fandomtownies | The Perk, Friday Afternoon

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The Perk, Friday Afternoon

Ino was curled up in one of the comfortable chairs, mutinously sipping on a mint chocolate chip cold drink thing (which, yes, was her breakfast--Ino was ignoring the fact that it was really really not a healthy breakfast), and glaring balefully at the rain.

Stupid rain. It was totally ruining her plans to train more. If it hadn't been for the fact that she had to prove tomorrow to Temari that she wasn't entirely useless Ino would probably be out in the rain anyway. But with her luck... she'd wind up sick if she tried that today. And Temari was going to be enough of a pain (and painful, Ino strongly suspected, very painful) tomorrow that she didn't dare risk it.

So, instead, she was poking dispiritedly at Kabuto's laptop and attempting to figure out what all of his research meant.

His codes, she was finding, were definitely not her friends. Stupid everything.

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Isabel's mocha craving was strong enough that she was willing to brave the rain to get it.

After getting the largest drink possible, she looked around to see if anyone looked like they wouldn't mind company. "What are you working on?" she asked, pulling up a chair to Ino's table.

...

Ino sort of blinked at Isabel, startled, but willing to go with it. "Kabuto's stupidity," she said, branishing her drink at the laptop. "He disappeared, like, left his stuff behind disappeared, and you know, I totally don't find the words 'space-time' which I found in his research to be reassuring."

A beat.

"Boys are so stupid."

Isabel had brothers. And lots of guy friends. And a boyfriend.

"I'm not arguing," she nodded.

"But yeah, space-time and a sudden disappearance? Not a good sign."

"And he's totally the sort to think he'd be good enough to go at it without any form of, you know, warning or backup even though this? Should be common sense."

Not that Ino was cranky about his disappearance or anything, of course not.

"And you totally can't argue that," she said, "the boys being stupid I mean. Michael's pretty stupid lately."

In Ino's opinion. The fact that he might have a point? Completely flew over her head.

"You'd think." And no Isabel was deliberately not thinking about a certain vampire hunt she'd gone on.

"Oh? How so?" she asked, her eyebrow raised slightly. Occasionally not thinking or not, Michael was her brother after all.

That got an eyeroll. "We're stuck right next to each other in the alcoves, right? Did he tell you that? Well, whatever, I went out training for the weekend--told Cassandra where I was in case anyone needed me, or whatever--and he bitches at me for heading out, staying out, and coming home with bruises from training." A beat. "Bruises that got healed the moment I woke up after crashing for sleep, so like... I don't get why it's mattering? It wasn't a big deal. Training is... training."

There was a certain irony to Michael being annoyed with someone for taking off, Isabel realized, considering the number of times he'd been the one to take off on some search for alien clues with barely a good-bye. Still, Isabel understood where he was coming from. "Maybe because he cares?"

"He was being a jerk to me before that, and when I complained said that it was because he didn't care enough now not to be, so it's not with the whole making sense thing if he cares because I was out training."

"But did you ever think what he said before was a defense mechanism?" Isabel pointed out. "He doesn't let that many people get close. You did. And then you picked an other guy over him."

"I didn't stop caring 'bout him," Ino said, "but, come on, I had to make a choice. Kabuto was it."

"I didn't think you did," she said.

"Doesn't mean he's got to be a jerk about it," she pointed out, "I mean, just because I'm not, like, going out with him which we never formally did anyway, doesn't mean he should be an ass."

"Here's the thing though," Isabel replied. "It's Michael. And this Michael? Has only had Max and I. He's still getting used to relating to other people. And I think he's trying to keep himself from getting hurt."

"You don't learn if you don't get hurt," Ino said, then stared at her drink. "Even if I never wanted to hurt him."

"He's been hurt enough." Getting separated from them. Three years apart. Hank. Isabel sighed. "I know you didn't want to. But unfortunately I think you did."

"Crappy part 'bout life is that it doesn't care if you've been hurt before, or enough, or whatever," Ino said, "life happens anyway. And yeah, if I did, then I'm sorry, and I'm still trying to be his friend but I don't think, you know, that a bit of decency and politeness is out of place from him. Like, seriously."

The thing of it was, Ino was right about all of it. "Decency and politeness would be nice. But when you're not accustomed to it? When normal is being yelled at? Or hit? It makes it hard to react differently."

Ino sipped her drink before replying to that. "He told me about Hank," she said, "and, you know, I can even kinda get where you're coming from with that, but at the same time I'd hope that he'd get the idea that, how Hank reacts? Is not how most people react."

"So Hank was an abusive bastard? But Michael's here now? So he should just get over it?" Isabel asked, her tone pleasant, but a touch cool.

"Did I say that?" Ino asked, raising her eyebrows. "Well, whatever. Maybe he should a bit? I mean, not everyone is Hank and even back in Roswell he had you and Max--which, I'd assume is a way healthier role model for him to go after than, you know, Hank. Not to mention the fact that if he's reacting like I'm going to start reacting like Hank? Then he's got worse problems than me breaking up than him."

"Not in so many words. But the implication was there." She studied the melting whipped cream in her drink, torn between just walking away or trying to get Ino to understand where she was coming from.

"He had us. In school. For a few hours a day. And occasional time he'd be able to come over and spend a little bit of time," Isabel said finally. "So when it comes down to who had the bigger influence? Hank wins."

That got a shrug.

"Then I don't understand," Ino admitted. "I don't get it. I don't get why he reacts that way."

Because it didn't matter in her world. Not that way.

She'd hoped Ino would be able to look after Michael once she'd left. Now, Isabel doubted it. "No, you don't. Which is too bad."

Ino just had a different definition of looking after than Isabel.

"Isn't that, like, a bit condescending of you?" Ino asked, leaning back in her chair and pulling her legs up under her, "And I'm really not trying to start a fight. I'm trying to get it. I do care about Michael. And I know that around here, what happened to Michael is a Bad Thing, but I don't get why he can't... work at getting over it. Life doesn't stop 'cause something bad happens."

"So I don't get why I'm supposed to 'coddle' him through it."

"No. It doesn't stop," she nodded slowly. "But around here we make allowances for it. And work to help people get over it. And if that means putting up with someone being rude once in a while? Especially if they were worried about you, then you do."

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