belle_etoile (tsukino) wrote in doorslogs, @ 2013-01-07 22:18:00 |
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Entry tags: | belle etoile, flash thompson |
WHO Val & Adam
WHAT Coffee and Life Altering Decisions
WHEN Today
WHERE Coffee Shop
WARNINGS None
Adam was starting to get used to feeling miserable. He lived in it now and without the comfort of weed or even too much alcohol, he couldn’t even numb it. But, Adam had been here before. A long time ago. When he decided to open up the clinic in Vegas and put his life back together. He just had to cut out all the parts of him that didn’t want to help other people. The selfishness that got him in this trouble in the first place. It was a hard process, but with the few friends he had around to distract him from seeing his best friend so clearly and not-dead and MK, Adam knew he could get through it. He had to. Meeting Val in public where there were plenty of people around and possibly police officers meant that she couldn’t light up. He knew she’d try to respect his newfound sobriety, but Adam wasn’t sure that he trusted himself knowing that she always carried some on her. It was safer this way and left more room for conversation instead of just dazed, silly nothing that was so easy to slip into. He stood outside of the coffee shop, all tall and quietly serious nerd that he had always been. When he saw her in the crowd he smiled gently and waved, walking over to give her a hug that he honestly needed more than her. “Thank you for meeting me.” He said with that politeness that would seem unnatural on anyone else. Val was glad Adam had broken up with MK. Baby Robinson wasn’t a bad person underneath all her damage, but the damage was thick and moving past that kind of fucked up shit was hard. Maybe she didn’t exactly blame the younger redhead for clinging to Adam, but she didn’t like it either. With them separated, it would hopefully be good things for both of them and maybe she’d be able to talk to Gina’s kid sister without wanting to bitch slap her into next week. Unfortunately, this whole being sober thing Adam was doing put a serious cramp in her nicely buzzed style. Meeting Adam in public meant she couldn’t smoke during, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t smoke before. Her daily dose of kindness consisted of her popping a piece of gum in afterwards and not carrying anything on her. Of course, it helped that she didn’t wear anything that would count as a decent place to hide a few joints. Short shorts, flats, and an off the shoulder oversized tee barely had enough of a pocket for her cell. Val thought she looked rather cute and it helped that she still looked like she was in her twenties. Shades completed the look, shielding her somewhat from the seriously bright Vegas sun as she walked down the sidewalk toward the cafe she promised to meet Adam. He spotted her before she saw him, but as soon as she did see him, her smile lit up her entire face and she hugged him back tightly. “Hey, no big,” she replied, sliding her sunglasses up, pushing her red hair back and out of her face. “Coffee? And if you’re down for it, some free advice? For me. I think I’ve probably worn out my welcome playing Lucy to your Charlie,” Val said with a grin. “Free advice?” Adam’s eyes lit up a little with amusement. No one asked for advice from him unless it was about a medical problem or something alarming they read on webmd. “Nice change of pace.” He nodded with a smile, something about him seemed at ease now even if there was still a lot of sadness around him. Adam opened the door for her and busied himself with buying them coffee and finding a place to sit. It reminded him a little of when he met up with Ain, but without the nerves that she set on him. Maybe Olive was right. Maybe the hotel was just lying to him. Ainslie was a beautiful woman, but Adam never felt easy around her. Not like Val or MK or- no. He had to stop thinking like that. Finally, they got their coffee and took a seat at a table near the window. Adam looked up at Val with a small smile. “Please go ahead. Good to get my mind off my own problems.” Talking about her problems wasn’t exactly high on her list of things to do, but that’s what friends did right? They talked about their problems and gave each other advice. God knew she’d given Adam enough tough love when it came to MK. Plus, talking about her problems meant she probably wasn’t flirting and Jim had made it abundantly clear that she wasn’t allowed to flirt. Val followed along, ducking into the coffee shop behind him and poked around the display while he ordered her favorite, black coffee with a shot of irish cream in it. She wandered back over to him to pay for her coffee and then over to a table for them, crossing her legs and leaning forward as soon as she sat down. “Alright, so get this. My brother, half-brother whatever, wants a DNA test to prove I’m actually related to him. Pretty sure he’s gonna tell his dad, our dad whatever, when it comes back that I’m not lying and I kind of don’t want him to, which makes me not so sure I want to take the DNA test even though it’d kind of be nice if he believed me. You know, have a sibling or something. Gina was kinda like a sister. I’m not so sure this was such a good idea, but it’s not like I can take it all back or anything.” She paused to take a breath and then a sip of coffee. “Oh, and Jim says hi.” He totally didn’t, but Adam didn’t need to know that and she was sure Jim at least thought about saying hello to Adam. Maybe. Val had a way of talking that was difficult to keep up with, especially to someone like Adam that barely spoke in full sentences, but he kind of enjoyed it. Quirkiness was such a nice departure from the norm he had been tired of his whole life. A couple seconds after she finished speaking, Adam clicked through all the different parts of what she said and then eventually nodded. “Doesn’t sound like he wants to be your brother. Half-brother.” Adam frowned a little and delicately took the lid off his coffee so he could blow on it. “Why are you pushing for him to be family? Personally, know family is more about people you relied on. Sister is real family, but parents adopted us. That’s my family.” She totally got what Adam was saying. She did. She just also honestly wanted to believe that Jack wasn’t a bad person. Sure, he was skeptical, but who wouldn’t be when it came to her? Val wasn’t stupid. She knew what she was like and how she came across. “Family’s permanent I guess. Or it’s supposed to be. Never really had anyone stick around for the long haul. Gina was around for awhile, then you. But it’s all fluid. People come in and out of my life all the time, cept my parents. They’ve been around for forever and they’re gonna be until they die and shit. Not like I’m ever gonna settle down or whatever. Just not for me. Not who I wanna be.” Val took a sip from her coffee. “Not really the kinda person meant for it, you know? Don’t really blame Jack for not wanting me around.” Adam looked at her a long time, hearing what she was saying but seeing something different in her body language. In her actions. If she was trying to connect with her half-brother, then her little speech about not wanting anything permanent was just a defense mechanism. And, Adam knew all about those. “Don’t blame him because everyone else is transitory? Think you’re the problem?” He shook his head like she was being ridiculous. “Setting yourself up for failure that way. Know that.” The tall, quiet man gave her a look that was stern, but understanding. “Felt that way before, too. Thought for a long time that I can’t be around people for very long. Not true.” She wished she’d smoked a lot closer to coming to see him as opposed to being on the tail end of it with him. She was always a depressed loser coming down from a high. “I know I am, kiddo. Look at my life. I sell comics and drugs, smoke pot, and talk about stupid shit all the time. I’m a vacuum for useless information and my bio-mom was a hooker,” Val replied, rattling off each fact like it was a strike against her. In many ways, they were. “I like people. I want to be around them. Things just never work out that way. My supplier’s probably the only constant in my life and he’s an asshole.” She ‘hmph’ed and took a sip of her coffee. She could almost hear Jim calling her an idiot. This was such a bad idea. Adam liked people, too, but he had put up plenty of walls between him and them. Most people he interacted with were patients and the few friends that he did have, he didn’t see very often. That’s why MK was such a special case. He let her in. Thought he could help her. Thought his love was enough to make her life less painful. “Can’t lecture you about people. Terrible with them myself.” Adam smiled sheepishly, drinking his coffee and then set it down between his hands. “Maybe it’s time you stopped dealing.” The ex-doctor was always straightforward and had been his whole life. His suggestion didn’t even come with an apologetic look up at her. Just that quiet kindness. “Not that terrible. We did pretty good there for awhile,” she replied with a warm smile and a slight nudge of her foot against his leg. His suggestion wasn’t exactly a surprise but she wasn’t so sure it was feasible. “They own the comic shop,” she admitted quietly. She’d have to give up both sources of income if she stopped dealing and what would that mean about her own addiction? She had a pretty sweet set up going for herself and if she stopped dealing, she’d have to buy lower quality stuff for more money. Didn’t exactly make sense for supporting her own habits. “Besides, how’m I gonna get the good stuff if I”m not selling?” Val offered a slight smile at that, like she was resigned to being a drug dealer. She had never really loved the job, it was just convenient. “Understand. But, wouldn’t hurt to try something different. The clinic, for example, was good for me while I was young and didn’t have many friends in Vegas, but now it’s impossible to hold onto. Need to have a job that doesn’t take up all my time so I can try-” Adam paused, thinking about what the hotel showed him and sipped at his coffee. “Christmas party. Saw that I was married to Ainslie. Remember her? Mm, doesn’t matter. Saw it and decided that something stable would be good for me. Want a family. Older now. Have to start thinking about things like this.” The truth was that Adam had always wanted a family. He was a caretaker kind of man and he liked the consistency of it. The rhythm of a domesticated life. Val listened intently but when he said he saw himself married, that he wanted a family, she was speechless. Shocked. Maybe she didn’t know him as well as she thought, or things really had just changed that much. It had been five years after all. Hearing him say that made everything kind of click in her head there for a second. She was thirty-one and she was still acting like she was back in college. She’d never really left college behind, even if she’d left Seattle and Adam without a second glance. “I remember her, but I never thought...” but she trailed off and looked out the window. People walked by, the crowds thick because it was the middle of the afternoon. They were tourists, businessmen, prostitutes, whatever. They were all doing something with their lives, but she wasn’t. She was just existing in the easiest way possible. “This is gonna change things. If I quit.” Val wasn’t so sure she could do it on her own, but she wasn’t going to ask Adam. She wasn’t going to be like baby Robinson. “Change, yes.” Adam nodded understanding completely what she meant. “Not going to be easy, either.” Val had managed to tangle herself up in some dangerous people and maybe trying to quit would be impossible with them breathing down her neck, but he wanted to encourage her anyway. Growing up wasn’t supposed to be easy and it didn’t happen overnight. He had learnt that the hard way. “Will help you the whole way the best I can. Not good at forcing people to do anything, though. Just encourage. Tell the truth. Hope that’s enough.” He followed her gaze out at the people walking by. If he was good at convincing people, then MK would still be with him. But, Adam didn’t know how to do that. He hated having to fight and face problems that he didn’t understand. Nope, it wasn’t going to be easy at all. Val was actually terrified of quitting but she had enough money to keep herself on her feet for a month or two and her accounts were square with Seven since he hadn’t delivered new drugs to her after Christmas. Maybe it wouldn’t be terrible. Yea, it’d be fine. Nothing to worry about. He offered to help her through it and she reached over to give his hand a squeeze. “Thanks, Adam. That means a lot.” And it did. “It’s more than I’d ever ask from you.” Maybe everything would be okay. “No time like the present to start, right?” She pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to Seven. “There,” she said, smile wider than strictly necessary. Nothing like some false happiness to keep the mood light. “Cold turkey all the way.” |