Christian had raided Zac's pantry and made his way back to where Avery sat in front of the television armed with popcorn and other random snacks. He'd already sourced whatever kero he could find in the house.
"So," he said, setting the food down between them, "last night before Zac gets back... decided what you're doing yet? Like, are you staying here or-?"
Avery
Avery glanced at him, before shrugging.
"I don't know," she said. "I might stay with him for a bit, my original plan was to go to LA, but... I don't know about anything at the moment."
Christian
Chris sighed as he sat down and poured himself a glass of kero.
”Guess you could always ask what he thinks,” he suggested.
Avery
"I think I just want a break from everyone," Avery said honestly.
"I just want to be alone for a bit. It's been a rough few months."
Christian
”Understandable,” Chris nodded, before downing the entire glass in one hit.
He shook his head and caught his breath.
”It’s been a rough few years,” he cleared his throat, before pouring another glass.
When he was done, he offered it to her.
Avery
Avery took the glass and drank from it, leaning back in her chair.
"Guess so," she remarked. "I might go see Matt... let him know what happened."
Christian
”Surprised you hadn’t already called him,” Chris shrugged.
He looked down at his glass, swirled the kero around, and looked back at the television.
”He means a lot to you, doesn’t he?”
Avery
Avery took another sip of kero.
"Yeah," she replied, looking at the tv. "I mean, relationship aside, we were best friends when we were growing up. He's the only one who has ever seen me as me. Not as a Grandmaster, not as the little sister of Hanson, but just as Avery."
Christian
”He’s not the only one,” Chris muttered under his breath, before taking a swig of his newly replenished glass.
He coughed a little.
”But I guess people who didn’t grow up with them will always be wary of telepaths.”
Avery
Avery turned her head a little to look at Christian and she smiled faintly.
"I guess so. Guess I'm destined to be alone."
Christian
”And you’re not alone in being alone,” Chris was starting to feel the buzz already.
He noticed idly that this was instantaneously the most he’d drunken since being a teenager.
”Do you know, that I have never even had a girlfriend?” he looked at her suddenly.
Avery
Avery looked over at him and frowned a little.
"I suppose you've never had a lot of things," she said quietly.
Christian
Chris gave her a curious look.
”I guess that’s true,” his fingers traced the edge of the glass.
”And there’s a lot of things I’ll never have. But you know, bygones be bygones and all that.”
Avery
Avery finished the rest of her kero, closing her eyes for a moment.
"It's just sad, is all."
Christian
”Not feeling sorry for me, are you?” Chris teased, his eyes already droopy.
Avery
"I know that's terribly conde... condescending of me." Avery let out a laugh, trying to get the words out.
"But I don't know, as sucky as my life has been as of late, I've had a lot of good moments too."
Christian
Christian just smiled at her, forgetting to talk for a moment.
”Not to say that I haven’t,” his eyebrows rose.
He looked back at the bottle of kero, trying to work out the logistics of filling his glass again.
”Hey… Avie?” he frowned suddenly, “I’ve been… I kinda… Like, lately I’ve been feeling like I want to talk to you about something, but I don’t know if I should. Do you think I should? I don’t know if I should.”
Avery
Avery took the bottle of kero off him and poured both of them a glass each.
"Well, I don't know," she shrugged. "It depends on if you think it'll make you feel better or not. Unless of course, it's going to upset me, in which case, can you wait until next year? I just need a break from bad stuff."
Christian
"I don't think it'll make me feel better, but... I don't exactly have anyone else to talk to about it," Chris pulled a face.
"In an honest way, that is."
Avery
"If you're going to confess to any crimes, don't tell me," Avery shook her head.
"I don't want to be an accessory."
Christian
Christian hesitated.
"Well that depends on your perspective. And if you think I've accounted for past crimes," he thought out loud.
Avery
"And if the ends justifies the means," Avery replied softly.
"Well, I suppose you can tell me, and I can block it off from myself. I did it before. When I saw you in rehab."
Christian
"You don't remember coming to rehab?" he looked across at her.
"I remember you had purple hair."
Avery
"I remember now," Avery smiled a little.
"At the time, after what I found out, Tanya and I put a collective shield in my head, so I wouldn't remember it and if they questioned me, I wouldn't know anything to tell them. We had a key word that when said, I would know that there was a shielded memory there. I remembered the word about a year later, and got the memory back."
She shrugged.
Christian
"That... sounds confusing," Christian considered.
He paused for a long moment, studying the glass in his hand.
"Avie... I'm a serial killer," he said suddenly, "which everyone knows, I know. And I'm never going to be known as anything else."
He hesitated, realising it was the first time he'd ever admitted to having the problem out loud.
"I know what other people think of me. But as far as what I think... I don't know if I can ever be cured of it."
Avery
Avery was quiet for a long time, sitting against the couch, balancing her glass on her knee, fingers curled around the rim.
"Do you want to be cured of it?" she asked quietly.
Christian
"I don't know," Chris said honestly.
He hung his head.
"I never realised before going to rehab that it really was an addiction. Just one that happens to hurt more people than the usual stuff. And I don't know... I mean, I don't want to hurt people, but I want to kill them."
Avery
"I don't know what to tell you."
Avery kept her eyes away from him, watching whatever was on tv instead.
"I don't have an answer. I can say 'well, please don't', but what does that achieve?"
Christian
"That depends if you think there's any weight behind it," Chris took another sip, trying on purpose to slow himself down.
"I mean if you really thought that I was able to, it might mean something. But no one does, so no one tries..."
Avery
"I think everyone is capable of change," Avery said carefully. "But I also think they have to want to change."
She ran a hand through her hair.
"If I tried to help you, would you even accept my help?"
Christian
"Why wouldn't I?" Chris shrugged.
"I don't... Wait, help? I've never..."
He scratched his head.
"Sorry, that's an odd word to me," he chuckled.
Avery
"From a telepathy point of view, I could actually just make you not want to do it again. But... that's not really helpful to you, I suppose. You've got to learn it yourself."
Avery shrugged.
"But if you want my help, if you think that I will make a difference, I will."
Christian
"I think if anyone could do it, you could," Chris shrugged.
"I mean you have more in common with-"
He cut himself off. Even in his already-drunken state he couldn't bring himself to say that to her.
"I'd appreciate it, is all. Tanya tries, but she has this whole rose-coloured glasses thing going on and she just doesn't get it. She doesn't get the need."
Avery
Avery was quiet for a moment, then glanced at him for a second.
"Is that why I'm... is that why you always come when I ask? What am I, to you, Chris? Why do I seem to be so important? I have done nothing to earn your favour. I killed your father. I should be the last person you want to see."
Christian
Christian stared at his glass, finding it very interesting all of a sudden.
"I guess it just all adds up," he frowned a little.
"Craig was... Craig. He wasn't God. He was just the one who..."
He trailed off, then looked at her.
"You never turned me away."
Avery
"Would it have made a difference?" Avery let out a wry laugh. "Life has had a way of throwing us together."
She rubbed her eyes tiredly.
"I don't want to be your replacement Craig."
Christian
"No one will ever replace Craig," Christian said straight out.
"Would you expect someone to replace Walker just because they had X-Ray vision? No. People with that much influence are irreplaceable. One day they're just... gone. And you have to deal with it."
Avery
"Yeah, you do."
Avery set her glass down on the table.
Christian
"Cookie?" Chris offered, holding one out to her.
Avery
"Ordinarily, I would turn that down, but you know, I may never go back to modelling, so maybe I should just get gloriously fat."
Avery took a cookie.
Christian
"You're slightly obsessed with self image, you know that?" Chris smirked, grabbing one for himself also.
Avery
"Well, I have used my image to pay the rent, dear."
Avery shrugged a little.
"And I know you don't have many objections with the way I look."
Christian
"But, exactly. And I don't know of anyone that does," Chris pointed out.
"So I just... don't get it. You always talk about yourself as if you're not attractive, but you are."
Avery
Avery let out a laugh.
"You don't see what I see," she shrugged. "I still see the awkward kid with the too big nose. Too tall, too lanky, just... awkward."
Christian
"You are aware that you went through puberty, right?" Chris squinted at her with a small smile.
"'Cause I'm pretty sure the rest of us noticed."
Avery
Avery smiled at that.
"Yeah, I grew boobs. That's all that really changed."
Christian
"You also grew into your nose," Chris offered, "and then there was that whole... hip to waist ratio thing going on."
Avery
"To be fair," Avery chuckled. "I had some help with the nose. I had a friend who had a pretty wicked power. She just... fixed it for me."
She glanced down at her body and shook her head.
"That's more to do with my workout plan, than anything natural."
Christian
"So you do good work, that's all," Chris shrugged.
"I should probably get back into it. I've gotten a bit lazy. Why work muscles when you can just shift them?"
Avery
"I guess that's true," Avery nodded.
She stretched her legs out and put them on the table, careful not to knock anything.
"You enjoying having a different face?"
Christian
"I didn't think I'd enjoy it as much as I do," Chris admitted with a pout.
"But I do really miss my telekinesis. Guess I got too reliant on it."
Avery
"Ike always says that he thinks his telekinesis bred his own laziness."
Avery chuckled a little.
Christian
"Makes sense," Christian nodded.
"And it's his that I've got, so... makes even more sense."
He smirked.
"I've often wondered if either of us is stronger than the other. But it's not a topic I really want to bring up with him."
Avery
"I imagine you're stronger in different ways," Avery mused, then made a joke. "I mean, when it comes to cleaning and cooking, Ike's telekinesis would kick yours in the face."
She finished the rest of her kero.
Christian
"Probably," Chris smirked, "but then if I knew how, maybe it would be a different story."
Avery
Avery jumped up, swaying a little from the kero, and took his hand. She pulled him to his feet as well, oofing under his weight.
"Come on, cooking lesson time."
Christian
Chris stumbled as she pulled him up.
"You're kidding right?" he laughed, having to lean on the coffee table to get his bearings.
Avery
"Two things I never joke about... food and sex."
Avery kept a hold of his hand as she started to lead the way into the kitchen.
"We can start with the basics, like..."
She opened the fridge door and tilted her head, perusing.
"Eggs."
Christian
"I've cracked a few eggs in my time," Chris smirked.
"But they weren't the kind that came from a chicken's ass."
Avery
Avery grinned and raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh?"
Christian
"Yeah... I'm not sure I'm ready to share that part of my life with you just yet," Chris mused, going to lean on the cupboard door and accidentally pulling it open.
He fell to the floor and started laughing.
Avery
"Just quietly, I think we should make a cake."
Avery's eyes clouded over for a second.
"It's my birthday tomorrow."
Christian
"Ooh. Happy birthday Mr. President..." Chris trailed off, using the stove to pull himself up.
"How do we make a cake?"
Avery
Avery turned her attention to the pantry, finding the necessary ingredients in the back of the cupboard.
"I'm just gonna make this up as I go along," she shrugged. "Not that it matters. This year has been nothing to celebrate."
Christian
"Oh boo hoo, buzzkill," Chris stood over her shoulder and watched what she was doing.
"What the hell is that? No wait, I know. Flour."
He stuck his finger in it and sucked the flour off.
"It doesn't take like it should go in a cake. Cakes taste good, that's like... velvetty sand."
Avery
"Just honest," Avery shrugged.
She pushed him away from the mix.
"That's because it's not mixed yet, dumbass."
Christian
"I know that, but... the flour is white and the cake isn't white. And this is like... hard. But cakes are soft. I don't get it. This whole cooking thing is like science," Chris looked confused.
Avery
"Sure," Avery said, shaking her head. "Cooking baffles him. Of course."
She opened the fridge and pulled out the eggs, butter and milk.
"I wonder where Kate keeps the... aha!" she exclaimed triumphantly, finding the cocoa powder in the cupboard.
Christian
Christian took it from her and smelt it. Then blanched.
"I can't even tell if that's coffee or chocolate," he coughed, putting it on the bench.
Avery
"That's because you didn't grow up with a master chef in the kitchen."
Avery nodded.
Christian
"Nope," Chris picked something else up.
He couldn't even tell what it was.
"Anyone that could make something edible went into the kitchen. Luckily I wasn't one of them. Or unluckily, I don't know. Seems like a cool skill to have."
Avery
"Cooking was never my strongest skill, but Mom taught me enough so that I could survive. And then I sorta picked up my own tricks along the way," Avery nodded.
"Unlike Zac, who just cheat-cooks by using his power for everything."
Christian
"Gotta admit, that would be a handy power to have," Chris nodded, mainly to himself.
"So many things to do with it. Including lazy stuff like that."
Avery
"Yeah, and no one is kidnapping him," Avery pointed out.
She cracked the eggs into the bowl and stirred it around with the spoon.
"He's the worst person to have that power though, the amount of times he changed out showers to cold in the middle of them..."
Christian
"I can totally see him doing that!" Chris chuckled.
He picked up the cocoa again, spilling some onto the bench.
Christian
"You can do that? Like, force headaches?" Chris looked up suddenly.
"Wow. Makes me wonder about all those times..."
He hesitated with a weird look on his face, before grabbing the milk.
"When does this go in?"
Avery
"Yeah," Avery shrugged. "It's all about knowing which areas to put pressure on. Of course, that also works for different things too."
She stepped back from the bowl a little.
"Now."
Christian
"How much?" Chris had the lid off and was pouring it in already.
The cocoa on the bench soon had milk added to it.
Avery
"Ok, stop."
Avery started stirring, somewhat vigorously, a lot of the mix ending up on the bench as well.
Christian
Christian stopped pouring the milk, setting the bottle onto the bench and accidentally knocking it over. Whatever was left in it hit the floor.
"Next?" he asked, unfazed.
Avery
Avery handed him the stick of butter.
"Melt this."
Christian
Chris took it, looking at it like it was... alien.
"I'm not Zac, how do I do that?" he looked confused.
Avery
Avery patted Christian's cheek, leaving some cake mix residue there.
"Aww, baby, awww," she teased. "Microwave. You remember how to use one of those from New York, right?"
Christian
"Right," Chris nodded, opening the microwave and putting the butter in.
On its own.
He closed the door and pressed random buttons until it started going.
Avery
Avery heard the pop as the butter exploded in the microwave and she laughed, knocking the cake mix onto the floor as she did so.
"Oh, whoops?"
Christian
"Uh oh," Chris winced, opening the door while the microwave was still going and ducking as the butter spat at him.
He slipped and ended up on the floor with the cake mix, before breaking out laughing.
Avery
Avery reached down to help him up, and ended up slipping as well, landing on the floor beside him.
"Ow, my ass!"
Christian
"Maybe we should make something else?" Chris suggested, "cakes are too hard."
He crawled over to the pantry and had a look at what was in there.
Avery
Avery tilted her head back a little to look up into the cupboard behind her.
"Everything is hard."
Christian
"Jerky? Jerky isn't hard," Chris threw a packet at her, before he disappeared into the cupboard again.
A cereal box landed on the floor behind him, breaking open. Soon followed by some biscuits and noodles.
Avery
"Cap'n Crunch? OH YEAH!"
Avery grabbed the cereal box over and started eating the cereal out of it.
Christian
"There is nothing you actually cook in here," Chris sighed finally, before pulling himself to his feet via an empty shelf.
He kicked food stuffs out of the way as he made his way to the fridge and opened the door.
"Don't forget your greens," he threw her a lettuce.
Avery
"Stop throwing food at me, or I'll give you a headache," Avery threatened.
She punched him in the arm.
Christian
"Ouch," Chris pouted, rubbing his arm.
"Oh hey!" he was distracted half a second later, "chicken! We can cook that."
He'd begun raiding the freezer, where he'd found said meat.
"There's also some form of... oh wait. Frozen vegetables."
Avery
Avery glanced up at the clock.
"Well, I'm going to bed," she shrugged. "I'm not hungry anymore."
Christian
"You are not drunk enough," Chris pointed at her.
"Although... I don't believe we were hungry to being with. That's weird."
Avery
"You are too drunk for me to deal with," Avery nodded.
"I'll clean this up tomorrow."
Christian
"Buzzkill," Chris repeated, pointing at her again.
He closed the freezer, managing to catch himself as he slid on some spilt milk again.
"Fine. But I'm taking the popcorn."
He gave her a pointed look as he walked past, and back into the livingroom. Leaving milky footprints all the way.
Avery
"You do whatever it is you feel you need to do," Avery grinned.
"Why don't you go out and find someone to bang? That's what you should be doing."
Christian
"'Cause the only person I want to bang right now is looking at me like I'm a common street rat or something," Chris spun around to face her as he spoke, but kept walking.
He made it to the popcorn, but grabbed the kero bottle instead.
"Not that's she's wrong or anything, but you know. Pride."
Avery
Avery stared at him for a second, heat warming her cheeks.
"Um..."
Christian
"What?" Chris looked up innocently, already forgetting what he'd said.
"Drink?"
Avery
"I better not," Avery shook her head.
"I'm gonna go call Matt."
Christian
"Fine, you do that," Christian shrugged, taking a swig himself.
"At... 2am."
Avery
"It's my birthday, he'll answer."
Avery looked sad for a second.
"Twenty-one. Woot."