Friendly visits
For years, he and Eddie had known each other and they had lived through so much together in the past that he should have expected the visit. After Logan was tucked in and had fallen asleep, they sat at the breakfast bar, each with a beer. Michael smiled at him, feeling some sense of familiarity now that he was sitting right there next to him. It felt like old times. "Do you want to stay here tonight? The couch isn't all that bad."
"Thanks," Eddie answered with a smile, "but Kyle's waiting for me in the hotel. He came along, we're going to be here until tomorrow afternoon then drive back. It's a nice little vacation for us."
Despite the grin that Eddie gave him, Michael didn't believe him. Not completely, at least. "Can I ask why else you're here?"
There was silent for a small moment, and Eddie seemed too interested at first on what the tag of the beer bottle said to answer. "We know you met with Jack yesterday," he finally answered. "He was bragging about it during the week. I guess I wanted to see if you were alright." There was a pause, and Eddie used that time to finally turn his eyes to meet Michael's. "Are you?"
"Of course I am," Michael responded, a little too quickly.
"When do you go back home?"
Now it was Michael's turn to not answer, as if he was trying to remember just what the right answer was. "I-- I'm going to be in New York on the 22nd. Next week. Less than a week. I'm leaving Logan with my sister-in-law, and...I'm hoping I'll be back in a few days. I was actually going to call you, to...see if we could get the old 'team' back together."
"You don't even have to ask," Eddie assured him. "Even before you gave your answer, we were already ready. You're not doing this alone." He took a sip of his beer, both silent and letting the faint humming of the refridgerator linger in the air until Eddie finally turned to him. "Things will go alright, Mike. We made sure of it before, and we'll do it again; it's no big deal."
"Yeah, except before I didn't have a little boy I could lose if I screw this up. Before I didn't have a brother, who..." He didn't finish answering, just let his voice trailed off even if mentally he finished the sentence. He didn't have a brother who would probably do everything he could to help him, except that he couldn't. Before he didn't have a brother who needed him to be there with him; now he did. Now everything was different. And he wasn't ready: he was far from it. He hadn't been working, he hadn't been training for the past three years; how was he supposed to be ready?
Except of saying everything, though, Michael shrugged and took a small deep breath. "We'll be fine, though. Everything's just too sudden."
"Yeah...right." By Eddie's tone when he said that, Michael knew he didn't believe him, but instead of trying to convince him he stood to get another beer, and pretending Eddie wasn't staring at him, trying to get him to talk. He hadn't done it in the past, it was doubtful he'd be able to do it now.
"Thanks," Eddie answered with a smile, "but Kyle's waiting for me in the hotel. He came along, we're going to be here until tomorrow afternoon then drive back. It's a nice little vacation for us."
Despite the grin that Eddie gave him, Michael didn't believe him. Not completely, at least. "Can I ask why else you're here?"
There was silent for a small moment, and Eddie seemed too interested at first on what the tag of the beer bottle said to answer. "We know you met with Jack yesterday," he finally answered. "He was bragging about it during the week. I guess I wanted to see if you were alright." There was a pause, and Eddie used that time to finally turn his eyes to meet Michael's. "Are you?"
"Of course I am," Michael responded, a little too quickly.
"When do you go back home?"
Now it was Michael's turn to not answer, as if he was trying to remember just what the right answer was. "I-- I'm going to be in New York on the 22nd. Next week. Less than a week. I'm leaving Logan with my sister-in-law, and...I'm hoping I'll be back in a few days. I was actually going to call you, to...see if we could get the old 'team' back together."
"You don't even have to ask," Eddie assured him. "Even before you gave your answer, we were already ready. You're not doing this alone." He took a sip of his beer, both silent and letting the faint humming of the refridgerator linger in the air until Eddie finally turned to him. "Things will go alright, Mike. We made sure of it before, and we'll do it again; it's no big deal."
"Yeah, except before I didn't have a little boy I could lose if I screw this up. Before I didn't have a brother, who..." He didn't finish answering, just let his voice trailed off even if mentally he finished the sentence. He didn't have a brother who would probably do everything he could to help him, except that he couldn't. Before he didn't have a brother who needed him to be there with him; now he did. Now everything was different. And he wasn't ready: he was far from it. He hadn't been working, he hadn't been training for the past three years; how was he supposed to be ready?
Except of saying everything, though, Michael shrugged and took a small deep breath. "We'll be fine, though. Everything's just too sudden."
"Yeah...right." By Eddie's tone when he said that, Michael knew he didn't believe him, but instead of trying to convince him he stood to get another beer, and pretending Eddie wasn't staring at him, trying to get him to talk. He hadn't done it in the past, it was doubtful he'd be able to do it now.