(Untitled)

[curiously_cora]

When Coraline had turned eleven Coraline had hugged Cain so tight she thought she might have broken him. When Coraline had turned twelve she had bounced on Adam's bed, kicking him in the side with her fet as she jumped excitedly and tried to get him up. When Coraline had turned thirteen she had thought of Sarah as mum. When Coraline had turned

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[justsookie]

It was only after paying the birthday girl her respects with plenty of lovely, girlish finds from the clothes box (sundresses and even a cocktail dress, all bright and flirty without tipping over the edge) and a couple of crocheted mesh cardigans that Sookie had finally decided to take a breather from the party and seek Mitchell out. Things had been a bit of a whirlwind since the election for the blonde, but enough of that strength came from her loved ones, and for Mitchell in specific that she always spared the time to show him some affection.

Besides which, his hair alone was enough reason to harass him that day. Sookie laughed for what must have been the hundredth time when she veered in his direction at last, nudging at one of his arms to give herself room to rest her head against his shoulder. "I like this hairstyle as an exception much more than as a rule," she admitted with an earnest nod. "Don't go changin' it for good, now."

[chasinghumanity]

Mitchell accepted all teasing and taunts that day with a resigned, good-natured air. Style was one of those funny things that didn't just change every decade; it changed every day sometimes. He got over his embarrassment over his previous choices of appearance ages ago. It wasn't worth the hassle to get hung up on these things.

He laughed along falsely, snaking an arm around Sookie's waist. "Not for good," he said. "But I'm thinking of revisiting all my greatest hits now, just so you can all see what you're missing out on. Wait until you see the punk outfit I've got ready. I look like a reject from the Clash."

[justsookie]

"Your greatest hits," Sookie repeated with an almost disbelieving air. It wasn't the first time she'd had to think about how a boyfriend had lived so much longer than she had- seen several times the number of years she had- and if Sookie had to be honest, there was always a small twinge in her stomach at the thought. Something that made her feel young, inexperienced, Sookie pressing her lips briefly against Mitchell's shoulder to hide any potentially revealing expression. By the time she pulled back, her grin was teasing, nose slightly wrinkled. "I can't picture you all punk, it's like... oil and water, they just don't mix. But I won't say no to seein' you dressed up, no matter what the style."

Pushing onto her toes, Sookie pressed a kiss to his cheek, before letting her gaze scan over all of the partygoers. "So, fourteen-year-old's party. Wasn't sure you were actually goin' to show up."

[chasinghumanity]

He huffed a short laugh at Sookie's comment. The punk scene had been easy to be a part of in a lot of ways. The leather, the spikes, the hairstyle, those had all worked in his favor. And then the attitude. Well that had been practically natural by that point. The only major drawback had been that he hadn't really been a fan of the music. Sort of a big drawback, really.

"Hey," he said, gently defending himself though he knew there was no offense meant. "I like Coraline, when she's not being, you know, an obnoxious mini-teenager. Besides, I am a man secure in my coolness factor. I can handle a little teeny-bopper action."

[justsookie]

With a soft laugh, Sookie reached out for Mitchell's hand, letting her fingers trace down the length of his arm before she played with his glove, soft smirk on her lips. "Definitely a man secure in your coolness factor," she had to admit, adding a conceding nod. "Considerin' most days, you still wear these gloves of yours, and cover the rest of yourself in plaid. Though I guess that's also part of the charm."

She shifted until the two stood face-to-face, Sookie's arms casually sneaking around Mitchell's waist, although she didn't pull him too close- there were too many teenagers around for it to feel entirely comfortable. "All things considered though, Coraline can be real high-strung, but I still think she's a whole lot better than a lot of teens out there. Makes me wonder how difficult you were, back then."

[chasinghumanity]

Mitchell adjusted his hold on her as she moved, keeping one hand loosely laid upon her waist. His eyebrows crept up at her insinuation, a sense of genuine innocent in his expression for once as well as the lightest touch of playful indignation.

"Me? Oh no, I was a perfect kid," he informed her. "I never gave my parents grief. I mean, it was different back then, too. Everything was much more.. set and simple." As he spoke, Mitchell lifted up his hand to tuck Sookie's hair behind her ear, his look a little far off. "It'd probably be different if I grew up like Coraline. Kids have to put up with so much these days, and the island is great in a lot of ways but not exactly... stable."

[justsookie]

Sookie listened with interest, as well as an amount of playful skepticism. From what she knew of kids, even darling little angels like Arlene's two, they still bickered, they still fought their parents at intervals, they still went through growing pains- she couldn't imagine that Mitchell would be an exception, even if she felt pretty sure that he couldn't have been too difficult, given his tendency to have such an optimistic outlook in spite of everything that had happened to him. Her eyes lingered on his distant gaze, cheek leaning closer to Mitchell's hand as he brushed her hair back.

"Well, c'mon," she softly encouraged. "I wanna hear more about what things were like. Your family... I mean, if it isn't- I don't wanna upset you. But I always want to learn more about you and everything you've seen. You know that."

[chasinghumanity]

Frowning slightly, Mitchell tried to parse the meaning behind the way Sookie's words trailed over and overlapped each other. Upset him? Why would it upset him?

When it clicked and he understood her concern, he just laughed, tilting his head back. "God, why does everyone assume there's a sob story?" he asked the sky. He shook his head, grinning, as he looked to Sookie again. "You're not gonna upset me. I loved my parents. They loved me. We were totally normal for our time, just run-of-the-mill, working class people like everyone else. My dad worked at the brewery. My mother kept house. We went to Church every Sunday and I read my dad's Sherlock Holmes novels and it was really... all ordinary."

[justsookie]

"I wasn't assumin' that there was a sob story," Sookie replied, shaking her head lightly, curls bouncing as she reached her arms up to drape over Mitchell's shoulders. "It's just that none of the vampires back where I lived seemed excited to talk about their childhoods, y'know? Jessica was more okay with it, I guess, but she was just a baby, she didn't know anythin' else."

She wrinkled her nose, pulling slightly away as her gaze took a detour to the left. "Then again, I don't think much of anyone around where I lived had a very ordinary childhood," Sookie considered. Tara's mother- an alcoholic and abusive. Lafayette's mother- in a home, delusional. Sam's adoptive parents- abandoned him after discovering his abilities. "Trouble just seemed to follow all of us. Made some of best people I've ever known, but there's a lot of trade-off there."

[chasinghumanity]

"It's hard, being human," Mitchell replied, his expression growing distant again, but mildly so. Childhood was not the only time when things went wrong, when people got hurt. Sometimes it was even worse when it happened as an adult because you didn't have the excuse of being a child. George couldn't fall into his mother's lap and sob when he got his scars. Annie couldn't just run away and tell on Owen. Mitchell couldn't have asked someone else to make the decision -- the decision Herrick forced on him -- for him. Even with the supernatural, it was all just a part of being human.

"But, yeah, like you said. You're stronger for it," he continued. Focusing on Sookie once more, Mitchell flashed her a small but tight grin. "It's painful sometimes, but it's a hell of a blessing."

[justsookie]

Her eyes lost their focus for a moment. So many details were different- the accent, the height, the warmth in his hands, even the curl of his hair- but Sookie couldn't help but feel struck by the fact that for all their differences, there was something that Mitchell and Bill shared intensely. And that was their love of humanity. Sookie knew that both of them could easily fall into the mindset of being different, of never being able to quite walk in line with humans and the sum of their experiences, but the important fact was that Mitchell and Bill saw the worth in people, weakness and flaws notwithstanding. And the reasons why she'd fallen for either of them just stood out infinitely clear in her head again, until she allowed herself a pleased smile and pressed another kiss to his lips.

"You are such a sap," she joked, shaking her head as she pulled back. "Not that I disagree with you, but I doubt I'll never need to remind you to count your blessings. Gran would have loved you."