i was only kidding when i said good riddance

[electrouble]

WHO: ELECTRO and MOCKINGBIRD
WHERE: Electro's apartment at the MAC.
WHEN: Following this.
WARNINGS: Banter, makeouts, some sex.
SUMMARY: PARKER IS GONE AND ELECTRO IS SAD. Mockingbird to the rescue.
FORMAT: Para.

Comments

[mockingbirdie]

Meanwhile, Bobbi felt like the scum of the earth. Luke was right about Parker, she knew he was. But she knew there was real value in taking a moment to listen when you had someone willing to open up and share a part of themselves. It wouldn't change his future, but it changed who Parker was while he was in the City. Bobbi had to hope that it did, anyway.

She'd been walking this line a lot though, especially recently. Perhaps she was becoming blind to her surroundings. Maybe she was too close to the situation for her own good. After all, here she was, sneaking over to Electro's apartment when she ought to be at the mansion, playing the part laid out for her. She should be apologizing to Luke, and probably to Peter too. She should be thinking about Clint and how much she missed him. She should not be knocking on the door marked 206, holding her breath while she waited for an answer.

God, she was such an idiot.

[electrouble]

The door opened quickly, Electro's tattooed face peeking out into the hallway. His jaw was set in a scowl, though he was happy to see her -- his eyes said that much. He pulled the door open, letting her into the dark room. He snapped his fingers to turn the lights on.

"I didn't think you'd really come," he admitted, looking at her, looking away, and biting his lip. "How's uh... your friend. Doing."

He didn't care how Misty was doing, but he figured he probably was supposed to ask.

[mockingbirdie]

Bobbi felt herself scowl back at him, though it really was for show and was replaced by something of a smile once she was in his apartment with the door closed behind her. What a perplexing feeling, the need to smile and frown at once. She probably looked like she was in pain or something. It was probably just her conscience kicking in and reminding her that she was being incredibly stupid.

"Hey, I said I'd come, didn't I?" She quirked a brow as she looked around the place. She wasn't sure what she should have expected, but it didn't seem so bad. "You mean Misty? She's strong. She'll be okay."

Truth be told, Bobbi wasn't sure she wanted to speculate on Misty. Bobbi felt awful after the lecture they'd both gotten from Luke, she didn't want to think about how Misty was feeling.

"What about you?"

[electrouble]

"Yeah," he said with a shrug, realizing he was still holding his unopened beer bottle. He set it down on the coffee table. "Dunno, figured you might have changed your mind or something. It happens."

Electro had turned off his communicator before he'd seen Luke Cage enter the picture, and probably for the best. He didn't like Luke Cage -- didn't like most of the New Avengers, to be perfectly honest, but Luke Cage was the invulnerable bulletproof guy who'd threatened him with a beatdown, which only put off Electro more. But he liked Bobbi, and he hoped she liked him back.

He was quiet for a moment. "... I'll be fine," he muttered, finally.

[mockingbirdie]

"Mm. I know you will."

He certainly didn't seem fine to her, though she wasn't really surprised. She hadn't been fine when Clint left, she could definitely sympathize with what he was feeling. She didn't want to make assumptions though. She liked Max, and she liked whatever it was between them, but she wasn't about to go around preaching about what he should be feeling over the loss of his buddy. He wouldn't want that the same way she didn't want to be told how to feel over losing her ex-husband.

"You got a nice little place here, Max. It's real cozy." She offered him a smile. It wasn't much, but it was real, and it was friendly, and it didn't give away all that nervous anticipation she felt inside.

[electrouble]

"Thanks. Decorated it myself," he said, with a wry smile that lasted a moment or two. "It's just," he then frowned, sitting down on his couch, wondering if he should say anything. "... I didn't think he'd ever go. He's always been here waiting for me."

He put up his feet on the coffee table, and offered her the spot next to him if she wanted to sit down with an open palm.

"I knew him back home, but I don't think he knew me. I didn't say anything about it because we weren't close there. Like, at all. It's way different, here. Couldn't ever be anything there."

[mockingbirdie]

She sat down beside him, careful not to sit too close to him. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Exactly what impression she wanted to give him, she wasn't entirely sure, but it was for the best that she not get too far ahead of herself.

"This place has a funny way of changing things. It changes how you see people." Bobbi said softly, staring at his feet on the table for a moment before shifting her body so she could kick her feet up along with his. "How long have you been here? How long have you and Parker known each other?"

[electrouble]

That would have earned her a smirk on any other occasion; this time, however, he glanced over her and let his hand fill some of the space between them. He didn't go for hers -- likewise, he didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"Yeah..." He said after a moment of thoughtful silence. That was for sure; an understatement, really. "I've been here for a year. Spent some time back home with his crew, during the -- well," he didn't finish that thought, not wanting to get into the post-Invasion chaos. "About a year, maybe more. But we weren't close or anything."

[mockingbirdie]

"But you are close here," she said absently, glancing over at his hand for a moment, letting her hand fall down beside his. "You think that'll change if he comes back?"

That was a fear she was all too familiar with. All the alternate timelines and realities and possible variations available would do nothing to ease Max's mind. If Parker ever came back, it was just as likely that he'd have no memory of the City or of his relationships as it was that he'd drop in with all of his memories. There was no need to mention that though. Bobbi was certain Electro already had all of that in mind.

[electrouble]

He licked his lower lip, nodding after a moment. Then he shrugged, nonchalant. "I don't know. That'd suck, wouldn't it?" Of course, if Parker didn't remember him he wouldn't remember all the awkward parts of their history, either -- not their fights, not Electro kissing him -- none of it.

But the good far, far outweighed the bad.

"I don't know. Some things shouldn't change."

[mockingbirdie]

Bobbi wished she could say something comforting, like what Peter had told her when Clint had been ported out. Something about how it was for the best, and how everything would be okay back home. But they both knew that wasn't the case, and she really didn't want to lie or make up stupid excuses. Max was smarter than that, she knew it. So she settled for taking his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze before finally speaking.

"All we can do is wait, I guess." And hope, she added silently. Hope to God Parker had gone back to some better time, hope he was from some better future. Hope that if he did come back, he wouldn't be the man she'd met just prior to her own arrival. "Who knows, honey. He might be back tomorrow."

[electrouble]

He squeezed back immediately, exhaling. Focus, he told himself. If he kept dwelling on his thoughts he might do something stupid and cry, or something, and that was one of the last things he wanted to do in front of Bobbi. He didn't want to look pathetic on top of everything else.

"It's not fair," he said quietly, frowning still and squeezing her hand more. "None of this crap is fucking fair. I don't care if it happens all the time, it's not supposed to happen to him."

He didn't care if he sounded selfish. He looked at her. "What the hell is wrong with this place?"

[mockingbirdie]

"I know it's not fair," she echoed, lacing her fingers with his. She had her own selfish reasons for thinking so, reasons that had little to do with his situation and worlds to do with her own. "Nothing about this place is fair. But we don't have much of a choice now, do we."

That wouldn't provide him any comfort, of that she was certain. There wasn't much of anything she could say to comfort him, and she wasn't sure that it would be welcome anyway. But she felt like she should say something. She could see he was agitated, she could hear that he was upset and fighting with himself. And she didn't want to play witness to that.

"What're we gonna do, sweetheart? We all have to play this game. You, me, Clint, Parker... all of us. We don't have a choice."

[electrouble]

"I guess we don't," he murmured, feeling her palm against his. "I don't like it. I never thought I'd care about it, you know -- I mean, other people go back and forth and I never cared too much, nothing that I can't get over. But..."

He shrugged his shoulders again, leaning a little closer to her. He wanted to change the subject, this was getting a little too uncomfortable. She didn't need to know the full details between Parker and him; probably would be better if she didn't. He slid closer again.

"... I guess that's what's going to happen. Makes you feel kind of alone."

[mockingbirdie]

She understood him perfectly, more than she even cared to admit. So much had changed since she'd come here. The nature of this world only added to the loneliness. She'd felt so lonely for so many years. She missed people, she missed connecting. Even if it was with someone like Electro. It was real, and it felt good

[electrouble]

He smiled a bit, at that. "You are, but that's okay. I didn't expect you to, anyway." Carefully, he moved his hand from hers, to her knee.

"I don't know. I guess I'm so used to bein' alone I was trying real hard to get used to not. And now I got... a few people, and," his nose wrinkled, but he turned to look at her, "Now this happens. We both lost someone important, sounds like."