(c) All Hail Old Friends (PG)

by **rock and/or roll** Sat 28 Nov 2009, 3:31 pm

Title: All Hail Old Friends
Author: Smashed Pumpkin
Rating: PG for swearing and sexual references
Fandom: Marilyn Manson
Type: One-shot/drabble
Summary:
"It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

All Hail Old Friends.

“You cut your hair.”

It wasn’t what Jeordie expected when the door was opened, coloured panes of glass moving away to be obscured by the washed out face now in front of him; but at the same time, he knew it meant more than it seemed. And he swallowed down a lump of something in his throat. No, not nerves, never nerves, regret maybe? He wasn’t sure and he didn’t care. He was there now.

Brian looked almost plain without the black and the lipstick, without the crazy eye; both eyes stared out of the dark hallway, guardedly taking in Jeordie’s presence- the short hair, the hail melting into it and running beneath his wide collar to settle along his spine. All around the tiny ice specks were falling like seeds and sinking into thin puddles.

“Yeah, I did.” It was almost harsh in the silence punctuated only by the rapping on the roof, and Jeordie coughed. “...I thought you would’ve found a new place by now.”

“Changed my mind...” Then with a hint of visible curiosity, “What are you doing here then?”

Jeordie wondered if he’d regret saying it, but he figured regret couldn’t be measured. “Would you think something of it if I said I missed you?”

“I’d be suspicious that you may secretly want to blow me, but that’s old news.” There was the faint line of a smile on Brian’s face, nudging at the corner of his mouth, but it seemed strained- like a joke that isn’t funny.

“If you want to be a dick, I can leave.”

“Well, maybe I’m a little let down. After all this time...you come here...instead of asking me how I am, you comment on the fact that I’m still living in this shitty hole and to top it all off, you didn’t bring me a present.”

“I had a rose for you but it died on the way over.” Jeordie felt like his brain might malfunction, his thoughts asking him why? after all this time. He expected something like this, had thought it over on the drive, on his run from his car to the door but it didn’t make it any easier to build a bridge to somewhere he couldn’t clearly see. “What did you expect me to do? Beg for your friendship?”

“No, you’re too good for that.” Brian’s lips pursed together in slight amusement. “But it would be a start.”

“Fuck off.” He knew that Brian didn’t mean it, not really. He just liked to act like a tool sometimes, but he wanted...he didn’t know what he wanted. He missed putting on dresses and too much make-up and being Twiggy- he missed that- but he didn’t know if he wanted it back.

“I missed you too.” Brian coughed a little, eyes scouring the water-logged streets and the sky still spitting out hail, avoiding the man in his doorway. He was serious, Jeordie could tell and he finally felt like they were getting somewhere now the stupid banter was out of the way. Stupid, but he missed it.

Both stood, Jeordie’s hair still dripping from the small run between car and house and Brian reached out an arm, looking unsure as to what was happening. But it made contact with Jeordie’s shoulder and they found themselves in a hug. An awkward and damp hug.

Jeordie smiled then -smiled properly- and stepped back feeling marginally warmer since being spat on by the sky.

“So...where exactly is that rose you brought me?”