1/5 Issue: Flunking Out of Life

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Slarti
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1/5 Issue: Flunking Out of Life

Post by Slarti »

Timelined a few days after Klingons Don't Say 'I Love You'

Bobby: This was good, right? He wasn't in his room anyway. He was in the rec room, feeling like he'd moved back in with his parents after flunking out of college. Except he had sorta moved back into the college after flunking out of life.

Bobby: Bobby snorted and took another long pull from his beer. After a moment, he tried to get himself motivated to pay attention to the TV.

Carol: The sound of the TV drew Carol across the hall from her office with her... insert number here, cup of coffee. She was a little surprised to see Bobby sitting there. "Heeeey, you remembered the way downstairs."

Bobby: He tipped his head backward to see Carol although he recognized her voice. "Heeeey. Yeah. Already regretting it." He swirled the beer and balanced it on his knee, sliding deeper into the sofa.

Carol: "TV that bad?" she walked around the sofa and took a seat on the coffee table.

Bobby: "Couldn't tell ya," he grunted, eyes still sort of on the screen.

Carol: "Haven't been watching TV much lately but it's usually about the same every day..."

Bobby: Bobby's eyes slowly tracked over to Carol and one eyebrow went up. "Yeahuh."

Carol: She mirrored the expression back at him, "So... how are you settling back in?"

Bobby: "Well," he said, taking another drink. "I'm here."

Carol: "Uh-huh... and day drinking."

Bobby: "And day drinking," he said, raising the bottle before he rested it back on his knee. "Got fuck all else to do right now."

Carol: She sighed, "I guess not... at least nothing really productive. You could try socialising with the other people on the team. I'm trying to encourage Tandy to make friends."

Bobby: "Everyone kinda seems to stay to themselves. I talked to Cess." Hell he probably should talk to Cess more. Or Jess. But, eh.

Carol: "Oh yeah? Well that's good... And I know everyone is keeping to themselves which was kind of my point. Not much of a team if we never talk to each other, are we?"

Bobby: His eyes tracked to her for a moment again before returning to middle space. "Not much of a team anyway when we threaten to kill each other."

Carol: "I know... but only one person's done something that stupid so don't take it out on everyone else... and the others don't have to know about it. Will you just try? Please? I want Tandy to have friends that aren't kleptomaniac teleporters..."

Bobby: "Because borderline alcoholic divorcees are a big step up, yeah?" He snorted and took another drink.

Carol: "... Is it bad that I want to say 'yes'?"

Bobby: That startled a real chuckle out of him and he shook his head. "It's bad," he confirmed.

Carol: "Have you eaten today? You know, before you embarked on your liquid lunch?"

Bobby: Bobby had to stop to think about this. Had he?

Carol: "If you have to think about it you probably didn't..." she pointed out, getting to her feet and offering her hand, "Come see what's in the kitchen."

Bobby: He knew Carol wasn't gonna leave him alone now, so he just groaned and let her pull him up. "I'm fiiiine," he protested.

Carol: "Sure, but you still gotta eat and I found you first so you get to be my lunch time company victim today. Lucky you."

Bobby: "Lucky me," he agreed, shaking his head and taking another drink while he trailed her to the kitchen.

Carol: "C'mon, it's not so bad. What's not to like about food?"

Bobby: "Nothing, when you're in the mood to eat it." He leaned against the kitchen doorway, nursing his beer.

Carol: "You don't wanna eat? I promise I'm not cooking..."

Bobby: He chuckled. "That does sweeten the pot a little." After a moment of staring at her, he let out a gusty sigh. "So. Paige is back from Hawaii."

Carol: "Oh, she is? Did she call you?" Carol went to investigate the contents of the fridge.

Bobby: "Her lawyer did," he said it around the bottle.

Carol: Ouch. She winced, pulling her head back out of the fridge, "Damn, I'm sorry Bobby... what did the lawyer say?"

Bobby: "Well, that she doesn't want to talk to me, but we're making visitation arrangements so I can see the kids." He shrugged at her wince. "I did talk to Rip. She called me on her own."

Carol: Oh well that was something, "How's she holding up?"

Bobby: "Confused, and kinda mad at me, but obviously not as mad as Paige." He sighed. "It's not like I can really explain what's going on."

Carol: "Well... you could... unless you're worried your kid's gonna judge you."

Bobby: "I don't need to give her fuel for Paige if I want custody."

Carol: "You think Paige'd do that? Use the kids against you?"

Bobby: "I don't know, but I don't want to find out either." He shook his head. "I fucked things up in the most fucked up way I could do it, so she's pissed. Beyond pissed."

Carol: "I'd hope she wouldn't do that... that wouldn't be fair to the kids... it's not just about you..." she frowned a little.

Bobby: "I know, but who fuckin' knows. She's got a lawyer from Sebastian Shaw, so I expect to have my ass handed to me in court."

Carol: "Then we'll get you a lawyer that can go toe to toe with Sebastian's lawyer."

Bobby: Bobby just snorted. "I'm not sure those exist." He took another drink and looked up when the security sensor beeped.

Carol: "Sure they do. I'll ask around... or ask Jess to look into it because fair's fair." She took her phone out of her pocket to check the alert.

Bobby: Outside, a nondescript man in a nondescript car pulled up to the door, looking at the large building.

Bobby: "Jess might be on Paige's side." He sighed and watched her. "What's up?"

Carol: "Well she's for sure not on Rogue's side..." Carol muttered, frowning, "There's a walking suit in our parking lot." She closed the fridge and headed for the front door.

Bobby: "Oh, good," he said, finishing off the beer and tossing it into the bin as he followed her.

Bobby: The man was knocking on the door now, looking into a security camera.

Carol: Carol opened the front door after swapping to her uniform, "Are we expecting you?"

Bobby: "I need to speak to Robert Drake," the man said and inside Bobby groaned. "Fuckin' hell... that's me." The man was already holding out an envelope and Bobby took it after a beat.

Carol: Carol looked between Bobby and the suit, "That all you wanted?"

Bobby: The man didn't even respond and turned, heading back down the stairs while Bobby stared at the envelope, then looked up at Carol and the retreating server. "Guess so."

Carol: "You're welcome!" Carol called down the steps after the suit before closing the door on him. "That looks ominous."

Bobby: "It feels ominous." He looked at the thick packet of papers and started back for the kitchen. "Imma need another beer for this."

Carol: She followed him, changing her clothes back as she walked, "Sure it's just beer you want?"

Bobby: "Nope." He tossed the papers onto the kitchen table and went to the fridge to rummage. "I just hope it's not a restraining order or something."

Carol: "No way she has grounds for a restraining order, Bobby..." She eyed the envelope, remembering receiving a similar envelope some years ago. Coffee. Distraction.

Bobby: "No, but Shaw." He made a face and opened a beer, taking a long drink before he turned to state at the table.

Carol: "I kinda hope he wouldn't stoop that low..."

Bobby: Bobby just grunted in response and yanked out the chair, spinning it around before he sat. He parked his chin on the back and stared at the envelope.

Carol: Carol watched him for a while as the coffee pot filled, "You waiting to see if it spontaneously combusts?"

Bobby: "I could send it back in a block of ice," he said, finally reaching for it and ripping off the top.

Carol: "You could... but I don't know that that would accomplish anything..." she poured herself some coffee and moved to sit beside him.

Bobby: "Might make me feel better." Bobby shook out the papers and skimmed through. Yep. Yep. Yep. He sighed. "Yeah, it's the divorce papers."

Bobby: "Thanks. It's my own fucking fault." He slapped the paperwork back down and reached for his beer, giving her a wry smirk. "I gotta own up to it."

Carol: She sighed, turning to give him a hug. "I kinda feel like it's shared around a bit..." she felt partially responsible herself.

Bobby: "Why, did you kiss Rogue too?" He awkwardly returned the hug.

Carol: "No... but she kissed you... and I'm still so mad at her... I feel like my involvement made everything way worse..."

Bobby: "I kissed her," he corrected. "She was way out of line to threaten you like that. I get it, but fucking hell." Bobby shook his head and gave her a pat, reaching for his beer again.

Carol: Carol shook her head, "No, I'm not mad at her for threatening me... that is a whole mess of emotions I haven't unpacked yet and I don't want to. I'm mad at her for the whole mess... and I'm mad at myself for not thinking ahead when we sent those stupid texts."

Bobby: "I got some real fuckin' mixed feelings about those texts too." He sighed and gave her the eye. "How's things with Shaw Junior?"

Carol: She shrugged, "I haven't spoken to him in a while... last I heard, he and Hope were gonna work out some stuff and they were spending more time with each other so... that's good, right?"

Bobby: "Yeah, Hope hasn't threatened to murder anyone, so I assumed they were doing okay." He was happy enough to get the subject off his failures for a few minutes.

Carol: "The last thing I need is a Hope and Rogue team up situation.... but I don't think that's likely to happen given the circumstances." That was nightmare fuel. As if she wasn't having enough of those. "I hope they work it out... and I'm trying to do normal things... I actually have been on two dates... like real ones."

Bobby: That made him look up at her. "Oh yeah? How'd they go?"

Carol: "Pretty okay..." apart from the nightmare incident anyway. "I mean, I'm not really looking for a relationship right now so..."

Bobby: "Good call," he snorted. He shouldn't have been either, since he was already in a relationship. Hence why he was here. He took another drink.

Carol: "I'm not good relationship material so it's fine. I learned that the hard way."

Bobby: "I'm not either." What happened to Lorna wasn't his fault, he knew that much, but they'd had their ups and downs too. "Maybe I should start batting for the other team. Might have better luck."

Carol: "Or maybe just... be single for a while? Figure out who you are now..."

Bobby: "Yeah." Of course, if Anna left Tony... No. He couldn't let himself think about it. They hadn't even talked in person since that day.

Carol: "Oooor there's always the random hookups option but I don't know if you're there yet."

Bobby: "I was never great at that." He made a face. "Jamie offered me some of his former hookups. Guess I'm a charity case all around."

Carol: "Yeah I wasn't good at that... and then I drank a lot and it got easier - you're half way there... not that I'm encouraging alcoholism." She frowned, "Maybe find someone you can have a friends with benefits thing with... or more casual dating with no relationship pressure. That's what I'm trying right now... but I'm new at it so I don't know if it's gonna work for me."

Bobby: "I can freeze out the booze when I need to sober up," he pointed out, giving the bottle a look. Maybe he should stop drinking. "I think being single is my best option since friends is how this started with Roguey."

Carol: "I sober up fast when I stop drinking too or if I take an inhibitor off," she pointed out. "And you were never friends with benefits with Rogue... stuff like that needs boundaries and agreements not to let feelings get involved."

Bobby: "I mean, we were just friends, and I never knew there was even a chance for a benefit," he said with a snort.

Carol: "Because there wasn't," she reminded him, "You were married. You loved your wife... both of them. And you have kids. But you and Rogue... you guys don't do boundaries. You have boundaries with literally everyone else but not each other.... which is why everyone but you two saw this coming."

Bobby: "Yeah." He wasn't gonna say that there had been a window when it would have been possible, but he had no idea. Instead, he made a face at her. "You think we're both assholes don't you?"

Carol: She sighed, "Fuck, I don't know," she looked away, "I'm way more mad at Rogue than I am at you... I just feel sorry for you."

Bobby: "Why? She told me how she felt and after I got over the shock I fuckin' kissed her. This is as much my fault as anyone else."

Carol: "You, I feel like she took advantage of when you were vulnerable and that's not okay."

Carol: "I don't see it that way... I guess because you were so miserable before this all happened..." she looked at him again, "I told her when I found out she was sleeping with Tony that it was a bad idea. When they started dating we told them both it was a bad idea. And now he's all in love with her and she's pulling this shit and has the gall to blame everyone but her own damn self for the mess."

Bobby: "She didn't take advantage of me, babe. I wasn't happy, but I didn't have to kiss her - twice." He glared at his beer, trying not to think about how at the time that'd been the only thing that felt right about his life. Idiot.

Carol: "See, you think that because you're still fucked up. You were vulnerable and unhappy and she knew that when she kissed you and she's still in your head right now getting away with it."

Bobby: Bobby looked up at her. "Nah. She... feels the same." He swallowed, debating how much he wanted to say. She had connections to Tony, and if Anna really was about to dump him, Carol could ruin everything. "About me. As surprising as it is, she loves me, too."

Carol: "Sure. I know that. But she's still stringing Tony along like it isn't going to fuck him up to find that out."

Bobby: "So is that what I was doing with Paige?"

Carol: "Did you know you were in love with someone else the whole time you were dating her, being engaged to her and being married to her?"

Bobby: He frowned. "No." Bobby sighed and looked up at her. "Yes?" He shook his head. "I felt it, but I didn't let myself really feel it. That sounds nuts, but yeah..."

Carol: "Not as nuts as you think... you let it go because you didn't think there was any way it could happen, right? Buried it and left it alone and forgot about it. This is not the same thing." She pushed a hand through her hair, "Look at it from where I'm sitting... I was in the same spot as her. I fell for someone who's married. His relationship with his wife was in a similar place to yours."

Carol: "Difference is no kids. Difference is, I told him and then told him it was just to be out in the open and he could cut me out of his life if it was weird. Then I was happy for him when he tried to work stuff out with his wife. I'm still happy for him and I'm moving my ass on. What's she doing? Fucking up two lives and her own. Do you see why I'm pissed?"

Bobby: Bobby looked up at her. "And what would you have done if he's said he felt the same way?"

Carol: "That didn't happen," she pointed out.

Bobby: "But what if it had? That's the real difference in the situation."

Carol: "Then I probably would have told him to go break up with his wife or work it out with her because he's still fucking married. I knew when I told him that it wasn't going to go anywhere. I wasn't expecting it or hoping for it. I just wanted it out in the open so it wasn't just in my brain driving me crazy anymore. I thought if I said it out loud then I'd find it easier to get over it."

Bobby: "Well, I'm getting a divorce now," he said, smacking the paper with an open hand and a frown. "So that's taken care of."

Carol: "Yeah you are..." she sighed, "Did everything in the wrong order."

Bobby: "Yeah, well, I guess neither one of us ever suspected the other would feel the same."

Carol: "Only because you ignored everyone else saying there was something between you two for like a decade..."

Bobby: Bobby narrowed his eyes at her. "Like who."

Carol: "You gonna try to tell me no one was ever suspicious of you?"

Bobby: Bobby just stared at her for a long moment, then at the papers on the table. "No one alive, anyway."

Carol: "Except me," she added, "And then there's a person who doesn't say things because she doesn't want to step on any toes. I don't mind doing that but I'm not gonna throw her under the bus."

Bobby: He gave her a questioning, measuring look, wishing he was a telepath. "I'm a bus? I'm not gonna run anyone over for it, babe. Who?"

Carol: She sighed, "Someone people forget is an empath all the time and specialises in mutant psychology."

Bobby: Bobby frowned for a moment. Oh. "Oh, yeah... guess I should have guessed her."

Carol: "Greer probably also could tell... pheromones, you know? But I guess you guys don't really talk that much."

Bobby: "Not really, no." He made a face at the mention of pheromones. He knew Jess also had weird powers involving pheromones and bugs. He wasn't a bug, though, so hey. Aaaanyway.

Carol: "We used to be friends... but I messed that up." She shrugged both shoulders high, "The point is... people knew... no one's really surprised by the whole thing... just the circumstances... which, on Rogue's side at least, Jess and I really tried to stop..."

Bobby: "Yeah, well... it doesn't really matter now. I imploded my own life and she's living with the president." He sighed and looked at the paperwork again.

Carol: "Yeah..." At least until someone told Tony exactly what was going on in all the gory details. But that wasn't going to be her.

Bobby: It wasn't going to be him either. Bobby reached for his beer again and shook his head. "Life's a bitch and then you die. Right, babe?"

Carol: "Or in our case, just get hit in the head a lot and still refuse to die...."

Bobby: He raised his beer. "Or that."
Esynthia
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Re: 1/5 Issue: Flunking Out of Life

Post by Esynthia »

Oh for fuck's sake, Carol. :doh! Rogue isn't stringing Tony along. :P She loves him, too. She's just trying to figure things out
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