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 Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:05 pm
Jace shrugged, almost noncommittally, but there was something pensive in his expression. "...Maybe."
He didn't quite sound believable, so added, "It's not like you asked for my family to take you in. Luck of the draw, I guess. But you would have been a mess without me. You run your mouth too much and pick fights you can't win on your own."
Jace would chastise him, but he couldn't imagine Xander getting in a fight without him there. The thought made him mad and he kicked at a rock on the ground as he continued next to him. "Do you think we would have been friends if you'd wound up anywhere else?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:14 pm
“I mean, I hope so, I can’t imagine NOT knowing you.” He shuddered “Who the heck else would have the patience to deal with me after all? Imagine, the first time you put up with me for more than five minutes I’d have latched on to you like a limpet!” He grinned and wrapped both hands around Jace’s arm for a moment, tugging it gently back and forth like he was imitating an attempted shake off. “And then we’d still be doing this, I just wouldn’t have to share a bed with you and the blocks of ice you call feet when we have guests.” He stuck his tongue out and let Jace go even as he teased. “Counter point is I’d probably have lots more bruises from picking fights I can’t finish without you.” He tapped his chin. “Yeah, no, I’m glad we’re in this timeline. I am pretty sure knowing you keeps me from like… living as a hobo under a bridge and playing tambourine for spare change by the local gas and go.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 4:41 pm
The truth was, Jace couldn't imagine not knowing Xander, either. He wanted to swat at him to shoo him off of his arm but Xander had pried himself away before he had the chance. "I don't know," he huffed, though was secretly pleased that Xander was convinced they would have been friends--that he was happy to be in this timeline.
"You're pretty annoying. I don't know if you're as persistent as everyone else, they work pretty hard to make me keep them around. If I wasn't so afraid of getting chewed out as a kid, I might not have even tried to be nice to you."
His mother, he could imagine yelling at him. His father, that just left an icy dread that blossomed in his stomach and stretched to his fingers. He had to shake his hands to try and shirk the feeling.
"Can't see you as a bridge type, though. You probably would have just suckered the richest person on the street into buying you dinner and a hotel room. I couldn't let you be a hobo anyway," he huffed, and then added quickly, "You'd make me look bad. I can't associate with someone like that. Mom would kill me." He let out a long, drawn out groan and reached one hand to rub at his temple. "In this timeline, or any other, I'm sure."
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:23 pm
“Ahh.. if I met you’d I’d meet them too, I’d join them in their persistence.” He said confidently. “Besides, nice and putting up with are two TOTALY different things.” He added with a serious nod. He tapped his chin thoughtful, he squinched up his nose and then finally nodded. “Fair… Maybe you’d be the one putting me up for food and a hotel room, You’d take pity on me, you could probably even pitch it as charity!” He swung an arm out to loop it around Jace’s neck and bring him in to knuckle him. “At least we don’t have to worry about it, she hasn’t decided I’m too terrible to be family and so you’re still stuck with me.” he snatched out the hair tie holding the too tight braid in and released Jace to hold it up like a trophy. “HA”
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:30 pm
It took Jace a second to realize what Xander had even done, and when he did he reached out to try and snatch it back. "You're so annoying! Give it back. I absolutely would not take any pity on you, I'd take one look at you and know you were horrible! I thought you wanted to relax," he said, shamelessly punching his brother's arm once before trying again to grab the hair tie back.
No one was around; there was no pretense of formality, no one to be on their best behavior for, no one to judge them for fooling around or criticize them for acting like children. They'd grown up too fast, anyway, in a household with too many rules and expectations.
A little foolishness was deserved, especially where no one else could see.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:38 pm
He laughed, the joy sincere as the trappings of formality slipped away and he folded over to defend his prize, darting forward and away. “Ahhh you would have, you’re like a durian, all spikes with a soft middle!” He waved it over his head again. “Come on slow poke! Catch me and get it back! I’ll even re braid it for you! I prepared! I brought a comb!” He laughed. “Besides! Maybe teasing you is my relaxation!” He added. “How many times have I done this? hmmmm…almost every time it’s us? “
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:56 pm
He was right, Jace should have really learned by now. He let his guard down too easily around his brother, alone, in a place like this. If he were feeling sappy, he might have confessed that he felt safe around him--except, he absolutely couldn't even think such a thing because Xander was a thief who had obviously tricked him into taking his hair down earlier just to make it easier to steal now.
He had planned it in advance. "You know," he snapped, chasing after him "If you have the foresight to plan so far in advance, you should use it for something more productive than harassing me!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:00 pm
“Mmmmm… Nah…” Xander grinned over his shoulder. “This lets me pit myself against someone who runs for FUN!” Which also meant he was doomed to be caught, but it was worth it. “Just be glad you didn’t leave it up!” He added like he…probably had a plan for that too. “Besides I promised Q! She said at LEAST one day of making sure you didn’t give yourself a receding hair line trying to look prop-ERRRK!” He stumbled over a root in the trail, because of COURSE he did. That was some kind of odd karmic promise that it WOULD get him within the shortest amount of time possible for any jokes he played. Sometimes he wondered what he did in a past life to deserve this, but at least this time he didn’t land in a thorn bush, dignity only bruised.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:09 pm
Jace startled at the mention of Q, at the realization that she was involved in this minute betrayal. Even he wasn't fast enough to catch Xander before he toppled over, but he paid careful attention not to trip over the same root as he rushed to him. "So stupid!" he exclaimed vehemently, but he had immediately knelt to try and help.
Perhaps, if he hadn't been chasing him, Xander might not have tripped in the first place; there was a faint thread of guilt tugging at his heart and it manifested in words of retribution. It didn't hide the fact that he was actually worried.
He had one hand on Xander's arm, trying to help him up without jostling him too much. "--Are you all right? You didn't twist it, did you?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:13 pm
He laughed and waved off the idea that he’d sprained anything.
Naw naw, Only my dignity! If I hadn’t run I wouldn’t have tripped.” He Let Jace help him back to his feet, flushed from the small run and embarrassment both. “I’ll behave, promise! If anything else happens it’s nature alone to blame! Only I am not saying anything because let’s not give my luck any ideas eh?” He grinned and dusted off his trousers. “Man…please say Im not all over ground in dirt or I’ll be washing ALL the laundry for the rest of the week.” He turned trying to peer over his own shoulder while dusting his hands off. “I’ll give you the clean hair tie too, I probably have all kinda dirt in the other one, I’m sorry man.”
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:42 pm
He kept a scowl on his face, but there was relief in his eyes. "No, I want mine back. Just dust it off, it'll be fine. I'll just wash it in the shower later if it's gross."
He gave Xander a quick lookover, not really trusting his promise to behave but hoping he might at least keep it in mind for the next few hours. "Your clothes aren't too dirty. You've got leaves on you, but I'm not touching you to get them off. Do you want to sit down for a minute?" he asked, turning half away and looking around before gesturing to a log only a few steps away. "We can take a snack break. Let you catch your breath. You need to exercise more."
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:50 pm
“I get plenty of exercise, I just don’t run for fun!” Xander countered, finding and dusting off the hair tie. “Here, We can break long enough I’ll brush that mess out and redo it.” He finished swatting off the leaves with a spare hand and exhaled. “Besides, I wanna scope out the pond before we have to head back.” He held the hair tie out as a peace offering and fished a folding brush out of his pocket. “Peace?” He offered.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 6:58 pm
Jace looked at him for a few seconds and then accepted the hair tie back. "Fine, peace. But don't pick a fight you're not ready to lose. I'm not going to go easy on you if you try that again, so there's your last warning."
He trudged over to the log and sat down. For as much sitting as he'd already done today, somehow this still felt good. There was a faint wetness in the air, like maybe it had rained not so very long ago, and the earthy smell was easy to lose himself in. He closed his eyes and just breathed. He imagined the picture of the rocks Q had sent, reread her text message in his mind.
Breathe.
One deep breath, in and out. A second.
He opened his eyes again and reached for the pack, digging to find a snack bar. His favorite, he noted, suspecting that Xander might not have just been haphazardly grabbing things when he was packing.
He took a bite, chewed in silence, and then said, "I guess this is nice."
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:18 pm
“Yeah? Good, I’ll remember to steal your hair tie again and suffer the consequences. My brother needs more nice times.” He grinned as he worked the old braid out and then started to run a brush through it. “Hmmm did I pick good snacks?” He asked, like he totally didn’t have any idea that it was Jace’s favorite. “The water bottle on the right is Powerade, left is water, You get at least this walk without adding more caffeine into blood stream, which by the way, it is supposed to be a blood stream. I know you’re studying LAW, but that is a sort of vital point.” A few more brushes just to make sure it was relaxing but not so many as to let him feel like he was wasting time, then he started doing a ‘quick’ french braid, he’d been practicing a bit on his own hair, annnnd his friends.
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Posted: Mon Sep 28, 2020 7:33 pm
He grumbled a bit, at everything Xander said. He closed his eyes and had to breathe again. When he had the strangest sensation of Q watching him, with a self-satisfied grin, he had to force his eyes open and look at his brother again.
"You're awful."
And yet, the sensation of having his hair tended to was nicer than he wanted to admit, and for a moment his eyelids sagged like he wanted to close them and just rest for a minute. Instead, he took another bite. He spoke around it this time, "Don't remind me. I hope Mom gets home late today. Kinda want to take a nap, but she'll throw a fit if she finds me sleeping off schedule. Where did you learn to braid like that? --You're not picking up any weird hobbies, right?" he asked uncertainly, almost accusatorily.
...It felt nice. He couldn't let Xander know how nice it felt. Couldn't let him know how soothing it was. Couldn't let him know that he was right, that maybe Jace did need this.
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