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Sep. 12th, 2004 01:57 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsJust a few minutes after Lorna reads her letter to Alex, Shiro goes to speak with him. After a short discussion about American football, they talk about Lorna. Shiro oversimplifies things, but makes it clear that Alex is just as dumb as he is.
Alex was sitting on the couch still, the TV still tuned to UVA vs. Miami. To all appearances Alex was sitting there watching TV but closer inspection would show that he wasn't staring at the TV, he was staring at the piece of folded paper still sitting on the table where Lorna had left it.
Shiro had spent most of the day planning his portfolio for his college application, but like every artist he was starving, so he took a break to get a snack. As he walked back to the art room, peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hand, he heard unsteady voices coming from the rec room. A quick peak revealed Lorna and Alex, and knowing better than to invade their privacy, he went back to the kitchen. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps hurry out from the room, so he finished his sandwich and went to check on who was still there. Relieved to see Alex, he stood at the door for a few minutes before quietly making his way in. "Hey," he said softly, taking a seat near his friend.
Shiro's voice seemed to wake Alex up from a dream, he blinked before looking at his friend with a glazed look. "Hey..."
Shiro glanced at the crumpled paper on the table by Alex and frowned. He was about to ask what it was before he realized that Alex probably didn't want to talk about it. Which was too bad for him, because he'd have to eventually, but Shiro was generous to at least wait a couple of minutes. "Who's playing?" he asked, indicating the TV.
Alex gave him an odd look before he saw the TV out of the corner of his eye and he realized the TV was still on. "Oh I don't know anymore... " He glanced at the score in the corner. "UVA vs Miami."
Shiro cocked his head to one side. Alex had been pretty excited this morning to sit and veg out for a day of college football. Obviously Lorna had done something to ruin his mood. Surprise. "Who's winning?" Not that he cared, given that he didn't understand the rules of this barbaric sport. But anything to get Alex to talk.
"Umm UVA I think..." He squinted a bit then nodded. "Yeah, UVA." Alex realized that he better keep the conversation going or else it was going to turn toward what had just happened. Shiro had come in too soon, he must have heard Lorna in here. He nodded to the TV as current scores scrolled across. "Look, Virginia Tech beat Western Michigan 63 to nothing..."
"So explain to me the concept of this game. These men throw around an oblong-shaped ball made of pig and run around that field?" It made about as much sense as sumo.
"Basically. The goal is to get the ball into the end zone and to run and shove and throw and kick however you need to get in there. Then they can kick it through the goal post for an extra point and they start over. It's really that simple...with a couple more rules and penalties mixed in..." Alex shrugged. "It's pretty mindless but fun to watch."
"Mindless, hmm?" Shiro mused. "Perfect activity for a Saturday, ne? Keeps you busy and entertained." Shiro looked at the paper again and then back at Alex. Obviously not entertained.
With a huff, Alex fell back into the cushions. "Yeah entertained...something like that..."
"Alright, enough of the bull," Shiro sighed. "We both know I'm not here to talk about incomprehensible American pastimes. What's up?"
Alex crossed his arms across his chest and shot a Shiro a quick glare, before nodding to the sheet of paper on the table. "That's what's up... Lorna came in here to talk and read me that." Alex still wasn't sure what to make of all this,
"May I?" Shiro asked before reaching over to pick up the note. At Alex's nod, he unfolded it and read. And then reread it. Withholding his own reaction, he looked at his best friend intently. "Then what?"
Alex shrugged helplessly. "I told her I agreed that we both needed time and that I do still love her…" He turned his gaze away slightly so he wouldn't even catch Shiro in the corner of his eyes. "Then I told her I hoped everything works out and that she deserves better as well..." He said this last part quietly, not sure how someone else would take it for it seemed like the right thing to say at the time.
Shiro knew that he was in way over his head. He had no authority or experience to tell Alex what to do, and anything he said would probably just screw things up even more. Even so . . . "Pardon my naiveté, but if you love each other, then why part? Time alone is one thing, but to go off your separate ways . . . I don't understand."
"Because we are both so screwed up, Shiro...We can't help each other when we can't even help ourselves..." It was all coming out fast now, "And Neither of us think we deserve the other and it's all just so complicated that I don't even understand it..." He sighed and fell back into the couch again. "Why can't things be simple? As if our lives weren't tough enough being mutants, we also have to deal with this...this...stuff!"
"Simple? You're telling me." Shiro scooted closer to Alex, but didn't touch him. As much as physicality could comfort Alex, he didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. "This is going to sound unbelievably sappy and maybe even condescending, but this relatively 'mundane', and I use that word only because I can't think of a more apt one, drama is drama all people experience at one point or another. So even though we're mutants, we're still humans."
Alex gave Shiro a lost look. "Really?"
"I have obviously heard too much psychobabble recently," Shiro said with a small smile, "But yes, really. Part of being a mutant is the ability to deal with situations that would cause a normal human's head to implode."
Alex sighed. "Still doesn't make it any easier..." Then he looked back at Shiro. "What if Lorna really could do better then me? You know, find someone who would love her, without all the issues. It practically killed me to have to listen to all that..." He nodded to the letter.
"No one could do better than you," Shiro said sincerely, sappiness be damned. Alex needed to hear this, if only to boost his self-esteem. "She would only delude herself. And even if she could find someone who has not been dealt the same hand you have, that doesn't mean that you could not do the same."
Alex raised an eyebrow at Shiro but sighed, leaning back to star at the ceiling. "But I don't want to find any one else...I want this to work...but some broken things you just can't fix..."
Shiro sighed. He knew that Alex would be stubborn like this. "You can't have it both ways. Either you fix what's broken, or you move on. Listen, have you spoken with Doctor Samson yet?"
Alex shook his head still staring at the ceiling. "You know how much that man creeps me out."
"Here is where I become annoying and pestering." Shiro reached over and lightly thwapped the backside of Alex's head. "Go. Creepy or not, he knows what he's talking about. If nothing else, he will at least get you to verbalize everything you are feeling, so you will find the way to fix this on your own."
Alex glared at Shiro as he rubbed the back of his head. "Now you sound like Paul and Scott...but then I guess one of us has too..." He sighed, then gave Shiro a sideways glance. "When did you get so smart?"
"I think I burned out the worst of my stupidity as well as my powers," Shiro joked. "You know, if you don't go, then I will physically drag you there."
"Oh I have no doubt you would. You can fight Scott for the privilege." Alex returned his gaze to the ceiling.
"We'd tag team," he corrected, following Alex's eyes. Hmm, look like some had tossed a wad of gum up and it stuck. Gross.
Alex hadn't even noticed. "Now that would be a site to see..." He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought.
Alex was sitting on the couch still, the TV still tuned to UVA vs. Miami. To all appearances Alex was sitting there watching TV but closer inspection would show that he wasn't staring at the TV, he was staring at the piece of folded paper still sitting on the table where Lorna had left it.
Shiro had spent most of the day planning his portfolio for his college application, but like every artist he was starving, so he took a break to get a snack. As he walked back to the art room, peanut butter and jelly sandwich in hand, he heard unsteady voices coming from the rec room. A quick peak revealed Lorna and Alex, and knowing better than to invade their privacy, he went back to the kitchen. It wasn't long before he heard footsteps hurry out from the room, so he finished his sandwich and went to check on who was still there. Relieved to see Alex, he stood at the door for a few minutes before quietly making his way in. "Hey," he said softly, taking a seat near his friend.
Shiro's voice seemed to wake Alex up from a dream, he blinked before looking at his friend with a glazed look. "Hey..."
Shiro glanced at the crumpled paper on the table by Alex and frowned. He was about to ask what it was before he realized that Alex probably didn't want to talk about it. Which was too bad for him, because he'd have to eventually, but Shiro was generous to at least wait a couple of minutes. "Who's playing?" he asked, indicating the TV.
Alex gave him an odd look before he saw the TV out of the corner of his eye and he realized the TV was still on. "Oh I don't know anymore... " He glanced at the score in the corner. "UVA vs Miami."
Shiro cocked his head to one side. Alex had been pretty excited this morning to sit and veg out for a day of college football. Obviously Lorna had done something to ruin his mood. Surprise. "Who's winning?" Not that he cared, given that he didn't understand the rules of this barbaric sport. But anything to get Alex to talk.
"Umm UVA I think..." He squinted a bit then nodded. "Yeah, UVA." Alex realized that he better keep the conversation going or else it was going to turn toward what had just happened. Shiro had come in too soon, he must have heard Lorna in here. He nodded to the TV as current scores scrolled across. "Look, Virginia Tech beat Western Michigan 63 to nothing..."
"So explain to me the concept of this game. These men throw around an oblong-shaped ball made of pig and run around that field?" It made about as much sense as sumo.
"Basically. The goal is to get the ball into the end zone and to run and shove and throw and kick however you need to get in there. Then they can kick it through the goal post for an extra point and they start over. It's really that simple...with a couple more rules and penalties mixed in..." Alex shrugged. "It's pretty mindless but fun to watch."
"Mindless, hmm?" Shiro mused. "Perfect activity for a Saturday, ne? Keeps you busy and entertained." Shiro looked at the paper again and then back at Alex. Obviously not entertained.
With a huff, Alex fell back into the cushions. "Yeah entertained...something like that..."
"Alright, enough of the bull," Shiro sighed. "We both know I'm not here to talk about incomprehensible American pastimes. What's up?"
Alex crossed his arms across his chest and shot a Shiro a quick glare, before nodding to the sheet of paper on the table. "That's what's up... Lorna came in here to talk and read me that." Alex still wasn't sure what to make of all this,
"May I?" Shiro asked before reaching over to pick up the note. At Alex's nod, he unfolded it and read. And then reread it. Withholding his own reaction, he looked at his best friend intently. "Then what?"
Alex shrugged helplessly. "I told her I agreed that we both needed time and that I do still love her…" He turned his gaze away slightly so he wouldn't even catch Shiro in the corner of his eyes. "Then I told her I hoped everything works out and that she deserves better as well..." He said this last part quietly, not sure how someone else would take it for it seemed like the right thing to say at the time.
Shiro knew that he was in way over his head. He had no authority or experience to tell Alex what to do, and anything he said would probably just screw things up even more. Even so . . . "Pardon my naiveté, but if you love each other, then why part? Time alone is one thing, but to go off your separate ways . . . I don't understand."
"Because we are both so screwed up, Shiro...We can't help each other when we can't even help ourselves..." It was all coming out fast now, "And Neither of us think we deserve the other and it's all just so complicated that I don't even understand it..." He sighed and fell back into the couch again. "Why can't things be simple? As if our lives weren't tough enough being mutants, we also have to deal with this...this...stuff!"
"Simple? You're telling me." Shiro scooted closer to Alex, but didn't touch him. As much as physicality could comfort Alex, he didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable. "This is going to sound unbelievably sappy and maybe even condescending, but this relatively 'mundane', and I use that word only because I can't think of a more apt one, drama is drama all people experience at one point or another. So even though we're mutants, we're still humans."
Alex gave Shiro a lost look. "Really?"
"I have obviously heard too much psychobabble recently," Shiro said with a small smile, "But yes, really. Part of being a mutant is the ability to deal with situations that would cause a normal human's head to implode."
Alex sighed. "Still doesn't make it any easier..." Then he looked back at Shiro. "What if Lorna really could do better then me? You know, find someone who would love her, without all the issues. It practically killed me to have to listen to all that..." He nodded to the letter.
"No one could do better than you," Shiro said sincerely, sappiness be damned. Alex needed to hear this, if only to boost his self-esteem. "She would only delude herself. And even if she could find someone who has not been dealt the same hand you have, that doesn't mean that you could not do the same."
Alex raised an eyebrow at Shiro but sighed, leaning back to star at the ceiling. "But I don't want to find any one else...I want this to work...but some broken things you just can't fix..."
Shiro sighed. He knew that Alex would be stubborn like this. "You can't have it both ways. Either you fix what's broken, or you move on. Listen, have you spoken with Doctor Samson yet?"
Alex shook his head still staring at the ceiling. "You know how much that man creeps me out."
"Here is where I become annoying and pestering." Shiro reached over and lightly thwapped the backside of Alex's head. "Go. Creepy or not, he knows what he's talking about. If nothing else, he will at least get you to verbalize everything you are feeling, so you will find the way to fix this on your own."
Alex glared at Shiro as he rubbed the back of his head. "Now you sound like Paul and Scott...but then I guess one of us has too..." He sighed, then gave Shiro a sideways glance. "When did you get so smart?"
"I think I burned out the worst of my stupidity as well as my powers," Shiro joked. "You know, if you don't go, then I will physically drag you there."
"Oh I have no doubt you would. You can fight Scott for the privilege." Alex returned his gaze to the ceiling.
"We'd tag team," he corrected, following Alex's eyes. Hmm, look like some had tossed a wad of gum up and it stuck. Gross.
Alex hadn't even noticed. "Now that would be a site to see..." He couldn't help but smile a little at the thought.
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Date: 2004-09-11 11:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-09-11 11:29 pm (UTC)In his opinion, everyone is an idiot. Hmm, he really hasn't changed that much since coming to America . . .
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Date: 2004-09-11 11:41 pm (UTC)Why would that change? Everyone really is an idiot.
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Date: 2004-09-12 01:41 am (UTC)Ecxellent log guys.