alternativewriting | (no subject)

Who Alec and Andrew
What Andrew gets to deal with Alec who just got really badly dump. DAD STUFFS OH NOES.
Warnings Not likely

Overall, it had been a bad night.

For several months now Alec had been fairly steadily dating this guy, Kevin. He'd gone over to Kevin's place last night so they could go to a movie or something, just generally hang out. When he'd knocked on the door Kevin's mom answered it.

She told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't allowing Kevin to see Alec any more because Alec was making Kevin sad. Apparently Alec's tendency to flirt with people upset Kevin but instead of bringing it up to Alec, he'd told his mom... and now she was telling him.

Before Alec could even get a word in edgewise, she'd slammed the door in his face.

Alec had not gone out for a drink but instead spent the night wandering about and in the morning did not show up for work even though he'd been consistently being punctual for the past three weeks. (He didn't want to reflect badly on Andrew after all...)

Instead he was sitting on the back of a park bench near Andrew's place pensively staring out into nowhere and smoking.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

"Yes, I've had a romantic relationship. Several, in fact. I assume you generally mean a romantic relationship involves monogamy and a sense of... loyalty?"

He's not the greatest at all of that, but he's apparently done it before.

"Yeah. That."

His mind tries to wrap around this. It threatens to rebel and shut down. The image is kinda mind boggling.

"Perhaps I haven't had the most traditional of relationships -- certainly not now -- but I have dated, I have had women want to marry me, I have thought, fleetingly, that I might entertain the idea of marrying them. Of course, I never did."

Marriage appalls him to his very core.

"Is it better?" Alec asks. "Not bothering with it all?"

Yes. Turn him off of romance...

"Yes. It's better to enjoy yourself, to spend time doing the things you like, to focus on work and success, and occasionally spend time with people who you are attracted to and who have very little expectations that your interaction will proceed beyond something physical or entertaining."

Which is why he dates all of those dancers and models.

"And you're happy like this?"

Exactly.

Alec's currently hurt enough to think this is good advice.

"Happiness is relative, isn't it? I find myself productive in my job, and relatively comfortable in my life. That's enough."

Don't listen to your "father", Alec.

He fidgets a bit. "And nothing else matters?"

One of these days he's going to actually get around to asking if his "father" cares about him. But he's afraid of the answer. This is about as close as he's going to get currently.

That would be intelligent of him. However, it seems like it does work for Andrew, and look where Andrew is. Which is very attractive.

"I suppose there are other things that matter, at various times. Each person has their own priorities. Perhaps what makes me happy isn't what makes you happy."

That's as close as he'll ever get to admitting he cares about anyone, and it's so oblique that Alec probably will think he's simply prevaricating, and not answering the question straight on.

"What makes you happy, Alec?" Because he really is curious about that.

It is oblique enough that he doesn't catch it. It's a very Andrew answer though.

The question throws Alec a bit and he has to stop and think about it. Honestly one of the first answers that pop into mind is hanging out with Andrew. Like the occasional dinners at home where Andrew talks about how all societies ills are brought upon by the government and it should be up to the markets and people to decide. He'd enjoyed spending time with his "father" ever since he extorted that twenty bucks off of him.

But that's horribly soppy and he doesn't think Andrew would appreciate it, especially after this emotional interlude.

He's also at that age where he really doesn't know. "Ice cream," he settles on finally. It's a horrid answer, he realizes this. "Coffee ice cream and I like playing the guitar."

Which also doesn't really answer the question.

"Ice cream," he repeats, barely able to believe that Alec had actually provided that as an answer. "At least playing the guitar requires some semblance of talent. I'm hard pressed to imagine that you're the best ice cream eater in the world, even if such thing were possible."

So then, to Andrew, things that make you happy should also be things that are considered useful or profitable. A classic belief.

"Yeah... maybe not, but it tastes good," he says defensively. Alec likes ice cream. And now he's very glad he didn't mention Andrew as making him happy. "I have very good memories attached to ice cream."

He then shrugs a little. "I should probably practice more."

Very classic.

"I have a better idea. You start with going to work. You could clearly use some practice at that."

So Alec had only missed one day, and for fairly decent (for anyone else) reasons. Even that was too much, by Andrew's standards.

There's an odd look of bristling anger and damp sad kitten on Alec's face for just the briefest of moments.

Then he just lets it all go with a soft sigh. Sometimes trying to live up to Andrew's standards was like trying to walk up Mount Everest naked and on your hands.

"I don't need practice," he grumps, but half-heartedly.

"Then let's go back to work and prove that," Andrew says, glad to be away from the emotional discussion for the time being, despite the fact that he certainly noticed the fleeting expression on Alec's face.

It will likely come back and haunt the two of them like the specter of bad taco night.

Still the hurt is pushed back and smoothed over as he stubs out his cigarette and runs his fingers through his perpetually mussed hair.

"Yeah. Sure."

"Then let's go."

And he starts walking without even checking to see that Alec is following him. His assumptions are generally that people do as he says.