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]

"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."