//Who The Hell is She? - LIAM

[liam]

Liam, on the other hand, had somehow found it within himself to get over the Jason incident. Mostly because they were, as he'd so very nearly mentioned to Mika, even. In fact, he hadn't even thought about any of it at all, going back to his regular life and trying to tone down his irresistible charm (to keep the hoards of eager ladies at bay). Everything seemed fine. Mika seemed fine, he seemed fine, work seemed fine, even school seemed fine. He didn't have a single problem whatsoever.

Actually, that was a lie. There was one problem.

Lately, for reasons unknown, Liam found himself becoming hungry. Not the regular, 'I-skipped-breakfast-because-I-was-running-late' hungry, either. More of an 'I've-only-had-healthy-food' type hunger. It took a full two days for him to give this new hunger a name, but once he did, he quickly understood the cause of the problem: Mika hadn't made any cupcakes. None, whatsoever, since he brought Dani home. Putting it in the past, hey? Sure, she was. Just like he'd forgiven her for the Jason incident right after it happened. The old fool was probably spending more time thinking about Dani than Liam, who actually wasn't thinking about her at all. In fact, Liam's thoughts mostly involved Mika and her baking. He didn't want to outright talk to her, because then she might cry again or something, but he knew something would have to be done soon. He tried the local bakery, but it wasn't the same. There was just something special about Mika's creations... something personal, the home-made touch. Plus, their apartment was beginning to smell less like delicious art and more like an actual house. This frightened Liam. Eventually, he realized: he would have to get to the bottom of this.

After dropping by the grocery store to grab some ingredients for pasta (now that Mika had abandoned the kitchen, Liam felt the need to fill it), he headed home, walking through the door with purpose. He found her standing there with her glass of water. "Hello," he made a point of saying, since apparently it was rude not to. Slowly, he began putting his purchases in their rightful places, figuring out what he was going to say in his head. Once the last can of tomatoes had been moved from the bag to the shelf, he turned, leaning casually against the counter opposite his room mate. "So, uh, try any new recipes lately?" He didn't want to seem too interested. But he needed to regain his steady supply of baked goods before he went into withdrawal.

ooc. took you long enough

[mika]

Mika had just about gotten that nasty woman out of her mind until she heard Liam pop in. She looked up at him. Unlike their last major encounter, Mika had no tinge in her eye, no quirk to her brow. Nothing. She even smiled a little as Liam greeted her. "Hey there." She said into her cup as she went for another drink. She silently watched as Liam put his ingredients away. She would have helped, had there been more groceries. But helping with the amount he had would make it look like she wanted something from him. So, she kicked back and watched. Liam's next question caught her interest. "Oh... not really." She sighed thoughtfully and set her drink down beside her on the counter. "I haven't been motivated to make any at home..." Looking up at Liam, Mika could only see the look she got when he saw her over Dani's slutty head. She felt that anger again in her chest and decided to add a little. "I made a bunch at work, but they sold out pretty quick... There was one left but I didn't want to bother bringing them home after sitting under the heat lamp all day. So I gave it to one of the kids that came in before I left." She casually picked up the glass of water again and took a sip.

"Anyway I'm going to go ahead and take a shower." She put the glass beside the sink and looked back up at Liam. The damn night came back into her mind and she frowned, walking past Liam briskly. If he didn't know what she was thinking, it probably looked like she was maybe waiting for a compliment from him, and when he didn't give it she left in a bit of a Mika rage. She sighed and stepped into the bathroom, turning on the water and hanging her robe up. She turned on the shower and stepped in gingerly, making sure it was warm before stepping in completely. The thoughts of Liam and Dani ran through her mind, and it became overwhelming. Mika shifted back and forth in an "i don't know what to do because those feelings are coming back and i don't want them to" kind of way and eventually sat down in the corner of the shower. The water just barely reached her feet now. Mika crossed her legs and brought them up to her chest, crossing her arms so her hands grabbed the opposite shoulder and she sniffed a couple of times. Those feelings of Liam with some girl just to make her feel this way was only salt on the barely scabbed over wound. She rubbed her eye and sniffled a couple more times, not yet sobbing.

notes;;
pathetic thing D:
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508
tagged;;
Liam Murphy

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[liam]

Mika seemed okay when he greeted her, but as soon as Liam asked about her baking he found himself back in Antarctic. Really, what was her deal? At least after the Jason thing, he hadn't given her the cold shoulder or been rude or just up and stopped baking her cupcakes (not that he'd ever made her any to start with, but that was beside the point). In fact, he'd even let her sleep in his bed, because she was apparently just so lonely. And sometimes he would even wake up to find that she'd attached herself to his arm... no matter how close to the edge he slept, she found him, and he'd never complained once, even though it was especially annoying. When she said she hadn't been motivated, Liam raised an eyebrow. "Oh," he replied simply, balling an empty grocery bag up in his hands. The warmth was gone from his stare, now, as he focused on understanding her motives.

"Well, of course they would sell out quick. Why wouldn't they sell out quick? You should have made double - triple! You could have sold them all." Liam wasn't bitter. Did he sound bitter? He was paying her a compliment, for crying out loud. It didn't matter that there was a noticeable edge to his voice, a hard look to his eye; Mika's baking was amazing. Who wouldn't buy it? "Yeah, I bet it would've been way too much trouble to bring even one home. Lucky kid, though, at least he deserved a stale, heat lamp cupcake." Bringing home Jason was one thing. Bringing home Jason, Liam could handle, Liam could take revenge for and get over. But cutting off his steady supplied of home made baking? That was another matter altogether. That was just plain dangerous.

Liam said nothing as Mika left for her shower, watching her steadily until she disappeared from sight. Only then did he realize that she had probably been naked under her bathrobe for that entire conversation, but he was too angry to dwell on this realization. He poured himself a glass of orange juice, then headed for his bedroom, planning to blast some music and drown out the sound of Mika crying.

Wait. Liam stopped, turning his ear toward the bathroom. She was definitely sniffling. Why, though? He hadn't been that mean. She was the one who always wanted to talk about everything, anyway... if she didn't want him to get mad at her for not baking, well, she should have told him why she'd stopped instead of pretending she'd just lost her motivation. Maybe it wasn't his rudeness, though. Maybe it was something else. Liam set his cup next to the bathroom door, then pulled off his sweater. It had been knitted by his Italian grandmother, and he didn't want it to be exposed to the steam in the bathroom and stretch or anything, so he folded it neatly and placed it a good foot away from the orange juice. Just in case Mr. Tickles decided to be funny.

With all that taken care of, Liam pushed open the bathroom door. "I could hear you sniffling from the kitchen," he said softly, so that she would know it was him and not an intruder. From what he could make out through the shower curtain, she wasn't standing up. Which probably meant she was curled up in the corner. Which was even worse. "What's going on?" he asked, wondering why he was even bothering.

ooc. BECAUSE GOD FORBID THE SWEATER..

[mika]

There she was, in her own little world of tears and steam. She kept her eyes closed and her head down as she tried to fight the crying, but the emotions she was going through... she had no idea how to cope. Of course, hearing Liam speak made her jump a little. Her whole dark little world quickly vanished as her eyes quickly opened and she looked at his tall form through the foggy shower curtain. That was when she noticed she was holding her breath. Which was getting difficult. Mika let out a loud, shaky, sad sigh and let in a small breath. "Nothing's going on... I'm not sniffling." She said with the same cracked voice of when she cried. She was an awful liar. Mika wiped her eyes once and sniffled in again, catching herself only too late.

"I don't know. I'm just hormonal I guess." She lied again, lowering her head. Now that the jig was up, Mika felt she could probably stop trying to hide it so bad. She let out a soft couple of sobs and leaned her head up against the cold shower wall. She felt the freezing air from when Liam opened the door only now, and tucked her legs ever closer to her body. Dani... all over Liam... If she was all over him when Mika was in the same room, Mika could only imagine how easy she must have been for Liam to get to. She frowned more, sniffling and feeling the need to cry even more intense than she had anticipated. Just the thought of that fake... hoe with someone as real as Liam. She sighed, finally giving in and letting tears fall from her eyes with less sobbing.

notes;;
k can we hurry up and make babies now
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334
tagged;;
Liam Murphy

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[liam]

Though she couldn't see him, Liam raised an eyebrow at Mika's unconvincing denial. Sure, and toasters didn't make toast, and cats didn't have whiskers, and he lived on the moon. "You're sniffling," he told her, pulling back the shower curtain without really worrying about 'accidentally' seeing her naked. For some reason, he still wasn't really thinking about that, too concerned with the lack of baking. Not the fact that she was crying, he reminded himself.. just the fact that her perpetual sadness meant he was perpetually without proper sustenance. At her lame little excuse, he twisted his lips, obviously not buying it. "You sure there's no other reason?" he asked, crossing his arms. If only she weren't hiding her face, he would have been able to search for the answer there. As it was, he was left only able to decipher the water streaming down her skin.

The more Mika sobbed, the more concerned Liam became. He was used to being able to sit with her and make her feel better; all for his own gain in the end, obviously. When it came to crying, he had to tread carefully to ensure that everything went his way, and he was now accustomed to the awkward pat and misplaced joke tactic. This whole shower thing was throwing him off. But, with cupcakes hanging in the balance, he knew he would have to think fast. Mika just looked so sad down there. Almost worse than ever before, if he was remembering correctly. Certainly more vulnerable. Finally, for the sake of baked goods and his addiction to them, he made a choice. He pulled off his socks. He stepped into the shower, leaving his jeans and t-shirt on; no need to make things even more awkward than they already were. Pretending like everything was normal, he somehow folded his long limbs into the small space next to Mika, wrapping an already-soaked arm over her bare shoulders and pulling her close.

"I... I'm sorry. If it's what I did, I'm sorry." It hurt him to say it. He was, in fact, disgusted with himself. But Liam was picturing those cupcakes, and those cupcakes told him to do whatever it took. He was not being compassionate, or a good friend, or a shoulder to cry on. This was all business, pure and simple. "Just..." he grimaced, hardly able to believe the words coming out of his mouth, "let it out. I'm here." Was that vomit rising in his throat? It wouldn't be surprising, considering how sickeningly compassionate he was being.

ooc. Sadie Allison Cupcake Murphy.

[mika]

She almost had herself convinced that it was strictly hormones causing this dramatic scene to unfold. But as Liam questioned her, she began to second guess herself. She almost wished Liam had not asked if that was the only reason. Now she had an uneasy feeling. Why was she acting like this? Just because some dirty skank comes into HER house and screws HER best friend doesn't mean she should be so broken over this. Who knew where they did it anyway? Mika now considered Liam's bed contaminated, like he had sex with someone who had fleas or something. She missed sleeping beside him, but even more she wished she could have witnessed Liam cleaning his bed sheets with her own eyes. "I... I don't..." She finally spoke, but finished before really finishing. Seeing Liam begin to take his socks off, Mika stared up at him with her big eyes. Those haven't been used for quite a while now. She didn't show it, but mentally Mika welcomed Liam's arm around her shoulders. She instantly took the chance and leaned against him instead of the cold, hard wall.

Liam's apology made her look back up at him with big, watery eyes. "It's not you, Liam." She said quietly and leaned her wet head against his wet shoulder. "I just can't... I really didn't like that girl." If thinking about her name - Dani - did this to her, Mika found it a safer route to just call her "that girl". She looked at Liam's feet, then to his wet pants, and then back up at him. "I just don't like that you were so... okay with it..." Her voice cracked again and she put one hand over her eyes. For some reason Mika felt compelled to try and keep her chest covered, and so her free arm wrapped round her chest and she sat there against Liam, enjoying his embrace. She felt almost a physical weight off her shoulders as she told him how she felt, and decided it would be smart to lay it all on the table right now before Liam lost interest. "It just hurt so much how you did that. I mean... I'm always open to talk... And if I did something that's bothering you, please tell me." She had to pause to keep herself from starting to cry again. "I really don't want you to feel anything against me. And I'm scared that if we keep holding things that bother us about each other back, then.." She lowered her head and sniffled a couple of times. "I just don't want you to be unhappy and leave." She managed, but couldn't stop herself. She sobbed another couple of times, this time leaning more for his chest but not really hitting that goal.


notes;;
bam! muse.
words;;
531
tagged;;
Liam Murphy

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[liam]

Liam decided not to push Mika any further. She could tell him what she was so upset about when she wanted to. In fact, he had no doubt that she would do just that, whether or not he asked her to. That was how they worked... Liam kind of existed and did things for the heck of it, and Mika created consequences for him. Such as no baking, getting all his clothes soaked, and making him grovel at her feet. It was actually frightening, the amount of control she had over him when she held the cupcakes at ransom. But if he'd figured that out at the beginning, he knew, he still would've eaten them; they were worth every second of this.

Despite the fact that he didn't care at all and was certainly not doing this for her, Liam still felt relieved when Mika told him he wasn't the cause of her sadness. At least he wouldn't have to worry about his mere existence resulting in uncontrollable tears. "I guess she was kind of... over the top," Liam admitted, trying not to sound pleased. She had been an excellent choice. Exactly the type of person Mika could hate. And really good in bed, not that he would mention any of this to his sobbing friend. He had to hold back his laughter as she continued, though, wondering how she came up with so many problems from just one little incident. "Well, she put out, so..." Liam drifted off, "not to seem insensitive, or anything. Just sometimes, you need to have sex." He shrugged like it was no big deal. She'd had sex; she should understand this concept.

Apparently, she wasn't done talking yet, and Liam pictured rows and rows of cupcakes in his mind just to keep himself from groaning in exasperation. "I wasn't trying to hurt you." That, for once, was true and sincere. Liam would never purposefully try to hurt Mika. He just tended to forget how easily wounded she was. "I'm not much of a talker, though. I'm a do-er. You know that." He sighed, running his free hand through his hair, which had been previously plastered to his forehead. "I guess I got carried away." Cupcakes. Caramel centers. Chocolate... no, marble. With cream cheese swirls, and piles of strawberry icing. He just needed to get through this conversation and everything would be okay. When Mika began crying again, Liam squeezed her even more tightly, frowning. Despite what she'd said, he realized, it probably wasn't Dani who was causing this. It was him... Mika just didn't want to tell him, and she'd just explained why. She was afraid he would leave her life as seamlessly as he'd entered it. For a moment, he saw where she was coming from. In fact, he'd been there... a little boy, sitting in a hotel room in Paris, or Rome, or Cairo, watching his parents leave to go on great adventures while he watched TV and got tutored. Always being dragged on yet another air plane to yet another country, only to be left behind the minute they touched down. He didn't want to be that air plane ride; he didn't want to be his parents.

For a moment, the cupcakes were forgotten. Liam looked at Mika. Really looked, as she sobbed and tried to squirm closer. Needing to be held. Maybe they weren't that different, after all. Before the moment was swept away by the steam from the shower, Liam lifted his other arm, hugging his best friend and resting his head on top of hers. "I'm not going to leave. I promise. I'll always come back. I'm happy here." He pulled away a bit, looking into her eyes so that she could understand the sincerity of his words. "Okay?"

ooc. Oops. Feelings.

[mika]

It wasn't her fault she felt such fear for Liam booking it and going on with his life. That's what happened to her dad before she was even born. That's what happened to her mother. She didn't want Mika, she just didn't want to bother with her life. And that's what happened with Mika's grandfather. It seemed almost nobody in her life wanted to have Mika around. Even as she got old enough to move out her grandma urged her to leave. Mika was the type of person to always somehow lead problems back to being her fault. And all of these people in her life leaving, she feared that she would always end up completely alone. So when Liam, once her on-and-off neighbor, appeared at her apartment needing a place to stay, Mika felt maybe this was her chance to keep someone in her life. Whether or not it was friendship or love, she needed someone. And she knew this.

As Liam explained that you just need to have sex, Mika felt left in the dark. Sure, you get hormonal urges. But she never felt like if she didn't have sex for the rest of her life she would explode, as Liam once put it. She trembled slightly from holding back tears for so long, and closed her eyes. Her sobbing went quiet but her sniffles were still consistent. She felt his hug and leaned into him, reaching her free arm around and placing her hand on the opposite shoulder she was on, and hugged him back the best she could while still attempting to hide her nude body. "I just want you to stay happy here. I don't ever mean to make you mad." She said honestly. Mika never intended to sway anyone's good mood. But for some reason it seemed like Liam did get angry with her. And this all goes back to the fear that Mika might just make him mad one-too-many times. She didn't want to wake up with an empty room in the apartment one day. To realize that she had gone too far, and he was more unhappy than happy. To think that maybe there was some other girl in his life that made him happier. She opened her eyes, her head against his shoulder. It was clear now. Mika had a little thing for Liam. She was jealous over Dani. Those nights that she slept beside Liam and woke up accidentally clinging to his arm, that was her subconscious wishing they had done more than just lay in the silence feeling if what they were doing was okay in a friendship. She didn't say anything, though. But her sniffling stopped and she looked up at Liam. "I'm sorry I've been to immature and emotional lately." She said quietly. "Would you mind... grabbing my robe for me? I can probably make a couple of cupcakes with what i still have in the kitchen." She looked over at it through the blurry curtain and shifted a little bit, preparing to somehow stand and keep her back to Liam so he wouldn't see what she had tried so hard to keep hidden.

notes;;
at least Liam gets to see some fanny.
words;;
588
tagged;;
Liam Murphy

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[liam]

For some reason, Liam didn't find any of this odd. The fact that he was in a shower, fully clothed, hugging his very naked friend and not even thinking about the 'very naked' part of it all. Hell, even the idea of him hugging anyone in a comforting manner was shocking enough. To take the whole thing to this extreme level... his brain wasn't even processing it right now. He was on auto pilot, and auto pilot was making him do exactly what Mika needed him to do. He nodded against her wet hair, feeling rather serious as she continued. "You've got to stop beating yourself up over little things, Mika," he told her, just loudly enough to be heard over the sound of the shower. "Don't take everything so seriously." Liam knew he overreacted. He did it on purpose, for crying out loud, and he sure wasn't going to try to stop himself. In a way, he was trying to push Mika in the direction of ignoring him rather than getting all upset every time he went on one of his rampages.

Right now, however, he felt quite calm. He didn't mind sitting there and holding her for a bit, if it meant he would get his cupcakes. Maybe she would even put sprinkles on them. Or drizzle chocolate over them, or have creamy, delicious filling... his mouth began to water, and it took him a second to realize Mika had started talking again. He blinked, looking down at her, his hair sticking out at an awkward angle where he'd touched it. "Well, it'll be fine if you just tone it down a bit," he answered sincerely. His lips twisted into a small smile. "You have too many feelings is all." And she did. Maybe it was just a general, girl thing, but Liam had never had to deal with such unpredictable mood swings and conflicting emotions before. Probably because he'd never been as close with anyone as he now was with Mika.

When she asked if he would grab her robe was when Liam first realized she was butt naked. "Oh, right, you don't have any clothes on," he stated matter-of-factly, letting her go without a second thought and pulling himself up. When she started trying to stand, he rolled his eyes. "Just stay here, there's no way you're getting out of there without me seeing something." Soaking wet, he clambered back into the main part of the bathroom, collecting her robe and tossing it in her general direction before pulling a towel off the hanger for himself. "I'll be in the kitchen, waiting." He gave her a nod, turning to leave and adding over his shoulder, "by the way, you shave real nice." Then, he picked up his orange juice and dripped his way to his bedroom, changing at lightning speed into dry clothing before returning to grab his sweater. When a close inspection revealed that it had gone unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief, tossing it onto his bed and moving to the kitchen to get his cupcake fix.

ooc. Because it was just all too serious and loving.