-- wallowing in self pity (tim)

[carter dominic andrews]

Shit had blown up more than Carter had even imagined. He had pretty much avoided the room at all costs after Chris and his arguement. So much had happened in that short amount of time that it'd completely messed with Carter. First of all he'd punched the man right in the jaw, and that was before he'd damn near tackled him to the ground. Second, the worst of it all, he'd let his feelings come out into the open about his best friend. He might not have told Chris everything but he did lay a damn good amount on the line, and now here he was afraid that Chris would ruin everything by opening his mouth to Tim. Hell it'd been a few days since that happened so Tim probably already knew. That is why Carter could not go back to the dorm, he was too embarassed now. He had been staying in some cheap hotel near the Orchid for the past few days just to avoid the dorm. He did make the trip back to the dorms when he had to for class though, but spending his downtime there was never an option.

Tonight had been like the last few, Carter sitting at the bar downing his sorrows in drinks before he'd stumble down the street to pass out. He liked the Orchid considering they rarely checked ID so he would usually get in without a problem, and since he'd been here the past few nights in a row they even considered him a regular so he got right in and straight to the bar, and that was surely the way that he liked it. The music in here was quiet, just enough so the entire room wasn't silent, and you could hear pool being played in the background. Carter sat at the bar, a pair of black skinny jeans and a white shirt, holding onto a mug full of beer, nothing special just whatever had been on the tap tonight. His thumb would circle the rim of the glass as he found himself lost in thought just staring at the drink. He had already had a few this morning but one more wouldn't hurt right? He hadn't been drunk at least, that should be all that mattered.

"Little boy looks like he lost his mommy, look at 'im." Carter turned around to see the men that were talking about him up there and his expression tightened up, "I'm not in the mood to listen to you running your mouth all fucking night, be done with it." Carter demanded as he just looked back at the glass on the bar and took a drink as he heard the people behind him laughing. He watched as one came up beside him and motioned for the bartender, "A scotch and perhaps a Shirley Temple for the baby here," Carter stood from his stool although he'd been smaller than the person beside him, "You looking for a fight?" Carter asked, of course in his mind he knew he'd lose though. "Calm down or leave," the bartender mentioned to both men as Carter took a deep breathe and stepped back to climb back up on the stool. He groaned as he took his drink and the man got his scotch, "Enjoy your drink, princess," the man mouthed as a Shirley Temple had been placed infront of Carter and he just scowled. "Keep fucking running it," Carter said under his breath as he took another drink. Tonight was going to end badly for Carter. He could already see that, one way or another.


notes. there! i set it up so Carter and the other guy were already pissy towards one another, so it could keep happening until the man goes at him eventually (after Tim's been there for a bit of course to add to suspense haha).

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[afa]

Tim didn't like jumping to conclusions without solid proof, but the minute Chris walked into the dorm nursing a bruised jaw, he just knew it had something to do with Carter. For some reason, his british room mate seemed unwilling to confirm this notion, though when Carter mysteriously didn't return to the dorm that night Tim felt his absence was evidence enough. And, after a couple of days, he was basically fed up with the whole avoidance thing. So he took matters into his own hands. There weren't that many hotels in Jacksonville and, if Tim knew Carter, he would probably choose an only half-decent one close to a bar. There was an especially suspicious place - the Orchid - which posed at least a seventy-five percent chance of being his best friend's drinking hole. A transit schedule and a jacket were all Tim needed to go drag the sorry man home, so he zipped his keys into his pocket and headed off-campus.

Begrudgingly, he dropped his fare into the slot on the bus, sliding into an unoccupied seat and ranting silently to himself. Times like these - that is, times when he felt more like a parent than anything else to Carter - were certainly not his favourite, and he was definitely not going to spend the evening making silly conversation and goofing off as usual. Especially since his friend had apparently deemed it necessary to sock their new room mate in the face. Tim was slightly pissed and more than a little tired of tracking Carter down when the other decided he was man enough to drown his sorrows in alcohol. Not that he would ever be able to bring himself to stop, because alongside the expected anger and exasperation was the slightest twinge of worry. Tim knew that if anything happened to his friend he would blame himself entirely, whether or not it was truly his fault. He was practically obligated to go off on these stupid journeys, driven by a confused sense of love, uncertainty and the need to be there for Carter no matter what.

The bus stop wasn't too far from the Orchid, and Tim didn't waste any time as he made his way down the street. The streetlights were already on, casting their orange glow to fill the shadowy gaps left by the setting sun, and even if Carter could not be found here Tim would much rather be inside the bar than out. At least until the next bus back to school came. Feeling a small knot of anticipation tightening in his stomach, he came to stand before the door, taking a deep breath before pulling it open. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dimmer lighting. However, he saw his friend almost as soon as he stepped into the room, and his hesitant expression was replaced by one of disapproval. Mouth drawn in a small frown, he strode over to the other man, hoisting himself onto the vacant stool beside Carter and leaning his elbow on the bar. "Really? Is this your answer for everything? 'I hate the world, so I'm going to spend every night guzzling beer at the bar because that will make me feel better.'" He shook his head, eyes drifting away from his friend to take in their surroundings as he collected his thoughts.

ooc. yees, very good =P I think this post was actually okay, except the ending kind of fell flat. but oh well!

[carter dominic andrews]

Carter picked his drink up from the bar and swirled it around in the mug as he took a few deep breathes losing himself in thought. He took a drink as he leant his elbows against the bar and kept the mug close to his lips. He stared down at the shirley temple that'd been infront of him and just groaned. That man had a lot of nerve doing something like that. Who did he think Carter had been, some pansy ass who'd just sit back and take the humiliation? Well apparantly because Carter hadn't gotten up and done anything about what had happened in fear that he'd get kicked out.

The last thing Carter expected had been Tim coming in, so when he heard the mans voice he was startled as he glanced over. He couldn't see a smile though so he had a feeling the man hadn't been happy to see him, so instead of saying anything he just shrugged and turned his attention back to the womans drink sitting infront of him at the bar. "I don't hate the world," He stated indifferently shrugging as he glanced at the man out of the corner of his eyes as he watched him check their surroundings out. "I don't seem to remember calling you to come to my rescue," Carter sounded moody but of course he'd had a terrible last few days, and since Tim probably knew everything he couldn't be peachy and chipper the entire time anymore. Tim probably hated him, or at least that is how it felt when he'd sounded so cold from the start.

He took the last drink of beer from the mug, or more like chugged the last third that'd been in there, and he put it on the bar as he turned around facing the direction of the pool tables. "You didn't have to come out here tonight, I can handle myself." He stated obviously annoyed, probably pissed at the word, as he slumped off his barstool and staggered a few steps. "I'm surprised you could get the night off honestly, I thought you'd be spending it with your new best friend." Carter blurted out turning to face Tim as he stepped back again. "He is your new best friend isn't he, Christopher-" even just saying his name made Carter's blood boil. "You're wasting your time coming out here to rub it in my face, Chris did a good enough job of that the other day. I think I made quite the impression on his face though too," He smirked looking at the knuckles that'd collided with the mans jaw. He didn't care right now, the alcohol had made sure of that.

Carter took a step back towards Tim though getting close to the man sitting at the bar, "What's so great about him anyway? Is it his accent, I could have given you a bloody accent," He tried to get his voice to shift to that like Chris's but he just couldn't. "Or maybe it's the fact that he's smarter than I am, is that the problem? I may not have been Einstein but damnit I can get by," He sighed holding himself together though he was about to break down. He walked to the bar and slapped his hand on it getting the bartenders attention, "Give me another one," He called out as the bartender did as he'd been ordered and grabbed a mug.

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Tim watched grimly as Carter's gaze shifted slowly to him, then back to the two drinks in front of him. He raised his eyebrows slightly at the sight of the shirley temple, but didn't say anything. He knew that, if he started joking around, he would lose his resolve to stay mad entirely. He didn't reply when his friend denied any hatred of the world, only sighed, answering his second statement. "Yeah, well, sometimes you don't know you need it." He knew he should have been prepared for a less-than-welcoming response from his friend, especially considering how he'd greeted the other man. In fact, he almost felt bad. And, if he were willing to admit it to himself, more than a little upset that Carter could act so coldly toward him. But he couldn't dwell on that now; they had bigger things to discuss. Things like not punching Chris in the face before disappearing into a drunken stupor for days on end.

As Carter turned toward the pool tables, Tim shifted on his chair in order to face him properly. "Can you really?" he asked, "because as far as I can see, spending every night in some... bar, avoiding your issues - whatever they are - isn't exactly the picture of 'handling' yourself. You can barely walk." As he spoke, the mixed emotion in his voice became more apparent. He was torn between his anger and his worry, and honestly didn't know how to approach the situation. As Carter continued speaking, though, Tim got a clearer idea of what had been going on since the arrival of their new room mate. "That's why you hate him so much? Because you think he's replacing you?" He slid off his own stool, standing dumbfounded for a moment and peering at Carter's face, trying to decide whether the other man was joking. "Carter-" he ran a hand through his hair, wondering how to put into words how irreplaceable the man truly was to him, "why would you even think that? We've known him for like... a month. I've known you since before I can even remember. Just because I'm trying to get along with him or whatever doesn't mean I'm replacing you." He was just beginning to think that they were getting down to the root of the problem when Carter spoke once more.

Upon hearing his friend's pride in punching Chris, Tim's mouth drew into a tight line. "So it was you," he mumbled, mostly to himself. Chris had been oddly quiet about the whole incident. Tim didn't quite know why, but if it had been an attempt to keep him from getting mad at Carter, it certainly hadn't been worth it. "Why the hell did you punch him, anyway? What has he ever done to you?" His eyes flickered to Carter's fist, then back to his face. As the man continued to speak, Tim found himself becoming confused again. He didn't know what accents had to do with anything, considering he'd never been superficial enough to base his friendships on something like that. "What? His accent?" Tim scrunched his eyebrows together, trying to keep up with Carter's train of apparently drunken thought. "Yeah, I know you can get by..." He frowned slightly, watching as the man ordered another drink. Then, swiftly, he focused his attention on the bartender. "No, don't give him another one," he glanced at Carter, "I'm pretty sure he's had enough for one night." Tim didn't have a lot of money, but he would be more than willing to pay the bartender to stop catering to his friend's bad habits.

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[carter dominic andrews]

Carter would never be this mean to Tim, it usually wasn't possible, but tonight he had thought Chris had told him everything and Carter's secret had been out of the bag. That alone pissed him off, "He drive you here?" He asked, from the sound of things the two had spent a great deal together and Carter could see him being the one to bring Tim out to this dump tonight. "Afraid to come inside though 'cause he might dirty up his pant leg right? That has to be, bastard," Chris hadn't even been there to defend himself and here Carter had been calling him a bastard. Carter just sulked in his seat when he heard Tim speak, of course he'd needed help but not from someone who was probably disguisted at the fact that Carter loved him so much.

"I'm still here aren't I?" He asked putting his hands up to motion to his surroundings. He may not have been in the best shape but he'd been handling himself the best he could. Carter laughed sarcastically when Tim talked about his issues as he'd been sure the either had known them if Chris had his way with it. "I'm not avoiding my issues either, i'm avoid the prick who causes the problems. Without him i'm happy," he reached the bar once more and leaned on it as he looked back over at Tim, "and perhaps a bit drunk but that's beside the point." He wished that Tim would just get it over with and tell him that he didn't see him in anyway other than a friend, and that he thought that Carter's love for him had been disguisting and uncalled for. He wished Tim would just come out and tell him that something other than friendship would never happen and be done with it. Having him sit here and talk like he cared was wearing on Carter's nerves and he could feel himself getting weak and disappointed, saddened at the thought that Tim would blatantly hide the fact he knew from him.

He listened as Tim tried to understand why exactly Carter had hated their roomie, and he just shrugged waving a hand, "It doesn't even matter, not anymore," He groaned turning his attention to anything in the room other than his best friend. He heard his name spoken and glanced over just to give Timothy that much courtesy as he spoke to him. "I don't blame you, i'd probably get bored with me after a while too." He commented coldly even though Timothy had been genuine right there, and deep inside Carter had known that. He had to play off this bitter cold though because maybe if Chris had said something Carter could act as though it'd been a lie, just another way to get Tim to spend more time with him instead of Carter. "Maybe forever's too long and it's not enjoyable for you anymore, I don't know." From the way Chris had made it sound, or at least Carter had made it out to be, was that all of their time had been spent together leaving Carter in the bitter cold.

Confusion swept across Carter's face in a rush when his friend spoke again, "Like you didn't already know," Chris had to have told him that it'd been him that punched him? Either that or he'd just been too embarassed that someone smaller had gotten such a good shot off, yeah that had to be the only other option. Carter's confusion stayed littered across his facial features as Tim asked him the age old question, what had he ever done to him, and Carter just laughed shaking his head, "You don't see it do you? He's got you all blinded and shit. You want to know what he did to me?" Carter turned his body and stepped closer to Tim once more so there wasn't much space between them and he could clearly tell him, "He took you away," It had been that simple and obvious, or at least to Carter it had been. He'd had enough talking for now though and needed to just drown the sorrows, the same thing he'd been doing for a few days now, but when Tim cut him off he glared, "What gives you the authority to cut me off?" He asked, he'd been cut off time and time before, but never by Timothy like this.



notes. so i'm doing all of this to get timothy mad enough to be able to strike the punch ;] that is if he doesn't just clock Carter considering I would when he's being a baby like this haha. Hope it helps gets Tim's blood boiling!

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[afa]

The more Tim heard Carter's insane accusations concerning Chris, the more confused he became. Even when his friend had been completely wasted in the past, he'd never been this irrational. Tim had no idea why he was acting in such a harsh manner. Was there something he didn't know about? Something that had happened besides the punch? His thoughts were so muddled, he half wanted to order his own beer and chug it down in an attempt to forget everything for a while. "I took the bus," he answered, frowning. It was obvious that Carter was grasping at straws, searching for some way to blame their room mate for every little thing he didn't like. Which included, apparently, Tim's being here. He remembered times back in New York when he'd shown up just as unexpectedly, and Carter had been delighted to see him. The realization that something had changed enough for this to no longer be the case pained him. However, he didn't let it show; he had to be the stronger force here - he had to get Carter back to the dorm, and then he could worry about what was happening to their friendship.

"Yeah, I guess I should be thankful for that, huh?" Tim scoffed, though he was. He just didn't like that it had gotten to the point where finding Carter inside the bar, rather than passed out in god-knows-what sort of place, could be counted as a sort of blessing. He winced as his friend laughed, feeling his own temper flare. "Stop blaming him for everything. I don't even understand. The only problem is you, can't you see that? All you needed to do was get over yourself and everything would've been fine. But no -" he paused, running a hand over his face and trying to keep his emotions in check, "it's always everybody else's fault, isn't it? Everybody else who forces you to come down here and spend all your money on booze. Chris did it just by existing, apparently." He drew in a breath, eyes flickering away from his friend's face in shame before a morbid desire to see the impact of his words drew them back. He hadn't meant to blurt that out though, in all honesty, it had been a long time coming. Unfortunately, this was hardly the most opportune time to discuss Carter's inability to take responsibility for his actions. If anything, the man would just shut himself down even more.

Carter's next words erased any compassion Tim might have felt at the revelation of why he hated Chris. Here he was, trying to figure out what was happening, and the man was acting as if he didn't even care about Tim's friendship any more. Sure, friendship wasn't the only thing Tim wanted, and he was slowly finding that it simply wasn't enough, but at least he'd never had to doubt the truth of it. He's drunk. He doesn't realize what he's doing, he tried to reassure himself. Still, he was too hurt to manage a reply. When his friend spoke once more, though, Tim rushed to protest against his implications. "When are you going to understand? I don't want to replace you, I don't want to get rid of you, I just want..." he shook his head, not even knowing what he wanted any more. Not this, that was for sure. "I just want things to be simple again." He spoke the last sentence in a calmer, more quiet tone, avoiding the other man's gaze. He wanted to not love Carter. He wanted the ease of their childhood friendship back, when everything was out in the open and feelings had nothing to do with it. When Carter didn't go out and get drunk if things didn't go his way, but would come straight to Tim instead - when Tim had been enough for him. "I'm never going to get bored of you." He couldn't help but feel that his words were falling on deaf ears. He turned away momentarily, trying to control the confusion of emotion fighting to get out. As Carter spoke again, Tim turned, doing his best to maintain a mask of indifference. "Stop it. Stop acting like I'm abandoning you. If I didn't care, I wouldn't be here, would I?" He gave the other man a hard look, daring him to question this.

Tim looked up, shrugging. "He didn't tell me anything. He just came in holding an ice pack on his jaw, and when I asked who did it, he said 'some guy.' When you didn't come back to the dorm, I figured the rest out." Tim's expression became one of concentration as he surveyed his friend's face, suddenly realizing that, as far as the dim light showed, there wasn't a single mark on it. "Did he even hit you back?" Tim had known, of course, the Chris hadn't instigated the fight, but to not even lay a hand on Carter? That would have been difficult. Maybe he just hadn't managed to get a good swing at the other man's face, though Tim didn't doubt he had the ability to just stand there and take it. As Carter spoke again, Tim's uncertainty grew. And, in spite of everything that was going on, he felt the familiar butterflies begin to stir in his stomach as his friend stepped closer. When the other man gave his reason, Tim remained unmoving, staring back at him. "I'm not an object, you know," he pointed out. Frankly, he was tired of being treated like one - something Carter used, and then grew tired of, time and time again. Something Carter could call to come to his rescue but never considered beforehand. And, apparently, something that could be stolen away with almost no effort at all. "It's not like I belong to you, or anybody for that matter. It's not like Chris just came along and took me from you. I make my own decisions, choose my own friends... nobody controls what I do except me!" He slid off his chair once more, standing face-to-face with his best friend, eyes flashing. "So if it's anybody's fault I'm spending time with Chris, or ignoring you, or whatever the problem is here, it's mine. Why don't you just punch me in the face? That'll solve everything, I bet!"

Tim refused to acknowledge Carter's anger at being cut off, shrugging. "Just because you don't give a damn about your liver or how stupid you act when you're drunk doesn't mean nobody else does."

ooc. Yess angry Tim is so much fun xD (That post was a bit long, sorry)

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[carter dominic andrews]

The bus, Carter had to admit that he'd been relieved that Chris hadn't been waiting outside, but at the same time the fact that Timothy had went through all of this trouble was upsetting. He hated when Tim would see him like this. Carter was usually the happy drunk, the one that'd crack all the wrong jokes and would be rather forward with his best friend, and yet tonight he'd been the complete opposite. There were no jokes, just insults, and as far as being forward Carter had seemed to put that right in reverse as he was doing nothing but pushing the man away. "Remind me to pay you back, you wasted your money coming all the way out here." He did like the fact that Tim still cared enough about him to come all the way out here, but at the same time he just felt bad considering his mood was more than sour tonight. "How'd you find me anyway?" Usually he would crack a joke about Tim putting a tracking device on him while he was sleeping or something, but tonight he just wasn't in the mood at the moment. Not until he figured out exactly why Timothy had came here after what Chris had to have told him.

Carter just rolled his eyes and shrugged, honestly sometimes Carter thought that if Tim didn't have him around he'd be so much better off. He was too good to have to chase Carter's drunken ass around and drag him back to the dorms. "If you say so," Carter tried to collect his thoughts but they were jumping all around and he just couldn't. He thought he'd been right by picking out Chris to be the problem in the room, but when Timothy blurted out that it'd been him he just stared at him in disbelief for a moment. Had chris never came into the room they would never be having this conversation, so why in the world would he think it'd been all Carter's fault? "Get over myself?" Carter could hear his voice rising so he took a deep breath so he could start softer, "We were fine before he came along," He shook his head, he knew he shouldn't be getting into it tonight with Timothy. He should be happy to see his friend and not getting into an arguement with him. This was not the way things were supposed to be between the two of them. "You think i'm spending all of my money?" He laughed, normally he didn't like to rub it in that he'd been wealthy but tonight he saw no problem doing so. "This is nothing but pocket change, m'dear." He grinned, though it wasn't one of happiness but instead more of his sarcasm shining through. "Apparantly," he repeated the word rolling his eyes as he just couldn't stand for Tim to be defending that other man.

Carter stopped thinking and just stared at the other man as he admitted to not wanting to lose him, "You just want what?" He asked throwing his hands to his sides, all that he could give to Timothy he had already so he couldn't see what else there could be. When Timothy answered him he just sighed nodding, "Everything is great when it's simple right?" He rolled his eyes shaking his head now, "Too bad simple isn't possible anymore, i'm finding it harder and more complicated all the time." He would not tell him that it'd been since Chris came into the picture, but the other man had to have known that had been the case. Carter felt so bad when he heard Timothy tell him he'd never get bored of him, and he could feel the guilt falling into the pit of his stomach as he leaned against the bar more putting his head in his arm for a minute. Damnit, why was he feeling like this? "Why though, why do you care so much about what happens to me?" He asked, his voice raising peak as the group that bugged him earlier looked over and made several comments. Carter just rolled his eyes, he could not deal with their bullshit and Timothy at the same time so he focused on what truly mattered, the perfect man standing infront of him.

When he heard that Chris hadn't told Timothy anything he looked away as all sorts of relief came rushing through his system, but why the hell had that other man kept that information inside? He did have a smug smirk on his face though when Timothy described the scene as Chris entered the door, "At least he knows how to do one thing right. Keep his mouth shut," he made the comment though it hadn't been intended to be heard from Timothy, but of course it'd been loud enough. "I should call you Sherlock now," He would raise a glass to the man but hadn't had one infront of him, not yet anyway. When he asked the question Carter just shrugged, "I didn't give him the chance," in reality he hadn't though, he'd sucker punched him and then everything sort of happened really fast. Plus he'd been drinking that day too so could only remember bits and pieces, but at least all of the really significant moments had been lodged in his mind. "I'm not trying, you're not, I know." He couldn't figure out the right thing to say so he just stopped talking and let Timothy tell him how he'd been his own person and hadn't belonged to anyone. Carter did not think of Timothy as an object had he? "I'm not trying to make your damn decisions for you! I can't even make up my own damn mind half the time, think I could honestly do it for you?" He shook his head, he hated to think that Timothy saw himself as an object only in Carter's eyes. He had been so much more than that even though he just couldn't find the words to tell him. He hated looking in his friends eyes as he stood before him telling him all of this. It hurt so much that he could do nothing to make things right because he'd honestly not known the best option.

When Timothy told him he should just punch him in the face Carter just stared at him silent. He wouldn't nor could ever do something like that to his friend. "That wouldn't solve a thing," Carter had been defeated as he could not look his friend in the eyes anymore and glanced down at the bar sulking back so he wasn't so close. "YOu just don't know, you don't understand." He shrugged simply as he ordered his drink. He couldn't even glance over at Timothy right now as the thought of punching him had been too much. He would never do something to that man, Timothy had to have known that right? "You don't have to, you have enough stuff to worry about without having to deal with my ass too."

notes. Ha, no worries and yes it is rather fun reading angry Tim. Carter's such a pansy around him though! I hope this makes sense and uh...it's a tad long over here too, haha oops :[ i was distracted and rambling hah.

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[afa]

Tim shook his head, not giving Carter's crude comment the benefit of a response. However, at the other man's question, he rolled his eyes. "It wasn't that hard. Jacksonville isn't exactly full of bars, and there's that hotel down the road..." he drifted off, eyeing his friend, feeling for a moment the old sensation of just knowing him. And knowing that, somehow, they'd make it through this one. They rarely fought - in fact, Tim couldn't remember a time when they'd been this hostile toward each other - but this couldn't be the end. The situation was just too stupid and ridiculous, and if they weren't both in such stubborn moods it probably wouldn't even be happening. Something like an argument in a seedy bar would never be able to put an end to their friendship. And so Tim was willing to bide his time, to try to wear away at the other man until he could finally admit that Chris wasn't the only one who was a problem here. At Carter's vacant response, Tim pressed his lips together, trying to think of the best way to go about his task.

To tell the truth, he felt incredibly guilty at his own outburst. The look on Carter's face was enough to say that, while his friend may be doing his best to hide it, Tim had somehow betrayed a deep, fundamental trust by taking Chris's side and pointing the finger at the other man. He held his tongue, afraid that another hurtful torrent of words might jump out at the next opportunity. However, when Carter said they were fine before Chris came along, it was Tim's turn to don an expression of disbelief. He tried to disguise it, but eventually gave up. "I don't think we were..." he drifted off, biting his lip slightly, then shook his head. "But that doesn't matter. If you'd just given Chris a chance, we wouldn't even be having this fight right now. If you hadn't punched him, I wouldn't have had to come down here to try to find your drunken ass. He's a good guy! It's not like he came all the way over here from England just to come to our dorm and mess up our apparently otherwise perfect relationship!" As Tim spoke, he recalled the amount of hurt he'd gone through in his love for Carter. Before Chris, before they even came to Jacksonville, how many times his friend had lead him before shutting down and pulling away. He was more than upset about it now - he was downright pissed. Without thinking, he slammed his fist against the bar as he finished speaking. It hurt, but it definitely made him feel better. He turned away slightly in order to catch his breath, not entirely sure whether what he'd just said would make any sense to his friend.

At Carter's sarcastic remark, Tim sighed. "That's not what I meant. You know that's not what I meant." He looked over at the man, then away, feeling his control of their conversation slipping away. As his friend continued speaking, Tim still kept his eyes averted, only returning them to his companion's face when he'd finished making his point. "You're not the only one. At least you know where you stand, even if it's on the completely irrational end. I'm stuck somewhere in the middle. All the time. I don't agree with you at all, but... errg," he grunted, for once unable to think of the right words, "I feel like I don't even know which way is up any more. You're my best friend." He gazed at Carter, eyes clouded with confusion. Now Tim knew he wasn't making sense. More than anything, he wanted to give up and whither away. Somebody else could take his place. Someone with the guts to tell Carter what he really felt, and the ability to make him get along with Chris, and the power to get him to stop drinking his life away whenever he felt like it. Somebody who knew what they were doing. He watched as Carter rested his head for a moment, casting a hard glance at the men making comments in the background. As angry as Tim was with his friend, he didn't like to hear him insulted, and those men were only serving to worsen his temper. "I don't know," he mumbled in reply to Carter's question, unable to reveal the truth, mind too muddled to think up an excuse. What a night this was turning out to be.

Tim let Carter's comment slide. After all, he was too busy focusing on the main topic of conversation to get into any little side disagreements. He also ignored the man's intention to call him Sherlock, as that seemed to be more of an attempt on normalcy than anything. As much as Tim wanted everything to be good and right again, his desire to figure out the Chris thing once and for all was still dominating him. "He just stood there and let you take it out on him, and you're still trying to convince me he's the problem?" Tim ran a hand through his hair. Okay, they were definitely running in circles here. Why did Carter have to be so damn pigheaded all the time? "Well, then, don't tell me that our new room mate is stealing me away from you without even considering the fact that I do make my own choices! It's not like he's got me locked up, or brainwashed or anything! Did you ever think that maybe I spend time with him because I genuinely like him, and don't mind being friends with him even though he 'forced' himself into our lives?" he held up his hands, doing air quotations in order to emphasis the fact that Chris had certainly not forced himself on them, "have you ever realized that I can't just be with you all the time? That I have other friends, and that I hang out with them because I want to?" Tim had never just lost it like this. Especially not with Carter. But now that he'd started, he couldn't seem to stop. It was as if months of repressed feelings had suddenly found an opening through which to escape, and Tim was merely grateful that he wasn't outright screaming his head off at the other man.

After Tim's invitation to Carter, there was a brief moment of silence, and he could feel both of their resolves slipping. It was almost as if an invisible line had been crossed, and that, by simply suggesting his friend might ever act violently toward him, Tim had hurt him. "Did it solve anything with Chris?" he asked quietly, sliding slowly back onto the bar stool. He half expected Carter to come up with a wise-ass remark to that, but he was quite sure it had only served to worsen the situation in the long run. "Then make me understand," he invited, eyes focused intently on his friend's face as the other avoided his gaze. "I don't want to be here, fighting with you. But I just can't take it any more. I feel like I'm living in a war zone sometimes," he turned toward the bar, resting his head on his hand and looking at the rows of drinks on display, "I'm tired of it."

ooc. WOW, that was like the best angry Tim I've ever experienced. And I'm loving how Carter can just set him off, lmao.

[carter dominic andrews]

Carter knew that Tim had known him better than anyone else, but still he was rather surprised that he had been that predictable. He just groaned rolling his eyes as he scratched the back of his neck, a gesture he'd often do when he'd been nervous about something, "So you got lucky, that's what you're saying right?" He asked making it sound like it'd been no really big deal, and of course there was an added shrug to make it appear Carter could have cared less. In reality he cared more than anything though and hated being this pissy towards his best friend, but what else could he do when the entire future was riding on a man he could care less about opening his mouth. Plus the fact that Carter had punched him probably pissed him off, so that didn't help the situation at all.

He could tell that his words were having an affect on his friend as he watched the many facial ticks, but he could never make heads or tails of any considering they'd change so quickly back that that blank expression. Carter had been nodding his attention off in other directions until he'd heard Tim comment on how they were before Chris arrived. Carter had known things were difficult in the past but he didn't think it'd been all that bad. "Given him a chance? Yeah because I remember him walking in all charming and witty," Honestly he couldn't remember what had happened that day, all he knew is he'd been pissy then as well. "You didn't have to come down here and find my ass, I didn't ask for your help. Not this time," He shook his head sighing, damnit he needed to be nicer to Tim before he chased him off. "We wouldn't be-" he stopped talking for a second so he wouldn't stop hollering, and once he'd collected himself he spoke softer, "We wouldn't be having this fight if you didn't waste your time coming down here to find me. You know me, I would have shown back up when i'd drank enough to forget what I did." Carter felt no need to lie. He cringed when he'd heard Tim put emphasis on apparantly, okay so things weren't as peachy as the both of them hoped but they could work on that right? He hoped so and knew that something would turn around for them tonight and they'd stop arguing and this would just be a thing of the past, or at least that is what he'd hoped. Carter jumped back when he heard the fist pound against the bar. He hadn't seen Tim quite like this in, well he couldn't think if he'd ever seen him angry enough to do something like that, and of course it freaked him right out.

The conversation seemed to be getting rather deep as Carter and Tim got closer to the heart of the problem, or Carter's problem anyway as Tim seemed fine with their new living situation. Neither could look at one another for too long but that didn't stop them from saying what was on their minds. He was confused at what Tim had been talking about, mostly because he couldn't find the right words to use, but he seemed to have gotten the gist of it all, or at least hoped he had. "I'm not irrational," out of everything his best friend had been saying he felt bad that that was all he could return. "Don't think you're doing any favors by taking my side," He shrugged, not that Tim had ever taken his side throughout this entire roommate drama. Drama that only Carter seemed to be having and blowing way out of proportion. When Tim had answered Carter's question he just looked up at him picking his head up from his arm, "After all this time you don't know why you care?" He shook his head, that had to be the one answer he'd ever needed. Carter had known why he cared about everything related to Tim, it'd been because he was absolutely in love with the man, but now things became clear that Tim just didn't have the same feelings. "Sorry for wasting your time," He should have just left but he couldn't. It's almost like his feet were glued to the floor.

When Tim kept asking him questions about what had happened between him and Chris he figured it would be best to just answer them and get it over with. "Not exactly, I took him off his feet." He shrugged, and yes he was still damn proud about what he did. Well up until he started to flip out and blurt out the love he had for Tim. Yeah, that hadn't been his happiest moment. "Look I can tell you time and time again that he's bad news and you're not going to listen. He's got you blinded with his british charm or whatever it is, I don't know." He shrugged, he was just too damn stubborn to admit that he had been the one with the problem. "Right, so you're telling me that you would prefer him over me to hang out?" He shook his head, "Did he buy your affection?" The man seemed to flash his money from the first minute he'd entered the room, but he did know that Tim was not the type who could be bought. He just wanted a cheap stab at both men and knew that this could do it. He watched the air quotes and just laughed sarcastically shaking his head as he turned to look in another direction, "I'm not saying you have to be, you know damn well I don't treat you like some possession." He rolled his eyes, if that is how Timothy saw Carter behave then it hadn't been his intentions and would need to change. "You can have all the time you want to hang out with other friends, but it's a real bitch when our time together shrinks to fucking nothing."

He stepped away from the bar after Tim had cut him off, "Yeah as a matter of fact it did solve something with Chris, it solved a lot of damn things. It cleared everything up for me, broad as daylight." He stepped back as he had just had enough of all this right now. He couldn't do it anymore, if he stuck around Tim any longer he would end up saying something he really regretted. "I can't make you understand because you're so wrapped up in how you think Chris is the most amazing person in the world, and-" when he heard that Tim had been tired he just dropped his head to his shoulders and sighed, "I'm tired too, tired of having to fake an interest when i'm around the both of you, and i'm tired of trying to make you see things my way. I'm sorry but I just can't do this tonight," All he was thinking about now was the mini-fridge in his room back at the hotel. He was sure there was at least some sort of alcohol in there. He pulled his wallet out and dropped a few bills on the bar, "This'll pay for my drinks and the change'll get you home." It had been well more than what he needed for a bus token but Carter didn't care. He stepped back and turned around to start heading out of the bar but felt a jab into his side. He turned as he'd gotten too close to the pool table and had accidentally gotten hit while one man was pulling his stick back. "Look, I don't want any trouble it was a damn accident. He's the one that pulled back anyway. He should have been watching what he was doing," Carter started past them but one stepped infront of him to block his movements, "I'm not in the fucking mood, could you just step aside? Now-" He hoped he'd sounded demanding but of course compared to these men he'd been small. Well isn't this just fucking lovely, tonight just couldn't get any better.

notes. haha i LOVE angry tim ;] we should do this more often heh. Yeah, Carter should get punched for being such an ass.

[/justify][/blockquote]

[afa]

Tim raised an eyebrow as Carter grabbed at straws, trying to write Tim's ability to predict him off as luck. They both knew it wasn't true, but that was hardly the issue here. "Guess so," he replied, granting the other man one small victory. His expression became more uncertain at his friend's next words, and when he spoke again his voice held a note of genuine confusion. "I don't remember him being rude or anything, if that's what you mean." As far as Tim could remember, Chris had been completely amiable that day, only retaliating to Carter's inexplicably bad mood when provoked. And, aside from the revelation about how Chris was supposedly 'stealing' him, Tim had no idea what had set his friend off in the first place. As Carter continued with his harsh disapproval of Tim's coming to find him, Tim carefully detached himself from the insult the other man's words were meant to inflict. As far as he was concerned, his companion was lashing out because he didn't know what else to do, and he was certain that the real Carter couldn't mean a single word of it. So, he shrugged, refusing the bait. "And all those other times, I didn't ask you to call me to come help you. But you did it anyway." He knew that was a cheap blow, but it was also true.

Tim winced at the volume of Carter's voice, though he quickly composed himself as the other quieted down. "I -" he began to inturrupt, but thought better of it, pulling back with a troubled look as he waited for his friend to finish speaking. Almost the moment Carter uttered his last word, Tim was speaking. "Yeah, and I still would've been pissed. We didn't have to do this here, but we would've had to do it sometime, because this just can't go on any more. I'm not going to sit around and let you bully Chris into leaving just because you don't want to share me, or whatever," he shifted, uncomfortable with the idea that he might have unknowingly played a part in Carter's dislike of the other man. He was also uncomfortable with the fact that he didn't actually mind being of such importance to his friend... hell, he liked the possessiveness, all unwanted side effects aside. He just couldn't let his friend catch onto that fact. Tim caught Carter's jump of surprise out the corner of his eye, and pressed his lips together in what might've been shame, but said nothing. It was a while before he could dare look the other man in the eye for fear of what he might find there.

When Carter claimed that he 'wasn't being irrational,' Tim actually let out a snort, struggling to conceal his disbelief. "You're not?" he held up his fingers, listing off key points in his friend's recent behaviour, "you decide you don't like Chris the minute he walks through the door, you refuse to admit that you have no real reason to dislike him, other than the fact that he's stealing me, which in itself is irrational because as far as I'm concerned no one could ever replace you. And then you punch him in the face." Tim's voice was every bit the sound of calm assertiveness, but quite obviously freaking out. He didn't like conflict as a rule, more so when it involved Carter, and he didn't know what to do about his suddenly barely-controllable temper. He just wanted the other man to let him have his way for once. Unfortunately, Carter's next comment was of no help whatsoever. "Then why are you so upset about me being friends with him? That's all I'm doing! I don't agree with your idea that he's 'bad,' and I'm trying to get along with him. None of this stupid 'replacing you' shit!" his voice rose dangerously close to a yell again, though he was finding he cared less and less about that.

As soon as Carter responded to Tim's words, he knew he'd made a mistake. He felt his stomach sink, and he slumped slightly, the fight momentarily sucked out of him. He could hardly tell his friend the truth.. but he couldn't just leave it at this. For the first time that evening, he lost track of his goal and focused solely on fixing the brand new problem he was being faced with. "What does it matter why, anyway? The point is, I do, alright? I can't just let you..." he waved his hand at the bar before letting it fall, not quite sure what he was trying to say. Giving the man a hesitant glance, he added, "what if something bad happened to you? What would I do? I'm always.." He swallowed, not wanting to continue but feeling the need to. "I'm always afraid that one day you won't come back, and you'll just be gone." He stopped talking abruptly, halting the emotion which threatened to flood into his voice. He couldn't believe he was admitting this much. But it seemed that tonight, he just couldn't bring himself to think straight.

In spite of himself, Tim rolled his eyes at Carter's response. He had to admit; it'd been clever. "And I can tell you time and time again that he's not bad news. Even Kayla's giving him a shot, which I'm sure you already knew. So maybe I'm not the one who needs to be listening here." Sometimes, Tim was just right, and this was one of those times. In his opinion, anyway. There was the tiniest possibility that Chris had a hidden agenda, but that was highly unlikely. "That's not what I'm telling you at all. I don't even hang out with him that often. And I've definitely never chosen him over you," Tim pointed out, growing exasperated. Yup, their conversation was definitely going in circles now. "Oh, yeah, that's what happened. I'm all about the money," he replied sarcastically. They both knew this was about as far from the truth as anyone could get, and the fact that Carter had even mentioned it had to mean he was running out of realistic arguments.

"Don't you?" Tim retorted sharply, before quickly reigning himself in. It would be so easy to go off on a tangent about how Carter treated him, but this was neither the time or place. Besides, from a purely friendship-based viewpoint, Carter actually did treat Tim with respect. And maybe that was all the other man was thinking about, Tim realized sadly. Why would anything else matter to him? He only wanted Tim when he was drunk. His brow furrowed as his friend claimed their time together barely existed any more, and he tried to search for a rational explanation. Recently, Tim had been trying to figure out the whole 'being in love with his best friend' thing out. And, in doing so, it was possible that he'd been subconsciously avoiding him in some sort of attempt to see if it would lessen his feelings. It hadn't worked in the slightest.. but how could he explain something like that to Carter? "Maybe I've been busy. Maybe we've both been busy. But it's not Chris's fault, I can promise you that. If anything, it's mine... and I'm not doing it intentionally. You think I don't miss being able to hang out with you all the time?" It was incredibly exhausting, swinging back and forth between anger and guilt like this.

Tim shook his head at his friend's words, unable to think of anything to say in response. He just didn't get what Carter was trying to do here. He felt like an outsider trying to look into an extremely dirty window, seeing the outline of something beyond the glass but not knowing what the true object was. "I don't think he's -" Tim cut himself off, "why won't you even try to explain it to me?" He could feel himself losing Carter, and he stumbled over his own words in search of something that would bring him back. "Wait.. if not now, when? What - we can't just keep doing this..." Tim drifted off, pushing his hair off his face in frustration as the other man turned away from the bar. He ignored the pile of bills, instead standing uncertainly and taking a step in the direction his friend was going. He had to follow him - he knew he did - but he didn't want to make things any worse than they already were. He took another step, hesitation turning to wariness at Carter's exchanged with one of the men who was playing pool. As another blocked his path, Tim felt his anger at Carter suddenly slip away to be replaced by protectiveness. These guys, whoever they were, didn't look like an exceptionally pleasant group. Nor did they display anything but hostility toward Carter.

ooc. haha. Angry Tim = loads of muse right now. I was going to try to keep the posts shorter this time, but... I guess that's not going to happen lmao.

[carter dominic andrews]

Carter knew that Tim had been just giving him that small victory to push them further in the conversation, but it still felt good to come out on top for once. "Of course you don't, you were too busy helping him fold his laundry and shit," or at least help him put stuff away around the room. "You weren't the one sitting at the other end of the room. That was me, it's been me since that day." He just shook his head, making Tim understand what he was going through would be hard and Carter just didn't have the strength. He glared at Tim for a second after he'd heard the apparant jab in his direction, it seemed only fair after he'd just done the same to Tim, "It's not like I forced you to come, or hell you didn't even have to come out. Just because I call doesn't mean you have to come running." He shrugged, running his mouth was easier than accepting the truth and he was just so good at it, or at least that's what he'd come to find out.

He wasn't going to let Tim interrupt so when he heard him start to say something Carter just started to talk faster, but it seemed the second his rant had been done Tim had taken it upon himself for one of his own. "You would have been pissed? What about me?" He shook his head realizing that he'd sounded extremely selfish, but wasn't that supposed to be the case from the start? "I don't get it, why did this all happen now!?" He raised his voice but soon quieted down when people looked over, "You can't see that before Chris came around we wouldn't fight? And when we did it was easier to just forgive and forget?" He shook his head, how could Tim not see things the way that he did? "Chris changed everything, you would never have chosen someone over me and yet here we are, you're siding with Chris without even hearing me out." Carter had tried to display his true feelings but he just couldn't, and without being able to Tim could never understand his reasoning. "Just stay out of it then, it's between me and him." His voice had been rough and very rude but he needed to get that point across, although Tim had been the focus the fight had been with only Carter and Chris. He did not want to upset Tim and involve him anymore.

"Not at all," He wanted to believe that he wasn't being irrational but he knew that something was off about him. He watched each finger as Tim gave him a list of things, "I do have a reason to dislike him. How have you not heard me this entire time?" Now Tim wasn't the one that was listening, even though he was probably listening and just not wanting to except the garbage excuses that Carter had been giving him. This was a never ending struggle that Carter knew he was bound to lose, but instead of giving up he would push him as far as he could before the defeat. He would ride out the arguement for a little while until maybe they forgot what was even going on, and then Tim wouldn't be as mad at him anymore. Hearing Tim say the phrase punch him in the face had Carter laughing some, "I hope you don't think that the more times you say that it'll make me feel bad, i'm happy I punched him. It was nice to see that smug smirk washed off of his face. You weren't there, Tim, you don't know what was going on before it happened. All you know is whatever he told you, though whatever he says must be right because he's you're new bestie right?" He had to use the air quotes to emphasize his point, whatever that had been. "Fine, you're right, I have no reason for hating him and he's the best damn person in the world. I should bow down to him because apparantly he knows so much more than I do and is an all around better person for it, fuck that." He rambled, mostly to himself just because he could.

Carter seemed to keep the shocked expression on his face the entire time that Tim talked and tried to make sense of everything. "You're seriously asking me that, why it matters?" He shook his head, he honestly could not believe this. "You're absolutely right, doesn't matter why does it? It's probably some stupid reason anyway," Obviously it hadn't been anything too serious or he would have been able to say something right? "Nothing bad is going to happen to me, damnit why do you always think of the worst case scenario?" He wanted so bad to just lash out and start yelling at the top of his lungs. He wanted to lay it all on the line instead of waiting for Tim to mention it, but he did keep himself calm knowing that now was not the time to do something like that. Nor was it the place, he did not want to look back on the day he'd told Timmy he loved him and have a vision of this bar come to mind. "If you're so afraid that i'm going to be gone what's all this, a trial run? Push me out of your life so if something were to happen you'd be good to go?" He shook his head not sure if it'd even made sense as he'd said it, but that's usually what happened when he was miserable.

"Do you honestly think that your opinion is going to just change mine? What, because you say someones good I should just instantly love them? Not going to happen," and when Kayla's name had been brought up Carter threw his head back and burst out laughing, "Yeah because her opinion matters," He rolled his eyes, "Do you honestly think that I care if she's giving him a chance or not?" He huffed some shaking his head, right now he could care less about Kayla. "I think you and him need to get your stories straight then because he was saying a whole bunch of different shit the other day," and then Carter popped him right in the jaw. He just rolled his eyes about the money comment, of course that was uncalled for and he knew it wasn't the case, so instead of continuing he just rolled his eyes with another huff of his chest.

When Tim asked him he fell silent as he thought about the past and how exactly he had treated him, "Well i'm sorry for doing that, you know holding onto the one thing that actually was good in my life. Damnit, why should I have been so selfish and dependent on the one person who gives a damn?" He laughed shaking his head as he glanced over at Tim, "Or at least the person who gave a damn since lately I can't even see him behind those eyes of yours." He turned his attention back away from the man beside him. "I haven't been busy, actually it'd seem like just the opposite. Since schools just starting out the homework isn't too bad, and it's not like I usually do half of it anyway." He shrugged thinking about it all, although he wasn't busy that didn't mean that his friend couldn't have been. "It's one thing to say that you miss me all the time, but try actually meaning it." He had enough of this and literally was trying to strike sharp jabs at the other just to avoid any further conflict. He needed Tim to get away from him before he did something he'd regret.

"I'm not going to bother because it's not worth it. I can sit here for the next week and tell you every single thing that is wrong with him, and you know what you're going to do? You're going to wait until I run out of breath and then you're going to try to give me all the reasons why he's such an outstanding person and how i'd be honored to be his friend. It doesn't matter with you, you refuse to see anyone for who they really are and to you everyones all nice and good and shit, that's not the case." He shook his head as he backed away from him before turning around. "We're not doing anything, i'm going back to the hotel and i'm going to crash for the night, and you're going back on the bus to the dorms. There is no we," He shook his head before getting stopped by the goons.

"I need to go that way, the exit's over there." He pointed in the direction as the man that'd bugged him before and bought the drink came around. "You know you ruined Stu's shot, right?" Carter looked at the man who'd apparantly been Stu and just shrugged, "He should have watched and waited the two extra seconds, it's not like you got a deadline. You've been at the same damn game for over an hour since I got here." "You don't know when to keep your mouth shut do you?" The man placed the stick on the table as Carter stepped away from them as they stepped closer. He felt the table against his hip and reached over for one of the balls that'd been laying near the corner pocket. If one came at him he'd swing and knock them upside the head with the heavy ball. "You and your boyfriend get into a little fight, baby?" He used the same insult from before as Carter grinded his fingers against the smooth ball in his hand. "You need to back up, now." He told them before noticing Tim in the corner of his eye and he just groaned. He did not want to get him involved in any trouble tonight and yet there he was standing there.


notes. phew, it took me a little while but i got the post up :] don't worry about length, i'm trying to keep up and having them angry and hostile actually adds to the muse haha.

[/blockquote][/justify]

[afa]

Tim was doing his best not to groan. It had taken him a while, but he was finally beginning to realize that fighting with Carter would get him no where. His friend just didn't want to listen. And maybe I'm just as bad, he thought, noting the hint of sadness in the other man's words. "I'm sorry," he relented softly, wondering whether Carter would even accept this simple apology. He looked at his friend, eyes no longer hard or upset. Tim didn't trust himself to speak further, and could only wait for his friend's response. "And just because you don't call doesn't mean I can't come running. I've always done it because I wanted to," he pointed out. And he always would. "You've been pissed for like the last month, it's not anything new," he retorted sharply, still quite irritated by Carter's way of only thinking about himself. He was sure the man was only doing it to annoy him anyhow.

At his friend's question, Tim pressed his lips together, knowing the answer - or part of it - quite well. This fight wasn't just about Chris; it was about Tim being tired of letting Carter walk all over him. He couldn't come right out and say that, since it would certainly need more explanation than he was willing to give, but he didn't want to just accept what Carter was saying, either. Chris had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. In Tim's opinion, anyway. "I know all that," he waved his hand at the other man's reasoning, "but I still feel like it's not entirely his fault. We've both played our parts, too." He sighed. "Forgive, yes. Forget... I don't know. Sometimes" He scratched the back of his neck, the pain of Carter's rejections still fresh and vivid in his mind, then shook his head. They did not need to get into that right now. "I've asked you to explain it to me, but you've refused! You assume I won't listen, and I won't understand, but you won't even give me a chance! And I've tried to stay out of it... after Kayla's party, I figured if I stepped back the two of you would at least reach some sort of understanding. But then he walks in with a bruise on his face and you're gone for days on end. How am I supposed to know it won't happen again? I don't want to live in the middle of it!" He paused, catching his breath then quickly adding, "and I don't want to move out, either, because I'm fucking going to room with you whether you like it or not."

"Like I just said," Tim grunted, feeling himself becoming angry again, "the one reason you've given me - that he's stealing me away - isn't good enough. And then you tell me to stay out of it, that it's none of my business. Well if I'm the cause of the problem then yes, it is my business, believe it or not! And if there's some other reason, well, you refuse to tell me it so how can I really understand?" He honestly had no idea what sort of reason his friend could have that he wouldn't blurt out at the first opportunity. Especially if it incriminated Chris. As Carter continued, Tim wished more and more that he could just give in and give up. "He's not my new -" Tim stopped speaking, trying to calm down but not quite succeeding. "What do you want? Do you want me to hate him for a reason I don't even know, so we can go back to being happy and perfect like we were before he came? I don't know how many times I can tell you that he hasn't replaced you. If he'd punched you in the face, I would've come down here to kick his ass, if I'd even come at all." Tim wasn't quite sure whether this would have been the case, seeing as he didn't really enjoy kicking people's asses, but he certainly would've been treating Chris a hell of a lot worse than he was treating Carter just then. "He has his flaws, you have your flaws, I have my flaws. I'm not saying he's a saint. I'm just saying he's not the devil, as determined as you are to believe otherwise," he tried to explain, knowing Carter would only take his words and twist them around and throw them back in his face. Tim couldn't help but feel that he was fighting a losing battle.

"It's not stupid!" Tim blurted before he could stop himself. It had been loud, too: a proper shout. Immediately, he winced, biting his tongue. Now he'd admitted that he did, in fact, know exactly why he cared. He had to stop Carter from trying to delve deeper than he'd already gotten, or the shit would hit the fan for real. "I just... the point is, I care, probably more than I should. But there it is." He would steadfastly refuse to say any more. Yes, he wanted to tell Carter the truth some day, but not now. Not like this. He lowered his gaze when Carter mentioned his pessimism concerning the man, and he half-shrugged. "I can't help it. I'm afraid of losing you. I know that's all wimpy and shit, but you're honestly one of the most important people in my life, right up there at the top." He retreated inside of himself even more as the other man continued, not wanting him to know how close he was hitting to the truth. In a way, Tim did want to prove to himself that he didn't need Carter, though kicking him out of his life was certainly not a part of that plan. "That's the last thing I want. You keep telling me I'm not listening, but are you? How many times do I have to tell you you're my best friend, and that I'm not trying to replace you? Why can't you just trust that I need you?" He looked at the man curiously.

"And because you say someone's bad I should hate them?" Tim sighed, "this could go back and forth forever. I'm not trying to tell you how to feel. I was just asking you to give him a chance, and you keep saying no, but if nothing changes we're going to keep fighting like this, and I don't know how I'd be able to handle that because I can't keep fighting you, and I can't hate Chris, and I can't let you go. So we're stuck." Tim's head was starting to pound as he tried to keep up with Carter. His friend's laugh cut through him like a dagger, and he turned away, not wanting to show the pain it caused. He didn't mind being laughed at, so long as it wasn't meant in a cruel way. Unfortunately, Carter's intentions were obvious. Somehow, Tim found the strength to respond. "I don't know what he said. I don't care. I'm telling you what I know, for sure, and it's that I'm not getting tired of you and I don't think he's better and all that other stuff I've been repeating, over and over." He guaged Carter's reaction, desperately hoping that this time his words would not fall on deaf ears.

"I didn't want to bring this up. But I need you to understand. I don't mind that you depend on me. I don't mind being there for you when you need it. It's what I'm good at. It's just that - and you're going to take this the wrong way, but I feel like you take me for granted. Not often, not in our friendship. But when we... when we're..." He scratched the back of his neck again as nerves took over. "What I mean is, sometimes you just shut down and it's like you don't want me around any more. And it sucks. Because even though I'm always the one who's coming to help you, I still need you. You're not just some sob story I picked up off the street because I get off on 'fixing' people. You've never been that to me." Did that even have anything to do with what they were talking about? Tim wasn't sure. When Carter said he couldn't see the 'old' Tim, Tim slid his elbows onto the bar and pressed his palms against his eyes, allowing darkness to surround him for a moment. "I'm still in here. I'm still me," he said forcefully, pulling away from the temporary calm. He had to convince Carter of this somehow. When his friend claimed he hadn't been busy, Tim scowled. "Well, there has to be some explanation, because I haven't been spending every hour of my life with Chris. I'm at soccer practise more than I'm with him." Carter's next words caused the pain they'd intended, and Tim flinched. "You don't get it," he shook his head, unable to explain how he didn't just miss Carter - he missed how easy their friendship had been. If only he hadn't kissed him back all that time ago - if only he'd pulled away, laughed it off, been completely and irrevocably straight, maybe they wouldn't be having these problems right now. Carter couldn't see it, but Tim was so concerned about taking the blame off of Chris because he more or less blamed himself, and he couldn't let some stranger from Britain be some sort of scapegoat.

With every word coming out of Carter's mouth, Tim felt smaller and smaller until he was quite sure he'd become nothing at all. At the man's final statement - 'there is no 'we',' - he went completely numb, unable to move for a moment. It literally felt like his heart was tearing, and no amount of believe that Carter hadn't meant it would take away the hurt caused by those words. He could do many things; he could get a ninety-nine percent on a math test, he could teach himself to play the piano, he could follow complicated recipes and still get a half-decent finished product. But he couldn't lose Carter. And if that's what this was, he wasn't going to give up just because his friend told him to. Which was why he'd gotten off the stool, and why he was now listening to the exchange between Carter and the pool-playing thugs. He saw his friend reach for the pool ball, but the odds still didn't look good. Even as the man mentioned 'boyfriend' - a word which, normally, Tim would have loved to have heard to describe his relationship with Carter - he didn't react, too focused on the scene unfolding before him. If anything happened, Carter would definitely get the one using the pool ball, but what if his buddies decided to jump in, as well?

ooc. omg they just keep getting bigger xD it's amazing how much muse this is giving us haha.

[carter dominic andrews]

When he heard the apology Carter had to wonder if it'd been sincere or not, and not wanting to seem like more of an asshole he just waved it off not looking at him yet. He couldn't, no matter when he'd look back on this night he'd see nothing but shameful behavior on his end. He wanted to ask the man why but both sort of knew that they weren't going to give the other any incriminating answer, so Carter restained from using the word for once knowing it'd lead him nowhere. "And haven't I been grateful in the past?" He asked, most of the time he loved seeing Tim come to the rescue, but tonight had been all wrong considering his feelings were out in the open, or at least he'd still thought they were. "You're absolutely right, I have been, since the first day that smug bastard came into the room." He wasn't going to hold his tongue when talking about Chris.

They were just going back and forth right now and it was obvious that neither were going to win this battle. Carter would not cave and see Chris as a decent person, and Tim sure as hell wouldn't cave and see Chris as a threat. They were just throwing back and forth all of this for no reason other than to hear themselves talk. He just groaned, every minute that they talked about Chris was just one more minute they were forcing the obvious problem from the room. Carter had been in love with Tim, now that Chris had known Tim had to as well right? It didn't appear so, some of the stuff that Tim had been saying lead Carter to believe that he'd still been clueless, but he could not know for sure so he had to bite his tongue on certain subjects. "You haven't listened yet so why should I bother?" He asked softly looking over at his companion.

"Why are you making this about you?" He asked staring at the other dumbfounded, "It's not like i'm going to attack him right in the damn room. The other day, well it was just something that had to happen. I had all this pent up aggression and with what he was saying I just, I had to hit him. I just had to, and it's not like it's going to happen every single time we get around one another." Carter had never been a fighter, mostly because he was smaller than most and rather weak. When he heard Tim swear he was taken back some as he just shook his head, "You need to stay somewhere where you feel comfortable and right now our room is a warzone," He was not asking the man to move out though, hell he refused to let Tim even think about doing something like that. He'd much rather have him shave his entire head, and both of them knew how much Carter hated that idea.

"Well it's all i'm giving you tonight so if it's not good enough so be it," He shrugged shaking his head, there was nothing more he could do about it. Tim did have a point though since this entire thing had been about him mostly, "It's all about you, Tim, everything is always about you. Isn't that what you want to hear?" He rolled his eyes hoping that Tim would think there was more to the story, but really this had just been a cheap attempt to distract him. He of course felt that this entire thing had been because of Tim, but he hated having him feel bad and stuck in the middle so he had to lie. It was for the best. Too bad Carter had always been a terrible liar around Tim.

"Thought you said things weren't perfect?" He cut in though shut up soon enough so he could hear the rest of his best friends statement, "so is that what you had on your agenda tonight? Were you planning on coming down to kick my ass?" The sad thing is Tim could probably do that if he'd wanted to. He'd been athletic so he'd had muscle whereas Carter had, well hardly anything. "I'm not sayig he's the devil, at least the devil'd have good taste in women," Carter took a jab at the girlfriend, or friend who'd been the girl, that Kaitlyn person. She seemed too fancy and definitely not someone he'd ever be interested in, but who was he to judge considering he'd been in love with his male best friend?

Carter's eyes widened when his friends voice had reached shouting levels and he just stared blankly infront of him trying to seperate himself from this fight. He just couldn't though, no matter how hard he tried the second he heard Tim start to talk he was right back in the room listening. When he heard that the other cared he'd choked back his feelings as he could feel a lump in his throat. He wanted to cry thinking that he upsets his friend on a rather daily basis for one thing or another. He never wanted this to happen. He never wanted his friend to be so fed up with him that he needed to yell in the middle of a bar. He just nodded letting Tim know he'd heard and understood what he'd said, but as he opened his mouth that invisible lump made it impossible to say anything. The next part had the fire starting to burn his eyes as he closed them and wiped them with the palms of his hands trying to distance himself once more. Why was Tim being so nice and giving him such compliments at a moment like this? "You already know where you stand in my books," He whispered though wasn't sure if his friend could hear him over the noise. When he heard Tim say he needed him he looked at him very cautiously, "You do?" He asked softly just as heartfelt as he could be, "Why?" Hearing those words made him feel like shit, absolute garbage.

Carter shook his head, "That would just be stupid, but i'm asking that you at least see him for who he truly, ah nevermind. Just forget it," He was saying that an awful lot now as he just wanted out of the situation. "What do you expect to change?" He asked curiously avoiding the topic of Chris for the moment. "I'm not asking you to let me go, i'm asking you to trust me with my judgement of people," He rolled his eyes, another reference to chris. The man seemed to be the only thing they could talk about tonight, but at least it was helping Carter avoid the more pressing issue, his love. When he heard Tim tell him how he'd felt he just stared at the ground not sure what to think or say at the moment. He wished he could just stop this silly arguement and be done with it, but he was already as far into it as he could get so he might as well finish right? He did not say anything as he just nodded some accepting what the other had been saying, but as those words swirled through his mind he was forcing himself to get out of here tonight. Both needed the distance to sort their own thoughts out, and maybe then Carter could salvage the friendship in the morning when he'd been thinking clearly.

Carter looked over at him only momentarily when Tim started to tell him what he really needed him to know. Carter was confused, "When we're what?" He could not fill in the blank as he stared off in confusion, "Oh," He knew he should have said more, he wanted to say more, and yet that silly syllable comes out of nowhere as the only thing he could think of. With Tim pouring his heart out like that Carter knew now more than ever that he needed to get the hell out. He needed Tim to wake up in the morning and still feel the same way he did about Carter at this very moment. "I need you too," He managed to say as he pulled himself away from the bar, he could not say anything else in fear that he'd say too much. "I hope so," he mentioned when Tim made it clear he'd still been there, and when he'd made the reference to soccer being his main priority Carter just shrugged. "You're right, I guess I don't get it. I don't get how last year you could juggle studies, sports, spending time with friends, and me and still have time left over. This year i'm getting jack shit and you know what, it fucking sucks. Straight up sucks, you have no idea." He took a deep breath having to clear his thoughts so they wouldn't turn negative again. "I'm done tonight Tim, i'm sorry but this just isn't going anywhere." He shrugged turning around, the worst thing he could do.

Not only was he feeling terrible now but he had to deal with the men blocking the door. His hand rubbed against the ball as he gripped it and lifted it from the table some as he saw one of the heftier ones coming his way. "What's the matter, getting afraid?" He asked smirking at Carter as he just shook his head, "Your boyfriend back there sure looks nervous," Carter looked over his shoulder to see Tim there, something that he shouldn't have been doing as he stood beside him now. "My boyfriends not nervous at all, his black belt could prove that." Carter had to lie and that was the first thing that came to his mind, probably because of all their conversations about Chuck Norris and shit. "Black belt? Ha, you've got to be shitting me. You hear that boys, we've got ourselves a little Jackie Chan over there," the men all laughed as Carter just looked at them stupidly, "That doesn't even make sense, just back the fuck off so I can leave." He stood tall as he took a step towards the man, another wrong move of the night. "A kid like you should really learn some respect, the man challenged Carter as he took that fatal step closer as the gap seemed to disappear, "Yeah and a guy like you should learn to be more observant," Carter swung that pool ball in the direction of the mans head as he heard it crack on his chin. The irony had been it was almost the exact same place he'd hit Chris, just with a bit more force of course.

"Shit," Carter may have knocked the man back a few steps but soon he'd felt someone grab at his shirt as he was pulled back, and no matter how much he tried to wiggle free he just could not get away. "Let me go, damnit let me fucking go!" Carter yelled now making a scene as he could hear people around scurrying to get help or a better view. The man whose shot he'd messed up in the first place came to stand infront of him as he wound the stick back and smacked it against his stomach as Carter cried out in pain trying to squirm more but he just couldn't. For something that had been so quick it seemed like forever in Carter's mind as he put all his force into trying to get out of the situation, but he just couldn't do it no matter how hard he tried. He felt another crack of the stick against his stomach as he let out another cry while managing to get a shattered "Help," to his friend who he'd had no idea where he'd even been at the moment. Where the hell had the security been? Fuck, Carter's stomach was killing him now and he'd have quite some marks as he squirmed not wanting to feel the lash once more. "TimmyhelpIneedyou," He mouthed in one quick breath since that's all he could muster. Shit had just happened too fast and he couldn't even understand, what had literally taken less than a minute seemed like a lifetime to Carter now.

notes. so i think carter needed to get hurt a bit because he was being such an asshole! haha, and i hope this isn't garbage. i've been working on it on/off throughout the day and have to go to bed so I wanted to get it finished! it is super long though :[

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[afa]

"Yeah, you have. So this time's just opposite," Tim decided, hoping that would put an end to the entire debate of why he had come to find Carter. He tried not to sigh as his friend blamed Chris for his bad mood - their room mate seemed to be at fault for everything else, why give him a break now? "I agree with that, everything's been off since he came. But from my point of view it's just 'cause we aren't used to having a third person around..." As if Carter was interested in hearing what Tim thought, though he was quite sure he'd hit the reason for their recent drama right on the head. Though they'd always had 'other friends,' there had never been anyone directly invading on their personal time together, and having Chris around almost constantly had been a bit of a shock. Evidently, they were each dealing with it in different ways. At Carter's much calmer reply to his outburst, Tim let out a breath, trying to figure out what would be the right thing to say. "I have been listening, I just..." he ran a hand over his face, "I don't feel like you've said much besides me spending too much time with him. Is there something else? Something more?" He gave his friend a penetrating look. "I want to understand, believe me, I do. I'm just so confused right now." He looked down, willing his thoughts to stop racing around in such a disorganized manner.

"That's what you told me!" Tim shot back heatedly, "I know you're not going fight him right in the room or in front of me or anything, but things are just so tense, and just when I thought they were easing up... well, this happened! And how about when your aggression gets all pent up, or whatever, again? You can't just punch him out once a month to make yourself feel better. I mean, it's obviously affecting me somehow because if it wasn't, I wouldn't be here right now trying to figure out what to do! And if you think it's selfish that I want to try to fix the problem, that's your opinion." At Carter's comment about his living situation, Tim bit his lip, half-wishing Chris would just spontaneously decide to move out and solve everything. "So make it stop being a warzone," he suggested, raising his eyebrows as he voiced the obvious idea. Again, he felt the need to add more. "You're not moving out, either. And we can't just evict Chris."

"Fine." He leaned back, figuring that if Carter wasn't willing to give him a better excuse, he wouldn't be willing to try to understand the first one. As his friend continued, Tim shook his head, allowing the hurt to return to his expression. Even though, again, he could easily convince himself that the man hadn't meant it, he still felt crushed. In a way, that was what he wanted to hear, though not in the way Carter obviously intended. "I don't want it to be all about me. You know that, don't you?" he gave the man an earnest look, hoping for, if not the answer he would've like to hear, at least an honest one. He was still torn between his anger and his love. "Sarcasm," he sharply pointed out before continuing on with his sentence. He was fairly sure Carter had only overlooked that to aggravate him, and it had worked.

"No, I'm saying if it were Chris, I would've kicked his ass. I'm going to let you slide," for a moment, there was a glint of humour in Tim's eye, though it quickly faded when he remembered the seriousness of the discussion. He rolled his eyes at Carter's insult, not giving it the grace of a response. If anything, the words had shown him that the man was running out of arguments and slowly had been ever since his initial outbursts. After his slightly embarassing moment of yelling like a mad man, Tim lowered his gaze, not wanting to witness Carter's shocked expression. All the stresses of his secret feelings, trying to go between both of his room mates and the general air of hostility surrounding their exchange were just building up, and all he could do was hope nothing too stupid would come out of his mouth. As Carter moved his hands, though, Tim looked up. Was he... crying? No, not quite. But he did look upset. Tim's frown deepened, and at the other man's whispered words, he said nothing, only placing his hand briefly on top of Carter's and offering a tentative smile.

"Yeah, I do," he replied just as softly, biting his lip slightly. "I guess because... well, you're you. Without you, I'd just be some guy who's average at sports and okay at school and never does anything fun." His smile was back, a bit stronger this time, and for once Tim was actually certain that their fight wouldn't last forever. However, issues still remained, and the two of them were simply too stubborn to resolve anything. "I wish we could just start over with the whole Chris thing somehow," he groaned, not eager to be back on that subject. His moment of calm was ruined when Carter asked what he expected to change, and he groaned. "Something. Anything. Would you at least consider not attacking Chris again? You can just.. pretend he doesn't exist, or something." Because avoiding the problem was always the best solution. But Tim was getting kind of desperate. "What exactly is wrong with Chris, anyway?" he questioned, "besides what we've already gone over." No way would he let the conversation sail back to where it had started.

While Tim would've liked more than just an 'oh' from Carter, he sort of understood. After all, his friend probably didn't want to talk about that, since he would have to admit that he didn't really care about Tim in that way. In fact, if Carter wasn't drunk, Tim was sure he would have seen right through his words to the core of the issues: the fact that Tim saw more in their relationship than him. He nodded when Carter said he needed him, though it somehow felt empty and rushed with the other man struggling to get away like he was. In fact, Tim felt a bit stupid; he'd been putting himself out there, barely holding back at all, and all he'd gotten back were a few muttered syllables. However, he was too exhausted to care any more. He just wanted the whole thing to be over with. Unfortunately, Carter's next words made it clear that nothing had been fixed at all, and as much as Tim knew it would be a mistake to push this any further, he just couldn't leave it at that. Since he couldn't think of a single thing to say in response he, too, stood, intending to follow his friend.

Tim groaned inwardly at the blackbelt comment. Gee, thanks, he thought, refusing to acknowledge that they were talking about him. He didn't want to get involved unless it was absolutely necessary. When Carter swung the ball, though, he gave up all notion of getting away from the bar without incident. After that, everything happened in a split second; the first guy stumbled away, the second raised the stick, and Tim was moving forward before Carter's first cry for help. All of his anger and confusion seemed to pack itself into this one movement, and the minute he was close enough to his best friend's attacker, his fist took on a life of its own, flying forward to connect with the man's jaw. Pain shot through his knuckles at the satisying crunch, though he didn't pause to process it, grabbing Carter and dragging him away. Tim's logical thought had been replaced by an animalistic instinct to get the fuck out, so that's what he did, pushing his friend in the direction of the door and praying the men wouldn't follow them.

ooc. Okay. Hopefully that all works xD I can just imagine Tim's face being all scrunched up and terrified while he muscles his way toward the door haha... aaaanyway, enjoy!

[carter dominic andrews]

Carter could understand that the two of them were just going around in circles tonight. He could also see where Tim was trying to actually accomplish something in this chat, and yet Carter just seemed to do nothing but fight a solution the entire time. He stayed silent this time knowing it should be the end of at least that part of the conversation, knowing that much had at least been a step in the right direction for him. He nodded and shrugged, "I'll give you that much, having a third wheel is something i'm new to," he sighed, at least he was being somewhat helpful at the moment. "I don't mind the idea of a third person though, but it's just, why does it have to be him? Why did he get put with us?" He hated it, their last year of school and they had to have him as a roommate. Carter feels that the school system had seriously fucked him over this time around. "What else am I supposed to say?" He shrugged, it was the thing that bugged him the most and was on the front of his mind at all times that he wasn't around Tim. He would sit there wondering if his best friend had been with Chris instead, and even the thought pissed him right off. He could feel the blood starting to boil and Chris hadn't even been around, what the hell was going on with him? "You're not the only one confused," He told him truthfully, actually confused would be an understatement.

Carter just rolled his eyes at his friends outburst as he did not look in his direction. He could not though he could hear the anger and feel the heat coarsing through the entire conversation. It sent chills down his spine that his friend could be so cold when heated, quite the contradiction but now was no time to laugh, and after he'd finished Carter sat there in silence for a moment trying to collect his thoughts. They were far enough in the conversation that he had to start picking and choosing his words wisely, and yet the alcohol was pretty much fucking with his train of thought making him the ultimate failure in the conversation. "Answer me this, are you more pissed off that I punched him, or that I just don't like him in general?" He asked curiously, obviously he'd made the trip tonight because he'd gotten upset about the punch and fighting. "You would have just let me walk around hating him had I not punched him right?" He shook his head, it seemed that Tim was fine as long as nothing physical had been involved. "I can't believe you'd waste your time coming here tonight just to defend him, or whatever this is called." He waved his hand not having a clue what to call this arguement. "Not so much selfish as it is stupid, you were close though as both begin with an S." He smirked over at the other to show the sarcasm. "How's it a warzone when i'm not even there, doesn't make sense, it's like you're making it out to be something that it's not." He tried to make it sound like he'd known what he was talking about, but mostly his lips were moving and he was rather disconnected with the words that were coming out. "You think i'd give up my spot in that room for that bastard?" He just groaned, there wasn't a chance he'd move out of Tim's room.

It seemed to be getting late, or maybe Carter was just looking for an out in the conversation as he searched for a clock to read. It was pretty much just something that Carter did to keep himself distracted from the present. "I know Tim, I think after the number of years we've known each other I should know shit like this, don't you?" He asked glancing from the clock he'd found so his eyes settled on his best friend beside him. "Figured," he shrugged not caring too much at the moment as he'd been growing tired of the conversation. He hated fighting with Tim and wish there was something magic that he could do to just end this right here, but all he knew that'd work was liking Chris and that just could not happen. He was just too stubborn to let it happen, not tonight anyway or the entire fight would have been for nothing and Carter would have felt like he'd wasted Tim's time. He did however grin hearing his friends next phrase, "You have no idea how happy that makes me to hear that you'd do that," He was speaking the honest truth. He closed his eyes for a second trying to envision Tim punching Chris right in the face, Carter of course would pay money to see something like that, but sadly he knew that it would probably never happen. Carter hadn't even expected it but for that moment that Tim's hand rested ontop of him he could feel all the fight living his body, and for once tonight he felt happiness and warmth filling his chest and stomach. He closed his eyes for a second as the glimmer of a smile peaked at the corner of his lips, but he knew this false sense of happiness and hope would be short lived once the arguement got going once more.

Carter listened to Tim's explanation and just laughed some nodding, "So you're telling me that I just round you out and make you even or something?" He asked curiously quirking an eyebrow. "I wish we could start over too," He sighed being truthful, it was better to just go along with Tim right now to at least progress the fight so they could come to some sort of resolve before Tim went home and Carter went back to the hotel. He sighed when again he'd heard Tim defending Chris, something that would never sit well with Carter. "Fine, if that's what you want I could try to ignore him or something. I'll tell you right now though if he runs his mouth or pisses me off I will go after him, i'm not afraid to fucking speak my mind, and if that means I need to pop the fucking man again then so be it," He shrugged, he had to let Tim know that if provoked he'd have no problem fighting. When he asked that age old question Carter just sighed with a shrug backing away from him, "I don't want to get into it tonight. It's not the time, my fucking head can't take this anymore. I'm starting to get a headache, i'm just going to get some sleep and I promise we'll talk about it the next time we run into each other alright?" He tried to sound as nice as possible but his words were strained. He hadn't also planned on heading right back to the campus in the morning, so he had hoped the two wouldn't run into each other for a little while so he could come up with a better excuse than the ones he'd been using so far for hating the man.

Carter thought that he'd make it out of the bar on a good note, but the second he'd messed up that mans shot he knew he'd been fucked. He could feel the pain coarsing through his body as he was hit with the stick, and his shoulders were on fire as he'd been squirming so much bending them in odd ways trying to break free from the clasp of the mans arms. He had honestly thought he'd get the shit kicked out of him tonight, but soon he'd felt a jolt and his attacker had dropped his arms freeing Carter from his grip. He fell to the ground barreled over in pain, but he could feel Tim holding onto him as he practically dragged him out of the bar. "Shit, we have. to. get outtahere." He could not talk that well but that was because of the pain, and plus he was still trying to get the wind back into his system. Tim had just saved him from getting his ass kicked and he couldn't understand why, especially after Carter had been so mean and nasty to him beforehand. He stood up though clasped his stomach as he put his arm around Tim and pulled him in the direction of the hotel, and of course he put most of his weight against his friend because he couldn't even keep himself up. Damnit, that had been his first bar fight and he'd pretty much lost that one. "Thankyou," He told him all at once as he looked over and smiled, or half smiled as his entire face was crying out in pain. He coughed feeling like there'd been blood in his mouth, but he was just overreacting as he spit the glob of liquid from his mouth. He was pretty messed up and it'd only taken less than a minute. He could not even begin to imagine what it would have been like if Tim hadn't been around and the men had their way with him.

He could hear something outside of the bar but instead of looking back he just picked up his speed tripping over himself as he tried to run down the road, but mostly it'd become a hobble as he'd been relying too much on his friend for balance. "Ihurtsobad," He managed to get out in one breath coughing once more as he spit out another glob of spit that'd formed in his mouth. He was surprised he wasn't crying right now but he knew that'd come later, "FUCK it burns!" he cried out as he could see the neon letters coming up of the hotel. "Room 311," He told Tim, he'd have to be the guide tonight to get him back home. His eyes were already starting to water as he could feel the pain in his shoulders starting to tense up, "Damnit," he groaned rubbing his stomach as he came closer to the hotel with his arm still around Timmy.

[notes. if this is shit blame romeo and juliet! i love this damn movie, too much of a distraction! Hah.]

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