Wasting Time
Characters: Eric and Reece Setting: Courtyard, morning
Even though he’d got a little awkwardly protective about Violet, hanging out with her for that little bit this morning had really put Eric in a good mood even if now he had all sorts of supernatural scenarios running through his head. They were entertaining to consider, at least, mostly because of the impossibility of them. And now he had swimming later to think about, and think about it he did. He wondered what kind of itty bitty swimsuit Violet might wear, even if he was trying not to flirt too much with her. After all, hadn’t he told her he wanted to be friends? Things just got complicated when you flirted seriously with friends, and he wasn’t real big on complicated.
He was really hoping that hanging out with Reece would be uncomplicated. He’d had fun verbally poking him the other day, anyway, but he was going to try to keep Violet’s urging to be gentle with him in mind. If he really was taking that woman’s death hard, it would be disrespectful to be too over the top, even he knew that. And so after Violet left, Eric changed into real clothes, pulled on his shoes, and then headed toward the other block. He stopped in the kitchen to grab some food and coffee, then headed out to the courtyard in search of Reece. The man wasn’t hard to find, and Eric moved in his direction, plopping down on the bench at the table he was at and sending him a wide smile. “Hey,” he greeted him simply.
Reece didn’t have an answer for Mojo’s message, beyond confusion. He wasn’t really expecting her to be so...congratulatory about his possible hook up with Susanna, especially when Mojo had been in the back of his mind the whole time. It was a lot to think about, but Reece was doing his best not to. Not once he could get out of his room and make his way back to his picnic table, sitting on the table part, working on a cigarette and cup of coffee. “Hey. So any guesses why they stuck us together?”
The question amused him, and Eric shrugged at it. “No clue, but maybe it could be that they found us entertaining before. They gotta get their entertainment somehow, right?” he suggested. Really, if they’d wanted them to meet new people, they shouldn’t have paired him and Reece together since they’d already met, but Eric wasn’t really questioning it. “What’s your theory?” he asked.
“Same as yours. I think you hit the nail on the head.” Reece grinned around his cigarette before taking a long drag and blowing the smoke out, watching it curl in front of him. “So I suck at small talk, find it bullshit, but I guess...How are things?” He made a face when he said, not liking the way it sounded.
Eric rather thought that Reece didn’t seem to be stuck in overwhelming grief, but his promise to Violet kept him from being the obnoxious flirt he knew he’d been the other day. “Small talk can be fun sometimes. Even just bullshit conversations can be entertaining. Like just this morning, Violet and I were going through different supernatural scenarios, and we came to the conclusion that turning into vampires would be our best bet at escape from this place. So things aren’t that bad, considering,” he answered in a rather roundabout way, grinning a bit crookedly at Reece before take another drink of his coffee.
One of Reece’s eyebrows raised, obviously not grinning back. “I’m not so great with bullshit.” He didn’t have the patience for it. “And vampires? Really?” That was beyond ridiculous. Didn’t seem much like Violet, but what he’d met her once, in passing while she was trying to do her job. That brought thoughts of Caroline, which had been drowned in whiskey the night before, floating towards the surface. It took away his smile, though nothing more than that as he looked down at his cup.
Shrugging, Eric said, “Didn’t mean bullshit like lying, just goofing off. You know, bullshitting around. Fuck, man, I’ve been in six years, and I still know how to do that.” Though maybe Reece was just one of those really serious types who didn’t know how to relax and joke around. He laughed at the question about vampires. “Yep, vampires. Also discussed whether or not we’d kill each other in the event of Medusa, zombies, and werewolves. Very important to know where one stands with these things,” he said, tone mock-serious, very much ignoring the way Reece’s expression changed. He just really didn’t want to get bogged down in grief, especially for someone he hadn’t actually met. Yeah, it was sad she was dead, but that was life, right? You lived, you died.
Reece took another drag on his cigarette and shrugged. “In case you hadn’t figured it out, I’m not entirely the goofing off type. Or well...not so much in the talking way.” Maybe he could work on that, but he hated wasting his time. Still, he listened to Eric, seeing the way the guy seemed to enjoy the topic so he just went with it .”And where do you stand?”
“Starting to get that impression. So, in what way, then?” Eric asked. Maybe he was one of the jock types that only really goofed off throwing a football around. Whatever it was, he thought it could be entertaining to figure it out. He was glad that Reece seemed okay enough with sticking on the topic, and so he kind of threw himself into it with a sort of muted enthusiasm. “Well, we figured out that I’d probably be turned to stone if she was Medusa, cause I wouldn’t be able to chop her head off. She was a bit surprised by that one, I think. But zombies? I’d have to kill her, and I’d expect her to do the same. You just don’t mess with that shit. And if I was a werewolf, she said she’d just have to find a solid enough room to contain me at the full moon, since I wouldn’t be a threat except then,” he explained.
“I have four brothers. Nothing was talking. More physical.” Which was true. Their idea of goofing off was usually rolling around into something. “Sounds like one hell of a plan,” he said, nodding. Sounded stupid too, but that mostly stayed out of his tone.
Eric made it a point of looking Reece over, smirking at him as he did so. “Yeah, I could see that. So, wanna wrestle?” he suggested, wiggling his eyebrows at him. And then he remembered Violet’s request and sighed with a shake of his head. “Or maybe not. You’d probably kick my ass,” he added with a snort of laughter. “Eh, it’s all for laughs. Not like any of that could actually happen. And with all the shit going down around here? Can’t hurt to get a few laughs in too.”
Reece didn’t jump at the offer, but made a face at the one Eric gave him. “I would kick your ass, though lucky for you, wrestlings more about pinning your rival than ass kicking.” There look, he could be funny too. The smile showed for just a moment before he took a sip of his coffee. “No. It doesn’t hurt. Probably helps for all I know.”
The face Reece made brought out a laugh from Eric, and he just shrugged, biting his tongue on the rather crude retort that really wanted to come out. And just why he was trying so hard not to give Reece a hard time, all because Violet had asked it of him, was something he really was trying not to dwell on. “That’s all right, I’ll still pass on wrestling.” Even if he was the one who’d brought it up. Oh well. “I think it probably does.” Eric went quiet for a moment then, drinking his coffee as he thought about what they could talk about. And then it hit him. Even though he was sure there was a very real chance he would get hit for it, he found himself asking, “So, have you hit a homerun with that chick, Mojo, yet? Cause there was some serious unfinished business there the other morning.”
Things were fine. Eric had let the wrestling bit drop, which meant less awkward jokes, he’d moved on from fucking werewolves and vampires and whatever the hell else. It was going well. Almost. Reece’s expression changed, turning to look at Eric with a less than amused almost-glare. “No. Though I think my batting average is hardly your business.” And as much as Reece wanted to keep it to himself, the thoughts of Mojo and her all too confusing behavior flashed across his expression.
Eric’s smile didn’t dim in the least and he was, in fact, relieved that he didn’t actually get hit for asking that. “Nope, it’s not my business, but inquiring minds want to know,” he replied with a small chuckle. “That sucks though. She’s a looker. Fuck, there’s a lot of lookers in this place.” And he’d definitely noticed. He was actually kind of surprised he hadn’t ended up in a compromising position yet; just more proof that this really wasn’t the same as where he’d come from.
“Your inquiring mind? Or is there a journal post out there about who’s banging who that I missed?” Reece asked and though his tone was gruff there might have been the smallest of smirks ghosting on his features. “And I didn’t strike out. Don’t rule me out of the game yet.” Why was he even talking about this? “There are. Though some I’d stay away from.”
“Ah fuck, if there is one, I missed it too,” Eric said in a disappointed tone. It would be pretty funny and probably stir up a lot of drama if there was a post like that, though. “All right, so you’re still in the game. Didn’t mean to imply you weren’t, just was saying it sucked that you hadn’t hit the homer yet. Anyway, so who should I steer clear of?” he asked, wondering if Reece would actually name anyone.
“There doesn’t need to be one. This isn’t the bathroom wall in your high school.” Which had been littered with accomplishments and phone numbers. “Sort of enjoy the long game. Sometimes the short stuff doesn’t always pan out.” Like Susanna. Because that was the definition of complicated. “Ryan.”
Eric gave Reece a long look at that. “Dude, I don’t seriously think there should be a post of that. Jeeze.” He couldn’t hold the expression long before he was grinning, lifting one hand to scrub through his hair. “Never been in a long game. More used to instant gratification,” he admitted with a shrug. “Ryan, huh. That’s the guy that was in the stocks, right? Not really looking for trouble, least not that kind, so yeah, not really planning on wandering his way.” It didn’t pass his notice that Reece had said a guy and not any women, which was interesting in and of itself. “What about the chicks?” he asked, curious to see how Reece would respond.
It took an actual effort not to give Eric a shove via the side of his head. One of his brothers had a habit of saying that, the ‘jeeze’ all the time and that had long been Reece’s normal response. It seemed a little too familiar with Eric though. “How well does instant gratification work out for you when there’s no escape?” he asked, glancing his way. “That’s him. What I hear, he doesn’t like the word ‘no’.” Which might not be Reece’s place to share, but he was fine with that rumor starting to spread. “To avoid? Jae seems a lot tougher than she looks. Not worth avoiding, but a good thing to be aware of. The short blonde one whose husband got pulled out of here. Apparently she’s got quite the rap sheet. But that’s all I can think of.”
“What do you mean? The whole prison setting?” Eric asked, not wanting to assume that’s what Reece was referring to with the whole no escape thing. When Reece went on to explain about Ryan, his expression turned somewhat pained, his stomach rolling. The implication was clear, and he couldn’t stop from letting his mind wander to what he really was in for. Fucking rape. It was bullshit. He couldn’t even stomach the word much less actually do that to someone. “Shit, they’ve got spouses in here? That’s kind of nuts. And Jae - she was in the kitchen the other morning too, right? The one making the french toast,” he remembered.
“Mostly. No idea when we’re getting out, and this place isn’t exactly big,” Reece explained. It was bigger than guessed, but at the same time, it would take a concerted effort to avoid someone else. “They did. Her husband or boyfriend or whatever got taken out a few days ago.” He sipped at his coffee. That guy, Dominic maybe, hadn’t been the only one taken away, but he was the one they’d heard about. “She was. I don’t mind her, find her rather amusing, but there’s something there I guess. Not just a pretty face. But that’s a guess at best, and me looking out for you so you don’t get hit in your face.”
“Ah, I see. Yeah, I get that. It’s trickier with women, I think. Not that they can’t keep things casual, but it can be trickier. But hey, I might be pretty good at the whole long game thing. Never really had much of a chance to try it out,” he admitted with a shrug. It wasn’t the first he’d heard mention of someone being taken out of here, but it wasn’t really something Eric was going to focus on. He was here and now, and if that changed for him or anyone else, he’d roll with it. That was just how he was. “These women were all in prison too, so my guess would be most of them are more than a pretty face. But I appreciate that. You feel free to keep on looking out for me,” he said, grinning and winking cheekily at him.
“Find something you want to try at?” Reece heard himself ask and instantly hated it. Why did he care? He didn’t. And yet there it was, it was asked. Hopefully his answer wasn’t something too annoying. “I figure if someone is going to punch you it might as well be me.”
Eric smirked at the question, giving a sort of half-shrug. “Maybe, maybe not. Still kinda feeling things out,” he answered, and it was mostly honest. There were definitely people here he wouldn’t say no to a quick tumble with, but he was self aware enough to realize that he didn’t have the most discerning of tastes in that respect. He did laugh at Reece’s next words. “Shoot, I’m surprised you haven’t yet!” he admitted, grin going a bit crooked and very amused. “But you know - I’m aware there’s zero interest on your end, so anything I say? I’m just fucking with you. It’s that whole bullshitting around thing again.” And he fully expected Reece to tell him to knock it off now that he’d put it out there, but who knew? Maybe the guy would surprise him.
“I got a warning, just to watch where you step. Don’t feel bad passing that along.” He was feeling nice. Too many dead and hurting girls. He was getting soft. Reece scowled at himself then gave Eric a dirty look. “I’m working on being more behaved. Though if you keep at it, I will hit you and claim self defense.”
“There some land mines in here?” Eric retorted at the advice. Yeah, he wasn’t big on violence, but he’d survived this long, hadn’t he? The dirty look Reece gave him paired with his words, while not a large deterrent, was enough for him to accept that he really should tone it down some more, even if he didn’t think he’d been all that bad this time around. “Duly noted,” he said dryly, smirking faintly.
“When aren’t there? You were in prison for six years, you had to have noticed that at this point.” Reece had figured that out himself. He nodded as Eric noted his terms. “See? We’re on the same page.”
“Yeah, I’ve noticed, just wondered what specific kinds might be here, since you were feeling generous enough to warn me about them,” Eric explained, though he didn’t really expect Reece to elaborate. “Guess we are,” he agreed, leaning back against the table and stretching his legs out in front of him.
“The kind you can’t really see,” Reece said, eyes ticking up to the wall he’d washed blood off of. It was almost thoughtful, something deeper than surface, deeper than Reece usually let show. “So now what?”
Eric really wasn’t surprised at the vague response, but he just shrugged it off. He followed the direction Reece was looking in and wondered what was going on in his head. From what Violet had said, he kind of thought it might have something to do with Caroline’s death, but he wasn’t going to ask. “I don’t know. Hmm.” He turned a studying eye on Reece. “Other than smoke and dish out vague advice, what do you do? Do you play anything?”
“I was in prison for five years. There’s little I love more than being outside,” Reece said, taking in a deep breath. “Play like...what a guitar? Or football?” That earned Eric the ghost a of a smile.
“I hear you there,” Eric replied with a nod, raising his mug in a mock-toast. Just in the couple days he’d been here so far, aside from the large amount of time he’d spent in the activity room, he’d tried to be outside as much as possible. “Yeah, like guitar or anything musical,” he answered with a laugh. “Kinda figured you played football or something.”
“Played football, not enough to be that great and my coach said I had an attitude problem.” He was athletic and could keep up but he’d had better things to do in high school. He wasn’t going to be some scholarship kid either. “Not really. You?”
Eric fought back a laugh at that. “You, an attitude problem? Nah, can’t see it,” he deadpanned, still trying not to laugh. Really? He could definitely see that being true of Reece. “Yeah, I do. Guitar, violin, bass, among others,” he said, shrugging like it was no big deal.
“Guy was nuts.” Not at all and for a moment there was a glint of a smile on Reece’s features. “Mr. Talented huh?”
“Uh huh, sure he was,” Eric said dryly, smirking a bit. At least he’d managed to get some kind of humor out of the guy. “Got a knack for strings and an ear for it. ‘Bout the only thing I’m really good at...” He paused. “Well, other than things best not brought up in polite conversation if you get my drift,” he added, wiggling his brows and making like nudging him with his elbow without actually touching him.
Reece rolled his eyes. “Of course you’d say that. You know you can’t always trust the ones who brag.” He gave Eric a look then nodded. “Wish I played something sorta. Might be something to do. Never really had something to do when there was nothing else to do.”
Laughing at that, Eric shook his head. “You caught me. I’m shit in bed, that’s why I never had a long-standing thing,” he joked. He’d never really had any complaints, not that he thought he would have, but he didn’t think he was half bad. “Yeah? Can’t say I’d be any good at teaching - hell, I’m still getting used to playing again - but I could give it a try if you want to learn. Guitar, maybe,” he offered.
“I wasn’t going to say you were shit in bed,” he said making a face, but he still smiled, more a teasing look. “But hey...don’t worry on my account. I don’t care.” He smacked the man’s shoulder, just a little harder than comfortable. “I’ll think about it. Sounds interesting.”
“Not really worried about it.” The smack to his shoulder smarted a little, but Eric kept his smile firmly in place, not wanting to show any kind of reaction to it. He kind of wanted to return the gesture, but he couldn’t be sure that it wouldn’t lead to wrestling - and not the kind he would prefer, and he really didn’t like the thought of getting his ass kicked - or pinned - right there in the courtyard for everyone to see. “Yeah, think about it. I’ll even promise to keep the jokes at a minimum. Hell, it’ll give us both something to do. Sitting outside doing nothing can only keep you entertained for so long, right?”
He patted Eric’s shoulder again, lighter this time then nodded. “I doubt you could keep the jokes to a minimum, but I will think on it. We’ll see what happens.” Eric was right, he’d get bored after too long.
Eric grinned and nudged Reece lightly with his elbow. “You got me all figured out,” he teased jokingly. He really would try, but he couldn’t be sure how successful the effort would prove to be. “Guess we’ll see then,” he agreed.
How had he gotten friendly with this guy? Reece was worried that it might bite him in the ass later, but for now it was fine. “Don’t look so glum.” He tapped his mug against Eric’s. “I’m sure eventually you’ll win me over. You’re nothing if not relentless.”
“You got that right!” Eric agreed, chuckling a bit. He’d probably keep on this if for no other reason than it would give them both some way to fill the time. But the truth was that he actually enjoyed hanging out with Reece so far. It was entertaining if nothing else. He stood up then, turning to face Reece fully. “I think I’m going to go wander around now, maybe I’ll end up back in the music room,” he told him, figuring he’d pushed his luck with Reece enough for the moment and it couldn’t hurt to give the guy a break. Besides, he kind of thought he’d made some progress with the guy, and he’d hate to undo that. “I’ll see you around, though, and keep thinking about the guitar thing. It could be fun.”
Reece was honestly at least a little relieved to end the conversation. He wasn’t entirely great at this sort of thing. “Good luck with wandering.” He smirked slightly, holding up his mug as a goodbye before Eric left.