Hal and Hiro angst in front of the TV.
I have no idea when this took place.
Hiro sat in the living room, his knees drawn up to his chest on the couch, and hugged a pillow, flipping idly through TV channels but not really paying attention to what he was watching. He missed Gabe desperately and didn't know what to think about being forced into another season of Bent.
After having been in seclusion for several days, Hal staggered into the living room, paused in front of the couch for a few seconds, then sat down with a long sigh. He followed suit by clutching one of the other throw pillows, and stared blankly at the television without actually comprehending what his eyes were seeing, silent except for the occasional quiet sniffle every few minutes.
Hiroshi glanced to look at Hal and continued flipping channels. He looked... upset. Maybe it had something to do with Darren? Hiroshi bit his lip. He didn't want Hal to get mad at him or anything, but... it was the right thing to do to at least try to be nice to him. "Are you... okay?" he asked quietly after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hal replied without looking away from the TV screen, his voice breaking a little from a lack of use over the past few days. He cleared his throat and winced slightly. "How about you?"
"Um... I'm fine," Hiroshi said; he wasn't very convinced by Hal's response. There was an awkward pause. "You... haven't been around lately."
Hal took a deep breath. "Yeah, well...." He thought for a moment about how to respond, then decided to simply not do it, exhaling and leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling.
"Hn," Hiroshi responded, biting his lip. "It's quiet with only three people." He went back to flipping through channels.
"Yeah. He'll be here soon though. For you."
".... He hasn't called."
"He's busy. He'll be here."
Hiroshi blushed faintly, playing with the fringe of his throw pillow. In a quiet voice he said, "...... Sorry about Darren."
"Well, I don't know why you would be," Hal said, looking back down. "I mean, it was really my fault, now, wasn't it?"
"I don't think so," Hiroshi replied. "I mean, he probably had lots of reasons."
"And they're all rooted in the fact that I'm an idiot," Hal said with a bitter smile.
"I don't think you're an *idiot* Hal." Maybe a little mean, Hiroshi thought, but didn't think it would be productive to say out loud.
"Yeah, what's a better word, then?" he asked, still facing away.
"I don't know," Hiroshi said, sighing, annoyed. "...I don't think it was because you were a bad boyfriend or anything."
"I broke up with him," Hal said, finally turning to look at Hiroshi, his eyes red and slightly puffy. "Trust me, idiot is the right word."
"Oh," Hiroshi replied quietly, unsure of what to say. He picked at the pillow some more.
"So what are we watching?" Hal asked after a long silence. "I can't actually see the screen."
"Emeril," Hiroshi said; he still couldn't say that name without his accent getting in the way. "Nothing."
"Mm."
......... Hiroshi turned back to the TV, watching in a glum silence.
"You know you're not exactly a sparkling conversationalist," Hal noted with an innocent expression.
"Oh, you aren't any better," Hiroshi replied, irritated.
"Well, I'm making an effort."
"I am too," Hiroshi replied.
"Really."
"Yes, really."
"Well, I guess you've got a way to go then, hm?"
"That's not very nice of you."
"Well, one could argue that the fact that you're always too wrapped up in your own shit to show any support for a person who has listened to and counseled you multiple times, and who is also going through kind of a hard time these days, is also not very nice."
"... I asked you what was wrong, Hal."
"Out of courtesy."
"I thought you looked sad!"
"Right, and asking what's wrong is the polite thing to do in that situation. Actually being interested in and caring about the reply isn't a required part of that etiquette rule."
"I did care about the reply!"
"Look, you don't have to lie to me. I'm the token asshole on the show, everyone's on guard when talking to me, no one actually cares if I'm feeling bad, because hey, a jerk like me probably deserves it. But you know, eventually, it gets old."
"Hal, I want to be friends with you! I've wanted to be friends with you since the beginning, and I thought since you were finally being nice to me, you wanted to too!" Hiroshi hugged the throw pillow tightly. "And friends care about their friends."
"I... I mean, that's just what I'm.... no, you don't. You don't want to, every time I try to reach out at all you draw back and act all suspicious and try to say as little as possible until you can get away."
"I was confused when you suddenly started acting nice after being mean to me for so long."
"And after two years you still haven't gotten to where you can give me a chance. Well, that's fine, then, I won't bother you again until we finish the production of this season." Hal stood up, turned around and headed back up the stairs, still holding the throw pillow.
"What? I was giving you a chance, Hal! That makes no sense!" Hiro said, incredulously.
"Get back to me when your heart's actually in it," Hal called back down the stairs.
Hiroshi sank back against the couch cushions, frowning. "My heart *was* in it..."
Hiro sat in the living room, his knees drawn up to his chest on the couch, and hugged a pillow, flipping idly through TV channels but not really paying attention to what he was watching. He missed Gabe desperately and didn't know what to think about being forced into another season of Bent.
After having been in seclusion for several days, Hal staggered into the living room, paused in front of the couch for a few seconds, then sat down with a long sigh. He followed suit by clutching one of the other throw pillows, and stared blankly at the television without actually comprehending what his eyes were seeing, silent except for the occasional quiet sniffle every few minutes.
Hiroshi glanced to look at Hal and continued flipping channels. He looked... upset. Maybe it had something to do with Darren? Hiroshi bit his lip. He didn't want Hal to get mad at him or anything, but... it was the right thing to do to at least try to be nice to him. "Are you... okay?" he asked quietly after a few minutes.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Hal replied without looking away from the TV screen, his voice breaking a little from a lack of use over the past few days. He cleared his throat and winced slightly. "How about you?"
"Um... I'm fine," Hiroshi said; he wasn't very convinced by Hal's response. There was an awkward pause. "You... haven't been around lately."
Hal took a deep breath. "Yeah, well...." He thought for a moment about how to respond, then decided to simply not do it, exhaling and leaning his head back to stare at the ceiling.
"Hn," Hiroshi responded, biting his lip. "It's quiet with only three people." He went back to flipping through channels.
"Yeah. He'll be here soon though. For you."
".... He hasn't called."
"He's busy. He'll be here."
Hiroshi blushed faintly, playing with the fringe of his throw pillow. In a quiet voice he said, "...... Sorry about Darren."
"Well, I don't know why you would be," Hal said, looking back down. "I mean, it was really my fault, now, wasn't it?"
"I don't think so," Hiroshi replied. "I mean, he probably had lots of reasons."
"And they're all rooted in the fact that I'm an idiot," Hal said with a bitter smile.
"I don't think you're an *idiot* Hal." Maybe a little mean, Hiroshi thought, but didn't think it would be productive to say out loud.
"Yeah, what's a better word, then?" he asked, still facing away.
"I don't know," Hiroshi said, sighing, annoyed. "...I don't think it was because you were a bad boyfriend or anything."
"I broke up with him," Hal said, finally turning to look at Hiroshi, his eyes red and slightly puffy. "Trust me, idiot is the right word."
"Oh," Hiroshi replied quietly, unsure of what to say. He picked at the pillow some more.
"So what are we watching?" Hal asked after a long silence. "I can't actually see the screen."
"Emeril," Hiroshi said; he still couldn't say that name without his accent getting in the way. "Nothing."
"Mm."
......... Hiroshi turned back to the TV, watching in a glum silence.
"You know you're not exactly a sparkling conversationalist," Hal noted with an innocent expression.
"Oh, you aren't any better," Hiroshi replied, irritated.
"Well, I'm making an effort."
"I am too," Hiroshi replied.
"Really."
"Yes, really."
"Well, I guess you've got a way to go then, hm?"
"That's not very nice of you."
"Well, one could argue that the fact that you're always too wrapped up in your own shit to show any support for a person who has listened to and counseled you multiple times, and who is also going through kind of a hard time these days, is also not very nice."
"... I asked you what was wrong, Hal."
"Out of courtesy."
"I thought you looked sad!"
"Right, and asking what's wrong is the polite thing to do in that situation. Actually being interested in and caring about the reply isn't a required part of that etiquette rule."
"I did care about the reply!"
"Look, you don't have to lie to me. I'm the token asshole on the show, everyone's on guard when talking to me, no one actually cares if I'm feeling bad, because hey, a jerk like me probably deserves it. But you know, eventually, it gets old."
"Hal, I want to be friends with you! I've wanted to be friends with you since the beginning, and I thought since you were finally being nice to me, you wanted to too!" Hiroshi hugged the throw pillow tightly. "And friends care about their friends."
"I... I mean, that's just what I'm.... no, you don't. You don't want to, every time I try to reach out at all you draw back and act all suspicious and try to say as little as possible until you can get away."
"I was confused when you suddenly started acting nice after being mean to me for so long."
"And after two years you still haven't gotten to where you can give me a chance. Well, that's fine, then, I won't bother you again until we finish the production of this season." Hal stood up, turned around and headed back up the stairs, still holding the throw pillow.
"What? I was giving you a chance, Hal! That makes no sense!" Hiro said, incredulously.
"Get back to me when your heart's actually in it," Hal called back down the stairs.
Hiroshi sank back against the couch cushions, frowning. "My heart *was* in it..."