shoplifter | Old Game Inboxes.

[The PB&J absolutely is gone in the first few minutes Laura's awake. It's no wonder she didn't eat the plastic wrap around it.

But it does take her a moment to reply back to Henry.]

Yes, I did.

He is not the one I knew. Different.
But he's very close.

[It's weird to be so happy to see him, and also a little sad. Part of her just anticipates he'll vanish. It's been a constant fear since her father had just... left again, out of her life, no warning.]

_{[She hasn't gone far by the time her phone beeps with a new message--to the kitchen, to try and keep her own drowsiness at bay with freshly brewed coffee.

There she sits in a kitchen chair, socked feet tucked on the rungs, frowning at at the screen at the revelation. As she'd wondered, Laura's nose certainly seems to be keeping up the tradition of being able to root out a familiar scent a mile away.]}

You didn't say anything. _{[And what a mouthful of mixed feelings that is, tied up in the man himself.]} How long?

_{[How long has he been walking around town not remembering fuck all? Jesus.]}

Not very long. A month. Maybe.
I didn't know if I should just say it. He's not the same Logan you knew.
Similar smell, different universe.

[Honestly, she wasn't sure how to go about it.

She didn't feel like it was necessarily fair to bother him, when he wasn't the one she was related to. Not exactly, anyway, though she supposes maybe they share enough similarities biologically, genetically. It's hard for her to wrap her head around.]

Did you talk to him?

_{[A month. She's known for a whole fucking month? Jesus.]}

Yeah.

_{[That about covers it, really. Yes, she'd spoken with him, and it had gone about as well as Laura can guess.]}

He didn't recognize you either?

No, I look different in his world.

I'm older there.

[A pause.]

It would be good. To make friends with this one, too.
He would help you if you needed it, like our Logan.

_{[He wasn't my friend. Petulant, spitting retaliation against her own tangled feelings on the matter. He wasn't her father, either, or even what Henry would willing call a guardian, but he'd made sure she had whatever she needed, and he'd saved her life, and he'd forgiven her when she'd jeopardized his, and--

A month. The fiercer the ache blooms in her chest, the longer she delays in grappling with the message. When she does reply, it's with this:]}

Are you still in the house? I'm in the kitchen. I can make something else if you're still hungry.

I am. I'll be in there in a moment.

I can make more sandwiches. I should do it sometimes, too.
Do you want some also?

_{[That earns a snort of amusement behind the screen. On the screen--]}

You're the one who just came out of that fucked up dream place. Counting sheep in a coma works up an appetite. 🐑

[Okay, she's coming, she's coming, but there's something way more crucial here:]

'Counting sheep'?

🤔

_{[Did she just get emoji'd by Wolverine Jr.? Will wonders never cease.]}

Sleeping. That's what you say in English. Counting Zs or counting sheep means you're sleeping. Don't ask me why, it's a hell of a lot less crazy than some desert world with a two-headed dog.

How are you? With him back. And all this crap.

_{[Easier to ask like this, with the impartiality of a screen and English lessons.]}

[She's been making an effort to learn, sue her.

Or take away her Fluid forever.]

Counting Z's...? That is strange.

I'm alright. I think.
Confused about what to say to him. About things.
He is not my father, but he is.

But probably the least strange thing you'll hear today.

_{[But yeah, English is weird. There's no real good way to describe an alternate universe sperm donor, either.]}

That why you didn't want to tell me?

I don't know. I wanted to think about what to say.
It was a lot to think about. And I know he is not the one you were close to...
I figured you two would run into each other soon, anyway. It is not a very big town.

We weren't that close, we just lived together before you showed up. _{[Again, a denial.]} There's enough here to worry about without you worrying about protecting my feelings on top of everything else. You can let yourself off the hook for that part.

_{[Likewise, it's not Laura's job to manage her feelings. This Logan matter is... whatever. Another thing to file away and deal with later.]}

For the record, the offer's there to talk about how you're feeling about it. Him being back. It doesn't have to be now, but if you want.

You can relax, that's the end of the sappiness for one day.

_{[They can wipe the sweat from their brows.]}

Old Game Inboxes.

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