Danger zone

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[A cat-eared Liquid is walking through the halls, tail lashing. There is a half-empty bottle of bourbon in one hand and something else in the other.]

[He is shouting at no one.] Yes, I know he was an imbecile! We fought every time we were in the same room! We spent full days insulting and punching one another! He drove me mad!

[He takes a swig from the bottle, then leans against the wall.]

God, I miss him.

[He hangs his head as he laments]

We were just beginning to tolerate one another now and then. Why did the idiot have to disappear? There were times when he...I could almost say he...wasn't so bad.

[His face crumples into an expression of unbearable sadness.]

We never even finished watching his ridiculous film.

[The object he holds is a video of Top Gun.]

((Drunk, kitty-ified Liquid misses xmas_is_here. Laugh, commiserate, steal his bourbon.))

Comments

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

Hn?

[The movie is just about over by now, the American pilots having defeated the Russians.]

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[Liquid is in that especially vulnerable stage of drunk]

[He's happy, and that scares him.]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[David reaches out to stroke Liquid's muscled stomach again.]

It's all right, James. You're home now.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

Never.

[His voice is low and certain as time.]

You might not see me, but I'll always be around offscreen, most often.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

It must be right.

Don't you feel so much more alive since coming here?

I love you. My Brother. My Lover. My other half.

Loving you can't be wrong.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[He sits up a little, taking care not to jostle Hal. The light of the scrolling credits flickers over his face]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[David is quiet for a minute]

...no. No one is being deceived.

People like us don't find love very often, but in this place there are more chances than we would ever have had in our lives. There's no betrayal in that.

What ties us all together is something constant throughout the worlds. Most end badly, so maybe this place is trying to...even the score somehow.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[Liquid listens, staring at him]

[then he falls back onto Hal's lap.]

[He can't help it. He starts laughing.]

Karma, Brother? Is this consolation for the nightmare of my life?

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[Liquid is going to have some popcorn tossed at him now.]

Oh shut up. I don't hear you coming up with any theories.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[he bats at the flying popcorn. A cat in that too]

It's funny because you could be right.

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[...Casually unties his bandanna...]

[And dangles it a few inches from Liquid's face.]

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

What do you think you're...ooh.

[The twisting, twitching cloth is fascinating.]

[Liquid is transfixed.]

[Then, at just the right moment,he grabs for it]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[David jerks it out of Liquid's grasp just in time, the lets it drop to bop him on the nose.]

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

Bastard-!

[He redoubles his bandanna-catching efforts]

[the alcohol haze doesn't help, but he does have catlike reflexes]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[David pulls it away again, towards himself, laughing at the way Liquid's tail was beginning to fuzz up.]

[Liquid's sudden movements and his brother's mirth quickly rouse the snoozing engineer.]

Bwuh?

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

Mrfuh?

[Liquid turns to him with a look of innocent surprise that is somewhat spoiled by the bandanna in his mouth]

[no-philanthropy.livejournal.com]

[Hal stares silently at the image, taking in the two men's surprised expressions and the guilty look tinging David's.]

[Then he laughs longer and harder than he can remember laughing in a long time.]

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

Mriph mrot- [Liquid removes the bandanna from his mouth and indignantly continues] It's not funny!

[He looks from Snake to Hal, to the twitching tip of his own tail]

...maybe it's a little funny.

[no-philanthropy.livejournal.com]

[David reaches to take his bandanna back while they wait for the mirthful scientist to calm down.]

You two...[Not that that seems to be happening right away]...perfectly ridiculous.

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

[Liquid growls and snatches at it] Mine.

[a wounded look, ears twitching] We are not.

[no-philanthropy.livejournal.com]

[David snatches it right back.] No it's not, kitten.

[Hal still appears to be very amused, but his curious, scientific mind has shaken off its sleep.] I wonder how many other instincts and features that room gave you...maybe now you regulate your temperature through your ears?

[whyamisobritish.livejournal.com]

I'm not really a cat, Hal. It's simply that Snake's bandanna is fascinating-

[then he growls at Snake]

[and]

[POUNCE]

[stealthygenius.livejournal.com]

[Couches aren't very good places to pounce people on. David grabs the irate blond and rolls them over onto the floor, Liquid on the bottom.]

No. Bad kitty.

[Hal snorts another laugh before admonishing] Snake, don't tease him like that...