neutral_omens | (no subject)

Entry tags:

brian,
wensleydale

(no subject)

Time: July 26, 2000
Place: Front steps
Status: Locked for Wensleydale
Summary: Brian broods

Brian usually had energy to spare. It was sort of a constant; some minor law of the universe. The Brian Particle was always characterized by energetic behavior and a trail of crisp packets.

But he wasn't feeling very bouncy at all. He wasn't tired, and his muscles weren't stiff, but he felt worn out somewhere inside. He'd brought out a rugby ball and tossed it around, spinning it up into the air and catching it, but he'd lost interest in that.

It was seeing Adam and Pepper fight like that. It was being so mad at Adam himself. It was not knowing what Adam wanted or how he was going about things. Brian could usually muster quite a bit of faith in the unofficial leader of the Them, but that wasn't working. Something of a crisis, really.

How could Adam let that happen? Had he just not seen it?

What if Pestilence (or was it something else?) wanted a bit of him?

And now he was just sitting on the front steps to the manor, looking out over the grounds. The sun hadn't set yet, but it was getting there, sort of darkening without being pretty. It made his stomach sort of sink in him, like a rock weighting him down.

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Wensley felt vaugely insulted, and was about to protest when Brian shushed him. Stopping short, he looked around the place Brian had led him to.

"It's beautiful," he said, feeling stupid for using such a girl word, but not being able to think of a better adjective. "How did you three find this place?"

"Me'n Pep were playing tag," Brian said quietly. "And we ran in here. S'brill, ain't it?" He beamed over at Wensleydale proudly.

Wensley nodded, sitting down in the middle of the clearing. "It looks like no one's been here since ages ago."

"We was here, though. Just a few days ago." Brian sprawled down beside Wensleydale on his stomach, leaning up on his elbows. "Was sunset then, too."

"I've always liked sunset. 'S prettier than sunrise."

"Shouldn't they be the same?" Brian pondered. "They're just the same thing happening backwards. They oughta be the same."

"It seems like they should be the same, doesn't it? But sunset's always been better for me. Maybe because people don't have time to sit around looking at the sky in the morning, unless they're lucky."

"Or they're too sleepy," Brian said. "...or cos it's a little sad. 'Get up! Stuff to do!'"

Wensley nodded, shivering a bit. "I should do this more often," he said, half to himself.

"You ought. ...hey, are you cold?" Brian frowned. He hadn'
t got a jacket to offer him, or else he would.

"Mmm? Oh. No, not really. It's just cooler than I'm used to." The kitchen was a warm place. "You were saying?"

"Meeeh, c'mere." Brian was, if not the most hygenic person about, at least warm. Something to do with lots of energy and running about.

He flopped an arm over Wensley's shoulders. He'd have done the same when they were kids. It was a bit different now, but he was ignoring that.

"You oughta come out here more often. So should I."

"We should," he agreed, grateful for the extra warmth. "But ya know what would make this place even better?"

"What? If you say a shopping mall, I'm going to sit on you."

He laughed. "Why would I say that? I hate those places." All those people, crowding everywhere... "No. I was going to say, a fortress."

"Cos you're the evil developer, that's why you'd say that. ...yeah, but a fortress would be wicked, wouldn't it? Made of bedsheets," Brian decided.

"Yeah. And we could all camp out here, and have a fire and everything. Just like when we were all kids, except there wouldn't be any little kids that we'd have to include and play nice with, like when we would spend the night at Pepper's." He looked around the wooded area, nodding. "It'd be fun."

"Yup. An all with sleeping bags... an staying up real late until everything's funny."

Brian grinned, leaning happily on Wensley. "I'd like that a whole bunch. We oughta. ..If Pep and Adam are talking."

"What are they fighting about?"

"Dunno. Pep... well, I think she's a bit angry about how Adam kind of gave us a push to come here. And getting hurt at the barbecue. And something else." Brian frowned again.

"I don't understand it, mostly." He squeezed Wens. "'Least you haven't gone all weird."

"Ah, well." Wensley leaned deeper into the embrace. "Peps not herself if she isn't even a little angry at Adam. They'll make up."

He laughed. "No weirder than everyone else, at least."

"Less weirder than most of'm. Angels and wizards and such. You're still good old Wens." Brian smiled fondly at him. Maybe a bit too much so, specially with an arm around him.

"An' you're still Brian," he replied. And he was glad that he was. Everything else had changed in his life since he had left Tadfield, but Brian, at least, seemed to stay constant.

"S'pose they're still Pep and Adam. But do they have to be so Pep and Adam? All the time?" Brian asked with a sheepish grin.

"Meh. We'll start a normal club. Shadow can be in it. Hugo, too, I guess."

"What sort of things would a normal club do, though?" Wensley wondered. "Sounds like it has the potential to be very boring."