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Nov. 22nd, 2003 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nanowrenletHe didn't, really; Brian had said he was going to teach him how once or twice, but somehow they had always wound up distracted before he got around to it. But Curt was in the mood for darts and willing to teach, and Charlie's didn't have a dart board. Woody's did, but that was right out so eventually they ended up at some kind of sports bar and grill that was so relentlessly straight that Justin wondered why he didn't, like, burst into gay flames or some shit just from walking through the door.
Curt proved to be a good and patient teacher, and Justin proved to completely suck at darts in spite of it. They still had a decent enough time, the beer was alright and Justin's wild-ass tosses were nothing if not amusing. He just couldn't seem to -relax- at all, and the third time he flinched when someone bumped into his chair on the way to the bar, Curt noticed.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Yeah, 'm fine." And he was, really. He -was-. Nobody had given them so much as a second look all night, there was no reason for the skin on the back of Justin's neck to prickle up the way it did. No reason at all to think guys were bumping into him for any reason other than drunken clumsiness. And no reason for him to startle and spill his beer when someone did it again.
"Jesus, Sean, you're like the world's worst liar." Curt pushed his chair back and tossed a couple of bills on the table, and Justin would have laughed if he hadn't been so relieved to be leaving, because he was an -excellent- liar when it came to some things.
Just not this. When they got outside he pulled in a huge lungful of cold air and breathed out, "I'm really sorry."
"Nah, don't worry about it. But what happened?" Curt looked at the front of the very-straight bar and then at his very not-straight friend and his brow furrowed. "Did someone say something to you?"
"No, no one said anything, it's just...." Justin ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. "Just me. I, uhm. Went to school with a lot of that type, y'know." He didn't say 'jocks,' but he sort of tilted his head at Curt apologetically.
"Oooh." Curt turned and Justin fell into step with him as they headed for his car. "They used to give you shit, huh."
"Yeah, you could say that."
Curt nodded. "Used to happen at my school, too. This one kid, he joined the wrestling team? The other guys were always talking shit about him, claimed he was going for their dicks on a takedown... anyway, they cornered him in the locker room one day and beat him up pretty bad."
"Christ. Did anybody catch 'em?"
"Well, they didn't get away with it, if that's what you're askin'."
Justin turned his head, surprised at that, and caught Curt with a satisfied little smirk on his face. He laughed, and Curt smiled wider and bumped Justin's shoulder with his.
"Anyway, you could have said something. We could've gone back to Charlie's."
"Well... you wanted to play darts."
"You -suck- at darts, Sean. You should have said." They were at Curt's car by then, and Justin was inside and buckling his seat belt before he answered.
"Look, I'm not some pussy that I can't handle hanging out in a breeder bar for a night. It's not that big a deal."
And Curt stopped with his key in the ignition and just stared at him. "You think staying somewhere you're not comfortable proves anything?"
Justin hadn't thought about it like that, and he squirmed uncomfortably. "No. Maybe. ... fuck, I don't know."
"Well, you don't have to prove anything to -me-." Curt paused, and then grinned widely. "So stop being such a queen about it, already."
That made Justin laugh, which was probably the idea, and Curt started up the car and drove him home.
[670/1269/40072]
Curt proved to be a good and patient teacher, and Justin proved to completely suck at darts in spite of it. They still had a decent enough time, the beer was alright and Justin's wild-ass tosses were nothing if not amusing. He just couldn't seem to -relax- at all, and the third time he flinched when someone bumped into his chair on the way to the bar, Curt noticed.
"Hey, are you alright?"
"Yeah, 'm fine." And he was, really. He -was-. Nobody had given them so much as a second look all night, there was no reason for the skin on the back of Justin's neck to prickle up the way it did. No reason at all to think guys were bumping into him for any reason other than drunken clumsiness. And no reason for him to startle and spill his beer when someone did it again.
"Jesus, Sean, you're like the world's worst liar." Curt pushed his chair back and tossed a couple of bills on the table, and Justin would have laughed if he hadn't been so relieved to be leaving, because he was an -excellent- liar when it came to some things.
Just not this. When they got outside he pulled in a huge lungful of cold air and breathed out, "I'm really sorry."
"Nah, don't worry about it. But what happened?" Curt looked at the front of the very-straight bar and then at his very not-straight friend and his brow furrowed. "Did someone say something to you?"
"No, no one said anything, it's just...." Justin ran his hand through his hair and shrugged. "Just me. I, uhm. Went to school with a lot of that type, y'know." He didn't say 'jocks,' but he sort of tilted his head at Curt apologetically.
"Oooh." Curt turned and Justin fell into step with him as they headed for his car. "They used to give you shit, huh."
"Yeah, you could say that."
Curt nodded. "Used to happen at my school, too. This one kid, he joined the wrestling team? The other guys were always talking shit about him, claimed he was going for their dicks on a takedown... anyway, they cornered him in the locker room one day and beat him up pretty bad."
"Christ. Did anybody catch 'em?"
"Well, they didn't get away with it, if that's what you're askin'."
Justin turned his head, surprised at that, and caught Curt with a satisfied little smirk on his face. He laughed, and Curt smiled wider and bumped Justin's shoulder with his.
"Anyway, you could have said something. We could've gone back to Charlie's."
"Well... you wanted to play darts."
"You -suck- at darts, Sean. You should have said." They were at Curt's car by then, and Justin was inside and buckling his seat belt before he answered.
"Look, I'm not some pussy that I can't handle hanging out in a breeder bar for a night. It's not that big a deal."
And Curt stopped with his key in the ignition and just stared at him. "You think staying somewhere you're not comfortable proves anything?"
Justin hadn't thought about it like that, and he squirmed uncomfortably. "No. Maybe. ... fuck, I don't know."
"Well, you don't have to prove anything to -me-." Curt paused, and then grinned widely. "So stop being such a queen about it, already."
That made Justin laugh, which was probably the idea, and Curt started up the car and drove him home.
[670/1269/40072]
