Fitting (In) - Tags Annie

[Phil Lim]

While Phil didn't interact with Annie quite as frequently as he did Maggy or Mew, the Homles' household was nevertheless a welcome refuge from his own family life and the first place he went to when he was avoiding his closest friends. Annie never asked uncomfortable questions; she unfailingly welcomed all and sundry to come as they were. Therefore, she was one of the few who saw him as simply Phil, not wearing the mask of Professor Darlington. This did not mean he confided in her, but that he felt more at ease around her than others. He was not quite as comfortable around her fathers, although they were nothing but accepting, and Ernest loved the creativity that sparked the steampunk and neo-Victorian outfits Phil favored. Sometimes he could almost forget that Ernest was gay, and then the pair would geek over waistcoats and backpack wings. But then there were days like today, when Ernest offered to make him clothes. This in itself was a very generous offer, and Phil appreciated the gesture, but it meant having to be fitted, and the idea of being fitted by a man who liked other men was nothing short of awkward. Unfortunately, he couldn't think of any possible way to decline that wouldn't offen Annie's father, so he had very reluctantly agreed.

He had spent the entire fitting feeling tense and miserable, and hoping that Ernest couldn't tell, because really both the elder Holmes were always very nice to him, but he was afraid that his silence spoke louder than any words would have. It was with great relief that he fled up to Annie's room, a bright, inviting place that paid homage to her favorite food -- the cupcake.

He didn't think it would be very polite to tell her he was relieved to escape her father, particularly when he had a standing invite to her home. "I wonder what he'll come up with," The Korean boy mused instead. Ernest was a costuming genius, so no matter how uncomfortable he had been, the end result would be worth it...he hoped.

[Annie Holmes]

Lounging on her bed staring at the Bowie poster (SIGNED!) that now hung above her bed on the ceiling. Her father had taken over Phil almost as soon as the teen had gotten there with talk of making him a neo-Victorian/steampunk wardrobe. The look on her friend’s face had been… strained, but he did an admirable job masking it.

The two had been gone for a bit when Phil came through her door, looking frazzled and trying not to be too relieved. The redheaded sprite hid a near-silent laugh behind her hand and shook her head. He tried so hard, her father, that he didn’t even see he’d made her friend uncomfortable. So eager to make him happy and give him a wardrobe that fit the steampunk character.

He can be a bit extravagant at times, but he’s dad! It was true enough. Once he got his teeth into a project Ernest could be a little overwhelming and slightly obsessive with his work. But that's part of what made him so amazing in the costuming community. His eye for detail and that touch of OCD brought out some incredible works of art.

Did he show you the sketches? What did you think? Rolling over, the floofy petticoat rustled against the fabric of her skirt. Propping her chin in the cup of her hand, Annie's eyes studied the other youth's face.

[Phil Lim]

Phil leaned back, falling into a pile of cupcake-shaped decorative pillows. "Mmmm." He confirmed, then remembered she couldn't hear him, and sat up again, signing an affirmative. It had not taken much to convince him that sign language would be a useful skill; after all, when dealing with noisy machinery wouldn't it make sense to use sign language rather than attempting to shout? He thought it did, though he hadn't quite convinced the other mechanics at the car shop he apprenticed at that it was useful. At least it came in useful when conversing with Annie....

It's fine. He lied, Your dad's are nice. You're lucky your parents are so cool. Which did not, of course, make him any more comfortable around them, but he was very afraid to voice his discomfort -- or sign it, as the case may be. Although he did wish his own parents were more involved and didn't spend all their time together waging silent war -- a war that had been put aside for the time being, but one he was certain would resume once the sadness from Aimee's murder faded from a persistent bleeding wound to a dull ache. But he was at Annie's to forget both the war and the pain.

He did. His ideas are always nothing short of amazing. This, however, was not a lie; Ernest was a celebrated designer for a reason, which was of course that he was ridiculously and unfairly talented. I wish I had even a quarter of his talent. he added, glad that sign language made the envy more difficult to discern.

[Annie Holmes]

You totally DO have talent, you goof! A strange sound that was very akin to a laugh. Phil was incredibly intelligent, witty, and creative, but he didn't see any of it in himself. Not that the girl portion could tell.

Why do you think my dad talks to you so much? Seriously, Prof, he wouldn't do this for you if he didn't think it was worth it. It was all true. If it wasn't for his imagination, Phil would probably be far more repressed than he actually was. It wasn't hard to see what he was repressing, not for a girl raised by two gay men.

It wasn't her place to ask him why, some people had to come to it in their own time, she just wished he could do it sooner rather than later. As far as she could tell he was living a half life. Albeit a very creative and inventive half life, but still... half a life.

Wanna go out? Shopping? Cupcaking? idle ideas, but she was inthe mood to move around. Skating? her face light up Mini golf! I'll kick your butt, I AM the Goddess of the Golf! Fingers nearly flew she was signing so fast.

[Phil Lim]

Phil quite fortunately was unaware just how perceptive Annie actually was. He would never have claimed she was stupid, but he had a rather misplaced confidence in his own ability to obfuscate reality. In most respects he had a dim view of his own talents, but his ability to pretend that things were other than they seemed was one area he was sure he was good at. He would have been very annoyed had he realized Annie knew, and it would have shaken his generally fragile self-esteem, to think the one talent he acknowledged was really not so useful as he liked to believe.

Golf sounds fun! He launched himself off her bed. It was only in the last couple of days he'd really been able to lose himself again, to stop focusing on the fact that Aimee was gone. Maggy and Mew had tried, but he hadn't been ready to attend that provocative pajama party, but it had been long enough now he could (sometimes) immerse himself so thoroughly in other activities he didn't think about it. Min-golf with Annie seemed suitably diverting, so he was quick to agree.

It wasn't a long ride to miniature golf, though it was devoid of conversation, as he couldn't focus on watching her fingers fly and watch the road at the same time. As soon as they had hopped out of his car he resumed their conversation. Golf goddess, are you? Are you prepared to prove that claim? He teased, though he hadn't played any sort of golf since he was in middle school.

Thanks for letting me come over, he added, It's good to have people to hang out with, sometimes. He had other friends, but even with his two best friends it wasn't exactly the same.

[Annie Holmes]

It was great to see that Phil could still smile. Though it would be a long time before life would be ‘normal’ for the Lims again. If ever. Losing a sister, a daughter, wasn’t something Annie could comprehend. Not the way someone who had gone through that pain could. She could imagine it well enough, with both of her sisters gone from the house and off doing their thing. She missed them, but could still write to them, and did, often.

Are you ready to be humiliated? Signing back with the putter tucked under an arm and the bright red golf ball tucked into a heart shaped pocket. Because I’m ready to dominate! The wide grin that accompanied her hand movements was down right impish.

And why wouldn’t I let you come over? She signed after she’d putted a three on a par two. First hole, and she was already pretty mediocre. Warming up, she had signed before. Everyone had to have a sanctuary where they were welcome no matter what was wrong, or what they hid. Phil, it seemed to the bright girl, had much to hide. Though she had her suspicions he was hiding more from himself than anything on the outside.

[Phil Lim]

Concentrating on mini-golf was the most fun that Phil had experienced all week. There weren't that many other people around, which was probably a good thing, as no matter how much 'warming up' Annie required, she was still outplaying him! You do this often? He signed in amusement. He could just see Ernest and Albert taking their daughters out on thoroughly wholesome outings like miniature golf. They made being gay seem normal. Almost.

"So now that you've won...." He began, then realized he was not only speaking aloud, but that he wasn't even facing her, and he quickly corrected himself, turning to the red-head and moving fingers with less skill than she used. So what do you want as a prize, Miss Winner? Maybe some fried chicken.... Sometimes he amused himself; he wasn't really sure he amused anyone else, but he cared more about his own opinion on most things anyway. What about.... he paused in what he hoped was a dramatic manner, before flashing cupcakes! At her. Would Annie ever say no to cupcakes? He doubted it, but then, who could blame her? Cupcakes were nothing short of delicious! And her enthusiasm for them made him smile; he needed a reason to smile.

[Annie Holmes]

Having needed a good deal of ‘warming up’, Annie still managed to beat Phil by a few points. It was a pretty close game, actually, but she hadn’t relented in her hazing all the way through. Goddess of the Golf? HA! More like Goddess of the Friendly Trash Talk. BUT, she’d still won and Phil had relaxed for a bit, that was all that really mattered and thankfully had worked.

The offer for a prize sent red eyebrows raising towards curly red hair and a rather gaudy headband that kept it (hair not eyebrows) back off of her face. What sort of prize could he have in mind?

The girls whole face lit up, the whole of her body language screamed with glee as her friend suggested Cupcakes (yes, with a capital C). She really didn’t need to answer him, but she did in the manner of a glomp. Both arms were thrown around the boy and she made the strangled sort of sound a human with atrophied vocal chords could make. Of COURSE cupcakes would be the perfect prize. They always were.

Releasing Phil, Annie leaned back on the spiked silver heels of the shoes that gave her height. You fought well, young padawan. But you are not a golfer yet! I will accept your cupcakes!

There were several nice little bakery's to choose from, but one was Annie's absolute favorite. The workers all knew her by sight, it not by name, and showed her, when she'd shown an interest, how to decorate. In a few more months she'd be working there over the summer, which was one of the most exciting things she could be doing. As fara s the cupcake crazed girl was concerned.