♗ IC CONTACT

[waiting]

"You've reached Bradbury. I'm out, so leave a message if you need me."

Comments

[viced]

Good. Means that you got away with it. Keep your eyes peeled, pal. I need you to find out everything you can from that end, while I burn it on this end.

[ He was good at playing it off, he was good at a lot of things, especially when it came to doing his job. He could shrug this off and go back to work, and you can bet your ass he went straight back to work. ]

[waiting]

[ if mitch wanted to play this off, if he wanted to try to act like everything was fine -- bradbury couldn't. it made him sick, how easy the act had been. not the conversation that led up to it, but doing it.

at the end of the day, mitch was still vulnerable, and still human, even if he wasn't acting like it right now. he wanted to scream, he wanted to hurt something, he wanted to just punch someone, but he couldn't do any of those fucking things.

he should have said no. why the fuck had he listened? his hands were steadier than he ever thought they could be when he typed back. ignoring the order, first, because seriously? mitch could get bent. ]

gimme your sitrep.

[viced]

I'm fine, Bradbury. I'm already back at City Hall.

[ Because where else would he go? Oh, wait, he did make a stop. ]

Well, I stopped for a clean suit, and some coffee.

[waiting]

"i'm fine"

that's it?

[viced]

What? The fuck am I supposed to say?

[waiting]

[ an apology, he guesses, would be too much to hope for. ]

your powers. your memories. you sure nothing got fucked up?

[viced]

[ Well. Shit. ]

I haven't heard a single machine since coming back.

[waiting]

[ sonuvabitch. ]

goddamit, i told you it was too easy

[viced]

Shit, pal. I'll take it. It's not like I need my fucking powers.

[waiting]

you say that now, but what if they never come back?

[viced]

Really? I'd have a goddamn party.

[waiting]

until you realize you forgot how to work when you're not soulbonded to your blackberry

[viced]

I'm not fucking soulbonded to my goddamn blackberry, you shit.

[waiting]

i can't fucking wait to get back and see you eat crow

[ he'd thought he could deal with this. it wasn't like he was fucking co-dependent. but somehow, right now, the distance between them more than just a metaphor for how they've drifted apart...

it's like a kick in the ribs. ]

[viced]

Losing my powers doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly stop working.

[ He has too much weighing on him. His city isn't going to fall apart around him, because he wasn't willing to let it. ]

[waiting]

guess not

you never stop for anything

[viced]

I can't afford to, Bradbury.

[waiting]

i don't owe you anything anymore



you got that? you don't get to ask me for shit

[ he'd saved mitch's life once and now he'd taken it away. mitch had saved his life once and then he'd asked him for the impossible, or what bradbury thought was impossible. ]

[viced]

Bradbury, you've never owed me for anything.

Despite whatever jokes I've made.

[ He'd needed it. It was logical, and cold. He recognized it. He knew it wasn't human, it was fucked up, but it was something he needed. ]

[waiting]

you know what

forget it.

[viced]

Do you really want me to?

[waiting]

you don't even feel bad about it. there's no fucking point.

[viced]

Feel bad about dying? No.

That I had to ask you to do it? Of course.

[waiting]

so why me?

[viced]

Because I needed someone I could trust.