Roleplay

(I HAVE RETURNED FROM HIATUS i am no longer feverish every single night ToT so sorry, thank you for being patient with me!!! ^u^)

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Teddy had been silently cursing himself since the moment he left Sam's bed- Oh, I'm such a moron. How could I do that? What is wrong with me? And why can't my hands stop shaking?
Surely it couldn't be nervousness over impressing Sam; surely not that, no. Of course not. Having a crush? On Sam? Pfft, no way. Teddy was so certain that there was nothing even slightly romantic about the way he found comfort in those honeyed brown eyes, or the way he felt so safe and comforted whenever Sam's strong hand clapped him on the back or shoulder... surely...
Oh, no.

Luckily, Sam's little quip pulled him out of his frenzied train of thoughts before he could burn the eggs. "Ah-!" He turned over his shoulder to give Sam a nervous, gentle smile. "I think it'll be good- I've got some omelettes cooking... gonna whip up some bacon afterwards, if you'd like that?"

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(again tysm for being so patient & understanding with me!!! ^u^ if you want to skip to another scene we can- i know it can be hard to jump into an old one after a hiatus! but if you're down to continue i am as well!!)

(WOOO all good! I'll probably reply after I get off work tomorrow, I'm glad you're feeling better man. :)

"Good!" Samuel remarked from his seat on the floor, watching Teddy with a stare somewhere between fixated and distantly irritated.

Why haven't I killed him yet?

It was still the middle of a storm. In his own home. But every time he considered the idea, since waking, a pang of panic had seeped into his ribcage like a ball of snakes. Is it because he cursed my nightmares? Surely not. Even so, the man hadn't slept soundly in years. The correlation between the fledgling curling up under his priceless sheets like a child and the gap in night-horrors was something Sam would have true difficulty feigning ignorance too.

And oh, he'd tried having another body in the bed as he slept. One night stands weren't uncommon for the man when travelling to other parts of the city. But this had been the first time that far-fetched idea had done anything other than having him wake next to a stranger he'd need to shoo out shortly after breakfast was done and pleasantries were exchanged.

"You still didn't answer my question," the hunter inquired, deciding it better to stop staring at Theodore's back as he cooked and instead focusing his attention on tapping his fingers rhythmically against the coffee-table's well-sanded surface.

Teddy looked over his shoulder, with a nervous smile on his lips. "Ah- y-your question? What was it again? I'm sorry Sam, I'm.. quite scatterbrained today, clearly." He gave a nervous laugh, but something about his energy was still so lighthearted, despite that nervousness. Teddy felt strangely at ease around Sam- he always had. He chalked it up to his calm, inviting aura. (Author's note: Teddy, clearly, is awful at reading the intentions of others.)

He finished cooking up breakfast, and plated a hearty serving for Sam. He trotted over and sat the plate down in front of him, with a gentle smile. "Hopefully this earns my forgiveness..?"
The food smelled delightful; the omelette was cooked to perfection, and the bacon was just the right amount of crispy. Teddy turned his back on Sam then, to clean up the kitchen, all while waiting for Sam's response.

Is he stupid? Or does he just not get what I'm telling him? Samuel had to wonder, shifting his weight up a bit on his chair to take a survey of the food in front of him. It was well made; horribly so. The smell alone was enough to make his empty, alcohol fueled stomach to gurgle with want. Damn it. He did make a good breakfast.

A man of his word, Sam wouldn't throw Theodore out. For now. The issue still remained both of why the fledgling had crawled his way under the other's covers and also why Sam himself hadn't staked him through yet with a sharp bit of wood. Makes the whole thing far more tedious than I gave him credit for. Good on you, Teddy. I've got a soft-spot. Any man would, with how peaceful the vampire had seemed, clinging to his torso.

"Partially. It earns partial forgiveness, son," Samuel mused dismissively, trying a bit of the food before speaking again. "It still doesn't tell me why in God's green Earth you were curled up under my sheets like a cat."

Teddy cringed, his shoulders drawing up to his ears. He was really hoping Sam might've forgotten about that... somehow. "Ah, um.. I'll accept partial forgiveness.."

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking at his feet before turning around to look at Samuel with all the pathetic energy of a wounded puppy in his expression. "I uh.. I honestly don't know, Sam... you were warm, and... well, the bed looked cozy, and... y-you make me feel... uhm, safe? You give off this really... warm energy, and... I-I don't know, it just, well... I... don't often sleep well, I get uhm... nightmares. Alcohol makes them worse, somehow- unfair, I know, it usually has the opposite effect for most people, but... not me. A-Anyway, um... I didn't have any nightmares when I laid next to you..."

He sighed, rubbing at his eyes. "There's no excuse, I know, so... I'm sorry, Sam. I won't do something like that again... just, uhm, know I meant no harm with it, at least? I didn't have any bad intentions.. I wouldn't do anything to hurt you, I hope you know that." He offered him a gentle smile, still sheepish, but gentle all the same.

God, he's gonna kick me out. That was horrible. What was I thinking? He must think I'm a creep- or worse, he thinks I was going to hurt him. Those words played on a loop in Teddy's mind.

(friendly bump!~)

(AAA GOD I AM SO SORRY I DIDNT EVEN GET A NOTIF)

So the man was looking for a bit of comfort. It made sense, honestly. It didn't appear like Theodore had a place to go back too, especially given the fact that Samuel had seen him so often hanging around the tavern the two had crawled out of the night before. But God if he doesn't have a lick of self-control. Man shouldn't have touched the whisky, pressing or not, if he knew he was this much of a light-weight. It still made the hunter's skin itch to recall how close the two had been intertwined themselves together under Sam's sheets.

The older man was silent for a good long while as he finished his food, trailing momentarily as he consumed the last of the fluffy egg. Damn, that was good.

He cleared his throat dismissively. "...You got a place to stay, son? Folks that do don't tend to accept a stranger's offer to nestle in their home for a night, even if they're drunk off their behind." His stare was one of both mild irritated and a distant, flickering bit of concern. He tapped the space next to him by the table.

"If you don't... mmm." For some reason, I feel bad every time I look at him. It was an odd twinge of pity that Samuel definitely wasn't fond of.

"If you don't, I've... got a deal for you, if you're up for it." What am I doing?

(NO WORRIESSS ^u^)

Teddy looked shocked by his response; people weren't normally kind to him. After all, he was about as gullible as they came, and foolishly trusting of the 'inherent good' in others- or at least, the good he wanted to believe everyone had. That made him a prime target for the worst sorts of people to take advantage of.

But Sam was... different. Tolerant of his mistakes. Forgiving, when he had no reason to be. Kind, when so many others would have been cruel in his shoes.

It caught Teddy off guard, really. So he blinked a few times at the man, as if the words took an extra few moments to process in his brain. "Ah.. uh.. n-not really, not permanently.. I'm, er, renting a place now, but.. the landlady went up on the rent again, and.. there's no way I can swing it-" he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. Sam had a way of knowing all his inner thoughts, it seemed.

Then Teddy perked up, much like a puppy does when its master returns home for the day. "R-Really?" his voice almost squeaked with excitement. He hurried over to him, sitting next to him; leaving a comfortable amount of space this time, not wanting to push his luck with the closeness any time soon. "A deal?"

Ah, figured. He doesn't look the rich type. It was easy enough to glean from the fledgling's clothing. They were torn, ragged and nothing fit for the city, even in this area of the slums that Sam himself had decided to settle down permanently in. But why am I even considering the offer? It's not like I'm fond of him. To be honest, the hunter found the vampiric rather grating, especially when it came to the subject of physical space. He seemed highly fond of the lack of closeness that Theo proved when he sat himself.

That's it. I feel bad, killing him like this. The man clearly wasn't happy in the slightest. Samuel would kill him, yes. But he'd only do it when he was sure the boy would die happy. As to why I feel as such, perhaps some things aren't meant to be dealt with. He was clearly growing soft after so many years of endless murders.

He pressed both palms to the table, shifting slightly where he sat to peer seriously at Theodore. "I'll tell you what, son. I know you ain't got a job. Not a permanent one, anyway." Sam gestured loosely at his massive home. "And I got a job and no time to care for this place if I want a good night's rest. Just look at the dust clinging every where. It's infuriating."

Grunting in acknowledgement of the dirt, he waved distantly at a bookshelf, motioning gingerly at the thick grey coating every novel. "I'm gonna give 'ya a second chance, kid. I want a housekeeper."

He paused for a moment to clear his throat before continuing. "You don't gotta pay rent, but if this house gets dirty, I'm kickin' 'ya out. You get access to my food, my water, and a guest bedroom. But this place better be spotless."