Begin Again

Ellie smiled. "Alright." She said. She knew better than to argue with him. She knew that he was only trying to pay her back for all of those times that she'd helped him out when money was tight. It was a sweet gesture, and she wasn't going to argue with him over a chai tea latte. That would be pointless and stupid on her part. "About a year ago." She told him. "What about you? How long have you been here?" She would have said that she was surprised that they hadn't run into each other before now, but this was New York City. It was more surprising that they'd actually run into each other than they hadn't.

He shook his head, putting his wallet back in his pocket. "No, I only got back a few days ago..." The chances of them bumping into each other this way were almost impossible, but he was glad they had. Sebastian didn't want to brag about how busy he'd been, or come up with excuses as to why he hadn't tried to make more contact with Ellie. So he decided that maybe for now, it was best that he just left it at that he hadn't been back in New York for very long. "Wanted to come back to spend Thanksgiving with the family."

Ellie nodded. "How is everyone?" She asked curiously. She knew that she still had to call her mother back, though she kind of figured that it was obvious that she'd be at Thanksgiving dinner. The only time she wasn't, was when she was in England, and even then she tried to get a flight home when the opportunity made itself available. She'd call her later though, right now she just wanted to talk to Sebastian, and maybe start catching up.

"Mm, they're good." He nodded, although he barely saw his mother anymore. Sebastian always made sure they stayed in good contact, and saw each other whenever possible. If it wasn't for his mother, he wouldn't be where he was today. There was no one he idolised more than his own family... And he made sure they knew that. He would help out with whatever he could, whether it was buying his mother a new apartment, or a car, or whatever. His main concern was that she was happy, and comfortable. "My mom's still teaching piano..."

Ellie nodded. It was honestly strange to think just how much time had really passed since she had last seen Sebastian. It didn't feel that long at all, though she knew it really was. "I'm sure she's still one of the best piano teachers around." She said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She knew how much his mother meant to him, and how much he looked up to her too.

"I always said if she could teach me piano, she could teach anyone." Sebastian smiled at Ellie, the conversation coming naturally to him. It was like they had never been apart. Ellie knew better than anyone that Sebastian had had confidence issues when he moved to America, ranging from his accent to his weight. She had helped him through all of it, and there was no one who seemed to understand him better than she did... It was true that Ellie was the person he could talk to, no matter what.

Ellie let out a quiet laugh and nodded. "You were probably one of her worst students." She teased lightly, grinning ever so slightly. "Always the difficult one." She loved how easily conversation seemed to come for them. It really was like no time had passed at all, and it was nice to say the least. She'd really missed him, and she was really glad that she'd run into him that day.

"One of?" He laughed, picking up his coffee from the end of the counter. "Please, I was the worst. I had chubby-stubby fingers that made it impossible to reach the keys." That was always a memory that stuck with Sebastian, the fact that no matter how frustrated he got was he was learning to play the piano, his mother never gave up on him. Ellie never did either. They were two of the most supportive people he had ever met. All the hard work and patience, for all three of them, worked out in the end.

"I was trying to be nice." Ellie let out a quiet laugh, picking her drink up from the counter as well. "You didn't give up though. Your mom wouldn't have let you even if you tried." She smiled slightly. She knew that his mother was just as supportive of Sebastian as Ellie was herself. They were his support system. It was just how things had always been, until maybe about ten or so years ago. But that didn't matter right now. "Did you want to sit...or we could go to my apartment? It's just a few blocks from here...unless you have somewhere to be?"

"Are you always this forward with guys you've just met?" Sebastian grinned cheekily, feeling they were close enough to make jokes such as that. There was always a worry that being away from friends for so long would make it awkward to laugh, but it didn't feel that way with Ellie. They just went so well together, and they always had been. He remembered when he wanted to lose weight, and Ellie had always supported him, but also reminded him that the only person he should do that for was himself. "I'd love to come back to yours."

Ellie let out another laugh, rolling her eyes slightly in response to his words. "You're nothing special, Stan." She teased lightly, a smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. She was glad that there were still able to joke around laugh with each other like they used to. It was nice knowing that time hadn't made things awkward between them. "Alright, great." With a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips, she started towards the door.

Sebastian grinned as he followed her towards the door. "We all know that's a lie, Devereux." There had once been a time when Sebastian could barely pronounce Ellie's first name properly, let alone her surname. He would trip up on the small things, like someone's name, or an address. It would all add up in the end. "You always made me feel like I was the most special boy on the planet." He teased, a light chime in his voice.

Ellie shrugged her shoulders. "Believe whatever you want." She said. "It doesn't mean it's true." Grinning slightly, she pushed open the door and exited the cafe. She couldn't help letting out a laugh in response to his later words. She had forgotten how easily conversation came for them. "Just because I made you feel special, doesn't mean I thought you were special."

"Oh, oh I get it," Sebastian laughed once more, trying to shield his amusement with fake mockery. He may have been an actor, but it didn't make it easy for him. "You made me feel special, used me for my exotic charm, then abandoned me. I see right through you, Ellie Devereux." He may have made a lot of friends throughout his career, especially within the tight knit Marvel community, but none of them really compared to Ellie. She knew him better than he knew himself sometimes, and he doubted that had changed. They may not have seen each other over the years, but they were still the same people. It was hard not to immediately click with her now they were reunited.

Ellie couldn't help laughing at his words. "Exotic charm?" She repeated slowly, punctuating her words with a raised eyebrow. "Exotic charm? I hate to break it to you, Seb, but there's nothing exotic or charming about you." Her tone was light and teasing, a grin lighting up her face. She had met a number of different people in the last decade, and she had become good friends with quite a few of them, but the friendship she had with them was nothing compared to the one she had with Sebastian, and she highly doubted that it ever would.

"Nothing exotic?" Sebastian scoffed as they walked, taking a quick sip of his coffee. He didn't care what anyone said, New York would always have the world's best coffee to him. There was something about it that just tasted homely, and welcoming. "I'm from Romania. That's so exotic! And as for the charm, you knew awkward high school me, not movie star me." It was a pretentious statement, one that he didn't take seriously for even a moment.

"You mean to tell me that you're not still awkward and dorky like you were in high school?" Ellie asked, quirking a brow in his direction. "No way. I'm not buying it." She shook her head, taking a sip of her latte as they walked. It was actually really good. She'd definitely have to stop by that cafe on her way back to her apartment more often. "You might be some big shot movie star now, but there's no way you're suddenly no longer a dork. People don't just lose the dorkiness that you possessed in high school."

Ellie was right, and it just reinforced what Sebastian had thought about her. No one knew him better than she did. "Okay fine, I may have walked into a fridge on set once," He chuckled softly, shaking his head. "But, it doesn't mean I'm awkward and dorky! Chicks dig me now." Nothing he was saying was serious, and he doubted that Ellie would take it seriously either. He had always promised himself that becoming a successful actor wouldn't go to his head, and that he'd always be aware of where he came from before his career. There was no one he was more thankful for than his mother and Ellie. They were the constant support he needed whilst he got his foot in the door of the movie industry.

"Because you totally see people walking into fridge's on a daily basis." Ellie said, her tone teasing. She couldn't help letting out a quiet laugh soon after. "You're definitely just as awkward and dorky as you were ten years ago. I refuse to believe that you aren't until you prove me wrong." She wasn't taking anything that he said seriously. And she was only joking around with him too. She knew that he wasn't one of those celebrities who let the fame get to his head.

"It was a dark set, and Robert Redford was there..." He laughed, stumbling over his words slightly as he tried to explain. There were a lot of embarrassing moments on set that he could tell Ellie about, but he wasn't about to reinforce her point. "I'm telling you, I'm a total badass now." Even Sebastian couldn't keep a straight face as he spoke, laughing once more at his own statement. She was right, he was still the awkward and dorky klutz that he had been in high school.