To the rescue Who: Jim and Rusty, then Mazie When: Late morning/early afternoon Where: courtyard, kitchen
Following Rusty, Jim spared a quick glance back towards Pippa and let out a small sigh on seeing her head in the opposite direction. Watching for a couple of moments to confirm she actually was leaving and it wasn’t some kind of fake-out, which given the impression he’d formed of her seemed entirely like something she’d do, when he was satisfied, he turned and jogged to close the small distance that had grown between them with Rusty’s hurry to get away. “You wanna grab some breakfast with me Rus’?” he asked as he caught up, not intending to leave the younger man on his own just yet but not wanting to just come out with ‘are you alright?’ when it was clear how freaked out his friend had been.
Rusty looked back, ecstatic that Jim was coming with. Even in the midst of his panic. "I um, I can go with you, I'm not sure I can eat right now, I get a nervous stomach, it can get gross, but um, yeah. Sure." he said, rambling slightly. "I don't know what happened, I don't know why she said those things, but is she going to break my fingers now? Is she going to stalk me? If she shows up at my door in the middle of the night can I call you, you're right next door, but maybe I should call a cop, I don't want to bother you and thank you so much for what you did." He ran out of breath and had to draw in a deep one.
"No worries, I'll appreciate the company either way," Jim replied, not really surprised that Rusty didn't feel up to eating given that the interaction with Pippa had killed most of his appetite as well. He just knew that if he didn't eat something soon then he was going to crash so food was a necessity whether he was in the mood for it or not. Besides, if he was honest with himself, it wasn't like pie and coffee were ever going to be a hardship. If Jim had been anyone else, following the breathless outpouring of information from Rusty might have been one but thankfully he was no stranger to the long rambling sentence and followed everything Rusty said easily enough. "She's a shit stirrer Rus', she probably just said it to get a rise out of you." That's what he hoped the case was though given Pippa's track record for getting into fights, he couldn't say that was the case for sure. "She does show up though, you can call me anytime, I don't mind. Hell, I'm awake most nights anyway." He offered his friend a smile. "Seriously though, anytime my man. Call, knock on my door, whatever you need."
Rusty gave a smile to Jim. And it was shier than usual, even for him, and he felt his cheeks heat up slightly. "Thanks." he said, looking at the floor. What the hell was that? You're blushing. You're actually blushing. You know, I knew you were weird anyways, what with liking fat chicks and all, but are you seriously crushing on a dude? Because that's what it looks like from here. Like you, Russell, have yourself a little gay crush. Jessy pointed out. He was still frazzled enough to mumble 'shut up' under his breath, the words not really intelligible, but it was obviously he did say something.
Jim smiled back and gently squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, we've got to stick together right?" And he believed that full heartedly, the little group he had become part of already incredibly important to him and not just because of the stakes involved with the camera business. Moving ahead into the kitchen, he missed the blush that had risen in Rusty's cheeks but the same couldn't be said for the muttering and he glanced back, his expression quizzical. "What'd you say Rus'?"
"Nothing. Did I talk?" he asked, flailing. He was abruptly aware that that woman out there had probably heard him talking to Jessy, and now he was doing that here, and he was all kinds of flustered. Very, very obviously flustered. "I um, I do that sometimes and I know it's weird and I'm sorry I don't mean to do it out loud." he blurted out. "It's a...it's a th-thing."
Expression morphing to one of concern at Rusty's distress, Jim quickly went back over to him. "It's okay Rus'," he said, placing what he hoped was a reassuring hand on the younger man's arm. "And it's certainly not something you have to apologise for, especially not to me." He offered Rusty a small smile. "As far as I'm concerned, being weird's no bad thing so don't you go feeling ashamed for being you. We'll just be two weirdoes together and anyone who doesn't like it can go jump."
God, he was just so nice. So much so, in fact, that Rusty felt terrible about his wording. Because he wasn't just weird, he was nuts. He knew that. And ultimately, that was what had him confessing, because he didn't want Jim to be putting himself in the same category when he didn't quite have the truth there.
"What about crazy?" he said. "I'm not just talking to myself." he added, then decided to plow right on through the explanation. "I hear voices. Or, one voice. It's just one. Not many. It's this girl I used to know, she's dead now, but I still hear her, and I don't think I'm being haunted or anything, I know it's just some crossed wire in my head, but sometimes she's just really, really loud, and...I'mreallysorry."
Jim wasn't so far off the beaten path that he didn't appreciate the seriousness of Rusty's confession and his smile faded. He didn't let go of him though and ducked down so the two of them were eye to eye. "You don't have to apologise for it Rusty," he told him firmly. "So you've got a wire crossed, that isn't your fault alright? It's not like you're wandering around starting fires or hassling people like that Pippa chick, you're still the awesome guy who can talk computers with me and gets excited about the idea of making popcorn with lasers. That isn't gonna change." He pulled Rusty into a hug, determined to make the younger man realise he wasn't going to treat him any different.
Jim was just full of confusing firsts for Rusty today. Being rescued, a crazy man-crush, and now acceptance? And the weird part was that Rusty didn't disbelieve him. He didn't feel like he was being fed a line, just because. He was also getting hugged, and that was good, so he hugged Jim back, feeling a little at sea with all the swirling emotions going on. He only half realized that it seemed to have shut Jessy up for now, even if he could still 'feel' her presence there.
"Why are you so nice to me?" he asked, immediately wincing for it. And that was when Jessy piped up again. Smooth.
"Why wouldn't I be?" Jim replied, sounding genuinely confused by the question. "You're my friend Rus', I like you. It's a simple as that and if people haven't been in the past then that's their fault, not yours."
"My friends are never that nice to me." Rusty said. He regretted it, but he said it. He also felt bad, because he felt like he was being a bad friend by even speaking up in that way, but it was technically true. He'd met people here who were nicer to him than anyone. And they didn't make him take the fall, either.
“Fuck, really?” Jim’s hold around Rusty tightened a fraction, his heart actual aching a little. “Well then you need some better friends I’m telling you.”
Rusty nodded. He didn't get into it, because he didn't want to be That Guy. The one that blurted out some sob story. Mostly because he kinda already had, what with admitting he heard Jessy. And sure, Jim had taken that remarkably well and hadn't looked at him like he was some freak, but he didn't want to push it, either. He really liked the contact, though. Was it just that he'd never been very close to anyone and wasn't used to it? Or was he seriously working on a crush that was a complete departure from his established sexuality? "You and Mazie already beat out anyone I knew before. You weren't okay with me taking the fall." He spoke very very quietly, for Jim's ears only. He didn't want any of that overheard by the cameras, or whatever.
Pulling back so he could look at Rusty face on, Jim placed both hands on his shoulders. "And I never will be," he said voice serious. He couldn't speak for Mazie but as far as he was concerned, they were together for the long haul.
Rusty was internally panicking now. Jim was being so nice, and he was sort of wondering what it might be like to say, kiss him or something, but he didn't like dudes. He'd never liked dudes like that. Every fantasy he'd ever had in his life had been about a girl. So this was weird. But it was clearly there. He had to be overreacting, right? He did wind up smiling, however, even if it was a little wavery. "Thanks." he said, not sure what else to say. Or, maybe he just knew he really needed to keep his mouth shut now.
Being used to Rusty's verbal outpourings, Jim found it a little odd how reticent he was now being but he still returned the smile, giving Rusty's shoulders a final squeeze before letting go. "Like I said before, no worries," he replied, stepping back and turning towards the fridge. "Now, you want a drink or something?"
"God yes." Rusty blurted. "Yes. Please, I mean." he corrected. He scratched at the back of his neck, feeling massively self conscious, for a whole host of reasons. He wished he was done with this bit. He was used to being awkward pretty much all the time, but at the moment, he wanted to not be awkward around Jim. Oh good god. You suck, you know that? Jesus, use your words. Say something. Anything, would work, really. Jessy snapped. "So um." he started, but that was kind of as far as he got.
"Drinks it is then," Jim said, flashing Rusty another grin before yanking open the fridge, oblivious to just how much flailing was going on in Rusty's head. He still avoided the caffeinated soda though, fishing out a bottle of orange juice instead along with the milk for his coffee, figuring Rusty was enough on edge as it was. The failed attempt at starting a sentence only confirmed matters so he took the initiative, not wanting to draw attention to it. "So what did you get from the library?" he asked, gesturing to the book Rusty still had hold of with the juice bottle, heading over to the cupboards to find a glass.
With her laptop tucked under her arm, Mazie had headed downstairs toward the kitchen to stock up on snacks and settle in for a game of 'No, really, I'm not messing with any codes. I am really just playing a game and not looking at codes'. As she got closer to her destination, she heard voices and slowed when she placed them as Rusty and Jim. Altering course just a little, she followed the voices until she saw the two of them and leaned on the doorframe as she watched them. "You going old school on us, Rus? Real book-learnin'?"
Rusty ducked his head when Mazie spoke, not sure how to respond. Which was stupid, because nothing was really any different here, he was just being weird about, like, everything, apparently. Shit. "I um. I was rereading World War Z." he answered. "Then some woman with a tattoo on her face threatened to break my fingers n stuff. Jim rescued me."
At the mention of his name, Jim turned and gave a vague salute, narrowly avoiding pouring juice everywhere in the process. "Just doing my duty," he said with a smile before his eyes flicked over to Mazie. "Good to see you mon capitane, can I get you a beverage? I have both caffeinated and non to offer you."
Mazie glanced up to see Jim and nodded, but didn't really specify what kind of drink. She didn't really care. What was most important was someone was threatening her crew and that was absolutely not cool. "Someone threatened to break his fingers?" She asked, looking from Rusty back to Jim for a moment then back to Rusty as she came closer to him to sit. "Then I think some retribution is in order. No one does that shit to one of my people and gets away with it."
Rusty kind of felt like a little kid. Like he was being talked about by 'the adults'. It was a position he was familiar with. Go sit in the corner, baby Russy Jessy mocked. When Mazie's attention was back on him and she seemed to want to retaliate. Which was also new for him. God, he was out of his depth with these people. They cared. "I um. I was just thinking I would avoid her now?"
“I don’t know if retribution is the way to go with this chick Mazie,” Jim replied, smile gone as he filled a second glass with juice and brought them over to his co-conspirators. “She’s a troublemaker and while I think she was just trying to freak Rus’ out this time, she’s not someone I think we should get involved with.” Maybe it was cowardly of him but Pippa seemed to him like a hornet’s nest that he really didn’t want to be kicking. “But hey, that’s just my opinion. It’s Rus’s call to make.” He gave Rusty’s shoulder another squeeze then headed over to the coffee machine that had finally filled up enough for him to get a decent mug of the stuff.
It was Rusty's call to make. Taking the juice, Mazie held onto it but didn't drink it yet. She watched Rusty for a moment, listening to Jim and then nodded. "Ok, Rus, your call. We could retaliate, like…block her computer ID or something, or we could just let it blow over but I'm gonna keep my eyes on this bitch one way or another, just so you know."
Ha! They want you to make a decision! Like that's ever happened! Jessy laughed. Which was sadly, true. Rusty wasn't really a Mr. Decisions kind of dude. He was much more the type to go with the flow around him. He didn't make calls on things. His opinion wasn't that weighted. "Um." he said intelligently, knowing he needed to say something. Brilliant contribution, sweetie. "I um. I think maybe we should...um. Um. We should keep clear?" That sounded great! Just bursting with confidence! Quick question. How many of those words were real words? ‘Um’ doesn’t count.
Knowing Mazie wasn’t the type to let stuff lie, Jim was glad the blonde seemed willing to not go gunning for Pippa head-on, having a nasty feeling that if the two did cross paths things could turn ugly fast. He wished Rusty had sounded more sure of himself but given that he still seemed pretty shook up, it didn’t feel fair to expect more from him. “Keep clear it is then, I’m a fan of the plan,” he said, dumping a slug of milk into his coffee to bring its temperature down to perfectly drinkable, a habit learned the hard way after numerous instances of burning his tongue, and took a swig.
Mazie was hoping for some sort of retribution, but she would go along with Rusty's answer. After all, he was the one that had been threatened, right? And at the very least, if she couldn't go along with it, she'd take up retribution on her own time and leave Rusty and Jim out of it as much as possible. Nodding, she reached out and patted Rusty on the arm a little, giving him a small smile. "Then we steer clear. And I suggest we do that by playing some Space Invaders and then maybe some PvZ or watching the nerdiest movie they have in this place."
“Spaceballs?” Rusty suggested by impulse. “But either way, that all sounds awesome. So...yeah. Let’s do that.” It would give him something else to focus on while still spending time with people. He could work out what the hell was going on in his head over Jim later. And he could feel at least a little safer with his friends with him.