Set Me Free, After Three Days In The Ground

[justcallmefee]

When Fi left Michael's place at 5am, she'd been intent on going home to sleep in her own bed.  She still smelled vaguely of accelerant, her hair was singed, and her nerves were well and truly fried.  Michael's little melt down didn't help clear matters up.

It occurred to her that life in a war zone was far easier to deal with.   Get up.  Get moving

Comments

[bythatmuch]

Max has spent the past ten minutes mentally debating whether or not he should go over and say something to her. He planned out an entire speech in his head not long after their breakup, but now that she's actually right there, he's finding it rather difficult to find any words at all.

Luckily, by the time he approaches and notices her less-than-kempt state, he finds some words.

They are: "What happened to you?"

Reaaaaaal smooth.

"... I mean. Uh. Hi."

[justcallmefee]

Fi closes her eyes and her chin drops to her chest. "Max. Hi." Any fire she might have had left in her just dies.

Could this day get any brighter?

[bythatmuch]

"... hi."

Cue the awkward silence!

[justcallmefee]

Eventually she looks up and there's a lump in her throat as she looks into his face.

She looks back down at her hands and pushes the melted cellphone at him across the bar.

"House fire."

[bythatmuch]

He stops the phone with his hand, glances down at it, then looks back to her with a mostly concerned expression.

(The rest of his expression is almost kind of wistful.)

"Oh. Are you okay?"

[justcallmefee]

She nods. No, no I'm not, she thinks, looking into his eyes. She manages a soft smile.

"I've been through worse. How are you doing?"

[bythatmuch]

"I'm doing okay. Spent a few months away, got some work done..."

She gets a smile in return.

[justcallmefee]

"Good. I'm glad." She can do this. She licks her lips and then fumbles for the straw of her drink. "You look good."

[bythatmuch]

Oh, this conversation.

Max has had you so many times and still you insist on popping up.

Go away, please?

"Thanks. You - well, you've looked better," he jokes, smirking at her. "But it's good to see you."

[justcallmefee]

No, she thinks. No she can't do this. It hurts.

"It's good to see you too."

It hurts like hell and she lets him see it in her eyes.

[bythatmuch]

Yeah, that stings.

Abruptly: "I should probably leave you alone, huh?"

[justcallmefee]

I still love you. Part of me will always love you.

"Not forever. Just... for a little while."

[bythatmuch]

"So, do you just want me to avoid you, or ignore you, or... maybe pretend like nothing happened between us?"

Because he doesn't see how he can do any of that.

[justcallmefee]

Her expression falters, her brows crumpling a bit before she bites her lip hard. He won't make her cry.

"Do what you want, Max."

[bythatmuch]

That's not a very helpful answer.

So Max stands there, shoulders slouched, looking kind of like a kicked puppy.

[justcallmefee]

And that only hardens her resolve. "It hasn't been a few months for me, Max. It's been a few weeks. Give it time. Please? Not forever. Just -- I need some time."