Snapshots From A New Strangetown

Chapter Seventeen – Right Back Again

Vidcund beams as he steps into Strangetown's fanciest banquet hall with the twins early on a Saturday morning, the desert sun softly lighting up the corridor to the main room. Loki sighs as he drags his feet behind the trio, looking like he is about to die of boredom at any moment. He bolts forward to walk alongside Vidcund, "So, we're just going to make one round, right? Then we can leave?" he asks, already itching in his best suit.

"Loki," Vidcund sighs, rolling his eyes at the ceiling, "we're going to at least stay a few hours here. I really want to catch up with all my relatives," he states, stopping at the entrance to banquet room.

"You're joking, right?" Loki huffs, narrowing his eyes at the sign which reads 'Curious Family Reunion' behind his partner. Vidcund shakes his head causing Loki to let out an exasperated sigh, "Fine," he caves, crossing his arms, "but don't expect me not to complain about it."

Vidcund pushes the door open, allowing Atom and Ceres to race in first before stepping into the mostly-empty hall with Loki. Vidcund turns to him, lowering his voice a tad as they move away from the entrance, "Look, we just got here. Why do you want to leave so soon?"

"Because every time we go to these things, it's always the same old story. I sit here bored out of my mind while the three of you have fun gallivanting around the premises doing God knows what. And then I always get stuck sitting next to your Great Uncle Dex, who yammers on and on to me about the wonders of topsoil," Loki sarcastically spews, throwing his head back with a groan.

Vidcund smiles, "He likes you."

"Of course he likes me," Loki rolls his eyes, "cause he's the one person in this world who I actually want to hate me. God, it's hard being so likable!" Loki pauses slightly and cocks his eyebrow, now noticing Vidcund nervously surveying the scene, "You're looking for Lazlo, aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm really nervous about this, Loki," Vidcund confesses, fiddling with his hands, "This will be the first time I've seen him since I shut him out ten years ago, and I'm worried that I'll have no idea what to say to him."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Loki quips, grabbing a cocktail from the bar and downing it in one swig, "Lazlo is so enthralled by the sound of his own voice that he probably won't even hear you talking. God, your brother is a douche," he mutters.

"Now, Loki, play nice," Vidcund tells him, "I don't want you causing another scene."

"I am playing nice," Loki snaps, grabbing another drink from the bar, "that's why I'm getting the hell out of this place before he gets here," he declares, taking a sip of his drink before nudging Vidcund in the side, "Come on, let's go spend some time together before Pascal shows up."

Atom bolts past the pair and points to the three-tiered, pink-trimmed cake that is sitting on an elegant table across the room. "Oh my gosh, look at the frosting on that thing!" he shouts, barreling towards it.

"Atom, no!" Vidcund cries, immediately racing after their son while Ceres joins them from the opposite side of the room.

Loki stomach drops, finding himself abandoned in a matter of minutes. He sighs, already knowing that he is in for a long and dreary night, disappointed that he won't get to spend any much-needed alone time with his partner.

…

An hour later, the reunion is nearly in full swing as dozens of sims start conversing in the banquet hall. Pascal is standing with Tycho and the twins at the cake table, trying to estimate the metric volume of the dessert, while Vidcund stands nearby at one of the neatly-decorated buffet tables. Seeing this, Loki smiles and sneaks up on him.

"Hey, cutie," Loki coos, goosing his boyfriend from behind.

Vidcund eeps and blushes profusely, quickly scanning the area to make sure no one saw this daring display of affection. "Loki!" he squeaks, holding his drink tighter.

"Hey," Loki slyly grins, leaning forward and whispering in Vidcund's ear, "Let's mess around, okay? I'm getting bored."

Vidcund cocks his eyebrow, "We've only been here an hour."

"Exactly," Loki mutters.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but I just don't have the time tonight," Vidcund states, vigorously eyeing the front entrance, "Between confronting my brother and making sure Atom doesn't wreck everything in sight – I'm booked," Vidcund says, doing his best to let Loki down easy, "And I really don't want to risk embarrassing myself in front of my extended family again this year by being caught in a compromising position with you in the storage closet," Vidcund explains, lovingly placing his hand on Loki's shoulder, "We'll spend time together at home, alright?"

Loki nods, not bothering to mask his chagrin as he stares down at the carpet. He sighs, "Alright."

…

A half hour later, Loki finds himself right back where he started just a year prior, sitting at an empty table listening to a desperate old man's ramblings about one of the most mundane topics in existence. The table started out full, but everyone else fled the scene shortly after the hefty man started talking. Loki sighs, propping his head up with his hand as Vidcund's Great Uncle Dex continues ranting next to him, "You know, the way I see it, there are basically five types of garden soil: wet, dry, halfsies, festive rock, and mossy…"

"Oh God," Loki moans, hiding his face in his hands as Great Uncle Dex adjusts his thick, red glasses, which are only second to the monstrosity of the bright purple suspenders and the scarlet, checkered flannel shirt that he is wearing.

"Now, mossy is a tricky one because it looks different shades of green depending on the weather," Great Uncle Dex continues, completely obviously to the fact that his listener can barely keep his head up at the conversation.

"Uh-huh," Loki says, reluctantly listening next to him.

"And the weather can be so many different temperatures, like 76 degrees or 45 degrees…and that's not even counting the various kinds of weather like sun, half-sun, sun with an attitude, sun with sunglasses, and of course, rain sun."

Finally having enough, Loki sighs and slaps his hand down, his head aching from the unstimulating rambling. "Okay, no offense, Dex, but after talking to you for twenty minutes, I can definitely see why you're still single. I mean, I thought Pascal was the dorkiest Curious on the planet, but clearly, I got that one wrong. Yeesh!"

Great Uncle Dex huffs and stands up from his seat, visibly offended by Loki's outburst. Loki watches as he shuffles away from the table with his cane, muttering under his breath.

Loki sighs, his gaze wandering towards the entrance. His eyes land on Crystal, who has just stepped into the room with Lazlo, dressed in a jaw-dropping bright lavender ball gown. Loki lifts his head up, his face lighting up at the sight of her as he blocks out the other guests' excessive droning. Loki stands up in his seat, immediately entranced by her. He weaves through the crowd, determined to talk to Crystal, his sparkling gaze not leaving her face as he does so.

Loki stops a few feet behind Crystal and gently taps her on the shoulder. "Well, well, well, look who finally decided to show her face this year," Loki quips.

Recognizing his boisterous tone, Crystal immediately turns around and smiles. Behind her, her husband has his back to them and is bragging about his latest Rolex. "Loki!" Crystal beams, pulling the former physicist into a hug.

Loki freezes, blushing heavily at her touch. Of all the reactions she could've had to him, he had never expected this. "Well," Loki gasps, slowly returning the hug, "it's great to see you too."

The pair let go of each other and Crystal takes a step away from him. She nervously fiddles with her wedding ring, "So, what have you been up to?"

"Not too much," Loki replies, rolling back on his heels as he stuffs his hands into his pockets, "Oh, I uh-made another clone."

"Yeah, I know," Crystal smirks, setting her arms down at her sides, "You let it loose in my office, remember?"

Loki laughs, "Oh, yeah. That was awesome," he states with a satisfied nod.

They stand in silence for a moment, the tension in the air rising around them as neither Loki nor Crystal know what to say to each other.

After a few moments, Loki stares up at Crystal, his heart pounding rapidly in his chest. "Hey, um, I know you probably wouldn't be interested in this, but…would you like to go on the roof with me?"

Crystal looks to the side only to find Lazlo listing off his latest accomplishments to a trio of his relatives. She turns back to Loki and nods, "I would love that."

Loki's eyes widen slightly, in awe by her response, as he gestures her towards the staircase. "Well, alright then. Let's go."

…

Fifteen minutes later, Vidcund is sitting at an empty table, anxiously tapping his fingers against the tabletop as he watches Pascal converse with Lazlo across the room. Vidcund sighs, rolling his eyes when he sees the Armani suit complete with golden Rolex that Lazlo is sporting. Lazlo was never one to subtly flaunt his status, and Vidcund already knows that this cavalier display is going to be hard to stomach tonight.

Vidcund leans back against his chair, his heart sinking as Pascal waves Vidcund over to them. Vidcund reaches forward, grabs the nearest drink, and swigs it. He gives a heavy sigh, stands up from his seat, and cautiously shuffles over to his brothers.

"Hey," Vidcund quietly greets, giving a small wave to the pair.

Pascal waves back and watches as his two brothers stand awkwardly next to each other.

Vidcund looks to Pascal, who is sporting the biggest smile he has ever seen from him. Vidcund stares down at the carpet as Lazlo starts shuffling his feet, both of them too stiff to make eye contact.

After a vapid moment that seems to last forever, Lazlo clears his throat and stares up at his middle brother. "So…Vidcund," Lazlo begins, death-gripping his drink as he glances at Vidcund's signature blue-trimmed, white tuxedo, "Uh, you look the same."

"Thanks," Vidcund squeaks, forcing a grin as he gives his younger brother a once-over, "Um, so do you."

"Yep," Lazlo nods, an awkward silence vehemently making its presence known. Lazlo exhales and looks back at Vidcund, struggling to come up with some light conversation, "So, how are the kids?" he asks.

"They're good," Vidcund replies, eager to get this moment over with and praying for a disruption to do just that, "They uh, liked the bikes you got them."

"Oh, they did?" Lazlo states, somewhat surprised to hear this news, "I wasn't sure if you gave them to the twins or not," he says, trying to skirt around the sore spot, "I was worried that maybe someone destroyed them."

Vidcund cocks his forehead slightly, irate by Lazlo's suggestion as he can feel the anger bubbling up inside of him, "Who would destroy them?" he challenges.

"No one in particular," Lazlo quickly speaks, stumbling over his answer, "I was just saying words."

"Really?" Vidcund sarcastically coos, crossing his arms over his torso, "Cause I don't think that's what you meant by that."

Lazlo steps forward and shoots his brother a piercing glare, "Well, then enlighten me, Vidcund. What exactly did you think I was implying?"

"Hey! Who wants a crab puff?" Pascal swiftly intervenes, placing a hand on both of his brothers' shoulders as he attempts to lighten the mood, "I'm starving!" he smiles.

Vidcund ignores Pascal and narrows his eyes at Lazlo, the pair now locked into a rather intense stare down, "I think you were clearly implying that my boyfriend would ruin them," he growls, a sour taste in his mouth.

"Well, perhaps he would," Lazlo begins, fire in his words as he spits out veracity, "because he has a habit of putting his nose where he shouldn't!"

"And I have a habit of eating carrots in the bathtub!" Pascal beams, trying to keep the two from killing each other, "Let's just move on-"

"You know what, Lazlo?" Vidcund hisses, Pascal's advice falling on deaf ears, "Maybe you should be a little more respectful to the father of my children!"

"Oh, I will," Lazlo steps forward once more, getting in Vidcund's face, "the second he quits lusting after my wife!"

"Oh my God! You actually think he's still going gaga for Crystal?" Vidcund shouts, their argument how attracting a small crowd, "Get over yourself! They barely even see each other!"

Pascal steps back and glances around the room as Lazlo and Vidcund keep bickering with one another. Pascal's stomach drops when he notices the two sims in question are mysteriously gone. His eyes trail to the carpet as Vidcund and Lazlo continue unleashing all hell at each other. Pascal sighs.

…

Meanwhile, Loki and Crystal are sitting on the roof of the banquet hall deep in a conversation about life. Loki sighs as they sit side by side on the roof, staring up at the clouds. "It's just-it's been ten years and he's still expecting things to change, even though I told him going in that it wasn't going to happen," Loki reveals as Crystal continues listening intently next to him, "Then he drags me here and expects me to be happy about it. I don't know, I guess it just feels like Vidcund doesn't know me at all."

"Yeah," Crystal says, surprisingly understanding about the whole thing, "I know what you mean. Sometimes I feel that way about Lazlo."

"Oh?" Loki squeaks, pretending to be surprised.

Crystal nods, "Yeah, Lazlo is still pressuring me to conceive even though he knows I really don't want children," she reveals, sensing the elephant in the room around them, "And I think you know why." Loki nods and stares down at the roof. He fiddles with his sleeves, not saying a word, as Crystal pauses and cracks a small smile, "You know, that was a great trick you pulled on me," Crystal reveals, her mind clearly elsewhere, "setting that clone loose in SimSanto."

Loki nods, "How long did it take you to realize he wasn't me?"

"Well, I thought he might've been you for a good fifteen seconds," Crystal begins, adjusting her back, "but then I quickly realized that you would never chew on your sweater."

Loki gives a small nose laugh, causing Crystal to laugh as well before an intense wave of emotion washes over her. Crystal stares down at the roof and sighs, the dawning of old, repressed feelings coming over her. "Loki?" Crystal speaks, the tension looming around them. She can barely push the words out, "Are you still in love with me?"

Loki freezes in place as he stares straight ahead at the horizon, his mind racing a mile a minute. "Come on, Crystal. What do you expect me to say to that?" he wonders, now on the brink of tears, "You're not going to like whatever answer I give you."

"I know," Crystal nods, turning to gaze at his facial features, "but…it would be nice to hear the truth."

Loki sighs and stares down at the rooftop, collecting all of his courage before he turns and locks eyes with the one person who actually makes him feel vulnerable. "No, Crystal," he states, "I'm not in love with you."

"Oh," Crystal squeaks, clearly taken off-guard by his response as she gives a small nod, "Well, that's…great."

"Yeah," Loki lackadaisically says as he fiddles with his sleeve once more.

…

Fifteen minutes later, Vidcund is standing next to Pascal in front of the three-tiered cake, analyzing every aspect of his failed conversation with Lazlo. "Hey, I still don't think it was that bad," Vidcund confesses, hanging onto his fifth drink of the event, "I mean, we went more than five minutes without screaming at each other, and the only reason why we started in the first place was because of his pompous attitude-"

"Oh, that is it, Vidcund!" Lazlo yells, stepping out from behind the dessert table, "Don't you dare try to pin your failings on me!"

"Failings? What failings?!" Vidcund shrieks as Pascal quickly takes cover behind the nearest buffet table, "I have nothing to be ashamed of! You're the one who's always trying to make me feel bad about my life!"

"Because you choose to waste your time with an abusive asshole!"

Time stands still as an inferno blazes in Vidcund's eyes. "Oh, you are going to regret saying that!" Vidcund roars. The pair lunges forward, getting into an all-out brawl. In no time, they are surrounded by a crowd of chanting Curiouses.

"No, not the cake!" Pascal shrieks as his brothers knock into the delicate dessert, the pink and white frosting getting all over them. "Well, something tells me I'm going to be describing this to my future therapist," he sweatdrops.

…

An hour later, Crystal and Loki are still sitting on the roof, the latter now sitting on his discarded jacket as the pair continue with their casual discussion. Loki stares pensively at a cloud and sighs, "You know, it was my birthday last week."

"Ah, yes," Crystal replies, happy that she hasn't dampened his spirits. She crosses her legs causing a small purple book to fall out of her pocket, "the big four-five. I'm sorry, I would've texted you, but I know how much you hate getting old-" Crystal turns to the side, now noticing Loki holding the fallen object in his hand, a peculiar look spread across his face as he stares down at the cover.

"Holy shit…you're evil?" Loki squeaks as he flimsily holds up the book entitled, Crystal Vu's Top Secret Inventions, which has a bright yellow image of a skull and crossbones on it.

She nods and quickly snatches it from him, "Yes," she confirms, "I just don't parade it around like you. Want to see?" she offers, opening to a random page and handing the book back to him. Loki takes it from her and blazes through the pages, amazed by what he finds.

"Oh God, that's positively diabolical!" he raves, quickly dropping the book on the roof. Loki stands up abruptly and turns away from his former boss, "Oh man. You need to get out of here. Now."

"What? Why?" Crystal squeaks, slowly standing up next to him as she flimsily holds the book in her hands.

"Crystal, I mean it," Loki distressingly says, covering his face with his hand as he paces the roof, "If you stay here any longer, then I'm probably going to be tempted because I still really like you, even after you married Douchebag LaRue," Loki vents, unable to hide his feelings anymore, "And there's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you…about the two of us being together," Crystal stops in place, her face softening at this news, "And then you come here tonight and you're still just as stunning as you were ten years ago, and you tell me that you're evil-and all I can say is…thanks a lot, universe! Message received!" Loki blares, sarcastically throwing his arms up at the clouds.

Crystal steps forward, her eyes not leaving Loki since he erupted into this rant. She steps forward and puts her hands gently on his forearms, stopping him in place. "Loki, it's okay. Everything's going to be alright," Crystal soothingly tells him as she stares into his eyes.

"No, no, it won't," Loki confesses, feeling like he is going to vomit at any moment, "Because I still like you, okay? What do you want me to say? That I don't?"

Crystal cocks her forehead, her eyes filling with concern, "Loki-"

"You know, I tried to suppress it, but I can't anymore. I love you, Crystal."

At this, Loki steps back, his face flushing in embarrassment. Crystal watches as Loki picks up his jacket and exits the premises, leaving her shocked and alone. Crystal steps back and turns towards the horizon, hugging herself as the wind picks up around her, the impending storm only second to the one she is feeling in her heart as she watches Loki depart.

…

"Unbelievable! I can't believe that you guys would do this!" Pascal fires into the nearly-empty banquet hall, scolding his two brothers who are shamefully staring down at the carpet, covered in frosting from head to toe. Behind them, several of their relatives are exiting the premises, shaking their heads at the pair before they do so, "You know, you two have put me in a very awkward position for the last ten years! Is it really that hard for you to get along for five freakin' minutes?"

"Okay, we get it," Vidcund speaks, wiping some of the frosting off his glasses before slipping them back up the bridge of his nose, "We're sorry, Pascal."

"Yeah, and I'll pay for the cake," Lazlo offers, "It'll be easy with my impressive salary."

Pascal turns to the side, now noticing the enraged expression forming on his middle brother's face. Pascal quickly bolts forward and holds his arm back, "Vidcund, no! Think of the insurance claims!"

Vidcund sighs as he reluctantly places his arm down, watching as Lazlo stands up from his seat and turns to them. "Well, this was…fun," Lazlo mutters, racking his brain for something positive to say about the banquet, "I uh, guess I'll see you in another ten years."

Vidcund and Pascal watch as Lazlo heads towards the exit, the former's stress level dropping the further Lazlo treks away. Vidcund looks to Pascal, who is gazing down at the carpet in sorrow. A tinge of guilt forms in Vidcund's stomach. "Lazlo, wait!" Vidcund sighs, quickly catching up to him. Lazlo stops in his tracks and turns to Vidcund, his fists clenched softly at his sides.

"Look Lazlo, I'm really sorry about what happened today," Vidcund states sincerely, staring into his younger brother's eyes, "I don't hate you. The truth is I was just kinda jealous because you're doing so well without me and here I am failing in my relationship with Loki, and I took that anger out on you."

"Oh," Lazlo squeaks, unsure how to process all this, "I'm sorry to hear that."

"Really?" Vidcund squeaks, his mind reeling over Lazlo's words.

"Yeah," Lazlo nods, not a hint of sarcasm in his voice. He pats Vidcund once on the shoulder, looking as though it is painful for him to continue, "I know how much you like him."

Vidcund nods, unable to believe how genuine Lazlo is being, "Yes, I do."

"Well, uh…if you guys are ever in Veronaville. Give me a call," Lazlo says, casually dropping an invite as he turns back towards the entrance, a smile forming in the corner of his lip.

"Yeah," Vidcund replies, barely able to keep his head up, "Will do."

Lazlo stops at the doorway and gives a single wave before going through the double doors and disappearing out of sight.

Vidcund stands stationary in the center of the banquet hall, his mind racing a mile a minute over their surprisingly pleasant conversation. Pascal smiles as he walks up behind him and pats Vidcund cheerfully on the shoulder.

"I'm proud of you, Vidcund," Pascal awes.

"Well," Vidcund sighs, his mind now shifting to thoughts of Loki, "I'll always have that."

Pascal steps away slightly when he spies Loki walking towards them, the former physicist's face devoid of emotion. Pascal smiles and pats Vidcund on the back once again before taking off to find Tycho. Loki slowly approaches Vidcund, his hands in his pockets, as he stares down at the carpet.

"Hey," Vidcund greets, turning towards his partner, "Where have you been?"

"I was, uh, on the roof," Loki confesses, casually pointing his thumb over his shoulder, "I just needed some fresh air."

"Ah," Vidcund replies as his attention shifts to a stack of dirty dishes. Loki watches as Vidcund walks over to a nearby table and cleans them up, his boyfriend's unusual appearance now registering in his mind. "By the way, did you make Great Uncle Dex cry?"

"I don't know, probably," Loki shrugs, staring down at the stack of plates, "He seems like someone who's emotionally fragile. What the hell happened to you?" he wonders, gesturing at the frosting on Vidcund's tuxedo with a smirk.

"I got into a fight with Lazlo," Vidcund confesses, watching as Loki tries to smother his laughter. Vidcund cocks his eyebrow, "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"

Loki nods smugly, crossing his arms loosely over his torso, "And you were worried about me causing a scene."

Vidcund sighs and shakes his head at the floor as he continues cleaning up the table in front of them, "Bad things happen when we get together with them."

Loki winces slightly and hugs himself as he steps away from the table. If only Vidcund knew how accurate that statement really is.