i was only kidding when i said good riddance

[currentcy]

WHO: ELECTRO and MOCKINGBIRD
WHERE: Electro's apartment at the MAC.
WHEN: Following this.
WARNINGS: Banter, makeouts, some sex.
SUMMARY: PARKER IS GONE AND ELECTRO IS SAD. Mockingbird to the rescue.
FORMAT: Para.


The apartment was dark; Electro had no need for the City's regular electricity, usually he powered his place on his own (cheap and easy) but tonight he didn't feel the energy at all. So he sat in the dark, staring at his dead TV, holding an unopened beer bottle in hand. Shit, what was he even supposed to do? Parker was his best friend, his... it didn't even matter what they were or what weren't beyond that. They were best friends, and Electro hadn't ever had any real ones. Why was it that now that things had been kind of going okay for him -- he didn't just have one girlfriend, he had one and a half... maybe. What did Bobbi think of their kiss, he wondered? -- the person he was closest to had to leave.

Maybe for good. Who could know? This place had no rhyme or reason to the pattern of who left forever vs. who left for a week. It wasn't fair.

He bit his lower lip, glaring through the darkness.

Comments

[currentcy]

"Thanks. Decorated it myself," he said, with a wry smile that lasted a moment or two. "It's just," he then frowned, sitting down on his couch, wondering if he should say anything. "... I didn't think he'd ever go. He's always been here waiting for me."

He put up his feet on the coffee table, and offered her the spot next to him if she wanted to sit down with an open palm.

"I knew him back home, but I don't think he knew me. I didn't say anything about it because we weren't close there. Like, at all. It's way different, here. Couldn't ever be anything there."

[mocks]

She sat down beside him, careful not to sit too close to him. She didn't want to give him the wrong impression. Exactly what impression she wanted to give him, she wasn't entirely sure, but it was for the best that she not get too far ahead of herself.

"This place has a funny way of changing things. It changes how you see people." Bobbi said softly, staring at his feet on the table for a moment before shifting her body so she could kick her feet up along with his. "How long have you been here? How long have you and Parker known each other?"

[currentcy]

That would have earned her a smirk on any other occasion; this time, however, he glanced over her and let his hand fill some of the space between them. He didn't go for hers -- likewise, he didn't want to get ahead of himself.

"Yeah..." He said after a moment of thoughtful silence. That was for sure; an understatement, really. "I've been here for a year. Spent some time back home with his crew, during the -- well," he didn't finish that thought, not wanting to get into the post-Invasion chaos. "About a year, maybe more. But we weren't close or anything."

[mocks]

"But you are close here," she said absently, glancing over at his hand for a moment, letting her hand fall down beside his. "You think that'll change if he comes back?"

That was a fear she was all too familiar with. All the alternate timelines and realities and possible variations available would do nothing to ease Max's mind. If Parker ever came back, it was just as likely that he'd have no memory of the City or of his relationships as it was that he'd drop in with all of his memories. There was no need to mention that though. Bobbi was certain Electro already had all of that in mind.

[currentcy]

He licked his lower lip, nodding after a moment. Then he shrugged, nonchalant. "I don't know. That'd suck, wouldn't it?" Of course, if Parker didn't remember him he wouldn't remember all the awkward parts of their history, either -- not their fights, not Electro kissing him -- none of it.

But the good far, far outweighed the bad.

"I don't know. Some things shouldn't change."

[mocks]

Bobbi wished she could say something comforting, like what Peter had told her when Clint had been ported out. Something about how it was for the best, and how everything would be okay back home. But they both knew that wasn't the case, and she really didn't want to lie or make up stupid excuses. Max was smarter than that, she knew it. So she settled for taking his hand in hers and giving it a reassuring squeeze before finally speaking.

"All we can do is wait, I guess." And hope, she added silently. Hope to God Parker had gone back to some better time, hope he was from some better future. Hope that if he did come back, he wouldn't be the man she'd met just prior to her own arrival. "Who knows, honey. He might be back tomorrow."

[currentcy]

He squeezed back immediately, exhaling. Focus, he told himself. If he kept dwelling on his thoughts he might do something stupid and cry, or something, and that was one of the last things he wanted to do in front of Bobbi. He didn't want to look pathetic on top of everything else.

"It's not fair," he said quietly, frowning still and squeezing her hand more. "None of this crap is fucking fair. I don't care if it happens all the time, it's not supposed to happen to him."

He didn't care if he sounded selfish. He looked at her. "What the hell is wrong with this place?"

[mocks]

"I know it's not fair," she echoed, lacing her fingers with his. She had her own selfish reasons for thinking so, reasons that had little to do with his situation and worlds to do with her own. "Nothing about this place is fair. But we don't have much of a choice now, do we."

That wouldn't provide him any comfort, of that she was certain. There wasn't much of anything she could say to comfort him, and she wasn't sure that it would be welcome anyway. But she felt like she should say something. She could see he was agitated, she could hear that he was upset and fighting with himself. And she didn't want to play witness to that.

"What're we gonna do, sweetheart? We all have to play this game. You, me, Clint, Parker... all of us. We don't have a choice."

[currentcy]

"I guess we don't," he murmured, feeling her palm against his. "I don't like it. I never thought I'd care about it, you know -- I mean, other people go back and forth and I never cared too much, nothing that I can't get over. But..."

He shrugged his shoulders again, leaning a little closer to her. He wanted to change the subject, this was getting a little too uncomfortable. She didn't need to know the full details between Parker and him; probably would be better if she didn't. He slid closer again.

"... I guess that's what's going to happen. Makes you feel kind of alone."

[mocks]

She understood him perfectly, more than she even cared to admit. So much had changed since she'd come here. The nature of this world only added to the loneliness. She'd felt so lonely for so many years. She missed people, she missed connecting. Even if it was with someone like Electro. It was real, and it felt good.

"I hate feeling alone," she exhaled, finally giving in and scooting up against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She hesitated to say anything more, but she was so tired of keeping it all to herself. She needed to share it with somebody. "I've missed so much. I've been all alone for such a long time. You know, it's a joke, to find him again after three years, just to be ripped away. And then he's here, and then he's ripped away from me..."

Drudging all that up hadn't been her intention. What good would come from bringing up all the bullshit about her marriage? It would just make things uncomfortable, more uncomfortable than they were already, anyway.

"Sorry," Bobbi sighed, flicking her eyes toward him. "I guess I'm doing a pretty crappy job of cheering you up, huh."

[currentcy]

He smiled a bit, at that. "You are, but that's okay. I didn't expect you to, anyway." Carefully, he moved his hand from hers, to her knee.

"I don't know. I guess I'm so used to bein' alone I was trying real hard to get used to not. And now I got... a few people, and," his nose wrinkled, but he turned to look at her, "Now this happens. We both lost someone important, sounds like."

[mocks]

"Yeah, we did." Bobbi sighed softly, keeping eye contact with him as she placed her hand on his thigh. She was being a bit more bold than he was, perhaps. "But we're not alone, you know. There's lots of people in this world, people who are just as lonely, people who miss someone just as bad. The sun and moon don't revolve around a single person, Max. The days still pass on, whether you're with them or not."

She pressed against him even more. How she managed to do that without climbing into his lap, she wasn't entirely sure. Either way, he was warm, and it felt nice to be so close to him. "It's okay to miss them, you know. I miss Clint. I miss him... I miss him horribly. But I don't just want to survive til I see him again. I want to live, you know?"

[currentcy]

He raised his eyebrows, but let his other hand slip around her shoulders, some of her blonde hair clinging to the static from his fingers.

"But I l--" He paused, shaking his head again. "No. You're right. It's pointless, to assume anything's gonna last forever, here or there. I lost more people back home than I ever did here. You're right. You gotta live in between the moments."

He hesitated another moment, and then decided to chance it. He leaned in, hoping to kiss her.

[mocks]

Bobbi didn't hesitate, though she knew she should. She should have recoiled or pushed him away or something. But she didn't. She leaned into him, lips parting as she pressed her mouth to his. And she pulled him closer, too, because his mouth felt so good against hers, and because thinking about the consequences was an unpleasant prospect. After a moment or two, she murmured encouragingly, "Mmm... Max."

[currentcy]

His hand buzzed against her hair, and he pressed his lips against hers harder, breathing quickly against her mouth. His other hand cupped her hip and he let his eyes fall closed, losing himself in the moment.

[mocks]

A tiny squeal escaped her lips, and she somehow got a hold on his shirt, tugging at it randomly as they kissed. After a few seconds she pulled back, just long enough to catch her breath. And as soon as she was breathing again, she leaned in to do it again.

[currentcy]

"Ah," he exhaled, catching her lips again and running his hand up her thigh. He pressed closer, chest against hers, murmuring against her mouth. His fingers shook; part of him feared hurting her with his powers -- it took a lot of focus to keep the shocks back.

[mocks]

Bobbi's heart was pounding, it was so loud it was like a freight train rattling in her ribcage. Her whole body was trembling from the thrill of the moment, and she was suddenly a little bit nervous. Aside from her own heart, she couldn't hear much. Even though there were people on every side of them in the building, she suddenly remembered how very alone they were. Yes, she was alone in a strange apartment with a man who'd been in and out of prison and killed people and stolen and tried to hurt her friends, and... kissing him felt so amazing. It was like her lips were tingling, like everywhere he touched her was buzzing and alive.

It felt good, it did, and Bobbi didn't want him to stop. But along with the rush of adrenaline and lust came an almost overwhelming fear. This wasn't like their kiss at the party. This was different. This was a lot different.

"Max, one second, wait," she breathed against his lips, unable to resist the urge to kiss him between phrases. "You haven't even bought me dinner or anything..."

[currentcy]

Pulling away after a moment, he looked at her, breathing slowly. He licked his lower lip, moving his hand back down to her hip. His chest clenched nervously -- of course she would change her mind. He should have seen it coming earlier.

"Right, sorry," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to like-- I like you, I guess I got ahead of myself. We could get some dinner, if you wanted."

[mocks]

"You shouldn't apologize. I like you, too," she said, nibbling on her lower lip. "I wouldn't be here if I didn't. I knew... I knew what could happen."

She didn't didn't make any effort to move away though. In fact, she found herself cupping his cheek, studying his expression very intensely. It was a long moment before she spoke again.

"I don't want to be a booty call. I'm not that kind of woman. I'd... feel better about this if we had dinner or something."

[currentcy]

Electro looked back at her, and leaned in once more to kiss her briefly. He was relieved, at least, that he hadn't messed things up.

"Sure, I get it." He paused for a moment, rubbing his mouth with his hand. "I could take you out. Or make something here, if you wanted." He looked toward his kitchen, which was mostly empty save for a six-pack of beer and some microwave dinners. A restaurant would be infinitely more classy, that was for sure.

[mocks]

"Maybe we could get some take out." Bobbi took a deep breath, ignoring the little voice in the back of her head that was screaming at her for being so stupid. She had a chance to extract herself and escape, but forgetting all that and just going with it seemed so much easier. She liked him, he was a lot different from her expectations of what he would be. And he liked her. And being with someone who liked her as much as she liked him seemed a lot better than just sitting alone and wishing for something that may never happen.

"We could bring something back here, if you're up for it." She smirked at him, suddenly regaining that confident air she usually possessed, planting a quick kiss on his cheek before wriggling out of his clutches.

[currentcy]

He watched her for another moment, but nodded in agreement. "Sure, where do you want to go?" He got up for the couch slowly, the static audibly clinging to him. Sneakily, he took her hand in his.

"I could go grab something, if you wanted to wait here," he offered, if she didn't want to go out somewhere visible with him. But after a moment he continued, "or we could together somewhere."

[mocks]

She paused a moment, looking at Max, then away, then back to him. For some reason, being seen with him was different than just being with him. It was a distinction she felt ashamed to have made in her own mind. Quickly and silently, she weighed the pros and cons of venturing out in public with him, the risks involved for an Avenger to be seen with a fairly well-known villain. After a few seconds though, she decided she didn't care. Anyone in this part of the City that knew who both of them were would probably know better than to say anything about it. Besides, the worst that could happen is Luke could yell at her again.

Bobbi held tightly to his hand, following him up from the sofa. "Let's get Chinese. You know anything close by?"

[currentcy]

He smiled, eyes narrowing mischievously as he thought for a moment. He felt her pulse against his palm.

"Yeah. There's a place around the corner, actually. It's my favorite." He neglected to mention he didn't usually pay for his food when he went there, but... well, why try and start a fight?

He let go of her hand, walking over to the door and opening it for her.