soul_logs | Tobacco Road [Closed]

Entry tags:

Tobacco Road [Closed]

Characters: Matt and Near
Location: Around Death city - Matt's apartment after
Rating: G
Time: 23rd March
Description: Wammy kids having a chat.

[ I hate going out, I hate going out, I hate going out. I hate the weather and I hate the stupid sun with a stupid face and there are people around, and everyone is so nice – it’s really creepy. God, make this fast, I want to go home and grab my DS and kick some ass.

This is pretty much what crosses Matt’s mind every time he steps out of the apartment to buy something he needs. Suffice to say, he would rather never leave the apartment at all. Still, Matt needs his cigarettes and he has none at the moment, so he was forced to get out of the house and go buy some – buy; because tobacco is not a basic need, so they don’t give it for free, like the rest of the things.

And speaking of “the rest of the things”, he also took his chance to drop by the market and get instant food and coffee. And after groceries, he drops by the liquor store and gets some beer, though he also has to pay for it. At least he won’t have to go out next week because he already bought enough to survive for this week and the next.

Finally, once he is done shopping, Matt stops by the newsstand to grab his smokes. The newsstand guy smiles and asks] Same as usual, man?

[ newsstand guy, it’s really annoying that you remember what Matt smokes. But then again, Matt goes there all the time. The redhead just nods and avoids conversation because he really doesn’t want to become friends with the guy that sells him cigarettes every week.]

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[Much like Matt, Near has some Very Important shopping of his own to do after work (read: new train sets and card decks), so he is also forced to spend more time outside than he'd like. Contrary to the redhead, though, all the time he's spent in Death City has made him tolerate the streets a bit more.

Which doesn't mean he tolerates idiots, people who try to make conversation without realizing they are not welcome to do so, or both. He has that problem with the toy store employee and manager, too, and a quick glance at the news stand employee as he walks up to greet Matt tells him that the other man is going through the exact situation. What is it with people in Death City being unable to read basic body language cues?]

I see you're as determined as ever to fill your lungs with carcinogens.

[That's one thing he definitely has to give Sollux credit for: getting the former Matt to smoke a lot less.]

[at a familiar voice, Matt turns his head to face Near. It’s surprising at first, but honestly, Near didn’t have people to go out and buy the things he needed anymore, so it’s only natural for him to be the one doing so.

At the statement, the redhead answered with a tiny smirk] It’s either that or turn into Hulk and destroy Death City. [after smoking so much, Matt figured he’d turn into an horrible person if he ever tried to quit. Finally, the redhead took his packs of cigarettes (a lot of them, since he didn’t want to go out every day) and grabs one to get a cancer stick to his lips right away]

Out on errands?

Edited 2012-09-17 06:07 (UTC)

You need to be exposed to gamma rays before you can destroy the city in a nicotine-less fit of anger.

[Gasp, shock and horror, he knows enough pop culture references to form such a comeback! Near wrinkles his nose slightly when he sees Matt reach for a cigarette, but the gesture is as expected and normal for him as gravity, he supposes.

At the redhead's question, Near lifts his bags slightly, just enough to draw Matt's attention towards the obvious toy store logo on the plastic bags.]

Just making sure my most basic needs are met.

[Food is for losers and humans with normal metabolisms.]

Near, you just leveled-up in my consideration. [ congratulations, I'm so proud of you.

Matt lights up his cigarette, eying the bag]

... of course those are your basic needs. Did you buy a gundam? [he is half teasing, half serious. Gundams are awesome]

My entire purpose in life has been met. Thank you, Matt.

[Near would have smiled playfully at that if he were a normal person; instead, he just twirls at a strand of hair with a slightly demented look on his face.

He shakes his head no when Matt mentions the gundams, though.]

I have too many of those. These are new train sets and card decks.

Hey, no problem. Sorry not throwing you a party or something. [it's fine if Near isn't normal enough to smile playfully. In either case, Matt would find it really creepy, anyway.]

Honestly... [Matt can't really criticize, but c'mon Near. Train sets?] your room is probably like a small Disneyland inside.

Please don't, [He replied, his nose wrinkling slightly.] I've had enough parties for the rest of my life.

[And enough alcohol, but he's not about to bring that up.]

I don't have Mickey Mouse locked in my room; your argument is invalid.

[Said with a perfectly serious tone of voice. Yep.]

And enough hangovers. [he might be smirking. No, he definitively is.]

You don't? Well, now I know what to get you for Christmas. [also said with a serious tone of voice.]

[And now Near just looks unimpressed.]

Hangover, not hangovers. There was only an isolated and very unfortunate incident.

[Well, better a mickey mouse plushie than yet another toy with sexual connotations...]

How considerate of you.

I can't predict the future, so I wouldn't take that off the table just yet.

[maybe he can give you both, near] What can I say? 'Considerate' is my middle name.

The probability of that happening again is 0.9%. Stop hoping it will happen.

[...please don't. :c]

Sure it is. [He shifts from one foot to the other, uncomfortable about being in the same public place for too long.] Are we going to stand here all afternoon?

Your probabilities are bullshit, Near. [maybe Matt will have a hand in it.

He blinks, behind his yellow lenses. Yeah, he doesn't want to stand here, but he hasn't spoken to Near in a while. And actual conversation, not just showing him how awesome his Weapon form is and how much Near should be jealous of it (as he should).] We aren't. I'm not,at least.

[Matt drops his cigarette butt on the floor and steps on it, moving ahead]

My probabilities are excellent and close to perfect, thank you very much.

[Hey Matt

hey

hey

At least he isn't compensating for something with the sheer size of his Weapon form.]

Neither am I. Can we finally leave?

Your probabilities are bullshit and you make them up as you go.

[wow so stingy that is totally jealousy, right there.

Matt nods and begins walking] Yeah, yeah, we can.

I do not. It's not my fault you lack the ability to understand them.

[Why would he be jealous when he can shoot lasers, Matt? Lasers, come on.

And Near follows after, hoping they won't have to walk for too long.] Good. Where are we going?

[Portals are much cooler than lasers]

[Matt glances over his shoulder] Wait, you are coming along?

[Nope you're wrong sorry

Near just raises an eyebrow at Matt's surprise, and shrugs in return.] It's not like I have anything better to do.

[~~WHAT EYEBROW YOU DON'T HAVE EYEBROWS NEAR~~

Matt really didn't expect near to want to tag along] Sure.

[he doesn't know where Near and Mello live and home is closer (he figures). And going elsewhere meant having to walk back home later on - yeah, no, they are going to Matt's apartment] Guess we can go to my apartment.

[and off he goes] I'd offer to carry the bag for you, but you are all grown up now, you can do it. [it's still a bit weird to him to see Near like that. ]

[~~YES HE DOES AND THOSE ARE THE MOST MAGNIFICENT EYEBROWS YOU HAVE EVER SEEN~~

Near is okay with tagging along, because his and Mello's apartment isn't that far from Matt's, if his ~~stalker fu~~ highly accurate calculations based on the surveillance cameras are correct, which they always are.]

I can do many things I wasn't able to, before.

[Like shooting lasers and blowing shit up.]

[~~YOU ARE DELUSIONAL~~]

Puberty is an amazing thing isn't it? [forever mentioning that]

[However, get ready Near, because even though Matt arrived recently, his apartment is already a mess. Wires, laptop, camera, games and more games, gaming platforms, food he forgot to throw out, food he forgot to eat, beers he forgot to drink and cans he forgot to throw away, ashtrays full of cigarette butts that he never throws away... do we need to go on?]

[At least when he gets to the door, Matt feels a bit self-conscious because this is Near and not Mello, and he knows he is going to get a weird look from the other. After opening the door, the first thing the redhead does is to quickly try to grab at least the food and the beers to put them away]

[~~NOT AS DELUSIONAL AS YOU THOUGH~~]

I meant my Weapon abilities, but whatever you say.

[He should've been ready for it. Well, he is, to a certain extent: he's ready to face the chaos of a messy room, and if Matt and Sollux's previous apartment was anything to go by, he's ready for piles and piles of seemingly random objects, or just a clutter of assorted electronic items in general.

But part of him had been hoping there wouldn't be as much food lying around the place as it was.

Near's expression-- a slight wrinkle of his nose mixed in with a very unimpressed look-- betrays the disgust most people would express by gagging visibly and very loudly.]

I see you have made great efforts towards turning your living arrangements into an oversized petri dish. How many microbial colonies have you brought to life yet?

I know you did - I didn't.

[yeah Near, he knows, you don't have to painfully point it out]

I'm setting up a record. I will let you know when I break it. [Honestly, he doesn't want to do anything else but just game and smoke. Cleaning up, throwing things away and even eating, because sort of secondary, in a way.

As he walks inside, he grabs a bag and puts the trash inside, also taking the chance to open a window and let the room breathe a litle. It takes someone to drop by Matt's apartment for him to actually clean up.]

[But what kind of pseudo-friend would he be if he didn't point it out?

Near looks around the apartment, searching for a place that seems hygienic enough to sit down on. As it is, he can't find any particular spot that looks clean enough-- not even to place his precious bags on, thank you very much-- so he just stands there, a hand twirling his hair while the other holds the bags.]

Please do. In the meanwhile, I'll burn my clothes and wash my body with antiseptic when I get home.

[He's only half joking about this.]

If you aren't careful, you'll burn down your home. [Matt smiled, though he didn't flash the smile at Near. While it'd be fun to tease him, to hear Near consider any place "home" was new to Matt; it made things sound almost normal.]

[Matt eventually cleans up all the food and drinks, and on his way he grabbed Near's bags and put them on the kitchen table (the only place Matt has nothing on top, because he never uses it). He also grabs a chair since he doubts Near will want to sit on Matt's couch]

[As soon as that word slips past his lips, Near realizes his momentary distraction has led to a great mistake, and goes quiet. He hopes Matt doesn't notice, but of course he does: he's the third best, it would be preposterous and embarrassing for him not to notice such a simple thing.

He twirls his hair a little bit faster, his mind racing. He called his and Mello's apartment home-- has he really gotten so comfortable with living with his partner that he let it slip into casual conversation without noticing? He has never really called anywhere home: not the house where he lived with his parents, or Wammy's House, and certainly not every other building he has lived in since he became L. Near feels uncomfortable, but not because of the epiphany he's currently having: no, he feels uncomfortable that he let something so frighteningly intimate slip by unnoticed, just like that.

He doesn't protest when Matt takes his bags and puts them on the table, and he does accept the chair; the redhead's thoughts are right, because Near would absolutely refuse to sit down on his couch. And so he sits on the chair, bringing a knee up against his chest as he does his best to keep his poker face on.]

Don't worry, arson isn't one of my past-times.

[Matt could almost read Near's thoughts; not that he knows the other so well that he can tell what he is thinking - Near isn't the most expressive person and even if Matt used to watch him when they were younger, technically he hasn't seen Near in a long ass time - but because the didn't say anything regarding the word "home" or the fact that Matt made sure to mention it once again.

But the redhead keeps the conversation casual enough]

Yeah, that's kinda Mello's department. [he is joking, mostly.] Want anything to drink? [See? matt is a good host]

[He makes his way towards the fridge, this time grabbing a soda rather than a beer.]

[Near tries to make this little incident look unimportant by not dwelling on it, and he feels somewhat thankful that Matt doesn't taunt him about it, either; he isn't discarding the possibility of the redhead using it against him in the future, though. Near would have saved that ammunition for later use, after all.]

No, thank you, I'd rather not fall victim to severe food poisoning.

[He doesn't comment on Matt's first words. But speaking of Mello...]

How was it like to resonate with him?

[Mello hasn't said anything about wielding Matt, of course, but Near is sure he did it despite the stability and strength of their partnership; just like he was certain Mello tried to wield L when their mentor returned to Death City: he just knows his Meister very well.]

Your loss. What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. [Matt grabs an empty glass and pours soda into it.

He glances over his shoulder at the question and sighs] Really, now. [he didn't want to be thrown into a jealousy fit, specially if these two were involved]

Ask him those questions. [Matt won't be answering them, he figures it's safer.

Smoke, he needs a smoke]

Or severely crippled, or comatose.

[Sorry, Matt, he's just helping you with your accuracy there.

Well that just figures. Near is careful not to pout petulantly, like he would've done if he wasn't aiming to keep a pokerface on, and keeps on speaking as if he hasn't been denied a very important answer.]

I just wanted to know how it compared to your attempt to resonate with Sollux.

[Look at his innocent curiosity, Matt. How can you not give him the information he wants?]

[Like hell he will. Matt grabs a cigarette finally and moves to the window to smoke there; he shouldn't, this is his place, but he won't be filling the room with second hand smoke]

Still too new at this, so I can't be sure. [this is not a lie; it's true, Matt is rather new at resonance and he has too many issues underneath to allow it to be strong]

[It's only polite and civilized for Matt to smoke by the window, of course, but Near knows he didn't have to do it, so in return he decides not to taunt him any further about the state of his apartment.

Not during the next few hours, that is.]

Being new doesn't mean you are unable to recognize different levels of resonance. [And back to the hair twirling he goes.] It either works, or it doesn't. Time and experience only help you strengthen it; neither of those factors can create resonance when it didn't exist before.

Aha, but you didn't ask if it worked or not; you asked me for a comparison. And like I said, I'm not sure if I can provide comparison just yet. [Near stop, Matt won't tell you anything]

But tell you what, you'll be the first to know when I do. [now he is just teasing.]

A comparison can include a description of how one worked and the other one did not.

[Nope, he's not going to give up that easily.]

What if your refusal to give me an answer culminates in my partnership with Mello breaking apart? Will you be able to handle the consequences of your actions?

[What do you mean, dramatizing and overreacting? It's a perfectly hypothetical scenario. Very unlikely, certainly, but a hypothetical scenario nonetheless. ]

[what are you a girl?]

For a genius, you really can be such an idiot. [Matt groans] I have no intention of getting between you two love birds. He's your partner. Shouldn't you trust him a bit more? [this may have been taken from some random game quote. who says games are useless?]

[The prettiest girl in the entire kingdom!]

You should have figured out by now that I trust him with my life, otherwise we wouldn't be partners, but that is not the matter at hand.

[He becomes much more serious now, despite his overreaction just seconds before. He's even going to ignore the 'love birds' comment simply because of how utterly ridiculous those words are.]

He may be my partner, but he's a hypocrite. He is irrationally jealous of a coworker who used to be my bodyguard, but he thinks he's entitled to socialize with a spoiled brat who has attacked him while he was recovering at the clinic, and who would rather see me dead than alive.

[He twirls a strand of hair, slowly, looking very much like someone talking about the weather, with how neutral his voice sounds like.]

He tried to wield L just because, after our partnership had been established, and yet he wasn't pleased when Sollux wielded me so we could survive. [He knows he's manipulating the facts-- just slightly, mind you-- in his favor, but he's still telling the truth.] I think I have the right to know how well he resonated with a different Weapon, if he has managed to resonate at all.

[do you want a tiara]

Aha, and I'm sure you are just an angel who never once provoked him. [Matt sounds a bit amused, before he returned the same serious tone Near offered him just now]

Things like your partnership... I think you know better than anyone how much you influence Mello, Near. [he'd call it "obsession", but he doesn't want Near to use that to blackmail him.] And how much Mello influences you. [it's not like anyone could ever change their partnership, considering how wrapped these two are on each other]

[in the end, Matt shrugs as he puts his cigarette butt out] If Mello managed to resonate or not, it doesn't matter, in the end. And I know my place, don't worry.

[Only if it has a diamond shaped like a puzzle piece.]

I don't provoke him nearly as much as he makes it sound like.

[Just from time to time, when he's bored and wants to see a reaction. Or just when he wants to see a reaction. But still not as frequently as Mello makes it sound like.

It's weird, talking to Matt about his partnership with Mello, or just talking to him about Mello, period. Contrary to what would happen with L, he doesn't feel as though his words are being assessed and dissected in every way possible, and the thought is... well, not nice, per se, but okay.]

I know you won't come between our partnership, or even break it, [He begins, conceding Matt's point.] Mello is the one at fault here, because he keeps forgetting he isn't supposed to wield anyone but his partner.

[ wow picky ]

That's all very nice in theory, but you know it doesn't work that way. [Matt takes a sip of his soda]

What if you got kidnapped? Would you still not allow Mello to wield someone else in order to rescue you? Or what if in the middle of a battle you two got separated for whatever reason? Would you prefer Mello to stay Weaponless just because you don't like the idea of him wielding other Weapons? [Matt is sure Near knows this perfectly well; even Matt knows this, and if Near or Mello doesn't remember, then they are being too blinded by each other and forgetting not everything is black and white]

It's good and probably necessary to know whom you are able to resonate with. It doesn't mean you can't keep your partnership monogamous, but you will always need a backup in emergency cases.

[Only the best for him, okay.

Oh no you did not just say all of that, Matt. Time for a verbal smackdown.]

I have already been kidnapped.

[His tone is perfectly flat, deadpan, and unimpressed. Needless to say, he continues speaking in this tone of voice, determined to show Matt why he's wrong. He's sure the redhead is playing the devil's advocate, for the most part, but that doesn't mean he's right.]

I've been in Death City for seven months and fifteen days. I've lost my Meister once and was was forced to resonate temporarily with another Meister in order to survive. I've been attacked by mutant creatures and kishin eggs alike, suffering injuries that ranged from harmless to life threatening, and I woke up from a coma only to experience an earthquake almost immediately after. I've been in enough missions to know that the slightest crack in resonance is enough to get you killed.

[He finally lets go of the strand of hair he's been twirling, glancing at it as it forms a perfect curl.]

Don't underestimate my intelligence, and don't speak as if I don't know what it takes to survive in this war. There is a significant difference between wielding someone to have a back-up plan, and doing it just for fun.

Don't act so offended. [Matt shrugs]

It's not like he is planning on wielding anyone else but you - if you are around, you are his first choice. As matter of fact, if you are around, that's all he sees, remember?

If you think that him wielding someone for the kicks - which is much better than wielding them for a reason that would actually affect your connection - is that bad, then you are forgetting who the person that fills Mello's mind permanently is. [Mello would probably kick Matt's ass for saying this, but it's true. Since young, all Mello could think of was Near, being better than Near, getting back at Near, show Near he could succeed.]

[Matt puts his soda down] And if you look bothered by it, he will make it worse, don't forget.

Edited 2012-10-06 19:34 (UTC)

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Tobacco Road [Closed]

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