11/6 Issue: Adulting with Alcohol

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Slarti
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11/6 Issue: Adulting with Alcohol

Post by Slarti »

Timelined a few days after The Whole Chicken.

Bobby: In theory, Bobby was working. In reality, Bobby was playing a game on his phone. While he didn't rate an office like Carol at the former school, he had claimed a comfy chair in the corner of the renovated rec room.

Pietro: Pietro gave the building a once-over before he slowed down enough that anyone could actually see him. He stopped in the doorway to the rec room and grinned, "Slacker!"

Bobby: "Motherfucker!" Bobby jumped at the surprise voice and dropped his phone. "Pietro?!" He just blinked for a second, then a grin slowly spread across his face and he got up. "Pietro! Hey, man! Thanks for the coronary!"

Pietro: Pietro flourished a bow, "You're welcome!" he laughed, "I couldn't resist."

Bobby: "Obviously! Not that I can blame ya. I make a pretty tempting target, I s'pose." He bent to pick up his phone and checked it over. Not broken, for once. Amazing.

Pietro: "How're you doing?" He straightened up from his lean on the door frame to move into the room.

Bobby: "Alright, man. How're you?" He pocketed his phone and moved to flop onto the sofa and grin up at Pietro.

Pietro: "Pretty good. I'm down here looking at property."

Bobby: "I don't think Tony's quite ready to sell us yet, but give it a few more weeks, yeah?"

Pietro: That made him laugh again as he joined Bobby on the sofa, "Nooooo way. I know how often shit around here gets destroyed."

Bobby: "Yeaaah, the kitchen had a little bit of water damage when I made it snow..."

Pietro: "There's a massive hole in the wall in there now," Pietro told him, "Not sure I want to know what that's about. I feel like that's inviting the insanity back into my life."

Bobby: "Yeaaaah." This time he winced, not sure he wanted to get into it either. But, this was Pietro. "Carol used Rogue to open up the floor plan."

Pietro: Even for him, that took a bit to process. "She never heard of a sledgehammer?"

Bobby: "Insanity, remember?"

Pietro: He nodded, "Yeah... don't miss that."

Bobby: "Yeah. That's... not changed." He slid a little lower into the sofa and rolled his head sideways to look at Pietro. "So! Property? Fooor?"

Pietro: "I'm expanding the business. We're doing really well so I thought I'd try getting an office somewhere like Boston or New York."

Bobby: "Well hey! Congrats then, dude!" He ramped up his grin.

Pietro: "I checked out a few places in New York yesterday so now I'm here and I figured I could swing by. It's not like the guard station saw me coming... I did leave them a note though."

Bobby: "Ha! Yeah, no, security is still a work in progress here and probably always will be, man." He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "How're Illy and the kids? And Harvey and your whole crew?"

Pietro: "They're all fine... now. Took a bit of doing for a while there... Think it helps that Illyana's settled into her new job and there's a routine again now." He looked away for a moment. Time to rip off the bandaid. "She and I aren't together anymore... it's been... an adjustment for the kids..."

Bobby: Now? He sat up a little to watch Pietro, then hissed. "Fuck, man. I'm sorry." Bobby winced, trying not to think of his own situation. "Are the kids with her?"

Pietro: He shook his head, "Well, they are at the moment, but we're on a shared schedule... it's not like we could stop them teleporting back and forth whenever they wanted anyway. They're terrible for that."

Bobby: "Yeah, I get that. Rip has more and more of Dee's powers and it makes things fun around the house." He smiled just a little. "What happened? You guys were..." Dedicated.

Pietro: "Things changed... we got involved in work, we changed... lots of things... we just grew apart. We're still friends but it didn't make sense to stay together just because we didn't hate each other...."

Bobby: Bobby swallowed, giving Pietro a single nod. "Yeah..." He cleared his throat.

Pietro: "Heather and Harvey are on kid security detail. Heather pretends she hates it. Situation normal."

Bobby: He laughed, well aware it came out strained and weird. Shooting Pietro a sideways glance, he tried to laugh it off more normally. Nah. Didn't help, Drake.

Pietro: The small expressions of discomfort didn't go unnoticed by Pietro, it was hard for him not to notice everything. "How about you? Everything okay?"

Bobby: Bobby made a face. "Specify okay?"

Pietro: Pietro raised an eyebrow at the request, "Wanna talk about it?"

Bobby: He licked his lips. "I fucked up, man. I fucked up, and, um, I dunno if it's fixable."

Pietro: "Pretty sure everything's fixable if you want to fix it badly enough... but if you wanna tell me what the problem is...."

Bobby: "You want a drink? We might need one for this."

Pietro: "Sure... I could run home and get something really expensive if you want?"

Bobby: He started to tell Pietro he'd just steal some from Carol. Again. But, he suspected Peeto wanted to run off some energy anyway. "Sounds awesome, dude. I'll grab us a snack."

Pietro: "All the snacks," Pietro amended with a grin, "Be right back."

Bobby: "All the snacks," he agreed. By the time he got upright, Pietro was already gone.

Pietro: Pietro made an executive decision to select the same brand they were drinking the last time they'd had to have a serious and probably depressing conversation before he headed back to the (supposedly former) asylum.

Bobby: Bobby snagged several bags of chips and some candy, which he was sure would pair nicely with the one-of-his-paycheck bottles Pietro would probably bring back.

Pietro: Pietro left another note for the guard stationed at the entrance to the long driveway on his return. Locating two glasses he set them on the table in the recroom and sat back down on the sofa.

Bobby: He jumped when he rounded the corner back into the room and Pietro was already back on the sofa. "Duuuude."

Pietro: Pietro tossed him a drink, "You think you have it bad? Check in with the guy at the end of the drive when you head home."

Bobby: Catching it, he dropped his bounty onto the coffee table and sank into the sofa again. "Poor bastard," he laughed.

Pietro: "I'd probably feel bad if it wasn't so funny," Pietro grinned at him, popping the cork out of the bottle on the table.

Bobby: "We really need some mutant guards, I guess." He studied the bottle in his hand before opening it up to take a sniff. Smelled expensive.

Pietro: "I don't know that it'd help in my case."

Bobby: "Very true." He shrugged, then took a drink straight from the bottle.

Pietro: Pietro poured himself a glass because he wasn't a heathen, "So how far into the bottle do you need to be to have this conversation?"

Bobby: "Well, when I told Jamie Madrox - do you remember him? The kid with the copies of himself? Anyway, it was after we smoked a bunch of weed."

Pietro: "Yeah I remember him. I'd love to look at his mutation," he eyed the bottles, "Maybe I should have brought more booze..."

Bobby: Bobby took another drink. "Yeah. Good kid. He killed the nutcase who made me a toddler."

Pietro: Pietro pulled a face, "He doing okay after that?"

Bobby: "No, not really. He, uh, did it with his powers." Bobby made a face too and this time chugged a bit. Not chugging booze, but hey. Desperate times and all.

Pietro: Now that was interesting and confusing all at once, "How?"

Bobby: "Well..." Was this a breach of bro code? Eh, it was Pietro. "It was sort of accidental, since he was beating the guy to death already when he duped, uh, inside him." Bobby made a gesture that looked a lot like jazz hands, but with more blood.

Pietro: Both eyebrows raised, "That's a thing?!" Ewwwww.... Messy. But so cool!

Bobby: "Apparently." He made a face and took another swig. "Since I'm apparently the only stone cold killer to get stoned with him lately so we talked about it. Poor kid."

Pietro: "Yeah... at least you've never been covered in your victim's insides," Pietro decided he needed to catch up with Bobby and did so impressively fast even for him.

Bobby: Bobby was impressed by this impressive feat of alcoholism. "The trick is to not stick around until the chunks thaw." He made a face at himself at that.

Pietro: "At least you have the option... when they explode into a fine mist, the best you can hope for is that you remember not to inhale...."

Bobby: "Ugh. Yeah, maybe you should give him the pep talk then. You two can start a support group." That called for another drink and a heavy sigh.

Pietro: He laughed despite himself, "I'll think about it."

Bobby: "So..." He licked his lips and slid down into the seat to balance the bottle on his knee. "I, uh, might be headed to divorce court too..."

Pietro: Pietro winced at that news, "I'm sorry..."

Bobby: "I don't know for sure, not really, but... Paige and I have been... I dunno. She works all the time, and I don't know if it's because she wants to or because she's avoiding me." He rubbed at his face and took another chug.

Pietro: "Have you talked about it with her?" Time for snacks.

Bobby: "Haven't had the chance." He sighed again. "She had to take a week off to take care of the kids when that dipshit crashed the press conference. When I got home, she was pissed at me about it, so that went great."

Pietro: Pietro frowned, "That makes no logical sense... maybe she's stressed and needs a vacation."

Bobby: "She's definitely stressed, and not great with dealing with it. She never has been." He closed his eyes. The room was starting to slowly revolve. "There's more... and when she finds out..."

Pietro: "She takes too much on... Illyana was the same..." he took a sip from his glass then ate a handful of candy. Mmmm sugar.

Bobby: "She does." He licked his lips. "I still love her, and it fuckin' kills me that we're... like this." Bobby looked over and took another drink. "Carol threw Rogue through a wall because we kissed."

Pietro: Neither way his brain processed that sentence made any sense. "You and Rogue?" he guessed, because it made slightly more sense that way around.

Bobby: "Yeah. Me and Rogue. It's a long ass story, but Carol and Rogue got drunk and there was texting involved. Rogue, uh, told me she loved me." Bobby glanced up at Pietro to see his reaction.

Pietro: "Huh..." Pietro contemplated that over some more candy, "Never thought she'd say anything.... Isn't she dating the President?"

Bobby: He sat up fast enough that that room spun. "You never thought she'd - did everyone fucking know this but me?!"

Pietro: Pietro blinked at him, ".... Apparently?"

Bobby: "Rogue. And me. As in Rogue is in love with me?!" He realized he was getting loud and while Carol knew he didn't need to tell every SHIELD staffer in the building. "I didn't know!" he hissed.

Pietro: "Because you weren't paying attention. You got distracted by Lorna and Paige."

Bobby: Bobby's mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again.

Pietro: "Pretty sure Lorna knew something was up though...."

Bobby: "Lorna caught us pretty much naked together during the whole bee flu thing," he frowned.

Pietro: "... Yeah, that probably didn't help."

Bobby: "Nah, not so much." He chuckled a little, then sighed. "But you're right. She was always kinda... suspicious? Her and Sam both, but I loved Lorna." Bobby frowned. "And I love Paige, too. But... yeah. I think I just told myself nothing was ever gonna happen with Rogue, so I just... never let myself go there."

Pietro: "And she probably did the same thing..." Pietro reasoned, "Picked a helluva time to change her mind though...."

Bobby: "Yeah." He cleared his throat. "I made an ass of myself, spilled my fucking guts, ended up kissing her, she kissed me, we bolted. I told myself it could never happen again..."

Pietro: "You can tell yourself that til you're blue in the face... but will it stick?"

Bobby: "It stuck until the baby thing happened, and then when that was over I told her about Paige wigging on me and we were drinking..." He sucked at his teeth.

Bobby: "And yes, she's with Tony fucking Stark, and I'm married and this is all... awful."

Pietro: Pietro frowned again in thought, sipping his drink, "In a perfect world, what would you do?"

Bobby: "Go back in time and never read that text message?" He shook his head and took another drink. The scotch was good, but he wasn't tasting it. "Don't s'pose you can run fast enough to do that can ya?"


Pietro: "Sorry, time travel isn't a thing. You have to use current technology."

Bobby: "Dammit." He sighed.

Pietro: "Think about it for a bit. I'm not in any hurry..." he shrugged and leaned back into the sofa.

Bobby: "Man, like I said - I wish I didn't know. Apparently we were both fucking repressing it for years, so we should have kept that buried."

Pietro: "Why do you wish you didn't know? Because it's awkward or because it changes something?"

Bobby: He took a drink. "Both."

Pietro: "Okay we're getting somewhere. What did it change? If you weren't married and just, I don't know, dating Paige... what would you do?"

Bobby: "Rogue asked me that, too..." He sighed and gave Pietro a sad smile. "It might have changed everything. I would have given her a chance."

Pietro: "But you can't see where it might go because you're married... and she's dating the President."

Bobby: "Ayep... and it's not like we can just pretend the other person doesn't exist like rational adults."

Pietro: "Her timing really does suck," Pietro shook his head with a laugh, "Guess you're both just going to have to go back to how it was and move on. Accept that's how things are... or, there's the flip side, take a chance and break up with your respective partners and see where it goes."

Bobby: He let his head thump back against the sofa. "Tony is good for her. Me and Paige... I dunno where that's going now. Carol wants us to tell Tony and Paige and... I know I should, but fuck..."

Pietro: "I think you and Rogue need to talk about this... at least talk about the timing of telling your significant others..."

Bobby: He wedged the bottle between his legs and rubbed both hands over his face. "Stark bought her a house." His voice was muffled. "A house."

Pietro: "Yeah I saw it on a Daily Bugle..." he frowned, "But that's not a reason to stay with someone if you don't love them. I mean, look what Illyana gave up house-wise..."

Bobby: "She loves him," he sighed. "I think I was the skeleton in the closet and she never expected things to spiral. Which, fair. I mean, same here, y'know?"

Pietro: "Yeah... maybe she needed to get it out to move on or something and she can let it go now. You two really need to talk about it."

Bobby: Bobby's hands dropped and he looked over at him. "Ya got a point there, I guess. Maybe it was a one-time deal? Two time. Whatever."

Pietro: "So talk to her. You're not going to know if you just sit on it. You're clearly not going to be able to just ignore it..."

Bobby: "No, I know. I do. But fuckin' hell, y'know?" He went for the bottle again. "This is the last fucking thing either of us needs. She's my best friend. Ripley and Zach love her." Bobby swallowed. He loved her. Now that the words had been said, he couldn't stop thinking about it.

Pietro: "You don't think it'd be nice to date your best friend? You already know everything about her and you're both used to each other's shit. That'd be in the pro column if it was me...." he paused, "I'll stop talking."

Bobby: Bobby choked on his very expensive scotch. "Fucking really, man?!"

Pietro: "Sorry! I forget to engage the filter!"

Bobby: "Y'think?!" He was still coughing.

Pietro: Pietro reached over to pet Bobby on the back, "On the plus side, if I say these things you don't have to feel guilty about it."

Bobby: He gave Pietro a sour look, then shook his head. "Fucker," he chuckled. "Yes. Of course, now that I know, and she knows, I can't stop thinking about what could have been. It's not fair to Paige. Or Stark."

Pietro: "It's not really fair to you either..." he wrinkled his nose, "Which is why you two need to talk..."

Bobby: "I s'pose Roguey and I are just used to saying fuck our own feelings," he said with a smirk.

Pietro: "That's the fastest way to an unhappy life, man. Maybe you should try being selfish for once."

Bobby: "Ask Miss America, savior of children, I already am," he complained, taking another drink. After a beat, he made a face at himself. "I'm being an asshole. If Paige... if she would just give me one damn day, maybe I could get up the guts to talk to her."

Pietro: "If she won't give you a day, take a day. Seems like she's due a day off whether she wants one or not."

Bobby: "Taking a day was my transgression for the Arcade thing. Or, a week." He screwed up his nose.

Pietro: "Yeah... she is in dire need of a vacation. If she doesn't want one then there's something really wrong there."

Bobby: "Yeah. I don't know if me stepping in will make things better or worse, honestly."

Pietro: "Well leaving it how it is isn't going to make it any better so you have to try something different... I know what its like to hardly see your wife. It sucks. You're basically living separate lives. That's not how a marriage is supposed to be... on some level, she knows that. You need to remind her."

Bobby: "But what if she gets it, and she wants to make another attempt, but when I tell her about Rogue it ruins it?"

Pietro: "My advice would be to cross that bridge when you come to it...."

Bobby: Bobby gnawed on his lower lip. "Yeah. Cross it, or burn it down, y'know?"

Pietro: "But at least you'll know which one it is..."

Bobby: "Adulting fuckin' sucks," he whined, taking another drink.

Pietro: "Yeah," Pietro had to agree there, "But at least we can get drunk when we're mad about it."
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Re: 11/6 Issue: Adulting with Alcohol

Post by Esynthia »

LMAO I love those two :love so much gold in this one
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