milliways_bar | (no subject)

He closes his eyes with a wince, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

"Honestly, I doubt there was a worse night you could have met him on. I can't guarantee he'd have been a lot nicer if you met him when he was in a better mood, but of all the first impressions you could be judging him for..."

Might as well be completely honest.

"He was not the first to begin the duel of words, Lee," he admits.

He looks up, frowning.

"Then you don't condemn him for continuing it, am I right?"

"I did it knowing he would continue with it."

He sighs.

"Looking for an excuse to dislike him." He arches an eyebrow, not happy.

"I had already enough reason to dislike him," he replies, pulling his hand away from Lee's.

"Really?" He folds his arms. "Explain, please. I'm all ears."

"I would rather not."

"You brought it up. You got into this discussion. Please--tell me why you had this pre-conceived dislike for my boyfriend, and why you felt like you had to go and make it even worse."

"I did not feel as if I had to go and make it worse," he says a bit more harshly than he intended. "I was walking by him, recognized him from Gorlim's memories, and I stopped to speak. When he said something about my unimpressive charms, I retorted with something impolite, the duel began."

Still not an answer to the original question, but perhaps enough to make him forget what he had asked.

The best way to distract Lee is generally to slam him against a wall and punch him. Otherwise, he remains viciously intent on whatever he's pursuing.

"You said you started it," he points out flatly. "Otherwise, I'd believe that."

"I did begin it. If I had ignore his comment about my charms and not... told him to ask for details about those charms... it could have ended differently."

Though he doubted that.

Pause. Stare.

Literal facepalm.

And rather to his horror, as it is not helping his argument any, he cracks up laughing.

He stares in return.

"What do you find so amusing, Lee?"

"I cannot believe you said that to him." He buries his face in his hands, still laughing.

"Yes, I did. Among other things."

His eyes narrow.

"Your unhappiness was not my fault. Nor was his."

"No, it wasn't." He sighs. "I doubt he really thinks it is. He's not usually one to put blame where it doesn't belong."

He waves his hand dismissively.

"It does not matter," he mutters darkly. "I am pleased you are happy once more."

Not for long, if you're going to be like this.

He folds his arms noncommittally.

"You said there were two other things on your mind. What's the second?"

He shakes his head.

"Nevermind," he says quietly. "I do not wish to speak of it now."

He should have begun with that, not with Mercutio.

He looks away.

"Look--I'm sorry. I guess I shouldn't have expected you to get along with Mercutio. Especially if he's going to insist on being difficult. I was just...hoping you would, I guess, that's all."

"Why would you hope we would get along? Why would you think we would?" he asks, but then stops with any further questions. "Do not answer any of that. You are his, after all. And he is your lover, and I should respect that -- and I do. There will not be another encounter of that sort again."

"Because he's a good person, because I love you both, and because there is no reason for you two not to get along except possibly jealousy, which you've said you don't feel."

This time, he looks away.

At one point he had thought he did not feel jealousy.

Things change.

Lee regards him silently.

"All right," he says quietly. "It's okay if you guys don't get along. Really."