She raises an eyebrow at him. "For swooping in to protect me from an unreasonable amount of hornets? Because that's what he thought he was doing, Rags. He even made sure to communicate that while he did it. It wasn't thoughtless."
"No, for being a jerk," he tells her lightly. "There's no hard feelings with us. He might be sleeping in my room for a while once he's out of Zero anyway."
He clears his throat. "I just want to know what's going on. You've got your bugs on me but I'm not - your subordinate. We're partners, right? Friends?"
She puts her head on his shoulder and she'll feel him relax at that, closing his eyes again as he settles onto the mat. "I tried to pick his pockets the first time we met. Adrian said that he had taken his razor and he wanted it back. Trevor caught me and went to bitch at Adrian about it."
"No, he had already used it against Sephiroth by that point. Because apparently he can't stay out of fucking trouble." He rolls his eyes. "And now he's paying for it. But - then he asked if Adrian and I were fucking."
"Well yeah, isn't that the way it's supposed to be?" he scoffs. "I mean, I'm not an expert on it or anything. But if it was all perfect and shit, it would be boring and then there'd be no point."
"Sometimes it's boring anyway. Which is fine. People do plenty of boring shit together." She wraps an arm around her chest, looking at nothing in the middle distance.
"If you don't want to, don't. But if you're worried it's going to, I don't know, complicate things, I don't think that's usually the truth."
"It wasn't...really complicated in the Clave," he admits softly. "I mean, it was just something we did because we did it. But Adrian and I don't even really...talk about it."
"Neither did Brian and I. I don't think we ever really... talked about us as a couple. Which... yeah, probably not talking about anything made it more complicated, especially while it's ending."
He puts his hand on top of hers lightly. "You don't talk a lot about Brian," he tells her. It's an invitation to talk, but it's also an invitation to change the subject if she doesn't want to.
"I- I made everything between us weird. It got weird," she corrects herself. "It's not all on me. He- got hurt. He got tortured. And we barely even had any time to deal with that, and almost no time for it as a couple, but as teammates... the team needed a leader and he couldn't lead anymore. So I took it away from him. And I know that hurt him too. He agreed it needed done, but... you know how people can sound all hollow. When they're saying something they hate being true."
Rags can sense exactly how that would go. "Why you?" he wonders, though it's not accusatory. Just curious. "I mean, why did you have to be the one? That probably didn't help shit."
“Because Tattletale has too many enemies, and her power works best behind a veil. And Regent or Aisha or Bitch- Rachel, none of them would be good leaders. Not like I’m doing amazing, but I at least have - I don’t know, a goal and a compass.”
She shakes her head. "No. And they shouldn't have it, either. I told you about Regent. Aisha backs his every play. And Bitch wouldn't care to protect any of the civilians. I'm the only one whose territory is a sanctuary. If not me... the team would be something else. Something worse."
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
no subject
He clears his throat. "I just want to know what's going on. You've got your bugs on me but I'm not - your subordinate. We're partners, right? Friends?"
no subject
"Yeah. We're friends. And I know I can tell you anything."
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
Raised.
Eyebrow.
no subject
Because he needs to make that clear.
no subject
no subject
no subject
"Actually, hardly matters. I don't have permissions in his cabin, so I can't feel them once the door's shut. You two get your freak on."
no subject
And he did it all without Kiryu's help.
"Get your freak on?" he mutters. "Does that mean fucking? Why does that mean fucking?"
no subject
no subject
no subject
"If you don't want to, don't. But if you're worried it's going to, I don't know, complicate things, I don't think that's usually the truth."
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
"Yeah. Brian's- I'm not sure I miss him. So he's hard to talk about."
no subject
He doesn't move his hand, but taps her fingers anyway.
no subject
"I- I made everything between us weird. It got weird," she corrects herself. "It's not all on me. He- got hurt. He got tortured. And we barely even had any time to deal with that, and almost no time for it as a couple, but as teammates... the team needed a leader and he couldn't lead anymore. So I took it away from him. And I know that hurt him too. He agreed it needed done, but... you know how people can sound all hollow. When they're saying something they hate being true."
no subject
no subject
no subject
no subject
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)