as she led him round the outside of the house, figuring that she probably knew where they would find Faolan. Sure enough he was outside, sitting on the back wall. He looked pensive, and Matt almost didn't want to disturb him, but it was too late for that.

He was a little taken aback by how enthusiastically the old werewolf greeted him, but managed to keep it from showing and instead smiled warmly. "I did, although not without incident I'm afraid," he replied. He wasn't sure if that was something they were meant to be keeping to themselves, but Faolan seemed so welcoming that he figured it wouldn't hurt to share. "I hope you've had a good day here," he added. Then he paused.

A part of him wanted to hang back and let Joe bring up the awkward things they had come round here to talk about, since she was his granddaughter. He considered leaving it up to her. On the one hand, it might be more sensible for her to broach the subject, but on the other, he wanted to make a habit of being straight with Faolan and not hiding behind Joe...

You're overthinking this. He cleared his throat. "Uhm, we have some... news. Also something we'd like to ask you."
 
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Joe sensed that her grandad had something on his mind and wondered how long he had been out here... not that his good mood seemed fake, but she was sensing something.

"Ah, well I hope it wasn't too bad? I don't know too well how those procedures go but seeing as you're here and talking, someone must have been on your side." he smiled and at Matt's question he nodded, "Oh yes, a good day as any other." and he looked to Joe as he added, "Though I did wonder and worry some how things were going."

At this Joe smiled, "It turned out well. We also took Matt to have his first meal at the Beer and Bones." she said. Her grandfather looked impressed, "Good food they got there."

Joe remained quiet as Matt started with the matter at hand. Faolan was curious as Matt seemed to talk for both of them... and then, as a possible explanation popped up, he raised an eyebrow. His demeanor changed a little and he stood a little more upright, "Oh aye?" and casually crossed his arms.
Joe noticed the cautious questioning tone in his voice and wondered if Faolan had already figured what they were wanting to ask.

Then the old man continued, "Not getting married, are ye two?" he asked in the same tone of voice. The question sent Joe's body in a flurry or reactions and her skin felt like it was being pricked by thousands and thousands of needles. With great effort she stopped a flood of blush reaching her face. She almost burst out in laughter.

He just had to do that, didn't he?!
 
"They had some trouble getting my heart to start... Apparently six years in it had kind of got used to the idea of not having a job to do any more." He glanced down and tapped his chest reproachfully. "But it got sorted out ok, I guess." The smile was back and he was glad to hear Joe say it had turned out well, given how much of a scare he could only imagine he'd given her. Come to think of it, he had no idea how she'd come to be in the theatre when he woke up anyway.

He turned his attention back to the conversation and nodded vigorously at the mention of good food. Sure, it was punishing him now, but at least he could think of it as worthwhile. He'd really resent bad food for doing this to him.

He noted Faolan's change of posture and unconsciously straightened up to mimic him. Something told him the old man already had some idea of what was about to be said, and his question confirmed it, in a way. Matt laughed slightly, assuming it was meant in jest. "Not quite." He cast around for an acceptable way of phrasing what had happened, and couldn't find a word he liked. In the end he settled for, "I really like her, and she likes me, and we decided to make it official." He smiled again at the thought, and didn't try to hide his happiness - this was good news, and he hoped Faolan could recognise it as such.

Then he coughed, and lowered his eyes. A couple of seconds passed before he looked up again, and straight at Faolan. "Joe has suggested that I might be able to stay here, whilst I find my feet as a werewolf. My house in the city isn't exactly ideal, being vampire turf. But of course, if you're not happy with that arrangement, I'll find an alternative." There. He had said it, it was straightforward and it even sounded logical to his ears. There was nothing more he could do to avoid this seeming like an infatuation-driven bid to be together. He could only hope Faolan would agree to the idea.
 
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Faolan's eyes picked up quite a few things from Matt as he spoke, and also how he reacted to Faolan's jest. He was impressed. The boy had strength in him and it definitely showed when things concerned him and Joe. The lad wasn't kidding about how they felt. Still...

This was a very big development, the old wolf knew. Joe was rarely one to make her feelings known and to actually have - wait, how had they gone about it? Werewolf, or human way? He thought about it... his granddaughter was settled well in traditional werewolf ways (at least some of them) so... Hmm.
Very big indeed...

His look was thoughtful, but his position as Joe's grandfather and thus her protector and guardian didn't waver and this did reflect in his body language. For a moment Joe thought that he might question this, and the future of this. She wondered if he would approve? Joe respected him and stayed under his roof so he did very much have a say in it. Still, either way she'd stand up for them, no question about that.

"I see." was all Faolan said to that, and then waited for Matt to continue. At the mention of Matt staying in his house, Faolan payed attention more intensively. It was probably territorial instinct and his protectiveness. Joe noticed it, and saw how Faolan wordlessly still, looked at her as if to confirm Matt's words. She didn't flinch and didn't look to back off but still held respect in her eyes. Then his stern eyes returned to Matt.

The old wolf let a few seconds go by as he looked at them. Like Joe could, he didn't let any sign of any kind of emotion slip and it had even her feeling a little nervous now. It was some sort of a test of course. A way of him reminding them of his dominance. Then finally he spoke, and a smile tweaked his mouth,
"Very well, but then you will abide by my rules." he stated firmly. He then lifted his right hand as he counted them down with his fingers one by one.
"First of all, you won't be dragging any fights to this house. You'll treat me and my granddaughter with respect and we'll do the same for you. You will not go after my chickens unless instructed to do so. I don't care much for curfews, except on a school night but I'm sure you'll know how much rest you'd need, however - Keep noise to a minimum after midnight because that's when I head off to bed and I don't like to be woken up at an unreasonable hour. Then I would appreciate ye keeping your room neat and clean. No clothes thrown all over the place or anything like that"

These were pretty much the rules that he had given Joe as well, and she felt them reasonable. She glanced at Matt to see what his stance was on having heard the rules.
"You're welcome to help yourself in the kitchen to anything you like, and if there are any doubts or such ye can ask me or Joe." he finished.
Joe felt relieved then. So far things hadn't gone too bad...

"Then lastly," came Faolan's serious voice again, "I am an old wolf with old traditions, so I won't be having any tom-foolery happening under my roof, ye hear? I was young once, and know what it feels like to be in love and all that, but you two keep your young selves in check and we'll all get along well."

Granddaaaaaaaaad, seriously? Joe's hormones, having heard themselves mentioned (at least they figured that they were) happily ran to attention and sent her body giving off a warmth that could clear frostbite as she blushed from embarrassment. Just tell him I'm in heat, why don't you??
 
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Faolan's lack of response to anything he'd said, along with his stern look and body language, made Matt feel slightly uncomfortable and he shifted from foot to foot. Sure, he wasn't about to let one person's disapproval come between him and Joe, but he knew that as her grandfather Faolan's opinion would matter to her. By extension it mattered to him too, and he resolved to do his best to win the old wolf's approval.
After all, he reminded himself, he might not be exactly what Faolan had in mind for Joe's future partner. He wouldn't have expected this if he'd been an onlooker. But if he had one thing going for him it was willingness to work to be what she needed, whatever that took.

He responded to the silence by ducking his head slightly, which if he'd thought about it he might have realised was an unconscious display of submission. He also relaxed his posture. He wasn't about to grovel and the gesture only lasted for a second, but it meant that he was willing to acknowledge the older wolf's dominance. When the list of rules came, he nodded his way through signalling acceptance. They were nothing out of the ordinary anyway, and most of them wouldn't even affect his normal habits.

After the part about food he thought the list was done, and was about to offer a "thank you", but it seemed there was still one more rule to add. This didn't surprise him, and in fact he would have been more surprised if this hadn't come up. You couldn't tell someone you were romantically involved and moving into their house and expect them not to worry about this.

Joe's reaction, on the other hand, took him by surprise and he shot her a confused look as she blushed furiously. Sure, it was somewhat uncomfortable talking about this, and it was her granddad... ok, so maybe it was understandable. Or maybe she was just grossed out by the idea of "tom-foolery"? He himself couldn't decide how stringent the definition would be -for instance, did contact of any kind count, or were they talking much less innocent things?

Perhaps unfortunately for Joe, he felt he couldn't in good conscience agree to a rule he didn't properly understand. He took a breath, looked Faolan right in the eyes and said, "That all sounds fine... except... well, what exactly would count as inappropriate tom-foolery in your book?"
 
Matt's confused look at her didn't help... not at all. Worst part was, he didn't even know the part of her changes which actually made Faolan's last rule that much more legit. Why on earth did she mention her "hormones must be acting up" like she did a few days ago? She should have just kept quiet. Joe only looked embarrassed back at Matt though she tried her best to get the blush under control. At least he wasn't affected in a way that he'd want to suck her dry or something like when he was a vampire.

"Yeah, what with the old lady said that was still on its way and all..." she almost cringed loudly as she heard the familiar voice. Dammit, Bucky! Trust him to show up in the worst of times.
"Hey, I can't help it if you let me loose every time you're stressed, " he then made a snerk through his nose as he stifled a snigger, "or really and uncomfortably embarrassed as the case may be."

Please just leave...

Foalan saw Matt's resolute in his eyes and tilted his head very slightly to hear the lad's words.

"That all sounds fine... except... well, what exactly would count as inappropriate tom-foolery in your book?"

Bucky just about doubled over as he laughed. It was so loud that Joe thought that Faolan and Matt might even hear him. "Oh! Oh! That is... that is just such a good question!" he choked out, and looked at Faolan "Please tell me you'll go into detail!" he again continued his laughing madness. "We all know how much Joe loves... touchy-feely emotion stuff..." He even wiped away a tear at his little pun joke and leaned on oblivious Matt's shoulder. Joe's embarrassment now took a course for anger... so much so that she might get angry enough to forget that she was getting angry at a hallucination...

For Faolan it was a normal question, and Matt asking it to make sure that he understood the old wolf's rules showed that the lad took it serious. At least Faolan didn't pick up any signs of sarcasm or disrespect. He did notice Joe's blush, but he might as well get this out in the open now. Thankfully he decided to keep what was said between them to himself and adapted his words.
"For starters, you keep your hands where they can be seen when you're with Joe. I don't mind hand-holding or anything like that but you respect her as a young, well-behaved lady." he looked at Joe too as if to emphasize the 'well-behaved" part.
"D'aawwwwww he thinks you're his little baby doll. So late century!" Bucky cooed. Joe could hear her blood moving in her hears.
"Displaying affection for each other is fine but I don't want it getting out of hand. Not here at home or anywhere else."
*snerk* Bucky had his lips pressed against his teeth and his mouth crumpled up in a wide grin as he looked at Joe. "Ooooooh mai... just the thought!" She meanwhile started seething inside and felt her fingertips itching. Her nails were growing, becoming sharper. Luckily she had pockets to put her hands in before anyone saw. She shifted her posture to make it look like she wanted to stand more comfortably.

Then Faolan prepared for the last part, and his voice had an edge of warning to it. "Lastly," His body arched at the shoulders and made him look a little bigger as he leaned forward to Matt, and pointed his finger. All that was needed was dramatic lighting and thunder effects to complete the scene. "If you ever get my granddaughter pregnant, I will will hunt you down and make you wish you were never born."

Bucky was beside himself with hysterical laughter. Joe closed her eyes to try and drain it out but it only seemed to make it louder. One part of her wished that the earth would swallow her whole. The other wanted to find the first available neck and squeeze it until something popped. "Oh come on, Joe... It's not that bad! I'm very sure Matt won't be thinking about any of the things that were mentioned, even by accident..." Bucky teased. "It's all natural, anyway."

"Do we understand each other?" Faolan asked, his voice normal and calm.

Just say yes... please just say yes and let's go. Say yes or I will kill you...
 
Matt's attention was fixed on Faolan, and Joe's reaction to his question, and to Bucky's sudden appearance, passed him by at first. He listened attentively, and was pleased to hear that hand-holding was still acceptable. Not because he particularly thought Joe would go in for that, but because it indicated that other lesser crimes – looking at her, for instance, or innocent hugs – were also still ok. As for respecting her, he was pretty sure he could manage that, although he wasn't sure about 'well-behaved lady'. Still, he nodded his consent.

The next part was a little vaguer and he frowned slightly. 'Getting out of hand' could mean more or less anything, and the fact that it applied wherever they went bothered him. It occurred to him that not much 'displaying affection' was on the table as things stood anyway, but then, when did these restrictions end if they applied both in the house and out of it? This time he didn't nod.

The final warning that Faolan gave caused his eyes to go wide for a second, and then he couldn't help himself: he burst out laughing. When he'd managed to suppress it, he addressed Faolan again and said, "Sorry, but I really don't think you need to worry about that." He laughed again before continuing, "Besides, neither of us can have kids anyway." Then he paused. He probably should have kept that last part to himself… Mel had found out from Rami, but Joe didn't know she'd told him.

He glanced at her, and only then noticed her extreme discomfort, which he supposed was down to the pregnancy issue. It was probably best to change the subject, so he added, "I'm with you on most of it, but I'm still not sure what you mean by displays of affection 'getting out of hand'..." He was hoping they could clear this up quickly, because he was beginning to feel uncomfortable about discussing physical things they would almost certainly never come close to. Still, he wanted to be clear, just in case…
 
Matt's laugh surprised Faolan and even Joe. For the life of her she couldn't think what he found so funny. It almost made her angry at him...

"Besides, neither of us can have kids anyway."

Bucky, who had made himself leaning on Matt's shoulder looked over to him with a look of 'I know something you don't know', "Boy, do I have news for you!" he spoke animatedly. "Well, actually Joe does."
Joe was even more surprised... how had Matt found that out? Her state of mind was in disarray still and she couldn't remember if she had told Matt this herself or not. Bucky was right... although just because her body seemed to be working normally, it only meant there was a chance now. If they were to try one day. Oh hell, why did she have that thought? To make matters worse she was feeling even more weird now and along with the growing anger was another sensation. She had no idea what it was, but it was worse than the butterflies one.

The old wolf saw Matt's discomfort and it reminded him about a similar speech he had had with his father-in-law so many, many years ago. Only difference was that he had been kind of cornered and grabbed at the scuff of the neck and delivered the Rules. He almost smiled at the memory.
"Well, that would be anything more than what the first rule allows and could lead to the third one being broken," he said. He was about to continue but Joe interrupted him calmly by stepping up and cleared her throat. Faolan was caught off guard that Joe would say anything on this... although, she didn't so much say it...

Without so much as a word Joe turned to face Matt and with her strong arms grabbed and held him as close as possible. She felt a warm rush from her chest rise up to her face as she tilted her head and brought one hand behind his head, bringing his lips to hers. Her fingers held his hair tight as if not wanting to let him slip. She inhaled through her nose as she closed her eyes and gave him the most passionate kiss ever that even made Bucky blush and vanish from sight. She poured all her anger in it but somewhere it had converted into something that wasn't anger but it was most definitely intense. The kiss lasted a moment or two and when she was done she let go of Matt and looked at him sternly.

"That." she stated bluntly and turned to enter the house.

Faolan was left completely speechless and with wide eyes stared after her and then at Matt.
 
Matt was focussed on Faolan and had just about got to grips with the boundaries, so he was in the middle of nodding when Joe suddenly cleared her throat. He froze. Her involvement in this scenario could not be good, he assumed, given how she'd looked the last time he'd glanced in her direction. He turned his head slightly towards her just as she stepped forward and caught hold of him.

It occurred to him automatically to defend himself, since he was very much used to her physical outpourings of anger, and assumed he was about to be either throttled or shoved. When neither happened he was confused for a moment and ended up swiping away assaults that weren't coming. And then she pulled him close.

There had been hugs before, but even without the complete inappropriateness of the context, the look on her face would have told him that something was wrong. He was just considering how best to break free when her hand moved to the back of his head... and then everything was confusion, and he forgot any thought of escaping, as she suddenly pulled him in and then...

... she was kissing him. He'd thought about this before, but never in all his imaginings had he dreamt that the emotion coursing through him when her lips met his would be complete and utter bafflement. He stood like a statue as his thoughts scrambled around, trying to figure out what on earth was going on, why right here in front of her grandfather she would go from hideous embarrassment to... this. No explanation came.

And then, quite suddenly, he forgot to be confused. All of a sudden the reality came flooding in, her closeness, her warmth and most of all her lips against his. Something was driving this, but he didn't spare a thought for what that might be. All he knew was that she was there, all the smells were right, and she was somehow passionately involved in this... and he was returning it. His hands went from hanging uselessly at his sides to round her waist, and he had no recollection of moving them. If he had thought, it might have occurred to him that this was most definitely what Faolan had meant. But his mind was blank, full of her.

When she pulled away he stared at her, uncomprehending, searching for the slightest indication of what she had been thinking. Nothing. Her single word confirmed what he already knew: that this was very definitely banned under Faolan's rules. And then she was gone.

His pulse still thundered in his ears, and as he turned his head robotically towards Faolan he felt a tremendous pressure, like a tightness in his chest. His face was flushed, and he couldn't bring himself to meet the old wolf's eyes. A pain ran down his arm, like the stab of a knife.

He couldn't find any words that would address what had just happened, and the pressure in his chest was intensifying. It felt like an elephant was standing there, its weight concentrated right in the centre. Pain flickered down his arm again, up into his jaw, and his breath came in short gasps. Whatever he had been feeling before, it was replaced by anxiety and he sat down suddenly on the ground, wheezing, clutching his left arm.

If he had been able to think straight, he might have realised that what was happening constituted a very good reason to use the number Rita had given him.
 
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