Reason With Thunder

[Erika Paige]

Her mouth went dry, and she didn't think she'd ever felt quite that awkward before. She stood in front of the king sized bed, in her new home, in her new bedroom -- with her new husband. They'd just moved in together and they were about to spend their first night together and Erika had absolutely no idea what to make of it all.

She was terrified. Downright terrified.

The only time they'd kissed was a quick kiss at their wedding ceremony. And now their parents had rushed them home. She'd busied herself all day moving her stuff over and now that night had fallen over them, she was...

Terrified.

Swallowing, she wrapped her arms around herself and looked over at Trevor. "Uhm," she began, not sure what to say. Did he expect them to consummate their marriage? It felt weird. She'd always expected her first time to be with someone she loved - and not like this. "I'm going to get changed," she said quickly, before allowing the boy to get a word in, and quickly, she turned towards the bathroom. She wasn't helping the situation and she knew he probably felt as awkward about all of this as she did, but that little to help her current mood.

She didn't dislike him by any means. He was a little sleazy, perhaps -- Come on, that smirk said it all! But he wasn't a bad guy. Not that she knew of anyways.

[Trevor Paige]

Well shit

Even Trevor found himself with little to say in this situation as the both of them stood, as husband and wife who barely knew one another, staring at the bedroom neither of them had been consulted on when it was put together. In fact, neither Trevor nor Erika had much to do with the house as a whole. He supposed he couldn't complain. It was located in the nicest part of the city and was certainly a step up from the modest abode Trevor had been living in previously. But, as he had been told, his parents weren't about to have their son start a family in a simple, one bedroom apartment. Or were they going to allow him to remain single and unattached.

Dark eyes turned toward Erika as she spoke and Trevor could only give a short nod. The wedding was over and done with, his possessions moved into the new house. His old life was officially gone and in its place a new one he barely recognized. When the door closed behind his wife and he was left alone in the bedroom for the moment, Trevor moved toward the bed and took a seat at the edge of it. A low sigh escaped as he reached down to untie his shoes. He was guessing they were heading to bed, which was fine with him. The day had been long and arduous, filled with having to deal with people he didn't particularly care for leading up to the ceremony and then... the kiss. While it was hardly his first it was the only one he'd ever had that felt so forced and planned. Why had he dreaded it so? Was it the act itself or what it symbolized?

So lost in his own mind Trevor had abandoned the task of taking his shoes off and was only now simply sitting and staring off into space. His mind raced as it tried to take in and process all the new information and what everything was going to be like going forward. It was only when the door to the bathroom finally opened again that he was pulled back to reality and glanced over toward his wife as she emerged.

[Erika Paige]

The first thing the brunette did was stare at herself in the mirror and focus on her breathing. This wasn't at all how she'd pictured her life to turn out. In fact, she would have been perfectly content spending all of her time down at the hospital. But no, her mother had other plans for her, it seemed. And well, here she was. She supposed it could have been worse. It could always be worse. She could have been one of the Doomed running around the city, tearing it apart. Instead, her mother had made sure she was kept far away from all of that. At least until she started her residency at the hospital.

Reaching for the duffel bag she'd put in the bathroom, the brunette knelt in front of it, rummaging through the various pieces of clothing. Settling on a large, white t-shirt that reached to her mid thighs, she braided her hair into a side-braid, hanging down her left shoulder. Maybe a night's sleep would make all of this better somehow. She doubted it though. This was so awkward.

Opening the door, she made sure to focus her glance on anywhere but the man sitting at the edge of the bed. She walked towards the window at the other side of the room and peeked outside. "At least the view's nice," she said wryly.

[Trevor Paige]

A brow quirked at the young woman who stepped out of the bathroom. No matter how pretty and normal seeming life under the protective bubble of Axios could be there remained constant threats that brought with them a certain sense of chaos to every day. Add in the turmoil of a forced union such as this and Trevor had barely had the time or wherewithal to think about anything else, let alone make any sort of revelations or form much in terms of opinions on the matter. Something clicked, though, as his gaze followed the young woman as she crossed the room.

With her attention diverted, Trevor took the brief moment to truly look at the young woman who was now his wife. The few bits of her life he'd managed to glean from their very brief conversations started falling into place and forming a picture of the woman he'd be sharing his life with. "Yeah." He said absently, his head nodding even though she wasn't looking at him. "They went all out. No expense spared." He then trailed off, frowning as he turned his gaze to sweep over the room around him. It was nice, one of the nicest homes in the city, he'd bet. But it felt so cold and, despite containing a lot of his personal belongings, it felt empty and alien. "If you want to go to bed I can take the couch." He said quietly, part of him wishing she would take him up on the offer.

[Erika Paige]

Wrapping her arms around her torso, the brunette nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah," she replied. It wasn't exactly the way she would have decorated her future home, but it would have to do. Besides, the decor was really the last of her troubles right about now. Looking at him over her shoulder, Erika furrowed her brows. "Don't be stupid. Sharing beds isn't going to kill either of us, unless you wake up and decide to go on a killing spree," she added with a wry smile. "But you do as you please."

She turned back to the window and looked outside. Even if this neighborhood was considered one of the best within the city, it still held the very same threat as anywhere else. The city was filled with infected - most in their first stages. They often slipped unnoticed by, but Erika wouldn't put it past her to think that there were still some around in their last stage. There were plenty of underground tunnels scattered about. Who knew? 

[Trevor Paige]

There was something to be said about the coldness of logic being presented within an utterly illogical situation. Trevor nodded slowly at Erika's response and subsequent attempt at humor. No, he wasn't going to end up on a killing spree anytime soon, or, at least he hoped not. It also stood to reason they would more than likely end up having to sleep in the same bed sooner or later anyway, there wasn't much use in postponing it unless they planned on being one of those couples that had separate bedrooms and he didn't suspect that idea would fly.

"So. Misses Paige." Trevor said the words as if he was only trying them out. He frowned a little they felt so strange on his tongue. Still, here they were and there was little that could be done. The time when either of them could have objected and tried to break up the agreement made between their respective parents had long gone by and they were both now left to put the puzzle pieces of a picture neither of them had ever seen together. At least Erika seemed to have just as many reservations about this whole thing as Trevor. "I honestly thought I'd never hear that and it not be referring to my mom." He admitted with a light chuckle.

[Erika Paige]

The last name had the brunette tensing slightly, but she turned around regardless. She leaned her back against the window. It felt cold against her back. She looked at the man she now had to refer to as her husband and quirked her brow. The last part however had her smiling. "No one's more surprised than I." It wasn't like she'd expected to be married at the age of twenty-two, let alone being married to someone she didn't love or even hardly knew. 

"At least your last name isn't something stupid like... Dinkleman," she said as she wrinkled her name. She had to admit though, that referring to herself as anything but Frye was going to be a difficult task. She had a feeling she was going to slip up many a times. But that was part of it all, wasn't it? It took time to grow accustomed to the idea, the name and everything that came with it. With a sigh, Erika stepped over to the bed and smoothed out the blankets with the flat of her palm, her brows furrowing. She desperately wanted a drink.

[Trevor Paige]

Another chuckle escaped as Trevor's eyes followed Erika as she drew closer to the bed. He watched her for the brief moment her attention was focused on the blankets but turned away before she could look back up to him. If he was going to have to do this, at least it was with someone who had a sense of humor. "It's a little on the boring side, maybe." He admitted, now leaning down to continue the task of taking his shoes off. "But I think in this case that might be a good thing." Because no, while he didn't put much stock in the name itself, given that he considered what was behind it to be far more important, being Trevor Dinkleman wasn't an appealing idea.

Once his shoes had been pulled off and set neat at the corner of the bed, Trevor got to his feet and followed the same path Erika had moments earlier and headed for the bathroom to change. There was little hesitation or wasted time as he'd had his moments of contemplation and thought. Trevor had no use for such actions anymore. The cards had been dealt and it was now up to him to push forward with the hand he was carrying.

Moments later, Trevor emerged clad in a simple t-shirt and sweatpants. In his mind he'd already built himself up, forced himself to grow the confidence it would take to face his new life and the young woman that came with it. Upon opening the door and seeing Erika again, however, Trevor balked, hesitating in the doorway as he looked to her.

[Erika Paige]

Smiling, the brunette nodded. "Among other things." It sounded like something you'd name a perverted old man who had a little too much weight around his belly. Someone's whose hair had started thinning and whenever he got mad, his skin turned red and sweaty. Well, at least she managed to look at the bright sides of things. Her husband wasn't a fat pervert. Yay her.

She looked up as he moved across the room, following him with her eyes until he disappeared behind the closed door. She wondered if he was okay with this situation. If anything, she had to remind herself that he probably had the same feelings towards all of this as she did. They were in the same boat, after all. It was easy to focus on her own troubles and care little for his. She supposed that was something she'd now have to work on.

The door opened then and the brunette immediately cast her glance back down towards the bed and straightened up. She could feel the awkward atmosphere return once more as she noticed the man hesitating. No, she wasn't alone feeling what she did, and somehow, that was oddly comforting. Biting her lip, the brunette sat down with her back to him and sighed. Her eyes caught the greeting card sitting on the bedside table. Plucking it up, she narrowed her eyes as she read it. "At least someone has a sense of humor," she said as she shook her head and held up the package of condoms, a needle threaded through it. She had no idea who it was from. She didn't really care either.

[Trevor Paige]

In the blink of an eye the tension in the room deflated as Erika held up the 'gift' they'd received. There was a split second where Trevor's mind had to process what he was seeing before he couldn't keep the laughter from blurting out. His head shook as he now moved into the room and rounded the bed to the opposite side to where Erika was sitting. "They're not wasting any time, are they?" He said exhaling slowly as the laughter faded. "Who gave us that?" He asked curiously now. "That looks like something my mom would send." He shrugged almost apologetically. There was no secret that the matriarch of the Paige family desired grandchildren. She never wasted an opportunity to tell her son of that.

At this point Trevor was already growing tired of being hesitant and nervous about all this. It would serve no purpose to continue looking at Erika as if she was going to shift into some hideous creature and try to claw his eyes out. With that on his mind, Trevor lifted the corner of the blankets and slipped into the bed. He shifted to a sitting position and, even if his mind was determined to remain at ease, the beating of his heart in his chest belied his calm exterior. "Were you able to get any time off from the hospital?"

[Erika Paige]

"Apparently not." Even she had to admit that it was rather funny. Although she didn't share her husband in his laughter, she did smile. "No idea." She turned to look at him, holding the pack of condom between her fingers. She reached for the greeting card and handed it over. "Mother-in-law of the year then." She was grateful it seemed as if the tension had been lifted - if even just for a short while. 

Offering Trevor a shrug and a short smile, she put the pack of condoms back onto the bedside table and shook her head. She pulled the blanket aside and made herself comfortable in the bed. Or as comfortable as this kind of situation would allow her to be, anyways. Pulling her thighs to her chest, Erika rested her chin on top of her knees and tossed him a glance. "When?" she asked, her brows furrowing together in confusion. "With all the people running around terrified of catching the disease, it's always busy," she sighed.

[Trevor Paige]

Trevor could do little more than offer an apologetic shrug toward his wife. He accepted the card and opened it, though no name was signed and the generic message inside had been printed not allowed him to identify the culprit through handwriting. "Regardless." He said, tossing the card aside dismissively. "She means well enough." He frowned though at that. Perhaps his words weren't wholly untrue but it had been her pushing that had led to Trevor and Erika being in this situation. Only time would tell if Trevor would thank his mother or curse the very air she breathed.

"Right." Trevor nodded faintly and glanced back to the blankets in front of him. It wasn't as if he could spare time either. In way, he supposed it was better this way. If they had to learn to live with one another it would be best to jump right into it and not worry about having to adjust to reality when any sort of break from it all ended. No, it was better for them to see how the other lived on a day to day basis. Anyway, he couldn't blame her for being busy either. The panic that spread throughout the city led to a huge boost in his own activity. Fear was an amazing motivator for people to do business with him these days. "I guess tonight is it for our adjustment period." He said dryly, though he wasn't blaming Erika, merely the circumstances of the times.

[Erika Paige]

"I'm sure," Erika replied with a light smile. She didn't know his mother enough to really say anything about her. She'd only met the woman briefly and the conversations couldn't really be considered overly personal. She seemed stiff and professional. Erika supposed that was for the better though. Softness didn't get you very far in this kind of world. Sadly, Erika had yet to learn that. Because of her mostly sheltered life, she hadn't really been in the heat all that much. Her life had been far better than most people's, and in a way, she felt horrible and selfish because of it. Maybe that was why she'd wanted to become a doctor. So she could give something back.

Sighing, the brunette shook her head slowly. "I suppose so." She wanted to ask several questions, like for example, if he was okay with all of this. Was he really okay with her not loving him? She knew that love wasn't something to be expected out of this and she didn't really expect much more than this. She didn't think he did either, but asking could never hurt, right? But as she was about to ask, she suddenly felt extremely awkward about it. As if it was stupid to ask, because it should have been obvious. "Hey, at least we're not tearing each other's heads off. I suppose that's a start," she attempted with a meek smile, but didn't look at him.

[Trevor Paige]

"Yeah, well, we've only been married for a matter of hours." Trevor remarked with a combination chuckle and grumble touching his voice. He gave a resigned shrug and turned his eyes, almost apologetically so, toward his new wife. Sure, things were 'okay' now but they'd hardly been giving the chance to see where things would go. They didn't know each other and, while Trevor was already beginning to see a few similarities that would hopefully lead to them being able to get along, though that realization did little to quell the nerves that tightened his chest whenever he looked at the brunette sitting beside him.

"Okay." Trevor took a deep breath and nodded, mostly to himself. There was always a logical, business-like manner to approach everything. He and Erika had been stripped of the usual courting period where they would see how good of a fit they would make and were now thrown together and tasked with making the life they now shared would work. "I tend to stay up later than I should and sit down dinners are weird to me." He confessed in a flat, even tone.

[Erika Paige]

"That's true," she said softly. She didn't look at him though. This was all too new and weird for her. She had no idea how to go about this. Sure, talking like this was was easy, simply because they were both touched with the same awkwardness. But it couldn't always be like this, could it? At some point, things had to grow more familiar and comfortable, right? Maybe she was expected too much, too quickly.

This time the brunette turned her head to look at him. At first, she furrowed her brows in confusion, but then she understood what he was trying to do. This was their chance at the very least, get a few facts about each other down. "Animals make me feel awkward and I'm afraid of things with wings," she shrugged.