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 Posted: Thu Feb 04, 2021 5:47 pm
Michael snorted softly in turn, amused by Jeremy’s story about his kid brother and how he thought of him, nodding lightly in understanding. He could definitely understand the desire to protect his family, and yet it somehow turned around that he was the one who needed saving the most. Not that he would ever admit that to Peter. He didn’t want the kid’s head to get too big.
“Babysitting? No. Giving me a reason to stay in this god forsaken city? Probably,” he shrugged, figuring it was vague enough for a stranger who probably would never see him again. Michael didn’t intend to see this guy again, anyway.
“I could leave whenever I wanted. No offense,” he said with a nod in Jeremy’s direction, since he’d already voiced some of the struggles he’d had. “Take my boat and go sailing around the world. It was a gift,” he added after a moment, although not knowing why he cared what anyone thought of him for owning a boat.
“The kid knew I needed a distraction and he gave it to me. So if he wants to call it babysitting, then I guess he’s welcome to it.”
He knew Peter deserved more praise than he gave him, but talking to strangers was different than people they would see again. Although he did try to convince Pendour that he and Oberon weren’t related… but that was for safety reasons.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:20 am
Ah, the pains of humoring a younger brother and letting them get away with too much. Jeremy took another sip of his drink but at least seemed in something of a better mood than before.
"Lucky. I don't know what I'd do if I could leave the city."
Would he? Could he? He could convince Myles to leave with him, he was sure. Leave the whole Senshi business behind. Leave the Negaverse here.
He might sleep better at night if he wasn't thinking about running into another one again. If he wasn't worried about Myles meeting a worse fate than he had.
He gripped the bottle a little too tightly as his jaw set, and something of a glare settled on empty space as the thought soured in his head. He took another sip, too quickly, to chase it away.
"I don't know that a boring life suits me." The city was s**t, but he didn't know anything else.
"But then, I suppose I don't know what life suits me, anyway. I've just been doing this for so long I can't imagine anything else. You get in a rut and keep following the motions. I'm so deep into this I don't even know what else there is."
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Posted: Wed Dec 22, 2021 6:43 pm
Michael glanced over at Jeremy, watching as he glared at nothing in particular, as he drank from his bottle and talked about not knowing what to do with his life.
That was something Michael could relate to, all too well. But others weren't as lucky as he was to decide to change things whenever he wanted. Jeremy even pointed out how lucky he was that he could just leave.
"Sorry," he mumbled, not meaning to upset him. Sometimes his privilege was made more obvious than he intended. Normal to him was nowhere near normal to others, even if he tried living modestly. Well, and it was easier that way for him.
"Sometimes all you can do is just keep going. For those you care about and who count on you," he said quietly, because there were times that Michael could have left, but ended up staying because he knew Peter needed him.
"Not that that's healthy. What about a new hobby? Any time for that?" he tried, because he didn't like seeing the guy in such a mood, despite having just met him. "Or… does your brother have any hobbies you can learn? Could be fun doing it together, or at least trying to understand why he likes something."
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:46 pm
“You’ve got nothing to apologize for,” Jeremy answered. He hadn’t taken offense to anything Michael said, and maybe even if he’d had the opportunity to leave–
Would he have? This city was what he knew. Maybe he was just a creature of habit.
“I, uh.” He clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth and almost seemed a little amused. A bit rueful. “I don’t think candle making’s for me. I think the only hobby’s I’ve got are cleaning up after him. He’s not bad,” he felt the need to insist. “...I’m proud of him. Should probably tell him that more often. Things could have wound up a lot worse for us. I’m glad he gets to do something creative, it’s good for him. Candle, soap, perfume. It’s not really for me, but.”
He sighed, and maybe this time the smile stayed in place a little longer. “It works for him, so I guess it’s fine. We don’t have a lot in common. He likes pastels and cute things and small animals, and,” he exhaled. “Nothing wrong with that. Just, not for me. I don’t know the last time I had time to pick up a new hobby. You seem like a reasonable guy with a smart head on your shoulders. What do you do when you have free time?”
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Posted: Mon Jan 17, 2022 8:24 pm
“Does he sell any of it? His candles and soap and perfumes?” Michael wondered. There was only so much soap someone could make for themself before they had too much. It might have just been a hobby but.
“Maybe he needs someone to manage inventory. Give him an opportunity to focus on the creative side while someone else keeps track of sales and gets everything prepared for shipping. Hobbies can get… out of hand,” he sighed, but showed Jeremy a small smile as he explained. “My mother likes a lot of different hobbies. She’ll end up with a room full of stuff before someone convinces her to sell it or donate it.” Of course, she was able to actually hire someone to handle the selling part.
But if Jeremy really wanted to be part of his brother’s life, then there were ways.
His smile widened a bit when asked what he did. “I have motorcycles I work on. And other engines, but motorcycles take up less space than a car.” There was no reason for a random guy he met at the bar to know that he also liked to read and write his own poetry occasionally.
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Posted: Wed Feb 16, 2022 6:10 pm
Jeremy sipped at his drink and nodded approvingly. “He sells most of it. That’s the only reason I don’t make much of a fuss at all the space he takes up. And it makes him happy. He’s making enough to make it worth it, but it’s not practical in the long run unless he starts taking it seriously. Fixing motorcycles, though. That’s a respectable hobby. Practical, too.”
He liked to fix things himself. He didn’t like to leave it up to some person who wasn’t personally invested–and, more than that, was willing to charge him an arm and a leg to do a s**t job.
“My first car was a beater. Got it for cheap because the thing looked like it was going to fall apart if the wind blew too hard. I paid three fifty for it, the day after I turned sixteen. I didn’t tell my father. Didn’t get insurance either, but I was safe. I thought I’d be lucky if it lasted me a year. Little things went, I had to learn to keep up with it. But YouTube’s a life saver. I told myself I’d get a new car when it broke something I couldn't fix.”
Another sip. “Piece of s**t still runs.”
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2022 1:07 pm
”Sounds like you made an excellent deal on a car. Not only that, but it’s good for experience,” he grinned as he leaned against the bar. “You’ll have to let me know if you need any help. Maybe we can get it to keep running another twenty years,” he teased, although he was obviously up for the challenge.
Not that he wanted to take Jeremy’s project from him.
“So… don’t get me wrong, but do you come here often?” he hummed after a few moments, and then shrugged. “Sometimes I need to get out of the house but it’s not very fun just sitting by myself. I’d like to keep up with you and see how your brother -- and car -- are doing.”
Maybe that was weird to suggest, especially since they’d only talked a little, but it wasn’t as though they had to talk about anything heavy. Michael would be fine making suggestions or offering tips about fixing things. Maybe they could share advice about brothers. Or maybe they could part ways and never talk again.
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Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2022 7:56 pm
Jeremy couldn’t help but laugh, amused at the idea of pushing any car for that long. It seemed like it might deserve some rest after all of that–he’d have wanted some rest after being driven for that long, but it was an interesting offer and it wasn’t one he was going to turn his nose up at.
“Nothing to take the wrong way. I don’t come here often, but if I’m going to go somewhere, it’s probably here. Haven’t had any trouble here, so that’s better than the beer they serve. Here,” he said, and reached into his wallet to pull out a business card.
For Officer Fischer. He hadn’t intended to bring any of them, it was a habit and he hadn’t even thought about it. The card was just beat up enough to look like it had spent some time in the wallet, but still in good enough condition that he wasn’t embarrassed to pass it over.
“If you ever feel like going out to get a drink. Maybe I won’t look undercover so much if I’m out with a friend. I might need you for some tips on that car, I’ve got a feeling something’s going to go soon.”
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Posted: Tue Aug 09, 2022 8:36 am
Michael took the business card that was offered to him and took a moment to look at it before nodding. For a random person he decided to talk to at the bar, he was pleasantly surprised with how much he enjoyed their conversation, and he could genuinely say that he would like to talk to Jeremy again.
Hopefully sooner than later. Michael had a feeling that they both needed someone to talk to.
“I’d be happy to offer tips and assistance. Getting a drink with a friend sounds nice. I’ll make sure to take you up on that, Jeremy. Thank you.”
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