2025-01-13 - Feelings And Other Stuff We Hate

The chill of the January wind off the waters around the isles is felt far more distinctly close to the ferry dock, which is where Wesley's headed; hands tucked into the pockets of the warm flannel he's wearing, regretting not grabbing a scarf before leaving his apartment today. He hasn't responded again to Peyton, just walking with a long, steady stride towards his destination, head down a bit and tail curled up like an eggroll.

Peyton matches the walk, she's a bit warmer it seems or just use to it. She just watches him as he walks. There is a feeling that the silence is driving her crazy. She's holding it for a bit longer. Then longer. Then they are going back to the docks. Her eyes flick behind her to the wonderful trauma that is forever Halloween. Her poor little black heart is leaving it.

"Sooooo"

The word is drawn out as they move.

"You are going for men for the rest of the year?"

"I'm not gonna take any of your bait," Wesley finally says with a tight shake of his head as he walks, "You should go back and find something else to entertain you. I'm not a dancing monkey. Try the one on the roof."

He just looks ahead, fixed on heading towards his goal. Of course, then he still needs to wait for a ferry to the right island, but that's a different problem.

"You are big mad."

Peyton offers as she glances to his tail. "I would think you more reptile than I would monkey. Also, I never asked you to dance." She looks him up and down slowly in consideration. "You are having some big feelings, buddy. You want to talk about them?"

"You think I'm mad?" Wesley finally slants a look over, glaring at her briefly before looking back away as they walk, "So fuckin' perceptive. Yes, I'm mad. You asked me to come out here and just decided to fuck with me, threaten me and gaslight me just for funsies so, yeah, I'm mad, and I have better shit to do than get abused, thanks."

"No, I know you are mad. I didn't have to think about it. I was just announcing it."

Peyton gives a show of teeth that is a customer service smile and not her actual one. Then she nods her head. "Perception is my super power." Said no one to her ever. "Yeah... I did all that." There is a sucking of air through her teeth. "That does make me kinda fucked up, huh?" This is not said in a contrite manner. "However, I'm done with it because it's not fun anymore. So I guess we are over that part. Drinks?"

"No thank you," replies Wesley with a shrug of one shoulder, head shaking tightly as they walk, "Lose my number, too, because I'm not gonna come out again if you call. Find something fun to do with someone else, because I am off that list."

Peyton pauses to that.

"Look Wesley, I was just fucking around. I didn't think you'd take it so bad." Is she apologizing? She keeps walking next to him as she slants a look up at him. "See normally, this is what I do. I piss people off. They leave. I carry on, but..." She looks around as if to make sure Nicholas isn't hiding in a corner to overhear this conversation.

"Look I'm sorry, okay? I misread the situation. I thought you were playing with me too. It wasn't until you stormed off that I realized you were taking it to heart."

"I was pl--" Wesley stops, finally, turning a glare on her, "I was playing up until you started all but snarling at me. I thought I'd actually fucked up and said something that'd hurt you, and I didn't fucking understand why nothing I said was getting through, until I realized you were just--"

He waves his hands vaguely, "Fucking with me for the hell of it. For fun. Because I'm not a person to you, I'm just something to make upset and gaslight because you were bored at home."

"So I was pissed at first." Peyton offers to that. "I really thought you were trying to say that only pretty girls deserved drinks." Peyton looks uncomfortable explaining this. As if this is too much truth than she wants to give. She looks at him for a moment. "I lost my last job before coming here because my manager wouldn't stop grabbing my ass because I was pretty. I throat punched him. I'm here now. Nickie's kind of pissed I"m here but he won't say anything." She gives a wry sort of half smile.

"So it hit me wrong. Then I was like well, I'll just start playing this off so it's not real." That probably doesn't make sense to anyone but her. "I was kind of fucking with you for my fun in parts of it. At first, I was angry though over that. The first part was real anger." She chews her lower lip a moment. "You are obviously a person because I wouldn't be following you like a lost puppy if you weren't. I never said I was a good person, Wes. I'm probably very much the opposite. I do shit to see how people react. I don't think before I do stuff. I generally don't care about the outcome of things because people don't stay." She just stops speaking. As if stopping the next words and she looks at him.

"No, I was trying to say that I only buy pretty girls drinks if we're on a date, because you told me you don't really date, you just trick people into buying you drinks, and I was... it doesn't matter," Wesley just shakes his head, looking frustrated, one hand coming up to rub against his face again.

"You're not the first person that's made me feel lately like just a thing to call on when they're bored," he admits quietly, turning back away and looking out towards the dock, "I'm tired of it and I'm not standing around for it. I fucking deserve better than that. I do."

"Well we just met. I'm not going to marry you. Isn't that what people do? When they are bored they reach out and try to engage with people that don't make them bored?" Peyton offers as she looks where he's looking. Maybe their will be another gargoyle.

"Engagement with other people doesn't usually involve trying to make them feel like shit until you succeed," Wesley points out, pointedly. There is no other gargoyle. Just the docks. And there's no ferry docked just yet either.

"I wouldn't know. I'm not the kind of girl you get down on a knee for unless you are asking for quarter. Nor the kind you take home to Mom. Nick is that sibling, not me." Peyton steps a bit closer and attempts to bump his hip to get his attention back to her.

"Can't we just put this down as our first fight and then strive not to have more?"

"I wasn't looking to get married. Fuck, you made it pretty clear you weren't interested in dating, so I wasn't looking for that either," replies Wesley with a shrug, glancing sidelong to her, "I don't know what you were looking for, aside from a punching bag."

He watches her for a moment, then asks bluntly, "How am I supposed to trust you're not just gonna do the same shit again?"

"Wes.." Peyton offers as she just looks up at him for a moment. He has a couple of inches on her. "Do I strike you as a girl people want to date?" Look at her opening herself up for honest insult.

She sort of shrugs to that. "You don't. I mean, there's no guarantee in anything in life. Maybe you can't trust me." She nods to this. Her eyes move from him to the dock. She's going to have to take another boat or THIS will be awkward. There is a chew or her lower lip again. "All right. You win. I can lose your number."

Wes's forehead screws up in a furrow as he looks down to her for a long moment before saying quietly, "Up until the point I realized you were fucking with me for fun, I would have."

His shoulders sink a bit as he looks away, back to the dock. "Yeah. Great," he mumbles, not sounding very thrilled about his win.

Peyton frowns. That looks more her natural than the smile does.

"You don't get to look dejected when I am doing what you ask. I wasn't over here being like hey let's delete each other's whole being from the other because we had fun and then in an error of decisions it stopped being fun. That was you. I was apologizing and asking to move past it. To stay... this." She swings a hand between them. "You act like you haven't ever fucked up. I said I fucked up Wesley. I'm talking about feels and shit I really hate. I was fucking with you for fun when we were having fun. I can't promise I'm going to know where that line is and not cross it. You are clear that if I do, you are just walking out and not talking it out. I can't promise you can trust me not to do that again well... maybe not that I learned there, but to do something like that. I don't know what you want here."

"Don't turn this around on me, there's no-- there's no version of this where I get to walk away happy, Peyton," replies Wesley with a frown, looking back at her, gesturing back towards the Boo'edwalk, "You wanna talk about feels? I've had a fucking shitty few weeks-- I got asked to be someone's side dude while they dated someone better than me, I grew a fucking tail and that's pretty fucking stressful let me tell you, some weird spirit-entity dropped some really ominous shit on us last night, people are having horrible fucking visions and dreams, and I just..." His arm drops, and he looks away, grimacing, "I just wanted to come out with a new friend and have a good time and forget about all that shit is all. That's all I wanted. You're the first person to actually ask me to come out without me initiating in awhile, because I'm everyone's third or fourth choice to have around at best. Okay? There, now we're both talking about feels and shit we hate."

Peyton's lips curve up to smile a bit. It's not condescending. It's just one of those sort of if you don't smile you cry sort of smiles. The irony of life for her. "I said I was wrong, Wes. I took it too far. I said I was sorry. You are the one asking to lose your number, not me. I don't know what would make you happy to try to make this end favorably for you." She lifts her brows. "You want a blowjob?" She's not really offering. She's attempting humor over the emotion, it's not even her being terrible. It's her trying to figure out what to say or do. Maybe get a chuckle. Maybe.

"A lot of heavy stuff as been going on for a lot of people. I don't think anyone here is at their best right now. I'm sorry your week has been shitty. Also, who says the person is better than you? They are just a different person. Maybe the person asking you isn't ready to be a one person .. person, but didn't want to lose that with you too? Sometimes those things happen. I get super fucking jealous if I catch feels. It's why I try not to do it." As well as a million other reasons she avoids it.

Her hand comes up to tuck her hair behind her ear. There might be a slight annoyance that she's wearing a hat with cat ears on as they are having this discussion. "I have metallic colored eyes and my nails are mirrors. It's fucking creepy at night when your fingernails reflect light." Her eyes drop to the tail for a moment. "Though... you do have me beat with the tail thing. As well, I'm one of the people having visions and passing out from them. I get it. It's some freaking freaky shit out there."

Peyton shrugs a bit as she looks at him. "It's all I wanted to do. Go have fun. I just took it a bit too far. I tend to do that until I realize where the line is. I didn't know the line and I pushed it. Ask Nick. It's the story of my life. I have played some pranks on him growing up." She takes in a breath and then blows it out her mouth as she looks towards the docks that they are still not yet completing their walk to. "You were my first choice, if that matters at all." She offers the comment softly.

Wesley breathes out a sigh, silent for long moments as he watches out towards the water where the ferry is slowly coming into view, its heavy bulk pushing through the cold, choppy winter waters. He watches it for a long moment before speaking again.

"It's 'making me think I actually hurt you'," he says softly, and if they weren't alone and it wasn't so quiet, he might not be heard, "That's where the line is, Peyton."

"To be fair, you did anger me. I don't know if hurt me is the right word. I really thought you were saying only pretty girls deserved drinks." Peyton offers, not that she's not pretty. Her eyes slide up to his. "I didn't feel great about the losing your number part either."

There is a ferry coming. Or a pirate ship in disguise. One never knows these days.

"Sooooo..." Her brows lift up a bit as she looks at him.

"I was just trying to say that I only buy on real dates," replies Wesley quietly, watching the ferry coming in still, "Since you'd just said you don't do them and you just say it is until you get what you want. 'Cause it's been made pretty clear to me recently that I'm not worth dating and I'm not in the mood to get taken advantage of. That's what I was saying. You being pretty doesn't have anything to do with it."

A sidelong glance, lingering a moment before he says grudgingly, "M'not apologizing for the lose my number thing, though. You deserved that for the gaslighting shit." He's not reiterating it, though, so that's something.

"So you think I'm pretty?"

Damnit. Peyton tried so hard not to use that line, but her mouth opened and it walked right out. "I don't think it's you, Wes." The most she's used his name instead of Puff. "I don't date because I tend to end up the disappointment. It's not that I don't date you, but I date other people. I will let people buy me free meals because I'm poor." She laughs at the last part. "I don't know if you know this, but I'm not pulling six figures making sweet treats." Like pig's blood candy. He should have known. The warning signs were there.

At that line, there's a brief smirk, but Wes doesn't answer her.

"I wear a dragon suit and children try and climb up me all day," he points out dryly, his hands spreading a little, "I'm not exactly a one percenter either, you know. I do extra shifts and have two room-mates just to save more money. I didn't get this job because I figured I'd be rolling in cash. Most of the shit I own is from when I did have money, which I definitely do not these days."

"If you asked nicely, I might climb you all day too." Peyton says this deadpan, but her eyes have a bit of that teasing look and less of the 'why are we talking feels' look. She nods her head.

"So what you are saying is we need to find rich people to date."

Wesley snorts a bit. "I'd hook you up with my friend Angelo but you'd break him in a week and then I'd have to pick up the pieces," he says dryly, "You and Sin'd be fun to eat popcorn and watch as the drama bomb went off, though, but I don't think that'd get you what you're looking for. Entertaining from a distance, though. And..." He pauses, "I think Dante's gay, honestly I don't even know. And that's all my rich, talented, and way-better-than-me friends, so we're outta luck."

"I don't know if you realize this..." Peyton offers as she leans in as if she's going to attempt to tell a secret. Her lips come near his ear unless he moves. ".. you have dangly outie parts. Dante could still be in the running for you." She sighs. "I feel emotionally exhausted now. So change of plans."

Peyton takes a step back to give him his space. "We are going back to your place. We are getting wasted. I'm crashing at your place. You are writing yourself a note so that sober Wes remembers that I stayed over and you don't shriek in the morning when I might have a hangover."

At that, Wesley lets out a long-suffering sigh. "I had the misfortune of being born straight, which sucks, since despite assurances that I'm wrong, it feels like there'd be less shitty drama if I was gay."

He brings a hand up, fingers rubbing between his eyes, "...did you miss the part where I have two room-mates? One of them may be a cartoon come to life. Also there's a rat. The cartoon lady is terrified of the rat. She tried to chop down my door with an axe and has no sense of scale, proportion, of boundaries. If you crash over at my place you will become the OTP of her Disney princess fantasies."

Peyton considers this. "Well that's fine. I mean I always wanted to be a princess." This is a lie. "You would rather I tried to get home while I was drunk? Don't you think out of those two options it would be best to stay there?" Peyton pauses. "I mean, I guess you could come to our place but.." She looks at his tail. "Nick might fan girl out over your tail. Also, I'll demand w have very loud fake sex just to traumatize him. Soooo... I'll take Disney and the Rat please."

"You aren't drunk," Wesley points out dryly, "You could just--"

He sighs, and throws up his hands, "Fine. But you get to explain to Esme that we aren't lovers destined to be when she sees you."

Peyton smiles to that as he gives in. She likes being told yes. She will start walking to the ferry as well.

There is a pause. "But.. what if we are, Wessie?"

Wesley is shaking his head as he heads towards the ferry, observing dryly, "You don't date, remember? Kinda difficult in that case. Besides, all the prophecies lately are about doom and loss, I haven't heard any about love."

Peyton laughs fully to this. "I said I didn't date, not that I didn't fuck around and find out or marry. Besides, Puff. Being destined to me, would be doom and loss."

"What does everyone have against dating?"

Wesley spreads his hands to either side as they walk towards the ferry, complaining only half-seriously now, "You go out with someone cute, you get some food or watch a show or walk on the beach, you have quality time together, maybe afterwards someone gets railed in a sundress. Why is that so bad?"

"Because it comes with expectation."

Peyton offers easily as she walks with him and starts to move closer. Ferries make cold air happen when they move. He should be glad she's not going to burrow into his coat. "Let's say I let you take me to dinner. You charm me. I wear a sundress. Then I tell you I have on only the sundress." She gives hi a pointed look. "Then the next day comes and I'm talking to someone and you pull up. Then your feelings get hurt because the expectation is there that you are the only one buying my meals."

"It does," admits Wesley with a shrug of one shoulder, flashing his ID to the attendant as they walk past the checkpoint and heading down the pier, "But, y'know what I realized recently? I kind of like that expectation. I do want to be the only one buying someone's meals. I want to be considered worth that much at least, even if it's just for a little while."

"Right. And we already had our first fight. It was really romantic. Completely showed how compatible we are." Peyton teases the tease is heard as she also flashes her ID. Looking like Heidi. Of course, she forgot about the pic and now has to be in uniform every time she pulls it out to show people. She will move with him to find a seat.

"So maybe we just friend hangout, I'll sometimes sleep in your bed when drunk or cold. Then maybe we can progress to being a person to buy me dinner and end with me screaming your name." She smiles slowly, in that ex wife look. "Besides, I look far better out of a sundress than in one."

"Uh huh. I don't think that's happening, no matter how hot you are," observes Wesley with an amused snort of breath as he drops down onto a bench in the ferry, shifting to pull his tail around to drape over his lap, "As you pointed out, we just totally saw how compatible we are."

"So don't push your luck, Heidi."

Peyton long blinks at him. She is full of feigned innocence and delicate sensibilities.

"I would never push anything, Puff."

There is a pause. "Though I am glad about the fire breathing not being a thing." She winks to him and wiggles into his personal space for the heat. She's not even pretending not to try and hijack his body heat. A slight nudge to get his arm around her.

Wesley gives her a slightly suspicious look for a moment, and then he sighs and shifts, raising his arm to drape it around her shoulders and welcome her in against his side. He won't admit it but he's cold as hell too, because his tail isn't covered. "I'm going to regret giving you a second chance, aren't I? I can feel it in my bones," he grumbles, looking back out to the water as the ferry slowly pulls away.

Peyton nods her head. "Yep. Wait until the third and the fourth. I hear the fifth is a doozy. it's why everyone pleads it when they don't want to talk." She laughs a bit softly to that, but then she's burrowing in. She will deny this moment later. Peyton's rage keeps her warm, she doesn't need another person.