hadriel_logs | They say that true love hurts

Entry tags:

elena fisher,
lup

They say that true love hurts

Who: Elena Fisher

restinglichface
What: Tears. Sympathy. Ice cream?
Where: /waves hands vaguely
When: Backdated to 11/23, before shit popped off
Warnings: NATHAN DRAKE IS A BUTT

[Elena doesn't even know where she's going when she leaves their apartment and stumbles down the spire's stairs towards the street. She just knows she needs space—from Nate, from the realization that his lies were much worse than she'd imagined, from everyone who could possibly overhear her screaming into a fucking pillow.

It wasn't supposed to be this way. They'd hit their crisis point years ago and come past it stronger and more understanding of one another than ever. After Yemen, Elena felt like she knew her husband in a way she never had before, and they'd spent the intervening time building a life that together that felt strong and right. She no longer feared that the allure of adventure meant more to him than she did.

What a joke.

The tears haven't stopped falling since she got outside and started walking blindly. After a few minutes, Elena leans against a building and cries into her hand. She can barely see where she's going and she doesn't give a damn who sees her, so why not?]

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[Lup, on the other hand, has been having a wonderful day.

It's been nearly two weeks since her reunion with Barry and every moment together has felt so much more precious given their extended time apart. She's smiling when she runs into Elena, on her way to go do a little raiding the shops for things to put in their overflowing pantry, but naturally, seeing her dear friend pressed shakily up against a building and sobbing is more than enough to slap the smile right off of the elf's face.]

Hey--[And forget the food, Lup's there instantly, a hand on the other woman's back, concern obvious in the way her eyes dance worriedly over Elena's face.] I've got you. C'mere.

[Elena jumps when she feels someone's touch—she's past the point of caring who sees her, but she also hadn't expected anyone to approach her. She hadn't even sensed her presence. When she sees who it is, she relaxes, but only a little.]

Lup? [She swipes at her eyes, but it doesn't help much. More tears well up.] I didn't—I didn't see you.

Hard to see anyone when you've got your cute face all covered up like that.

[Lup smiles, but she's already shifting to slip her arm around Elena's shoulder, dragging her close to her side. She playfully bumps her hip against the other woman.] What's up? Need me to lay the beat down on anyone?

[For all that she can be aggravating and/or intimidating to those who deserve it, Lup is also incredibly sweet. But not even she can get a smile this time. Elena's face just crumples as she squeezes her eyes shut.]

[Oh shit. That is definitely not the reaction Lup expected.]

Hey, let's get outta here. Wanna follow me home and get your drink on? I'll kick Taako out again. We'll have another booze-y girl party.

Yeah.

[She rubs at her eyes, harder this time, and the tears start to clear a little. It's something.]

I just—I need to be not here.

Alright, so let's get out of here.

[What does that even mean? Big fight with Nate? It's hard to be sure, but Lup quickly turns Elena in the direction of her home and guides her down the right path. Just a quick trip over the bridge, around a few windy paths, and they'll be there. Ten mins tops.]

I've been meaning to drag you over anyway. Found a new top that'll be cute on you.

Sure.

[What is she even agreeing with? That they need to go? That the top will be cute? Her head is still swimming with everything that's happened in the last hour. Elena just goes along with Lup, not initiating any more conversation as they walk.]

[Elena's usually just as chatty as Lup, so these short answers just worry at the elf more. She tightens her grip around her friend and leads her home, pulling her phone out to give Barry a quick head's up to get everyone out of the way for their guest. The last thing Elena probably needs is all of their crew trying to hover around her at once. Lup's got this on her own for now.

They can do the girl talk thing first and then drag everyone else in later for some fun.

The walk back to Horny Home isn't too long and Lup's grateful that Peanut doesn't come rushing at them the moment the front door opens. Their new place is much larger than the small apartment they shared before, a three story house, where the top floor has all their sitting room furniture, perfect for guests to cry on.] Up the stairs, babe. We can take over the couch and I'll drag out some drinks.

[By the time they make it back, Elena feels...not better. She doesn't know when "better" will be attainable, but it's not tonight. She is sort of tired and deflated, though, like her reservoir of tears has dried up. For now.]

Thanks.

[They've done this before, under slightly better circumstances. Elena goes to the couch immediately as Lup gets the drinks.]

I'm really sorry about this.

[The kitchen is attached to the living room, so Lup thankfully doesn't have to go far, the elf popping her head around the small divider wall to shoot her friend a hopeful grin.]

For what? For giving me an excuse to skip out on spice gathering today? I'm livin', babe. You saved me.

[And with a nice bottle of tequila she'd been saving for other occasions, Lup returns Elena to plop on the couch and thrust the bottle in her friend's direction. Drink up, chick.]

Go nuts.

[For a moment, she wants to protest—hard liquor isn't a great idea right now.

But the moment passes.]

Okay.

[She does a shot. And then another in quick succession. And then she starts to fill a third.]

[Well. That's more nuts than Lup expected.]

Soooo. [She's not really great at starting these things.] You, uh, you wanna girl talk about shit or pretend nothing happened?

There's what I want and there's what's possible.

[She curls her fingers around the glass but doesn't take the third shot just yet.]

Nate lied to me.

[Lup's shoulders stiffen at the information, mouth quickly pressing into a thin line. Oh.]

'Bout what?

[Elena actually laughs, although there's no humor in it.]

About the fact that he has a brother he never mentioned during seven years together? About that they went off treasure hunting back home while he told me for weeks that his company was on a job overseas? About when and where he got pulled from when he came here, the whole time I've been here?

[Now she does the third shot.]

Take your pick.

[Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

You know what, Lup brought that booze out for Elena, but she's absolutely reaching over to pluck the bottle from the other woman, taking a quick drink straight from the bottle. After that, she's silent for a minute, lifting a hand to wipe her mouth, before finally speaking.]

So, can I kill him or what?

[Now it's a party. The worst party ever.]

No. I still love the asshole.

You can set him on fire a little, though.

[Lup pushes the bottle back into Elena's hands so she can throw an arm around the other woman's shoulder instead, dragging her closer.]

Baller. I'll settle for that.

[She kicks her boots up on the coffee table.] You can crash with us, sis. Been way too boy heavy in here as it is.

Thank you.

[But god, thinking of sleeping without Nate, another period of absence because of something he did...oh hey, the tears are coming again.]

I don't know if we're going to get past this. I don't know if I can get past this. All this time, and not a word. He only even said something now because his mystery brother is here now.

[It's strange how much Elena's pain hurts Lup, just the emotion in the other woman's voice leaving an ache in her heart.

She can't imagine how badly this hurts. Lup and Barry have fought, you can't be together for fifty years and not have a number of nasty fights, but it's never been something like this. He's never lied to her, never purposely kept anything so critical from her. They've made each other cry or needed time away from each other to cool down, but Lup's never felt like they were over, like they'd hit something they couldn't bounce back from...

Her grip around the other woman tightens.]

Seems like a shitty thing to keep a secret. Did he say why?

He said...he thought Sam was dead.

[Maybe that part isn't so surprising. Elena knows her husband, and he's never been good at coping with the things that hurt his heart. He hides from them. It was why they'd broken up, it was why he'd left. It was probably why he never said anything about his brother.

That doesn't make it better.]

And that he was protecting me. Which we both know is bullshit.

Total. [Even without any real knowledge of the situation, Lup knows that much is true. Keeping shit from your spouse is just never going to end well. Just don't.]

His bro dangerous? What's he trying to protect you from?

[She shakes her head. She doesn't really know anything about Sam, but if he were a danger to her—Nate would never allow that to happen. She trusts that much, at least.]

Apparently some drug lord broke him out of prison and wants to be paid off with long-lost pirate treasure.

Oh. [Eeeeeeeeh] The ush, then.

Still don't get the whole reason for the secrecy. Brothers aren't worth the trouble to try and hide.

No kidding.

[She laughs a little, or tries to, but it's a toss-up whether it's a tiny sob or not.]

There's no way he's some reluctant participant, forced to go on a treasure hunt he hates. We were supposed to be done with this shit.

[Lup hears that sob, her hand slipping down to rub across Elena's back.]

And he still ran off and did his own thing without bothering to update you at all. Total bullshit. Nate knew what he was doing. [hahaha ha lup knows from experience] What a dickhead.

[It helps. A little.]

I should have known better. Maybe he never really changed. Maybe this is just who he is.

Maybe... [Lup's mouth twists a little, thoughtfully.]

Whatever he did, I'm sure Nate didn't mean to be a complete dick, even if that's so what he was. Guy made some bad choices. [a beat] Real bad choices. It doesn't change shit and I'm still gonna set him on fire, but the guy loves you. He's just an idiot.

I know he does.

[It's the one thing she doesn't doubt. Nate loves her more than he's ever loved anyone, except maybe this brother she knows nothing about. The man wears his heart on his sleep and throws that whole heart into everything he does.]

But it might not be enough.

[What does Lup even say to that? The elf watches her friend, frowning at the hurt in Elena's voice and expression, before she slips forward to hug the woman, dragging her close.]

[For just a moment, Elena resists, but then whatever meager emotional barrier she still had falls away, and she curls into Lup's arms, crying silently over what's happened and what still might.]

I got you. [Lup holds Elena close, one hand slipping up to pet over her hair, her touch light but always there. She can't even imagine the kind of pain that Elena is in. She'd love to wave a hand and make it better, but this just isn't a problem she's capable of solving.]

Let it out, chickadee. Lup's got you.

[It's a long time before she starts to dry up on her own. Elena doesn't sob, but she's been holding back her fears and doubts for so long that now that they have an outlet, everything's coming out.

Eventually, though, it does stop, and she lets out a shuddering breath, wiping her eyes as she pulls back.]

I won't stay here long. But I can't go back to him right now. I need to figure some things out first.

Won't stay here long, my ass. You're stayin' until I let you leave. [And sure, there's a hint of a tease there in her tone, but mostly she just sounds decided. Elena isn't leaving anytime soon.]

I'll kick Taako out and we'll take over the room. If you need shit from home, I'll go pick it up for you, 'kay?

If I need anything, I can get it. You shouldn't have to be in the middle of this. You're his friend, too.

[She regrets making anyone deal with their problems, but Lup had passed by at the right time, and she'd needed someone. But still, she doesn't want to make things worse than they are.]

You aren't throwing me in the middle, nerd. This is, uh, this is what friends do. Right?

[Lup looks a little expectantly at Elena, like she's waiting for confirmation.] Never really had a lot of gal friends until... now, I guess. Girls gotta stick together. Nate's a pal, but you're my closest babe. So I've got you.

Yeah. It is.

[And she appreciates it. It helps in some small way that at least one person who cares about her is doing what they're supposed to.]

Thank you, Lup.

[Elena's words wash warmly over her, though the woman's heart still aches for her friend. There's just no easy answer in this.]

Alright, we're gonna get our drink on and do something fun. Fashion show? Cooking contest? Whatever sounds good to you.

[Elena appreciates the effort, she really does. But Lup's best efforts can offer minor comfort at best, and they can't distract her at all.]

I think...I just need to think.

You wanna lay down? I'll make some room for you on my bed, you can take as much time as you need.

Yeah. I think that'd be best.

[She's not going to sleep, though.]

Thanks.

[Whether she's going to get any sleep or not, Lup plucks the bottle of booze from her hands and quickly guides Elena downstairs to her room. She'll get the woman all set up and then give her a little space. But if Elena seems particularly lonely during one of her check ins, Lup will just slip into bed next to her. Just to make sure she knows that she doesn't have to do any of this alone.]

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They say that true love hurts

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i'm already suffering

god fucking same

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