The Worst Part
"Hey."
Marty jumped at the abrupt weight of Kcalb's hand on his shoulder. "Jesus!" He reeled a little in his seat with his hand on his chest, trying to contain his surprise. "You scared the shit out of me."
Kcalb smirked and took a seat at the next desk over, Donnie's desk, and swiveled the chair to face Marty, propping his legs up on Marty's armrest. "It's been a while since we've talked. I'm not angry at you anymore."
"Oh." Marty blinked several times and seemed speechless for a while, rubbing his nose. "To be honest, I thought we weren't friends anymore."
"You honestly thought I'd be through just because of that?" Kcalb arched a brow, folding his hands across his stomach. "As annoying as I am, I wouldn't end our friendship unless..I don't know. Maybe I'll let you get away with anything."
"But you stopped talking to me. I seriously like..thought you hated me all this time."
Kcalb shrugged, letting out a sigh as heavy as his burdens. "I just needed to get away from things."
Marty nodded, hanging his head.
"You've been the first to arrive and the last to leave the office lately. How come?"
"Not a lot to come home to." The brunet shrugged one shoulder, tapping his fingers over the desk with his other hand. "I feel too old to hang out with anyone anymore, too. I don't know. If I'm home I end up reading science journals or government periodicals."
Kcalb stared at him silently, furrowing his eyebrows. "I feel just as old--well, I am just as old--but that sort of thing seems way past thirty."
"Yeah, well, I think it's really fucking stupid that there are expectations for specific ages."
Pause. "Mm. It is stupid."
"So.." Marty stopped drumming his fingers, glancing at Kcalb with a curious look. "How have things..um, y'know..been?"
"Uh, fine. Spent a lot of time with John, Gavin and the family.." Kcalb bobbed his head slowly, trying to recall the things that happened within the past month and a half. "I've gotten..really close with the family lately. Anthan makes me wish I could have kids."
"How's he talking?"
"Oh, great. Mathieu reads newspapers with him, so his vocabulary's been expanding at, like, I don't know, the speed of really fast."
"Very descriptive."
"Whatever, point is, he didn't like talking before but he likes talking now."
"Hard to believe, that kid's so quiet.."
Kcalb snorted, smirking. "Not sure what got to him, but that's fine. He's doing good. Maddie's getting around to walking, finally."
"Really? Damn."
"Yeah. Oh, Anthan's also gotten into making shit up, not in the imaginary friends kind of way, though. He likes to make up inventions."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Like a pillow that plays back your dreams when you wake up in the morning. There's a ton of stuff, he makes me draw them all. I've got a scrapbook."
"I'll need to see that sometime."
"I was going to force you to, anyway. You need to visit the family again, man. Or us, I should say. Addie's been wondering how you've been and Mathieu misses talking about doing extreme sports with you. Oh, that reminds me, my uncle Colt is going to be living here for a while. He said he was just visiting but he caught sight of a real nice place nearby Addie and the kids, so out of generosity I bought it out for him."
"Your uncle Colt?" Marty furrowed his brows in a confused manner, pushing his chair back to prop his feet up over his desk. "I thought you didn't get along with him."
"We talked." Kcalb paused, studying Marty's reaction. "I'd talk about it with you, but that conversation was between me and him."
"Ah. Okay, I understand that. So things are okay now?"
"Yeah. I feel better. Like, a lot better." Kcalb pushed his shades up to the top of his head, trying to convey a certain look with a meaning that only Marty could comprehend.
Marty stared at him, trying to process the subtle gesture. After a pause, he nodded to express confirmation. "I'm glad to hear that, man. Hey, next time you go see John or Gavin, take me with you."
"Why don't you just shadow me this week? I rotate between locations by the day."
"Oh sure, that would be fine. Ah shit, I needed to tell somebody--Baby died last week."
"Baby? Your chinny-chinchilla?"
"...You need to stop that shit, man."
"Force of habit. I'm sorry to hear that, Marty."
"I, like..didn't know what to do with her little body. I got home, cried for a while, and then I bought a nice box to put her in and I buried it in my backyard. Poor Jaq and Gus have been so distressed since they lost their mommy, I can't even touch them."
"That's sad."
Marty shrugged. "Happens."
"Anything else happen since the last time we talked? Like, anything good? Not that I don't want to hear everything, I just, y'know, don't wanna bring the mood down."
"Well, I've been thinking of talking to Gene again sometime soon. I don't know how that'll go, most probably awkward. I wanna make sure things are still okay though. I mean, like, I'm pretty certain that things are fine? But I told him I wouldn't be ready to be friends again so soon after the break-up, so I should probably..get on that. I'm not trying to say that like I'm in a rush or anything, I don't know, it's sort of intuitive."
Kcalb stayed quiet, thinking. When he came up with nothing sufficient to say for the matter, he shrugged. "I can't really help you there but I'm sure he'll be understanding, whether or not you do it soon."
Marty nodded, silently contemplating something. "Hey, you know what I just noticed?"
"What?"
"Yousei told me about some nickname he made up for you while he was gone." Marty grinned, starting to crack up. "Lieutenant Black Stallion."
"Oh, god." Kcalb rolled his eyes, vaguely noting to rag on Yousei tomorrow in the back of his mind. "What about it?"
"You're Lieutenant Black Stallion and your uncle is Colt."
After a long, hard stare and a silence that Marty disrupted by giggling, Kcalb sighed and accepted defeat.
"you mother fucker."
Marty jumped at the abrupt weight of Kcalb's hand on his shoulder. "Jesus!" He reeled a little in his seat with his hand on his chest, trying to contain his surprise. "You scared the shit out of me."
Kcalb smirked and took a seat at the next desk over, Donnie's desk, and swiveled the chair to face Marty, propping his legs up on Marty's armrest. "It's been a while since we've talked. I'm not angry at you anymore."
"Oh." Marty blinked several times and seemed speechless for a while, rubbing his nose. "To be honest, I thought we weren't friends anymore."
"You honestly thought I'd be through just because of that?" Kcalb arched a brow, folding his hands across his stomach. "As annoying as I am, I wouldn't end our friendship unless..I don't know. Maybe I'll let you get away with anything."
"But you stopped talking to me. I seriously like..thought you hated me all this time."
Kcalb shrugged, letting out a sigh as heavy as his burdens. "I just needed to get away from things."
Marty nodded, hanging his head.
"You've been the first to arrive and the last to leave the office lately. How come?"
"Not a lot to come home to." The brunet shrugged one shoulder, tapping his fingers over the desk with his other hand. "I feel too old to hang out with anyone anymore, too. I don't know. If I'm home I end up reading science journals or government periodicals."
Kcalb stared at him silently, furrowing his eyebrows. "I feel just as old--well, I am just as old--but that sort of thing seems way past thirty."
"Yeah, well, I think it's really fucking stupid that there are expectations for specific ages."
Pause. "Mm. It is stupid."
"So.." Marty stopped drumming his fingers, glancing at Kcalb with a curious look. "How have things..um, y'know..been?"
"Uh, fine. Spent a lot of time with John, Gavin and the family.." Kcalb bobbed his head slowly, trying to recall the things that happened within the past month and a half. "I've gotten..really close with the family lately. Anthan makes me wish I could have kids."
"How's he talking?"
"Oh, great. Mathieu reads newspapers with him, so his vocabulary's been expanding at, like, I don't know, the speed of really fast."
"Very descriptive."
"Whatever, point is, he didn't like talking before but he likes talking now."
"Hard to believe, that kid's so quiet.."
Kcalb snorted, smirking. "Not sure what got to him, but that's fine. He's doing good. Maddie's getting around to walking, finally."
"Really? Damn."
"Yeah. Oh, Anthan's also gotten into making shit up, not in the imaginary friends kind of way, though. He likes to make up inventions."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
"Like a pillow that plays back your dreams when you wake up in the morning. There's a ton of stuff, he makes me draw them all. I've got a scrapbook."
"I'll need to see that sometime."
"I was going to force you to, anyway. You need to visit the family again, man. Or us, I should say. Addie's been wondering how you've been and Mathieu misses talking about doing extreme sports with you. Oh, that reminds me, my uncle Colt is going to be living here for a while. He said he was just visiting but he caught sight of a real nice place nearby Addie and the kids, so out of generosity I bought it out for him."
"Your uncle Colt?" Marty furrowed his brows in a confused manner, pushing his chair back to prop his feet up over his desk. "I thought you didn't get along with him."
"We talked." Kcalb paused, studying Marty's reaction. "I'd talk about it with you, but that conversation was between me and him."
"Ah. Okay, I understand that. So things are okay now?"
"Yeah. I feel better. Like, a lot better." Kcalb pushed his shades up to the top of his head, trying to convey a certain look with a meaning that only Marty could comprehend.
Marty stared at him, trying to process the subtle gesture. After a pause, he nodded to express confirmation. "I'm glad to hear that, man. Hey, next time you go see John or Gavin, take me with you."
"Why don't you just shadow me this week? I rotate between locations by the day."
"Oh sure, that would be fine. Ah shit, I needed to tell somebody--Baby died last week."
"Baby? Your chinny-chinchilla?"
"...You need to stop that shit, man."
"Force of habit. I'm sorry to hear that, Marty."
"I, like..didn't know what to do with her little body. I got home, cried for a while, and then I bought a nice box to put her in and I buried it in my backyard. Poor Jaq and Gus have been so distressed since they lost their mommy, I can't even touch them."
"That's sad."
Marty shrugged. "Happens."
"Anything else happen since the last time we talked? Like, anything good? Not that I don't want to hear everything, I just, y'know, don't wanna bring the mood down."
"Well, I've been thinking of talking to Gene again sometime soon. I don't know how that'll go, most probably awkward. I wanna make sure things are still okay though. I mean, like, I'm pretty certain that things are fine? But I told him I wouldn't be ready to be friends again so soon after the break-up, so I should probably..get on that. I'm not trying to say that like I'm in a rush or anything, I don't know, it's sort of intuitive."
Kcalb stayed quiet, thinking. When he came up with nothing sufficient to say for the matter, he shrugged. "I can't really help you there but I'm sure he'll be understanding, whether or not you do it soon."
Marty nodded, silently contemplating something. "Hey, you know what I just noticed?"
"What?"
"Yousei told me about some nickname he made up for you while he was gone." Marty grinned, starting to crack up. "Lieutenant Black Stallion."
"Oh, god." Kcalb rolled his eyes, vaguely noting to rag on Yousei tomorrow in the back of his mind. "What about it?"
"You're Lieutenant Black Stallion and your uncle is Colt."
After a long, hard stare and a silence that Marty disrupted by giggling, Kcalb sighed and accepted defeat.
"you mother fucker."