one more stupid love song *Chloe

[MASON MIEL CAIN]

OUTFIT

All in all, it had been quite an evening.

Mason's truck was full of chopped firewood, and he'd spent some quality time with Caim. He was still pulsing with adrenaline from chopping down and cutting up a tree, there was something so manly about using your hands to conquer the natural world. Not to mention doing so in front of a pretty girl. She was such a sad beauty, but she'd shown her funny side this afternoon and he was glad for it. Their lunch a few days before had been nice, but quiet. It was good to have a friend... An attractive one at that.

He was aware he must be bringing home a boatload of things for Chloe to feel but he wasn't deterred. nothing sad about him at the moment. Mason walked in and called out to his sister, "Hey I'm home." Before wandering into the kitchen for something to eat. He washed his arge hands in the sink and grabbed an apple off the counter. Mason then wandered into the living room and found a stack of dirty magazines along with a note to help himself out and chuckled with an embarrassed shake of his head.

"This isn't fair you know!" He called out to her, wherever she was.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

outfit

For some reason, Chloe had expected having Mason home would involve a bit more of his actually being home. Of course she knew he had a lot to do, but she seemed to remember spending more time with him before he'd gone off to jail. Then again, she hadn't had a job then and had had a lot more free time herself. Between everything he had going on and her work schedule, which always ensured she slept a lot when other people were awake, they weren't seeing each other all that much. On one hand, it was nice because Mason's feelings affected her so much more than she'd remembered. On the other hand, though, it gave her very little opportunity to tease her brother, and she had plenty to tease him about.

Having spent five years in jail, Mason had become more than a little sexually frustrated. Chloe could attest to that based on the feelings she kept picking up from him. It was exceptionally awkward, and in combination with the other things she was currently trying to reason out, like her own sexuality, it was starting to drive her crazy. She could hardly focus on herself when she was busy picking up on how badly her brother needed a lay.

After a few days, she'd gotten pretty fed up with it. Couldn't the guy take care of himself once in a while?! Deciding he might need a little help, or at least a bit of encouragement, she made a trip to the closest X Mart and stocked up on a few dirty magazines, which earned her quite the bemused look from the clerk. Returning home to find that her brother was still gone, she arranged the magazines on the coffee table near the couch and headed for the shower. She had work that night and wanted to be fresh.

She'd just gotten out of the shower, dressed, and combed her wet hair when she heard her brother call out that he was home. Smirking, she waited for the response that would tell her he'd found the little gift she'd left him. When he shouted out that it was unfair, she couldn't help but laugh. Shaking her head, she headed for the living room. "What's not fair is the way you walk around this place radiating sexual tension. Hookers need an income, too. It'd be a win win," she joked, grinning at her brother.

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[MASON MIEL CAIN]

Mason rolled his eyes, but he hadn't thought about how his sexual desires would be felt by her as well. He flipped one of the magazines open and was greeted by an oiled, naked blonde on a motorcycle. "You know there's free porn on the internet right?" Mason wasn't about to tell her that he generally liked auditory as well as visual aids. But even so, the idea of using porno rags his baby sister left for him was just wrong. Mason sighed and flipped to the next page, a brunette in a bikini and held it up to get a better look.

"I'm not hiring a hooker," Mason protested with a chuckle. He was in a good mood, he was physically tired, satisfied by a hard days work. Besides, he had a girl he was starting to like, even if she was far too young and sad and it was dumb of him to like her. But she wasn't judging him, and something was so nice about her. Mason realized that Chloe would catch up with him if he didn't distract her.

"I guess I'm supposed to wait until you're gone to 'take care of myself'?" he said quoting her note with a chuckle. If she stayed, she would know exactly what was happening and when.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Of course Chloe wasn't too naive to recognize the fact that the internet offered porn for free. But in her experience, the stuff you paid for was generally better. Besides, she was doing her brother a favor! Rolling her eyes at him, she let out a huff. "I'm sorry, you couldn't say thank you? In case you've never bought any yourself, porn is expensive!" She'd paid more for his stack of entertainment than she'd spent on a year subscription to Cosmo, which she would never admit to buying or reading. Even as she teased him, though, she could see that he was flipping through the pages. When he paused to check out a scantily clad brunette, she felt her cheeks heat up. This was so wrong on so many levels. But she really couldn't handle feeling his need for sex in addition to everything else.

She was just about to grumble about his refusing to hire a hooker when she realized it was the first time in days that she hadn't picked up any negative emotions from him. Furrowing her brow, Chloe watched her brother for a few seconds, waiting for something to change. He seemed oddly at peace and maybe a little excited. Like he'd just enjoyed something. Clearly not sex, or she probably would've picked up on that, but definitely something. She wanted to ask about it, but one look at the clock on the wall told her she didn't have time, so she settled for offering him a grin. "Fine, fine. No hooker. But keep doing whatever it was that's got you in a good mood," she murmured, heading for the kitchen.

Her shift was long, and while she did get a break later to eat, she knew she'd be hungry by then. Chloe was basically always hungry. She grabbed an apple and returned to the living room, her cheeks turning a bit pink at her brother's question. She hadn't quite thought that far ahead. She'd only considered the fact that she wanted him to stop being so sexually frustrated. Rolling her eyes, she stuck her tongue out at him. "Like you'd do it with me here anyway. I have to go to work, so if you can hold your horses for about twenty minutes, you'll be free to spend all the time you want with these ladies," she assured him, gesturing toward the stack of nudie magazines.

[MASON MIEL CAIN]

"Thank you Chloe," He said with a little smirk. Normally her being mad would have gotten him down, but he was feeling good at the moment, and these magazines were top notch. "How much do I owe you then?" He said. He had no issue paying her back for them, whether he used them or not. Mason shut the mag and put it back on the top of the stack.

Of course she noticed his mood, but he hadn't quite realized himself what a good mood he was actually in and nodded to himself with a smile. "I will, just for you." He teased, but he planned on seeing Caim again, as well as doing more manual labor. Both were excellent for his disposition. When she came out of the kitchen he chuckled and shook his head, "Duh." He would never do anything sex related while Chloe was around, that was just gross and unfair since she'd feel it all emotionally.

But when she mentioned work, he faltered a little. "You know, I really don't like that you work there," He said, not angrily, but just like he was worried about her. His issues with the place were obvious, he'd caused a bar brawl that almost resulted in a death. It wasn't exactly a safe place, or a place he wanted his family to be associated with.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Rolling her eyes at his smirk, Chloe sneered at her brother. "You're welcome, Mason," she replied, just a little sarcastically. Shaking her head at him, she let out a chuckle. She probably shouldn't have mentioned how expensive her little gift had been. Tips were good at the bar, and she could afford it. Especially now that Mason was around to help out again. The last thing she really wanted was for her to pay him back, but she shouldn't have been terribly surprised by his offer. "You owe me more of this good mood," she finally answered, determined that she wouldn't take money from him. There was no point in it really. Besides, given her ability to read every emotion he felt, paying her in good moods was far better than giving her money.

Even before he said anything, she could feel the fall of his mood. Chloe's lips turned down in a bit of a pout, disappointed by the change. She hated the dark cloud her brother seemed to live under, and she had been more than a little grateful for a reprieve for both of their sakes. It was her fault, really. She'd known before she even took the job at the bar that it would probably be a source of conflict between herself and her brother whenever he came home. After all, one night at that bar had sent his life into a downward spiral. But he'd been gone, and she'd had no choice but to find a job. Initially, she'd thought to move on to another workplace whenever Mason returned, but as it turned out, she really enjoyed her work, and leaving wasn't something she was even willing to consider at this point.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, she turned her gaze to meet his. "You don't have to like it," she told him slowly, as if explaining to a child, "But you're going to have to accept it. I like what I do. I'm not going to move on to some boring stereotypical girl job just because you have bad memories of the place. You don't ever have to come see me at work. I don't expect you to hang out there or anything. Shit, go get laid every time I'm at work if that's what it takes to distract you from it or whatever. But I'm not quitting." She couldn't help but get a little carried away with her emotions. Chloe had had to do a lot of growing up while she was gone, and she knew it was going to take Mason a while to understand that she didn't need taking care of anymore. It was probably also going to take him a while to realize how stubborn she'd become. She didn't take orders from anyone if she could help it, and she wasn't planning on starting now.

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[MASON MIEL CAIN]

Unfortunately, she had a point. Mason knew he didn't have to like it, or come visit her, or any of that. But he was her big brother and he would always want to be protective of her, even if he had missed the last five years and she was an adult without his help. "I just want you to be safe, okay?" He said by way of an apology. "You're a pretty girl--- woman, and it can get rough in there." He said. Chloe was petite and if Mason could get in trouble there, she certainly could.

"I'm glad you enjoy your work," Mason finally got out, trying to tell himself that was what mattered here. It wasn't that he wanted to deny her a job, or lessen her happiness, he just cared about her and would hate to see her hurt. He was here to look out for her now, if she needed him. Mason jsut wasn't used to her not needing him, though obviously she'd managed to do alright on her own for five years.

"I haven't seen you in five years, I'll get over it..." He assured her, hoping the words were true.

[CHLOE ALICE CAIN]

Even as she jumped head first into an argument about her chosen workplace, Chloe knew it wasn't worth it. Her brother was really just trying to be the brother he hadn't had the opportunity to be for the last few years. Still, she couldn't help but be frustrated by the fact that he still thought of her as someone who needed to be taken care of. Letting out a huff, she nodded, staring at his feet. "I know. I get it," she mumbled, though she really was trying not to let herself focus on it. She was still staring at her feet by the time he reasoned that he would get over it. Chloe hoped he could, but she wasn't entirely sure. If she was less stubborn, she might have actually decided to find a different place to work. As it was, though, she figured she deserved to be happy even if it made her brother uneasy.

Once she was sure he was finished talking, she dragged her gaze up to meet his. "I... uh... better go. I don't want to be late," she mumbled, offering him a halfhearted smile as she turned to head for the door.

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