nanowrenlet (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
nanowrenlet) wrote2003-11-21 09:04 pm
nanowrenlet) wrote2003-11-21 09:04 pm
(no subject)
Justin didn't call in sick. He maybe should have, but he figured that at that point, anything would be better than sitting in his apartment staring at the walls. He knew Knox had the day off, which was a good thing because frankly, Justin could stand to have one less thing to think about for the next six hours. It even seemed as if whoever was in charge of this sort of crap had said, 'Hey, let's give Justin a break today.' Lunch rush wasn't nearly the bitch it could have been, he pulled some okay tips despite his sluggishness, and overall he was ready to call it a decent day, all things considered.
Well, until Eric came in early for his dinner shift.
Justin spotted him coming in the front and didn't think anything of it at first, until Eric craned his neck around like he was looking for someone. Probably -him-. Fuck. Well, of course Knox had told him, he'd probably been on the phone as soon as he woke up. He had said he and Eric would work whatever out and that meant talking about it, and the sooner the better, right? Fuck. Justin slipped into the service hallway, hopefully before Eric saw him, and wondered if he should maybe just... leave. He knew he'd catch hell for ducking out early but fuck, his station was done, the silverware rolled and ready, and if it meant putting this little scene off for one more day he'd take that hell.
Only his bag was still in the break room and somebody -- probably Gray -- had told Eric where he'd last seen him and Eric had just poked his head around the door frame and given Justin a nervous look that might have tried to be a smile and failed. "Hey."
"Ah, hey. I was just heading out."
"Could... I maybe talk to you for a second? Before you go."
Oh, Christ. "Uhm, sure, let me get my shit." Eric nodded and gave him that not-smile again, and let himself out the service door.
There was no getting out of it at that point, so Justin fetched his bag and joined Eric in the alley. Eric had his hands in his pockets and was sort of scuffing at a grease stain on the pavement with his shoe, and Justin didn't see whether Eric looked up when he came out because he was too busy staring at the ground and wishing he was somewhere else. Justin couldn't think of a way this conversation could possibly not suck.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Of all the things Justin expected Eric to say to him, that was not on the list.
"Knox said you were kind of a wreck last night, are you okay?" And Eric was peering at him, when Justin finally lifted his head, and he looked like he might even be worried. "You look pretty beat."
"Oh, uhm. I'm... hanging in there. I'll be alright."
Eric nodded. "Well... that's good."
He fell silent, and Justin didn't know whether that was it, if he was off the hook or not. "Was that all you wanted?"
Eric took a deep breath, like maybe he was bracing himself. "No, there's something else. I told Knox I thought it'd be better if you heard it from me. That... that everything's okay."
"Oh." That was unexpected. Not that Knox had been right, about them working things out, but that Eric was the one there talking to him about it. And that he'd wanted to. It made Justin wonder if, maybe, things weren't just alright between them, but between them and -him-. "Is it... really okay?"
"Yeah." Eric nodded again, and flashed a smile that was maybe a little less nervous. "Knox is a great guy, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." Justin chewed at his lip; he could read the worry on Eric's face, and had to admit that if the positions were reversed -- okay, and completely different -- he'd probably feel the same. So he added, "He's a great friend."
That brought a real smile to Eric's face, finally. "He is. Anyway, that's all I wanted."
"'Kay. I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." Justin hitched his bag up onto his shoulder and started to turn to head down the alley. Eric stopped him, though, with a hand on his arm, and when Justin turned back Eric pulled him into a warm hug.
"You should get some rest, Sean."
Justin just nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat, and stood there while Eric headed back inside.
Justin figured he had to be the luckiest undead fag in Pittsburgh: he had an ex-fuck buddy who wouldn't freak out when he showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night and practically attacked him, and a friend who was also the ex's -current- who would be all understanding and huggy about it, too.
So why did he feel like such a fucking heel?
[826/826/37613]
Well, until Eric came in early for his dinner shift.
Justin spotted him coming in the front and didn't think anything of it at first, until Eric craned his neck around like he was looking for someone. Probably -him-. Fuck. Well, of course Knox had told him, he'd probably been on the phone as soon as he woke up. He had said he and Eric would work whatever out and that meant talking about it, and the sooner the better, right? Fuck. Justin slipped into the service hallway, hopefully before Eric saw him, and wondered if he should maybe just... leave. He knew he'd catch hell for ducking out early but fuck, his station was done, the silverware rolled and ready, and if it meant putting this little scene off for one more day he'd take that hell.
Only his bag was still in the break room and somebody -- probably Gray -- had told Eric where he'd last seen him and Eric had just poked his head around the door frame and given Justin a nervous look that might have tried to be a smile and failed. "Hey."
"Ah, hey. I was just heading out."
"Could... I maybe talk to you for a second? Before you go."
Oh, Christ. "Uhm, sure, let me get my shit." Eric nodded and gave him that not-smile again, and let himself out the service door.
There was no getting out of it at that point, so Justin fetched his bag and joined Eric in the alley. Eric had his hands in his pockets and was sort of scuffing at a grease stain on the pavement with his shoe, and Justin didn't see whether Eric looked up when he came out because he was too busy staring at the ground and wishing he was somewhere else. Justin couldn't think of a way this conversation could possibly not suck.
"Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Of all the things Justin expected Eric to say to him, that was not on the list.
"Knox said you were kind of a wreck last night, are you okay?" And Eric was peering at him, when Justin finally lifted his head, and he looked like he might even be worried. "You look pretty beat."
"Oh, uhm. I'm... hanging in there. I'll be alright."
Eric nodded. "Well... that's good."
He fell silent, and Justin didn't know whether that was it, if he was off the hook or not. "Was that all you wanted?"
Eric took a deep breath, like maybe he was bracing himself. "No, there's something else. I told Knox I thought it'd be better if you heard it from me. That... that everything's okay."
"Oh." That was unexpected. Not that Knox had been right, about them working things out, but that Eric was the one there talking to him about it. And that he'd wanted to. It made Justin wonder if, maybe, things weren't just alright between them, but between them and -him-. "Is it... really okay?"
"Yeah." Eric nodded again, and flashed a smile that was maybe a little less nervous. "Knox is a great guy, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." Justin chewed at his lip; he could read the worry on Eric's face, and had to admit that if the positions were reversed -- okay, and completely different -- he'd probably feel the same. So he added, "He's a great friend."
That brought a real smile to Eric's face, finally. "He is. Anyway, that's all I wanted."
"'Kay. I'll see you guys tomorrow, then." Justin hitched his bag up onto his shoulder and started to turn to head down the alley. Eric stopped him, though, with a hand on his arm, and when Justin turned back Eric pulled him into a warm hug.
"You should get some rest, Sean."
Justin just nodded, swallowing around the lump in his throat, and stood there while Eric headed back inside.
Justin figured he had to be the luckiest undead fag in Pittsburgh: he had an ex-fuck buddy who wouldn't freak out when he showed up on his doorstep in the middle of the night and practically attacked him, and a friend who was also the ex's -current- who would be all understanding and huggy about it, too.
So why did he feel like such a fucking heel?
[826/826/37613]