milliways_bar | (no subject)

Well, Castle-mun never turns down a dare.

Andres will find a very pissed-off ex-fed standing over his booth, arms folded tightly.

"You mind explaining why you lied to me about what Mercutio said about me?" he demands. "Because apparently 16th-century Veronans really don't take too kindly to slander, and he's pissed. And I don't like being lied to, so explain yourself. Now."

He looks up at Castle, seemingly surprised by the confrontation.

"And 17th-century Castillians do not take kindly to raised voices and accusations. Now to what do you refer? Calling you a hedgehog? Or saying that your name was less grand?" *Smirk*

"One of us needs to explain. I do not believe it to be myself. I will wait patiently."

He looks back to the book.

"You told me he'd said I needed more practice in bed," he clarifies, fuming. "He denies saying anything like that. I mean, hell, I'd say that this is all getting blown out of proportion and that it isn't a big deal. But you had no reason to lie to me, and he considers it an assault on his honor and wants an apology."

He scowls. "I don't care whether you apologize to me or not. But I'd say you owe him one for slandering him."

"Did he send you to tell me that? Men in general are quick to believe that which they wish to be true. Perhaps you simply misunderstood what I was saying to you." *Shrug*

"After-all this fellow is wise enough to play the fool and to do that well craves a kind of wit. I would not slander him." *Smile*

"Actually, he wanted to come and wrench an apology out of you himself. He didn't send me to do anything." The arms remain tightly crossed.

"What's there to misunderstand? You told me that he said something disparaging about me, and he didn't. That's slander. If you were joking, you should have clarified."

"I assumed the sarcastic tone, and the laugh were clarification. If you are likely to misunderstand a joke, you should ask for clarification. *Cool Smile*

"Oh, for god's sake, that doesn't count as clarification...I assumed you were just laughing at my expense."

Some little voice in the back of his mind, which was never there before he came to Milliways, is saying 'I cannot believe I'm arguing about this.'

"I cannot believe you are making such a big deal of this Lee. I have informed you that it was a joke. I figured that if you took it seriously, you would just ask for practice." *Grin* "I don't laugh at another person's expense. There is too much about myself worth mocking. I never have to time to move on. It is not in my nature. I am too forgiving and too understanding for such vices."

Ghosty, ghosty, ghosty. Leaning over Andres' shoulder and saying "Yo" right in his ear.

Before fading into view. Looking... very unimpressed.

"Oh, jesus." Face, meet palm.

Andres seems oblivious to his own lacking impressiveness.

He does startle very slightly at the 'Yo', however. Then upon seeing who it is,

"Good evening, My Lord. I trust that the day finds you well?" he greets Mercutio amiably, before turning back to continue his conversation with Castle.

"So as I was saying Lee, there is really no reason to fret over an unintended insult." *Smile*

"Have you proffered an apology yet?" Mercutio folds his arms.

Castle frowns. He's not too thrilled with either one of them at this point.

"I could just leave right now and let you two argue this out."

No, he couldn't.

"Mercutio, Andres says the whole thing was a joke." He turns to Mercutio, silently hoping Mercutio will see it that way. This is the rare kind of conflict that he doesn't think is necessary or fun.

Andres, obviously annoyed at the second unwarranted interruption, looks up at Mercutio again, and smiles politely. "No Sir, I have not. Thank you for reminding me."

He turns back to Castle once more, "I apologize, Lee, that you misinterpreted my jest. I seem to forget that you cannot abide teasing. Please forgive me."

"A strange sort of jest, one that only the jester finds amusing." Mercutio raises his eyebrows. "And one so well-hidden that only the jester understands its nature."

"And my apology? I feel I am owed one also."

He casts a glance at Lee. "You need not stay if you do not wish it.

"I'm not going to leave and let you two stay here bitching at each other," Castle snaps.

"Look. Fine. I get it. It was a joke. Ha ha." His headache is coming back in full force. "Why don't we all just drop it?"

Damn. That scores even higher than Shakespeare discussion on that list of "Things Nobody Will Ever Hear Lee Castle Say." He's on a roll, isn't he?

To Mercutio, "Thy head is as full of quarrels as an egg is full of meat." *Smile*
*and a shrug*
"I guess you had to be there. So why don't you just accept the misunderstanding, and leave it at that?"

And to Castle, "We must take the current when it serves,
Or lose our ventures. Allow me my fun." *Smile*

Castle stares at him. Rules! Rules against telling people they're fictional! Remember?

"Now you're just being an asshole," he says tightly. "Maybe you do owe him an apology."

Mercutio raises his eyebrows. "Do not think to use my own words on me." His expression has become flinty. "Nor think to tell me what to do."

"Apology."

"Perhaps I do, Lee." He nods and tries to look apologetic.

"Lo siento, pero no sé, para qué usted desea una apología"

"Oh, you do not, do you?" Mercutio's jaw tightens. "I desire an apology because I do not believe the jest was as innocent as you say, because I find you rude, and because you sought to shock me by quoting words at me.

"And mainly because you have caused hurt, whether you intended to or not. Act your station. Make the show, at least, of being a gentleman, if you cannot have the heart. Apologise." He folds his arms.

"All right, that's it!" Castle snarls, slamming his hand down on the back of the booth. "Both of you, shut the fuck up! I mean it! This has gotten way out of hand."

He looks from one to the other, embarrassed and unnerved. But he's serious, if feeling a little out of his depth--ordinarily, he's the one who has to be physically dragged away from conflict.

"Relax Lee, this is over."

Andres regards Mercutio appraisingly, for quite a few moments more however, before continuing.

Finally he smiles sincerely. "Good Sir, there was never any offense intended. It was indeed, a jest which got out of hand. I am sorry that it was enough to offend your sensibilities. I should remind you however, that I never claimed to be a gentleman, though in most circumstances, I would not say the title is undeserved." *Shrug* "I am glad to see that you are as stubborn as myself. Our friend Castle deserves no less. This being known, I am now willing to offer you my humble apology. Please forgive me my impudence. I am, often times, a hotheaded fool at best." He makes a small seated bow.

"Lee, I apologize again. This was inappropriate, and unnecessary."

Mmmm-hmmm. Andres gets the Sceptical Eyebrows. And then Mercutio speaks with stiff formality. "My gratitude for your tardy apology, sir. You might consider refraining from jests, if you are so unpractised at them that they are indistinguishable from serious statements. But again, my gratitude."

And then he glares at Castle, but it's not a hatred-glare, just a faintly-annoyed-glare. "No one stops me speaking."

"Not from lack of wanting to," Castle shoots back, more than faintly annoyed with him. "Are we done with this now? I'll even apologize for having brought it up at all, if it helps."

Mercutio's face softens a little. "Beg pardon for distressing you."

*Calmly and levelly* "An apology will not be necessary, Lee. I have no more quarrels with either of you. I have made my own apologies, and request that we all go on about our lives as maturely as we are capable." He looks to them both, questioning the acceptability of the proposal.

Uh-huh. Mercutio's mature. You know it. Yup. Very. Completely.

...

He decides it's best to keep quiet.

Again, he glances between the two of them. He feels rather like he's back in fourth grade and being reprimanded by the teacher for fighting on the playground, which annoys him. Still, the accusation of immaturity irks him even more, however true it might be.

"That works," he says flatly. He shoots Mercutio a quick 'please forgive me' look.

Andres notices the look and who the apology was directed to, and begins feeling very uncomfortable. He wants to thank Mercutio for barging into the conversation and speaking his mind, but he knows better, and for once he intends to be tactful. Why do I always feel my temper is worth hurting friends over. I can't let it happen again, not to him. He thinks to himself.

"If you will excuse me, I know there are other places I am more welcome. Have a good evening both of you." He doesn't speak to or look directly at neither man, but simply stands and walks toward the bar.

Mercutio watches him go, and takes a deep breath before turning to Lee. "Beg pardon," he says again, quietly.

Lee watches Andres leave, opening his mouth to say something and then closing it again.

"It's okay," he says, but he's still watching Andres, not Mercutio.

After a moment, he turns away and reaches apologetically for Mercutio's hand.

Mercutio lets his hand be taken, and even slips his fingers through Lee's. But he's watching his face with concern.

"I need to go talk to him." Lee sighs miserably. "I'll be back in a minute, all right?"

Mercutio nods silently, and kisses Lee's cheek.

Lee squeezes his hand gently and heads over to the bar, approaching Andres nervously.

"I didn't mean for any of that to happen," he says quietly.

"One does not confront someone with out expecting confrontation." He says coldly.

"It is not necessary for you to tell me what you did or did not intend. It makes no difference one way or the other. I cannot be angry at you, and I do not wish to discuss it with you, as I will only be told again, that I am wrong. Or that I need to stop blaming myself, but you know what? I am goddamned sick of hearing that. Every time I try to convince myself that I am not guilty for everything bloody thing that goes wrong in the world, every time I am cheerful or make a joke, it is thrown back at me and I am made to apologize again." The tone is as much hurt as angry.
He takes a deep breath before speaking again.

"Please go back to him and leave me be. I will only upset you more. You do not deserve that." He looks back at the bar, unwilling to look at Castle. It was too painful. He wasn't ready to be reminded that he'd hurt someone else that he cared about.

He was beginning to realize that it was impossible for him to win an argument. A debate sure, combat, no problem, but an argument was too much. No one deserved to suffer because he was angry. Not Castle, not Q, not anyone.

"God, I--"

I deserve this. I deserve more than this. I deserve to be hit, or for him to walk away and never speak to me again...

"I'm sorry, Andres, I'm so sorry..." And for once it's not the apology that hurts; it's the idea of not apologizing that cuts him to the quick.

I don't deserve to be forgiven. Look what I did to him...when all he did was make a stupid joke...

"Don't you dare apologize. This is not your doing."

I lost Gorlim last night, and tonight. . .

"I insist that you drop it. It is not worth you feeling bad over. Why don't we just act like it never happened. Any of it. If I could withdraw my words, all of the things I've done, the confusion the sorting out of the confusion. . ." *brief rueful chuckle followed by a sigh.*

"It would have been so much easier if none of it had happened. This is why I push people away. You'd be better off not knowing me.

So please. Go."

"Don't you fucking tell me not to apologize." His voice is shaking. "This is my doing. I brought the whole fucking thing up in the first place. I let everything get hideously blown out of proportion over a stupid fucking joke that I misinterpreted. I can't...I can't let you stay here being miserable over this. I wouldn't deserve to live if I could just walk away and let you take the blame for this again. This was my fault. I take responsibility for it."

He puts his head in his hands. "If you really want me to leave right now, I'll go. But don't give me that bullshit about being better off without you. You're never going to get me to believe that."

*Coldly* "I don't feel miserable, and I am suddenly feeling not so guilty. Whether you believe it or not. . ."

I can't finish that thought. It would just be cruel. and not true
He trails off, shaking his head. He orders a strong drink.

"Do what you like, I will not tell you to stay or go. It matters little enough." He takes a sip of the drink.

That hurts like a blow to the face. He takes a deep breath.

"If it doesn't matter," he says, and it takes every ounce of self-control he has to keep his voice steady, "then I'll leave." He pulls himself together and stands up straight. "I shouldn't have bothered you. I'll know not to do that anymore."

Quietly, he turns to walk away.

He wants so bad to tell him to wait, to ask him to stay, and to forgive him again, but he can't. Can't bring himself to expect that kind of forgiveness once more.

He lets him go. It's the only thing to do.
He puts his head down on the bar and waits to hear the foot steps grow distant.

[ooc: pssst. we're waiting on you, lovely.]

[OOC: Sorry! My computer keeps freezing up.]

[ooc: *snugs*]