Manhattan Portalocity Station and Beyond, Wednesday Afternoon

[suitably_heroic]

Coming here always made Jack restless - maybe because half the time, he was picking someone up from a different place and a different life, and as much as he was trying to do the healthy thing and not let the whole two-worlds-two-lives thing mess with his head, it still made him jittery.

Anyway.

It was just Cade. What was the worst that could happen?

(Probably a lot.)

He waited outside the station, wearing a jacket and hoodie and jeans and, probably, looking more genuinely relaxed than Cade had ever seen him. Even with the jitters. Even with the way his foot kept jumping.

Space. This was probably a bad idea...

[[ for that guy ]]

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

"Old and traumatized and heavily therapized," Atton said, faux-cheerfully. "I was pretty close to doing something insanely stupid to myself a few years ago. The near-death experiences weren't helping."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Probably not," Cade agreed. "Can I get a drink before having to spill my guts here?"

[suitably_heroic]

"I mean, the server left five seconds ago," Atton said, "But I'm sure they won't mind pouring you a pitcher of tequila."

He waved one back over.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"All good decisions are made after tequila," Cade agreed, putting in his order.

[suitably_heroic]

"Maybe you can get that tattooed on your arm tonight," Atton said. "Or maybe your forehead."

They brought him his soda.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I'm too old to tattoo my forehead," Cade said, arching up a curious eyebrow at Atton's drink.

[suitably_heroic]

"Finally found something you're too old for, huh," Atton said, pouring it into his glass. He looked back up at Cade. "I don't drink much these days."

Hadn't for years, but he used to at least put in the effort to pretend.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Weird," Cade said helpfully, "but it's not like you can get the good stuff from home here anyway."

[suitably_heroic]

"Yeaaah, no juma juice on the menu," Atton said, with a little sigh. He nodded over at the incoming booze. "You'll just have to deal with that insane amount of the local stuff."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I'll do my best," Cade said with a smile. "It's wrong to waste it."

[suitably_heroic]

"We'll go do karaoke sometime, then I'll join you on the booze," Atton said wryly.

And lo, the booze was set down at their table.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I am amazing at karaoke," Cade said. It helped that he was born with a capacity to feel shame.

[suitably_heroic]

"I'm a professional musician," Atton countered, sipping his soda.

It had to be said copious amounts of alcohol were a great leveller.

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I'm not throwing my underwear at you," Cade told him.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton pulled a face. "You better not. It's probably radioactive and psychotropic."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"I do not know what that second word means," Cade said airily.

[suitably_heroic]

"Drugs," Atton said. "I'm saying your underwear is probably full of drugs."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"Well, where else would you keep drugs?" Cade asked.

[suitably_heroic]

"I'm not even going to answer that because just thinking about it makes me want to throw myself into an incinerator," Atton said. "Drink your tequila, tacos are coming soon."

[shutupandkillsomething]

Cade grinned just long enough to make it deliberately weird, then nodded.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton rolled his eyes. "Troll," he muttered.

But then there were tacos.

"This one's on me," he added. "Which I will regret."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"You always regret hanging out with me," Cade said, winking.

[suitably_heroic]

Atton snorted. "I can't argue with that," he said. "Tried to explain the camel thing to Dane the other day and I realized very quickly that all I had was 'well, it's Cade'."

[shutupandkillsomething]

"It made sense at the time!"

Not even then, no.

[suitably_heroic]

"Nah," Atton said. "I think you and Sparks did it because it didn't make any sense at all."