RO > call me out; a forever open RP post, version 2

[midvalley]

NEW OPEN RP POST

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[ex_micromanage449]

[ Claire has gone nonstop since they got off the island. She barely has time to breathe, barely time to think, to process, but she pushes forward and endures. She has no choice in the matter.

So for a while, it's good to be with Owen again. Her life has been lacking in any sort of normalcy or anchor for so long. Owen is straightforward, he's consistent, and... damn it, she's missed him. There's something reassuring about his presence at her back as she's facing down yet another mob of reporters.

But that all goes right out the fucking window the second he steps in front of her.

So now, here they are in her kitchen (and this is not how she envisioned inviting Owen over to her apartment at all). He's well-aware he's fucked up- hard not to be, given the fact that Claire has been silently fuming at him from the moment he and the reporter were finally separated.

She fishes in her drawers for a rag and is in the process of wetting it in the kitchen sink when Owen finally speaks, and her gaze snaps in his direction, cold and furious. ]

I have to tell you? Here I thought you would have figured it out by now.

[ It comes out clipped and angry. She wads the rag in the hand and squeezes it, presumably to get the extra water out, but after a moment her grip becomes white-knuckled, and she rounds on him at last ]

What the hell were you thinking? Were you trying to add to the feeding frenzy? That little stunt you pulled is going to be on the front of every gossip magazine for weeks!

[enraptored]

[ Yeah. There it is.

Owen rolls his eyes, sighing, as he pulls the napkin from his nose. He's pretty sure the bleeding has stopped by now -- and when he presses the tips of his fingers to his nostril, he's proven right. He tosses the wad into the nearest trash can. ]

The guy was way out of line.

And you're right. I just gave that dick one hell of a story. He'll be thanking me in a day or two.

[ex_micromanage449]

They're always out of line, Owen. It's always about who I'm sleeping with or how I'm responsible for what happened. They want me to snap at them.

Did you seriously think you were defending me back there? If you thought that was bad, now it's going to be ten times worse because you couldn't keep yourself in check.

And I swear to God, if you roll your eyes at me like that again, I will re-bloody your nose.

[enraptored]

[ He almost does it again. Just to test her. Their relationship, such as it was, was always a bit of give and take, after all.

But maybe now's not a good time to test that theory. He does, at least, huff out another breath. ]

I can handle whatever mud they sling at me. It's different when they sling it at you.

[ex_micromanage449]

Where the hell have you been the last several weeks? They've been slinging mud at me since day one. Just because it doesn't get printed doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

If you started a fight with every reporter who insinuated I was screwing my boss, there wouldn't be any left.

[enraptored]

[ He snorts. ]

Maybe I ought to, then.

[ex_micromanage449]

That's not the point, Owen.

The point is you stepped out of line and I'm going to have to bear the brunt of that.

[enraptored]

I'm pretty sure I'm the one that punched the guy. If anything, they'll come after this mysterious dude who came out of nowhere and decked a reporter.

[ex_micromanage449]

That’s not how it works! You’re not the one in the middle of all of this. You’re not the one in the public eye. I have to face those people every goddamn day, with lists of what I can and can’t say, things I can and can’t do, because they’ll reflect badly on the company, because it makes us liable, because it makes me out to be anything less than the martyr I’m marketed as. I’ve had to take the long way home- sometimes I drive around for hours, hours Owen, so they don’t follow me.

Maybe they’ll go after you, for a time, but at the end of the day, it’s not your job to talk to them. It’s mine. I’m going to have to do damage control with a smile on my face and act like I have never wanted to punch every single one of those people every time they ask me if I was sleeping with Simon when I haven’t even gotten the chance to grieve him yet.

So don’t-- don’t sit there and act like you did me a favor.

[enraptored]

[ He takes in the tirade in silence -- mostly out of surprise. There was a time before the Indominus when the scariest creature on the island was an angry Claire Dearing, and now he remembers exactly why.

He's silent for a long while, before he stands from his seat, coming around to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder -- lightly, giving her a chance to pull away. ]

Claire-- [ He falters, eyes wandering a little as he tries to gather his wits again. ]

--shit. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She tenses slightly at his touch. She’s still mad, furious even, but she doesn’t want to be mad at him. She’s mad at the world. At their circumstances. At a whole host of other things. She lets the rag drop into the bottom of the sink with a dull, wet thud, and just… leans, resting her shoulder against his chest. ]

No. I’m sorry. I never meant for you to get tangled up in this mess.

[enraptored]

[ Carefully, he wraps his arms around her, drawing her in for a proper hug. ]

That wasn't your fault, either. I should've realized what a crappy move I was pulling, but I sorta-- lost it. Obviously.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She settles into his embrace surprisingly easily, considering the way she was glaring daggers at him earlier. ]

Obviously. [ It comes out dry as the desert, but there’s the slightest hint of amusement on her face. ] But I will admit that, for a moment, it was really satisfying to watch you beat the tar out of that guy.

[enraptored]

Satisfying to beat the tar out of the guy.

[ He pulls away, dropping his hands to his sides. ]

--If you need me to, I dunno. Issue an apology or whatever. I can do that. I won't mean it, but I can lie.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She’d really rather he didn’t pull away. It’s… oddly lonely, now that they’ve separated. Still, she shrugs, fishing for the rag in the sink again. ]

It really comes down to what the higher-ups want to do about it, but I’ll let them know you offered.

[ She turns to him, rag in on hand, the other finding its way to his shoulder, and she leans in to start wiping some of the dirt and dried blood from his face. ]

[enraptored]

[ He reaches up to take the rag from her. ]

I can take care of this on my own, you know.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She makes no move to let it go, and regards him levelly. ] I’m sure you can.

[enraptored]

[ He returns the stare, challenging, but--

Well. Owen, to his credit, knows a losing battle when he sees one, and he sighs. ]

You want me to sit down?

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She motions towards the kitchen table with her free hand ] Be my guest.

[enraptored]

[ He takes a seat as directed, huffing out another breath. He looks down at his hands, flexing his fingers experimentally. Nothing broken, which is nice. Apparently the reporter's skull wasn't thick enough to crack his fingers on. ]

Maybe I oughta hang around. Make guys think twice about asking sleezy questions.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She pulls up a chair next to him and resumes wiping the grime from his face.

At his suggestion, she pauses, biting her lower lip. ] I don't really think that's a decision either of us can make.

[enraptored]

Isn't it? I mean, we're both adults. The only one that can stop me from palling around with you is you.

[ex_micromanage449]

[ She motions to herself ] Face of the company, remember? And you're the guy who just beat up a reporter.

[enraptored]

What, they're controlling your personal life now, too?

[ex_micromanage449]

They have been, to a degree. I'm under a lot of scrutiny.