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Fighting Fire with Fire

"Course you were, Martin's only good for-- shit, are you alright? Do you really need to go to the hospital, 'cos I'll get you there if you really need to go," he grimaced, spinning back around in his hair to eye the other up again in concern, his frown guiltily growing. As bad as it was, he was glad that the focus had quickly switched to the other's health - he'd been one second away from admitting that all Martin was good for was killing, and that would have sounded pretty callous. He could do without sounding that insensitive, really.

"...I mean... I didn't mean to hurt 'ya, I just-- yeah, should we get you to A&E? Or... Or can you ride the pain out? Hey, I have some cooling packs in the drawer, do you want one of 'em?" He offered, despite rummaging around without waiting for confirmation, tossing across one of the packs with a cautious grin. "Just pop one of them on your hip and go lie down."
 
"I mean, it says something about you, yeah? You're so intense, that you fuck up my hips," he teased, before slowly moving to sit back down on the bed. "... Will you come and at least help? If we're going to be in a proper relationship, a boyfriend helps after he fucks up his partner's hips."

Patting the space besides him, he glanced at the television as he flipped it on, taking note of the fact that the news anchor went on about how 'the one masked villain seemed to be more present than the other', though he remained unemotional. It hurt his ego, sure, but at least he didn't plan on killing an innocent waiter.
 
"If it makes you feel good, Martin didn't make me that intense. I was fucking bored halfway through that I just sorta gave up and let him kiss me a bit," he shrugged, knowing by now that Skyler liked having his ego petted a bit. While he wasn't going to go out of his way to praise him, he was going to give compliments when he felt there was a time to... and it seemed perfectly logical to him to offer a few Skyler's way after hurting him as badly as he did.

Besides, he was in a jovial mood. He managed to finally have sex with Skyler, and then he got to sit down beside him while hearing his alter be referenced in the news with the fear factor he strove to receive. Sure, he had to resort to some planning and he had to use some energy... but if that was what it took to outdo Skyler's alter for once, so be it. He was still going to see the whole thing as one big game, anyway.

"Pretty fuckin' scary, ain't it. Makes you wonder what the other guy's gonna do in response to this. I can't see him just settling back and letting this nutcase get the attention," he casually drawled, hiding his delighted smirk as best he could. "I dunno, as long as Martin gets out alright. He's boring, sure, but he's sweet and he don't deserve this. Must be fucking terrifying."
 
"I feel sorry for him," he admitted, while moving to lay down once again, placing the packs on his hips. He closed his eyes, genuinely exhausted from the heavy sex. Letting out a heavy sigh, because pursed his lips tight.

"Did you ever want to meet these guys? Find out who they are behind the mask?" He asked, before moving to grab Brandon's arm to tug closer. "I mean, fuck. They might be going to this school, for all we know. Would you look at them any differently?"
 
"I mean, do you want the honest answer? I'd love to meet 'em, if my safety was guaranteed. Like, I'd only wanna know who they are if I don't get burned alive or shot in the head, I guess. I think it'd be cool to hear their reasoning and understand 'em a bit. Hell, I wish I did psychology or somethin', 'cos they'd make great studies," he grinned, stretching his legs out fully while absently running his fingers through the other's hair, surprising himself with the shows of affection. This really wasn't usual for him, because he strayed as far away from being affectionate after sex, or as far as he could, but he was willingly laying besides Skyler like this-- and not entirely hating it, either.

"I got no chance of meeting the guys though, so there's no point worrying. Besides, I'd probably regret it when I was stood in front of 'em. They ain't exactly friendly looking," he pointed out with a small roll of his eyes. "Maybe one day I'll be in some bank and then get to meet them as they ransack the place. Fingers crossed, eh?"
 
"I believe everything could be fixed with some proper communication... or, maybe, we could offer them a way to contact the media. That skull guy seems pretty full of himself, so I'm sure he wouldn't pass up the chance to get a proper interview. He'd probably set me on fire halfway through, but it would be pretty cool." He admitted, as his eyes drifted off absently.

"I dunno. Probably never happen. It would be good to write for my psych class, though, y'know? I'd probably get an A for the whole semester," he cooed, before closing his eyes wearily, his eyes closing. "A man can dream, yeah?"
 
Now, Brandon didn't usually have a heart of gold. He was known to be kind around the college, sure, and he was definitely known for his often contagious smiles and sense of fun... but he didn't necessarily go out of his way to help people out. It was far too time-consuming and took way too much energy out of him. However, he did find himself having to bite his lip in contemplation once seeing a way for him to help Skyler out. After skipping out on him at the diner and spending a week leaving him stewing in his own anger, he probably owed him something, didn't he? Even if Skyler unintentionally called him arrogant...

"...I kinda lied. I mean, I do know them-- well, I know one of 'em, the skeleton guy. I ain't got a clue about the boring one, but I know the one with the skeleton mask-- I mean, I don't know who's under the mask, I can't get you a huge scoop, but I... I guess I could try and contact the guy and get you an interview or... I dunno, dude, he's a villain, right? I'm lucky I didn't get burned alive when I met the guy."
 
"How the hell could you know him?" He blurted, the news definitely causing him to sit up despite the pain in his hips. "That's- don't lie, it isn't funny. Like, he's a bad guy, Brandon! Please don't tell me you did anything to you..."

In his panic, he sat up quick before physically cringing. "How can you contact him? How can you get him here without him killing me? I can't have that, obviously, or I wouldn't be able to pay my mom back." He explained hurriedly. "God, I... When can you talk to him?"
 
Did he regret saying anything? Sure, of course. He wasn't stupid, but he did let his mouth get carried away, and then land himself in awkward, avoidable situations - like this one. Only after he'd blurted did he realise the hole he'd dug for himself. He could meet Skyler with the mask on, that was easy enough, but then he would have to make some excuse as to why he couldn't stand in on the interview as himself, and it would seem like he was skipping out on Skyler again. They weren't dating, but... well, he wasn't against that happening, and this would be a major setback if he seemed like he was refusing to spend time with him.

"I... I dunno, dude. I met the guy, like, at that skateboard rank, he was sorta beating up a few kids, and-- and hey, I guess that's where he met Martin," he babbled, breathing out nervously. "I... I gave him my Ma's old necklace to stop him beating me up, and... and I ain't his buddy or anythin'-- I just guess I can find him there if I went alone, y'know? I'm sure he thinks I'm a soft touch who'll give him expensive shit to keep my life..."
 
His frantic and eager moves to get dressed stopped almost instantly the moment he heard the reluctance in the other's voice. He hesitated, before letting out a deep sigh and reaching for some clothes, tugging on a pair of tight jeans and a button up, his appearance slowly returning to that of the usual Skyler.

"You don't have to lie to impress me, of course you don't know him. He a crazed murderer, who is willing to hurt one of your friends. It's... Fine. Look, I guess I'll go and get us a pizza. Nothing better for an injury like walking it off, yeah? That's what my mom used to tell me."
 
"...Nah, do you know who the fucking crazed murderer is? The guy with that fucking... blank mask and that suit, he's the crazy one. I do know the skeleton guy, and he's just misunderstood, he ain't 'crazed'. He likes having a good time, and sure, maybe his idea of a good time ain't ours, but he... he's not totally bad," he quipped, too passionate about the issue to really notice, or care, that he was clearly very defensive on the issue. Sitting himself up from the bed, just to pull on his socks, he silently cast the other a glance.

"I want to come out for pizza, we can eat in," he suggested, his voice back to its usual slow drawl, in contrast to the angry snaps a few seconds prior. "Just-- don't say I'm a liar when I ain't. I mean, I... I lie sometimes, everyone does, but I ain't lying when I say I know the guy."
 
"Why are you defending him, when he's the guy holding Martin for hostage?" He questioned curiously, a brow raised as he stared over at the man. Physically shaking his head, he moved to grab his skateboard. He was in no condition to use it, since he couldn't even walk without a limp, he didn't want to let that bother him.

"Are you going to pay? Or do I have to?" He murmured, his hips clicking, "Knowing you, I'll probably just end up paying so you can flirt with the delivery boy and kick me out."
 
"Are you really gonna have a go at me? I mean, I fucking deserve it, but fuck dude, relax. I ain't going to flirt with anyone, not now," he shrugged, eyeing the skateboard in obvious distress. Like hell was he stepping foot on that thing again, after last time.

"I'll pay. I'll drive us, how about that? Or did I not mention I can drive and have a car~? Didn't think it was worth mentioning," he playfully shrugged, avoiding all talk of Martin if he could help it. He was dangerously close to just blurting that he was the skeleton-masked villain that was currently holding people hostage for a million pounds, and while it would be satisfying to see Skyler's reaction, he genuinely didn't want to fuck up what they had-- or what they might have. "I don't really like driving, I crash all the goddamn time since passing my test, but if you wanna take that risk, it'll be quicker and less painful for 'ya."
 
"Well, it seems that driving with you would be more dangerous than just skating there, if you're that terrible," he insisted, before carefully moving towards the door.

"Y'know, you should carry me. Do you know how much I'm in pain right now? Like, moving is killing me. You should really treat me after what you did.@
 
"And you should stop trying to make me feel guiltier than I already am, alright? We'll take my car, you aren't up for fucking skateboarding there, dude. Just-- I ain't that bad a driver. I passed my test, didn't I?" The teen reminded with another roll of his eyes, fishing his keys out from beneath a few empty packets of gummy worms, before strolling out after the other.

"I mean, maybe I'll carry 'ya down the stairs, that'd be cute, right? Better not, though. Alice might see and-- shit, you kinda cheated on her, huh? Not that I care, really. I'm obviously the object of your desires and she's not living up to my standard, so obviously you were gonna choose me~"
 
"Hm. I dunno, I talked to Alice already. She's still a pretty close friend, but... besides, I don't like cheating. Don't believe it's a good, y'know? If you're not in a relationship with them, just fuck them. If you actually care about them, then don't cheat. Simple."

As he spoke, he held out his arms, waiting patiently to be lifted. "Go on then, I want to get pizza."
 
"...You weren't kidding 'bout that? I mean, if people see me carrying you out to my car, they're gonna start thinking we're dating, you know that, right? Now, I'm perfectly fine with that, by the way. I've made it pretty clear how I feel, I think," he casually drawled, hesitating just a moment or two. It wasn't because he was debating whether or not to pick him up - he'd already decided that he wanted to do that. He just needed a few seconds to gauge how to go about it. He could swoop him up in one hand... but that was beyond suspicious. Likewise, he could pretend and act, but a huge part of him wanted to impress Skyler, and he wasn't going to do that if he made a big deal out of lifting him up, right?

In the end, he opted to just lift him up into his arms without too much acting involved, figuring that Skyler already realised he was strong, so why bother pretending to act like the other teen was heavy? In case there was some questioning over just how easy he managed to lift him, he wisely chose to move onto a new topic of conversation before any questions could be brought up.

"So, for the record, I ain't gonna flirt with no pizza delivery kid, alright? Even if someone who looks like a fuckin' model works there, I'm gonna focus on you and whatever... this is. The start of a relationship, some casual hanging out-- whatever it is, I'm not gonna be an asshole to you tonight, okay?"
 
Squeaking at the sudden lift, the man shyly looked away at his genuine shock. "Mm... Anyway, you better. If you do treat me poorly, I'm going to find another form. It's nice that you're that concerned about me possibly leaving . Like, you're really obsessed with me that much? Why?"

As he asked, he didn't really care if others saw it as weird. It was more of the emasculation that hurt.
 
"I ain't obsessed, don't fucking say that, you're kinda ruining the cool vibe I try to go for-- but I dunno, you're cute and I like you and-- what more do you want to hear, sheesh. If you moved dorms, would it suck? Sure-- but it wouldn't be the end of the world. I'd still hang out with you. Now, do I want you to move out? Hell no. I like sharing a dorm with you, you're really neat and it's always an added bonus to share with someone I think is pretty hot, right?"

Shooting a grin down at the man in his arms, he did purposely stop halfway down the staircase to offer him a kiss, doing so just as a group of athletic-looking 2nd years strolled on by, and when they offered a curious stare, he simply smiled them off with a wink.

"Hey, you don't have to be, like, all shy about it. You like me, I like you. It really ain't rocket science, babe."
 
"Why the hell did you do that?" He whispered, while warily watching the older students pass and immediately begin chattering among themselves. His whole life depended on perception, and he knew that jocks like them were notoriously homophobic. The thought of being pummeled by a few jocks scared the shit out of him.

"Do you know who those guys are? They're going to kill me, Brandon! I don't care what people think about me as long as they won't pummel me. Have you noticed how weak I am? I'm not tough..."
 
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