Sneaking In ~Red/Chase~

[Alyssa :)]

Aidan gradually made it to the front door of his dad's shop.  He walked slowly, not liking what he knew awaited him in the store--most likely a furious, drunken father ready to yell or beat his son because he was so late for work.  He planned to sneak in without his dad seeing and start working, hoping Chase would just let him off the hook.  Not that there was much of a chance that that would happen.

The reason he was late in the first place was because of a girl. He had met Felicity on the beach, and when he left he promised to stop by her shop sometime. Today, Aidan really hadn't felt like going to work, so he decided to stop by her place instead. However, the visit had gotten a little longer than he meant it to because they had gotten caught up in talking...and kissing...and later in a fight with her dad. But now Aidan was back, and he knew he was in trouble.

Aidan approached the door and gripped the handle.  He paused and took a deep breath before turning it and slowly opening the door.  He flinched as the hinges squeaked and he quickly squeezed through the small opening he'd made.  Closing the door, Aidan looked around the room, checking for his father.

(sorry this is short >.< it's so hard on an iPod XD)

[red]

Today was a dull day.

Although spring had melted away all traces of the bitter cold and harsh wintry snows, some days the air was heavy, the sky was grey. Chase felt that it pressed down on him like actual, physical weights. It came with a sense of depression and dissatisfaction, amplifying his usual apathy and irritation at the world.

He sat in the very corner of his shop. There was but a drop or two left in the bottle he clutched; the contents had been some kind of unidentified white spirit, and had not lasted long. This was unusual for him; as with most men beyond their mid-thirties, his preference was for brown spirits, despite the fact they it was common knowledge amongst regular drinker that they gave the worst hangovers.

He had resorted to this particular spirit due to necessity; he had little else left strong enough to satisfy his needs. Bitterly, he recognised that had his son managed to turn up on time for work, Chase would have been able to send him out to collect more for him. He was sufficiently drunk, yes, but he had been required to measure out this ration throughout the day in a most painstaking manner.

Glaring at the door, he wondered what had become of Aidan, and what on earth had given him the right to suddenly forget entirely about responsibility. Chase himself had taken pride in working in his own father's shop, but the differences between him an his son became more and more pronounced every day. This pained the 40-year-old drunkard more than he could express; this could only mean that he was becoming like his mother. Chase wasn't sure if he could cope with having an any more constant reminder of his wife than he already had to deal with. Aidan not showing up to the shop...it was the kind of carefree irresponsibility that she would have shown, and he resented Aidan for the paining reminder of her lax, irregular spirit. Every day, his son twisted the knife a little more, poured oil on the fire and salt in the wounds.

Just as Chase thought these bitter thoughts, the door tentatively crept open with an unmistakable creak, and his son appeared, eyes sweeping the room in a way that Chase fancied was far too defiant for his liking.

"Where've you been, then?"

Words//392
OOC Comments//I seem to have lots of muse for Chase EXCITED FOR THIS PLOT LIKE OMG

[Alyssa :)]

Aidan jumped at the sound of his dad's voice, but when he slowly turned to Chase he had a nonchalant look on his face.  He casually strolled over to him and leaned against a shelf before looking down at his dad, hands in his still-drenched pockets.  At Felicity's place, they'd had a little water fight and, well, Aidan had gotten wet.  He just hoped Chase wouldn't notice.

"Oh, just in town," he answered his father's interrogative question rather vaguely.  Aidan knew what would happen if his dad figured out he had been at his business rival's shop.  And he definitely couldn't let his dad learn about Felicity, or he would flip.

Aidan knew Chase didn't like that he jumped around with different girls, and that was partly why he did it.  He also did it because he just really liked girls, but it made it more satisfying knowing his dad didn't want him doing it.  But if he learned about Felicity, there was always a chance that he would make Aidan stay away from her by giving him longer work days or something a little more serious like boarding up the doors and windows of his room.  And Aidan didn't want to he locked up because he was thinking about actually staying with this girl for a while, unlike the other females he dumped after a few nights.

Right now, all Aidan wanted to do was go to the forge and start working on a trident, letting his feelings out through the hammer.  He was so confused about his feelings at the moment.  Half of him (the jerk side) told him he should just dump Felicity.  Why did he even like her?  He knew he would never be able to do what he did with other girls with Felicity.  She was only fourteen years old, and she much less willing to do something like that.  But his other half (the sweet side) knew there were many reasons he stayed with her.  She brought that sweet side out of him, almost to the point where the jerk half disappeared.  She didn't let him boss her around or make fun of her.  She made him a better guy.  She was just...so good for him. These two sides of him were so different, he needed to work it out.  He needed that hammer in his hand, and a hunk of metal on his workbench.  As he worked and watched the metal form into a trident, maybe his feelings would also become clear.

"But I'm back now, so I'll get to work," he stated, needing to leave before his emotions overwhelmed his brain.  And with that, Aidan made for an exit, knowing Chase would probably stop him but needing to try.

(wow I guess I have a lot of muse too! XD)

[red]

"Oh, just in town,"

Chase felt an unsavoury expression clouding his face as he took in his son's reply. Yes, he was irritated that Aidan had not appeared for work on time, and that conqequently he had been forced to metre out his alcohol painstakingly slowly, but his anger might have been dulled a little had the idiot actually been able to come up with a feasible excuse. In fact, Chase thought that he might have been less irritated if he had actually managed to come up with any excuse. The fasct that Aidan was insolent enough to so obviously defy his father with such undisguised dishonesty irritated him more than anything. The dishonesty proved that he had reason to hide his actual whereabouts from his parent. Chase gritted his teeth.

"I see. And you didn't think to pick me up anything while you were there?" He lifted his empty bottle, brandishing it a little dangerously to display the fact that the contents had been drained.

"But I'm back now, so I'll get to work,"

Chase felt the familiar little stab of irritation in the pit of his stomach at his son's nonchalent nature. Not only was Aidan showing an annoying amount of independence and with it insolence, he was also displaying a level of irresponsibility and free-spiritedness that reminded Chase a little too much of his late wife.

He wasn't having that. Aidan had no right whatsoever to twist the knife that pained him every day, to rub salt in his father's unhealed wounds and mock his grief with the similarities he had with his mother.

He stood, staggering a little, but remaining impressively upright considering the amount of alcohol he had ingested so far that day. He crossed the room as his son began to move, travelling with surprising speed for someone so intoxicated.

"Don't." He did his best to shove his well-built form between Aidan and the door. "What makes you think you can do what you like, hm? Y'can't. Not when you shirk like that. You've got responsibilities, y'hear?" Chase felt the anger rising inside him, heard his voice rising. He squared up to his son, leaning close. "Y'HEAR?" He glared, his face inches from his son's, a rage burning inside him that had little to do with his son's actions. It was fuelled by grief, not rage, and something inside him told Chase that it was not Aidan's fault that his beloved wife's death still tore him apart inside every day.

Regardless, Chase lowered his voice to a dangerous hiss, slurring a little. "And y'don't lie to me. Where were you, Aidan?"

Words//434
OOC Comments//Finally posted! Might be a bit rushed, sorry xD

[Alyssa :)]

"And you didn't think to pick me up anything while you were there?"

Aidan snorted. "No, dad, I didn't think to buy you more booze," he replied, maybe snapping a little. And then, muttering, "But it seems like you did just fine with what you had." He quickly turned back towards the door, just wanting to get away from his father.

But of course he had no such luck. He rolled his eyes as Chase staggered between him and the exit, though he was doing pretty well for how much he had drunk. Listening to the man talk, Aidan's jaw clenched in anger. Why didn't he just leave him alone? He'd come back, hadn't he? He could've just skipped the whole day, but he hadn't. The disgusting smell of Chase's breath only made Aidan more agitated. He hated his dad and his always-reeking-breath, this drunkard who didn't care one bit about his son. Aidan believed no one in the world could reach the low of an abusive father who doesn't love his own son.

"You've got responsibilities, y'hear? Y'HEAR?"

His irritation with his father quickly turned to wariness when Chase's voice started to raise. He seemed to be getting angry very quickly, and Aidan was getting a little uneasy. He was still recovering from the last beating, and he didn't need another one tonight. But still, Aidan was Aidan, and he wasn't about to let his dad keep pounding on him like this without coming back with a smartass comment.

"Yeah, I can hear you just fine Dad," he replied calmly, a smirk on his face. "I'm not deaf, you know." Then to the last question, "And I wasn't lying. I told you I was in town, and in town was where I was." Aidan thought this was pretty smart. He hadn't lied after all, and he still hadn't given away where he was. He was even a little proud of himself, but also a bit worried about how his father would react to this.

(i think it's just fine ^.^ and sorry this is short X( )