MCA #0, Thursday night

[needsaparrot]

Unlike Monday night, Xander wasn't drinking to see how drunk he could get. (Or counting nipples.) He was just sitting in his living room, the tv turned down low, a tumbler of non-black, non-evil somethingorother in his hand, thinking about... well, Things.

Also, wondering if he should call back, now that a check of his phone revealed he hadn't dreamed this morning's weird wake-up call, or... think about Things some more.
__
[OOC: For, er, Things.]

Comments

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Okay, so he'd called and Xander had been fine. But what if something had happened in between that time? He had to check and make sure.

Which is why he was knocking on Xander's door somewhat anxiously.

[needsaparrot]

Xander gets up to answer it, setting his drink aside. When he opens the door, he frowns slightly, wondering if he's developed people-summoning powers or something. "...hey."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

And clinging in 3, 2, 1...

"Hey."

[needsaparrot]

"Um........."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Sorry," Bridge says. But doesn't actually let go. "I just needed to make sure."

[needsaparrot]

And Xander doesn't exactly want to detach, which is bothersome enough to make him do so, if slowly. "Of...what?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"That you're here, and you're okay... you are okay, right?" Bridge asks worriedly.

[needsaparrot]

"Yeah." Since he assumes Bridge wasn't asking, 'Hey, you're not kind of down with a bad case of non-drunk maudlin tonight, are you?' "Why wouldn't I be?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Had a dream," Bridge admits.

[needsaparrot]

"A dream." Beat. "Oh. A dream dream?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I wasn't sure," Bridge admits. "I mean. It felt like it could be, maybe."

[needsaparrot]

Xander leads him over to the couch, his half-empty glass sitting ignored on the coffee table. "What happened?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Fire, explosions, I saw it all and I couldn't warn you in time." Bridge explains as he flops down on the couch.

[needsaparrot]

Xander winces. "Sounds bad. But I'm pretty unasplodey." He poked at his own shoulder. "See?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"I like you best that way," Bridge says with a hint of a smile.

[needsaparrot]

"Kind of partial to it myself."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"So... besides not exploding..." Bridge starts, and trails off as he notices the half-empty glass. "What've you been up to this week?" he finishes. Yeah, he's aware it sounds kind of lame.

[needsaparrot]

Xander didn't miss the glance at the unfinished drink, but to what he's been up to this week, it might as well be iced tea. "Crossed off 'try to outdrink Anakin' from the list of Dumbass Things To Do In Fandom When You're Not Exploding?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge tries not to frown at the mention of Anakin and actually... manages to succeed in that.

"You went drinking with him." He says carefully.

[needsaparrot]

"So my wallet informs me. My brain couldn't be reached for comment the next morning, but the reggae band that moved into my skull in its absence issued a confirming statement."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"That sounds... like you had an interesting time," he says, trying to keep his tone neutral.

[needsaparrot]

"I think so? It's a little vague now. I remember something about holes, there was counting of nipples. And apparently Anakin's daughter's dating Han Solo."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Bridge bypasses all of that other stuff and goes right for the important part.

"Counting. Of nipples." Not so much with the neutral tone there.

[needsaparrot]

"See, I told him there'd be frowning." And as usual, Xander's not sure how he feels about that, or how well it matches up with how he should feel.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Damn right there's frowning."

[needsaparrot]

Xander raises an eyebrow. "There was also talk of how various people who might be frowny about nipple-counting which was by the way not-dirty really.... aren't supposed to be frowny."

Wow, for as silly as that is on the surface, hell if it doesn't hurt to say.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Aren't supposed to be." Bridge says shortly, frown turning in to a full on scowl as he crosses his arms over his chest.

[needsaparrot]

Xander sighs. "Yeah, well... I think some of that was about Rory. Who's going to Prom with Anakin's kid, so I'm not surprised he's a little.... kerflutzed."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Luke and Rory, huh?" Bridge says. "Well. That's... nice for them, I guess. Kind of weird, considering. But," he shrugs.

[needsaparrot]

"They're just going together, not actually going out." Xander gives a dry little snort. "Otherwise I don't think the biggest frown of the night would've gone to the guy who's dating his daughter."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, I guess," he says, the whole subject of Prom kind of making him sulky.

[needsaparrot]

He knows he's not really in the Decrepit Zone yet, but sometimes Xander feels like he's old enough to be complaining about who's dating the kids he's never going to actually have.

And the next minute he's more certain that his voice'll crack when he opens his mouth than he is of anything he might say with it. Like, "Giles asked me who you were going with."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Did he?" Bridge raises an eyebrow.

[needsaparrot]

"I told him I didn't know." The casual tone he's aiming for, where it doesn't sound like he has more than a polite, friendly interest in the answer? Is pretty much fail, yes.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"There's really only one person I'm interested in going with," Bridge says pointedly. "I think you know who that is."

[needsaparrot]

"You know that's not gonna happen." Xander looks up and hates that there's relief mixed in with the awkward....whatever. "You should go, though. Have a good time. There's gotta be somebody - what about Z?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"She's going," Bridge says. "I'm not going with her. Why *can't* it happen?" he presses.

[needsaparrot]

"Bridge...We've been over that." And over, and over, and it doesn't ever get any easier. It's supposed to get easier.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Right, we've been over that," Bridge says with a scowl. "And yet... you keep giving me these mixed signals. I can't- I can't *do* this anymore, Xander. I can't keep pretending I'm happy to just be friends with you, because it hurts."

[needsaparrot]

Which is the one thing he keeps saying he doesn't want; Xander's not stupid enough to miss the irony. He just doesn't know what to do about it. The frustration of that drives him nuts, makes him stand up and curl his hands into balls at his sides, his nails digging into his palms. "I'm sorry about that. I am. You think this makes me happy?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"No," Bridge snaps. "I *know* it doesn't."

[needsaparrot]

"Then can you give me a break here? I'm doing the best I can. I'm sorry it's not what you want, but it's all I got."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"What I *want* is for you to be able to say what you mean. Or mean what you say. One or the other." And now he's standing up too. "Until then... I really don't think I can be around you." With that, he heads to the door.

"Goodbye, Xander." He doesn't slam it as he leaves, but he does shut it behind him a little more forcibly than strictly necessary.

[needsaparrot]

Xander stands there staring at the door for long enough to hear Bridge walking away through the lobby, so long that when he stalks back over to the couch and unclenches his fist to pick up his drink, the knuckles ache and creak.

Maybe it's better this way, right? He can't send Bridge off to some dimension with no demons or giant robots, he'll never be able to keep him from running headlong into danger to help people, but at least Xander's managed to get him away from one thing that could hurt him. Xander slumps down on the couch and empties the glass in one swallow. Me.