Bobby and Justin - Communication (don't faint)

[emo_popsicle]

Bobby puttered around the kitchen, humming along to the CD.

"...I've worn through the elbows
and the knees of my clothing
and I'm staring down the gravel
driveway of desire trying not to
wake up my sleeping self loathing..."He looked up at that. Frickin' serendipity. Bobby shook himself and cast his eyes over the room. The apartment was clean.

Comments

[artisticblond]

Justin trotted up the steps, only mildly worried about this whole talking thing. It just hadn't felt right before. But now? He'd had no serious trauma for weeks, the Cube was gone, and he finally felt like he was getting his feet under him. And, hey, cookies. He tapped on the door lightly then rocked on his heels while he waited.

[artisticblond]

"That's...so unfair." Justin stood up to walk over to Bobby's side and simply put his hand on his back. A comforting motion, nothing more. "Just remember, if they did that, then they weren't true friends." Justin ducked his head to try to catch Bobby's eyes from his gaze at the floor. "And that's why you have us."

[emo_popsicle]

Bobby's head lifted back up, baby-blues meeting Justin's own. "I think they were, some of them anyway. You- Uh. Shit happens sometimes." His brow creased as he searched for the words. "Good people do bad things? Some of the time anyway."

"It's how they deal after the stupid that counts, and I think the important people are trying. Scott didn't know I was here. In town, I mean. But the Professor sent me a letter, so -he- knew. I think sending Scott here may have been as much for me as for him."

A small snort escaped pursed lips. "That could have gone better though."

[artisticblond]

Justin ran his hand through his hair. "Um, yeah, I saw the initial part of that meeting. I take it it didn't get any better?"

[emo_popsicle]

Lips quirked in a wry grin as Bobby considered that question. "Well, no-one got frost bite."

"Scott's a real facts only guy. So the word 'Zombie' was a bit of a stalling ground for him. Then he met Fallen, one of the town's meta's? She helped out with-" Bobby paused, eyeing off Justin. "Um, the Cube quake? That was her."

"Okay, so..the raid on the Mansion? Ended in a lot of the kids getting kidnapped. When the teachers came after us, one of them got killed. Jean. She was.." Bobby cleared his throat, noticing the vice grip he had on the bench.

"Jean was the girl that found me with Scott. She's- Was. She was a telekinetic. You know what that is right? Anyway, she was a red head. Fallen is a TK and a red-head. There's a definite resemblance. Scott sort of noticed." Bobby rolled his eyes. "The idiot tried to pick her up

[artisticblond]

Justin picked up the frozen cup and carried it over to the sink. No need for that little reminder to sit in front of Bobby. When he came back to the table, he considered what Bobby had said.

"I'm sorry about Jean." Loss seemed to be a far-too-common theme in this town. And Justin was finally starting to see the downside to the powers he had always coveted.

"But Scott? You must have really looked up to him for him to have hurt you this bad." He made a wave towards the frozen cup. "That looked like more than a concern about 'professionalism' to me."

[emo_popsicle]

"He just," Bobby stopped. Let himself start up a calming breathing cycle, and then continued.

"He walked into a new town. A dangerous new town, with limited information and brushed off the input of someone with more relative experience and knowledge than him. That's stupid." Bobby poured himself some warm, unfrozen anti-emo tea. "I expected better from him. So when it happened, it was like...a combination of patting 'little brother' on the head, and ignoring the advice of an inexperienced kid." A cookie was munched into viciously.

"Sorta thought I was over being relegated to the mascot when I found a place here with you guys."

[artisticblond]

"That I can totally relate to." Justin munched a cookie in commiseration, just not as viciously. "But I'm an expert in this field. My ex and his friends... well, you already know Michael, were all, like, 12 years older than me."

Then he grinned. "But this is the easy part. You just sit back, do your thing, and end up showing them you can be more mature than all of 'em." He tried to catch Bobby's eyes. "And you are one of the most mature guys I know. So don't let him rattle you."

[emo_popsicle]

"From what I've heard? I don't have a lot of competition there."
Bobby smirked as he munched his cookie, happy to shift the spotlight

[artisticblond]

Justin rolled his eyes. "Brian."

Le sigh.

"I'm sure Michael already gave you the whole scoop. He's part of the reason I came here. Successful, infuriating, gorgeous, emotionally-stunted, Brian. Fucking. Kinney."

[emo_popsicle]

Bobby's eyebrow hitched. "Michael-" A cookie fragment lodged in his throat making him to cough.

"Michael told me Brian was his friend. How'd he put it?" Bobby thought back. "Straight-forward, unapologetic, stubborn, selfish...and your ex. Sound about right?"

[artisticblond]

Justin tilted his head at the cookie-cough but let it slide. For now.

"Yep, that's him. Fuck, Bobby. I was so in love." The cup in front of him suddenly became very interesting. "And that was something he just didn't have it in him to do. To love. To care. He... he broke my heart."

It was said in a straight-forward manner, having come to acceptance a long time ago. "He only took me in because," Justin sighed, it was time to breathe deep and suck it up, "I had this... accident. And he felt guilty."

[emo_popsicle]

The meditational breathing was a good thing, Bobby decided. It stopped him from turning the kitchen counter into a giant icecube when Justin said he'd had his heart broken.

Nevermind the fact he suddenly wanted to meet this guy. Alone. Just for a few minutes.

Bobby slid his hand across to Justin's, letting his fingers lay lightly on his wrist. "That was crappy. Maybe well intentioned, but crappy."

What was it Michael had said? Brian was dysfunctional about showing affection. Hell. For all Justin knew, the guy had loved him. Just been too much of an ass to do anything about it.

"Was he...he was your first, wasn't he?"

[artisticblond]

Justin covered Bobby's hand with his, with a small smile for the comfort.

"First time, first love, first... everything, I guess. But I learned a lot from him." Maybe too much. I don't believe in love, I believe in fucking.

[emo_popsicle]

Well, Bobby mused. That explained a hell-of-a-lot.

"Sounds like you miss him."

He interlaced his fingers with Justin's as the comfort was accepted. "You said there was an accident?"

[artisticblond]

"Miss him? It's....more complicated than that, I guess." Justin thought about it, and tried to explain it in a way that didn't sound like he was queening out.

"Most of the time, I'm fine. I made my decision to leave, and I'm good with that. I've got a new life, and I've got everyone here." He gave a small tug on Bobby's hand as he said it.

"But then I found out that Brian and I were still together four. years. later, if only I had stuck it out." Justin waved his hand in the general direction of dinner a few weeks ago with a rueful grin. "Bobby? Meet freakout. Freakout. This is Bobby."

He idly noticed the pain in his chest wasn't quite so sharp when he said it this time, so maybe all this talking was helping. But the next part?... After their talk about mutantcy, and Bobby's own troubles, Justin wasn't sure how Bobby would take it.

So he shifted closer to press his leg against Bobby's under the table then oh-so-subtly moved the cup of tea to the side. "And the accident wasn't an accident. It was a bashing."