MCA #10, Early Monday Evening

[solarhippie]

On Halloween, Karolina and Beau had had a pretty significant conversation about something, and a decision had been half-made that was either just common sense, or a pretty big step in their relationship. Or both. Probably both, actually.

Cut to today, and Karolina finally getting enough of a reprieve from some big school stuff to actually think about it. And, no, not about whether it was too big a step or whether it was a decision they should make, because for all that she'd said they should think about it... Yeah, she'd pretty much made her mind up about it back at Mike's party.

Which meant that now she was just standing in her living room, looking around herself, and just thinking about logistics, and how much living space two people needed, and just generally how the process would go.

"... Wow, I really don't own much stuff, do I?"

[ooc: Mainly for the girlfriend, but can be open before her, too! Up early because timezones.]

Comments

[solarhippie]

"But in a good way?" Karolina asked, giving her the tiniest nudge. She would've gone ahead and wrapped her arm around Beau, but she was kind of attached to her eating, too.

She was also teasing, mostly, because she could hear that tone.

[notallbluemonks]

“The best way,” Beau assured her, and just because they both needed their hands for eating it didn’t mean she wasn’t going to scoot a little closer and press the side of her knee against Karolina’s. “This isn’t something I saw myself wanting, I have to be honest, but yeah. I want this. I want you .”

She lapsed into silence for a moment, so she could have a couple more bites of food.

“I had enough of being alone most of my life anyway, so …”

[solarhippie]

"And now you're moving in with me," Karolina replied, half in a murmur because she had feelings about Beau being on her on, okay. And about being wanted. But then her smile turned a little more teasing again. "And our fuzzy children."

She nodded at the Pokemon, yes.

[notallbluemonks]

Aaaaaand yeah, Beau's eyes went wide for a second as she nearly choked on a mouthful of noodles.

"And them too," she agreed once her mouth wasn't full, coughing just a bit. But smiling as well, because speaking of things that she had positive associations with, those plushies had a few attached to them.

She nudged Karolina's knee again. "Kar. Babe. Don't do that while I'm eating." The complaining tone was probably a lot less convincing given her sheepish laugh. "There's definitely space for them on the couch, though. And -- " She used her fork to gesture toward the prints on the walls. "Do you want those up in the living room? 'Cause I kind of do."

Her living room walls were bare as it was, right now.

[solarhippie]

It was good that the complaining didn't sound very genuine, because Karolina also didn't look the least bit apologetic. Not unless a mischievous grin counted towards that, anyway.

Then she looked up at the framed posters, and her expression softened considerably.

"I've actually had the one with the flowers since I was a student here," she said. "So... Yeah. I would really like that."

[notallbluemonks]

“It’s going to be your living room as much as mine,” Beau said, and maybe her face brightened a touch more, just hearing herself say that. “It should look like it. So yeah. Absolutely.”

She stuck her fork into her food for a second, so she could reach over and put her hand on Karolina’s knee and give it a light squeeze.

“Do they mean anything special? I don’t think I’ve ever asked, but like do they have significance beyond sentimental value?”

[solarhippie]

Karolina nodded at the one with the flowers. "Poppies are the state flower of California," she said, setting her carton in her lap for a moment so that she could cover Beau's hand with hers. "I got it to remind me of home, when I was first sent here." Her smile tilted a little wry, quietly amused at herself. "Of course, the state flower's actually a different kind of poppy, but..."

But, she'd been a teen with major issues who'd been sent across the country on the orders of Captain America. Being particular about types of flower had not been a priority.

She shrugged. "It's still bright and warm and colorful, and it feels like home, you know?"

[notallbluemonks]

“That’s nice,” Beau told her sincerely, smiling at the warmth of Karolina’s hand against hers. “I really like that. I have no idea what would remind me of home, symbolically, but I don’t really want the reminder anyway.”

She paused and bit her lower lip. “Do you miss it?”

[solarhippie]

"Sometimes," Karolina replied with a little shrug, before pressing her shoulder a little more against Beau's. "Not as much these days. I mean, I already lived here for three years before, and now I've already been here for a couple more."

[notallbluemonks]

“Well, you’re kinda stuck with me now, so …” Beau squeezed her knee again. “I liked it, what I saw when we were out there.”

Granted, Northern California was practically an entirely different world from the southern half of the state, but still.

“Hey, Kar?” she asked suddenly, because it was something she’d been wondering vaguely for a while anyway. “Do you think your friends would — I don’t know, I guess it doesn’t really matter, but would they, I don’t know. Approve of me?”

[solarhippie]

"What?" Karolina asked, her eyebrows climbing a bit. She didn't think there was even a question of that, and was honestly momentarily baffled to hear it.

Didn't mean she wasn't going to give a clear and sincere answer, though!

"Of course they would," she said. "You're amazing." And also kind of a brat, just like the rest of them.

[notallbluemonks]

“I don’t know why I’m so curious about it,” Beau admitted, although she looked pleased by the answer. “Just, I don’t know. I’ve never had anything like that?”

She would totally have liked them. Though maybe her and Chase being in the same place for an extended period of time might be a lot. And now she felt weird and self conscious about asking.

“But I was thinking, maybe we can start moving things over a little at a time? Like clothes and all that?”

[solarhippie]

"Kinda like we've already been doing?" Karolinna teased. "Except with more of a sense of purpose."

A beat.

"And also just towards one apartment." Because, yeah, they'd both kind of spread out across the two apartments over the last few months, hadn't they?

[notallbluemonks]

Kind of a lot, yeah.

“Like that,” Beau said, shrugging one shoulder as if to concede that yes, it was exactly what they’d already been doing. “We could have you all moved in by next week, probably.”

Maybe sooner, depending. But really, it wasn’t like they had far to go.

[solarhippie]

"Probably," Karolina agreed, giving her hand a little squeeze before reclaiming hers, because... Food. "It's not like there's a whole lot of stuff here to begin with."

[notallbluemonks]

Beau wouldn’t lie, she was happy to have her hand free to eat some more too.

“Yeah, not like I have much either,” she agreed. “We can put it all together and it’ll actually look like someone lives there!”

[solarhippie]

Karolina snickered. "It already looks that way, babe. Come on"

Or possibly that was just Karolina's natural kindness at play?

[notallbluemonks]

“It’s a figure of speech!” Beau retorted, laughing. “Also hyperbole. You know what I mean."

She nudged Karolina's shoulder again, gently.

"So I'm kinda really excited about this, actually. Are you?"

[solarhippie]

"Yeah." That came out... with a little more emphasis than she'd actually meant it to, but that was okay. The enthusiasm was genuine. "I really am. I mean, it's a little weird too, but kind of in a good way? It's just weird because it's new."

[notallbluemonks]

Okay, Beau couldn’t resist any more, and she had to put her carton of food on the coffee table just so she could lean over, stretch up, and kiss Karolina on the cheek.

“Yeah. We’ll get used to it, though.”

She considered something, blinked, and then asked, “Can we maybe keep your bed, though? I think it’s more comfortable than mine.”

[solarhippie]

Karolina definitely tilted her head a little to make that kiss easier for her. Because she was just so very helpful like that. And not at all a sucker for affection.

And then she also kind of blinked, before snickering. "I mean, I want to say I'm cool with whichever," she said. "But I kiiiiinda also think mine's more comfortable."

She didn't need much in life, but an extra comfy bed was a necessity.

[notallbluemonks]

Definitely not a sucker for affection! Not any more than Beau had a lot of it to give out now that there was someone who actually wanted it from her. So that little nuzzle behind Karolina’s ear before she sat back down was totally unintentional. Really.

“I think I’ve spent enough time in both of them to comfortably say you’re right. So that’ll probably be the hardest thing to move, but you’re pretty fucking strong, so …” She didn’t have to finish that sentence for someone to guess that she’d say it was going to be hot to watch.

… for like a few seconds, and then she’d help, of course! Assuming she didn’t just swoon and end up utterly useless.

[solarhippie]

Karolina had definitely dated her long enough to be able to follow the logic of how that sentence ended, yes.

She snorted. "I am not moving the bed by myself so you can leer, Beau."

She wasn't actually strong enough to, anyway, but details.

[notallbluemonks]

“Okay, but can I at least fantasize about it?” Beauregard.

And then — you know what, she really didn’t care about maintaining her dumb-jock image around Karolina, and there was no point in doing so anyway, so she pulled a little memo pad and pen out of her pocket and flipped to an empty page so she could start writing all of this down. (The moving logistics, not any related fantasies.)

“Hey, so how about we take all your laundry over to my place, and I can do it all with mine and then just put it all away over there?” Beau huffed a laugh. “Guess we should get used to this joint decisions thing anyway, huh?”

[solarhippie]

Karolina had kind of expected her to start writing down her fantasies, if she was honest. Just for one second! (One glorious, ridiculous, hilarious second.) And then she laughed a little, mostly at herself.

And nodded. "Yeah, that's a good idea," she agreed. "And, yeah. Guess that's a thing we'll be doing way more of now. But I think we're already pretty good at it when we have to be, right?"