IC Inbox for Apocalypse Now

[energyfieldgood]

"This is McKay. Leave a message if it's important. And I stress. Important.
Don't make me call you back and reiterate what important means."

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[ferriswheelsandfootball]

Great, I…

[This was not what he expected.

At all.

He carefully puts down the rest of the snacks on another table, moving tentatively towards him.

He doesn’t make any move to touch him, almost as if he’s…afraid to.]

Movie.

…

You’re in a really good mood all of a sudden. Did something happen?

[energyfieldgood]

[Something's wrong.

John is acting weird and he feels a sudden knot in his stomach.]

I'm-- no? I'm fine. Nothing happened? For once! Because things happen in this town, there's, uh, there's always something happening...

[And things probably happened this past month. So many things happen in a month and it looks like glossing over might not be as simple as he had hoped.]

Should I not be?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[That sets off every warning bell his head can possibly come up with.

He’s terrified. Some entity is eating good tonight.

This time he does get closer—]

You shouldn’t be. Or at least, you weren’t.

Did you touch something? Anything that changed your mood suddenly? Did you go anywhere, talk to anyone…

[energyfieldgood]

[Yeah. Definitely not as simples as he had hoped.]

No.

[You shouldn't be, John says and that scares him.

Or at least, you weren't, John says and that terrifies him.

What happened?]

I, I don't think I did?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

I thought I didn’t, either, but we know how that went.

[A grimace.

He looks around, but if there’s an artifact it could literally be anything.]

It’s an artifact. It has to be.

When did you-when did you start feeling…different?

[It hurts to say it.]

When you started feeling…better?

[energyfieldgood]

[It makes no sense. What he says doesn't make any sense.

Something happened, something big, and he's not going to be able to avoid it, is he.]

Started feeling better.

[He stares at him blankly.]

... Okay, uh. So technically it's possible that something happened. I just thought that maybe we didn't have to, you know, talk about it because it's kind of upsetting to think about and there's not much I can do about it so I thought, hey, why not pretend it didn't happen...

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[Yeah, no.]

You have no idea what I’m talking about.

[What if it wasn’t a mood thing? What if he just…

…forgot?]

What’s the last thing you remember? Before today.

[energyfieldgood]

[Of all the questions to ask him.

Rodney opens his mouth, closes it.]

It's... complicated.

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

What…what is that supposed to mean?!

[You’re scaring him, Rodney.]

[energyfieldgood]

I...

There was this artifact, at least I think it was an artifact, there was something wrong with my laptop...

[He looks away, not really knowing how to meet his eyes, how to admit that enormous gap.]

Everytime I would close it down it would... wipe my memory I guess? Like, everything from the point I had opened it up was just gone. So I didn't close it down for a... a really long time? But eventually I had to in order to get rid of it and...

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

…what?!

[It was an artifact.

Everything Rodney is saying sounds worse and worse. His heart drops into the pit of his stomach, his mouth dropping open a little, nothing but pain and worry and fear in his eyes.

And the horror is dawning on him is that maybe he doesn’t remember what happened with his artifact. Or maybe more than that.

What if he forgot a lot?!

And maybe he shouldn’t tell him. Maybe he should spare him that pain.

But he doesn’t think he can hide it. Doesn’t think he can just…let that go, as badly as he wants to.]

Why didn’t you tell me—Rodney! I could have helped you—

This is not the kind of thing we keep from each other?!

How much-how much did you lose?

[energyfieldgood]

I'm not sure.

[He looks down, his face burning.]

About... about a month? That's... the best estimate I got.

... And I wanted to tell you, I did, I just didn't-- I didn't know how because I don't remember how-- I mean, someone must have helped me? I guess? Unless I managed to break free of it on my own which, unlikely but not impossible. I thought maybe it was you?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

A month.

[He has a chance here, a chance to avoid all the awkwardness and painful feelings and just…everything. He could go and watch a movie and just…pretend everything was fine.

It’s so tempting.

But he can’t.]

It wasn’t me.

You were, uh…me and you weren’t really, uh…

[He can’t quite look him in the eyes.]

You don’t remember what I did to you, but it was…bad.

[energyfieldgood]

Again?

[He can't help himself, he just blurts it out.]

Oh, come on. What happened this time?

[His hand comes up, feeling for his neck.]

Did you bite me again? Did I have another hickey?

cw: body horror

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[Oh.

There’s a long.

Slightly annoyed.

Pause.]

…

…well, yeah.

I mean, it happened awhile back, but—

—yeah, my artifact…made me wanna hunt you.

In my defense, I thought you were horribly being twisted against your will into a prey animal?

[energyfieldgood]

Seriously? What is it with you and chasing me?

[Sorry John.

It's just that it seems to be a theme.]

Did you make me run a lot? You made me run a lot, didn't you. It was Dogtown all over again.

... Oh my God, were we in Dogtown?

Wait, what animal did you think I was?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

I don’t know!

[He really, really doesn’t, and sounds like he wants to know why just as badly as Rodney does.]

Yes—and no, we weren’t in Dogtown—it was the canteen.

…

…a rabbit.

[A beat.]

I thought you were a really cute, little rabbit.

[energyfieldgood]

You...

[Ex

cuse him.]

You chased me in the canteen because you thought I was a rabbit.

[He's just staring at him now in utter mortification.]

And people saw?!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

…y…yeah.

[Welp.

Here they go again.]

Wait, that’s what you’re concerned about, is that people saw?!

I mean, there’s like, probably a few more things that were more pressing at the time—

[energyfieldgood]

Yes, but I don't remember them!

But everyone else will remember them!

Everyone else remembers you thinking I was a bunny! I am never leaving this room again!

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

That’s…

That’s what you’re taking away from this?!

[Is this really happening.]

The point is I could have hurt you! Or worse! We haven’t really spoken much since then!

Like—it was really bad?!

[energyfieldgood]

Okay, but clearly you didn't? So this is the more lasting effect! I bet they're making up stupid bunny nicknames as we speak!

[Except then he pauses.

We haven't really spoken much since then.]

Oh.

[Maybe that's why John didn't know about the laptop? Or why Rodney didn't tell him? It's infuriating that he'll never know which decisions he made and why. And now John probably can't even help him fill the gaps because they hadn't spoken.]

... That bad?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

But I could’ve! And if anyone is making a dumb bunny nickname, I’ll ask them politely to stop!

Unless it’s a really good one.

[He pauses, too, the days have taken their toll on him, especially after…that.]

Yeah. That bad.

…why do you think I brought you so many snacks?

[energyfieldgood]

[You better not call him b u N n y N am es.]

Because you like me?

[It's just, he wasn't questioning it that much.

Oh no, what if...]

... You still like me, right? Like, we didn't, uh. Wedidntbreakupdidwe?

[ferriswheelsandfootball]

[What if he does tho, Bugs Rodney.]

Well. Yeah. But these are guilt snacks.

[Which accounts for at least 50% more snacks.]

Of course I still like you!

And no, we didn’t…break up. I was…I thought that maybe you couldn’t stand to be around me anymore, though.

Or that you were afraid of me.

That you’d want…that.

I would understand, if that’s what you wanted.

[It’s so weird to still think of them being a thing. They had been a thing before but now it’s like—official, which meant that breaking up was also a thing. A thing that he was afraid might happen, too.]