InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "That wasn't love."

Ted (i_worknumbers) wrote in we_coexist,
@ 2012-02-22 20:36:00

Entry tags:

charlie crews, stand still, ted earley

Mandate (Charlie)
Ted couldn't exactly say that he was upset that The City had stopped moving around. He'd never particularly liked that bit about this place anyway. He was, however, a little sad that he actually had to do the grocery shopping now.

He was also a little sad that he was the one cleaning up cat litter and horse poo.

But it was all evened out by the mere fact that he had a job now - an actual job. One that meant something and wasn't just teaching a class every once in a while or working on somebody's portfolio because he was bored and had nothing else to do.

And this particular evening, he was in good spirits because he and Charlie were finally getting to have that dinner that they'd been talking about for a long while. It seemed that they both finally had some free time - or rather, Charlie had some free time - and they could meet up. Since he had more than one really exciting thing to share with his housemate, Ted was really looking forward to the evening.

Charlie had left a note on the counter in the kitchen telling Ted a time and a place. Ted had done some research and discovered that the place was a little bit fancy, and so dressed accordingly. He'd debated for some time if he should bring something for Charlie, it might have been a man-date, but it was still a date, and finally settled on a card. He hadn't been able to find exactly what he'd wanted, so instead improvised.

The card said "CONGRATULATIONS" very big across the top in colorful lettering on a yellow background. It had a balloon on it that Ted sharpied to look like a chubby little batman. On the inside he crossed out the "It's a boy!" Statement and replaced it with "You're not Batman!"

He carried the card in his hand as he entered the restaurant looking for his friend.

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i_zen
2012-02-23 10:08 pm UTC (link)

Charlie hadn't thought of a gift for his date; instead, he waited at the table for Ted. The place might have had its own humidor, which is probably why the detective picked it. He wasn't much of a smoker, usually, but he thought Ted would like the "refined" after dinner cigar and sherry. Charlie didn't care either way.

He was in his usual work uniform of a designer suit, tie, and shoes. The gun was still on board as well as the badge. Charlie rarely took them off these days because he was rarely off duty. The City didn't seem to have a normal work schedule for anyone. Although with the latest change, Charlie had noticed someone had taken the initiative to introduce shifts. Maybe it was Jennifer; he could see her caring enough to do that.

There the detective sat, having told the hostess that she should bring the rest of his party back when he arrived. For now he would enjoy the appletini that just didn't taste enough like apple to him.

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i_worknumbers
2012-02-25 03:51 am UTC (link)

He was walked back to the table by a very attractive young woman. All the waitstaff in the place seemed to be wearing formal clothing. Black pants and white shirts for all of them. No sign of messy notes to themselves or mistakes made. Ted hadn't been in a place like this in a very long time.

The hostess told him about the humidor as she directed him to where Charlie was sitting, and he thought that he might very much like to have an after dinner cigar. Another thing he'd not done in a long while.

Ted sat down on the opposite side of the table from his friend, not saying anything about the fruity drink Charlie was holding. Ted expected no less. He had so many things he wanted to tell his housemate about, and didn't know where to start. So he placed the card on the table and slid it over.

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i_zen
2012-02-26 12:37 am UTC (link)

Charlie smiled as Ted sat down; he was happy to see that his housemate had made it. He looked down at the card with the same smile and reached out to pull it closer. The detective looked the card over then looked away thinking.

"It's not my birthday. Is it an anniversary I don't know about?" He glanced at the card again then shrugged, still smiling, and opened it. He read it carefully, the smile pulling a little more as he got to the Batman.

"I could have told you I'm not. Did you meet him?" Charlie smiled knowingly; the detective remembered how he felt when he met the Caped Crusader. He hoped that Ted's meeting had gone well. There was always a chance that heroes would come across as complete asshats, and Charlie hoped that had not been the case for Ted.

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i_worknumbers
2012-02-28 11:16 pm UTC (link)

"Everything just lined up so perfectly." Ted shrugged. "Yes, I did. I was getting mugged and he stopped it. It took me a minute to realize it wasn't you, but he said some very un-Charlie-like things. It was missing the Zen."

He paused to think of that night and how badly it could have gone. "He was pretty nice, really. I don't think he really understood what I was saying, though. Maybe he chalked it up to shock."

The waiter came and filled secondary wine glasses with ice water. Ted waited for him to be gone again.

"Also, I got a job."

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i_zen
2012-02-28 11:59 pm UTC (link)

"I would have told you if I was Batman. If you had asked, I would have told you." It was possible that Charlie would have told Ted as soon as he could, or felt the man needed to know. He'd want to keep few secrets from his best friend. He'd only keep the secret if he thought Ted would be in trouble.

"Glad that he helped you. He's there in a pinch." The detective nodded, knowing Batman was actually a good guy.

"A job." Charlie started to smile, though he'd let the other man tell him about it all. "What will you be doing?" He knew, but he couldn't have been exactly certain that Ted would get the job.

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i_worknumbers
2012-03-01 12:25 am UTC (link)

"I know." Ted nodded. There wasn't really anything that Charlie had kept from him, except the investigation he'd been doing, and eventually he'd even shared that. He didn't like for Ted to get into trouble, but also knew that Ted could make his own decisions. "It just seemed like, you know, you're Batman. I thought that before we even got here. Rich, eccentric, filled with the need for revenge, crusader. When I found out that Batman is real, it just nagged at me. Then I met him, and I thought for a good minute that it was really you. Until the lack of Zen, of course."

He looked at the menu to see what it was that he wanted. Being in such a fancy place felt nice, even if it harkened back to the days when he'd been doing not-great things.

Ted knew that the mayor probably called Charlie to do a background check on him. Especially after what he'd said. But he was glad to know that the end result was still a surprise.

"I'll be working for the mayor. In charge of the City's finances."

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i_zen
2012-03-01 12:54 am UTC (link)

"Batman was never that Zen. Don't think he could be Batman if he was. There might be a Bruce Wayne somewhere who has found the peace within and without, but Batman..." Charlie hadn't thought that much about Batman, outside the usual tiny bit of hero worship. He'd considered Batman an ally, and that was really all Charlie needed to know about that particular previously fictional character.

"You'll have to be careful at first." The detective nodded. "I think I'll have caviar for appetizer. Then salmon with truffles. Not the same fish, but there's something fitting about having both. Dessert..."

He wasn't changing the subject. He'd come back to the job and what he meant by careful in a moment. He had become distracted momentarily by the menu.

"Ah, apple souffle. They have steak." If they had been sitting differently, he might have shown his housemate where the steak was listed. Then again, Charlie knew Ted was more than capable of reading a menu.

"You'll have to be careful at first. They'll be watching you very closely. You'll be fine. Be yourself."

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i_worknumbers
2012-03-01 01:25 am UTC (link)

Ted looked alternately from the menu to his friend, able to follow what was happening despite how confusing it might have been to others. He'd learned over time how to listen to Charlie. It seemed more than natural to him.

"I know." Ted agreed on the job thing. "I think I'll have the steak. Caviar sounds nice."

He sighed. "I'm a little worried, being back in that kind of position again. I didn't really do very nice things in the end. I feel like I'm a different person now, a better person, but what if I'm not?"

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i_zen
2012-03-01 01:34 am UTC (link)

"You are different. And you're not. I'll arrest you and visit you regularly." Charlie was serious. "So, I will be watching out for you, too." The smile was soft, caring. Charlie smiled often, but rarely did the smile show so much emotion. It was brief and only for his friend. Jennifer might have seen it on occasion, but very few ever did.

"I think steak would be good. Why would you go bad now? You have all the money you could want." Charlie hadn't complained once when Ted had the money and the house here in the City. Then again, they had come to an unspoken understanding of sharing everything.

"You don't need anything. It will be fine." The detective nodded as if that was really the only choice Ted had. To be fine.

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i_worknumbers
2012-03-01 01:46 am UTC (link)

"I didn't really need anything before, either." Ted said, a little solemnly. "I had plenty of money. I had a wife and two daughters. A beautiful home." He shook his head. "And look what I did anyway."

It did make him feel better that Charlie wouldn't let him slip up, though. Having that kind of force at your back was a little scary, but in a good way. Charlie was a good guy in all ways. In every way of the word, really. A white knight. A white hat. A Good Guy. Ted knew that he could count on Charlie to be honest with him. If he thought that Ted was messing up, he would say so.

"I appreciate your confidence. I hope to gain it for myself soon."

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i_zen
2012-03-01 01:59 am UTC (link)

"It takes time. You've got it." Charlie nodded, giving his friend that personal smile before turning his usual to the waiter who was back. The detective ordered the finest champagne and caviar for their first course; he didn't think Ted would mind ordering this round for the both of them.

"You are not the same person. You have changed." There were signs that Ted had changed, and some of them weren't the nicest. Charlie had seen the convict, a true convict, find a new person within himself. The detective had seen that in a few people in prison when he was allowed to be around other people.

Perhaps Charlie would have opened his much too large home to many ex-cons, but Ted had been the only one brave enough to come to Charlie. He had come honestly to the detective, and Charlie would always treat Ted kindly. The man had saved him more than Charlie could ever explain.

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i_worknumbers
2012-03-02 07:25 am UTC (link)

He nodded. Ted knew that it took time to gain confidence in something. It took him even more time now. He seemed to have lost something of himself in going to prison. He was slowly trying to gain it back, though. And hoping that the bad stuff didn't come back with it.

"I like to think so." Ted said, honestly. "I don't like who I was. I didn't like reading about the things that I had done. I like to think that means that I'm a better person now and I won't do them again. That I've learned. But there are those sayings, you know? You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Leopards don't change their spots."

Ted sighed. "I didn't mean to make this a pity party."

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