InsaneJournal

In the shit (Simon/Evan log)
Evan was leaving Jack's house, phone and charger in hand. She hadn't said he could take it, he was just taking it anyway. He doubted she had a phone at the moment that it would work for, and he needed it. She was also not exactly aware that he was leaving. As soon as he was sure that she was asleep and not going to wake up, he'd gotten himself away from her. Going so far as to pretend that he was just going to the restroom, then from there gathering his things and taking off.

The phone was charged enough for him to turn it on and for dozens of texts and calls to come through at once. The burst of communication drained the battery again, so Evan didn't dare read, look at, or listen to anything. He had to get back to the house and plug the phone back in before he did that.

He was feeling the guilt again. That crawling nagging that started at the back of his neck and flooded over the rest of him in waves. He enjoyed Jack a lot. He liked Jack, too. But Niks. There was something about Niks. Being with somebody else was ... well, it wasn't Niks. The stupid thing was that Niks wasn't his, and hadn't shown any interest in him in that way. She'd kept all of it very professional. Even at the labs...

Evan shook his head. The guilt this time was much worse than it had been, and he had no idea why. It wasn't like he'd even seen Niks around this place. He had no idea if she was here. If she was back in Electric City, thinking that he'd gone ahead and taken off, despite what the Tower wanted of him. That was within his nature.

But how could he put himself on hold for a woman who didn't even look at him twice?

The unpleasantness wasn't just internal, either. Evan's distracted thoughts had kept him from looking where he was going, and suddenly, the fairy was there.



---

Simon was displeased with the face to face with Evan. He knew that the American was here. He knew everybody who was here. It was impossible not to. Their very souls glowed unlike any of the others around him. Little beacons in pitch black. The ones he'd known for years, the ones he'd just met. And a few others, too. People he didn't know, but could see were different. Weren't of this wretched planet.

His ire was already high. This encounter was not going to make his mood any better.

"Ah. Evan Vang. Such a displeasure to see you. What have you been up to, hm? Oh wait. Do let me guess, little one. I have so much fun guessing with you."

Simon leaned in close, peering into Evan's eyes.

---

"Fuck."

Evan waved a hand in front of his face as if Simon were a fly that could be shooed away easily. It did nothing to phase the fairy, didn't even force him to blink. Evan had come to know Simon's various facial indicators, and his face right now said that he wasn't feeling very charitable.

"I guess if you're here, the chance that Niks is here is a lot higher than it was two minutes ago. I don't know if I should be happy to see you or not."

---

"Don't be. She's here, by the way. I've yet to see her yet. She's settling in. I want to give her a chance before I pop by. She has to have some independence."

Closing his eyes, Simon took a deep breath.

"I see. We've been with the other woman again, have we? She's much like you, isn't she? Is that what appeals? That it's much like fucking yourself? She's you with girl parts. Are you that vain, Evan?"

His head tilted some.

"But what's this? Another? A second? Just under the aroma of your recent exploits. Somebody entirely new. How nice. So. Two woman, Evan. Two of them, and neither one of them is Niks."

----

"Simon, please." Evan thought about Mary. They hadn't done anything. He was sure of that. The truth wouldn't matter at all to the fairy, though. It was just that she was there. Something that he could use to torment Evan.

"Niks and I aren't together." He tried to use logic, knowing that it would go nowhere.

---

"No, you aren't. Yet you feel guilt for what you've just done in that house. I can smell it. Even if I couldn't, it glows in your eyes, it wafts off your skin like electricity. It never matters before or during, but after all you can think of is my darling Niklas. Why is that? Why the guilt if you aren't with her? Hm? Tell me that, puppy."

Simon stood up again, eyes hot with pleased anger. His hands tucked into his pockets.

---

"I don't know. I really don't. Niks ..." Evan took a breath. "Listen, you can hold this over me as much as you want. I'm sure you will. I'm sure you'll extort as much as you can from me using this. Twist me, manipulate me, use me. Whatever. All I care about is that she doesn't know."

---

"I told you, I won't be the one to let those beans spill. I won't risk her anger at me, I won't have her turning whatever hurt she would feel on me for being the one to tell her. I won't fight with her over if I'm making it up or not. She'll either find out from you or some other source. But I'm sure she will find out."

Simon raised an eyebrow.

"It would probably be best if you don't even tell her you saw me. Or you might have to explain where it happened."

---

Lies. Lies upon lies upon lies. Simon was creating a web for Evan to get caught up in. To bind himself with. Evan couldn't know the purpose of it. He had no idea what the game was. He could just see that Simon was at the center, waiting for it all to come crashing in.

"I have to go, Simon. I'm sure you can find me if you need to."

---

"I will never, ever need to find you, dog."

Simon sneered, and so that Evan couldn't be the one to walk away from the conversation, he turned his back and went in the opposite direction. Not once looking over his shoulder to see if Evan was still looking.