Coming Back Home (Closed to Peter)

[st_x5_494]

His talk with Kitty and some more time alone caused Alec to return to the Inn. He smelled, but he was used to that, however he did miss showers. Despite the ability to live off the land for at least a month, there were some comforts that Alec missed. Plus he figured he needed to find out how badly he left things with Peter.

He was ready to be told to move out - however he could manage that, anyways.

Alec pushed through the door noticed the note on Peter's bed immediately. The kid wanted to talk - shocker. He dropped his pack and went to hit the shower.

Comments

[st_arkintern]

Peter's frown deepens even more.

"You need to apologize to him," Peter insists. "You can't say that sort of thing to him."

Peter Parker is a master of what you shouldn't say to people lately.

[st_x5_494]

"I'm not apologizing to him." Alec crossed his arms stubbornly.

As far as Alec was concerned, Rocket had basically said Peter was going to die, he might as well enjoy it.

[st_arkintern]

"You're going to apologize to him," Peter says, and he pushes himself off the bed to make a grab for Alec's arm.

[st_x5_494]

Alec didn't move his arm. He let Peter grab it, though his expression was challenging.

"What are you going to do? Make me?"

[st_arkintern]

Peter realizes that an apology is meaningless unless Alec actually means it. Even if he made Alec apologize, he gets the feeling that Rocket would see right through Alec's lack of genuineness.

Peter lets go of Alec's arm. "I'm not," he says. "Because you need to realize it's wrong before you apologize."

[st_x5_494]

He sighed. "People aren't always going to be friends with each other. It's just how life is. You're not friends with that douchebag at your school."

[st_arkintern]

"Yeah, but we don't live next door to each other, either. I'm not saying you have to be friends, but... don't you think you should be civil to one another?"

Peter doesn't antagonize Flash.

[st_x5_494]

"He's a bad influence. Besides, I'm being civil by not turning him into a hat." Stubborn man is stubborn.

[st_arkintern]

"How's he a bad influence?" Peter demands. "He hasn't even done anything yet."

[st_x5_494]

He crossed his arms again, but Alec didn't say anything. There were things he had to say about it. Things he saw in the damn Raccoon he saw in himself and some of the things Rocket said in general - Alec just knew - but Peter liked the damn thing so... for some reason Alec couldn't say.

[st_arkintern]

Peter's not taking nothing for an answer.

"Are you gonna answer me?"

[st_x5_494]

"You won't like my answer." Alec probably sounded exactly like Peter's age right now.

[st_arkintern]

"How do you know that?"

[st_x5_494]

"gee, I don't know, Peter. Because I know you? I know you'll either think I'm completely off base or you'll make that 'crushed soul' face and I'll feel like an asshole. Either way I don't win."

[st_arkintern]

"What do you know about me that makes you think that?"

Now it's Peter's turn to fold his arms over his chest.

[st_x5_494]

He made an exacerbated sound. "Because you're nice and see the good in every damn person," And you're naive, but he didn't say that part out loud. "And you make up these little things in your head about the way life is and don't like your bubbles to be burst."

[st_arkintern]

"I don't make little things up about how life is," Peter protests, though he doesn't even really know what Alec means. He thinks Alec thinks he doesn't know how life works, but Peter thinks he does a lot better than Alec.

[st_x5_494]

He rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine, Mr. has-everything-figured-out. You tell me what that raccoon is really like."

[st_arkintern]

Peter hasn't actually talked to Rocket all that much. Just twice.

"He's aggressive when he feels threatened," Peter says, continuing to think on it. It's obvious from how slowly he speaks that he's trying to speak carefully. "He's very assertive and speaks his mind, even if people might not like it."

Another pause as Peter thinks. There's got to be something else.

"That's all I can think of right now."

[st_x5_494]

"Fine. Let's go with that then." Why Alec was so adamant not to give his opinion confused even him. Normally he just through people under the bus.

[st_arkintern]

Peter has definitely noticed that Alec's a lot more defensive about this Rocket issue than he really should be.

"Why are you so crabby?"

[st_x5_494]

Suddenly there are words that Alec wasn't planning on coming from his mouth. "Because I came back and I talked about my feelings and you're still here pushing me to do more and say more shit and I don't know what more you want from me." The last little part his voice raised in frustration.

And now Alec was a little confused at himself.

[st_arkintern]

They had been talking awhile now.

"We don't have to talk any more," Peter says quickly. "I know --" Peter thinks about how he was crying and that was probably weird for Alec who usually wasn't used to dealing with stuff like that. "-- it's been a lot today."

[st_x5_494]

Alec kind of felt like a child, but Peter wasn't wrong. Mostly Alec felt like he could never really get out what Peter wanted from him. Like he was always letting the kid down somehow.

He sighed. "I'll watch a movie with you or something. If you want."

[st_arkintern]

Peter immediately pushes himself off the bed, turns on the TV, and presses rewind on the VHS player.

"Blade Runner okay? Liz found it earlier this week."

This will be his 9th rewatch of the film since Liz gave it to him.