why do fools fall in love?

[polarization]

WHO punkass_drgnrdr, polarisation and the_police_girl.
WHAT A vacation turns awry when Sefton continues to prove his ability to turn any situation to angst!
WHERE Some vacation estate in London. There are horses. (This may or may not become important later.)
WHEN Sometime after the adoption's gone through, but before the trio really knows each other yet. Obviously, it's summer, or they'd all be crazy to be out there.
NOTES Another AU, yes, shut up. In this one, it's the near-future where Lance and Seras are both in their late twenties and married. Seras works for the federal government, while Lance is a former secret agent man turned hippie animal-collecting artist. Sefton is an American teenager who stowed away to Europe in an effort to get away from his abusive foster parents; he was adopted shortly after becoming a witness to a crime, and deemed unfit to be returned to his original parents. ---Despite the insistence that the trip out to the country was for some strict R&R, Sefton had managed to smuggle a good deal of homework and other heavy reading in along with the rest of his things. Honestly, what did they expect him to do all day? Watch the horses eat grass or whatever it was they did? No thanks. The trip down had been boring (and stressful) enough in the first place.

No, instead, he would take the opportunity to get ahead in his school work, maybe start a novel if he got far enough. If he looked busy whenever Lance or Seras tried to engage him, he might even get out of being called down to dinner. Not that he necessarily disliked his foster parents, but... he didn't do people. It was just the way Sefton worked. Laying on his stomach near the window of his room, right in the sunlight, Sefton hummed quietly to himself while he scratched out the beginnings of the next problem.

Comments

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

Seras couldn't exactly fault him for wanting to have something to do while they were out here-- even she couldn't escape all the work she had to do, but she was saving that for the few hours in the mid-day when Lance would be out with the horses (and she claimed to be taking a nap.) And when it was all over and done with she would shove the papers back in her bag and go check on the boy.

He didn't seem interested at all in having fun and enjoying the freedom and relaxation away from schoolwork and the busy city. Though it wasn't exactly unlike him to take little enjoyment in anything other than being alone with a book or twelve. It was curious, certainly, but she didn't want to push the issue, to push the only thing resembling a child of her own away.

So she let him do what he wanted (when she could.) But for the time, she needed to make sure the quiet upstairs was just his normal quiet, not the 'ha-ha I made a rope out of bedsheets and peaced-out' kind of quiet.

"...Sefton, dear?"

[polarization]

Sefton froze at the voice, eyes immediately darting to the door. Without even considering what he was doing, he shut the book as quickly and as quietly as he could, sat up, and gave the book a good shove to where it would hopefully slide under the bed.

It was a gross overreaction, of course, but not one that Sefton could break himself out of so easily. He licked his lips, watched the door carefully, and said, "Y-yeah?"

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

"Is everything okay? May I come in?"

She knew better than to just barge in to a teenage boy's room. She may've not had a child for long, but she knew enough about men to respect the privacy of a young one.

[polarization]

Saying 'no' would only lead to a lot more problems than it was worth. Sefton knew that for a fact, especially when he had things fairly well under control. After another slight hesitation: "Everything's fine. You—you can come in."

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

He was always so hesitant. It worried and saddened her. But she was convinced one day he'd open up.

Someday.

Seras opened the door and greeted him with a fond smile. "You've been cooped up here all day, darling. Aren't you hungry?"

[polarization]

Sefton's gaze flickered to where the book only somewhat peeked out from under the bed, then immediately turned back to Seras. "I, um... What time's it?" he asked. Had he missed lunch without even realizing? Was she annoyed with him?

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

If she had been annoyed with him, it would've been obvious. She would think he knew things like that by now. Sadly, this only proved that they still knew each other as little as they did when they met.

But that didn't stop her from loving him. She adored the child and wanted to do everything she could to make sure he was happy as could be. ...And yet it never seemed to be enough.

Though, Seras knew that routine. Adoptive parents were never the same. But it didn't mean she wasn't going to try.

"It's three. If you'd like me to make you something, I can?" she started. "But dinner is in a few hours,"

Seras grinned then. "We're having your favorite~."

[polarization]

Unfortunately for the boy, he had too much experience with an otherwise-happy parental figure hiding their anger until he had failed whatever test they saw fit to put him through at the time. His wariness was one born of much trial and error.

Sefton considered his options, briefly, trying not to take too long. "I can wait." Would that be right? Or did she want to make him something and would get disappointed that he refused? The fact that they were supposedly going to have his favorite was confusing, too.

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

"Are you sure?" There was no hint of malice, disappointment or resentment to be found in her tone or expression. Seras merely regarded him with the light, maternal, vaguely pressing demeanor; nothing but concern. Healthy and happy, that's all she wanted for him. (Though, she'd definitely try for getting him a bit more personable. 100% more amicable if she could spin it. However that seemed about as likely as a t-rex in a snazzy peacoat to invite her to tea next sunday.)

"It's no trouble, I promise."

[polarization]

Again, he hesitated, went over what he could or couldn't say. She seemed insistent on the idea, but with the mention of dinner, it might still have been some sort of trick. "Only... if you wanna," he allowed, carefully. The hopefulness he felt was painstakingly kept from reaching his expression.

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

Of course, it was rather difficult to hide things from Lance, but if he realised that either Seras or Sefton (or both) had broken the 'rules' of the trip he didn't let on. What he did do was enjoy the time in the countryside and with the horses he couldn't keep in the city.

When he wandered out of the bedroom, hair still damp from a shower (horse-smell was not something that was good to bring inside), the house (well, estate, really) felt remarkably empty. His wandering led him upstairs, where he finally spotted Seras's back in Sefton's doorway and stepped forward to wrap his arms around her waist, giving her a kiss on the side of her neck.

"There you are." He lifted his eyebrows at Sefton over her shoulder, but with a faint smile. "Trying to bribe the cub from his den?"

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

"He hasn't eaten today." she answered, acknowledging Lance's affection with a light stroke of her hand through his hair.

"Mn, but I suppose we could have dinner early?" she mused, leaning against her husband as she studied her son for a brief moment. "Would you be okay with that?"

[polarization]

Sefton shifted, fidgeted more like, when Lance appeared, and watched both of them carefully. He just had no idea what to do with these new foster parents, not after his previous experience and lack of memories from when his real parents had been around. They seemed okay, nice, almost safe.

The other shoe was taking an awfully long time to drop.

He took a deep breath, unable to keep all of the helplessness from his gaze, and shrugged. "I'm not, um, used to eating early. B-but I could try."

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

The redhead leaned into the stroke a little. "Hm, what?" he asked absently, and then, with a blink, registered the question he assumed was directed at him as much as at Sefton. "I could go with that."

It wasn't like he slept all that often, so having another, later meal wouldn't hurt him, and he was fairly hungry now.

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

"Well, dear if you don't want to eat early we don't have to-- or we could call this lunch and eat later tonight as well? It's no fuss. Whatever you want."

Argh, men decisions.

[polarization]

His eyes flickered to the book again, and then Sefton nodded. "Wataru can decide," he said. At least then it wouldn't be his fault if the wrong answer was picked, right?

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

"Eat now," Lance decided after examining Sefton for a few moments with piercing, thoughtful eyes. If the kid hadn't eaten he would need to, and Lance thought he had a pretty good handle on the kid's logic by now. He was afraid to make the decisions, afraid of being held responsible for them--or maybe just afraid of committing.

If the redhead didn't already have a pretty fair idea, he would have wondered just how the kid's previous parents had treated him to make him think like that.

Lightly he kissed the top of Seras's head, momentarily taking the spotlight off Sefton. "If you don't feel up to cooking right now, I can do it."

[the-police-girl.livejournal.com]

"Oh, I can do it." She replied with a smile and stepped away from him to exit the room.

"I'll let you boys know when it's ready."

She was significantly less sure about how exactly she was going to handle the boy. She knew what the loss of a family meant to someone, and what it could do to them when they were young... but unlike herself it didn't seem like he exactly ended up ever being treated well. He didn't seem to understand that they were actually trying to be good parents to him. There was nothing she wanted more than for him to be healthy and happy and have people to look up to.

She'd never been given that chance, and if anyone deserved that sort of chance, it was Sefton.

But he just didn't want to take it.

Maybe it was just too soon.

Leaving the boys to themselves, she headed downstairs to prepare dinner.

[polarization]

Sefton shifted uncomfortably under Lance's eyes, then stood when Seras left. He played with the edges of his sleeves, then moved to sit on his bed. What now? Should he say something? Was Lance going to leave and let him stay there until it was time to eat?

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

Lance huffed a little as Seras stepped away, but reluctantly let her go with an insincere pout. "It's a beautiful day outside today," he said, still watching the doorway (and maybe craning his head to, er, windowshop while Seras moves down the corridor). "Sure you don't want to study outside? Or help me in the stables?"

Not that he really needed to be in the stables anymore, which was why he'd showered, but if it got the kid doing something he'd willingly go it again. There were always things to do.

[polarization]

Sefton turned to Lance while looking much like a deer caught in the headlights. "I'm... Study?" he asked nervously.

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

"Oh, weren't you?" Lance said innocently. "My mistake." Let Sefton have his illusion. Just let him know that Lance was sharper than that, in case he tried something else. (He just hoped it wouldn't make the kid paranoid.)

"Why don't you come help me in the stables sometime, then?"

[polarization]

Acknowledging that he did indeed know he wasn't supposed to be studying, Sefton quietly said, "S' a vacation." It would make things worse if he was found out for real later on, but maybe it could buy him time.

"Stables?" Was Lance being serious?

[punkass_drgnrdr.livejournal.com]

Lance didn't pursue it. It was a vague acknowledgment, not quite a lie, but something that implied one. Lance was used to them--he'd been undercover enough and he always preferred them to outright lies. Those ate out the soul.

"Sure," Lance said simply. "There's always a lot to do. Mucking out the stalls, oiling the tack, grooming the horses."

[polarization]

Sefton considered that, then tilted his head slightly in curiosity. "Tack? Like... the things you spread on the ground to pop tires?"