Unstoppable Force vs Immovable Object [Eli]

[Midori Hawkins]

Midori didn’t often fixate. Not unless she was trying her hardest to keep her mind off of something. The past few days, her concentration had been shot. She was lucky she didn’t have a pet, or she might have forgotten to feed it, or something important like that. She didn’t like being so distracted, but there really wasn’t much she could do about it.

In an effort to save her sanity, she’d wandered down to the library mid-morning to spend some time with Eli. If anyone was able to hold her attention, it was him. It had worked, for a little while. But when she’d felt her attention begin to wander, she’d had to do something about it. The solution? Start up the age old discussion about Eli’s wardrobe. It wasn’t just her that thought he looked less like an institute official, and more like a lazy, older student. In fact, if she’d taken around a sheet of paper and asked members of the staff, and even a few of the students, she had no doubts they’d all agree.

She’d made promises to kidnap him after school, and if he chickened out, she’d start encouraging some of the younger women on staff to start asking him out. The look on his face had been proof enough. She’d flashed a little grin and made her way back to her office. Dragging Eli shopping would occupy enough of her mind later that she wouldn’t have to think about anything else. Just corralling him into stores would be a challenge, and trying to prevent him from walking out with yet another sweatshirt would be something else entirely.

If she got sidetracked from her work during the afternoon, she simply began devising ways to keep her best friend within the mall’s confines. It made the day go faster, and by the time the clock hit home time, she was already up and packing her things away. It only took her a few minutes, and then she was on her way to the library to kidnap one Eli Morrison. She shouldered her purse and pushed her way into the library. She made a beeline for Eli’s office and poked her head in, a bright smile on her face. “Ready? Or do I have to drag you out by force?” Not that she could, but she’d threaten it all the same.

[Eli Morrison]

Eli took offense to the whole premise of this excursion. His clothes were fine.

Take, for example, today's outfit. He was wearing a pair of brown corduroy pants (the same ones he had worn twice already this week, but he had washed them last night, and they were his favorites!), a navy tee-shirt which had once had a logo on the back for a construction company, but it had been washed so many times the silk screening had worn down to a shadow, and a maroon hoodie that had also seen some better days. Okay, so maybe his hair was getting a bit shaggy, and yes, he'd realized that his only pair of work shoes had holes forming in the soles when it had rained last week. So maybe he needed a new pair of shoes. And a haircut. And maybe a few more shirts that would be appropriate for work.

Eli needed every bit of help Mii was willing to offer when it came to clothing. Too bad she was not going to get him to admit it.

When she popped her head into his office, he closed the book he was half-way through (Page 324, to be precise) and stood, grabbing his sweatshirt from the back of his chair. "Yeah, I'm ready Mii. We just need to stop by my apartment on the way there and feed Zero." Or, maybe, they could just hang out at his apartment, watch a movie, and play with his dog. They didn't have to go shopping, after all.

As they walked, he tried one last time to convince her that it was unnecessary. "You know I can be trusted to purchase my own clothes, right? I have been doing so since I was fourteen." The problem was, he was buying the same kind of clothes he had been buying at fourteen, and it really wasn't working, with him being an actually career now.

[Midori Hawkins]

Too bad for Eli that it didn’t matter how much he disliked the idea if this little adventure. They were going.

Eli needed help in a bad way. When Mii looked at him, she still saw the shy, timid fourteen year old boy she’d first come to know him as. Right down to his clothing. She, on the other hand, had graduated from the jeans and t-shirts of her teenage years. At least when it came to work. She liked to maintain an air of maturity, while still looking her age. Unlike Eli’s fashion statement of the day, she’d tried to look put together that morning. Her hair was pulled back into a half ponytail, help by a silver clip. She had a simple black skirt that fell just below her knees, and a pretty purple, short sleeved blouse. Her own shoes were sensible for the office – low black heels – but they didn’t kill her feet by the end of the day. Overall, it was a little, tiny, itty bitty bit more professional than Eli’s look of the day. For now. If she had her way, that wouldn’t last long.

The moment the words were out of his mouth, Mii arched an eyebrow at him. Tempting as it might b to abandon the operation, playing with Zero wasn’t going to cut it as a distraction. “Fine. But if you’re any more than five minutes, I wasn’t joking about getting the girls to hit on you.” There was no way he was getting out of this.

“Oh really?” She shook her head and smiled as she fell into step beside Eli. “And how’s that working for you?” She reached up and gently tugged his sleeve to make her point. “You’re going shopping, Eli. Don’t make me drag you.”

[Eli Morrison]

So what if Eli hadn't updated his wardrobe in about ten years? The clothes he picked fit who he was, and he liked them. Shouldn't that be enough?

Apparently not, since he grudgingly walked with Midori towards his apartment. And he knew he was going to end up at that mall, one way or another. This wasn't fair. "See, that could even be considered sexual harassment, if you encourage any of the ones who I have tried to avoid so far." Okay, so that was a bit of an exaggeration. "At least it is knowingly encouraging unwanted advances. Also, you are just a tiny bit evil, Mii."

(He could tell something was bothering her, but he had no clue what it could be. Usually, Eli was not particularly astute when it came to observations about human behavior, but he'd known Mii for a long time. She was easily his oldest and best friend.)

"I know, I know I'm going. But it is under duress, and I would like you to remember that." Eli smiled at her, thinly, and was visibly relieved when they reached the building where he lived. "Are you sure you don't want to come upstairs? I'm sure Zero would want to see you again. I could order Chinese food and we could watch a movie. It'll be fun." He didn't have an active social calendar at all, and Mii knew this. Movie/takeout was pretty much what they did when they hung out, except for when they took Zero for long walks, and the one time he'd been pressganged into helping paint her living room.

He'd hoped that would prove to be effective, but he was wrong. "Fine. But don't think you're going to get me to buy a tie." Eli didn't own one, and he didn't want one.

[Midori Hawkins]

Sorry, but Eli was all grown up now, and had a good job. He needed to stop dressing like he was still fourteen. Luckily, he had Midori to help.

She noted his sulking, but it didn’t change her mind. In fact, it only made this a bigger challenge. A better way to keep her mind occupied. She just kept a bright smile. Just because Eli was sulking didn’t mean he had to bring her down, too. “I resent that!” She elbowed him gently in the side. “I’m not evil, I’m just taking advantage of the one threat that’s going to keep you moving.” She needed his company, and she was willing to threaten, however playfully, to keep him close by.

If she knew Eli suspected something was wrong, she might have been a little more edgy. As it was, as long as she kept his attention focused on the task at hand, she was protected. He wouldn’t have to think about anything else, other than the fact he was about to be dragged to his doom.

“Duress? Eli, it’s shopping. You’ll live.” At least he was smiling a bit. She returned it, pausing when they reached his apartment. His suggestions, though tempting, weren’t going to fly. Not right now. “Sure. After we go shopping. But not Chinese, okay?” The thought of it made her stomach turn slightly. “Go. Feed Zero.” If she went up with him, she wouldn’t come back down. She’d play with Zero and cuddle on her and then it would be impossible to hide anything. “No. I know you. No ties. But maybe shirts with collars?” Maybe he could handle that? “Go on. I’ll wait right here.”

[Eli Morrison]

With a sigh, and his best attempt at a sad-puppy face, he left Mii in front of his building and went inside. As always, he waved to the middle-aged woman who ran the bakery he lived above, then jogged up the stairs. Zero, because she had heard the voices through the window, was standing on his worn-out couch, leaning her face out the window, and looking down at Mii. When Eli came in, she turned her head to him and yipped, in a "Come here and look, it's Mii!" sort of way.

Playfully, he kneeled next to her and did the same thing, calling down, "Look, Mii, she wants you to come up and say hi." It didn't work, of course not, but it was worth the try. The librarian feed his dog, promising to take her out for a long walk that afternoon, then brought her downstairs so she could run into the clearing in the trees out back and do her business, then brought her back upstairs. "Sorry girl. Mii is making me go shopping. We'll be back later, tough." The little dog looked up at him as if she understood every word, then resumed her post by the window.

God, Eli loved her. Zero was the perfect roommate for him.

He headed back downstairs, with another wave to Mrs. Perry, who stopped him and handed him one of the cookies she had just set out, then another when he protested he was about to go out with Midori. "Give one to your girlfriend too. She is a nice girl."

"She's not my girlfriend, but thank you, ma'am." At this point, he figured that the woman just couldn't accept that two young, single people of opposite genders could have a purely platonic relationship, and arguing would turn into him protesting too much. And hey, they got cookies out of it.

Eli was nothing if not pragmatic.

"Here. She still thinks we're dating." Eli gave one of the cookies to Mii as he stepped outside again, and they resumed there expedition. "And I think I can live with shirts with collars. Do I have to button them up all the way?"

[Midori Hawkins]

The sad puppy face almost worked. Almost. But then Mii remembered what they were supposed to be doing, and why, and waved him off. Zero and a movie would be a distraction too, but it wouldn’t be as good as shopping. If they were shopping, she could almost guarantee that Eli would be a little too fish-out-of-water to pay that close of attention to her. It might have sounded mean, but it wasn’t like the mission wasn’t necessary. The fact that it provided a distraction for the both of them was simply a perk.

She glanced up at the yipping, smiling at the wagging dog. She loved Zero. If it wasn’t for her recruiting trips, she’d have gotten a friend for her by now. “I see that. Later. I promise.” Without the distraction of her best friend, her mind started to wander again. Unconsciously, she wrapped her arms around herself. She needed to talk to James. And... Darryl. But that was a conversation she didn’t want to go through with. She sighed. This was a mess. Granted, a mess she’d put herself into, but a mess nonetheless.

Oh wait. Eli was back. With... a cookie?

“Still?” She glanced back at the bakery, blushing slightly as she took the cookie. “I wish she’d stop.” Eli was close, yes. But he was her best friend. Nothing romantic about it. If hanging out with his dog and watching movies was dating, well... okay, someone needed to get a new definition. But they were not dating. Which... was probably a good thing, considering her current situation.

“Not if you don’t want to. They’d look good either way.” She headed towards the little mall. It wasn’t huge, and most of the stores didn’t really qualify as mainstream, but it was functional. “And you’re not leaving with another sweatshirt.” He had way too many as it was, and if she caught him, there would be trouble. “Come on.”

[Eli Morrison]

Yes, with a cookie. And one from a little old lady who refused to believe there wasn't something more going on between the two of them. In a way she was right, because Mii wasn't "just a friend" to him. She was his best friend. "Still. She thinks I'm too shy to ask you out."

And he left it at that, because he didn't need to explain to Mii why he didn't, and why he wasn't going to. Their relationship just wasn't like that.

"Fine." Eli muttered, and followed her lead. He hated shopping, and preferred to spend as little time as possible doing it. But if anyone could convince him he needed a new wardrobe....well, Mii had already proved that she could. He was here, after all.

So instead of attempting to come up with methods to distract Mii from her mission, he was quiet instead. Maybe, if he just cooperated, she would take pity on him and not make him spend the whole evening trying on clothes that he didn't like.

But since he was being quiet, he couldn't help but notice that Mii seemed...distracted. He had known her for a long time now, and knew when things were a little off. He didn't bring it up just yet, because he couldn't be perfectly sure yet, but her was going to keep an eye on her.

If something was wrong, he wanted to know.

[Midori Hawkins]

Apparently there was advantages to being thought of as a couple, when one of them lived above a bakery. Really, she’d stopped caring ages ago what other people thought. If she tried to correct them, she’d get the “but why aren’t you dating?” questions, and it was a difficult thing to explain. Eli was her best friend. Almost more like a brother than someone she wanted to date. “Funny, seeing as we spend so much time together.” Really, it wasn’t anyone’s business whether they dated or remained friends.

“Oh, stop sulking.” The way he was talking made it sound like she was leading him to his doom, or something. Really, it wasn’t so bad. As long as she could keep him away from the sweatshirts, and the t-shirts, and the corduroy, they’d be okay. And she’d already promised him dinner and a movie as an apology, so there was no reason for him to be like this.

Except for the fact she knew he hated shopping. Which was exactly why she was going with him. One, it would ensure he’d actually do it, and two, it would ensure he’d do it right.

Normally, silence between them wouldn’t bother her. They were both quiet by nature, and together, sometimes it was just easier not to talk. But not right now. The silence gave her time to think, but it also meant that Eli could watch her think. Not good.

Good thing the mall was so close now. Trying to avoid any kind of eye contact with Eli, she tugged him into the building and into the first men’s clothing store she could see. “Okay. Here’s your ground rules. No sweatshirts. No t-shirts. And no corduroy.” If she could get him going on his mission, then he wouldn’t be able to watch her anymore. Let the whining begin.

[Eli Morrison]

With a sigh that would have edged on dramatic, if he was a dramatic-type person, Eli shrugged. "Mii, I understand a lot of things." And that was his contribution for understatement of the century. "But my landlady's preoccupation with my alleged love life is not one of them. Just eat the cookie." Overall, he was good-natured about it. Baked goods and unsubtle insinuations were better than Mrs. Perry trying to set him up with her friend's daughter again.

"I'm not sulking." Eli said, mock-offended at Midori's claim. Yes, he was, and he knew it. But there were so few topics in the world where he was childish, so he figured she could manage just this one. On everything else, her best friend was a mature adult.

If there was any person in the world with whom Eli was affectionate, it had to be Mii. They had been friends for so long, and he had never once seen her act like this. Yes, they were both quiet people, but the silence between them was more awkward than usual, and typically, when they were awkward, it was because of him, not her. He might have said something then, but then she dragged him into a clothing store, and gave him her directions.

And as worried as he was about her being so suspiciously quiet, there was suddenly a more pressing thing to worry about. "What do you mean, no corduroy? Mii..." He was good at keeping negative emotions in check, but his complaint was tinged with a steady whine. "My clothes get beat up sometimes when I'm reshelving books. I need something that will last." And more importantly, he already knew what size he wore in a specific brand of pants, which would mean he wouldn't have to try on the clothes in the store.

[Midori Hawkins]

Dramatic? Eli? Never. Mii glanced at him in slight amusement as he spoke. Oh yes, he understood a lot of things. A lot more things than the average human being, or even the average meta. Normally, she might have picked on him for this. But in her current state of mind, nothing particularly witty presented itself. “You better fix that, if you want to keep being the smartest man alive.” She took a bite of the cookie, happy for the sugar. If this was the result of Mrs. Perry’s interest in Eli’s love life, she wouldn’t complain.

“You are too.” Yes, he was mature for the most part. He’d always been mature. So when his immature side showed, it was fun to focus on it. “You’re being a baby.” Poor choice of words, there. “Come on, I already promised dinner and a movie with you and Zero. The least you can do is stop pouting.”

Mii was actually affectionate with most people she’d known for a long time. Her brothers, her parents, that was a given. Well, she was affectionate as she could be with Zach. Affection in his books was still all about childish hitting and hair pulling. But Eli was special. He was her oldest friend, and one of the few people she could talk about nearly everything with. And she wanted to talk to him about this. Really, she did. She just… didn’t know how.

Which was why she was trying everything she could to throw him off track. And when he whined, she just smiled and looked up at him, her hands on her hips. “I mean, no corduroy.” How worn out did his clothes honestly get while reshelving? “You can’t wear collared shirts and corduroy. You’ll look funny. If you don’t believe me, we’ll ask someone else.” No, she wasn’t kidding. “Come on, you’ll survive without it.” She attempted to avoid his gaze and looked over at the shirts. “Look, just start there, and I’ll think about the corduroy.” Anything, to make him stop looking at her.

[Eli Morrison]

Eli sighed again, but complied and started shifting through the shirts on the table Mii had pointed at. There was nothing overtly wrong with the shirts, it was just that he didn't like collars. And if he found one with a collar loose enough that he wasn't bothered by it, it would undoubtedly be too big, and Midori wouldn't approve. (Yes, he knew about tailored clothing, but he didn't have any interest in it. He just preferred his teeshirts.) "Help me sort through these, then."

The tall, thin man looked through more of the shirts, disappointed to discover that the colors were all a bit too saturated for him. He preferred them to be more mild, and frankly, believed he would look weird in the richer blue and red.

But his mind was whirring through all of that, and he was actually rather busy thinking about Mii. She was distracted by something, and he didn't know what. And weirdly, she wasn't talking to him. Eli had never been the person people chose as a confidant, probably because his shy, aloof nature kept them away. But he thought Mii was different. She had never been afraid to confide in him before.

Probably because she knew that the only person he was close enough to confide in was her.

So he kept watching her as he pretended to care more about the shirts than how his friend was fairing. It probably wasn't too convincing. Finally, he picked up a green shirt in a size he was pretty sure was his. (Slight discrepancies in sizing between companies existed, so he couldn't be sure.) And it was a darker green, so it wouldn't stand out too much against the brown of the library shelves. "Is this acceptable? And Mii... you're thinking about something. I'm not going to ask you to tell me what it is....but I'm here."

No pressure. He knew what it was like to have people beg him to open up. And this was how their relationship worked.

[Midori Hawkins]

As soon as Eli started looking through the shirts, Mii felt like relaxing. Just a little bit. She stopped holding her shoulders so stiffly as she watched him sift through the clothing. He didn’t look all that happy about it, but at least he was doing it. And if his mind was on the clothing, then it wasn’t on her. She could handle that. She just didn’t know what to do later on. Maybe she’d be ready to tell him. Maybe she’d invent an excuse to go home, instead of watching a movie and having dinner with him and Zero. She’d have to play it by ear. (But she really didn’t want to opt out of the movie.)

Why couldn’t he take five minutes and not think about her? Mii was trying her best to be normal, but apparently it wasn’t going to work. She was too quiet, too wrapped up in her own thoughts. So much so that it took her a moment to realize Eli had asked for her help. “All right. What color do you want?” She started to paw through them, trying to make as little mess as possible.

Eli had always been her confidant. Hell, she confided in him before she confided in her brothers. But this was different. This was so much more… ugh. She didn’t even know how to describe it. It just wasn’t good. It wasn’t good and she didn’t know how to word it. Otherwise, she would have told Eli sooner. Maybe.

“What?” She glanced up a beat too late as she realized he’d asked her a question. “Oh. Yeah. It’s fine. I like that color.” And then he continued. She should have known better. There was no keeping things from her best friend. She bit her lip, and put both hands down on a pile of shirts. “You’re right,” she managed. “I am thinking about something.” Mii cautioned a glance up. “But it’s complicated. I wouldn’t even know where to start.” And she really didn’t. No matter how she tried to word it in her head, it sounded awful.

[Eli Morrison]

"Green. Or brown." Did she even have to ask? It wasn't as if he ever strayed far from his typical color palette. Plus, if the new clothes matched his older clothes, he wouldn't have to buy as much of them, and they could leave there sooner.

It was distracting how distracted she was. Eli didn't expect Mii to devote every ounce of brainpower to the task at hand--after all, he couldn't be bothered to do it either--but it was weird for her to be this disengaged. He was the one who spent too much time in his own head.

When Midori did start talking, however, Eli gently reached over and touched her shoulder. He ignored the "You're right," just like he always did. (He heard it often enough it became a phrase barely registered with him.)

Again, this was weird. Mii was no robot; she was usually much better equipped to handle something emotional than he was. So if she didn't know where to start, that was probably an indication that this was something bad.

Good job, Eli, on figuring that out. Aren't you clever?

"Start with the worst bit." He calmly picked up another one of the shirts in the size he was assuming was his. (Hopefully, Mii wouldn't call him on it and make him try them on. Changing rooms made Eli uncomfortable.) "Then the beginning will be easier." And whatever the problem was, he was ready to try to help her. This was Mii. Whatever was stressing her out, she didn't deserve.

[Midori Hawkins]

The fact that Mii even had to ask should have been an indicator that something was wrong. She knew what colors he wore, what he liked. Nothing had changed since she’d first come to know him. “Right. Sorry. I knew that.” She started searching, pulling out a dark brown she thought he might like, guessing at this size. “Here. Try this.”

Obviously, she wasn’t doing a good job at hiding her feelings. Either that, or Eli was just too damn observant. She couldn’t rule that out. Either way, this attempt that distracting her best friend was quickly going downhill. She was spending too much time internalizing, and not enough pretending things were normal.

When she felt his hand on her shoulder, Mii sighed softly and stopped moving. Stopped sorting through the shirts on the table. This was impossible. She should have known better, than to try and keep things from Eli. He was too smart, and he knew her too well. She might have been better equipped to handle emotional things, but this… this was just too much to handle.

Start with the worst? What was the worst part? Toying with a button on one of the shirts beneath her hands, Mii didn’t meet Eli’s gaze. “… I slept with Darryl Bond. The drama teacher.” Wait. That was the worst part? She bit her lip, hard. “And I…” Okay, she really, really didn’t want to do this. “I’m pregnant,” she finally managed, barely above a whisper, and kept toying with the button. “And I don’t know what to do.” She hadn’t told Darryl yet. She hadn’t told James. She hadn’t told her parents, her brothers. No one, except Eli. … Sorry, buddy.