(no subject)

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

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.

Comments

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

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

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"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.

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"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."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"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."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"What are they fighting about?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"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."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"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."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"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.

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"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.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"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."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

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

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Nah. We run around doing all sorts of stuff. Rugby and hiking in the woods. That's normal. Not all magically healing people and making things float." He beamed. "Rugby's normal."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Speak for yourself," he scoffed, giving the rugby ball the evil eye. Wensley had never really understood the point of rugby- or any other sport, really. "I'll agree, though. Making things float isn't normal."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Meh. Rugby's fun. Where else do you get to tackle cheerful buff men all day?" Brian stuck out his tongue. "I s'pose cooking's normal too."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Why would you want to tackle buff men all day?"

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

Brian gave him a look. Sort of a puzzled look.

He'd rather thought that Wensleydale'd figured it out by NOW. Wasn't he the smart one?

"Wens. Why wouldn't I?"

Oh, bugger. He'd thought Wens had known ages ago, when Brian hadn't really dated at all and had developed that first interest in rugby matches. ...well, sure, there were plenty of straight men running about who'd follow a match, but surely wanting to watch men in very short shorts plow into each other, that sent signals?

Was this going to be a problem?

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Why wouldn't you- Oh." Wensley was quiet then, thinking. This sort of thing had always been something the Them Did Not Talk About, like when Pepper's mum had stopped letting them all sleep in the same room, or when the girls at school would giggle and blush whenever Adam passed by. There had been assumptions made, of course, but never voiced.

"I guess I sorta knew," he said, turning his head a bit to look at Brian. "But you never said anything, so..." he made some odd hand movements, conveying his loss for words.

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"I thought you did," Brian said with a firm nod. "And no, never said anything, cos it don't matter. I'm just Brian, one way or the other."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Which is why I never asked," Wensley agreed, nodding. "It doesn't matter who you like, at least not to us. Unless they're a complete idiot."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Well, since there isn't anyone, that's no problem."

There was someone, but... well, it all went together with the Them not talking about it. No point causing a fuss when things were so comfortable that way.

"Never found anyone special."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"No one seems to. At least, none of us."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Nah. Wouldn't fit, would it? Bringing some other person it, it'd be awkward." Brian frowned meditatively. "Be all right for Pep, I suppose. She could manage it. But... well, Adam's Adam. And you're you, and me, I'm all right."

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

Wensley nodded. No one had ever lasted long, from jealousy of the tight-knit that refused to include outsiders. "Guess it's just us four."

[bullfightposter.livejournal.com]

"Yup. But that's not bad, is it?"

[dearwensleydale.livejournal.com]

"Of course not!" He couldn't think of anyone he would want to spend him time with more than the other three. "What do you think?"