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[needlebomb]

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[needlebomb]

[ under unluckier circumstances, the two of them could go round and round here pretty easily; tate would keep talking about marcus without knowing who he was talking to, and marcus, addled and fucked up, would just get paranoid and confused and do nothing to set him straight. after sitting up on the edge of the bed, though, and after pinching his eyes and trying to brute force himself to think clearer, marcus gets a general sense of what's happening here. tate wrong numbered him. marcus didn't even think that was possible. ]

i don't think i know him.
friends? that's cool.

[ he's answering casually, either because he's just planning to prank tate a little or because he's too weed-paranoid to just straight up say i'm marcus, dipshit, afraid of some irrelevant repercussion that couldn't possibly come his way. he stares at his screen for a while, and when the realization that he could use this to advantage comes to mind, he - kind of pathetically - grabs at the chance. ]

what do you like about him?

[confiscated]

[What does he like about him? It's hard to say, really. Especially when a lot of the things Tate'd use to explain that away to most people are things he doesn't want to worry Derek with. He takes drugs like a fucking champ, to start. Or we bonded over murder, drugs and alcohol. He has to brush away those outer layers and actually answer with something open, and honest. At least with Derek he doesn't feel stupid tapping into it.]

he doesn't bullshit you
he calls u out if ur shitty but wants to be called out too
and if u do, it's no big deal
i dont know. i appreciate the honesty

he gets me, too, i think
not a lot of people do

[needlebomb]

cool.

[ good answer. one that, if marcus were able to speak freely, would use to launch into a big fucking tirade about the value of honesty, the bravery it takes, the fear of raw, genuine, human connection that holds so many people back. instead, though, marcus just flops back down onto bed, kicking his legs out and dragging his heels on the floor as he types back a better response. more digging, more needling. who would have known that being stoned and lonely would make the pathetic, friendless weirdo act like a pathetic, friendless weirdo. ]

so are you two close, or is he just some guy?
sounds like he might be a pretty big deal, if you think he "gets" you.

[confiscated]

u mean are we fucking?

no, like

[... we don't need to talk about things that may or may not have happened, with questionable morality. Tate takes a moment to have to think about this. What he wants to tell Derek about Marcus that might keep him from getting up the guy's business, but also satisfy his habit of sniffing into things like a dog. Tate's embarrassed, just a bit, because he's had this talk with Derek before. About people he's come to like here, and he hates how it heats up his face even if nobody's around to see.]

i care about him.
he likes girls though

[needlebomb]

kind of sounds like you'd be into him if he didn't

[ a quick question, one that marcus asks without second-guessing whether or not that's something he really wants to know. as far as he's concerned, guys just - aren't for him, but he's still genuinely curious about the answer. marcus isn't the type of guy to make fun of someone for being gay, or bi, or whatever, so that's not why he's asking - this doesn't feel particularly funny - but if someone thinks something about him, then... he wants to know what that something is. ]

[confiscated]

shut up.

[Quickly answered, Tate hates the waves of embarrassment that linger over him.]

doesn't matter
whatever
can i get ur advice tho

[needlebomb]

sure.

[confiscated]

if i were to sign with him
bc he needs it but also bc i like him

do u think that’s ok?
i know u said we might be able to again but
idk do u think he’d say yeah?

or should i let him find a chick to dick

[needlebomb]

that seems like something you would have to ask him

[ ... ]

you're looking into signing with someone else, then?
you seemed pretty broken up about your last contract ending

[ probably phrased strangely, given that tate thinks he's talking to derek - maybe he should have said about our contract ending, or something. marcus isn't thinking. ]

[confiscated]

[It's off, but not all the way. Tate hesitates before replying.]

yeah of course i was broken up
wtf does that even mean
don't be a jerk

[needlebomb]

not being a jerk
just asking if you're over it

[confiscated]

shitty question coming from u
i thought we talked that thru

im fine

[needlebomb]

i guess i forgot
but
im pretty high atm

[ another one of those slips based on speaking before he thinks. marcus should put away the weed for the rest of this conversation, but instead he just takes another drag, falls onto his back and careens what they're talking about off-course. ]

contracts dont have to be sexual
right?
you could sign him even if he doesnt want to fuck you

[confiscated]

[...]

i guess i could

hey, by the way
can u do me a favor?

[needlebomb]

maybe
what do you want

[confiscated]

tell me what u decided
about earlier

[needlebomb]

[ uh. ]

remind me what i was supposed to be deciding

[confiscated]

no

[needlebomb]

then i cant tell you
shouldve thought this through a little better, bro

[confiscated]

i know ur not who i thought u were
who are u.

[needlebomb]

[ ah, shit. marcus is still a little too fucked up to really parse the repercussions of what's happening here, but he knows he's been busted. he's at least smart enough not to say his own name. ]

who did you think i was

[ it's obvious at this point, but marcus just needs to say something to buy time. ]

[confiscated]

i'm not telling u shit

[needlebomb]

you already told me quite a bit already

[confiscated]

yeah
douche.

[needlebomb]

[ well... marcus doesn't want to own up to this, nor does he want tate to suspect him, so he does the next best thing. he comes up with someone to blame. in this case, he throws someone under the bus just because he doesn't like them. oops. ]

it's reggie mantle