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 Posted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 7:54 pm
He opened his mouth to say something smart, but his jaw clamped shut as his addled brain processed what the other man had said. Twice now (or was it three times?), K had made a point that his presence had nothing to do with money. And, hell, there must have been some truth to his words because why else hadn't he take the chance to make off with his wallet, as he'd been prompted to do?
Instead, he'd stood there, silent and broody while Rob rambled on and went so far to (unintentionally) puke on his shoes. While his words were anything but sweet, the knowledge that there was a presence there, regardless of consoling abilities, was a comfort in itself.
He stared ahead, off towards the adjacent bathroom shrouded in the shadows of the windowless room. Palms rubbed against his face as the teenager's words humbled him. He'd just been bitching about being alone... while in the presence of the only ******** that seemed to stick around. It hadn't been a fair thing to say, even if he felt like warmed over death.
The next words to leave his lips were barely breathed out.
"I need help."
Hands trembled for a moment as the lawyer began to feel himself lose control. He cleared his throat, trying to abolish the choked up feeling that was threatening to compromise his airway or the burn that stung the corners of his eyes.
"I've...I've got a problem and I'm not sure what I'm going to do."
The silence of the moment was shattered as the teenager collected the man's arms, wrapping one around his own shoulder before taking hold and guiding the older man up to his feet. While the room continued to spin, the gentle nudging of the younger man had him shuffling in the right direction.
"You're a stubborn ********, you know that?"
Clearing his throat again, he desperately fought for his voice to return to its normal, regular nonchalance. “I'm not getting in the shower with you, Kavinsky, so don't get your hopes up."
Still, he refused to look over at the man who was holding him up. The one who'd made a point to stick around, even when Rob had all but ordered him to scram.
Stubborn ********, indeed.
Hazel eyes dropped to the ground, staring at his dress socks as they scooted alongside the worn out sneakers, once of which was now stained a familiar, damnable vomit color.
“Sorry about your shoe. I'll buy you new ones.”
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Posted: Tue Dec 19, 2017 1:36 pm
He looked uncomfortable because he was but he didn't do anything to change that. Instead, he nodded his head in agreement. Banks clearly needed help and this had been his cry for it.
So, because it was cliche and he didn't know what else to say, Kavinsky said, "That's the first step right? Admitting you have a problem and need help."
Truthfully, the teen had no idea where to go from here or what steps needed to be taken because he'd never been in this situations. He and Ellis spent all of their time trying to crawl out of despairing holes and trying to live that he rarely had any time to think about anything besides what bills needed to be paid and how he was going to afford to do that.
Even before he'd left school, Hillworth's strict structure for schooling kept him from anything he wasn't 'supposed' to partake in. Sure, he had alcohol here and there, he was Russian for ******** sake but he'd never used it as a crutch. He had too many preexisting issues to added being an alcoholic or druggie to it.
"What else is new?" He offered in rebuttal, eyebrows lifting in the slightest display of what could have been perceived as some type of affection. "Dunno how I can help but..." he paused, uncertain of how willing he was to extend his hand in this type of offer, "I'm reliable, I'll do what I can to help." He had no idea where the ******** to start, but this seemed doable.
At the jest he rolled his eyes and snorted. "Please, I don't get involved with drunks." Kavinsky tugged the man to his feet anyway. "Gonna clean up your face and s**t, not a ******** shower. C'mon."
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Posted: Wed Dec 20, 2017 1:28 am
“God, you sound about as lame as one of those AA reps.”
Not that he had ever really spoken to one on a personal level. Character references for clients on occasion - that sort of thing - but Robert Banks never saw himself as a willing participant for the kool-aid drinking sort of nonsense organizations like that fed to the weak-minded.
Then again at this rate, perhaps he would being familiarizing himself with their material soon enough.
The teenager's offer was humbling, to say the least. He didn't expect K to volunteer as he had, especially for a man who arguably gave him headaches more than anything else. Who'd have thought.
The involved comment earned him a glanc over towards the younger man, his eyes narrowing and staring at him for a moment. He couldn't tell if he was being serious or joking...then again, he was drunk as a skunk so maybe he was just confused.
Yeah, probably just another thing to add on to the confusion.
“I'll remember that when I sober up then,” he sassed back.
Reaching for the sink's counter, he allowed the marble to support his stomach as he leaned forward to grab his toothbrush with one hand and turn on his sink with the other.
“Thanks, by the way.”
The comment was quiet, quickly followed by jamming his toothbrush in his mouth, the lawyer scrubbing away as hazel eyes avoided the other man in the reflection facing them both.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:56 am
Banks would receive a shrug in response, he knew the phrase would be seen as cliche and that he'd get ribbed for it but he didn't want to argue. Right now, he wanted to get the man cleaned up and put to bed so he could clean up the vomit and deal with the window before things got worse.
Then, maybe, he'd be able to get some sleep.
The sober comment was met with narrowed eyes, disbelief evident on his face before he snorted and shook his head, mumbling something in Russian because it was clear that he didn't want his companion to know whatever he was saying.
"Whatever," he grunted, brushing aside the thanks with his usual prickliness. "Don't make it a big deal." Kavinsky didn't care if the lawyer saw it as one, he wanted to keep his head down and not think too much about the offer or his motivations. The less time spent analyzing himself or their relationship, if it was merely a working one or if it was something more like friendship, the better.
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Posted: Thu Dec 21, 2017 1:19 pm
Eyes finally cut over in the mirror to stare at the tan Russian as he seemed to begrudgingly keep hold of the swaying lawyer as they both stood at the bathroom countertop. The bathroom wasn't necessarily small, per se, but with two grown men standing next to one another, it quickly became far more intimate and crowded, not that the older man was in any condition to shoo the younger one away to give him additional space.
Finishing up with his oral care (which blessedly left a much better taste in his mouth), he managed to swallow down a fair bit of water in a desperate attempt to quell the constant burn in his throat. His head still pounded, his stomach ached and overall, he felt like a standard piece of s**t but he wasn't about to give the kid any more fodder to use against him for driving his life into the mess he'd created for it.
Hands dipped in the faucet to draw up and splash over his face, washing up what surfaces he could without the aid of the removable shower nozzle. He'd give... well, a lot of crap for a chance to step in the shower and wash away the feeling of grime and grossness. Maybe once K left, he'd sneak back in and give it a shot. Maybe.
As the faucet was turned off and a face towel retrieved, a seriousness fell over the two men and Rob wasn't a fan of it. Things were getting too real, too fast and silence simply allowed the reality an entrance into his thoughts.
So, he did what he did best: he talked.
"What did I pull you away from tonight, anyways? You missin' a hot date or something for little old me, Kavinsky?"
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 10:30 am
Kavinsky felt too large to be in the bathroom with Banks but that didn't stop him from refusing to budge, arm wrapped around the man's back, and providing something stable to hold onto. Silver eyes watched their reflections with some unease churning in his stomach as the lawyer brushed his teeth and attempted to wash his face.
At one point, he looked away, fixing silver eyes on a faded spot on the bathroom wall.
"Doesn't matter," he replied gruffly because he wasn't interested in contributing to the menial small talk regardless if it was Banks's thing or not. "I don't date."
No, he hooked up with people when it worked and was convenient and from time to time he found regular ******** buddies, as he had with Isaiah before his abrasiveness had the older man casting him out like he knew would happen eventually.
There was, of course, Ellis who was a complicated fixture in his life. They weren't quite lovers, Kavinsky wasn't going to fool himself into thinking that he was capable of giving Ellis what he needed when his best friend was always chipping pieces of himself off to give to K in a poor attempt at sating his needs.
But they weren't just best friends anymore.
Sometimes, Kavinsky missed the simpleness of a ******** buddy.
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Posted: Fri Dec 22, 2017 3:04 pm
The response seemed to amuse the lawyer. He wiped his face clean, then ran his fingers through his normally slick, now completely mussed hair as he glanced at himself, then at Kavinsky in his reflection.
"Ha, you find women more trouble than they're worth too? Guess that's something we have in common then."
The towel was tossed aside and his hand gripped the counter as he turned, forcing himself to try to walk forward, returning to the bedroom. There was a slight stumble, the attempt at movement causing dizziness to set back in and he rolled his eyes at himself for his body's inadequacy. <******** idea of using the teenager for support was embarrassing, but not nearly as much as the humiliation that came with falling on his face and being plucked up like a damsel in distress by the very same man. No, he'd take the pseudo-crutch Kavinsky was being used as, much to his own chagrin.
"Relationships are soul suckers, Kavinsky, don't forget that." Not that Rob really had any sage advice to offer, but it followed his train of thought and kept the silence at bay. "Woulda thought Amy ripped out my heart and stomped on it, in the divorce. Can't trust 'em."
His arm moved out to wrap around the teenager's shoulder, though his fingers remained stiff, refusing to touch the Russian any more than necessary. "Better off without 'em."
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:09 am
Silver met hazel and Kavinsky kept his gaze level, waiting for the lawyer to look away first. "No." The answer was gruff, as were most things that came out of the teen's mouth, but it was also unexpectedly harsh, even for him. While his mouth had been open with a rebuttal, he snapped it shut and shook his head.
Beneath his breath he muttered something in Russian, clearly done to keep Banks from understanding what he was saying.
When the older man used him for support to make it out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, Kavinsky went quietly. His gaze was stormy and he was clearly brooding with something on his mind.
"Didn't ask you for advice." He ended up barking, fingers gripping the man's hip with more intensity than he intended. "Your advice would be irrelevant anyway." That was as close to admitting his sexual preferences as the teen cared to get and the look on his face said he wouldn't say anything else.
Instead he forced Banks to move forward, skirting around the vomit on the ground until they were at the bed.
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Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2017 10:15 pm
Rob visibly flinched at the sudden snap, unexpected from the almost kind-mannered approach K had been treating him with for the past few minutes. It was confusing - did he want to be around him or not? Why bother acting like he gave a s**t one second if he was ready to drop and run the next?
The sharp grip didn't go unnoticed, Rob thankfully still reeling from his buzz to feel a dulled version of the motion. One hand rose up to cover over the rough handling as if he were silently debating trying to pry the tan hand from off his side. He left it alone, feet shuffling along his companion's as they side-stepped his earlier mess and made it towards the bed.
Falling forward, hands spread out to catch himself as his body bounced on the bedspread. Crawling towards the center, the lawyer didn't bother glancing back as his shoulder sank into the mattress, soon followed by the rest of his lanky form.
"Yeah, irrelevant." He finally echoed quietly as he took his spot, letting his tired, room-spinning vision take a break as he closed his eyes. His voice was a little sad but considering the current state of affairs of his own life, it was appropriate. "Got it, kid. I'm shutting up."
If K was telling him he was a washed out old man, it wasn't anything new in Robert Banks's book.
He debated pretending to fall asleep just to get the Russian off his back but hazel eyes found themselves opening, forcing themselves to glance over his shoulder in the white haired youth's direction.
"Appreciate you." He mumbled softly. "You're a good guy, Kavinsky."
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Posted: Thu Jan 11, 2018 2:13 pm
Kavinsky felt unsettled as he watched Banks crawl onto his bed, something twisting in his stomach before he was shaking his head and banishing all thoughts from his head. He was here because of a job, a job that wasn't really a job and more an obligation and...something else.
Maybe that was the source of the uncomfortable feeling.
Banks wasn't just someone who hired him to do s**t, he was something else. Not quite a friend (because Kavinsky didn't have friends besides Ellis) but not an acquaintance or employer. It was starting to get messy and complicated and he didn't like that.
"Yeah, yeah. Don't tell anyone." He huffed, busying himself with the shirt hiding vomit on the carpet. "I have a reputation to uphold."
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 2:54 am
He let out a soft laugh, at least half of it actually genuine.
"Your secret’s safe with me.”
It was impossible to determine why this kid was still here, especially when he kept voicing that money wasn't the point of him coming over. If he didn't want to get paid, if he wasn't looking for friendship - christ - this was requiring far more thinking than he was willing to do in a time like this.
“I'll clean up the mess in the morning. Stay here, go home, do what you have to do, K.”
He tried to sound indifferent but failed in his attempt, so instead he simply closed his eyes and pulled his pillow closer. There was a half shrug and then a quiet “Thanks” before he took a deep breath and stilled himself, combating the whirling, spinning sensation still trying to throw his head off balance.
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Posted: Fri Jan 12, 2018 8:42 am
Kavinsky responded with a grunt, barely glancing up at the man curling around his pillow. A shake of a head and something russian muttered beneath his breath later and the teen was standing, depositing the soiled shirt with the rest of the laundry before he took the time to see how awake Banks still was.
When he thought he'd drifted off, he disappeared from the room to collect the proper cleaning material and returned to clean up the vomit before anything could set before he headed back down the stairs and busied himself with fixing the shattered window with something temporary.
He didn't have all the supplies needed and he'd have to go to the store tomorrow, which was annoying, but manageable. The plastic wrap and tape made for a temporary fix and Kavinsky'd cleaned up the shattered glass around the floor, taking care to ensure that it wasn't anywhere in the couch cushions.
Opting not to stick around, Kavinsky took his leave, making sure one lock on the door was set before he slipped out and started the trek home.
Banks would get a text though, sent several hours later that said, I'll be back to fix the window later.
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Posted: Sun Jan 14, 2018 7:20 pm
He played possum long enough to hear the young man leave, then return to work on the stain that Rob had planted alongside his own bed. It was embarrassing - no, it was downright humiliating - so instead of groveling and apologizing over and over again like he wanted to, Robert Banks played the role of a coward and pretended to be asleep.
Embracing the role as fully as he did, it didn't take long for his booze-addled brain to actually succumb to sleep. The sound of Kavinsky rummaging around downstairs faded into nothing as his paced, intentionally slow breathing slowly slipped into a pattern of his own as darkness came over him.
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