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 Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 3:28 pm
"Nachos are a very serious business," said Caspian, flashing a grin over at Michael as they walked. But the grin shifted a little at the question, losing some of the cheerful relaxation and melting into something a little more rueful instead.
"They're good guys," he said, with a shrug of his shoulders. "They play well, but...most of them seem to be too concerned about looking good themselves and not winning the game."
There was a faint note of something like resignation in his voice, even annoyance. "Volleyball's a team sport. You can't win if you don't trust your teammates, or even try to trust them, so most of the time, if you're too focused on showing off, you're not gonna get very far."
Michael actually asking him questions was something new, which Caspian took to mean that maybe he was trying to get to know him - or maybe he was just trying to make sure that his view of Caspian as some obnoxious, rulebreaking kid was exactly how he'd thought it was. Either way, it was somewhat amusing, and Caspian shot him a look out of the corner of his eye.
"Second year at DCU," he said, "Haven't picked a major yet, but I was thinking Sports Medicine, maybe. And I went to Meadowview, after I was arrested for shooting a man in Reno," Caspian added in a deadpan voice, a glint of mischief in his eyes.
"What about you, officer? Navy, right?"
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 7:14 pm
Michael slid his hands into his pockets as he walked beside Caspian, frowning at the change in his voice as he explained what seemed to be the source of his… less than happy mood. “Ah,” he said simply, continuing to look ahead. He could understand the frustration, especially since he was rather competitive, but Caspian seemed to be a bit competitive, too. He didn’t know why that surprised him. Maybe because he took Caspian for someone who just went with the flow and didn’t really care about things like winning games, as long as it was fun.
“Yeah, that sucks,” he agreed, not really sure what to say other than to make a weird attempt to sympathize. He hesitated for a few moments, cautious of what he would say might sound to the other, but also knowing more about how Caspian might be feeling than he realized.
“I usually only play when I’m at the beach, but it’s only ever for fun these days. I haven’t had a decent partner since I was in the Navy,” he said with a small shrug. It was casual, almost careless, like a half formed thought. He didn’t want it to seem as though he meant anything by it.
Caspian’s response to where he went to school hadn’t been what he’d expected. He didn’t know what he should have expected, but it wasn’t that. Michael couldn’t help the small twitch at the corner of his mouth when Caspian made his comment about Reno, and he glanced down in his direction for just a moment, before lifting his head again.
“Yeah, the Navy,” he said simply, almost bitterly, and decided to leave it at that. Sure, he could have gone into detail about what he did for school and how many years he served and even his rank, but thankfully they’d reached the place Remus suggested they have lunch, and opening the door to step inside was enough to change the subject. It was probably for the best. Michael remained more or less silent as they found seats and their drinks and food.
“You know, you could do a lot with Sports Medicine,” he finally said after they the so called best nachos ever were placed on the table in front of them. “It’s in pretty high demand. Do you think you’d want to stay at a college level? Or high school or professional?” It was definitely more interesting than Michael’s life.
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 7:46 pm
Michael's brief answers weren't wholly unexpected; the man was less than talkative, after all, and Caspian gave a little shrug. "It is what it is," he said, exhaling a breath and flashing a smile towards him that didn't quite match his usual gung-ho grins. "I mean, we'll get there eventually, hopefully. Just a matter of keepin' ourselves going."
He thought of his new teammates, slapping him on the back, telling him what a good game it had been and all the while preening for the ones watching. Caspian, however relaxed and casual he was most of the time, preferred to play a game where they actually worked, instead of pretended to work.
He almost missed what Michael was saying and had to reel in his thoughts to make sense of it.
"A Navy man who plays volleyball," said Caspian, grinning up at him. "Really? I would have pegged you for more of a soccer or basketball kinda guy. What position do you play? You're taller, so probably not a setter, but..." He tapped a finger against his chin, surveying Michael curiously. "Maybe a spiker or blocker."
It was blatantly clear that Michael, whatever he said or however he acted, was not interested in discussing his military career, and Caspian, in spite of his endless curiosity, decided not to push it too much. He reclined back in his seat at the restaurant and crossed one leg over the other, an arm draped over the back of his chair.
"Probably college, if I can wrangle it," Caspian answered with a shrug, as the waitress deposited the nachos onto the table with a flourish. "I'm not sure I'd want to be in high school all over again, barring the fact that most people think I'm still in it, anyway."
He reached for a chip laden with tomato, chicken and cheese and popped it into his mouth, savoring the taste.
"I was right. Still the best."
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:35 pm
“Just recreationally,” he wanted to clarify before Caspian got too involved with trying to picture him as playing in actual games against other good players. “Yeah, typically attack positions. I wouldn’t be as fast as you,” he pointed out, but thought that was pretty obvious that he wouldn’t. He was tall and Caspian was much shorter and lighter on his feet.
“You guys will get there,” he promised, although he didn’t know how much that promise will actually hold. “Don’t beat yourself up over it. Just do your best,” Michael said with a small shrug as he tried out the nachos as well.
“Yeah, these are pretty good,” he decided to admit, deciding to focus on the chips instead of looking up to see exactly what Caspian was doing or the expression he might be sporting. Michael leaned against the table on his right forearm as he picked at the nachos with his other hand, frowning as he usually did.
“You’ve been staying out of trouble, I hope,” he said, although if one were watching, they might think he was talking to the nachos instead of the young man sitting across from him. The inflection in his voice clearly indicated that he meant the magical half more than the civilian half.
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 8:56 pm
"Speed is good sometimes, but height is also good," said Caspian, slightly ruefully. He knew perfectly well that his much shorter stature meant working harder, but at the very least, he was good at receives, and that was a bonus. It meant he wasn't great at blocking, but there was no real way around that.
He scrutinized Michael from across the table, wondering if he dared ask what he was debating to ask, but then decided against it, pretty certain the answer would be a solid no. The encouragement, however, made him grin, and he waved a hand, laughing.
"Well, we'll see," he said lightly. "And yes, didn't I tell you these were the best?"
He ate another one, chewing thoughtfully, and gave a slow nod of his head at Michael's question. "Mostly," said Caspian, his tone deliberately light. He reached for his water glass, evading Michael's eyes as he said, in the most nonchalant voice possible,
" 'cept for the whole...hand-in-chest thing."
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:21 pm
Mostly was not the response Michael wanted to hear, although he kept his composure and didn’t react immediately. At least until Caspian decided to continue. Michael lifted his head slowly, glaring at the other across the table, although his eyes weren’t as hard as he wanted to make them appear. If anything, he felt as though the breath was knocked from his lungs for just a few moments.
“Do you realize how lucky you are that you’re here right now?” he hissed lowly, so as not to draw the attention of others around them. It was probably wise that Caspian told him this in a public setting, because otherwise he didn’t know how he would have held back his reaction.
He was furious of course. Not necessarily at Caspian for probably being reckless and maybe even asking to be killed, but because of how dangerous he knew the Negaverse to be.
“If you want my help, then you better stay alive long enough for me to actually give it,” he said, lowering his eyes back to the plate between them, his appetite suddenly gone.
“If your starseed is destroyed, you won’t be reborn.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:40 pm
He waited resignedly for what was inevitable - and it came a second later, the look on Michael's face all but mutinous when Caspian slid his gaze over to see. He had debated not saying anything about what had happened between himself and Harmotome, but in the end, Michael was his mentor - of a sort - and he likely would have found out sooner or later.
"For the record, I didn't set out intending for it to happen," said Caspian, wincing a little at the tone of Michael's voice. He set his glass down and reached for another chip, half because he was still hungry and half because he just needed something to do with his hands. "I didn't even know it was something that could happen. She wasn't one of the higher ups; someone lower, like my level, but..."
A shrug escaped, automatically. It wasn't as though he didn't care, because he did, but it was still something unfamiliar to him, new to him. He heard the anger, the frustration, the outrage blatant in Michael's tone. Caspian couldn't exactly say he blamed him; not even a week after he'd agreed to be careful and s**t had gone down faster and more brutal than he'd intended.
The thought of his starseed cracking under Harmotome's fingers left him colder than he cared to admit.
"I thought I had her," he said, and although there was an attempt to sound lighthearted, as he always did, it didn't quite translate. "And, well, then I didn't."
Caspian gave a snort and shook his head. "She thought way too highly of herself, though."
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 9:53 pm
”Even more of a reason why I said you’re lucky you’re even here right now,” he snapped, although his voice was still lowered. He couldn’t even look at Caspian at the moment, so instead he stared down at his hands, at the signet ring he wore on his right hand that he knew looked entirely plain to anyone else who saw it.
It was a symbol of his knighthood, and one he was now questioning if he was worthy enough to have. He couldn’t stop what happened to his brother, and he wouldn’t be able to stop what happened to anyone else.
He knew it wasn’t always something anyone could help. They would always be taken by surprise or get in over their head, but now that Michael felt… responsible?? Well, it made things a bit more personal than he wanted.
“Someone with your power would probably be a Lieutenant for them. She didn’t pull it all the way out, did she?” he asked, glancing up at Caspian in concern despite himself. “Just doing that can kill someone if they’re not careful.”
And then there was a long moment of Michael not saying anything, but he sat and twisted his ring around his finger with his thumb.
“Are you okay…?”
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Posted: Sun Jun 05, 2016 10:07 pm
He wondered if it was just going to be this way between them or however long they were going to spend time together. Caspian would do something stupid, Michael would get angry, and then...well, Caspian wasn't entirely sure what came next after that, other than maybe one of them (probably Michael) stomping off.
In spite of the fact that Caspian knew - and accepted - that he looked younger than he was due to his height and general appearance; and despite the fact that he would rather do something carefree and exciting than serious and uptight, it wasn't as though he wasn't aware of the dangers of what he did.
Or maybe he did, and that was the problem.
"Fine, fine, I'm lucky to be here," said Caspian, resisting every instinct that said to roll his eyes. "Jeez."
The silence that stretched between the two questions felt oddly tense. Caspian was leaning back in his seat, hands tucked into his pockets, legs outstretched under the table. The nachos, half eaten, lay between them, mostly forgotten.
"No," said Caspian. "She didn't pull it all the way out. Just...held it."
And turned me into a damn dog, he thought, a surge of annoyance coursing through him. He exhaled a breath and lifted his head again, a slight smile on his lips.
"I'm all right," said Caspian, which was mostly true. "It hurt like a b***h, though."
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 9:37 am
Michael lifted his eyes to watch Caspian as he leaned back in his chair, and put his hands in his pockets, and basically went back to looking miserable, aside from what had to be a forced smile.
"Hey," he said, almost hesitantly, wanting to make sure he had Caspian's attention. Michael now lifted his head as well, trying to read the expression on his face and to try and decipher whatever it was he thought he saw in Caspian's eyes.
"Thanks," he finally said, still twisting the ring around his finger. "You didn't have to tell me about that, but you did. And..." another hesitation, this time included with a small grimace. "I'm sorry. For snapping at you. I guess you could say I have, uh... control issues. Can't exactly do anything when I'm not there, right?" he said, forcing his voice to sound a bit lighter, as if trying to dismiss how much it bothered him.
"I'd prefer you tell me," he continued, wanting to make sure Caspian understood at least that much before he decided to never tell Michael anything ever again. "Obviously I can't make you, but... at least I would hear it from you, if you did."
It was weird, Michael decided as he looked up when the waitress deposited the check for the table. Michael quickly snatched it and pulled out his wallet before Caspian could do anything. It was just lunch, anyway. And easier for the wait staff if it was processed as one transaction.
"In case you were concerned that I was lying about my name," he shrugged, figuring people did that these days. He placed the plastic card with an embossed 'Michael John Gallo' across the front onto the table on top of the check.
"I'll get the bill. Repayment for being an a** to you. Sound fair?"
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:40 am
It should have said something that Caspian's immediate thought to Michael saying "Hey" in that quiet tone of voice of his was that he was about to be told that Michael wasn't interested in helping him out anymore. Which, all things considered, was to be expected, and Caspian figured that the fact that he'd made him say yes at all in the first place was a step, so...progress.
Sort of.
But what came out instead was not that, and Caspian lifted his head, looking across the table at him with an expression of slight suspicion on his face.
An acceptance - kind of - and an apology, he thought, taken aback by this turn of events. He shifted slightly in his chair, biting back the sarcastic comment that always seemed to rise at the most inappropriate times and instead tried to listen.
"...all right," said Caspian, after a moment, his tone slightly wary, but there was a lightening in his eyes that contradicted it. "I'll tell you about it the next time it hopefully doesn't happen."
His eyes flickered to the card - Michael John Gallo - and had to suppress the urge to laugh, because it suddenly felt both ridiculous and right at the same time. For someone who had been so adamantly against helping him, it felt strangely good to have it be the other way around.
"You get the bill this time, and next time I'll try to stay away from people who want to stick their hand in my chest," said Caspian, grinning a little.
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:15 pm
He could tell that Caspian was wary of what he was saying. He knew he hadn’t exactly been the friendliest person, or the easiest to get along with, but the fact that Caspian kept trying was almost unheard of and kept surprising him. Still, he didn’t think anything he said warranted such looks of suspicion.
Michael frowned, although he was glad that Caspian at least seemed to accept his apology, as difficult as it was for him to say it. He also seemed to once again be holding back any jokes or comments that might not be viewed as acceptable for a serious conversation. It was almost a pity, since Michael really was trying to make things… he wouldn’t say more comfortable, but maybe less uncomfortable for Caspian.
“Deal,” he agreed, satisfied with at least the small grin on the other’s face. It was better than nothing. Michael seemed to think about something for a few moments. “If… you need me… In case I’m not… you know,” he said, hoping Caspian would realize he meant being powered up. “Let me give you my number. It’s good to have a few extra contacts, anyway.”
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:29 pm
The comments came out before he could stop himself.
"Why, Officer Gallo, you're giving me your number?" Caspian asked, a grin spreading across his face. "What happens if I just text you emojis all evening? Can I use it to send you pictures of the blade of grass or the cloud I found interesting?"
He was (mostly) back to his normal, ridiculous self by now, Caspian reaching for his phone and sliding it on with a swipe of his thumb.
"What should I put you under...'grumpy Michael...' "
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Posted: Mon Jun 06, 2016 3:37 pm
”It’s Lieutenant, if you must. Or was,” he frowned, not really upset with being called ‘officer’ since he technically was a Naval Officer, but his rank was Lieutenant. “And if you abuse it, I’ll block your number,” he said, scowling slightly, although his heart didn’t seem to be completely in it.
He shook his head and waited for Caspian to set up his phone for him to give his number. It wasn’t much, but Michael understood how much it sucked to be alone when you didn’t really want to be. There was no point if it could be helped. He, on the other hand, did it on purpose. He’d pushed people away for so long that now he was actually… sort of… maybe… warming up to someone, it was awkward and difficult, and he was sure he would find a way to make things worse than they were already.
One day Caspian would realize that he didn’t need Michael’s help or guidance any more, and that was fine, but for now he would do what he could.
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