It had been a while since he'd seen him, only giving him refuge for a few weeks those several months before. He didn't ask how he'd gotten there, who he was, even though their identicalness was an issue he wanted desperately to be able to grasp. He just went on with his life after he left, assuming at the very least that life had more to it than merely black and white.
He'd been grocery shopping, just pulling the cart out of the store filled with things for his home of just one. Amelia and Claire hadn't made it out of that warehouse and every day Jimmy blamed himself for it. Looking at the boxes of macaroni and cheese there he couldn't help but feel melancholic. He'd let down so many, and even now after the war, that feeling still resonated with him.
Rolling to the car, the spark of electricity being tossed up and down caught his eye and he had to stop at a dead halt before shouting Jackson's name to get his attention, the default reaction it seemed.
The spark stopped halfway up and stopped as Jackson looked in his direction. He was cautious for a moment. Just because it was a store out in public, didn't mean people weren't willing to go off and attack others.
Droppping his hands and pushing up off the sidewalk to stand, the spark fizzled out. He didn't bother to brush off his jeans since they already had little burn marks across them now. His jacket was in no better condition. "Jimmy," he called with a nod of recognition as he approached.
Slack jawed. He knew he could probably look better but it had been so long. At least three months and there wasn't a lot said between them outside of the experiments and how Jackson even existed. It was tense, but he'd done right by him, or, he at least assumed that much.
"How-" A beat. He straightened his sports coat. "How've you been?"
He shrugged. How he was always ended up starting interesting conversations with people. "Still alive." That was what mattered most anyways, right? Jackson seemed to think so. "I've been starting to remember a little more lately," he said casually as if he were talking about a blue sky.
"But what about you?" Because he had no intention of talking about little broken pieces to his puzzle.
Jimmy ran a tired hand down his face and just sighed, shoulders slackening. "Still living alone, I'm not very good at the socializing thing. I expect it happens after being married for several years and then becoming an angel's three piece suit."
"Yeah... That could put a big damper on your social life. But you don't really need it. People survive without a whole lot of talking." Jackson was speaking from experience and liked to pretend he knew what he was talking about.
"Well, I'm aware of that, but unlike you I like the feel of a human touch." He thought it went without saying. He'd been a husband and a father and now he was a widow and a pathetic excuse of what he'd been before. "It's good to know you're okay, though."
Jackson blinked at him a few times, almost dumbfoundedly. There were times when he felt that way, but it aways went away just as fast. He moved a hand and patted Jimmy on the shoulder. "Now you had your human touch for the day. Should hold you over," he said through a tiny smile.
Jimmy gave a scoffing laugh, it was barely a sound compared to the hustle and bustle around them but it was enough for now. He didn't catch himself stepping closer to Jackson, but he did. To everyone else they might look like twins, but there was a deeper story there.
"How're you-" He paused trying to think of the correct words. "It's good to see you out."
That was the thing though - he wasn't a fan of being out and would rather be watch Tessa while she tended bar. But life hadn't geared him in that direction.
Jackson shrugged a second time and said, "Didn't have a choice. I started to fix things and didn't wanna pester my mind buddy today." Once he said 'buddy', he had to stop and think. He just referred to Kale as a buddy. Outloud.
"You're welcome to stop by my place for dinner," Jimmy spoke without really thinking and wanted to rescind the moment he said it because it seemed far too much like a date but now that it was out in the open there were no walls to hide behind.
"Really?" He wouldn't say no to an offer, even if it did sound like a date. Home cooked meals always tasted one hundred times better than the stuff he usually ate. "Sure," he nodded.
"I was thinking Italian tonight unless you have any objections," Jimmy returned. He still looked skeptical. He had to pull his cart back around and lean it up against his car so that they could keep out of the way of traffic.
"If it's edible and not rock-like, I won't complain." For once, he was hoping for a chance to just be normal for a few hours before making his next decision. And Jimmy was normal. Jackson thought the normalcy might rub off a little.
"Alright, do you want to hop in the SUV right now, or...?" Jimmy gestured toward his car with a shoulder, only pausing long enough to pop the trunk and start putting bags inside of it.
He'd been grocery shopping, just pulling the cart out of the store filled with things for his home of just one. Amelia and Claire hadn't made it out of that warehouse and every day Jimmy blamed himself for it. Looking at the boxes of macaroni and cheese there he couldn't help but feel melancholic. He'd let down so many, and even now after the war, that feeling still resonated with him.
Rolling to the car, the spark of electricity being tossed up and down caught his eye and he had to stop at a dead halt before shouting Jackson's name to get his attention, the default reaction it seemed.
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Droppping his hands and pushing up off the sidewalk to stand, the spark fizzled out. He didn't bother to brush off his jeans since they already had little burn marks across them now. His jacket was in no better condition. "Jimmy," he called with a nod of recognition as he approached.
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"How-" A beat. He straightened his sports coat. "How've you been?"
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"But what about you?" Because he had no intention of talking about little broken pieces to his puzzle.
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"How're you-" He paused trying to think of the correct words. "It's good to see you out."
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Jackson shrugged a second time and said, "Didn't have a choice. I started to fix things and didn't wanna pester my mind buddy today." Once he said 'buddy', he had to stop and think. He just referred to Kale as a buddy. Outloud.
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