The House On The Mountain

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"Jeez, I'm not a bad guy, I totally get that. I was nice to the kid, Lucy. But he can't go insulting us. He ought to at least realise we're happy to see him, and he can stay as long as he needs to. I hardly want him to go, but him insulting you isn't... right, is it? Look, it's upset you. Just... I'm sure he's upset and stressed, that's all. He probably doesn't mean it-- and you're right, it's nice to see him at least able to speak up a bit, huh?" Matty quietly sighed, deciding the positive spin was necessary to try and avoid tears, scooping her hand up both to comfort her and to lead her up the stairs. "I want 'em to stay, so I'll pretend the little altercation didn't happen, assuming he at least apologises..."​
 
"I just don't understand why he's like this now. He was such a sweet boy, albeit a little... uh, sheltered. I'm hoping that he could see that he doesn't need to be such a little prick to prove that he has this confidence," she replied rather bitterly, as she shimmied the maternity sweater over her head, peaking over at the mirror briefly to see the bulge. "I want him to see the baby, when they're born."
 
"I don't think he's going to stay that long, don't get your hopes up," he admitted as he leaned over the tub to start the taps for her, along with a healthy dollop of lavender-scented bubble bath. He hadn't entirely planned on having to calm Lucy down this early in the morning, after all, but he had hardly expected Cameron to lose his cool and act so uncharacteristically either.

"I'd love him to, obviously. Louise has asked a lot about the baby, so I'm sure she'd like to stay, at least-- and Cameron seems to want to make her happy, so hey, maybe he'll stay in time. You're, what, a few days away? I'm sure it'll be fine," continued Matty the moment he realised he was hardly helping keep her calm. Even if he had to fill her with some false hope, it was better than having her be all stressed. "...Would Cameron be alright around a baby? He doesn't seem like he'd be good with kids, he's beyond awkward."​
 
"You heard Louise go on about wanting a baby too, right? I mean, wouldn't this be perfect practice for them? Honestly, it was adorable how passionate she was about the whole nuclear family thing. I think they genuinely love each other, you know?" The vampire admitted, as she slipped wearily into the bath, but not without offering a snort at just how hard it was to press into the tub without growing uncomfortable by the space taken up by the bump.
 
"Well, yeah. She was gushing about it, but they haven't had sex, Lucy. She said they're waiting until marriage. I didn't know people still did that. I know religious people do sometimes, but they're not religious, are they? It's romantic, I s'pose-- but really, the thought of Cameron with a kid is hard to believe. Him having a girlfriend was pretty fucking miraculous, though I guess he's not the weirdo teenager I first met. He's definitely got a new attitude," he mumbled contemplatively as he obediently sat at the edge of the bathtub and dutifully reached to wash her back, as he usually would. If anyone in the house was suspicious of Cameron, it was definitely Matty who led the way, mostly because he was the one who seemed to be the victim of Cameron's outbursts, and the first to notice him growling or rolling his eyes. Of course, he had no idea just how bad things were, but he was far from being sucked into the emotional charade the boy displayed... though the demon also knew he couldn't openly air his concerns to Lucy. She was still clearly protective of the boy, and he hardly wanted -nor needed- her angry at him over it all. "...Hey, relax. Maybe they'll get married one day and we can go to the wedding. They'll need guests, and I do love a good wedding. It's an excuse to get my chequered suit out, it's pretty fashionable~"​
 
"Your definition of fashionable is hilarious," she laughed, though it was strained as she hunched over, her lips tight. "You'd walk in ass-less chaps and claim it's the hottest item. Promise me you won't wear that light up tie you wear to parties? It's... It's bad. I want him to think we're cool."
 
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"We don't need to impress him. You're his sister, he ought to love you regardless of how cool we may or may not be, alright? Why are you so determined to win his approval? It's not something you really need to worry about, to be honest, so... just let it go. Cameron's just being childish right now, it'll all settle down eventually," he promised, albeit with a rather half-hearted frown, though one he could easily hide thanks to sitting behind her. He didn't have the most confidence that Cameron would suddenly change and become friendly with them, because he was incredibly dubious over him, but he could at least feign open-mindedness for his girlfriend's sake. "He's been through a lot, right? Give him time, it'll all work out..."​
 
Craning her neck, she gently tugged Marty in for a kiss at the soothing words. Blame it on the pregnancy, but the man's ability to help her calm down as much as he did was a major turn on. Pulling away, though, she huffed bitterly at the harsh kick to her stomach.

"The little shit is getting antsy, it's awful. Like, chill out little buddy, you'll be coming out eventually. This is... scary, to be honest."
 
"My ex-wife had twins at home, no gas and air or whatever else women have-- and hey, she was fine. I'm sure you'll cope, you know? You're tough, and it can't be that painful..." He murmured jokingly, having enjoyed over the last few months quietly poking her with provoking statements about the birth. Of course, he was probably as nervous as she was about it, though he covered up most of it with jokes and playful statements - it helped deal with the forthcoming birth, anyway.

"I know the twins are looking forward to it. Rain especially. She adores you, and she needs you a lot since her mom decided to fucking abandon her. I do want you to have a chat to her, I know she'll roll her eyes at me. Her boyfriend isn't someone I think she ought to be with, and... I don't want to be the protective Dad, but he's an asshole, Lucy."​
 
"She needs to learn that on her own, Matty. She's of age that we shouldn't force her to pick guys, or she'll just rebel against us and do it anyway," the woman said flatly, though her frown was evidence of her wariness. "I'll talk to her, I promise, and I'll let her and River be the first to hold it. I want to get closer to River, to be honest. He's so... off, from us. Maybe Cam would get along with him, eh?"
 
"Don't take this the wrong way, but I don't really want them hanging out right now. Not if Cameron's calling me a whore. I don't really want my son to hear that-- or be called the same. Maybe if Cameron settles down and realises we're family and we're glad to have them, then sure, I'd love for him to talk with River. I don't want him detaching himself away from us-- we used to be really close. I took him to sports games, like, every weekend until he said he hated 'em," he pointed out, his mood deteriorating a tad at the mention of his son's increasing absence in the home and around the family. It was one thing making claims of worry about Rain, but at least she was around the house most of the time. He hardly knew where River was. "I'm not a bad Dad, I know that, but it still fucking sucks my son won't talk to me. Rain will chat to me about most things, I can't get her to shut up, but he's so painfully awkward, it's kinda worrying, y'know?"​
 
As if on cue, the door could be heard from downstairs to creak open, albeit River's attempt to rain anonymous was not only thwarted by the unsubtle squeakiness of the door, but also by the fact that Cameron was awake, and actively making Louise a cup of tea. Having been still very young when first meeting Cameron, along with the fact that he wasn't home very often, it was natural for the boy to immediately assume that this was normal, and not at all a random appearance on Cameron's part.

"... Dad? Is this one of your friends?" Called the demon, as he carefully untied his sneakers, and peeled off his now drenched coat, having spent the entirety of last night in the library. Eyeing up Cameron warily, his skill in being able to read someone had carried on with him into his adolescents, that of which was much stronger than Rain's. So, once meeting eyes with Cameron, he immediately cringed. "... Um... Yeah... I'm, uh... going to go sleep."
 
After the whole debacle with his older sister and Matty, and actively insulting the two of them, it was fair to say that the morning wasn't panning out to be one of Cameron's best. Not only did he fear that he had fucked things up, but he also didn't want to upset Louise. Blatantly acting like she had warned him of made it seem like he hadn't taken into account anything she had said, and his main goal in life, other to make her happy, was to make her feel valued... and coming across ignorant and incapable of self-control really didn't help matters.

Angrily muttering to himself as he mulled over the past event, he cringed the moment he heard River behind him. He didn't want to talk to anyone and risk snapping again, though the situation also presented him a way of earning a good opinion from someone in the family. "Huh? Oh, hey, you really... don't have to go! I was just making a cup of-- you're Matty's kid, right? Shit, you've grown up-- obviously, it's been years, that was dumb. I'm Cameron, I don't... think you'd remember me-- I remember you and your sister, though. We spent some time in the attic, I coloured some pictures and painted with you guys while my family had their grown up meals and wine, ah... Sorry, I'm babbling. Do you want a cup of tea? You look cold, I imagine something hot to drink would be comforting."

As he characteristically babbled on, increasingly becoming more awkward as the conversation one-sidedly developed, he would have been a fool not to notice the wary glance and grimace he had garnered, though chose not to bring it up. Instead, he made a note of it (obviously to discuss with Louise later on) and simply ushered the teenager to his seat. "I'll make you one, it's... totally fine. I'm glad to talk to someone closer to my age, to be honest. Someone who isn't centuries' years old and makes me feel like a little kid because I'm only 22..."​
 
"I could go for some tea, sure..." Murmured River, never being one to pass up a good cup of hot tea and food. After all, he had bene living on vending machine snacks for the last two days, so something more homey was definitely what he was aiming for. Moving to sit at the kitchen counter, while River and Cameron both shared their lack of social skills, the demon aimed towards the opposite of his uncle, never being much of a talker. Instead of babbling when nervous, he often simply chose to keep quiet altogether. It was good for Rain, who would often vent to him for hours on end about one thing or another, and he would rarely interrupt.

So, being faced with the man he barely remembered, he still offered his notoriously awkward smile as he waited, shivering all the while from his soaked clothes. "... Oh, so you're everyone's brother? I mean, that's cool. I mean Rain's the one whose good at memory, so I'm sure she'll come running down the stairs to hug you or something. Sorry... You know, about not, uh... remembering you. Did Lucy invite you over or...?"
 
"...I'm pretty sure that only Lucy really recognised me, so it's totally fine. I didn't meet you for long and it was ages ago, so... yeah, relax about it-- and no, Lucy didn't invite me. I mean, I'd have loved an invite, but... no, I just sort of turned up on a whim. My parents died, and... I had an opportunity to leave town, so Louise -my girlfriend- and I decided we'd take a visit here. Do you take sugar?" He nervously smiled, this being something he really didn't have to force. He could be confident and insult Lucy, because he was comfortable around someone he had known since his birth. It was a completely different story when he was faced with someone he hardly knew. That did genuinely bring on his awkwardness in tenfold.

"You shouldn't stay out all night-- not that I can tell you what to do! I mean, Matty... probably won't be pleased, I'm guessing? I snuck out of my house once, to see Louise when we were kids, and my father locked me in my room for three days straight, so I wouldn't recommend staying out... Not that your Dad is anything like mine was. Mine was an asshole," he mumbled, taking a seat opposite the teenager and sliding across the cup of tea, while contently resting back with his own. "Do you like Lucy, then? She's sort of like your stepmom, huh?"​
 
"Well, yeah. I mean, she's not my real mom, but if she makes my dad happy, why should I care? Plus, Rain seems to like her..." he explained, once offering a nod to the mention of sugar. Carefully tapping his fingers against the table, he shot a glance at the time with a frown.

"I... don't like being away from everyone, don't get it twisted. The house just has bad energy sometimes, so I like to take breaks and go to the library, camp out there. This really cute girl works there, too, so... that's nice..." he explained, desperate to defend himself as he offered a feigned smile. "I'm not out to clubs or anything..."
 
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"I didn't think you were at clubs, gosh. No offence but you don't seem like that sort of guy, and you're not even old enough anyway-- I've never set foot inside a club, it's really not my sort of thing either. Lucy always went when I was young, she always snuck out and got drunk. I s'pose she isn't into that nowadays either," he murmured slowly, obediently stirring in a spoonful or two of sugar into the boy's tea for him, all while offering a gentle smile. Frankly, he didn't want to talk to the other all that much... though, admittedly, River was far easier to talk to than his own sister.

"Why don't you just tell your Dad that? I'm sure he'd understand, Matty seems like a good Dad," continued Cameron thoughtfully, whilst grimacing at the loud noises upstairs, undoubtedly caused by Rain waking up and yelling at whoever was taking up the time in the bathroom. "...I can see why you escape, it's awfully loud here. Louise doesn't do well with loud noises, really, so..."​
 
Offering his own reaction of a nervous glance towards the stairs, River simply tried to shrug it off as he took the cup gratefully and took a hardy sip, his hands grasping the handle tight. While River wasn't always around, he did appreciate the occasional times he could enjoy food in his own home- despite how rare that was. So, with a heavy sigh, he set his head on his hand whilst watching his uncle closely.

"I can't tell him. Knowing that I can't handle being around my own family would probably upset him, you know? Like, I should be able to spend time with my family and not be stressed out by them, but... It's just how it is, you know? But it's whatever- Louise is your girlfriend, right? Why doesn't she like noise?"
 
"She just doesn't like loud noises. Her father had a bit of a temper, I assume him screaming and shouting when she was a kid didn't help much, but I'm just guessing. I'd just... prefer people to respect that and be a bit quieter is all, but trust me, I know this family isn't the easiest. I... Lucy especially. I love her and all, but I know she has her faults," he awkwardly smiled, setting his cup down in order to fiddle with the sleeves of the chequered shirt he had tugged on while simultaneously nibbling on the inside of his cheek - one of his many coping mechanisms.

"I'll be here a week, so... I'm here to talk to, I suppose? I mean, you're easier to talk to than my own family, which is pretty sad. You know, I've probably spoken to you more than I have Axel or Milli... I know Axel doesn't care for me, thinks I'm a wimp or... whatever-- look, you can go, I'm just babbling, really. Sorry."​
 
"It's fine, really," he reassured, before moving to carefully readjust himself. The aura have been awkward to Cameron, but River was used to it. He had no problem simply reveling in silence, but it was blatantly obvious that Cameron didn't feel the same. So, as an act of kindness, he was willing to at least help the other get comfortable with him.

"A week? I mean, that's cool. I'm sure Lucy'll be happy. She told me about you before, but I didn't expect you to look how you do. I mean, I only have Milli and Axel to compare to in, like, body type, and they're complete opposites. Why did you decide to stop by?"
 
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