You’re just lucky your powers are only dangerous when you want them to be. You’re lucky, too. You’re just not letting yourself see it. | BLACK LIGHTNING “Black Jesus Blues”
Pete walks towards the IC Building. He spots Tin, sitting outside on a bench, which is not abnormal.
What is abnormal is how Tin’s eyes are following someone. His laptop is out, but his fingers are still. Pete tries to trace his line of sight and finds Can on the other side of the street, laughing and joking with other people. Tin looks like he wants to stab them.
“Oh Ai Tin, I didn’t know that you know Ai Can,” Pete says as he sits beside Tin.
Pete watches Tin’s body language as he answers. His shoulders and back slouch, like he’s curling in on himself. The tips of Tin’s ears turn pink and Tin actually looks to the side instead of at Pete. “Let’s just say that we’ve ‘crossed paths’.”
Pete takes it all in before asking, “Was that before or after you slept with him?”
“What? How did you?”
Pete smiles. “You seem so besotted, Ai Tin. It’s refreshing.” Pete pats Tin on the shoulder before he gets up. “Also Ai Can has been shouting about how he can’t believe he lost his virginity to you at soccer practice. Bye!”
Pete turns to look after he’s walked off for a few steps to see Tin marching towards Can with a strange look on his face. Certainly Can’s going to get a repeat at this rate, Pete thinks.
@andwebegin YOU ASK AND I SHALL DELIVER. Ver 2 ya’ll!
The first hint wasn’t really a hint but a feeling. No matter what anyone says, Pete was observant and Tin felt different.
Tin felt less cold, only by degrees, but anything less than his absolute stoicism was obvious. He walked differently, talked a little differently, like he was trying to relearn how to be a person. His gaze didn’t pierce like it used to, a manner of liveliness had returned.
Pete didn’t dislike these changes. Back before he moved, before the hurt and betrayal, Tin had been so much more open and lively. To Pete, these changes, although small, reminded him of the friend he once had. More of this could only be a good thing.
The second hint was that Can was too cheerful. Or perhaps the better word was too normal.
He begged for food, rambled and raved, and yet, Pete could see that something else was on his mind. A tight lipped Can was not likely to be a good thing. Everyone had learned their lesson with a distracted Can already.
But now it seemed like Can was making an extra effort to speak up when everyone knew he normally would. Furthermore, Can was taking extra care with his words. Pete normally had trouble following Can’s stream of consciousness, but it was much easier to follow when Can was minding his words. Like Can was making an effort to be understood.
The Last Good Bar 
You must be logged in to post a comment.