Who: Rhett Cavendish and Charles Lane What: Discovering they have something in common - other than being dads in the process of getting a divorce. Where: A Starbucks in New York When: August 2nd, early afternoon Warnings: Foul language and enough awkward obliviousness to cause headdesking injuries.
When they’d first started meeting up for coffee, Rhett had waited for Charles to get there before ordering. It had made sense, then; when they weren’t coming in together, he generally knew exactly when Charles would be finished meeting with his lawyer. Since they’d begun meeting outside of the days when they were hammering out the legalities of divorce, Rhett usually ordered for Charles when he got there first. So long as his friend didn’t want something outside of his usual, it worked out just fine.
Charles’s cup was already waiting on the other side of the table for him, lid off and steam rising from the surface of the liquid. Rhett’s own drink sat untouched, since he wasn’t really in the mood to burn all the skin off his tongue. Besides, he’d already had two cups that morning before he left his much too empty house. He was in no rush.
It wasn’t as though he didn’t have plenty to do while he waited. He took a break from flipping through his schedule for the day on his phone to check the time, noting that Charles should be there soon. There was a text from his (soon to be, if they ever finished the custody battle) ex-wife that he hadn’t looked at yet; when all their calls had begun ending in shouting matches, they’d agreed that it was much more practical to limit communication to written forms. He still had to resist the urge to be childish and use capslock, but he responded as cordially as he could. Check the time again, and a quick, guilty glance around to make sure no one he knew was watching before he pulled up Tetris to eat away the last little bit of time until Charles arrived. As soon as the last student had trailed out of his classroom, Charles had stuffed his laptop and tie into his bag next to the P.A.S.I.V. (he’d been tweaking with it that morning), thrown the bag over his shoulder, and rushed to get off of campus and onto the streets of New York City. Though he dearly loved all of his students (especially the ones who stayed for summer term, notably because there were fewer of them), Charles did sometimes feel as eager as they did to get away from a desk and back into the real world, far away from papers, labs, and grades. There was an extra eagerness in his step today as he was planning on meeting with Rhett at Starbucks, which usually meant they’d get to complain about their work and soon to be ex-wives. It was far more therapeutic then any therapy session he’d gone to.
The trip was short, though the subway was crowded, leaving Charles feeling a little claustrophobic and overheated. Hardly the most pleasant feeling in the world, especially in the midst of a summer heatwave. But it was well worth it for when he stepped into the air conditioned building with an audible sigh of relief. Even better was the sight of Rhett already sitting at a table with a drink already waiting for him; Yasmine had been fussy that morning and unwilling to get dressed before getting dropped off at her grandmother’s, so Charles hadn’t had any breakfast or coffee to speak of that day. He dropped his bag onto the ground by his chair while he sat down and immediately brought the cappuccino to his lips with a hum of appreciation, all before he even greeted the other man.
After a couple moments he put the paper cup back down with a happy sigh, thumbing the foam mustache off his upper lip. “Hi. Sorry, long morning,” he said by way of explanation. “I swear if I didn’t know any better, I’d think Yasmine was purposefully trying to make me miserable. Finals and papers... just everything. And now my own daughter is working her damndest to keep me away from caffeine. God. I need a vacation.” He took another long drink, smiling around the paper rim. “Thank you, by the way. I needed this.” It was only then that he really looked at Rhett and noticed what was going on. “... Were you playing a game on your phone?” A denial was on Rhett’s tongue immediately, but of all people in the world Charles was the only one who wouldn’t judge him for wasting time on games. “As a matter of fact, I am.” He closed it, though, not too horribly invested in his score. “And you’re welcome. I’m not sure how you survived a child without the caffeine, I know my wi--” He stopped and corrected himself, “Ex-wife and I seemed to be drinking it straight from the pot until Gavin was two.”
The moment of anger he felt at having to add that extra syllable in front of the word faded more quickly than usual. Rhett would like to take it as a sign that he was getting over it, but he knew it was more likely thanks to the distraction that Charles’s presence provided. Then, because it was pretty rude to just dive right in and start complaining, he took a sip of his own coffee before asking, “How were your students this morning? Particularly stupid, or did they at least take it easy on you?” Not that he thought Charles would actually call his students stupid - Rhett had no problem doing it for him, though. At this, Charles could only shrug and ignore that slip-up that Rhett had made, well aware that his friend still got angry about his wife while Charles mostly just felt tired about the whole thing. “Being a natural insomniac helps,” he pointed out with a rueful expression. “Though I will admit that I probably have been drinking more coffee then I usually have in the past year.” As a testament to that he took another long sip from his cup, not caring that it was still a little too hot.
If anyone else were to have insinuated that his students were anything less then genius, Charles would have likely scoffed at them and bragged about their grades and achievements. But this wasn’t anyone else - this was Rhett, who was well aware just how irritating the group of twenty-somethings he tried to teach really could be. So instead he just grinned, a little mischievously. “They weren’t too bad today. The fact that I was doing a complete semester review in just an hour and a half without pausing long enough to let them ask any questions may or may not have anything to do with it.” He loved giving semester reviews, since it usually involved him telling them to study things they definitely didn’t need to, and to look up things they wouldn’t even cover till the next course. To be honest, he liked to watch them sweat and freak out a little.
“What about the models? How have they been treating you?” Perhaps, in different circumstances, Charles might have teased Rhett about maybe having found one with half a brain to date, but considering it was an alleged scandal with a model that had been the trigger for Rhett’s divorce, Charles knew better then to press that particular button. Rhett couldn’t help but smile, at that... he could imagine Charles lecturing for an hour and a half without a large enough break for someone to get a hand up. He could imagine it very well, in fact. “You’re a smart man. If they didn’t learn it through the rest of the class, they’re not going to get it now.” He spoke from experience, of course; there were several classes he’d realized that in much too late to pull through with anything about a C.
“The models,” he said, voice taking on a clear note of exasperation, “are as vapid and brainless as ever. I think the deficiency is probably a result of existing on diet pills and protein shakes, all their brain cells have starved - or committed suicide because of the company they have to keep. Fortunately, I’m dealing mostly with their babysitters now.” Because of the scandal, but Rhett didn’t have to say that. “They are slightly more intelligent. Only slightly. Also conniving and equally ready to rip someone’s throat out or suck his cock if they think that will get their charges ahead, but at least that gives you a bargaining chip.”
Hm, too far? Probably. He cleared his throat and forced his face into something with less resemblance to a scowl. Pleasant conversation, pleasant conversation... or the default safe topic. “How is Yasmine, by the way? Aside from determined to leave her daddy groggy, obviously.” It was nice to have an easy trick to turn the conversation nicer, hopefully continued opportunities to talk about his daughter would keep Charles from realizing how unpleasant a coffee - not date - acquaintance Rhett truly was. Charles, who had gone back to nursing his drink, immediately began to choke on it at Rhett’s more... colorful description. He pounded his fist against his chest, trying to catch his breath again while also attempting to figure out if he found it funny or if he was appalled. As polite as Charles was, and as fond as he was of manners and tact, there was something very comforting in Rhett’s absolute lack of it and the way he said whatever was on his mind. It was just that sometimes it took Charles rather by surprise.
He made no comment on it and just let Rhett change the topic, though he still had a mixture of amusement and ‘just finished almost dying so there’s no need to worry’ on his face. “She’s well,” he said before clearing his throat again and continuing. “Her first birthday is in just a few weeks. It’s hard to believe it’s already been that long, really.” The smile on his face then slipped into a frown. “Liza says she wants to be there for her birthday. She also says she wants more money.” The money he was more then willing to give her - Yusuf’s offshore bank account held more money then he’d need in a lifetime so long as he was careful, though it would be inconvenient having to pretend he was poorer then he really was. But having her there for Yasmine’s birthday was something he’d rather not allow, considering what had happened the last time she’d been near their daughter. “I don’t know how to keep her away without her kicking up a fuss with the lawyers in retaliation and making things more difficult.” Grateful that Charles had let him get away with the change in subject, Rhett hid the last of his frown behind his cup. Perhaps he’d gotten a little too used to having someone to vent to, if he was unleashing that much of his vitriol. As hard as Charles would probably find it to believe, most of Rhett’s acquaintances wouldn’t recognize the man he was when they met up for coffee. They certainly wouldn’t know what to think if he was that blunt with them. As nice as it was to let it out, it might be a good idea to rein it back in so that it didn’t escape at a more critical moment.
Of course, Charles’s dilemma knocked that right out of his head. Of course Liza wanted to stick her nose in again, Charles had just started getting things back in order after her last interference. Though... “My opinion? She wants you to offer her the money in exchange for staying away from Yasmine.” He hadn’t inquired too deeply into his friend’s financial situation - he must be decently well off, to afford their lawyer, but Rhett wasn’t sure how much that was eating from his paycheck. “If you can afford it, it might be worth offering her more if she’ll keep her distance. Jessica tried that on me - well, she offered to forgo the alimony if I’d give her full custody. Naturally, I didn’t take her up on that, but with Liza? It might be exactly what she’s looking for.” He’d never met the woman, of course, but he thought he knew her fairly well, considering how much he’d heard about her. Charles sighed and nodded, rubbing his forehead and staring off into space, a little distracted from anxiety. “I think you’re right. I’m just worried she’s going to keep pulling this crap until I have nothing else I can fork over to her. I can afford it, but not if she keeps pressing like this. I might have picked up a new, better paying job on the side, but even so.” Charles had decided as soon as she’d said yes to Frost that he’d at least be honest with the people that he was close to that he was working two jobs now. He would just be significantly less honest with what the second job was. It could technically pass for a research project if push came to shove and he had to talk about it, but hopefully he wouldn’t need to.
“I could always give her the house,” he mused after a moment. “That might be enough to convince her. My salary could probably cover a nice enough apartment.” Though it wouldn’t have his lab, which was regrettable, but a necessary sacrifice. He sighed and dropped his hand from his forehead so he could look over at Rhett again. “Speaking of Jessica, how are things going with her?” “I’d love to be able to help you out, but since I’m in a similar situation...” Rhett shrugged helplessly. He actually did mean it, which surprised even him.
The scowl came back at the mention of his ex-wife’s name. “She seems to be doing well. The more miserable she makes me, the happier she is. Her mother, of course, is supporting her through this. She planned some wonderful outing for them next weekend, one of those horrible themed children’s restaurants.” He waved a hand, dismissing it as unimportant when he couldn’t remember the name. “Games, a ball pit, overpriced food...”
Thus, the text message he’d ignored as long as he could. “Of course it doesn’t matter that it’s supposed to be my weekend with Gavin, since the custody arrangement isn’t final yet and we’re supposed to be going by some kind of honor system. Obviously I should just give up my weekend with my son so that she and her mother can take him to an overpriced outing that he isn’t even old enough to appreciate yet! And of course I can’t expect her to bring him the next weekend either since they’d already planned to go visit her sister and her brats, and she knows that I don’t like when Gavin spends too much time with them because they whine constantly, and every time he gets back from a visit with them he starts up with it too because her idiot sister gives in every time her own spawn does it...” He was accompanying his rant with increasingly larger gestures. He felt it helped punctuate his points.
However, he should have been watching where he gestured a little more closely, which he realized the moment he hit his cup and it toppled, spilling coffee all over the table and (of course, because his day really needed to get worse) onto Charles’s bag. “Shit, I’m sorry, I’ll get that.” He grabbed for napkins and started trying to sop the mess up before it could do any damage. “Sorry to invade, but if you have anything delicate in here...” He reached into the bag, determined to get anything sensitive like the computer he was certain Charles carried out before the liquid managed to do damage. There was the laptop, and a tie, and... a very mysterious metal suitcase... “What the hell is this?” As Rhett rambled on, Charles felt more and more sympathetic for his friend, and more annoyed then ever at Jessica. There weren’t many people Charles would classify as a bitch, but Jessica was definitely one of them. (Liza was neatly slotted under ‘mentally disturbed and in need of therapy’.) Rhett didn’t deserve to have to go through any of the bullshit Jessica seemed intent on dragging him through, but there wasn’t much either of them could do about it, unfortunately. Not unless Charles had a ‘talk’ with her, involving vague threats and then hiring someone to be threatening in her general direction, but that seemed like a poor idea that would just get them both in a lot of trouble.
He had just opened his mouth to suggest that Rhett simply keep Gavin for the weekend anyone and possibly tell his wife to just fuck off because she didn’t have the right to do that when suddenly there was coffee everywhere. “Merde!” He always did have a tendency to swear in French when he was surprised. He didn’t even stop to think about the fact that Rhett might see what was inside his bag - he was too busy grabbing some napkins from the table behind him - and his commentary about actually looking at the contents went right over his head.
It wasn’t until Rhett was swearing that he turned back around and froze. Rhett was looking inside his bag. The P.A.S.I.V. was inside the bag. For a couple seconds, he just sat there like an idiot with wadded up paper napkins in his hands, staring dumbly at Rhett with a rather panicked expression. Bloody hell - lie! Quickly, you’ve got to lie! “It’s nothing!” He blurted out after Yusuf’s promptings. “It’s a work thing. It’s in progress. And not important.” Inside his head, Yusuf groaned. Charles never had been a good liar, especially while under pressure. As bad as Rhett felt about the accident, there was something about how utterly unbelievable that was that made one corner of his lips twitch. “Really, you’re bringing your work home? Not even you are that dedicated to your job.” He knew he should hand the case back, but there was something familiar about it, something he’d seen in some movie. There were probably a million metal suitcases like this one in the world, though, he knew that. “I think you’re working on something extracurricular.” He wasn’t sure what it could be - he knew enough chemistry to develop his own pictures, and that was it.
He should just put it down and get back to cleaning up. He didn’t, though. “Extracurricular?” Charles repeated, sounding even more panicked then before, despite his attempts to school his face into a casual expression. “No, not at all! Like I said, I got a new job. In addition to teaching. It’s just to do with that, really.” His gazed flickered between Rhett and the P.A.S.I.V. Had Rhett ever seen Inception? Charles had never brought the film up before, not even once, so it was impossible to tell. Would he recognize it? It did seem like the kind of film Rhett might watch, but how recognizable was the P.A.S.I.V., really, if you weren’t looking for it specifically? His fingers twitched as he continued to stare.
“I would ah... Really like that back now. Please.” ‘And for the love of all things holy, don’t look inside,’ he thought to himself. Rhett should be a better person than this. Still, Charles was just acting so suspicious, and what exactly could a chemistry professor be up to that he’d be that defensive about? It wasn’t like Rhett would really understand what all the chemicals and gizmos he might use were.
Measuring the points he’d gained by having Charles’s coffee ordered and having his own sob story that day versus how many he’d lost by spilling his own damn coffee and causing the mess in the first place, Rhett decided he probably had enough left over to get away with taking a peek. “We need to make sure none of the coffee got inside and mixed with your project, don’t we?” With no more warning than that, he popped the case open and looked inside. Charles lunged across the table to try and keep Rhett from opening the case, but it was too late. This P.A.S.I.V. wasn’t as nice as the one used by Arthur during the inception case - for starters it lacked even a lock - but it was clearly the same device. Pumps, pistons, coiled IVs, a timer, vials of chemicals, and a dozen other bits and parts made up the device that was currently open and on display for anyone to see. Charles slammed it shut and covered Rhett’s mouth with his other hand, nearly losing his balance as he did so.
“It’s nothing,” he hissed, keeping his voice low so no one else could hear. “Just something for work, okay? Nothing.” He grabbed the metal case as he retreated back to his own seat, clutching it almost protectively to his chest. “I should probably go. There’s things I probably should be doing right now.” He tried to put his things back into his bag, but his hands were shaking which made the processes unfortunately difficult. He was screwed. The fact that Charles had been covering his mouth hadn’t even registered, not when Rhett’s stomach was doing a very peculiar flip. That shouldn’t exist outside of Hollywood. If Charles hadn’t been so protective, he might have assumed it was a replica of some sort - no, he wouldn’t, it was too real, too detailed to be a mere replica. There were a lot of things he might have thought, though, except he knew better, now.
Shouldn’t there have been some sort of code word he was meant to have learned? Some way of testing the waters to see if he was right without looking like a complete crazy? Rhett was so sure he was right, but if he wasn’t it would very likely mean that Charles would spend the rest of his life avoiding him out of fear he would snap and do something more harmful than think he was a character out of a book.
Of course, the way he was gathering his things implied that he might spend the rest of his life avoiding Rhett, anyway. Taking a breath and gathering his nerves, he reached across the table and grabbed Charles’s wrist, trying to still his frantic movement. “All I got was a book of clothing designs to accompany the voice in my head.” The touch on his wrist made him flinch, but he did stop trying so desperately to get ready to run like hell. It took a moment for the words to processes completely, because frankly, all Charles heard at first was ‘clothing designs,’ which made him even more confused. Then it clicked.
He went from freaked out to confused to relieved to curious in seconds, forcing him to flop back down into his chair so he could just stare at Rhett with an almost unreadable expression on his face. “You... You’re... Alright. Okay. … Um.” A few more seconds passed. Then, strangely enough, he began to laugh the relieved and nervous laugh of a man who’s just found out not all is lost after all. Rhett was a reincarnate too. Which meant, essentially, that Charles didn’t have to keep this huge secret from him anymore. Despite the fact that they’d only known each other for a short time, Rhett had managed to become one of Charles’ closest friends, and now they had one more thing in common. “Small world. Technically I didn’t get this from the Agency. It was waiting for me in Mombasa, among other things. The perks of ah... knowing Yusuf.” He shook his head, still chuckling at the whole situation. He hardly thought this was how today was going to go. Coffee everywhere, getting outed as Yusuf, and finding out he wasn’t as alone in this as he’d originally thought. “I probably should have guessed you were too. So... Who are they?” Yusuf, Yusuf... it had been a while since Rhett had watched the movie, and it had mostly stuck in his mind because Lio DiCaprio had finally convinced Rhett he was an actor, not just a pretty face. It took a moment to put the name to the character, but when he did it made perfect sense. He smiled at Charles, just as relieved and a little giddy. “It suits you, you’re likely the only two people who understand each other’s interests.” Rhett was willing to try to understand the science, when Charles wanted to talk about it, but it must be nice having someone whose head it didn’t fly over... even if they were sharing yours.
“Oh, er, Cinna. He’s...” Rhett’s forehead wrinkled, trying to figure out how to explain one of the men who had been helping keep him somewhat sane since the divorce to the other. “In another aspect of the fashion industry. A stylist. Nice guy.” Then, as if he were simply changing the topic - even though Charles would know he wasn’t, he hoped - he asked, “Have you heard of The Hunger Games? It’s a trilogy, they’re making the first one into a movie... it’s supposed to be for young adults, which surprises me because it’s a little gorier than I’d be comfortable with my teenager reading.” Says the one whose new friend was killed in it - not that there were many characters who weren’t, with that series. Charles shrugged, but was smiling all the same. “Well, it is convenient; I always have someone around to give me a second opinion or double check my numbers.”
The Hunger Games? Charles furrowed his brow in thought. It certainly sounded familiar... Then it hit him. “Oh! Yes, a lot of the girls in my classes seem to talk about them a lot, lately. Something about being annoyed that Hunter Panish didn’t get cast? Perrish? Or that he did?” He shrugged again. “I guess I’ll just have to pick them up next time I go to the bookstore, then. Actually, I might be able to go this afternoon--” Fully expecting to see his digital watch, he was surprised to find that when he looked down at his wrist that Rhett’s hand was still there. He blinked, surprised. He hadn’t even noticed that his friend hadn’t let go. “You’re um. … Covering my watch.” He said it like most people said ‘we’re out of milk.’ He wasn’t annoyed or objecting or anything - just perplexed. “I haven’t really read them yet, myself, I’m waiting for the movie--” Rhett blinked in confusion at the ‘covering my watch.’ How could he be? But he looked down and how had he not noticed he was still holding on to Charles? He hadn’t wanted him to leave, of course, but hadn’t he let go right away?
Obviously not. Cheeks pink, he pulled his hand away as though Charles’s wrist was suddenly on fire. The fact that Cinna was snickering in his head did not help, and he started gathering up the soggy napkins for lack of anything better to do to hide his embarrassment. “I’m sorry, I...” There was no good explanation, though. “I guess I got excited.” He was allowed, right? He really hoped Charles let him get away with that explanation instead of ‘I forgot and it didn’t bother me.’ The speed with which Rhett recoiled away from Charles was both a little hurtful and confusing. It wasn’t as though Charles was angry about it - he hadn’t noticed until right then either, too caught up in marveling over the fact that Rhett was a reincarnate, same as him. He did his best to push the feeling aside and focus on the moment. “Don’t worry about it,” he said, waving his hand like he was trying to wave the embarrassment away. “I think we were both a little distracted right then.”
He went back to putting his things into his bag, this time just to get them off the table and out of the way, and also a little to distract himself. His attempts to act like nothing was wrong hadn’t done much to dispel the somewhat awkward air that had settled over the pair. “Like I was saying, the bookstore. I should probably have enough time to go there... Do you want to come with me? We could talk more on the way.” Oh, lord, if he could make such an idiot of himself sitting in a coffee shop, Rhett didn’t want to see what he’d manage if he actually accompanied Charles anywhere. He looked up, smiling his most polite smile, and shook his head. “I’m afraid the universe might collapse if I walked into a bookstore. No, I should probably break the silence and call Jessica to let her know that there’s no way I’m giving up my weekend with Gavin. It’s going to be ugly and I need some time to recover before I go take pictures of more airheaded sticks.” Surely that was innocent enough.
He picked up his phone and placed it in his pocket, pushing himself up out of his chair. “I’ll text and let you know how it goes, if you’d like me to.” ‘Come on, Charles, you can’t be that upset with me, whatever it is that you’re upset about...’
You could invite him over later. To talk about all of this, of course. Cinna’s tone was a little too mild, as if he was restraining all hints of emotion. When all the talking was thought, that was difficult to do - Rhett had tried.
‘I don’t think we’re at that stage of friendship yet.’ Honestly, invite Charles over, as if he’d accept. Instead, he let just a little hope creep into his smile. Charles might have believed Rhett, or at least not felt a little insulted by the excuse, if it weren’t for the almost painfully polite smile on his face. The Rhett he knew didn’t really do polite smiles. At least not like this. Still, he pretended he didn’t know Rhett was acting oddly and smiled back, if just a little. “Yeah, you should definitely let me know how it goes. You deserve some time with your son, after all.”
He stood up a half-second after Rhett, picking up his bag in a smooth motion. “I should probably get going as well. I really should take advantage of having a quiet house for a few hours so I can work on grading papers.” Carefully the lid of his coffee was put back on the cup, and he nodded to Rhett. “I’ll be seeing you later, then.” “Let me know the next time you want to meet up.” Rhett waved, just a little awkwardly, hanging back so Charles could leave first. Though he knew it wasn’t the whole reason, he cursed himself for doing something so stupid as hanging on his friend’s wrist like... like...
Well. Maybe if he could figure out what it was like, it wouldn’t be so awkward.