Whining and Dining 6.2
Title: Whining and Dining
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Asynchronous Communication 6.2
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: coclaim100 62 Drinks
Word Count: 1325
Rating: PG
Summary: Hugh invites Robert over for dinner to discuss Alan.
Authors’ Notes:
Where it all began:
Big table of prompts is here:
Order of the story is here:
Previous story:
Calling In
Robert showed up right on time for his first day back on set. Scenes had been shot around him during his absence, so the majority of the scenes for this day would be featuring Wilson. Hugh sidled up next to him as he walked to the makeup trailer.
“How is he?” Hugh already had his American accent in place and he kept his voice low.
“He’s doing good. Talked to him yesterday after I got home.”
“And yourself?”
“Okay.” Robert shrugged. Truthfully, he wasn’t real sure himself.
“Look,” Hugh stopped him before he reached the trailer, “dinner tonight, my place?”
“Sweet of you, but I am already taken.”
“I promise to be on my utmost best behavior.”
“That really doesn’t say much about you.”
“See you then.” He turned and walked a few feet away before calling out, “And bring the massage oil!” in perfect House fashion.
***
“So things have progressed since Vegas?” Hugh had wasted no time after serving his guest to get right down to business.
“Yeah. They have,” he said with a shy smile, digging in to his meal.
“Happy?”
“Except for when we are apart.”
“You’ve met up with him since?” This was news to Hugh. He knew that there had been conversations, but never knew of any visiting. He was starting to feel like he had been left out of an important loop somewhere.
“He spent a week with me during the New Year break.”
“Huh.” Hugh sat back in his chair. “I never would have thought it,” he said, almost to himself. “How is the rascal doing, with the injuries and all?”
“Good. Recovering well.” Robert was starting to feel uncomfortable discussing Alan, despite the three year friendship he had with Hugh. Alan was a secret part of his life, a part that he selfishly wanted to keep secret.
Hugh noticed that Robert had started to close up and withdraw. “Robert, you can talk to me. You need to talk to someone.”
“I know, it’s just,” Robert paused and took a healthy sip of the wine Hugh had poured. “I haven’t talked about this with anyone, and sometimes it seems unreal. I am just not sure.” He sighed, watching the wine dance in the glass.
Hugh stood up from the table, and walked over to the couch, leaving the remains of his dinner behind, knowing there would be no more eating that night. He turned and watched Robert follow, settling into the club chair across the coffee table. “Your virtue is safe with me.” Hugh laughed.
Robert left the wine on the table and sat back in the chair, his hands covering his eyes, and stillness settled around the room. “Part of me wants this to work, but this other side, it grips me at times, and I don’t know. Suffocating.”
“Is it Gabby all over again?”
Robert sat up and opened one eye, looking over at Hugh. He had really hit the nail on the head. The fear of screwing up again and making a mess out of his relationship with Alan had frozen him in his place and he found himself not able to move forward. Nothing was ever perfect, he knew that in his heart. Their was way to predict the future and ensure it would always be smooth and he was just not sure how to answer the question. He took a beat and attempted an answer. “The reason she left? Alan is no Gabby. They have several differences, gender aside.”
Hugh smiled. Robert was fragile and Hugh did not want him to clam up. He wanted to take this slowly and see if he could help his troubled co-star, keep him talking. “Are you over her?”
Robert sipped the wine and leveled a stare at Hugh. “Yes, I think I am. It feels weird to say that. I love… loved her, but for too long we orbited each other. The relationship died before we broke up. I just am not ready to talk about what I have with Alan. I think ..." He trailed off, I think what? he asked himself.
Hugh started to speak, but then stopped. He looked at Robert. There was a plethora of emotions dancing across his face. “How much do you care about him?”
He drained the rest of his wine before looking up again. “More than I can say.”
“This relationship matters then?”
“How do you do it?” Robert asked suddenly.
Hugh was caught off guard, not expecting to have the tables turned. “Do what?”
“With Stephen. All the secrecy and…everything.”
“Because I want to. He is worth it,” Hugh said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Robert ran his hands over his face, making a frustrated sound behind them.
“And,” Hugh continued, “if you don’t feel the same, it isn’t fair to string him along.”
Robert stopped and looked up, his face had seemed to age during the course of the conversation and he looked worn out.
Hugh stood and walked over, sitting on the coffee table. He leaned forward and rested his hands over Robert’s. “Is he worth it?”
Robert stared at Hugh for a few beats, “He is, but ..”
Hugh interrupted, “No, ‘buts’. You need to tell him.”
Robert leaned back. Slipping his fingers underneath his lenses, he rubbed his eyes, “Alan knows how I feel.”
“Does he know the same way Gabby knew? Or have you actually told him face to face.” Hugh sharp remark was dulled by the gentle delivery.
Robert took the point. He used his heavy silence as an answer and stood. Maybe it was the wine, the suddenness of becoming upright, or both, but he tipped forward and it was only Hugh that kept him from smashing his nose into the coffee table next to him.
“Lightweight,” Hugh mumbled, pushing Robert back down towards the chair. “Did you take a cab?”
Robert blinked, trying to remember. “I think I drove.”
“Well, whichever, you are not driving yourself home tonight. You can pick up your car tomorrow.” He went over to the phone to make the call. “Listen,” he said when he returned to the chair and helped Robert regain his feet. “The right choice isn’t about what seems like the best solution, but what feels right. Oh, bollocks. Here I go sounding like a fortune cookie!”
Robert gave Hugh a soft smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re thanking me for making this a downer of a dinner?”
“I needed to hear that. Better coming from someone, a friend, who had gone through the same thing.”
Hugh didn’t bother correcting him that he was very much still going through the pains of being so far away from Stephen. He figured he had done enough pounding on the wedge of doubt for one evening, which he was already kicking himself for as he walked with Robert to the door and watched him head out to the waiting cab.
As Robert slid into the backseat of the taxi and gave his address, he felt his cell phone jabbing him through his pocket. He needed to call Alan. They needed to discuss this before they met up in London again. Robert knew it would be too difficult to tell Alan all this to his face, so the phone seemed best. He rubbed his hands across his face and tried to think what he should say, but the words didn’t want to come to him. By the time he reached his apartment, he hadn’t managed to piece together anything after ‘Hello, Alan.’ He decided to do some thinking over the next couple of days, see if he could straighten out his own thoughts and feeling first. He was past buzzed from the wine and had the inkling of a throbbing pain that started to form behind his right eye. He promised himself that tomorrow, after a good night's sleep, he would find the answers that seemed just out of reach right now.
6.3 Anxiety
Fandom: RPS
Story: Highway: Asynchronous Communication 6.2
Characters: Alan Davies and Robert Sean Leonard
Authors: michelleann68 + evila_elf = evila_ann
Prompt: coclaim100 62 Drinks
Word Count: 1325
Rating: PG
Summary: Hugh invites Robert over for dinner to discuss Alan.
Authors’ Notes:
Where it all began:
Big table of prompts is here:
Order of the story is here:
Previous story:
Calling In
Robert showed up right on time for his first day back on set. Scenes had been shot around him during his absence, so the majority of the scenes for this day would be featuring Wilson. Hugh sidled up next to him as he walked to the makeup trailer.
“How is he?” Hugh already had his American accent in place and he kept his voice low.
“He’s doing good. Talked to him yesterday after I got home.”
“And yourself?”
“Okay.” Robert shrugged. Truthfully, he wasn’t real sure himself.
“Look,” Hugh stopped him before he reached the trailer, “dinner tonight, my place?”
“Sweet of you, but I am already taken.”
“I promise to be on my utmost best behavior.”
“That really doesn’t say much about you.”
“See you then.” He turned and walked a few feet away before calling out, “And bring the massage oil!” in perfect House fashion.
***
“So things have progressed since Vegas?” Hugh had wasted no time after serving his guest to get right down to business.
“Yeah. They have,” he said with a shy smile, digging in to his meal.
“Happy?”
“Except for when we are apart.”
“You’ve met up with him since?” This was news to Hugh. He knew that there had been conversations, but never knew of any visiting. He was starting to feel like he had been left out of an important loop somewhere.
“He spent a week with me during the New Year break.”
“Huh.” Hugh sat back in his chair. “I never would have thought it,” he said, almost to himself. “How is the rascal doing, with the injuries and all?”
“Good. Recovering well.” Robert was starting to feel uncomfortable discussing Alan, despite the three year friendship he had with Hugh. Alan was a secret part of his life, a part that he selfishly wanted to keep secret.
Hugh noticed that Robert had started to close up and withdraw. “Robert, you can talk to me. You need to talk to someone.”
“I know, it’s just,” Robert paused and took a healthy sip of the wine Hugh had poured. “I haven’t talked about this with anyone, and sometimes it seems unreal. I am just not sure.” He sighed, watching the wine dance in the glass.
Hugh stood up from the table, and walked over to the couch, leaving the remains of his dinner behind, knowing there would be no more eating that night. He turned and watched Robert follow, settling into the club chair across the coffee table. “Your virtue is safe with me.” Hugh laughed.
Robert left the wine on the table and sat back in the chair, his hands covering his eyes, and stillness settled around the room. “Part of me wants this to work, but this other side, it grips me at times, and I don’t know. Suffocating.”
“Is it Gabby all over again?”
Robert sat up and opened one eye, looking over at Hugh. He had really hit the nail on the head. The fear of screwing up again and making a mess out of his relationship with Alan had frozen him in his place and he found himself not able to move forward. Nothing was ever perfect, he knew that in his heart. Their was way to predict the future and ensure it would always be smooth and he was just not sure how to answer the question. He took a beat and attempted an answer. “The reason she left? Alan is no Gabby. They have several differences, gender aside.”
Hugh smiled. Robert was fragile and Hugh did not want him to clam up. He wanted to take this slowly and see if he could help his troubled co-star, keep him talking. “Are you over her?”
Robert sipped the wine and leveled a stare at Hugh. “Yes, I think I am. It feels weird to say that. I love… loved her, but for too long we orbited each other. The relationship died before we broke up. I just am not ready to talk about what I have with Alan. I think ..." He trailed off, I think what? he asked himself.
Hugh started to speak, but then stopped. He looked at Robert. There was a plethora of emotions dancing across his face. “How much do you care about him?”
He drained the rest of his wine before looking up again. “More than I can say.”
“This relationship matters then?”
“How do you do it?” Robert asked suddenly.
Hugh was caught off guard, not expecting to have the tables turned. “Do what?”
“With Stephen. All the secrecy and…everything.”
“Because I want to. He is worth it,” Hugh said, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Robert ran his hands over his face, making a frustrated sound behind them.
“And,” Hugh continued, “if you don’t feel the same, it isn’t fair to string him along.”
Robert stopped and looked up, his face had seemed to age during the course of the conversation and he looked worn out.
Hugh stood and walked over, sitting on the coffee table. He leaned forward and rested his hands over Robert’s. “Is he worth it?”
Robert stared at Hugh for a few beats, “He is, but ..”
Hugh interrupted, “No, ‘buts’. You need to tell him.”
Robert leaned back. Slipping his fingers underneath his lenses, he rubbed his eyes, “Alan knows how I feel.”
“Does he know the same way Gabby knew? Or have you actually told him face to face.” Hugh sharp remark was dulled by the gentle delivery.
Robert took the point. He used his heavy silence as an answer and stood. Maybe it was the wine, the suddenness of becoming upright, or both, but he tipped forward and it was only Hugh that kept him from smashing his nose into the coffee table next to him.
“Lightweight,” Hugh mumbled, pushing Robert back down towards the chair. “Did you take a cab?”
Robert blinked, trying to remember. “I think I drove.”
“Well, whichever, you are not driving yourself home tonight. You can pick up your car tomorrow.” He went over to the phone to make the call. “Listen,” he said when he returned to the chair and helped Robert regain his feet. “The right choice isn’t about what seems like the best solution, but what feels right. Oh, bollocks. Here I go sounding like a fortune cookie!”
Robert gave Hugh a soft smile. “Thanks.”
“You’re thanking me for making this a downer of a dinner?”
“I needed to hear that. Better coming from someone, a friend, who had gone through the same thing.”
Hugh didn’t bother correcting him that he was very much still going through the pains of being so far away from Stephen. He figured he had done enough pounding on the wedge of doubt for one evening, which he was already kicking himself for as he walked with Robert to the door and watched him head out to the waiting cab.
As Robert slid into the backseat of the taxi and gave his address, he felt his cell phone jabbing him through his pocket. He needed to call Alan. They needed to discuss this before they met up in London again. Robert knew it would be too difficult to tell Alan all this to his face, so the phone seemed best. He rubbed his hands across his face and tried to think what he should say, but the words didn’t want to come to him. By the time he reached his apartment, he hadn’t managed to piece together anything after ‘Hello, Alan.’ He decided to do some thinking over the next couple of days, see if he could straighten out his own thoughts and feeling first. He was past buzzed from the wine and had the inkling of a throbbing pain that started to form behind his right eye. He promised himself that tomorrow, after a good night's sleep, he would find the answers that seemed just out of reach right now.
6.3 Anxiety