HamHam Time!

It was a typical day, or it would have been if it weren't for the pitstop Ivan directed Faith to. At Hope's the sisters were briefly reunited. Hugs were exchanged, with Ivan standing in the corridor of the building, brief familial warnings were given, and then Ivan was summoned to do all of his manwork. He had single-handedly been given the task of carrying all the extrenous hamster supplies, somehow managing to balance the large cage and the hamham racetrack and the food and the like down to the car. She was, then, put in charge of just carrying the animals themselves.

And now? Now Ivan's balancing all the same objects precariously as he swings the front door open, letting out a sigh of happiness as he just plops down the cage into the little corner in the living room they had decided upon since Ivan was adamant about the fact that he'd feel 'weird with their little hamster eyes watching them all through the night'. Special care is taken to set it all up properly. And only then does the man turn around to smile faintly at his girlfriend. "There. You happy?"

It's hard to tell which part of the day is best for the damaged Tyler twin. There are fewer issues getting her out as there had been but she still faces trips like they'll be the death of her. Still she goes out, happy to have the chance to be around Ivan in general. Fresh air, sisters and everything is just wonderful. And now? HAMHAMs.

Both of them are kept close to Rose as she enters the apartment. In this very moment she's much like that mental patient he first knew. Her life doesn't seem so bad, as if nothing happened at all, and somehow rodents make her just melt. At his question she pauses and just stares at him, almost as if she's a child with her hand caught in the cookie jar. "Is it really so bad?" At least she sounds normal enough, anyway, and she's smiling. "But yeah, I am. Only I don't think Hope should have let Bobby feed them. Tripp looks fat."

If the alternative is a broken Faith, then Ivan will take Rose any day of the week. After all, he can handle the mental patient that he slowly, over time, built a relationship with. After all, it was Rose that first caught his attention. She was the girl he smuggled out onto a surprise date and kissed. She was the one who first wormed into his heart. So he's fine - even optimistic - about the fact that the Tyler girl is behaving like the Rose from before - because Ivan fixed Rose once before. And Ivan can fix her again.

"Is what really so bad?" He inquires, genuinely confused as he blinks to the dark-haired girl and furrows his brows a tad bit with puzzlement. The expression disappears soon enough, though at her answer and maintained smile. "Heh. Well, luckily? You can get him a rodent gym or whatever to get him back in shape, and then monitor his diet from there. You're completely in charge of them, baby. Actually…come to think of it, you're completely in charge of my diet, too. I'm like some sort of giant hamster."

She's really a mix of the two. Faith is very much herself most of the time, or at least in her own mind. It's just expressing things that seem to be the issue. She's not really seen her hamsters since she was kidnapped so it's all just bringing back fond memories, even if those memories are broken and almost childlike. What she does to, however, is give Ivan a serious look before shaking her head. What has he done wrong? This:

"Tripp is a girl hamster." Man, people just don't get it. "Well, okay, so I wasn't in my right mind when I named her. I was just excited that I remembered him, even if it was incorrectly, so Hope bought be her. And I named her Tripp." At this point Faith holds out both hamsters, each one in a palm. They react well to being held which is good. The female is very clearly larger than the other one. "I don't know, love. This looks different." Sure enough, the hamster is pregnant. "You better not end up looking like this. I don't think I can make it go away."

"So one's fatter then the other?" Ivan grunts, before ambling over towards Faith in a casual manner, tossing the brunette a strange look. "Tripp's a girl? Huh." If he didn't know the precarious story behind the name Tripp, he'd probably crack a joke about how she's defaming the original Tripp by calling him a woman, but as it is he has a bit more tact then that. "Hey - so what if I do? What if I get all nice and fat - would you leave me? Just because of my beer belly and…lemme hold her."

Carefully, he reaches out both palms, looking to collect Tripp to himself. "Mhmm. What's the other one called? S'it a girl too?" He inquires, inspecting the hamster as close as allowed, poking at it gently every once in a while.

Oh, now he gets such a look! "You're not going to get a beer belly. I'll put you in some kind of human sized hamster wheel or something." Faith is obviously joking but if he does believe her to be more like her insane self he may believe her. "Besides, you won't let yourself get fat. It'll be bad for your image." At this she finally chuckles, proving that she really is joking.

But he's talking about her hamster so she carefully places Tripp in his hands. This hamster is well used to being handled by humans. Yup, she's pregnant. "Yeah, that's Tripp. I would change her name but she's had it for a long time now. The other one Hope bought and named a while ago. His name is Bobby." Yes, it's a little girl and a little boy hamster, and one is pregnant. "I know, they're just hamsters. But they were there when I was living alone."

"I knew it. You only love me for my adonis-like appearance. For my awesome pecs, defined abs, and killer biceps…" Ivan begins drawling out, clearly joking as he inspects the furry critter. It's a jest in more ways then one, too. For while Ivan is lean and lacking much actual body fat, he's not exactly a regular at the gym, and therefore is not nearly as defined as he makes himself out to be. "Heh. Bobby and Tripp, huh? That's awesome. I wonder if this Bobert would go around getting it's girlfri…"

Suddenly faintly alarmed, Ivan looks over to Rose with a blink. "I…err…can you neuter hamsters? Babe. I'm no expert on this…but either Tripp is a raging bitch and eats all of Bobby's food, or she has one in the oven. I…do you take them to the vets if they're going to give birth? I don't know. I never had hamsters."

The more he brags the bigger her smile. She may be paying attention to Bobby but is still listening. This is made obvious by the way that she laughs. "Yes, it's completely physical. The first time I met you I threw myself at you. And out the window." Even if he's not her hamster and not as used to attention, this little male seems to be doing well with her. It really does make her almost glow. It's as if nothing ever happened at all.

"Neuter hamsters? Why would you" Oh. Faith just stares at Ivan, at the hamster in his hands and then the one in hers. "My sister's hamster got mine pregnant." It's said just to say but then she bursts out laughing. Very loudly. "I find this funny." She doesn't even know the half of it. "But I don't really know much about what to do. I've never really dealt with babies before." Faith laughs again. "Does this mean that I'm a grandma?"

Ivan looks shocked, flabbergasted even, as little Tripp cuddles into his large hands. It's almost as though Rose just announced that she's pregnant or something. Shuffling forward, he collapses onto the couch, eventually uncupping his hands to allow the hamster free range on his stomach. "I…guess so? It does sound funny." He admits, blinking to himself as he runs his hand through his curls. "How many of them do they have at a time? 'Cause…I don't want like fifteen hamsters or anything, Faith. Unless you want to open up a hamster breeding service or something…Jesus, Tripp!" His humor is returning, quite slowly. "This is why you take your birth control! Didn't Hope teach you all about that?"

She's all jovial and everything and he looks like someone kicked his puppy. "What? Are you okay?" Nothing gets past her today! Faith follows Ivan and sits beside him, much closer than she has been. In fact, they're basically touching. "I didn't even think of something like that happening. I should have, but I guess I just wasn't in that frame of mind." Bobby curls up in one spot on her leg as she turns her full attention to her boyfriend. "I don't know. I really don't know. I'm going to have to find out, though, because I really only ever wanted one to begin with. I should ask Hope about it. I wonder if she even noticed." The fact that he's telling a hamster to take birth control just makes her laugh even harder.

"What? Oh, I'm fine, Faith. Just…we're going to be parents, huh?" And Ivan grins, broadly and boyishly, over to the Tyler twin, sliding towards her so that he ends up leaning against her side intimately and comfortably. "I don't know if I'm ready for all the responsibilities of rearing children and all, it's all so sudden, but it looks like I'm just going to have to man up, mhmm? And…deal with the fact that there is a man touching your thigh right now and that it's not me." It's very obvious that Ivan is joking about everything that he ends up saying, from the exaggeration of his 'responsibilities' down to his feigned jealousy.

In the end, however, his eyes find themselves fixed on her features, unblinking. "You're happy," he points out the obvious, sounding pleased. "I love you like this, Faith. You're glowing again, and…and this was a good idea. Getting these little critters. I've missed hearing you laugh."

"We?" She doesn't sound upset at all. In fact, she sounds surprised. "Ivan Fontane, are you saying that you want to be a father to my hamsters?" She doesn't seem to be bothered at all with him getting closer. If anything she almost appears to be relaxing. "Although technically you'd be jumping right into being a grandpa. That does sound like an awful lot for a man like you." Of course she's joking, made obvious by her tone and her smile.

Faith reaches over to play with his curls as if they were her own. It's almost too much fun sometimes. The act, no matter how small it is, stops when he points out the fact that she's smiling. Her eyes meet his as she grows serious just long to contemplate the situation. "I'm always happy." Her free hand reaches down to pet at Bobby. Tripp is all but nesting on Ivan. "But yeah, I guess I am. It just kind of feels like before, you know? It's been a long time since I've had someone to take care of."

Ivan pauses for a moment, shooting Faith a supremely pleased, and above all, supremely amused look. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'm not. If I say yeah, then what'll you do? I need to get all the information before committing to anything, of course." And with his sheepish grin, he examines the younger woman as she toys with his hair, the action prompting him closer. And even when she sobers up, he remains in good spirits, laughing…beaming, almost. "You're not always happy. But you should be. That's what I'm going to try and do, Faith. Make sure that you are. Always happy." He leans over to her, with the very clear, very obvious intention of pressing his lips over to hers, but he suddenly stops himself, looking down to the hamster on his stomach. "Uh. Ha! Maybe we should put the little ones into their new home, huh? I guess the fact that their together can't hurt - I mean, she's already pregnant. Nothing worse can happen."

He's not fussing over her, not as he was, and this is a very good thing. Sometimes he worries far too much. "Well, I'll go the library tomorrow then? I'm sure that they have books on this sort of thing. I never thought I'd be a grandma. It's so odd feeling." This whole miracle will keep her in good spirits for a while, indeed. At least until she realizes just how easily hamsters get pregnant. "You do too much, you know. Everyone's down sometimes. Just don't think that I need to be smiling all the time. Even if I'm not, I'm still happy. I'm loved." Then he's moving closer and Faith just remains where she is. It isn't that she doesn't want to kiss him; quite the opposite is true. She is just well aware of the hamsters. Leaning finally she moves to kiss him on the cheek. "They'll like it there." Before he can say much of anything, Tripp and Bobby are in her hands and she's on her way to putting them in the cage.

Ivan shakes his head faintly, and though he would hate to bring up her darkest moments, he does feel as though there is something to be clarified here. "It's not that I want you smiling all the time, or laughing. Although I don't mind if you were," he begins, licking his lips in a tentative fashion as his eyes fix upon her person. Finally, he purses his lips a little. "You…were just in a bad way, not too long ago. Understandably so. But…yeah." It does not need to be reiterated, at least according to Ivan, how dark the days immediately following the incident was. The reality of it hangs overhead like a shadow. She earns a smile for the kiss, followed by a groan of disappointment when she shuffles away, even if it is at his own suggestion.

Instead, he glances around the apartment, a hopefulness to his grin. He is repositioned, so that he's lying down on the couch on his side, sprawled in a way that takes up the room that Faith had originally occupied, so that she'll either have to sit on the man or ask him to scoot over.

She's at the hamster cage when he's talking, so her back is to him. It likely is a good thing because she reacts to what is heard. At least the way she's carefully tending to the hamsters and cooing at them doesn't alert him to it. Tripp is given some extra attention as she feels that it is deserved. "I don't want to think about it." Her voice is distant as this is said, almost hurt. Yet when Faith turns back to him she appears to be fine. The last few months have taught her quite a bit when it comes to acting.

"You'll be going to work tomorrow?" Yes, it's a complete and total change of topic. "I can try to get to the library when you do." Faith is not kicking him out but has already vocalized that she dislikes him missing so much work. She does need to learn to do things on her own, too, no matter if she wants to or not. Slowly she walks over to the couch, standing right in front of him. She stares at the couch, then at him, and back and forth before settling on him. He'll either have to move or pull her down, it seems.

Ivan frowns slightly at the tone of her voice, staring almost dolefully at the back of her head, but he makes no mention of the pain he hears. In fact, by the time she turns right around, he's all grins, obviously deciding on pretending that the incident hadn't even occurred. "Mhmm? Ah, yes. Unfortunately. Now, I know how much you love having me around, smothering you and all, but I really ought to get back to the office. Make sure they haven't deteriorated into complete anarchy yet. I'm…I also need to go for a bit tonight." This is followed with a pause, and the careful inspection of her appearance. "I have a meeting. With the Sheriff…only, he's not the Sheriff anymore. He's their King."

But there is a time and a place for serious talk. And even if that was the time? Well, Ivan is content to just leave it at that. Nope. She's frozen in inactivity, so he'll move forward. He lurches forward, wrapping his arms around her legs and clearly attempting to literally knock her down onto the couch with him. "Gotchya!"

It's easier for her to keep up appearances when he's doing well not to provoke her. She'd be more than willing to smile and laugh and relax all night long, but he does have to go and bring up something that bothers her. Faith is tempted to say something to him, to point out just how wrong he is and how he should stay, but then he's making a sudden move. As jumpy as she's been the last person she's ever thought to worry about is Ivan, so he successfully grabs a hold of her. The struggle to keep up, to break free, causes her to fall forward onto him, onto the couch. "ACK!" It is so sudden that it temporarily keeps her from speaking about how she really feels. Lucky, lucky Ivan.

Ivan lets out an "oof!" of pain when the young woman collapses onto him, though that sentiment is killed by the laugh that follows afterwards. And with the woman crushed up on top of him, you would think that Ivan would relent his grip on her - except you'd be wrong. His arms are no longer around her legs, but they are looped around her torso, and he holds her close to his person. Flush against one another, this is arguably the closest the pair have gotten since the events of the weekend, and with his cheeks healthily flushed, the witch smiles broadly to his girlfriend, allowing one hand to trail up and lose itself in her hair. "Hey there, Pretty girl. Long time no see." And his mischievous smile softens slightly. A cosmic ploy to keep her distracted? Considering who Ivan is? Well…probably.

At least it isn't falling on her backside. She's done that so often that she's well on her way to a damaged tailbone. It doesn't cross her mind that this is the closest that they've been. All she can think is that she's on top of her boyfriend, the co-father of her hamsters and a soon to be grandfather. Faith just watches him, not upset but not laughing as he is. "Yeah" It's hard to describe the feelings that are coursing through her. There's a desire to kiss him, one to just cuddle with him, but a different one wins out. "I don't want you to go." Oh, yeah, here it goes. "Stay with me? We can just be together, sleep together." Sleeping cuddled together, is what she means. "They'll hurt you." Even though she's basically pleading with him, she's not taking a sad tone. In the end she knows that he has a job to do.

Ivan had expected this. To some degree or another, he knew that his duties would not be taken to merrily by his esteemed significant other. And so Ivan takes in a deep, deliberate breath. His chest expands and contracts in turn, prompting the woman to rise and fall along with him, to literally feel his every breath. Just as she ought to be able to feel the faint pounding of his heart.

"Baby…I have to." He murmurs solemnly, just for her. "I'll be back. I wont stay too late. We'll still be together, we'll still sleep together. And, hell! We have time now. I'm still with you now. But, there are things, Faith, that I have to do. I have to deal with the questionable relationship between vampires and humans. I have to set up the interracial task force, to keep people from taking advantage of humans. I need to ensure your protection, above all else. And…I need to let him know that vampires are not the end all be all of this world." He clears his throat, lidded eyes examining hers as his forehead is tilted up to press against hers. "Don't worry about me, baby. They won't hurt me, unless they all want to die. I won't be touched, because they need me. I'm just going to go, then come right back here. To my home, with you and the…heh. The kids."

It is all felt and of course it is appreciated. It's almost amazing how special and wonderful such basic functions of the human body can be. She'd move at this point, not away but to reposition herself, but he's trying so hard. Faith allows their foreheads to touch for some time as her breathing slows. The young woman is doing her best not to be physically upset but it isn't really working so well, not at this point. "Do not put your life in danger, ever, because of me. Ever." She's said it before and she'll insist on it for the rest of her being. Her life is not worth his, especially not with something like this.

Finally Faith does pull away, only to literally nestle on top of him. Her head presses against his chest, against that heart that beats so wonderfully. "That is a promise I'll hold you to," she continues, thankful to be looking away from him through all of this. "That you'll come back. I can't stop you from your job even if I don't understand it. I don't want to be around it. Want nothing to do with any of it. None of it at all. Not unless you need me to. But just come back to me and I'll be okay."

The sigh Ivan emits when she pulls away from him is not positive, but it's not entirely negative either. It is tired, weary and almost tragically so. But when she ends up just nuzzling against his chest, the lad allows his eyes to close experimentally. His arms remain fixed around her, one stroking the back of her head in slow, languid movements. But something, some thought or another, prompts Ivan to let out a muffled snort of laughter. "Heh. Well…if it'll make you feel any better? I'm a selfish bastard. And a coward. I'm certainly not going to put myself in unnecessary risks."

There is a deliberate, thoughtful pause here. "This…is something I have to do, Faith. Not only for you, but for everyone. What if the same had happened to one of my sisters? It could have been them that was attacked. It could be anyone. And…someone has to do it. Someone has to curb their tyranny. And if something had happened to Helen, or to Scarlett? If something happens to them or to you now because I didn't put my foot down? Well, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. You understand that, right?" Beat. "You're not upset with me, are you?"

Hopefully she's not making him too miserable with the way she's against him because she's actually quite comfortable. The conversation brings the faintest of tears to her eyes before they streak down her face. They are few in number and do not last long. "I prefer you as a selfish bastard. It makes you safe and you can be hot doing it." At least she's -trying- to make jokes, even now. She's not acting like nearly the victim that she could be. Eventually her eyes do begin to drift close, the closeness between them almost demanding it.

"I'm not upset with you." Even with her eyes closed and the relaxation evident, she still sounds like she is telling the truth. "I'm honest. I love you and that won't change. I know this is something that needs to be done. I wish it could be someone else other than you but I can't demand that you not do it. I won't do it. You have to do your own thing. Just as long as you come back to me alive." At that moment she nuzzles into him again before sighing. "I just hope you don't take offense if I don't want to join you."

Ivan does not, indeed, mind the snuggling. The closeness of it, the pure intimacy is something he's grown exceedingly fond of during his relationship with Faith. Something that her and her innocence had drawn out from him, and something he never used to indulge in, as he was always in the school of thought that dictated 'why cuddle when we can do it'? But the slow, almost sleepy contention is almost enough to draw the young man into a catnap right here and now, unwilling as he is to disturb her and to move himself.

"Heh. Well, I hope you don't take offense when I say that I wouldn't let you join me even if you wanted to." He grumbles, the words a low, drawled vibration from within his chest. But then, his smile returns. Broad and boyish. "B'sides, you don't know it yet, but all this danger and crap? It's really hot. It turns you on, Faith. Makes you want me more and more, until you turn into this…this incredibly sexy ball of passion, desperate for my hot body. Ain't it true?" The tease is elaborate and deliberate - an attempt to distract her from the topic of choice.

It isn't fair, it really isn't. She wants to spend more time telling him just how much she doesn't want him to go anywhere. Yet his topic change is a double edged sword. Ivan has places to be but he might find this to be a daunting task. Despite how upset she's been through the brief conversation, Faith can't help but giggle. Yes, giggle. "Maybe." The word is soft and sleepy, exactly the way to describe the messed up Tyler twin. That's all she'll really say about it, because that's the way she is. Still, she is falling asleep and soon he'll be pinned beneath her. If he needs to get anywhere, he'll need to move the sleeping girl. Good thing she can sleep through a zombie apocalypse once she's actually out.

"Oh yeah, baby, I can just hear that intense burning lust for me. The passion of a thousand suns, that is. It's the stuff of epic legends and all the-…Faith? Faith, you with me?" Groggily, Ivan lifts his head to peer at the warm body found against his, blinking twice when he finds her unmoving and he breath steady. But after a moment of hesitation, he can't help but let out the faintest, softest of laughs. "Well…I've got a couple of hours." He tells himself as he snuggles back into the fabric of the couch, letting out a contented sigh, "I suppose I could use some extra rest. Anyway…sweet dreams, Pretty girl." And with this final drawl, the man falls silent, so as to not bother the sleeping princess and follow her to the land of slumber himself.

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