MCA #0 [Monday Night]

[bridge_carson]

It had really not been a great day. Whatever Umbridge had done to him, it didn't seem to be wearing off at all. He'd even tried drinking all sorts of liquids in an effort to make his throat feel somewhat better, but that didn't help much. And because it hurt to talk, he couldn't exactly *call* Xander and explain what had happened. He'd have to do it in person. Of course this meant breaking the same rule that he's currently being punished for breaking before.

Which is why he's knocking at Xander's door come evening time. Only there's no answer. After waiting what he deems a sufficient amount of time, he opens the door using the key Xander had given him a while ago.

"Xander?" he calls out loud as he enters the apartment. And then immediately regrets it as his throat starts hurting worse again. An inspection of the apartment reveals that Xander is most definitely not there. So with a pitcher of water and the television turned on and showing something random, he curls up on the couch and sort of half pays attention to the screen as he waits.

[ooc: for he who owns the apartment that was modded with permission.]

Comments

[needsaparrot]

Xander arrives home from Aly's Top Sekrit Meeting That Didn't Happen later than he'd planned. He hadn't forgotten that it was his anniversary; he just hadn't realized how long things were going to run.

A glance at his watch as he's opening the door has him reaching for his phone, but then he hears the sound of the tv from within.

"Bridge?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"In here!" he calls out. Ow ow *ow*, that hurt. Stupid Umbridge.

[needsaparrot]

Xander drops his keys and wallet near the door, then heads over to the den. "Sorry, didn't mean to be so late. There was a Thing." Hopefully his tone indicates it's a good Thing and not just a cheap excuse for being late.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"S'okay," Bridge croaks out, wincing slightly and downing about half a glass of water.

[needsaparrot]

Concerned by the sound of his voice, Xander leans over the back of the couch to look down at him. "You okay?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge just shakes his head, trying to avoid talking too much.

[needsaparrot]

Now more worried, Xander walks around the couch and sits down next to him. "What's wrong?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Umbridge did something. Throat hurts. Hot." Bridge manages. Xander would probably be able to feel the unusual heat from Bridge's breath as he spoke.

[needsaparrot]

"The hell?" Xander puts a hand to the side of Bridge's throat - which doesn't feel all that hot from the outside, but it's definitely there in Bridge's breath.

Remembering what Anakin had said, he reaches for one of Bridge's hands. "She didn't do anything else to you, did she? Make you write sentences?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge shakes his head again, giving Xander a confused look.

[needsaparrot]

"She was making some of the kids write stuff that ended up hurting them somehow. Making them bleed." That's a glare, though it's far from directed at Bridge.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge's expression pretty much matches Xander's. "Needs to stop."

[needsaparrot]

"That has, I guess." He's not going to go into the specifics of how. "But sounds like she just found ways around it." Xander gets up to head for the kitchen. "Ice would help, maybe?"

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Maybe?" Bridge says uncertainly. The water heats up pretty much the second he sips it, so he's not sure if ice will make that much of a difference, but it's worth a try.

[needsaparrot]

Xander comes back with a cup of ice - and a grape popsicle. "At least if it melts it'll taste good for two seconds?" he offers, holding it out to Bridge.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge grins and takes the popsicle gratefully. Of course, on the first lick he actually ends up with mouthful of warm grape juice. He gives Xander an apologetic look.

[needsaparrot]

"Happy Anniversary?" Xander says wryly, offering an ice cube. "If it helps, the adults on the island are on to what's going on too, and nobody's happy about it."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Good." Bridge says, taking the ice cube and swallowing it. The temptation to clarify his statement in typical Bridge-babbling manner is a strong one, but he resists.

[needsaparrot]

"One thing we figured out - if she calls you in to her office again? Just don't go.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge's response to that is a firm nod. He'd gone because while he didn't agree with her rules, his respect for authority was too ingrained for him to ignore a direct summons. Of course, now he realised that she was not *worthy* of respect, and so would not be making that mistake again. "Can I stay?" he asks, trying to use a minimum of words to get his meaning across. He really, really does not want to go back to the dorms and stay alone.

[needsaparrot]

Xander's guessing that it's the staying over that got him in this position in the first place, but that's sort of a moot point now. "Duh. Hell, I'm not sure I should even let you go back."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge frowns at that. "Not letting her win."

[needsaparrot]

"I get that. Not keen on letting somebody who hurt you anyplace near you again, though." Like, say, the same plane of existence...

Xander recognizes that this is not a rational thought; he still enjoys the thinking for the millisecond before sanity pokes its nose back in.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

And while Bridge is someone who is capable of standing up for himself, he does appreciate the thought. "Love you," he croaks.

This would normally be where the making-out thing happens, but tonight? With the burny hot breath of doom? Not so much with the happening.

[needsaparrot]

"Love you too." Xander sighs, because this was not how he planned to spend his anniversary, curfew or no curfew. "I could get some bread and you could try breathing on that? Toast-breath would almost be cool."

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge can't help but laugh at that. And then wince because the laughing kind of hurts more than the talking thing.

[needsaparrot]

"Sorry." See, yeah, this is the part where Xander would usually be apologizing with his lips - uh, in the kissing way and not the way that you would apologize with your lips to say, somebody you bumped into in the street - but now he's just kind of stuck there feeling frustrated and unable to help.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge looks inquiringly at Xander before tentatively leaning against his shoulder, not sure if he'd really want to be that close to the whole hot-breath-of-doom thing that Bridge has got going on.

[needsaparrot]

And yeah, okay, Xander's maybe a little concerned about having his hair singed off, but he also knows Bridge and how careful he is, so he's not too worried.

He slides an arm around Bridge and leans back. Possibly our of breathing-range, yes.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

Bridge closes his eyes and lets himself relax just a little. It's comfortable, and *right*, being here with Xander's arm around him, and he's happy enough to just *be*, for now.

[needsaparrot]

Xander tightens his arm a bit, running his fingers over the back of Bridge's neck.

[bridge-carson.livejournal.com]

"Mmm," Bridge's response to that is a noise that is half-sleepy, half-pleased, all at once.

[needsaparrot]

Xander rubs the back of Bridge's neck a little harder - not Swedish massage hard because hey, he's kind of sleepy too. But enough to push at a day's worth of sore throat and tension-stress.