phone post

[orangetoughguy]

"Motherfucker, I'm trying to watch The Lost Boys."

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[signatures]

[ Eames exhales in thought, shaking his head before biting into his taco. Chewing gives him time to do the math. ]

Eight years, or thereabouts.

[orangetoughguy]

[That almost makes Freddy jealous. Almost. He wonders how many times Eames and Arthur have fought, how many times they've come together then drifted apart only to come back again. He wonders if it's dumb and naive to want to have even half that time with Larry. It's a quick temporary flare because he comforts himself knowing in the short time he's known Larry he's gained the kinds of memories he'll take to the fucking grave.]

Long time. [Orange says around this second tamale.] Too long to think you're dreaming. I mean all kinds of crazy shit happens here, you'd need a fuckin' therapist if it was in your head.

[signatures]

[ What Eames leaves out, of course, is the year spent not knowing one another - and everything between all that. ]

I don't think he considers the entire eight years to be inconsequential, [ he muses over his tacos, ] only this place.

[orangetoughguy]

I didn't mean that, just you know a guy for so long...

[And suddenly he doesn't want to say anymore because after gunning guys down and holding his hand while he bled to death and losing his ass cherry to White it still took him time to reveal he's a cop. Somehow it just makes Orange an uncredible source when it comes to knowing who people really are, in his opinion anyway.]

After all that though I'm pretty sure he missed you.

[signatures]

[ Eames only shakes his head, finishing off his last taco, washing it down with a few pulls of his cola. ]

Had plenty of company, besides.

[orangetoughguy]

I mean it man.

[He looks at Eames curiously, thinking the guy's dismissing the concept too easily though he wouldn't blame him for it either.]

[signatures]

[ Now would be a good time for a cigarette, but he quit. ]

Nah, mate. He was just waiting to wake up because I told him I'd get him up, if we were dreaming.

[orangetoughguy]

[........Freddy clears his throat again.]

You're a pretty easy goin' kinda guy, right?

[signatures]

So I'm told. [ He shoots Orange a small smirk. ]

[orangetoughguy]

So there was this one day where all the mistletoe in the whole fuckin' place started creepin' everywhere. I'm talkin' your bedroom, your bathroom, the kitchen, the mailbox, the fuckin' streetlight. This shit was everywhere.

[Hands. They're flapping.]

[signatures]

Yeah, I heard all about that. Must've been quite the day.

[ More salsa and dip! ]

[orangetoughguy]

It was crazy.

[IT WAS GREAT. Except for having to tell Eames this one part.]

Ran into Argyle...

[signatures]

Mhhmm?

[ Eames appears to be caught up with the salsa, but he's paying attention just fine. ]

[orangetoughguy]

...He was goin' at it, I mean really at it...

[Slowly but surely.] With White.

[signatures]

[ Oh. Crunch. ]

He left that one out.

[orangetoughguy]

Yeah. [Have a sheepish shrug, limey.] I kinda joined in so I can tell you.

[That last part Orange kind of just blurts out quickly before moving on.] He was there but not really, you know? Stuck in another time, another place, or he wanted to be anyway.

[signatures]

I imagine it was because of your Roman assets.

[ #354809485 of things Eames doesn't want to discuss: Arthur making out with the Colour team when he's not there. ]

[orangetoughguy]

[Oh come on, Paisley, can't we leave the nose jokes out of this? Freddy huffs.]

I'm tryin' to tell you I caught the smell of fuckin' desperation all over him. [The way he was up in Larry's mouth, in Larry's hands, but Orange is gonna leave that part out.] Maybe he's scared shitless you're gonna go again, if you ask me the guy's got a self-destruct button somewhere.

[Part him speculates purely on what Freddy can empathize with.]

[signatures]

You still a werewolf? [ He points out wryly, shooting Orange a briefly amused look. ] It's a curse, Mister O. Mistletoe has the tendency to spark plenty in people.

[ He won't argue the self-destruct button, though. Arthur has every tendency to make his own decisions, for better or for worse. ]

Who knows how many times he needs convincing, anyway.

[orangetoughguy]

[He gives Eames a particular look, the kind that's searching for what's lurking beneath the surface. They're friends, sure, but they've always kept a particular distance, a kind of zone built around the man himself that convinces people to let him in without being granted the same privilege in return. Some of it's a matter of business, what they do for a living, a mutual acknowledgment of lines drawn. Some of it, Freddy reckons--because he's guilty of it--is never wanting to show weakness or vulnerability. Just be super fucking cool.]

Are you gonna find out?

[signatures]

[ There are things that get spoken of and things that don't, in Eames' world. Most of it has to do with matter of worth in the subject, some with how much he wants to reveal of himself - little to none, even with those he actually holds a closeness to. Honesty, with Eames, has a particular habit of coming out much more blundering than any lie might, no matter how complex. It may be the supposed consequence of being born to stick to a role or three, the natural human act of image management rather exaggerated in his case - but also in Orange's.

They're not all that different. Just took different paths with it, ended up with a separate hand of rules. ]

That's the debate at hand, really.

[orangetoughguy]

[Funny how they think alike too. Orange gives another shrug.]

Well you know how to find me.

[If the man needs help or a distraction. While he wants to suggest Eames take the time afforded to him to really explore other options, he just feels the Englishman wouldn't really do it. He's hung up on Argyle, eight years and counting it seems. Idly Freddy wonders if he and Larry come off the exact same way.]

[signatures]

Yeah.

[ He's somewhat surprised with the offer - as sided yet as focused as it is, not attempting to press it too hard. But Eames doesn't like to talk of himself in any large amount of dosage so it's time to change the subject. ]

How's your old man?

[orangetoughguy]

[Orange can understand that plenty, he rolls on smoothly like Proud Mary.]

Still old. What else do you wanna know?

[signatures]

How things are, really. Heard you lot had quite of a bash while I was gone.

[ Heard. Indeed. ]