Room 401, Wednesday Morning

[not_trivial]

Alec had spent the last few days pretty consistently upset, and today wasn't much better. Even training in the gym late last night for twice his usual time hadn't helped at all, which was probably because those sessions were good for working off anger and frustration, and Alec wasn't really angry or frustrated, just... sadHe showered and got

Comments

[seveninchmotto]

His sister wasn't necessarily going to be terribly impressed, either. But she hadn't seen him since the candy rain, and it seemed about time to come knocking at his door.

"Alec?"

[not_trivial]

Alec thought about not answering, because yeah, she was definitely not going to be impressed, but he knew that he'd been sulking like this for days now and talking to his sister was pretty much inevitable.

"It's unlocked," he called, skipping the pleasantries.

He could move over to his desk and try to look less pathetic, but that seemed like a lot of unnecessary effort when she was just going to see past that anyway. He did sit up in bed and lean against the headboard, though.

[seveninchmotto]

So much effort made. Isabelle slipped in through the door, closing it behind herself. Not even because she was expecting to need any particular privacy, but because she was used to the Institute and having less people around. And definitely less wandering mundies.

"Hello, big brother," she said, before actually taking a look at him. "Is something wrong?"

[not_trivial]

"Good to see you too," Alec groused. It was pointless to deflect, Alec. Which he apparently realized, as the next thing out of his mouth was "Sparkle and I might be broken up."

[ultron_junior]

Victor had been getting ready to go to work when Alec got back to the room, but the un-Alec-like bedflopping startled him into saying something. Even if he and Alec didn't exactly have heartfelt talks all the time, he wasn't oblivious enough to miss an ongoing bad mood.

"Are you okay?" he asked tentatively. "Do you want aspirin or anything?"

[not_trivial]

Oh. Alec hadn't expected that.

He had been staring at the ceiling - totally productively - but now he looked down so he could actually look at Victor. "No, I'm not sick," he said, and to his credit, it came out calm and convincing, if a little stiff. "But thank you."

"Do you have work?"

[ultron_junior]

Victor could tell he'd surprised Alec, and it was enough that he sounded vaguely flustered as he pushed onward.

"Well, yeah," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But it's not like the small appliances are going to stage a coup if I'm a couple minutes late. Just didn't want to run off if you needed anything."

[not_trivial]

If he was entirely honest, Alec had thought - with nothing against Victor personally - that laying in bed like a lump was a common enough activity among mundanes that he wouldn't be questioned about it. Which wasn't a very charitable thought, but there it was. He supposed he should be impressed to have been proven wrong.

"Thanks," he said again. "I'm just, uh, keeping it easy today." The phrase was 'taking it easy,' Alec, god.