travelingreportersam

[travelingreportersam]

He ran a hand along his face, not even sure how to come out and say everything (pun not intended). It had been a secret from his family for so long, that to say it aloud to the person he considered a little sister felt damn near impossible. Taking a long exhale, Sam finally decided fuck it. "Remember when I introduced you to Lonnie? I....wasn't totally honest. We're friends, yeah, but....at the time he was actually my boyfriend." He winced, feeling his stomach already twisting in knots. One part of the confession at a time. It was all he could manage without feeling like he would be sick.

Willa wasn’t sure she would get anything out of him, but the way Sam said those words, she realized it must be even more serious than she imagined. She looked over at him and nodded. “Of course, I won’t say a thing to anyone, unless you tell me otherwise,” she promised.

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Another tight lipped smile. "Sounding like my ex again." It wasn't her fault, but the sting was certainly still there. The smile turned warmer as he bumped Zoja back. "Thank you, really. You're a good person Zoja."

"Hey, adding therapist to your job description now? He really can't be stopped." Zoja jokes, shifting just so she can bump her shoulder to his. After a moment, though, she smiles. "I appreciate that. Really. And the same thing for you, obviously. I'm here to talk if you need it."

[travelingreportersam]

His instinct said to brush it off, to assure Willa everything was fine, but it was always harder to outright lie to her. And if Sam was being honest with himself, he was tired of lying to his family for the past 30 years. Even if it was just one person, maybe it would be a relief to share some of that burden? With a heavy sigh Sam ran his hand along his face. The need for a cigarette was strong right now.

"You can't tell Jonathan. Promise you won't."

Willa shrugged in response. “I don’t know, can’t put my finger on it,” she sighed. “I just thought maybe you wanted to tell me something a couple times but then you never did so I thought I’d just reassure you that you can tell me anything. If there’s nothing, then my bad.”

[travelingreportersam]

He shook his head with a wane smile. "I learned pretty early in my career to get sleep any chance you can. Sometimes the most news worthy things happen in the middle of the night. Or when you least expect it. Plus I usually prefer watching documentaries, or reading."

“keeping up with..?” leo chuckled. “it’s watching movies, you’re telling me with all your traveling you never just popped on a movie during commute or something?”

[travelingreportersam]

Sam nodded, in complete understanding. "If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here."

"Hey, that's a pretty big win to me. Or a pretty big handful of wins," Zoja says firmly. His comment makes her sigh. Thinking about Beryl brought on a whole bunch of feelings that were hard for her to confront. Ones she tried her hardest to shove to the back of her mind where they belonged. "We're doing as well as we can. I think she hurts more than she shows." She shrugs. "You keep moving, though. You know? You don't forget but you can't let it stop you."

[travelingreportersam]

Sam gave a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head. "Only a year now. I used to travel for work, so keeping up with pop culture was never really feasible."

"oh yeah there's lots of spidermen, how long have you been in this place? video games aside they actually made a movie where three different spidermans came into a single universe and the miles morales one also deals with multiverses and has different versions of spiderman."

[travelingreportersam]

He took a seat in the other seat, brows furrowing in confusion. "Off? Off how?" As far as Sam could tell he hadn't acted any different....aside from the stress of having to hide having a boyfriend when Wila first came to town. There were reasons he didn't typically date. It just was never a good idea. But that was months ago, surely there couldn't be anything else.

@travelingreportersam

Willa had been happy to stop by Sam’s place in the morning, she even brought him a coffee along with her own as she sat down after being let inside. “Ok cuz, I have to say it. I feel like something has been off with you since I got here and that there’s something you’re not telling me. Am I super off base here?”

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His confusion only became more apparent. "There's....more than one Spiderman?" Sam was the first to admit he had a pretty surface level grasp on pop culture. He just never really had the time.

“not really,” leo answered with a shrug, “depends on the spider-man though but i have spider-man miles morales which is its own separate franchise from the regular games.”

[travelingreportersam]

He laughed, shaking his head. "Would it actually kill you to have some optimism? Who knows, it could be fun." Sam's expression dropped some as he ran a hand through his hair. "I mean, sure. I'm working on something, but I've ran into so many different dead ends. I have strong theories, but nothing substantial to back it up."

"Oh, the speed dates!" Mirana snaps her fingers as if just presented with a treat. "Did you sign up for that? My money's on that it's a hell of shitshow. So I signed up, of course." Her eyes narrow in something akin to skepticism. "That's it? I don't believe for a second the most interesting thing you're working on is a date night."

[travelingreportersam]

Sam let out a long sigh. "Trying to, anyway. Though I was the one that reported on the portals, so there are a handful of wins." His expression softened. "I am so sorry for your loss. I can't even begin to imagine. How is your sister-in-law holding up? Or shit, even you?"

"wow," zoja's brows raise. "i mean... shitty that you're here, of course, but at least you're figuring things out, right?" she offers. the question makes her pause. "it's complicated," she responds after a moment. "my brother and i weren't talking, he passed away and i heard his wife was here so i felt like i needed to be there for her." and also because she was in love with her, but that part didn't sound so good to say out loud.

[travelingreportersam]

Walking over to Parker's desk, Sam gave a soft smile. "How've you been? Feels like it's been a while since we've talked."

@endlessreruns

[travelingreportersam]

Sam felt a strong sense of deja vu as he walked past the Listener's house and saw Lilith on the porch with her tarot cards. "Lilith, hi. How's everything been going?" After their last conversation he wanted to make sure she was doing okay, the guilt still eating at him for overwhelming her.

@thirtecnth

[travelingreportersam]

His brows furrowed in confusion. "Would it make sense playing them without the first two?"

"hmm fair point," leo scratched the back of his head trying to think about what other games he had. "oh! i have a couple of spiderman games if that's more your speed? i have pretty much every one except like.. the first two that were made."

[travelingreportersam]

Sam tried not to frown. "So you won't be interning as a doctor?" Obviously working at the retirement home was important, especially after the hell they had to endure from that psychopath, but he couldn't help feeling like his brother wasn't reaching his full potential. "That's still great though, really! I know they'll love you there."

"Mmm; I did, and they only really need a pharmacist there, but suggested I go talk to the retirement home, so I'm doing that later this week," Jonathan admitted. "I think the old folks will find me funny and charming."

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Sam shook his head. "For you Narc? Never." And he meant it. She was his best friend, and he would always make time for her and especially her work. "Nah, I get it. We're not even going to talk about the nightmare it was to write two books. Actually understand why Steven King was high off his ass most of the time." He cracked a smile to Narcissa.

There were very few positives about being stuck in a place like Huntsville, but meeting Sam was one of them. "Sure - I mean, if you're not too busy, that is. It's one thing to do the research and bust open a case; for some reason whenever I try to assemble it, I hate the way I've worded everything."

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The smile grew some. The sleepless nights and packs of stress cigarettes felt vindicated at that moment. "Yeah, actually. I noticed a high volume of missing person cases for such a remote area of West Virginia. Decided to look into it, and well," he indicated around them. "How about you? How did you end up here?"

"damn. if those notes are anything to judge by, i'd say massive pain in the ass is an understatement," zoja comments as she takes a look at the notebook. "is that how you ended up here then? trying to figure out a story and then, bam! you're stuck in the middle of it?"

[travelingreportersam]

Sam had to bite back a laugh, not wanting to add insult to injury as he watched Doc scramble around the morgue. It was honestly pretty adorable, not that he'd say that aloud. He did, however keep a brow raised at the entire ordeal. "I'm not even sure which part to comment on first," he shook his head. "I was just dropping by, seeing if you had any interesting news to share with the press." Not really. He just wanted to come by and visit.

It's easy enough to tell when Doc's the only one working in the morgue, the sound of early 2000s club pop punk only ever loud enough to drift upstairs when he's the sole doctor settled into the basement office- regularly offering to work the overnights for cataloguing Felicity and Zeke might not want to do. He's certainly been here since last night, because a small handful of things are evident upon stepping into the small space that serves time and again as Huntsville's citizens' last stop before the graveyard on the edge of town: Doc's made a bed behind the main desk, and as he sings along to the radio, his mismatched slipper-clad feet are kicked up on the desk, the right bearing a rabbit missing an eye, and the left very clearly a monster foot.

"You're a hot m-mess I'm lovin' it h-hell yes- Christ Almighty!-" Sam's appearance, without a knock and with the music deafening his ability to catch anyone coming down the stairs, sends Doc spilling from the office chair and into the floor, the coroner upended for a moment before he springs to his feet, straightening his blazer over his shirt with a wheeze before lobbing a stapler at the radio across the room, knocking into it just violently enough to make it stop playing. "Ah h-hello Sam! I didn't hear you come in! S-Scared the life out of me." He quickly slams the top of his laptop shut and kicks his makeshift bed underneath the desk.

"H-How can I h-h-h-help you, M-Mr. Ahn?"

@travelingreportersam