milliways_bar | (no subject)

(no subject)

*Leaning against the bar is a Raph. He's nursing a beer. Situation normal. You may continue with your day, already in progress.*

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Yup. Still tender, huh? Good to know.

Andrew frowned. "What the fuck kinda remark was that?"

Honest one.

"Great. 'Welcome back, Andrew. You remember that shitty thing that happened to you before? No? Well now you do!' Thanks, man." He rolled his eyes in annoyance. "And you're wrong, you know."

Obviously.

I didn't before...do now.

*He drinks his beer and then turns to face Andrew.*

You rather I not tell you things ahead of time? Rather no warnin'? 'Cause if you do, that ain't a problem...or it ain't my problem.

Andrew sighed. "I-" Fuck, he'd forgotten what it was like, dealing with Raph. "I appreciate it. I do. but I didn't know she was gone in the first place, so I don't see how anything's changed for me." He paused, staring down into his milk. "I'm glad MIkey's happy, though."

I'm tellin' you 'cause right now she don't need history, she's got enough of her own.

*Wait...there was a meaning behind all this? No way?!*

Andrew stared at Raph for a long moment in something akin to disbelief, his jaw canted.

"Thanks, man," he said at length. "Thanks."

Go back home, Andrew.

Her brother's here, jackass. An' he's a vampire. Personally...I'd like to keep the slayer that's supposed to deal with him as focused on that as possible.

You two deal with each other, an' it bunches both your panties for days at a stretch. We can't have that. Not now.

"When the fuck did I ever suggest I even wanted to talk to her, huh? I know she sure as fuck doesn't want to talk to me, Raph, so what's the problem? I have no desire to distract her from anything, and you know what? I'm really sick of everybody trying to tell me I'm hung up when I'm not. I don't give a shit, got it?"

Four months, and he'd not been that angry the entire time, but it wasn't Mel that was the problem. He didn't understand why Raph kept pushing, as if Andrew couldn't be trusted not to fuck shit up. Like he was a child to be reprimanded before he'd even committed anything.

You done?

"Are you?"

Carin'...yup. Got your wish there.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a rock, you're an island. I'm pretty damned clear on your MO."

An' yet you're still bent outta shape. Why is that?

"Because I thought maybe I could come back, and we could have a normal conversation and avoid that shit. It's over. In the past. Done. Yet you had to keep on, like I'm a fucking idiot or something."

You want to know what I've been doing in four months? You want to know how I've actually got a job now, and am making good money? How I'm thinking about proposing to my girlfriend? How I got Mark to hunt me down back issues of your damned comic book because I missed your crazy ass? No. You want to bitch at me about Mel.

Huh. Here I thought I was protectin' your ass against a vampire so you wouldn't find yourself a pint low.

*He picks up his beer and mutters.*

normal conversation is for when business is done.

"Do you have any idea at all how frustrating you are?"

*Raph gives Largeman a once over.*

Got an idea....

And then? Andrew laughed. Really laughed. Almost knocking your milk over laughed.

*Raph shakes his head and continues on with his beer drinking, convinced that Large had finally snapped.*

"Missed you, man," Andrew said once he had calmed, nothing more. That was enough.

Don't worry, I ain't gonna hold you to that.

*Raph smirks.*

"Long as we understand each other."

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