Summary:Rachel invites Robbie and his little brother Gabe to see a play. Rachel's timing sucks. Log Info:Storyteller: None |
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It's been weeks since Rachel and Robbie last saw each other in person. She's been very preoccupied with her university application to get into the art program at ESU, and also meeting with the Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, to become his apprentice in the magical arts. It's been very, very jam-packed for Rachel, to the point that she's all but lost contact with her friends and teammates. She does text regularly and shows up whenever something is really important, but things have been pretty calm since Dwayne started searching for the Warriors' headquarters, thankfully.
However. On this day, in the afternoon, Rachel sends Robbie a text that says, "Hey, I've got some free time this afternoon and I would love to treat you and Gabe to a picnic in the park! They're putting on a play of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, too, but I dunno if Gabe's into that or not. Whatcha think?" She sends a selfie that shows her wearing sunglasses, walking down a sidewalk with a big basket hooked on her arm, smiling and giving a peace sign.
Robbie had spent that week regularly texting Rachel, seeing how she's doing, a compliment every now and then for her, and of course just keeping in contact. Thankfully, the Warriors haven't had to assemble for anything major, which allowed Robbie to continue his night-mission as the Ghost Rider and take care of Gabe and work his usual 9 to 5. But then he gets a text message, a selfie with Rachel being cute and inviting Robbie and his brother to a central park play.
While Robbie was slightly hesitant (because its Rachel and he's trying not to get too invested in his feelings), he agrees and takes a selfie with himself and Gabe, with Robbie just smirking and looking very suave and Gabe doing a very nerdy kind of silly face, the message reads as follows:
'Would love to. I'll see ya there! Gabe's excited to meet you'.
And sure enough, some solid minutes later, that Dodge charger pulls up, and Robbie exits, wearing his usual clothing. Jeans, boots, his trademark leather jacket, but this time without the gloves. He pulls out a wheelchair from the trunk, and he sets Gabe on it, who seems excited. He's wearing a wizards hat that was probably bought from Walmart or something.
"I love love love Harry Potter big bro! I didn't even know this was happening, and I feel so so so cool right now!" Yes, Gabe was very very young, and very very childish in that innocent and sweet kind of way, while Robbie just chuckled. "Well yeah, I wanted to thank you for being so patient with me lately." and now, Robbie is looking for Raven as he pushes Gabe's wheelchair along.
Rachel isn't difficult to spot. She's been giving off a light pulsing of 'not the right spot' for anyone who's been coming too close to her primo picnic spot. Beneath a tree, so there's plenty of cool shade, with a big, comfortable blanket spread out and a huge basket sitting beside her as she lounges comfortably, watching the play get set up. She's wearing some black denim overalls with a short-sleeved white shirt beneath it, and some cute flip-flops are sitting on the grass beside the blanket, next to her as she keeps herself cool with a hand-held sandalwood fan.
Registering Robbie's emotional signature, she looks in his direction and waves happily, beckoning him and Gabe over. "Hey, you guys!" she says happily, hopping up to meet Gabe properly. She walks across the blanket and offers him her hand for shaking, "Nice to finally meet the handsome guy Robbie keeps telling me all about! What House are you in?" she asks, referring to the boy's Hogwarts house. She leans in and whispers, "I'm a Ravenclaw." She glances up and smiles to Robbie, "Hey, there. Nice to see you. I'm glad you came."
Stepping back across the blanket, she makes welcoming gestures, "Please, get comfortable! I really hope I've got something you two will wanna eat." She grins and hefts the basket, aiding herself with tk to make it much easier to lift, placing it on the blanket beside her. "Let's see. I've got a whole bunch of Capri Suns in here, some iced tea, some Sprite, and bottled water…" she says, pulling things out one at a time. "And, we've got roast beef sandwiches, chicken salad sandwiches, pb&js, some lunchables…." she just keeps pulling stuff out of that huge basket. "Chips, apple slices, fruit medley, carrot sticks and ranch dressing…" She grins. "You probably don't even wanna /know/ what I've got for desert in here."
Gabe seems to be very excited when he sees Raven, who calls him handsome! He blushes a bit because Rachel was not an ugly woman and he smiles. "The quizzes always say I'm a Gryffindor!" He makes 'woosh' sounds like he's a knight in shining armor or something. "Which means I must be among the bravest of the brave!" Robbie is just smiling at his little bro, locking the wheels of the chair so that Gabe doesn't go rolling off anywhere.
Because that would be bad, and Robbie would be the worst person on the planet.
Robbie then looks at Rachel when she smiles up at him. "Nice to see you too. Happy to be here. You look lovely, chica." Robbie flirts mildly with her, but then he's sitting on the blanket, looking up at Gabe as he looks so excited for this play to start. He had never seen a Harry Potter live action thing before (in play format, of course he's seen the movies). Gabe looks at Rachel and seems to ponder. "Ooo! oo! can I have the lunchables please? Pretty please?" Robbie chuckles. "You and I can do a roast beef sandwhich, Ray. and nope…probably trying to make me fat." he teases.
Rachel looks suitably impressed at Gabe's pronouncement, nodding her head in agreement, "Certainly. Gryffindors are known for their bravery in the face of danger! I think it runs in your family." She grins and motions with her head toward Robbie, "I think he'd probably get Gryffindor, too." She helps make sure Gabe's comfortable and can see the play stage clearly, then settles back down to do her picnic parade of goodies.
To Robbie's compliment, she smiles, shakes her head, and waves a hand, "Nahhh, just some ol' overalls and flip flops. Perfect picnic in the park wear, though. You ought to take your jacket off or you're gonna sweat to death." She motions for him to get comfortable, though she's surrounded by food and drink, and still has more to dish out. "Maybe I ought to wait until closer to dessert before I bring that out. 'Cause it's gonna be difficult enough to eat all this before the ants start coming around," she says thoughtfully. She laughs, though, "Yeah, as if. You keep busy enough for three guys. Workin', and workin', and workin' s'more," she counts off on her fingers.
"Here you go, mister," she says cheerfully to Gabe and tk-floats him the lunchable options and some capri sun packs. He can pick whichever he likes and she'll send the rest back into the basket wit her telekinesis. For Robbie, she hands him a big, deluxe roast beef sandwich and puts out a little container of au jus, just in case. The play looks like it's gearing up! Rachel's kinda excited, too. She's a big Harry Potter fan, herself! She munches on some carrot sticks and ranch dressing, as an appetizer.
Gabe seems to smile. "Robbie's the toughest guy I know! He always beat up the people who tried to rough me up in school. No one can beat Robbie!" Oh yes, the little brother hero worship was serious and Robbie seems to smile a little bit. Like he struggles really hard to be the hero that Gabe sees him as, and its clear from his words that Gabe has no idea that Robbie is the Ghost Rider.
Then Robbie does indeed take his jacket off, setting it aside and between himself and Raven just so he can get to it quickly as Gabe seems to be noshing on the capri sun packs…but he's wowed! "You can move stuff with your mind?!" he looks like a nerd in heaven. "Thats so cool! So cool so cool so cool!" Gabe is seriously freaking out, and Robbie is chuckling, before he looks at Rachel. "I know, I know. I'm a bit of a workaholic." but he has good reason to be one, even as he rests his hands on the blanket to his sides. He does get the roast beef sandwhich, already working on eating it. He knows this is a big deal for both Rachel and Gabe, and Robbie seems to just be…at peace with it all. Even Eli is silent at the moment.
Rachel smiles broadly and nods at Gabe as he hero-worships his older brother and casts a knowing look at Robbie. "You're right about that. Robbie's about as tough as they come," she nods, again. Then, she laughs at the excited response to her tk. "Yes, I can, and it's really handy when I run out of tp in the bathroom!" she says, making a joke that a kid can really appreciate. She grins and digs into her food as everyone starts to eat.
She pays attention to the play, but doesn't neglect to look at Gabe and Robbie from time to time to ensure they're having a good time. She laughs and claps and jeers and does all of the appropriate call-and-response type of things that viewers do at events like this, and makes sure everyone on her blanket has what they want and need. After a while, Rachel looks at Robbie and smiles, "Having a good time?"
Robbie seems to blush a bit when Rachel also seems to agree with Gabe's hero-worship of him, but he looks up when the play starts, and Gabe seems to be reacting the best to all of it. Its like everything was a fresh experience to him….and it clearly made Robbie very happy to see this. But when Rachel looks at Robbie to ask him how he's doing with it, he smiles at her.
"I am. and hey…thanks for doing this. You just made Gabe's entire week." he says as he reached for Rachel's hand to give it a quick squeeze and release, resting it at his side. "How about you? Worth the trip?" After all, Raven got to meet his little brother. the perosn Robbie sacrificed and continues to sacrifice for.
Rachel looks down as Robbie squeezes her hand lightly, smiling and shifting as he settles back into his previous position. She sits up and puts her hands in her lap, leaning back against the tree with a contented exhale. "I'm really happy I could do something for him, and for you. I'm so glad I got to meet him. He's better than I could've imagined," she smiles and uses her tk to provide Gabe with a bowl of apple slices and other assorted fruit, for light snacking, as he watches the play.
"I wanna talk to you about something," she says after a little while. "I mean, I feel like I need to, like it's my responsibility to," Rachel elaborates, her expression kinda nervous. "I could make this so much easier for myself, but that would be selfish of me, and it would be wrong… even if it would also be easier for you. For a time," she sighs. "But, I won't do that. And, I'll understand if you're angry with me or don't want to be around me…" She's saying this kind of low, hoping that Gabe won't take too much note of the conversation. Just boring talks between adults. "But, I owe it to you to be up front with you," she says, turning to look at Robbie in the eyes for the first time since she started this heavy conversation.
Robbie seems to tilt his head at Rachel for a moment, wondering what she has to say especially as she apparently starts this really heavy conversation. He can feel that tone shift. He looks over at Gabe, noting how excited he is to watch the play. Though Robbie has a feeling she's about to hit him hard with something, he keeps his attention on her. "I mean, you can tell me anything. I promise I've survived much worse."
He has. Pain wise, if its as bad as she's making it out to be.
She usually doesn't look anyone in the eyes. Whats going on here? Robbie doesn't move from his spot, but…he's admittedly a little worried. Whats got Rachel so worried?
Rachel's lavender eyes flick from Robbie's face to Gabe's back, to make sure he's still having a good time and not picking up on the more serious tone going on behind him. She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, "I feel like I'm building this up and you're gonna laugh and say I'm being silly, that it's all fine. But, you.." She trails off, blinking rapidly as tears kinda sting her eyes. She exhales and continues, "You matter to me. I consider you a wonderful friend, and I care very deeply about you. I don't want to lose that. But, that might happen and I've had to face that fact, and come to terms with it. Because, again, I owe it to you to be honest with you."
She sniffles a little and brushes a little moisture from her eyes. "I've met someone," she says finally, her brows crinkling as she makes the words come out. "I know it's terrible timing and I was trying to let things happen for us, but… I met someone and…now, I have to tell you, because I like him enough to…need to tell you," she says lamely, knowing she sounds stupid, but finding it difficult to draw better words from the ether.
She can't seem to look at Robbie in the eyes, again. She's staring down at her hands in her lap, where she's fidgeting with the little hand-held fan she brought. "I'm sorry, Robbie. I know that doesn't mean anything, right now. I know there's nothing I can say that will make it better. But, I do want you to know that I hate this. I hate saying anything that doesn't make you happy," she says softly. "You're…probably my best friend. Maybe my only friend," she says, feeling pathetic. "I don't want to lose you, but I will do whatever you feel is best for you," her voice is so soft, now, like she's losing her voice or something. It's more that she's just damned miserable having to break this to Robbie and put her friendship with him in danger.
Robbie's eyes widen. After all the time, after all the natural stuff she just…meets someone? That quickly? The pain is visible in his eyes, and no matter how hard she tries to soften the blow, its too late. He had feelings for her, and she didn't like him that way. She likes someone else. But…in a way, Robbie's used to it.
Why would anyone want a street rat barely scraping by? She tries to settle him, calm him, tell him its not his fault, that he's her best friend. Is that why she called him here? To tell him this, in the presence of his brother?
Robbie's eyes actually moisten. He lied. He hasn't suffered this. He's hurt. He's angry. She's trying. Eli's mocking him now. Telling him he told him this doesn't work. Told him Robbie can't have that happiness. Stirring the demon.
He looks away from her. "I just want you to be happy." is all he can say.
Rachel wants to sob, now. But, she can't. It's not fair to Robbie. She…shouldn't have done it today. Not while he was feeling so good, while his brother is here… Fuck. "I screwed this all up," she says, dropping her head into her hands. "I suck, Robbie. Just…get angry at me. Be mad at me. Hate me. You have every right to," she says, trying to keep the tears from coming. She's trying hard to be strong for Robbie, but she's really screwed the pooch, picking the worst possible timing for this…
"I thought if… I thought, maybe, if there was something fun to do, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. I'm so stupid," she whispers the last to herself. "There aren't any excuses… There's nothing I can do. I just have to accept what's happening, what you choose," she says. Then, she reaches out and touches his hand, "Please, believe me when I say this is nothing to do with you. You did nothing wrong. You've been the best, most wonderful friend and… This is all my fault. Do you want me to leave you alone? Do you want me to make the pain less? Tell me how I can help. Please. I want you to be happy, too, I swear it," she says, her voice quavering, hushed so as not to draw Gabe's attention, her hand still squeezing Robbie's, if he allows it. "Please, Robbie, I'm so sorry," she breathes, trying not to cry, but finding the tears pooling in her eyes despite her best efforts. "I know I'm the worst. I'm so sorry."
Robbie is silent. That may be the loudest words he could've spoken. She tried to push him away now. Tried to justify his actions with what she had done, even if it was not within her control. The dagger was already in his heart. The warmth of her hand only pushes it in deeper, reminding him of what he had lost to another. What might never be. What he was traded for.
Eli stokes Robbie's rage, and he almost just storms off. But then he looks at Gabe. Who was still having the time of his life. He didn't want to make him worry or know what happened between him and Rachel. And perhaps it is Gabe's very presence that calms Robbie.
"Maybe its impossible for me. Love. Maybe its part of the deal I made, an unwritten rule." she squeezed his hand…and she might be surprised to feel the pressure back. "I don't hate you. I won't hate you. Your human. It happens. I don't want to…not have you in my life." he says. "This..is a hit. One I wasn't prepared for, but one I should have seen coming. I'm not angry at you. I'm angry at myself."
Its around this time that the play ends, and Robbie stands up to his feet, releasing Rachel's hand. "I'm going to take Gabe home. Thanks for inviting us here." Gabe seems to smile, unaware of what had just occured.
"Thanks Miss Raven! I hope to see you again really soon! Robbie was right, your snacks are really good!"
Rachel can feel all of the hurt, the different flavors of it, flowing through Robbie. It hurts all the more to know she's responsible for it. It hurts a lot. She wants to make him understand that she's /not/ trying to push him away, she's simply panicked, trying to do whatever will make things even a tiny bit easier to handle. She knew it was going to hurt, but she didn't realize it was going to hurt /this much/. She can't read his mind, she can't know the exact thoughts running through his head, but she can taste the unique pain, to such a refined degree that she comes damned close to mind-reading. She knows he's thinking the worst, taking some kind of blame for … It's too selfish of her to cry. She's trying to do the best thing she can do, but she just keeps screwing up.
"Robbie, no. No, no. Not at all, please don't think that," she shakes her head. "It's my fault. Not yours. I wish you could hate me, so you wouldn't have to hurt so much. I deserve it, too. I deserve to lose you, but I hope that we can eventually work things out… I just…don't want to make anything harder than it has to be. Honestly. Truly. I really cherish you, though I know that's going to sound like a lie. I'm…" She pauses for a moment and considers it. She doesn't have long "Robbie, wait.." she says, scrambling to her feet and stepping awkwardly over stuff to get to him.
Then, she wraps her arms around him, however she can — whether he's got his back to her or if he turns around — and she holds him tightly. "I know this is kind of cheating, but I *need* you to know that I *do* love you, and I am grateful to you, and you mean so much to me, and I'm trying so hard to do what's right, and I don't want you to hurt, and I'm so sorry, so so sorry," she says rapidly, hushed…as she lets the empathic feels flow through him. He can feel, vividly, what she's experiencing. She keeps the pain from him, but lets him know it's there. He's already hurting enough. He can feel her love for him, warm and rich and real. She lets him feel the happiness she experiences when he texts her, when she talks to him on the phone… She lets him experience the joy and gratitude she felt the night of the dance. She lets him feel how much she cares, the lengths she'd go to to help him, protect him… Even if it's not the romantic emotions he feels for her, the things she feels are true and strong, and she feels them for him. The street rat with barely two pennies to rub together. The one who made a deal with a demon. The one who doesn't think very highly of himself. But, she does.
When she lets go, she draws all of that back, gradually, and there are tears streaming down her cheeks, which she brushes away quickly. She smiles to Gabe, "Thanks for coming to see me, Gabe. You be good to Robbie for me, okay? He's had a really hard time, today. I had to tell him some bad news. But, you tell him that it'll be okay and we're both here for him, okay?" She tries to keep the thickness of tears out of her voice, but she's only moderately successful. "I hope we can hang out again, some time," she says to Gabe with a kiss on the cheek, if he doesn't duck it. Then, she busies herself with cleaning up the other mess she's made, this one easier dealt with… With her back to them, it's also easier to cry and not be noticed.
Robbie had just gotten Gabe in the Hellcharger and closed the door, the wheelchair in his hands as he puts it in the truck. He's too strong to cry. But yet? He's never felt so alone. The one person he thought understood…the one person who he thought accepted him…didn't want him. At least not like that. It hurts. Even when Raven pleads with him to hate her, to rebuke her and to just despise her so its easier on him. "Hate doesn't make the pain go away. It never does. Hate's a poison to the soul. Makes the infection worse. There's no point in hating you. You made your decision. Once again….I'm alone."
Then Rachel steps over things to hug him and he feels all that she has to give him. Her joy, her happiness, her platonic love. He narrows his eyes.
"Your still my friend." he whispers to her softly. "I hope that whoever you've chosen…it goes well for you." Robbie's just not that kind of guy to hold grudges. He knows when something will just simply never happen. He knows Rachel is a woman of impulse. If she found someone that quickly, that…instantly…they must be pretty great.
Gabe has no idea whats happening, but Robbie still stands there for a moment…and Gabe doesn't duck the kiss. Instead, he smiles at her. "O-Oh! Thanks!" Then Rachel is walking away, and Robbie can hear her tears. He doesn't comfort her. Instead, he just gets in the car.
Gabe notices. "H-hey Robbie, are you okay?" Robbie turns his head from Gabe, and he wipes at his eyes when Raven's not looking. The tears that managed to get away swiped out. Then he's faking a practiced smile for him. "Yeah, little bro. I'm okay. Did you have fun? How about I get you some ice cream?"
"WOOHOO! ICE CREAM!" Gabe cheers, and the Hellcharger's engine revs up as he drives away. He exhales a shaky breath, with Eli whispering to him now.
"I told you kid. We are not their kind. We're alone. We'll always be alone."
All Robbie can say is: "I know." under his breath.