-insert dramatic title here-

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

Joshua could only smile kindly at the amount of awkwardness and the stuttering that came with the boys attempt to try a normal conversation with the person who had changed his life.. for likely not the better. Though his actions had been the proper ones in the situation, it hadn't been one that had favored Mr.Rigby. He couldn't say he regretted his choice or what he did in having the boy expelled and arrested, because he simply did not. But he was still pleased nonetheless to see that the boy didn't hold any sort of grudge of against him for the choices that had been made. His parents, however, he knew thought differently. But seeing Joe was actually, perhaps, a bit nice. Of all the things he could have gotten into, all the bad paths he could have taken, he was working and going to school.

"Bland or not, i'm glad to hear it." he said, meaning it as well as merely speaking to be polite. "I wish you all of the luck in the world towards your schooling, Mr.Rigby." By this time their groceries had been bagged - properly seeing as how Joshua had been secretly watching how he was doing it, not because he thought ill of Joe, rather because he was picky and wanted to see it was done right. Seeing as how he had said nothing, it had been done properly and to his liking. Joshua was fine with starting another conversation or continuing the one they had going, but now there was a line. An elderly woman who looked rather impatient and annoyed to having been kept waiting.

So they said their short good-byes, Joshua wishing the boy a good luck with his schooling again as well as that he have a nice day and Jeremy even offering a more polite farewell, before the turned and were off. He could feel a pair of eyes on him for perhaps a few moments until the elderly woman's voice yelled for attention. Walking to the car, which was parked close luckily, was fairly quiet until they had rolled the cart to the trunk. Joshua reached into his pocket for the keys and unlocked it, smiling a tad as Jeremy called the meeting 'Twilight-Zone worthy'.

"It wasn't that strange." he said, chuckling a bit as he pulled the door to the trunk open and stepped aside so Jeremy could move the cart closer. "If I remember correctly, Mr.Rigby's parents are close to this area. And whether or not he still lives with them, most people often live within fifty miles of the place they were brought up in. However... I will agree with you, it was a bit odd to see him at all.. but, personally, I'm glad for it. Even if the circumstances of all of our last meeting was unpleasant, he was still one of my students." Not a good one or a favorite... but a student nonetheless. The piercings and the tattoo's were odd... but oddly fitting. Joshua wasn't to much of a fan of them, thinking they looked a tad strange on anyone regardless of their personality or the tattoo itself, but it was just another lifestyle and way to 'express' ones self that he wasn't familiar or fond of.

And he, of course, said most very lightly. Some children, rare ones like himself, went to school far from home and decided to stay there. He lived on the west coast while his own parents were home on the east coast in New York. Rigby, however, seemed to be the kind of person who would grow up in the same place, live, and raise his own children (if he had any) in what would likely be the exact same house had been raised in. That was just how some people were.. and there wasn't necessarily anything wrong with that... it just meant the chances of seeing the boy went up with the knowledge nearly twenty percent... probably less seeing as how he and Jeremy didn't go out to often.

As for seeing Joseph Rigby as a general event.. he could have gone without it. But all the same, it was nice to know he was alive and well. "Did you get everything out at him that you needed to?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at the boy as the two loaded the car, because even if Jeremy were to protest, he ignored it and picked up the lighter bags and helped load them into the vehicle. "I haven't heard you be that snappy since you were a student."

Snapping and arguing and the bickering the two younger ones did... that was what caused their fights. That and Jeremy's mouth... The boy - not anymore luckily - used to have a habit of snarking off. At, really, anyone. It didn't matter whether they were important, bigger and stronger than him, or... whatever. Joshua just knew how to deal with such commentary which was why he had been able to deal with Jeremy so easily and everything had gone smoothly with their first meeting. Most people did not, but still. He couldn't say that he wasn't at least a tad surprised at how their conversation - the parts he had listened to anyways - had gone. But he supposed he probably should have expected such a thing from Jeremy, especially when the person he was snarking off at was Rigby. Jeremy had matured an entire lifetime since high school... but there was no real resisting being able to snap at someone who he was so familiar bickering with.

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[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


“ It was still weird, “ he maintained as they started to load things up and pack them away into the backseat and trunk of Joshua‘s car. The whole situation had been oddly familiar and almost reassuringly comfortable…that wasn’t necessarily something he liked. He didn’t want to feel comfortable with his ‘old’ life, the life he had before he’d bailed to Paris, before Josh, before everything. He didn’t want to recall those things, the people he’d been involved with aside from Mark and his mom, of course.

As they were finishing up the loading, Joshua questioned his suddenly argumentative behavior, and he looked over. “ Hey, I could have been worse, “ he protested with a faint pout, feeling as though considering who he’d been talking to, he had been quite a bit more civil than the situation deserved. Rigby would deserve his bickering rudeness forever, that was just a rule of life, like gravity and the fact that toast always lands butter-side down.

“ It was a gut reaction. I didn’t purposefully do everything in my power to be irritating, “ he said stubbornly, heading to push the cart back and then returning to climb into the car. Once they were settled and belted in, he started the car, settling his hands on the wheel but turning his head to face Joshua. “ And of course I haven’t acted like that since I was a student, the only person I’ve been around since then, or at least for the most part, is you. And I don’t have the capability of being irritated with you aside from mild bickering. I don’t argue with you, “ he said, turning away to check the mirrors and pull out, then turn and head for the exit of the lot.

“ It’s just not there anymore. I mean, before I left I guess I was just a smartass like that and, of course, I hated just about everyone, “ he went on. “ Even the people I liked I really didn’t like, with the exception of Mark and you and maybe Ramone and Mark’s mom. I didn’t even like myself, “ he said with a faint laugh. “ But now I dislike less of the human race for no reason, so the natural tendency to snap and potentially bite anyone who tried to talk to me isn’t there anymore. I’m like a domesticated dog now, “ he grinned stupidly.

“ Just…certain people bring out certain things, you know? “ he added after a moment, the smile fading as if with a slightly less humorous connotation behind it. Rigby brought out his smartassery and his natural habit of verbal defense. Mark brought out his impatience. Mark’s Mom brought out his inner sense of belonging. Ramone brought out his calmer side. Joshua brought out everything good, period.

And his parents brought out everything bad. Rage. Self-loathing. Angst. Fear.

Looking a little more blank and cool than usual, he blinked and looked up at the road, then over at Josh, and he gave him a thin, brief smile, before looking ahead again, the smiel ocne again fading. Stop thinking, he urged himself patiently. You don’t do that. You just don’t. Don’t think. Don’t even try.

[.~[Misty.Muffin]~.]

xxＦｏｒ ｍｅ ｉｔ'ｓ ｉｍｐｏｒｔａｎｔ ｔｏ ｂｅ ｉｎ ｂ ａ ｌ ａ ｎ ｃ ｅ.
xxxxxxＴｏ ｎｏｔ ｌｅｔ ｆ ｅ ａ ｒ ｇｅｔ ｉｎ ｔｈｅ ｗａｙ ｏｆ ｔｈｉｎｇｓ,
xxxxxxxxxxx ｔｏ ｎｏｔ ｗ ｏ ｒ ｒ ｙ ｓｏ ｍｕｃｈ ａｂｏｕｔ
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ｐｒｏｔｅｃｔｉｎｇx ｙ ｏ ｕ ｒ ｓ ｅ ｌ ｆ ａｌｌ ｔｈｅ ｔｉｍｅ.

ｔｈｅ Ｐ Ｒ Ｏ Ｔ Ｅ Ｃ Ｔ Ｉ Ｖ Ｅ ｃｏｕｎｓｅｌｏｒ

"Yes, I suppose it was."

Joshua was unable to stop himself from smiling as the boy continued from there and said he could have been worse and pouted. Every day with Jeremy was something new... a pout? Over something so silly? He only chuckled and offered a shrug of agreement. The boy was right. He could have been worse and Joshua was a tad surprised that it hadn't been. The boy had snapped a bit and been a bit snarky, and perhaps the reason Joshua was so taken back by it was because it had been such a long time since he'd witnessed it. Jeremy was never that way when he was around and had never used that kind of attitude at him, so it wasn't something he had seen for a very, very long time. But then again, when a person from someone's past showed up it was kind of expected that there be a small change in personality. And just like that, it had happened. So maybe he was just making to big of a deal out of something that didn't matter. There had been no fight and no raised voices... just a calm, tense exchange of words. It was fine.

Jeremy earned himself another chuckle as he spoke again and wheeled the cart away. "I know, I know." he said with a smile as he got into the car and sat, grateful to finally be off of his feet. Irritating wasn't really the correct word for how Jeremy had been acting... and was certainly not the word he would have used. He couldn't say he was irritated at it... just... surprised. He had never stopped to think what might happen if they met Rigby ( or worse, Jeremy's parents ) again outside of the safety of the school. He could, however, say that he was happy he had been with Jeremy for the meeting. He didn't like to think about what might have happened if he hadn't been there to at least ease the tension a little bit. It may not have been pretty, but maybe he wasn't putting enough trust in Jeremy. That was no good... he couldn't allow something like that to slip out. He did trust Jeremy, more than he trusted anyone, but he couldn't help but worry and think higher of the boy than how he had acted. Jeremy was by no means perfect, but to Joshua he was close to it.

He was alone, at best, for merely a minute or so. Jeremy soon returned and Joshua pulled his feet and cane into the car and shut the door. The vehicle was started and they both buckled themselves in safely, but before the car actually began to move, Jeremy turned to him. The older man turned his head to meet the boys gaze and blinked, curious. The stare was blank for a moment, but once he started he couldn't help but smile. He and Jeremy didn't argue.. ever. They had their little bickering and sarcastic filled commentary, but never a serious or heated argument. The two of them... well.. they just didn't work like that. Neither of them found anything worth arguing out. He and Jeremy agreed and most things and those they didn't they found compromises. For them.. arguing was just a waste of energy.

Once he had said what he needed to, the boy turned back to face the front and adjusted his mirrors before pulling the car out of the parking place. He had been half expecting some sort of silence or a change of subject to get away from Rigby, but the boy continued. His own smile faded rather quickly as Jeremy spoke, mentioning hating everyone. He supposed, to en extent, he knew that. When they had first met Jeremy wasn't the kind of person to enjoy being around others. That still wasn't really him, but he at least enjoyed, or seemed to enjoy, being around their neighbors and talking to the elderly couples they lived around. There wasn't that same bit of anti-social habits and come off as he had seemed to have before.

Back then, there had been a few people he had liked. Mark, Kate, Ramone ( not that Joshua thought he would have admitted that one during school ), and the counselor. To hear Jeremy admit out loud that he hadn't even liked himself did bring a large amount of concern to the mans head. But... he already knew that, didn't he? None of this was new information to the counselor so it shouldn't have been a surprise. Nearly four years later... why was Joshua even remotely surprised at the information? It was, he guessed, hearing it out loud and coming straight from the boys mouth. He didn't like to hear these things come from someone he loved and respected so much. It was worrysome.. frightening... he didn't like it. But he would listen quietly and patiently just like he always did.

There was a pause after the laugh, in which Joshua sat patiently and gave off no reaction, then he continued. Now he hated less people for no reason... the natural defense to snap at people was gone. These things were said as if they were a bad thing... and the commentary of comparing himself to an animal was almost enough to make him frown. As much as the two loved animals... that was hardly an acceptable way to compare oneself. Especially after admitting a few moments earlier that he had disliked himself growing up.

Jeremy grinned, obviously unnaturally, and spoke again, saying that certain people brought out certain things. He was silent. The boy made his point, but he wasn't pleased with the way it had been said. He could understand exactly what he was meaning though... because it was true for him as well. Before meeting Jeremy he would have never imagined to flying to Paris again. To think his reasonings had been to simply see that an ex-student was safe? Alive? Okay? For him, that was something irrational and spontaneous. That was not the kind of person Joshua was. But when it came to Jeremy... he would do anything to make sure the boy was okay.

But that wasn't what Jeremy was talking about... not even close. Jeremy was thinking far less positively, his mind probably thinking of Ribgy and the fact that seeing him had brought... a less than favorable side out. If he was thinking negatively at all, about Rigby, then Joshua knew more less than pleasant thoughts would be creeping up on him. By this point, he had a fairly good grasp on how Jeremy's mind worked. One negative thing was going to bring up more. And more. And more until that was all that was going through his mind. So Joshua knew he just had to stop it before it happened, or, it went to far. The blank look that he wore, however, told Joshua that those thoughts had already begun.

The older of the two took note of the thin smile but didn't react. It wasn't until the car had stopped at a red light - which they had luckily gotten - did he move. Joshua reached his hand over and took one of Jeremy's hand, a serious look on his face mixed with a kind smile. "None of that really matters anymore though, does it?" he asked gently, his thumb running along Jeremy's hand. "What does matter, I think, are the changes that you've made to better your life. Even if there are those people that bring out certain traits, be they good or bad, what really matters are the final decisions you've made in your life to bring that change you deserve. Just because Rigby, or whoever, shows up every so often to throw things off balance, don't ever look at yourself as having changed for the worst.. alright? I hope that in the future you don't refer to yourself as a domesticated dog, Jeremy. I have an incredible amount of respect for you, even if you might sometimes allow yourself to be carried away by those old faces."

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[American_Flyleaf_Girl]

Ӿ Ⓣhҽ Ⓣroublҽd Ⓣҽҽn Ӿ


Josh knew him too well. It was easy to tell they were married aside from other obvious markers simply for the fact that Josh could look at him and see straight into his soul, and it was annoying sometimes to know that every time something went south in his mind -- no matter which way south it went -- Joshua knew.

They drove along in the quiet for a bit, pulling to a slow stop at a light. Jeremy hadn’t said anything besides, though his face wasn’t cold or troubled, just….quiet. That alone was probably weird enough, as ‘quiet’ wasn’t a setting he normally employed. He caught movement in the passenger seat and felt a warm hand grasp his with gentle firmness, and blinked, looking over and silently cursing himself as Joshua got that…expression on his face. The same caring, tender, but firm expression that the man wore whenever he as speaking on a serious note but with the intent to console; the same one that melted his barriers like ice under a heat lamp and dissipated the negative thoughts in his head.

He knew who the ’whoever’ was referring to, of course he did. It wasn’t hard to tell what other negative figure could pass through Jeremy’s mind, and he swallowed faintly, giving the man a look of unsteadiness before trying to turn towards the light again. But Joshua kept going and he couldn’t help but stay staring back at him as he went on about the changes he had made to his life, and how he shouldn’t call himself a domesticated dog. That part ruined the seriousness of it, as did the loud honk from behind them. Jeremy jumped and snapped his hand back to the wheel, looking forward and hitting the gas.

Once they had sped forward and turned down the side-street to head home, he looked over again. “ That was just sarcasm, “ he sighed, smiling lightly. “ But…. Yeah. “

Yeah. What a wise response, he thought briefly, glancing ahead again at the road. The car was quiet until they pulled into the driveway and he killed the engine, sighing and leaning his head back for a moment before he looked over at Joshua and smiled lamely, reaching to grasp his hand lightly and giving him a squeeze. “ Thanks, “ he replied quietly. “ You freaking psychic. “