savetheearth | handwritten;

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handwritten;

[The message starts off with a few unevenly-spaced dots as he taps his black biro against the paper. His handwriting is spidery and sprawling, but legible.]

Well, don't I feel special.
One minute I'm minding my own business and the next I'm having a string of numbers pushed into my head and finding my way around this merry fucking mess.
That was rude, by the way.
What if I was driving or something.

[dot... dot dot]

Either this is working or I'm getting concerned about making an ass of myself for no reason.
If it isn't then who would even give a damn anyway.

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[Nope, no dye's going to come out that clean, and honestly that shade would still be showing some of his original brown if it were dyed. No such luck, this was genuine, whatever it was.

Oh man, Tremors. How fitting!]

Ah. [An awkward pause as he stuffs his face with little to no grace. He really is very hungry you know.] Yeah... like, you know how... I don't know, when a dog sees a cat or a squirrel race up a fence or a tree but they go after it anyway even though there's no way in hell they're catching it?

[It felt like an appropriate source of entertainment.

Richard flicks light hazel eyes over to Tony, one eyebrow arching as he swallows a mouthful of pizza and resists the urge to point out that he's doing to give himself indigestion if he eats it that quickly.]

Uh. [Okay, he guesses this is leading somewhere.] Yeah. An instinct or somethin'. What about it.

[Shhh just let him wolf it down a bit he'll slow down in a moment or two. After he almost gets a bite stuck trying to swallow anyway. It's okay Tony you're not going to starve and the food isn't going to run away you can relax.

Sometimes it's hard to remember those things.]

Well, it's kinda like that, except instead of chasing mindlessly after defenseless prey animals I want to go after the things that'll fight back. And I can't stop it.

[He's pointedly not looking at Richard because he really doesn't know how he's going to respond. Or if he'll just think Tony's gone completely off his rocker.

Who knows, maybe he has.]

... Huh.

[It's not like he doesn't understand that kind of impulse, but he has the feeling that what he is thinking of isn't anything close to what Tony has going on. He rearranges the pieces of meat on his next pizza slice as he thinks that over, eyes on the screen but not exactly seeing what's happening (something crashing through a wall, there's gunfire, he's not really paying attention).]

So, uh. [Hmm.] Rather than chasin' a cat up a tree I should be expecting you to jump into the lion pit at the zoo, or somethin'.

Dunno, haven't been to the zoo in a while. I wouldn't risk it right now, though.

[He smirks a little, chewing his pizza thoughtfully. No, it wasn't quite that reckless, thankfully, but it was still really hard to explain properly. How could he articulate something that, until very recently, he didn't even know was possible to feel? The blind, irresistible compulsion to pursue a fight.]

Nah, I mean I haven't started any fights with big dudes who could definitely crush me. But as soon as something takes a stab at me? Then it's on.

[Which was a problem when the tiny toy monsters were running around bugging everyone constantly.]

Hmm.

[He'd been joking, mostly, trying to gauge the severity of the situation. As hard as it was for Tony to articulate, it was difficult for him to grasp.

Sure, he was no stranger to fights but he knew how to pick his battles. If Tony no longer could, then...]

I'll keep an eye on you, kid. [Richard mutters around a mouthful of pizza.] I reckon I can take you if you start flyin' off the handle.

[As had Tony, but he was still serious about not wanting to tempt fate. He's already had a broken rib and been hit by a car over this garbage, he doesn't want to add lion mauling to it.]

Yeah? [He lets out a thoughtful noise, and gobbles down another large bite of pizza before continuing.] You might have to do that. Dirk had to pull me out of one already.

[There is a very big part of him that immediately disapproves of Tony getting his kid nephew into trouble. Thankfully, and perhaps luckily for Tony, Richard is level-headed enough to know that it's not something he would ever do on purpose.]

I'll keep that in mind... [He murmurs, brow furrowing slightly.] Any recommendations, or should I just start carrying a squirt bottle?

[Very much thankfully. Getting Dirk into trouble was the absolute last thing he ever wanted to do, hell he's shaped up a lot over the years for that very reason. This instance of trouble had just kind of fallen on his head completely unexpected.

How was he to know Wise Snake was going to wake up and go on a rampage?]

Not a clue. [Tony just gave a kind of tired, helpless shrug.] If I can't see what I'm trying to go after, or get hurt bad enough, that seems to help snap me out of it. Otherwise I got nothin'.

Gotcha... [So grab him and hold on? Richard could do that.

He sits in silence a while longer, quietly eating his pizza and watching the movie, chuckling now and then. Eventually, his attention rolls back over to Tony and for a long few moments he just looks at him, silent, before he speaks up.]

You tired, kiddo?

[Basically that exactly. Hold him down, cover his eyes, and hope you can snap some sense into him before he hurts himself of someone else.

Tony also falls silent, gobbling pizza until he's stuffed and finally just sitting quietly, already half-dozing while they watch the movie. He hasn't been feeling too right since he got hit by that car, honestly, so staying focused on things was a little difficult. Staying awake even harder.

He perks up a little when Richard speaks up again, and he glances over from where he's curled into a little ball. Is it that obvious?]

Yeah, kinda. Been a long week you know.

[He can deal with that. The fact he has half a foot on the kid is probably a good thing.

But, yes. Kind of obvious.]

Go and get yourself cleaned up. I'll set the couch up for you.

[Assuming Tony does as he's told.. when he get back he'll find that Richard has pulled an actual bed out of the corner sofa. Surprise?]

[A foot and quite a bit of bulk! Tony was wiry, and stronger than he looked, but still very scrawny. He'd be easy enough to pin down.]

Nh? But I already took a shower...

[He grumbled as he got up anyway to go do... something, with himself. He didn't really know what but okay. Tooth brushing or something yeah. But yes, he does as he's told and meanders back a short while later, expression utterly perplexed. Where the hell did that come from?]

Woah where were you hiding that?

[Magic?]

[It's really just a ruse to get Tony out of the room so he's not watching Richard fight with the thing. There are some indignities that must be suffered alone, after all, and hauling a double bed out of a sofa is one of them.

He's straightening the mattress on top of it when the young man comes back, casting him a quick grin at the look on his face.]

Needed a new sofa. I'd been figurin' on offering you a more reliable place to crash, anyway. Should be comfortable, I ain't tried it out myself.

[Okay well, he can understand that. And thankfully it takes a little bit of digging to find a tooth brush he can use (it's always handy that they come in packs of multiples). Look at that, this is the cleanest he's been in.. well, a while. It's a nice feeling to be certain.]

Awe you didn't have to do that... [Yes that's a pointless statement but he doesn't know what else to say.] Sure looks comfy, thank you.

[He's actually really touched that Richard went to this much effort for him. Honestly he was totally happy sleeping on a normal couch.]

Hey, now, don't get the idea that I only did it for you. [Richard grins, ruffling a hand over Tony's hair.] I really liked this couch, just happened to be a fold out.

[Total coincidence.

In a few minutes the bed is made and Richard is straightening up to rub the tension out of his shoulders.]

Go ahead. I'll be in the office for a couple of hours. Turn the light out when you want.

Yeah yeah. [He's amused anyway, and still not completely convinced that he didn't factor into the equation at all. At least he'd like to think so, so he is, because it makes him feel like he's actually wanted somewhere.]

Sure, and hey... thanks again. It's nice not sleeping in a tree.

[Or on a park bench, or under some concrete ledge somewhere. Of course, once Richard left and Tony made himself comfortable he'd be out like a light.]

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