(no subject)
As Michael returns to his room in the compound after what happens in the hot spring with Guy, he happens upon Brian. Brian instantly knows something is up, but has something of his own to share with Michael before he finds out what happened.
Even the short distance between the cave entrance and the compound was enough to get Michael shivering to the point his teeth were chattering. Of course, it helped that his clothes were still wet from the snow and he hadn't exactly taken the time to dry off properly after getting out of the hot spring. He'd had a bit more on his mind. Still was on his mind as he barely even noticed how cold he was, arms unconsciously hugging himself as he moved mindlessly down the stairs and to his room, going over what had just happened. Why do I always have to complicate things...I shouldn't have said anything...
Brian was heading up to find something to eat, when he spotted Michael, wet and shivering, heading down the stairs. "...Ice fishing gone wrong?" he guessed with a smirk, stopping a few stairs below him and leaning against the wall.
Michael looked up, startled slightly as he hadn't realized someone was in front of him. He smiled slightly at Brian...but as he started thinking about something else, he realized how cold he was and started rubbing his arms through his coat. "Snowball fight." He answered simply as he kept coming down the stair and moved to pass Brian.
Brian blinked, not at all used to getting the brush-off from Michael. "...Okay, spill it, Novotny," he said, turning to follow Michael down the stairs.
Rolling his eyes, Michael kept walking to his room and threw his jacket on the vacant bed before he stripping off his shirt. "Nothing. It was just a snowball fight with Guy..." His expression was pained when he said the other man's name, but only for an instance before he forced a smile. "Just having some fun."
"Right. Guy." Brian got an amused, private smile and flopped onto the bed, shoving the wet coat out of the way. "Did he mention me?"
After stripping off his wet shirt, Michael turned to give him a curious look. "Why would he do that?" He did not like the sound of this...
"I met him the other day," Brian replied carelessly, kicking off his shoes so he could stretch out on the bed, kicking Michael's coat onto the floor. "He's not bad."
Michael's eyes went wide at what Brian was implying. "No...please tell me you didn't..." Oh he did not need this now...not after what had just happened.
"Not quite the prince you were hoping for, if he'll knowingly let your best friend fuck him," Brian breezed, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. He'd proven his point quite admirably.
Michael stared at him for a few long moments before dropping to the floor where he stood, knees up to his chest and his head in his hands. "Oh...fuck!" No no no....this wasn't happening. Brian was not telling him he'd fucked Guy just after Michael had admitted he loved him. But it was...and Michael suddenly felt very numb and not from the cold.
Brian sat up and sighed. "Hey, isn't it better to know now, before you do something stupid like getting all attached?"
That earned Brian a harsh glare.
"...Oh, Jesus, Mikey. What did you do?" Brian groaned, rolling his eyes.
Looking away from Brian and at his feet in front of him, Michael hugged his knees to his chest as he spoke softly. "I realized I was falling in love and told him so."
Brian stared at him, then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you did," he muttered. "God, Mikey. You're so pathetic."
"Oh yes, so pathetic..." Michael mocked softly, suddenly very angry at this whole situation. It just wasn't fair. "At least I can say it." Lashing out? Hell yes!
"I don't believe in it," Brian reminds him, warningly. "It's a bullshit fairy tale, and you know it. I believe in fucking." He scooted back, leaning against the wall, one knee cocked. "And so does your Guy, it seems."
"Yeah well..." Okay Michael had known that...but still! "Just because both of you believe in fucking doesn't mean you had to say yes. God Brian...is nothing scared to you? Not even people I care about?"
"Me? What about him?" Brian retorted angrily. "He didn't have to say yes, either! At least my bo--" He broke off and rubbed his eyes. "You're not like me, Mikey. Hell, you're not even like Justin. You need that fairy tale. You need commitment." He paused, then with a small shudder, added, "Monogamy."
Normally, that would have been a costly mistake on Brian's part. But Michael wasn't up to teasing Brian about Justin just now. "I know! I know!" He sighed, his sudden anger having drained all the energy he had left. "I just...I don't know what happened...We were kissing and I realized it and I just said it and...Fuck!" He didn't want to go on, about how Guy had admitted he felt the same but still wanted to leave. Michael sure could pick them couldn't he?
Brian sighed again and slipped off of the bed, moving to sit next to Michael on the floor. "Well. Now you know what he's like. And you know how you feel." He slipped an arm around Michael's shoulders. "Now you just have to decide which is more important. Christ, this is why I don't do relationships," he muttered in disgust, leaning against Michael so he could dig into his back pocket.
Michael choose to ignore that last part, since it was a Brian staple in any conversation. But as to everything else...fuck he was going to have to go into it. "It's...complicated..." He began as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "He didn't...he didn't deny he felt the same way. Confirmed it actually. But he still wanted to leave...like I was another fuck. I just don't understand...if he felt the same then why...?" Why did love have such different meanings to different people?
"Not everyone wants to be a housewife, Mikey," Brian replied. It was a harsh way of saying it, but this was Brian, Michael couldn't have expected better, really.
Still, it earned him another glare. "I don't want to be nor do I want Guy to be a housewife. I just want..." What did he want? Someone to take care of him? No that had been David and look how that had turned out. Someone to love him? In a fucked up way, he had Brian for that. "I don't know what I want."
"I know what you need," Brian replied with a small grin, producing his cigarette case and flipping it open to reveal a few joints awkwardly rolled in plain white paper. "What do you say?"
Michael had looked hopefully up at Brian for a moment, as he thought his friend had the answer to his question and was only slightly disappointed by what was offered. Still...not thinking was better then thinking at this point. He gladly took one and rolled it between his fingers.
Brian smugly produced a lighter, waiting until Michael had the joint between his lips before lighting it up and waiting for his turn. "You'll figure things out, Mikey." And Brian would be there to pick up the pieces with what few drugs he still had left when it all went to hell.
Even the short distance between the cave entrance and the compound was enough to get Michael shivering to the point his teeth were chattering. Of course, it helped that his clothes were still wet from the snow and he hadn't exactly taken the time to dry off properly after getting out of the hot spring. He'd had a bit more on his mind. Still was on his mind as he barely even noticed how cold he was, arms unconsciously hugging himself as he moved mindlessly down the stairs and to his room, going over what had just happened. Why do I always have to complicate things...I shouldn't have said anything...
Brian was heading up to find something to eat, when he spotted Michael, wet and shivering, heading down the stairs. "...Ice fishing gone wrong?" he guessed with a smirk, stopping a few stairs below him and leaning against the wall.
Michael looked up, startled slightly as he hadn't realized someone was in front of him. He smiled slightly at Brian...but as he started thinking about something else, he realized how cold he was and started rubbing his arms through his coat. "Snowball fight." He answered simply as he kept coming down the stair and moved to pass Brian.
Brian blinked, not at all used to getting the brush-off from Michael. "...Okay, spill it, Novotny," he said, turning to follow Michael down the stairs.
Rolling his eyes, Michael kept walking to his room and threw his jacket on the vacant bed before he stripping off his shirt. "Nothing. It was just a snowball fight with Guy..." His expression was pained when he said the other man's name, but only for an instance before he forced a smile. "Just having some fun."
"Right. Guy." Brian got an amused, private smile and flopped onto the bed, shoving the wet coat out of the way. "Did he mention me?"
After stripping off his wet shirt, Michael turned to give him a curious look. "Why would he do that?" He did not like the sound of this...
"I met him the other day," Brian replied carelessly, kicking off his shoes so he could stretch out on the bed, kicking Michael's coat onto the floor. "He's not bad."
Michael's eyes went wide at what Brian was implying. "No...please tell me you didn't..." Oh he did not need this now...not after what had just happened.
"Not quite the prince you were hoping for, if he'll knowingly let your best friend fuck him," Brian breezed, looking thoroughly pleased with himself. He'd proven his point quite admirably.
Michael stared at him for a few long moments before dropping to the floor where he stood, knees up to his chest and his head in his hands. "Oh...fuck!" No no no....this wasn't happening. Brian was not telling him he'd fucked Guy just after Michael had admitted he loved him. But it was...and Michael suddenly felt very numb and not from the cold.
Brian sat up and sighed. "Hey, isn't it better to know now, before you do something stupid like getting all attached?"
That earned Brian a harsh glare.
"...Oh, Jesus, Mikey. What did you do?" Brian groaned, rolling his eyes.
Looking away from Brian and at his feet in front of him, Michael hugged his knees to his chest as he spoke softly. "I realized I was falling in love and told him so."
Brian stared at him, then sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Of course you did," he muttered. "God, Mikey. You're so pathetic."
"Oh yes, so pathetic..." Michael mocked softly, suddenly very angry at this whole situation. It just wasn't fair. "At least I can say it." Lashing out? Hell yes!
"I don't believe in it," Brian reminds him, warningly. "It's a bullshit fairy tale, and you know it. I believe in fucking." He scooted back, leaning against the wall, one knee cocked. "And so does your Guy, it seems."
"Yeah well..." Okay Michael had known that...but still! "Just because both of you believe in fucking doesn't mean you had to say yes. God Brian...is nothing scared to you? Not even people I care about?"
"Me? What about him?" Brian retorted angrily. "He didn't have to say yes, either! At least my bo--" He broke off and rubbed his eyes. "You're not like me, Mikey. Hell, you're not even like Justin. You need that fairy tale. You need commitment." He paused, then with a small shudder, added, "Monogamy."
Normally, that would have been a costly mistake on Brian's part. But Michael wasn't up to teasing Brian about Justin just now. "I know! I know!" He sighed, his sudden anger having drained all the energy he had left. "I just...I don't know what happened...We were kissing and I realized it and I just said it and...Fuck!" He didn't want to go on, about how Guy had admitted he felt the same but still wanted to leave. Michael sure could pick them couldn't he?
Brian sighed again and slipped off of the bed, moving to sit next to Michael on the floor. "Well. Now you know what he's like. And you know how you feel." He slipped an arm around Michael's shoulders. "Now you just have to decide which is more important. Christ, this is why I don't do relationships," he muttered in disgust, leaning against Michael so he could dig into his back pocket.
Michael choose to ignore that last part, since it was a Brian staple in any conversation. But as to everything else...fuck he was going to have to go into it. "It's...complicated..." He began as he thought of how to phrase what he wanted to say. "He didn't...he didn't deny he felt the same way. Confirmed it actually. But he still wanted to leave...like I was another fuck. I just don't understand...if he felt the same then why...?" Why did love have such different meanings to different people?
"Not everyone wants to be a housewife, Mikey," Brian replied. It was a harsh way of saying it, but this was Brian, Michael couldn't have expected better, really.
Still, it earned him another glare. "I don't want to be nor do I want Guy to be a housewife. I just want..." What did he want? Someone to take care of him? No that had been David and look how that had turned out. Someone to love him? In a fucked up way, he had Brian for that. "I don't know what I want."
"I know what you need," Brian replied with a small grin, producing his cigarette case and flipping it open to reveal a few joints awkwardly rolled in plain white paper. "What do you say?"
Michael had looked hopefully up at Brian for a moment, as he thought his friend had the answer to his question and was only slightly disappointed by what was offered. Still...not thinking was better then thinking at this point. He gladly took one and rolled it between his fingers.
Brian smugly produced a lighter, waiting until Michael had the joint between his lips before lighting it up and waiting for his turn. "You'll figure things out, Mikey." And Brian would be there to pick up the pieces with what few drugs he still had left when it all went to hell.