dispersing | Duplicity

Naw, you didn’t leave anything. I’m ordering Chinese food it’ll probably be here before you. What do you want?

oh man
put a guy on the spot why doncha?
i hope you can tell i'm kidding.
let's go tried and true with chicken lo mein.
or whatever's closest in case it's got some weird name here.

and lemme throw shoes on and i'll head out.

Door will be open when you get here.

And it is, true to promise, Bash laying out food on the kitchen table, along with a couple cans of soda. He’s dressed casually, his hair in a low ponytail.

be there in a bit.

Fortunately, Keith managed to get onto the elevator without too much hassle, but when he arrives, he still looks like he dressed out of the bargain bin at Goodwill, and good luck prying those fingerless gloves off of him. He's probably got tan lines or something. He's at least in a good mood though!

"They really gotta find a better way to do the whole elevator thing. Just... not zip lines. I've had enough of those."

“There’s the train, I guess. That’s an option, but probably worse than the Elevator. I take it sometimes, though, when I’m not in a rush. On the way home from work.”

He takes a seat, spooning sweet and sour something onto his plate and pointing out Keith’s lo mein.

"Honestly, I haven't really touched the train since I got here. You'd think they could come up with something better than those though."

Toeing off his shoes, he makes his way over to take a seat before reaching for the lo mein. "You totally didn't call me out just because you wanted a dinner buddy, so... what's up?" Or maybe he did?

"Your contract with that Rios guy is up for renewal in a month. How's it working out for you?"

...is it weird that Bash knows that down to the day? Maybe.

He wasn't expecting that, so he has to stop and think about it for a moment.

"It's okay, I guess. We... stay out of each other's way." Actually, he can't recall the last time he spoke to the guy, but since Keith hasn't gotten in trouble yet, he'll take it to mean he's still around. "I mean, I can't argue it much. I got what I asked for, you know?"

"Is that still what you want? If there was another option, I mean." He's trying to take this slow and actually get a read on where Keith's head is at. He's still afraid that if he goes too fast, he'll scare Keith away.

"When I was by myself, I didn't mind it, but after the whole freezing half to death thing, I ended up with a roommate and... I've never had to share space like that. I try not to stay there too much."

There's a pause while he focuses on his food for a moment before continuing. "I even promised I wasn't gonna get backed into a corner then I totally forgot about it and it ended up last minute anyway. It wasn't that that's what I really wanted so much as that I figured something pretty much hands off would get me out of any trouble faster and be easier on the other person."

"Mm." Bash nods a little, and gestures at Keith with his chopsticks. "So, you've got a month. Where's your head at right now?"

That earns a slightly confused look. "On my shoulders? Where else would it be?" That's probably not quite what was being asked.

Yeah, definitely not what's being asked.

"Cute. But I mean, in terms of your contract plans--what are your intentions? You...have options beside just renewing, you know." This time when he pokes toward Keith with chopsticks, there's a piece of sweet and sour chicken at the end of them, offering to feed in as well as gesturing for emphasis,

At the mention of plans, Keith visibly winces. "I... don't have any plans. I guess I figured I'd worry about it when it got closer. Or maybe the day of?" He's not entirely sure if Bash means for him to take that piece or not, but pointing at him with food is a good way to end up with no food. Leaning in on his elbows, he strikes quickly in case it wasn't intentional, and even takes time to chew but not swallowing before mumbling out an "Or after. I dunno."

"I want you to know, a contract with me is absolutely an option. You can have the spare bedroom--Jeff's not really using it. Or come sleep with us, bed's big enough for three. Or stay in the down, if you really want to. I just...I want you to know you're welcome here. If you want."

He clearly doesn't mind the food being stolen, almost immediately offering a chunk of bell pepper as well.

"You don't need to decide today. That's...why I'm bringing it up so early. So you have time to think and maybe let Rios know ahead of time if you do end up not renewing."

Keith just stares at him with wide eyes as he tries to process, the poor pepper going untouched while his mind catches up.

"Wait, shouldn't you talk to him first? I mean, I meant it when I said I wasn't trying to move in on anybody's space. And I really don't think I'm ready for that. Well, the three-thing." Does he think he's referring to a threesome? Why yes he does.

"One: I have talked to Jeff about offering you a contract. It's why I wanted you two to meet one another--so I'd know if you might get along. Two: babe, I'm not talking all three of us fucking. I just mean literally sleeping together. But that's also still not a requirement for any of the rest of it."

Poor Keith, stuck on the threesomes...

"I'm not saying no, I just... I didn't think I made all that good an impression on him, even if things did get better. He just seemed really on edge and I know I didn't exactly make it any easier on him. And I don't wanna make things harder for you or him."

At the same time though, there's another living arrangement that could be a possibility, since it'd leave him right where he is. "Or I could just stay put so it doesn't have to go upending your lives, but then I'd pretty much be where I'm at now with a different name on paper... buuuut at least you'd let me know you're alive." It's a lot to consider, a lot of different options to weigh, and a lot of choices he has to make. "Can I think about it?"

"Sweetheart, I wouldn't just let you know I'm alive. Even if you do stay in the Down, you don't get full and complete no-strings-attached with me. You'd have to check in once in a while. Show up at Cafe LeBlanc while I'm working to bug me, or something--maybe do dinners with me once in a while. It'd be written loose in the contract, but I'd want to see you sometimes."

Bash leans in over the table. "See, I like you. As I've said before. But yeah, you think on it. There's a reason I wanted to have this talk early, to give you all the time you need."

"I guess maybe not freezing would be kinda nice... or having pipes break and flooding and losing pretty much everything... or having to be armed to walk around... or getting weird looks or stopped and questioned every time I try to come up..." The winter in the Down is bad enough that he's not so sure he wants to know what it's like in the summer.

There is one thing though, that he doesn't say enough and it's something he wants to get a little more comfortable saying, if only for certain people. He's so used to showing affection in his own way that often he forgets that what he considers affection isn't always interpreted that way by others, so being able to say it would be good for him. "I- I like you, too. I know I said it before, but I mean it. Even if I do screw up sometimes."

Bash smiles softly, ducking his head in attempt to hide the warm color his cheeks are turning. "Screwing up is okay. It doesn't make me stop liking you, alright?"

But it is always nice to hear Keith say that he likes him back. It makes everything a little warmer, a little softer.

If he'd ever had his doubts about the sincerity of those words, that look is enough to chase them away, and Keith's response is a small, almost shy smile of his own. Trusting others can be difficult for him unless it's been proven that the other is trustworthy, but Bash has never shown him that he wasn't. "I know."

Using the brief lull to fight with noodles and chopsticks -how does one pick up noodles anyway?- he gathers his thoughts before asking a question of his own. "Can I ask you something? It's kind of stupid, but if I knew the answer, I wouldn't have to ask, so..."

"You know I'm not going to make fun of you if you need a fork, right?" He chuckles, but looks up from the plate to Keith's face. "Go ahead and ask. Anything, I'm an open book."

"No, I'm gonna get this. Maybe." And if not, he can at least say he tried, right? But first, he's going to ask his question. "How do you know if you like someone, or if you like, like someone? I've never really thought about it at home because there were so many other things going on, but now I don't have anything but time to think and I can't figure it out. Where's the line between them and what's the difference?"

He'd asked Pidge, but she hadn't given him much by way of an answer, and he wasn't going to go into more detail to try and explain it because she'd seemed disinterested. So instead he'll ask the one who made him question it in the first place.

Bash is polite enough not to laugh. But the question's definitely a whole thing, isn't it?

"Who's to say there is a hard line like that in the first place? Like...Vrenille's given me shit about it before, how easily I fall for people. I think he thinks I'm a little naive and soft. Maybe I am."

He offers Keith another bit of sweet and sour chicken as he tries to put everything into words. "Do they make you feel warm and fluttery? Do they make you feel comfortable and safe? When you go to bed at night, do you think about how your day was better because you got some time with them? Would it kind of wreck you, if they disappeared?"

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