davidhatter

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

This was a fair point, but it also didn't mean that this wouldn't become the moment where Mr. Bae would get frustrated or offended by Hatter saying something wrong about this particular situation.

But it didn't seem like Mr. Bae was willing to let it go, and Hatter didn't want to build it up to be a larger deal than what it was. Then it would become more than just his emotional reaction, it would be about him keeping something that Mr. Bae was asking him for. He breathed in, preparing himself for the awful conversation that they were about to embark on and trying to get his thoughts to settle themselves in order to have it. It was just hard to do when he was already overwhelmed and also had Mr. Bae right there, saying things like our bed, which did not help his plight.

"That's not crazy," he said first, wanting to put those statements to rest. "It's not exactly comparable. You had reason and past experiences that made you feel that way."

Hatter, wrongly, did not think he had reason to feel or think the way in which he did. He didn't perceive the past wounds inflicted on him to have longevity in that way.

"I do trust you and your word. It's– everyone else. That man acted as if it was perfectly fine to flirt with you, even after you'd said we were together and I was right there. I don't...enjoy the thought of others thinking of you in that way. Or that they have an opportunity," he said. "Which isn't fine because it's not as if I can control the thoughts of others, and it isn't as if it's difficult to understand why they would want you."

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@justkeepdancing-nemo

It was something. So much so that even Hatter caught it. He was present and careful enough to not show it outwardly but he acknowledged that it was a big deal to be included. Or maybe he just thought it was a big deal. Either way, he felt very grateful toward the kid for having said it at all.

And, look, Hatter would have shuddered at the use of the word step-dad, too. Not because he wouldn't have wanted to be such a thing, but because it felt like a gross overstepping and mislabeling.

Nemo already had a dad. Nemo had been raised by him. To Hatter, Nemo didn't need another parent, he already had what he needed in Mr. Bae and the last thing Hatter was going to do was pretend like he had some authority over the kid just because of his relationship to his father, or because he was older. He would take whatever Nemo was willing to give– but his hope was that they could at least be friends.

"I will," he agreed simply, not wanting to draw attention to what Nemo might not have perceived as deep. "Thank you. Sorry if I ask too many questions. You can always tell me to go read book on the subject instead if you get tired of explaining."

Help! I'm Trapped With My Dad's Socially Awkward Boyfriend! || Natter

[davidhatter]

@menodoramoon

No, she was hardly what Hatter would consider strange. In a town like this the shoppe sometimes felt as if it had a sign outside of it that read, Got a problem? Come on in and tell us about it. Or better yet, bring it in with you. There were countless of different characters he had run into over the years that had wandered in for one reason or another. Some of them had stuck around to do it over and over again, making it apart of the routine. But then, he supposed, they had lost most of what made them strange as it just became familiar to him over the years.

The only strange thing about it was that she was asking him about it. Of all people. He was by no means a master of the craft. There was still years for him to go until he could claim such knowledge and wisdom over it. (Though he was hardly the sort to do such a thing, even if, or when, he did achieve such a feat.) Hatter felt like he was the last person anyone should come to about magic, even if it was about kitchen witchery.

He nodded at her introduction, having heard the name before when she placed her orders, but knew it was different when someone was giving their name as a way of meeting. His brows raised slightly at the reveal that her mother had been a kitchen witch and he nodded again, only once as he came to understand where this was probably coming from.

Hatter hesitated, now seeing that she was looking for an actual conversation, which instantly had him wanting to excuse himself so he could disappear into the back until the coast was clear. But...well, she had mentioned her mother, and from the sounds of it she had been both important and yet out of reach. It struck like a tuning fork, hitting the frequency inside him perfectly.

He looked over to the counter, where the two on shift had resulted to doing busy work due to the lack of anything else to do, and then turned back to the woman. Hatter indicated to the table she had risen from, stepping toward it to sit himself. He reached up to readjust the hat on his head as he thought over the question.

"Like I said, I'm not sure my answers will be helpful to you. But erm, it wasn't anything remarkable or earth shattering. It was just making something I'd made a hundred times before and someone saying it helped them to feel better." He gave a shrug. "What made you know it wasn't right for you?"

celestial seasonings || teacakes

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

This did not help to persuade Hatter into sharing what he was thinking or feeling. Instead he felt like he needed to double down in hiding it away, hearing Mr. Bae call it what it was. A problem. Embarrassing. Something that would make him rethink Hatter and their relationship, and have him wondering why he agreed to a closed relationship when there were people like the man at the market out there in the world.

Which, he knew as soon as he thought it, was a slight on Mr. Bae's person and that had him feeling all the worse– suddenly driven to thinking the worst of his partner because of his own irrationality.

"I know," he sighed, still not returning the affection. A difficult feat. "I don't know what to say." A beat. "Or how, rather."

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

The shame continued to burn away at him because, well, that was the thing wasn't it? It wasn't a little, and he knew that Mr. Bae didn't really understand it due to the differences in culture. So, to Hatter, it didn't make sense to talk about and burden him with something that was already silly but what would no doubt sound about as real as left handed cutlery.

He huffed a touch at the last comment, wondering how Mr. Bae could think that when Hatter did not view himself as such a person. But perhaps that just went to show how enthusiastic everyone else seemed to him.

The physical proximity both helped and made it all the worse. He wanted to return it, but then he also wanted to place himself in another room with the door locked until he could mature into the person Mr. Bae deserved. Caught in between, he could do nothing but stand in Mr. Bae's hold. The kitchen, though, responded with something in the fridge knocking around. He glanced back at it, wishing they were in any other room, so that his own magic would stop showing his hand.

"No, that's alright. Like I said, it is not your problem to deal with," he replied.

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@mrsrcbinscn

Hatter sat back, eyeing the options set in front of him with this information to think on now. It didn't really change the perspective of the Lord of the Flies card since, all and all, they were still children. A lost of semantics could go into that card, like at what point in the book have the characters been taken out and put on the track? Either way, they were children. The same went for those that had committed war crimes.

On the other track, the only one he'd feel really poorly over sentencing to death was the orphan. He didn't have a one that got away and the assassin bear seemed pretty horrific to be chosen over that of the innocent family that was trying to escape pollution.

He let out a slow sigh, decision made.

"Alright, then I'll go with this one since it'd only be two lives versus the many," he said, touching a finger to the track with the orphan card.

Game Night, Bitches || Fratter

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

The confirmation that the man and Mr. Bae had been involved made it both better and worse. Better, in that it made the other man's behavior make more sense and that Hatter hadn't been mistaken when reading between the lines as far as the touches to Mr. Bae's person and the deliberate wordage he had used. Worse...well, that was obvious, wasn't it?

And it wasn't like Hatter didn't know these things about Mr. Bae. He had heard about plenty of his past experiences since Mr. Bae had never been shy about sharing the information with him, even when they had been friends. It honestly would have been more unbelievable that Mr. Bae hadn't been involved with anyone before they had entered a relationship. No, that wasn't the part that bothered him.

He sighed quietly at the question, keeping his eyes cast downward to watch as Mr. Bae picked up his hand and tried to comfort him. It only made feel worse, like he was the adolescent child his emotions were proving him to have never grown out of. Hatter gave a stiff nod in answer.

"I'm sorry," he repeated. "It isn't your fault. Or your responsibility to make me feel better about it. Or that I even should feel better about it."

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@justkeepdancing-nemo

That seemed like a very strange concept to him, whose understanding and liking of musicians came from some sense of them being an organic creation of themselves. But, he knew that to be somewhat of a falsehood for the grand majority of them. Franny, for instance, was a rarity since he had known her before the rest of the world had figured out her talents.

It must have been a good path to take for the artists, though, right? If Nemo was calling it the traditional way then it was the one most traveled by these sorts of people. He supposed it would make sense that the people wanting to make money would seek out the talent to do so, much like a movie or play or the like.

"Then I take it there aren't many who would try to make it on their own without the help of a company?"

Help! I'm Trapped With My Dad's Socially Awkward Boyfriend! || Natter

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

"No," he replied on a dejected sigh, finally having gotten the dial that had been fighting him to turn down. A hand scrubbed at his mouth for a moment, keeping himself from saying anything else for a few more seconds. He could not lie to Mr. Bae, but he didn't want Mr. Bae to know about his malformed emotions, either.

Hatter turned, allowing his gaze to meet Mr. Bae's, seeing the concern that he had put there. And clearing Mr. Bae's worry of any wrong doing was far more important to him than his own shame.

"You did nothing wrong. You're right. It's me," he agreed. "I...after meeting your– whatever he was, my heads not on correctly. I don't want to inflict them on you, especially not–" Hatter gestured to himself, then Mr. Bae, trying to indicate to what had just been about to happen, "–like that. I'm sorry. It's my problem, not yours."

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

Hatter had intended to avoid Mr. Bae, to retreat after he had finished putting the groceries where they needed to go and find some reason to be elsewhere to get over himself. The way he was feeling was inane and it had no place in the relationship.

As a sorcerer, it was a tangible thing to him and he didn't want it getting near Mr. Bae the same way he wouldn't have wanted fire to burn him or grotesque sludge to stain his skin or clothes. He knew it wouldn't have been fair to stay away from Mr. Bae, to seemingly punish him for something that was entirely Hatter's fault, but it would have been better than letting him see how juvenile he was being.

Instead, Mr. Bae had taken it upon himself to step right into it, standing between Hatter and the vegetables he had been holding. He was always so beautiful and his offer tempting.

So much so that Hatter let go of the groceries in favor of pulling Mr. Bae closer, one hand on the back of his neck while the other fit into the small of his back. He even tilted his head, enough so that the bill of his cap didn't clock Mr. Bae in the face, and leaned forward– but stopped short.

It wouldn't be right to kiss him like this. Already, the probably too tight grip he had was deplorable. Ashamed, Hatter let go and stepped away.

"I'm sorry," he said at the same time the oven beeped, apparently already preheated to a toasty 230°C. It made Hatter frown, stepping over to twist the dials back to their off position.

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@menodoramoon

From where she had started, Hatter had no idea where it was going to go. At first he thought he might have been about to get lectured, either for having magic in the shoppe at all or for it being done a certain way, that he wasn't traditional enough with the way in which he practiced. But the emotion that came through had him hanging tight to the defensive guard that had been about to be set up in anticipation.

He was surprised by her actual questions, eyes glancing back toward the table where the other witches continued on with their task and conversation. Hatter considered telling her that she would have a much better conversation with any one of them instead but thought better of it, not wanting to come off as dismissive or rude.

"No, um, no, not at all," he replied to the last question first, since it seemed like a disclaimer. His brow furrowed, "I'm afraid my answer isn't a very good one, though. I didn't know it was right for me until I was...40, maybe? Up until then, it was just the specialty I learned because it was the one I had time for."

He paused, then added, "As for your initial question– yes. That's sort of what it's all about. Food and eating is both creating new memories and evoking old memories."

celestial seasonings || teacakes

[davidhatter]

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Train. That was a novel concept to Hatter, who had never particularly paid attention to how any performers went about getting ready. He'd heard words like rehearsals and classes and camp and the like, but not a training. That seemed to imply an intensity to it that he had never put much thought toward, but that was because he hardly ever sought out live shows, either in life or in recording to be watched on screen. And while Swynlake had them, and while they were well done most of the time, the scale was far smaller than anything that was going to be put on television for a large audience base.

The older he got, the bigger the world became and the more he realized he didn't know anything about a lot of things. To Hatter, this was a very nice feeling. For someone who had lived in such a small town where sometimes a week could blend into the same day, it was interesting hearing about things like this from people who had taken the time to learn and love them.

"Groups? So...then a group would approach an agency? Or do individuals and the agency groups them together?" he asked.

Help! I'm Trapped With My Dad's Socially Awkward Boyfriend! || Natter

[davidhatter]

@mrsrcbinscn

Hatter sat with his elbows resting on his thigh, his hands linked together and pressed against his mouth as he watched the respective teams go about placing the cards for his turn. He made no noise or facial expression with each new card that had been added to the tracks, merely watched with his usual neutral expression until the end.

On the inside, though, all he could think about was how strange the person(s) who came up with the potential victims had to be. And also what a strange life it was to be at this point in time where card games had advanced to this point.

He was reeled back in from this by Franny and Mr. Bae and breathed in deeply, regarding his choices once more. Just from a numbers perspective, the track with the orphan, the one that got away, and the bear were less lives lost. But then the other track had war criminals– albeit they were children.

He looked up at the two groups and then moved his hands so he could speak, "The Lord of the Flies card says awful kids, does that mean it's only the ones like Jack and spares the ones that were manipulated? Or just all of them? And what does this card mean?" He pointed to the one that got away. "Got away from what?"

Game Night, Bitches || Fratter

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

To Hatter, the glance had been anything but subtle. It had been point blank, as if the stranger had reached across the space and slapped him in the forehead with the message that had been nothing but the briefest of movements. Just as all his other comments had felt.

This was probably because it was like getting confirmation of all the thoughts he'd already gone over in his own head several hundred times from someone who didn't even know him. Somehow it seemed to give it more validity coming from someone who had only needed the remedial information in order to come to the same conclusions he had. Also, he apparently knew Mr. Bae and Mr. Bae knew him, so he did know something things. Enough things.

He did remain quiet but for the opposite of his usual reasons. This time he was having to keep himself from saying something, because the first thing out of his mouth was going to be something stupid regarding the situation they had just wandered away from. Hatter knew he couldn't continue on that way for the whole night, so he needed to sort his thoughts out on the trip back to the flat.

Unfortunately for the both of them, he did not manage to wring out the unwanted emotions.

"Whenever you'd like," he said, having stepped into the kitchen to set the grocery bags down on the counter. The lights flicked on, flaring brightly for a moment as the bulbs buzzed before falling back down to their normal wattage, courtesy of the kitchen falling victim to Hatter's current state, too.

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

As soon as Mr. Bae noticed him and gestured him over Hatter knew he had made the exact wrong decision. Now he was going to have to have a conversation with whoever this person was. Or rather, be a witness to whatever conversation took place between him and Mr. Bae. When Mr. Bae introduced them Hatter stuck out his hand, as was only polite, only to be ignored in favor of the man, a doctor apparently, making a comment about his and Mr. Bae's relationship.

He took his hand back from the space between, thinking it best to clasp behind him with the other. Which was the right decision as he watched the man get closer to Mr. Bae to touch him once more.

It was a very absurd thing, what Hatter was feeling. It had been over a year since they had been in a relationship and there had never been any sense or thought of distrust. But for whatever reason, that horrible feeling of insecurity showed its hand when things like this happened.

Unacknowledged by Hatter, it obviously had everything to do with a past wound that he had never tended to properly. So it had stayed with him, and the familiar pain this sort of thing evoked had him acting like an idiot.

He shook his head in reply to the question directed to him but did not say anything.

You Jealous? || Hatfish

[davidhatter]

@justkeepdancing-nemo

Right. Hatter nodded, knowing now upon hearing Nemo's answer that it hadn't been a very good question. Enjoyment was a subjective thing. He had just been thinking since Nemo had seen these programs and seemed to understand the sort of mindset someone would have to go on the show, that he might have some insight. Hatter was usually good about not trying to assume another's thoughts or feelings, so why ask someone else to?

He had been willing to let the subject rest there, not wanting to blunder any more– but then curiosity got the better of him again.

"Traditional route?" he echoed back to Nemo because no. No, he did not know what that entailed. Did that just mean putting their music out into the world and hoping that it would garner fans?

Help! I'm Trapped With My Dad's Socially Awkward Boyfriend! || Natter

[davidhatter]

@baenxietydad

For the record, Hatter would never throw a bag of flour at someone's head– it was far too much a waste of a perfectly good ingredient.

Not to mention Moon would pitch a fit when the stuff coated the place in a layer of the thick white dust. Hatter was always having to clean up after people who thought dumping their drink over someone's head in the tea shoppe, hard be it from him to do something like that to another establishment owner.

Also, obviously, it would be a very immature thing to do. And he was a fully grown human being who could understand that his maligned emotions were misplaced. They were rooted in something wrong with himself rather than anything the man speaking with Mr. Bae.

That didn't mean he didn't feel them though.

Which was why he stayed put and did not wander over there to interrupt the conversation, not wanting to embarrass Mr. Bae in front of his– whoever the hell that was, by acting like an idiot. But then the stranger reached out to brush his hand at Mr. Bae's sleeve and suddenly he was approaching the pair of them, stopping a few paces away.

His senses found him again, though it was too late to not be spotted, and he just found himself awkwardly lingering– waiting for invitation to join or wondering if he should just peel off and go stick his head in the refrigerated section.

You Jealous? || Hatfish