It's A Date [Ann]

[Alexander McKenzie]

It had taken a significant amount of whining (and enduring a lot of teasing) for Alex to finally get his best friend to leave the apartment. This was his first date in a long time, and the last thing he wanted was for Connie to pull out some embarrassing story, or generally be a pain in the ass. He wanted things to go well, and while he trusted Connie, to a point, well... brothers will be brothers.

So, Conrad was out of the apartment, which was actually relatively clean, for a change. Mostly because Alex had been a little neurotic for the past week. Hey, with the knowledge a girl was coming over, he cleaned. Properly. What? He didn’t want Ann to think they lived in a pig st - ... okay, they did live in a pig sty most of the time. But first impressions were key. He knew that. At least Connie had cooperated with him.

Lexy looked at the clock on the stove in an antsy way. It was almost noon, and Ann had said she was going to be here around that time. God, why was he so nervous? He’d already succeeded in getting dressed, and now he was just making busy work in the kitchen, pulling things out only to put them away again, because he wasn’t sure what he’d need. Breathe, Lexy. Connie’s not here to remind you to do that.

In an effort to keep himself calm, he pulled himself up onto the counter and flicked out his phone, playing a few rounds of Tetris. Yes, he had Tetris on his phone, and it was a good way to waste a few minutes. Just until Ann arrived.

[Ann Hudgins]

Holy crap. It was Saturday. She had a date today.

She had actually set her alarm, because she didn't want some freak accident to happen where her internal alarm didn't wake her up at six like it did every single morning. As it happened, Jean woke her up three minutes before her alarm was set to go off, excited like it was Christmas. He barely left the room to let her shower, but he insisted on straightening her hair, to give it a 'done' look after she had pitched a fit about being outside a lot and how she wanted to wear a hat. He wouldn't let her leave until she put on some make up, though. He made her change her shirt a few times until they both settled on this. After that, it was finally time to begin the trek to Alex's apartment.

The walk there was filled with her mumbling things to herself, however a lot of it was her telling herself to keep walking and not turn around and run and hide. Jean had particularly sworn up and down about what would happen if she returned to her room before at least four. She wouldn't want to entice the wrath of a twelve year old, so she kept walking forward. The boots Zac had left her, while were unnecessary, were perfect for walking in the snow, because her feet were still warm and not freezing as they would have been in her regular converse. The coat and hat also helped a lot, but she tried to not fill her head with Zac right now.

There was the apartment complex, that Alex had described her earlier that week, and from Jean's own description. Thanks to the both of them, she didn't have to back track or ask someone for directions (Thank the Lord. there was no one outside). She made it into the hallway of the apartments before Ann's general uneasiness started to wash over. What was she supposed to...do? She had to take a few calming breaths as she walked, she'd noticed she had passed by his door a few times. Finally she stopped walking, directly in front of it. She checked her phone for the time to see that she was almost exactly here at noon precisely. She knocked before she lost her nerve and started pacing again.

She did, however, gnaw the crap out of her lip while she waited for the door to open.

[Alexander McKenzie]

The longer he had to wait, the most antsy Alex got. After all the work he’d put into getting the apartment into a semi-clean state, and the stress of actually arranging the date (not to mention the teasing), he really hoped he wouldn’t get stood up. Not that he thought Ann was capable of doing such a thing. She was too nice for that. ... Right?

His heels beat a steady, quiet rhythm against the cupboards as he manoeuvred his Tetris pieces around. It was a mindless task, keeping him just occupied enough to glance at the clock every three minutes, as opposed to every one. He was somewhat regretting chasing Connie out of the apartment. At least if he was here, he’d have someone to distract him. He was tempted to even resort to something as abysmal as homework.

Thankfully, he heard the knock before he resorted to that.

Alex scrambled off of the counter in a less-than-elegant fashion and dropped to the floor, hurrying to the door. He didn’t even bother with the peephole, and just pulled it open. He was grinning instantly when he saw it was actually Ann standing there.

“Hi Ann!” Yes, he was cheerful. He had a date. “Come in.” He stepped back, allowing her access to the apartment before closing the door. “I managed to get my roomie to leave us alone, so it’s just us. We can make whatever you’d like, and then head out to the lake. It isn’t far from here. We can walk.” He headed into the kitchen and pulled out two travel mugs, setting them on the counter. “We can take hot drinks with us. Coffee, hot chocolate, whatever you’d like.” He leaned back on the counter, hoping he was doing a good job of playing host.

[Ann Hudgins]

She smiled genuinely when he opened the door and caught a face full of excitement and cheerfulness. He was certainly looking forward to this, which made her blush faintly. She had yet to me someone so happy to see her. She nodded her head when he ushered her inside and she couldn't help but look around. It was on the small side, and obviously well lived-in, she liked the atmosphere. The air in the apartment was full of, what she guessed to be, him anxiously waiting her arrival for the date to begin, which again put a small smile on her face.

"Sandwiches are good. I'm really not picky about what goes on it." As long as it tasted good. Ann had never really been a coffee drinker before because of its overpowering smell. Ann liked things more on the bland...calm side. She didn't like things that had so much taste or smell to them--it might be boring to some, but it was a comfortable zone for Ann to be in. Hot chocolate, however, combined the heat that she loved with chocolate that was delicious. "Hot chocolate sounds good," she responded to his options as she followed him into the kitchen, which seemed to hold the bulk of the anxiety--it made her relax a little, because it let her know she wasn't the only one. "Which would you rather have me do, the sandwiches or whatever, or the hot chocolate?"

[Alexander McKenzie]

The fact that this was all going according to plan was good enough to make Alex happy. Though he knew what Ann’s power was, he couldn’t actually contain himself today. For being as good as he was at keeping calm and collected, for today? Screw it. He was going to be happy. He tried not to let it bother him that the apartment wasn’t completely clean, and he saw Ann looking around. He’d be curious too. Not many of Hammel’s students lived off campus. Really, if it wasn’t for Conrad, he’d still be cooped up in the dorms. Their apartment was tiny, yes, but liveable. It was complete chaos with the entire Manne crew within its walls, but that’s what made it fun.

“Yeah? That’s easy.” He’d actually thought to pick up groceries the other night, after school. He hadn’t been sure what to take with them, so he’d picked up the usual assortment of things he and Conrad tended to go through, as well as a few extra things. Yes, it meant his savings were down a little from his last paycheck, but it was worth it. “We have bread and everything.” If Alex had a choice, he’d mainline coffee all day long. As it was, by the time he got to school in the morning, depending if Conrad had hogged the shower or not, he’d already inhaled at least one cup of it. Hey, he wasn’t going to grow anymore. No one could claim it would stunt his growth. But he was fine with making hot chocolate as well. A mix of the two actually sounded perfect, considering the weather. “Um. If you’re okay with doing the hot chocolate, you can make it how you like it.” He set to work with the coffee maker, making just enough to mix with the hot chocolate, and pulled the can of the chocolate powder out of a cabinet, setting it on the counter. “I can handle the sandwiches.” He pulled some supplies out of the fridge. “You aren’t allergic to anything, are you?” That would be the worst end to a date ever.

[Ann Hudgins]

Ann didn't really see the apartment as 'unclean' just lived in. Her parents had been neatfreaks, but Aiden's house looked much more like a home than the front lobby of a doctor's office. They had personal belongings and wall decorations, pictures and plants all over the house, however Ann's parents had the bare minimum decorations, there wasn't a specific reason for it, but Ann had generally felt more at home in Aiden's house. The apartment was nice--quaint even--to her. She had a small fleeting fantasy about what her own apartment would look like in the future, but she didn't let the idea remain for long, as that day was long into the future.

She looked at the kitchen as he moved about, gathering things and when the cocoa powder was out and he had moved out of the way, she used the cup in the cocoa container to spoon in the proper amount of powder and then all she had to do was wait for the coffee maker to finish heating up the milk. She smiled at the idea of hot cocoa being only a few minutes away and then put her back to the counter. She watched as he started to pull the sandwich supplies out of the fridge and it looked potentially delicious. "Not that I know of," she replied to him asking her about any allergies. The burbling coffee pot filled the apartment with noise and Ann watched it as little by little, the hot liquid dripped down. The silence started to stretch, but Ann was horrible at starting small talk, she looked down at her feet and began to fidget with one of the buttons on her coat.

[Alexander McKenzie]

Alex had a feeling that both his and Conrad’s mothers wouldn’t share Ann’s opinion about the apartment. Yes, it belonged to two messy boys. It was a fact that the apartment would never be spotless. But at least Ann wasn’t offended by the small bits of mess that Alex had either run out of time to clean, or just couldn’t be bothered with at that point. They had stuff everywhere, and Alex’s room, while a mess at the moment, was covered in art – both things he’d drawn himself, and things he’d printed off the internet. Ridiculous pin up pictures of girls, alcohol posters, things you might have expected a nineteen year old guy to have on his walls were nonexistent. But that was okay with him.

It was good to have something to do. Alex occupied himself with starting on the sandwiches while he waited for the coffee to finish. He was a decent cook, especially when he tried, but now wasn’t the time to show off his basic kitchen skills. Simplicity was what he was going for. He decided to use the deli turkey he’d picked up, a little bit of cheese and lettuce, and mayo. They weren’t fancy, but they were food. As he wrapped them in plastic wrap, he glanced over his shoulder at Ann, offering what he hoped was a calming little smile. “So aside from our murderous physics class, what other classes are you taking?” It was a lame topic, and he knew it, but the awkward silence was getting to him a little, and he wanted Ann to be relaxed. As he waited for her reply, he pulled a plastic bag down from a cabinet and put the sandwiches inside, as well as a package of twizzlers, and a bag of Doritos. He pulled the coffee pot out of its’ holder and poured the contents into the travel mugs, then rinsed the pot out. Conrad would kill him if he left it sitting there. He made up a tiny amount of coffee to add in to his own mug, and as soon as that was done, he had to admit they were ready. Unless... “Did you want a tour of the apartment, before we go? Not that it’s huge, or anything...” Maybe he was no better at this than Ann.

[Ann Hudgins]

Mothers tended to be a bit more critical over their child's houses or apartments--at least that was what Ann understood about normal families. If either of her parents saw Ann's room, they'd probably frown slightly as they tended to do about anything pertaining to Ann's sense of creativity (which really was nonexistent) and then want to leave. However, in a hypothetical situation, her parents would never take the time to travel to Vermont to see her dorm room. As she thought a bit more about it, girlfriends probably would also fret about their boyfriends state of things--but just the thought of boyfriend and Alex caused her to fumble with the jug of milk.

She blushed again and quickly wiped up the few drops she spilled, and hoped her fumble went unnoticed by Alex. She grinned a little when he mentioned their physics class, though she hated the subject, she liked seeing Alex there (how cheesy is that?) and talking to him. "Well, I have English in the morning," scowl; Zac was in that class, "and psychology," which wasn't bad, she actually enjoyed it--unless she had to present something, "and then I have training with Mr. Connick, and another session with Dr. Collier or Ms. Vasiliev." She needed all the training help she could get, and having double/back-to-back training classes were as great as they were exhausting. She literally drug herself into her dorm room at the end of every afternoon. She was making gradual and steady progress with all the extra time which was exactly what she wanted.

"What about you?" She asked smiling slightly at him as she stirred the hot milk and cocoa with a spoon. It smelled yummy. The hot cocoa was done she she put the lid on her own mug and watched as he poured in a bit of coffee with his, it made her feel a bit at odds. She didn't feel it had been fair to make hot cocoa for the both of them, if what he really wanted was coffee, however it was already done and saying something now would just be awkward. She smiled when he asked for the tour, but if her she was any good at reading him (she wouldn't admit she was) then she got the feeling that he wasn't exactly eager to show her around. "That's fine, perhaps later?" Not that she expected to come back here--unless he invited her, of course!

Her smiled wavered slightly as she clasped the hot travel mug between her hands and took a test sip. Hot cocoa with milk was the best. Her smile was renewed as she was led back to the door. "On to the lake, then." She was nearly fizzling with their combined excitement (though his wasn't breaching her barriers, yet).

[Alexander McKenzie]

Oh God. Lexy hadn’t thought about telling his parents anything about a potential girlfriend yet. Mostly because it was in the early stages, and he wasn’t even sure where it was going. Even if it did become serious, he’d hold off on telling them for a while. He knew how his mother would react. She’d fuss and be thrilled, and then she’d ask the question he didn’t want to answer. “Did you tell her yet?” He wasn’t sure why she felt it was a need to know basis. In his experience, it was a better way to scare off a potential mate than keep one around. So, no. Ann did not know, and if he had his way, she wasn’t going to. Not if he could help it.

He didn’t actually notice her fumble, but really, he wouldn’t have been surprised if he was the one fumbling for things. He tried not to show it outwardly, but he was quite nervous about this whole thing. That was what he got for not dating anyone for a while. Despite Connie’s promptings and general teasing, he hadn’t even signed up for any of the matchmaking services offers in conjunction with the school dances. Thankfully, he could stop thinking about that when Ann actually began to talk to him. He leaned against the counter and smiled at her. His schedule was a little different to hers, which was to be expected. Not only was he older, but he had a better grasp on his powers. By the end of the year, he would graduate, though if he didn’t have his power fully under control by that point, he’d consider coming back just for training while attending university.

“Psychology... that’s interesting. I never thought to take it,” he admitted. “I’m taking all the core classes, Math, English, all that. I’m also taking Biology, and Art, of course.” He had a fairly full schedule, which didn’t leave him any sort of study hall class during the day, but that was fine with him. He’d rather be busy. As for Ann’s feelings about the drinks, well, he gave her a guilty look. “Sorry. Coffee’s kind of like water to me. But mixing it with hot chocolate is amazing.” He was trying to put her at ease. He just wasn’t sure it was working. At least she didn’t want to see the apartment. “I can show you next time. When it’s a little more... respectable.” Note to self, don’t let it get into hurricane state.

“Yep, on to the lake!” Alex gathered his coat and checked his pocket, then realized he was missing something. “Um, I’m sorry. Hold that thought.” He disappeared into his room and snatched what he wanted off of his desk, slipping it into his pocket. “All right. Now I’m ready.” He had his wallet, his cell phone, his keys, and that all important envelope. He was ready to go. “Shall we?”

[Ann Hudgins]

Ann had...failed to mention her date to Aiden, or her parents. She had no idea how they would react to the news, mainly because Aiden had been pretty protective and a bit pushy lately and because her parents were pretty much assholes and didn't want to subject herself or Alex to that. She wouldn't put it past them to come up here for a few days to insult and threaten Alex until they scared him away--not that she had any indication they would do that. They'd never talked about Ann and dating, it had never been necessary (and because they hadn't been in her life for the past few years.)

Admittedly, Ann could tell how nervous Alex was, and the only thing that did was make her feel a bit better and more secure about how nervous she was. This was her first ever date, and she really didn't want to screw it up by being...Ann. There were so many things she didn't know about that pertained to dating, though Sean had prepared her as best he could on such a short notice. Ann tired to push away how uncertain and nervous she was and just tried to be happy that someone actually asked her out on a date.

"The class has helped me understand how other people's brains work, and primal emotions and stuff. It's also just interesting to me." Ann shrugged a shoulder while she spoke about it. It was more about fundamentals and the like, but like Ann said, it interested her. "That sounds like a pretty easy schedule," Ann admitted when he told her about his classes. Ann didn't take a study hall class, because she used her afternoons to do all the work she had for the day. Thanks to her constant training, she was able to focus more in the classroom and actually (start) get work done on time. She smiled a little sheepishly when he mentioned coffee and the hot cocoa. She hadn't mean to make him feel guilty or anything. "I bet," she commented when he said mixing the two tasted great--to people that drank coffee anyway. Ann probably wouldn't like it.

She waited by the door for him when he darted off to get something, but he wasn't gone long enough for Ann to start feeling anxious or anything. She smiled when he returned and nodded her head, her hands happily wrapped around her hot chocolate, and she went out the door, "Yep," she chirped, though her nervousness started to set in as their 'date' had officially begun now.