Title: I guess I'll keep it, then...
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing! And meanness! Ah, quarrelsome... ^.^
Premise: Here it comes!! FIGHTFIGHTFIGHT!! Aww... Jim...
A/N: Angst!! And even MORE next chapter! And SORRY about the delay. I've been really busy, and for once that's not just a baseless excuse for lack of creativity! (actually, I've been busy *and* I just got the new Zelda game back, which was confiscated and literally locked away for undisclosed reasons ^.^;)
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Jim started as Gene's heavy footsteps announced his passage down the stairs. The hacker did his best to banish the grogginess from his muddled mind, suppressing a groan as he did so. He focused on the staircase. At least the man had managed to pull some pants on this time. It was impossible to keep the sarcasm from his voice as Jim greeted his partner.
"Good morning, aniki." Gene stopped scratching his head long enough to register the words. He looked at the clock and grinned lopsidedly, frustratingly slowly.
"Mm... You're such a kidder, Jim." The digital clock read 12:48, and the PM light was on.
"At least you're up before 1:00 today, you lazy ass." Gene seemed to disregard or not hear the last part of that statement and snickered dumbly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't stay out too late last night." He was completely unaware of how dangerously close to a fight they already were. He looked around. "Need my caffiene... Where'za kitchen again...?" He teetered off in the direction of the sound of Melfina cooking. She was making lunch, but also had a pot of coffee ready for Gene.
"God, aniki, you do the same thing everyday." Gene didn't even slow down. "Aniki. Aniki!" Finally he stopped and turned around.
"Hey, calm down, I just like to have fun. You should try it some time." At this, Jim began to lose it.
"I'm serious! You never help out anymore- you barely ever have! All you do is party, drink, and sleep. And when you are here, all you do is fawn all over Melfina." At this last statement, Gene began to grow angry, as well. Melfina had been about to call out to him, but stopped as she heard the sharp tone in his voice.
"You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a little kid."
"Am I? Little kids play all day. Little kids don't come home until they're too tired to walk. Little kids don't do all the work, day and night- they let the adults do it!" Jim now had all of Gene's attention focused on him, but the redhead still didn't notice how spent and at the end of his tolerance he really was. Neither did he notice his own lack of patience, his lack of sleep(though not so extreme as Jim's) finally taking its toll.
Melfina, listening from a room away, began to worry. She knew this was probably just another fight, like they always had, but she hated it. She felt it was partly her fault for letting things slide. Of course, she had tried to talk to Gene occasionally, but he always avoided the subject and managed to evade its discussion. The conflicts had been steadily growing more aggressive, and she was afraid of what migt happen if the intesity continued to escalate. As she stood there, listening to them argue, she decided she should try to stop it. Gene had to listen. Even if all she could was distract him, she couldn't let this go on. She was just working herself up to interfere when it all went wrong.
"You little... Yeah, sure, you say you do so much, but when's the last time you came up with a good job? Huh? Tell me that." He turned to leave, but Jim's voice shocked him out of the halfway-done action. The boy couldn't take anymore.
"That is not my fault, Gene Starwind!" He was yelling now, even though it was hard to speak and hurt to raise his voice at all. Gene's eyes widened. He had not heard Jim call him by his full name for years.
Jim had actually scared himself by speaking his partner's name. It seemed a symbol of rejection, the harshest and closest cutting insult he could use. His throat felt dry, and he almost said something like to an apology. He didn't get a chance.
Melfina quietly looked through the doorway, curious and frightened, and saw something happen that she never thought she would see.
Gene spun around, took a step towards Jim, and hit him.
Everything seemed to stop as the man stared at Jim, knocked to the floor by the force of the blow. Jim stared back, eyes round in disbelief. Gene was appalled by his action, but felt paralyzed, unable to acknowledge that what he had just done was real, had actually happened.. Melfina held a hand to her mouth and didn't notice as a tear slid unbidden down her cheek to pool on the side of her palm. Gene's throat worked as he tried to make himself say something, but he remained silent as Jim got to his feet and walked out the door.
Gene held his head in his hands, concealing his face, and quietly went back upstairs.
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Melfina's voice suddenly stopped as she looked past Asahi. The girl turned and her eyes were met by Jim's, wide and sad with memory. He had returned without them noticing, and who knew how long he had been listening.
"Jim- I..." Melfina didn't know what to say as he turned up the stairs. Asahi whirled around to Mel.
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A/N: Yeah, so this wasn't too bad... This and the next chapter are just emotional/mental angst, but for those fans of blood, er... you won't be disappointed. Oh... I'M SORRY JIM! I love you, really!
...and again I am doing this instead of working on homework like a good little girl would be doing...
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Swearing! And meanness! Ah, quarrelsome... ^.^
Premise: Here it comes!! FIGHTFIGHTFIGHT!! Aww... Jim...
A/N: Angst!! And even MORE next chapter! And SORRY about the delay. I've been really busy, and for once that's not just a baseless excuse for lack of creativity! (actually, I've been busy *and* I just got the new Zelda game back, which was confiscated and literally locked away for undisclosed reasons ^.^;)
%%%%%
Jim started as Gene's heavy footsteps announced his passage down the stairs. The hacker did his best to banish the grogginess from his muddled mind, suppressing a groan as he did so. He focused on the staircase. At least the man had managed to pull some pants on this time. It was impossible to keep the sarcasm from his voice as Jim greeted his partner.
"Good morning, aniki." Gene stopped scratching his head long enough to register the words. He looked at the clock and grinned lopsidedly, frustratingly slowly.
"Mm... You're such a kidder, Jim." The digital clock read 12:48, and the PM light was on.
"At least you're up before 1:00 today, you lazy ass." Gene seemed to disregard or not hear the last part of that statement and snickered dumbly.
"Yeah, well, I didn't stay out too late last night." He was completely unaware of how dangerously close to a fight they already were. He looked around. "Need my caffiene... Where'za kitchen again...?" He teetered off in the direction of the sound of Melfina cooking. She was making lunch, but also had a pot of coffee ready for Gene.
"God, aniki, you do the same thing everyday." Gene didn't even slow down. "Aniki. Aniki!" Finally he stopped and turned around.
"Hey, calm down, I just like to have fun. You should try it some time." At this, Jim began to lose it.
"I'm serious! You never help out anymore- you barely ever have! All you do is party, drink, and sleep. And when you are here, all you do is fawn all over Melfina." At this last statement, Gene began to grow angry, as well. Melfina had been about to call out to him, but stopped as she heard the sharp tone in his voice.
"You don't know what you're talking about. You're just a little kid."
"Am I? Little kids play all day. Little kids don't come home until they're too tired to walk. Little kids don't do all the work, day and night- they let the adults do it!" Jim now had all of Gene's attention focused on him, but the redhead still didn't notice how spent and at the end of his tolerance he really was. Neither did he notice his own lack of patience, his lack of sleep(though not so extreme as Jim's) finally taking its toll.
Melfina, listening from a room away, began to worry. She knew this was probably just another fight, like they always had, but she hated it. She felt it was partly her fault for letting things slide. Of course, she had tried to talk to Gene occasionally, but he always avoided the subject and managed to evade its discussion. The conflicts had been steadily growing more aggressive, and she was afraid of what migt happen if the intesity continued to escalate. As she stood there, listening to them argue, she decided she should try to stop it. Gene had to listen. Even if all she could was distract him, she couldn't let this go on. She was just working herself up to interfere when it all went wrong.
"You little... Yeah, sure, you say you do so much, but when's the last time you came up with a good job? Huh? Tell me that." He turned to leave, but Jim's voice shocked him out of the halfway-done action. The boy couldn't take anymore.
"That is not my fault, Gene Starwind!" He was yelling now, even though it was hard to speak and hurt to raise his voice at all. Gene's eyes widened. He had not heard Jim call him by his full name for years.
Jim had actually scared himself by speaking his partner's name. It seemed a symbol of rejection, the harshest and closest cutting insult he could use. His throat felt dry, and he almost said something like to an apology. He didn't get a chance.
Melfina quietly looked through the doorway, curious and frightened, and saw something happen that she never thought she would see.
Gene spun around, took a step towards Jim, and hit him.
Everything seemed to stop as the man stared at Jim, knocked to the floor by the force of the blow. Jim stared back, eyes round in disbelief. Gene was appalled by his action, but felt paralyzed, unable to acknowledge that what he had just done was real, had actually happened.. Melfina held a hand to her mouth and didn't notice as a tear slid unbidden down her cheek to pool on the side of her palm. Gene's throat worked as he tried to make himself say something, but he remained silent as Jim got to his feet and walked out the door.
Gene held his head in his hands, concealing his face, and quietly went back upstairs.
%%%%%
Melfina's voice suddenly stopped as she looked past Asahi. The girl turned and her eyes were met by Jim's, wide and sad with memory. He had returned without them noticing, and who knew how long he had been listening.
"Jim- I..." Melfina didn't know what to say as he turned up the stairs. Asahi whirled around to Mel.
%%%%%
A/N: Yeah, so this wasn't too bad... This and the next chapter are just emotional/mental angst, but for those fans of blood, er... you won't be disappointed. Oh... I'M SORRY JIM! I love you, really!
...and again I am doing this instead of working on homework like a good little girl would be doing...