6/13 Instance: Heartbreak In Lace

[Ferguson]

Timeline after Changeling's intro


Jean-Paul had searched far and wide which, considering him, didn't really take long. Eventually, however, he stumbled upon his prey, no doubt trying to find something shiny to make hats with in the arts closet. He closed the door behind him, looking up. "Hello."

Adam jumped, and jumped badly, the armful of skirt sliding out of his hands as he whirled at the intruder. "It wasn't me! I'm researching! For Lor- oh. It's you. Hello you." He deflated, the terrified look instantly replaced with a blank one.

"Don't worry, what you wear in your alone time is no concern of mine." He smiled slightly as he caught sight of the skirt. "So, you've been doing a pretty good job of snubbing me, haven't you?"

That got him a snort as Adam leaned down and picked up the skirt, carefully folding it and hanging it on the hanger in question, placing it back in the rack. "What do you care if I have?" He didn't look at JP, but didn't completely turn his back either. He couldn't ignore him in here and the other was between him and the only escape route.

"What, one day you're giving me the relationship speech and now this? You accepted what I said then and now, the way I see it, you should be more about asking if we're okay after that...stunt we're never, ever going to be trying again rather than treating me like I'm contagious."

"No, I should be more asking you give a flying fuck whether or not I'm okay after that." Adam bit out, still not looking at him. "But I won't, because I'm pretty sure I already know the answer." He busied his hands, tidying the racks if only to hide the shaking. "So how about you just carry on what you're doing to Reed and leave me to have my fun?"

Jean-Paul blinked, complete mental what the fuckery taking over. "I wasn't even doing anything with Reed anymore...was giving you a chance, see how far that got me."

Adam actually dropped what he was holding, but instead of picking it up he turned and stared at JP. "...What?"

His eyes rolled and he crossed his arms, leaning back against the doors. "What do you mean what?"

"I..." Adam blinked slowly as he tried to work his head around what JP had just said. "You and Reed...I thought that...you were...oh no. Y-you really did that? For me?" Well, that was like a bucketful of cold water...slowly, he started to flush, not entirely sure why, though shame was in there somewhere...

"Exactly why did you just assume I was an asshole? I mean, sure, I liked you both, but after that talk what makes you think I would do that?"

"..." Adam twitched a little. "I just - I thought - I mean...after...after everything...I-I came back to talk and..." He did look at JP, quickly, eyes darting off him again. He didn't smell like he was lying. But that meant he'd just treated JP like shit for no reason. "...I didn't know you'd done that...I thought you were still screwing around with him..." He said in a small voice.

"And what? Just because I wasn't there you do...whatever the hell you did?" He couldn't help but put on a most disgusted face thinking about that.

"Gambit." He said in an even smaller voice, before sitting down and rubbing his face. "H-he was there and...I really thought...I didn't know and he said I needed fun and..." Oh man, he'd fucked up, hadn't he? Really, really fucked up. "I was waiting for you. I-I didn't mean to scare you like that, and I thought you were really pissed off with me and..." He trailed off.

Jean-Paul just blinked for a moment. "Well, I guess that answers that then. That'll make the room situation especially awkward, too." No, that was not going to be any fun. None of this was. Well, at least there wasn't any stabbings so that was an upside to things.

"But...why?" Adam looked up at JP, blue eyes wide. "I was the one who fucked up, right?" And he'd just admitted to it? What. This was confusing. He stood up, needing something to do with his hands, trying to sort his thoughts out but nothing forthcoming. "Um..."

"Why what?" Jean-Paul looked confused at that, not sure if he skipped something or just missed completely. There was never any telling. "Things are fucked up, yeah." There was absolutely no denying that.

"Why'd it make it awkward between you? I screwed up, I should have known better..." How? He'd never done this before. Hell, the only thing he had to base any of this on was sitcoms, and even he knew that those weren't exactly good rolemodels for reality. He glanced at JP as he carried on tidying. "...So...how do we...well, I...unfuck them?" He asked quietly. Drugs. Maybe taking his drugs would be good.

"...it was completely not kosher of him?" Jean-Paul couldn't help the edge in his voice. Surely this had to be covered somewhere in Adam's socialization. "We don't unfuck this. It...it just did not work. I don't have near the patience I need and honestly I don't think you're ready for much of anything."

"Hey, hey, don't let him take all the blame. I should have..." Have what? Fuck, he didn't know about any of this. This was completely and terrifyingly new to him. "...Maybe you're right. Maybe I shouldn't have tried this, maybe I'm just too...weird, or...whatever for this." He didn't look at JP. "To be honest, I never really expected a chance against Reed. You don't need patience for him, right?"

"He avoided me and would barely talk to me all throughout me having anything to do with you. Everyone requires patience." Jean-Paul sighed. "And trust me, it's not all the blame but still, not kosher."

He decided to have a seat at one of the little side tables crammed into the ever-expansive closet. "You'll learn. I mean, I'll still give you advice and everything but nothing beyond that."

Adam was silent for a little while. "Alright. And for what it's worth, I'm sorry." His voice was oddly tight, and he didn't understand why he felt suddenly depressed and needed to get the hell out of dodge. "I-I didn't mean for this to happen. I've...been...an asshole, haven't I?"

"You didn't know better." Jean-Paul corrected. "Now you do though so if you do it to anyone else then yeah, you'll be being a giant asshole."

"I'm one of those anyway, remember?" Adam managed a snort, shaking his head before balling up what was left of his pride and sitting down as well, scrubbing a gloved hand through his hair. "No...I didn't know any better, but hell, maybe I should have asked instead of assuming..." He flicked a rubber band dis-consolingly across the table. "Is there...no. Not gonna ask that."

Well, he couldn't lie and say that asking was generally a pretty good idea. He just went ahead and nodded, supposing it would also be an asshole move to rub the point in. "Is there what? You may as well ask, it's not going to do any harm, yeah?"

"Hah. I wanted to know if there was any chance, but there isn't, is there?" Adam shrugged. "Simple fact is I'm just that little bit too screwed for this right now, right?"

"It's not a rare thing, sometimes you just can't do it. there's no shame in that." He got a shrug back. "You'll be up to it sometime."

"I meant with you, JP."

"No, not with me," he winced. "It's just not something I can see myself doing, you know?"

Well, if that didn't just push it in a little harder. Fuck. He had feelings for JP, didn't he? Adam simply nodded, not sure what he could say to that. "No...guess I can get that." He managed. "Look...I need to...I should...yeah." He stood up quickly. He wasn't sure what he wanted to do, but getting away from the other guy was probably a good idea.

"Yeah, yeah that's probably a good thing." He shuffled to get out of the way, opening the door for Adam. "I'm sorry though, yeah?"

"What're you sorry for." Adam shrugged miserably. "It's not your fault I'm a freak." With that, he blurred out, putting as much space between him and JP as he possibly could, headed out of the school. He didn't care where, just far away.

"...Oh that last part could have gone better."

[puppygirl]

... He runs across the city and into the loving, comforting arms of the Brotherhood Oh yes ...

[Ferguson]

Those arms give Adam what he needs, drinks and destruction!