They say communication is the key.

[forthedog]

Despite appearances, Mike is not actually that confrontational a person. Not in certain contexts, anyway, so rather than ask Hobbes head-on what's eating him, he's keeping his own distance. Not that it's hard; part of the manifestation of... whatever this is, is that Hobbes is gone a lot.

He figures it'll come out when the pressure builds enough, or the kid (he can't quite lose the word) will get over it. In the meantime he has things he needs to be doing. His canoe is leaking. Not a lot, but enough to make any extended travel difficult. He doesn't know much about patching boats but hands-on learning is best in his experience.

It's extraordinarily hot on the beach. The weather's always been warm here, but since the change in the Island it's been unusually humid and sticky. He's shirtless and in khaki shorts, and the sweat is running down his face in long trickles and making his hands slippery. He loses hold of his knife for an instant and gives his thumb a good slice. He jerks it up to his mouth, sucking on it and cursing richly.

It feels so much easier to blame it all on Hobbes, for the moment.

Comments

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

"You couldn't have helped him pick some flowers?" Hobbes said, finally turning around, half raising his hand before letting it drop listlessly against his side. He chewed the inside of his lip, staring at Mike, unsure if he should look away, back away. Eventually, he just sighs.

"I know," he said, swallowing hard, still confused, trying to step back and to see all the angles. Sometimes...sometimes he just needed to get out of his own head. "You trust him. I know."

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

Things aren't simpler on the Island. In a lot of ways they're even more complicated. He should stop being so surprised.

He steps forward like the motion's been held down inside him for a long time now, taking Hobbes gently by the shoulders, holding him in place without pulling him closer. However much he might want to.

"I trust him," he says simply. "And I'm in love with you." He pauses, worrying at his lip and holding Tom's gaze with his own just like he's holding his body.

"You've trusted me for a long time." He shakes his head slightly, the smile tugging at his lips almost sad. "Can't you trust me now? I made you a promise, Tom."

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

Hobbes let a breath out slowly, but it felt like it went on for a long time, until he was light headed from it, letting his shoulders slump into Mike's hand. He could believe it. A part of him always does.

"Against better judgment and a lot of advice to the contrary," he muttered. He reached up, dragging the dogtags out of the collar of Mike's shirt.

"I said it was stupid," he muttered quietly, letting his hand slip over Mike's collar, flattening on his shoulder.

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

"I just didn't tell you," he says, letting his eyes fall closed again and breathing out another hitching sigh. "It's not stupid-- I mean, it is, but..." He opens his eyes again, looks past Hobbes and off into the jungle.

"When I'm with you, when we're... It's special." He looks back down at Hobbes, gaze as open as he can make it. "I don't go spreading that around. It's too important."

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

Hobbes nodded, rubbing his hand gruffly over his face. "I know," he said softly. "I know that, Mike. God, do I know that..." He let out a slow breath. "It's just...you think maybe you can not stick burny things into your friends anymore? Or maybe just give me a heads up about it."

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

He raises an eyebrow slightly. "I doubt it's the kind of situation that's going to be happening a lot in the future," he says slowly. "And it feels kinda weird giving you a heads-up. But if you really want me to, okay."

He pauses, reaching up with one hand and cupping Hobbes's face, stroking a thumb over his cheekbone. "I'm sorry I upset you," he says. "I swear I didn't mean to."

It gets a little easier every time to say it.

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

"Yeah, well," Hobbes said, but his tone was soft and forgiving. "What else is new?"

He let the curve of his jaw rest in Mike's hand for a moment before he opened his eyes, getting suckerpunched by the look on Mike's face.

"You're...you're good, Mike. God, you really are."

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

"I'm trying," he says, in a tone that suggests that he totally doesn't buy it for a moment but he appreciates the sentiment behind it. "You help." He leans in and kisses him, light and almost chaste.

"Just... promise me this won't make things weird with Chris again," he says when he pulls back. "He didn't mean anything either. He just wanted to make Lennox happy."

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

"Well, I was going to offer to bruise Jim's full name down his spine," Tom said lightly, eyebrows arched. "You know, as a male bonding, sweet thing to do for Lennox."

He squeezed the back of Mike's neck, kissed him. "But...maybe I'll just wait until he asks instead."

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

"Don't be a bitch," he murmurs, no real irritation in it at all as he allows himself be kissed. "It's not a good look for you." He lets things stay like that for a little longer before pulling gently back again, on hand slipping down to Tom's waist.

"That hunting I'm supposed to do soon," he says. "Come with me? The humidity makes the leg act up and it's harder alone."

Which is partly true. But only part of the reason why.

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

Hobbes smirks a little, biting his bottom lip. "There was a crooked man and he walked a crooked mile..." he murmured, almost laughing. He sounded a little awed.

"You're so full of shit, Pinocchio." He laughed again, glancing up at Mike through his lashes. "Yeah. I'll go with you. Gotta swing home so I can kit up but...yeah. I'm in." He rolled his eyes again, this time at himself.

"More or less like always."

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

"No rush." His hand hasn't left Hobbes's hip and he's discovering that he has to concentrate to make it move. "I have to finish up here anyway." he jerks his head in the direction of the canoe. "It's leaking. Shouldn't take long to patch up."

The rhyme, though... He knows it's meant jokingly, just teasing, but something about it unsettles him. He suppresses a shiver. It's nothing, anyway.

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

"Come pick me up at the build," Hobbes said, "I'm bringing Mamet his lunch, anyway."

As he pulled back he paused, watching Mike. "Hey...I'm sorry. Are we okay?"

[m-pinocchio.livejournal.com]

He smiles, faint but not forced at all. The unsettled feeling is mostly past already. "Long as we can both not be dicks, yeah, I think so." He shrugs. "We're both still pretty new at this. Shit happens."

[out-of-realm.livejournal.com]

"I don't know," Hobbes mused, "I was just getting so good at being a dick."