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 Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 7:58 am
In the past, he'd just appeared for work after a day or two missed, had eased up to the front and reclaimed his desk as if nothing had happened. This time, Ever had hesitated at the door, not quite able to haul himself inside and play at that game again. Zac's interference might have gotten him back here, but it also was interference, and a small part of him dreaded what might have been said.
So he got to the door and chickened out, not quite able to go inside and not quite able to wander away, instead. Responsibilities rattled him, left him shaky in a way that very little else did. It was all but paralyzing, and his final decision was to just wait outside.
Let God decide. He sank down to sit by the door and lurked there until someone scolded him a few paces away, no matter how many times he tried to make it clear he wasn't looking for money or to make trouble. By the time the place was closing down for the night, he'd been perched on the curb for an hour or so, toying nervously with his cell phone, his purpose there all but forgotten -- except for the way his heart was still in his throat.
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 12:19 pm
Tony took his lunch break at his usual time, late, waving his hand at Carol, who was helping at the front desk today while her office was repainted. She looked at him and offered him a smile, everything between them seeming right back where it had been before. Her hitting on him, him running away like she was brandishing a knife. How it had gotten back full circle was beyond him, but he was thankful for it.
It was how it was supposed to be, maybe.
The day was easy and there was no trouble, nothing really to remember at all as he was locking up for the night. Carol had gone back to the other floor to take care of some document work despite not having an office, then went home a bit earlier than him as per usual.
He walked out of the library with his hand in his pocket, the other one his cane, making his way on instinct toward the parking lot around the back. He had been driving to work more often than not now. Business as usual. He stopped, though, when he spotted something out of the ordinary.
"Ever?"
He was immediately glad to see the younger man, but didn't let his more girly instincts get the better of him. No hugs or happy bouncing for men. He tilted his head instead, trying not to look as relieved as he felt, noting the pensive look on Ever's face.
"Are you alright?" he asked,
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Posted: Mon May 02, 2011 1:36 pm
Somehow, this had actually turned out much worse than if Ever had just gone inside and acted like an adult; the voice made him start, head coming up and phone clattering out of his fingers, and he bit down on a curse as he leaned forward to grab it, still moving just a little stiffly. Considering how ofter Ever seemed bruised, his odd behavior in general could easily be attributed to fighting. Or getting caught in fights.
He cleared his throat as he fumbled up to stand, swatting dirt from the seat of his pants and not quite managing to meet Tony's eyes.
"...uh. I was..." He had no excuse or clever reason, and after a moment's fumbling, he just shrugged at Tony instead. Phone disappeared into his pocket, screen gone dim. "...I don't really know."
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 12:34 pm
Tony watched him fumble with the phone, not moving to help him pick it up because Ever got to it so quickly. He frowned at the whole situation, not sure what to do or say. He knew that Zac mentioned Ever was put off by Tony supporting Senshi, and he wanted to apologize for it.
But would it be even more damaging to bring it up out of the blue?
He wasn't sure of his next move, though he was glad, at least, to see Ever around the library. Maybe not inside it yet, or doing any work, but being near it was a good sign, right? It meant he wanted to talk, just didn't know how. Maybe. Or maybe Tony was being optimistic.
"I... uhm. I'm glad you're back. I mean. Not back. I'm glad you're here. Uh. How are you?"
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Posted: Tue May 03, 2011 6:18 pm
"I'm good." That much, at least, was true; true enough that it left his mouth quirking upward, some of the discomfort fading away in the face of what was good in his life these days. That helped; left him blowing out a breath and looking up at Tony again, not quite meeting his eyes but -- almost.
"I did warn you, right? I mean..." He floundered, shrugging, hand sliding up into the back of his hair and staying there. White strands curled tight enough around his fingers to leave lines against his skin, but that was okay. "I'm really not great at this sort of thing. Showing up, and all that."
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 9:27 am
Tony smiled, nodding his head.
At least he could tell that the boy was doing well. Better than Tony had thought, anyway, though in his mind it had been the most tragic of scenes, Ever too upset to come in, locked away somewhere. What else did he know? He was glad to see some honest happiness in the younger man's face, and let out a slow breath.
Relief.
"Oh, no, I understand. It's okay," he said, nodding his head. He offered a smile and moved a bit closer. "As I told your friend, you're welcome back any time. You'll always have a job at the library, whether you want it or not."
feeling some slight hestance, he cleared his throat and forced himself to plunge onwards.
"I'm very sorry if anything I said or did made you that uncomfortable coming in. That's not appropriate for your supervisor to do, and I will definitely make sure not to put you in a situation like that again. In fact, I'll never mention sens... uhm. Well, you know. Again. Ever. I mean. Ever again, not your... your name... uh."
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Posted: Wed May 04, 2011 1:59 pm
It didn't really put Ever at ease; he didn't want to talk about it or think about it, so instead of replying to the apology he shrugged it off. Jerky, awkward, his smile fading out, hunting for something to divert Tony's attention away onto easier subjects...
"Are you overloaded?" It came with a loose gesture back toward the library, Ever clearing his throat and not-quite turning to face the place. Not yet, anyway. Not until things were sorted. "I mean. Books need to be put away? I can come in tomorrow and do that if you need."
It was short term. Much easier to deal with the short term than the long.
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Posted: Sat May 07, 2011 9:15 pm
Tony noticed his anxiety and he nodded his head, taking a breath and trying to pretend that Ever had, in his way, accepted the apology. He knew it wasn't exactly true, but it made things a little easier at the moment.
He was trying to deal with it on the same level, without realizing it. Just the short term, and maybe it would sort itself out in time.
With a smile, he nodded his head.
"It's a bit backed up. I admit, I'm not too fond of putting the second and third floor books away by myself," he meant with his leg, though it was as strong as it was going to get. Really, he just didn't like riding the elevator, as he still didn't trust it not to break down. Again.
He had been trapped inside it before.
"Tomorrow would be good. Any time you feel like dropping by. Or, you know. The usual time." His eyes were warm and gentle, not pushy or demanding.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:34 pm
"I'll do that, then. Uh. Usual time and everything." He shifted, chin hiking up a little, quite purposefully squaring himself and fighting off the sense of uncertainty, discomfort. This was fine, he was setting the terms and apparently Tony was going along with them. Ever could work with that.
"Second and third floor will be mine." ...and that was even better, because it made it that much easier to slack off and read books when things were quiet, or when they were busy. Ever scratched at the back of his neck.
"And, uh, no more talking about...all that, I guess." His tone, though, was sour. He wanted to talk about it. It just wouldn't be that effective.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 10:12 am
Tony couldn't help but go along with Ever's terms. He didn't have it in him to really put his foot down and order his worker back to work. That wasn't really what they were, after all. Ever was working at the library because Tony had wanted to help him, and he still did, it was just different now.
Now they were friends.
And Tony was finally beginning to understand that something else was in play, outside his simple understanding of making and keeping friends. While he had been napping in jail, a long story he wasn't inclined to share with anyone, let alone Ever, he remembered the drunken night in the library, and the discussions that took place. Fleeting glances of moments he hadn't even been able to remember in full.
But he remembered enough now. He just wasn't brave enough to bring that up, either.
"Hopefully we'll find something else to talk about," he offered with a smile, moving to present his hand. A handshake, to seal the new deal. It seemed fitting, and Tony hoped to put his own mind more at ease with it. Start acting normal again.
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 3:34 pm
Ever made a very faint sound in reply, shaking his head a tiny bit as he reached out to put his hand in Tony's. His palm was still rough; his run-in with little-miss-wheat had left his hands permanently marked, another victim of the Negaverse. Or perhaps of the senshi.
All Tony would know, though, was that he was rough, and surprisingly good at handshakes. His father had shouted that into him often enough...
"Um. Yeah. I can't think of anything right now, though." Which was almost -- but only almost -- apologetic. He yanked his hand back, and then hesitated. "Going home?"
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 9:44 pm
Tony nodded his head, not seeming to notice the roughness in Ever's palm. He didn't have a head for that, sometimes, as he wasn't looking for it. He was a bit too distracted with the flood of relief that Ever actually took his hand to shake.
Every little step in the right direction was a relief.
He nodded his head.
"Yeah, I was going home. Long day. Are you... heading anywhere?"
Dogby was sitting beside him quietly, behaving herself. If only because she always got very sleepy on the way home, and would likely need to be picked up because she was all but asleep at this moment. She wasn't paying attention whatever it was Tony was doing, taking the break to fall to sleep on his foot.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 10:19 am
"Mm, McDonald's maybe." He flashed a brief smile, not quite rolling his eyes. Not the best option for dinner, perhaps, but it was cheap and fast and more or less on his way home -- and right about now, a cheeseburger sounded pretty good. Ever thought he had enough cash in his pocket...
His eyes slid off of Tony, down the street, thinking about it. McDonald's and then out, maybe, but he wasn't entirely sure. Probably a good idea to get some work done, too. He made a little bit of a face. "Maybe tacos instead, not sure."
Either way, Tony probably had better plans; that came across easily in his voice, Ever shrugging as he looked back up at the librarian.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 10:43 am
Tony nodded his head. He wasn't much for fast food, though being at his job so often made him eat it more than he would have liked. And he didn't want to invite himself along, anyway, as things were tense and awkward enough.
Though on the road to recovery, he had every hope.
He smile and nodded his head.
"Well, I suppose I should leave you to it then, shouldn't I? I mean. I should go." He smiled, then looked down at Dogby. He sighed and shook his head, stooping to pick her up and give her a little cuddle. She wiggled and nuzzled against him, but stubbornly refused to wake up. She seemed quite content.
"See you at work, then," he smiled, nodding his head.
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2011 4:23 pm
"Bye, Tony." It was almost sad, except for the brief quirk of a smile. He waved, a brief flash of fingers, before he started away down the street, leaving Tony alone to deal with the poor tired little dog.
When he showed up, though, it'd be on time. And he'd do his job. And he'd pretend absolutely nothing was wrong.
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