I'm too pretty for pain

[textualhealing]

WHO: Jeff and Joel
WHERE: Xavier School For imPorts
WHEN: Following this. One uneventful Sunday afternoon on 6th Sept.
WHAT: At Walt's request Jeff hires a professional to watch Joel, but even professional stalkers have to sleep. This thread is exactly why you should leave it to the professionals at all times.
WARNINGS: Violence, language, manly tears

[In hindsight deciding not to just pay someone for this shift was a pretty poor choice, but covering on a Sunday should have been simple enough. It was greed that swayed his decision, perfectly content to think about just how much money he could stash for himself by not hiring an extra body to keep eyes on the target. It was an easy enough shift anyway and gave Jeff time to laze around and catch up on the network while keeping half and eye out for any familiar faces. Nice weather, nice surroundings, back in time for dinner. No problem.

This wasn't his first time on this over the last month, but his visits to the school had been few and far between, starting timid and becoming bolder with each attempt. By now he seems comfortable enough in the gardens of the school, alternating the occasional idle wandering with leaning against a tree and texting to no one in particular.

No biggy, don't mind him. Just an imPort hanging around an imPort school. He's on TV, that means he can do that sort of thing without being questioned, right? Who needs subtlety when you're famous and also super lazy?]

Comments

[shittybirthday]

[ Stowing the pool supplies into the shed after cleaning out the pool, Joel shuts the squeaky rattly door and padlocks it, then whistles at Lucy, his dog, to call her over. She gives a last second snuffle at the grass and then comes bounding over to him as he leads the way back towards the school building.

He opens the side door to let her in and just happens to glance out towards the main road, and he spots the guy leaning against a tree. Same guy Joel has seen hanging around the school grounds a number of times in the past couple of weeks. He watches him suspiciously for a moment, then lets the door swing closed just before Lucy is about to go trotting inside, and he starts making his way straight towards the guy.

Joel is a pretty big and intimidating looking guy, all hard eyes and broad shoulders and over six feet tall, and he hardly looks a picture of friendliness as he approaches. Lucy, not exactly the most friendly-looking dog (her temperament usually suggests otherwise, though) tails after him.

Coming to a stop before the guy, Joel crosses his ams over his chest and peers at him with sharp suspicion. ]

Mind tellin' me what you think you're doin'?

[textualhealing]

[There's a vague acknowledgement of Joel heading for the shed, but Jeff's straight back to staring avidly at his phone screen the second he realises there's little of interest going on. The next time he looks up it's impossible not to notice Joel's headed straight for him with a dog trailing behind. Shit. Does this guy not know how this sort of thing works? He's meant to quietly notice Jeff and then just as quietly try and lose him and then Jeff can go home and not give a shit for the rest of the evening. This? This doesn't tend to happen in the movies. How the hell is he meant to react to this? It's like going off script.

With a world weary sigh he reluctantly lowers the phone to his side, turning head on to the approaching figure with a distinct air of indifference. Joel is a big guy, but that doesn't really factor into Jeff's calculations when it comes to talking his way out of things. Jeff's a big guy too at 6'4" and built with plenty of muscle, it's just that he doesn't tend to use any of it to his advantage. Words and persuasion are his thing. Although perhaps too much smarm isn't appropriate for a guy like this.]

Just enjoying the view. What's it to a janitor? [See, he can play the hard man alpha male role too!]

[shittybirthday]

[ Joel sets his jaw. ]

Enjoyin' the view, huh? For the last three goddamned weeks?

[textualhealing]

[Well that's not a good sign. Jeff may not be the most subtle of dudes but Joel shouldn't be spotting him that early on. Especially when Jeff's barely even been around.]

Sure. Nice grounds like this deserves looking at. You wanna try and evict me?

[shittybirthday]

I work security here; it's my job to kick assholes out.

[textualhealing]

Maybe I wanna be a teacher here. Maybe I'm scoping out whether I like this place enough.

[shittybirthday]

Sounds like bullshit to me.

[textualhealing]

I bet anything I say is gonna be bull shit in your eyes. [Becausw it will all be lies.]

[shittybirthday]

[ Joel drops his arms away from his chest with an impatient sigh. ]

You gonna quit messin' around and tell me what the hell you're doin' here, or am I gonna have to physically remove you from the property?

[textualhealing]

[Jeff doesn't move, but as Joel shifts, Winger's muscles tense.] I told you. I'm just enjoying the view. You wanna argue about it with a lawyer?

[shittybirthday]

Strange guy hangin' 'round a school full of kids, 'enjoying the view'? Sure that's a kinda thing you'd want to be arguing in court?

[textualhealing]

Uh. Point. I'll give you that one. But you escort me off and I'm just gonna stand right on the boundary. Watching.

[shittybirthday]

[ 'Watching'? ]

The hell you mean by that?

[textualhealing]

I dunno. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.

[The most elusive of shrugs. See, look at him. He can be all shady and spy like. Look at him, he's like motherfuckin James Bond.]

[shittybirthday]

[ Stupid goddamn asshole. ]

Buddy, d'you realise how goddamned creepy you're bein'?

[textualhealing]

Creepy as an old man all over his seriously younger buddy, right?

[ 0:) ]

[shittybirthday]

[ Ooh, taken off guard there. A squint of his eyes. ]

Huh?

[textualhealing]

[A slow, creeping smile.]

Huh? What?

[shittybirthday]

[ Slow creeping anger that fuelled by a kind of alarm creeping onto Joel's face. ]

You've got 'til the count of five to get the hell off this property. One--

[ 'Cause Joel isn't going to let this guy have a head start. ]

[textualhealing]

[Jeff isn't running. Instead he stands his ground while he raises both hands slowly in the vaguest of surrenders. It's the anger in Joel's face that has Jeff's smile faltering just slightly.]

Hey, it's fine. Relax. I'm not judging.

[shittybirthday]

Two. I could give two shits what you think. Three--

[textualhealing]

Uh. [Is he seriously meant to leave? That count down makes him feel like a misbehaving toddler, which isn't totally inaccurate.]

Ok. Alright. Fine, I'll leave. [Not exactly making much effort to leave though. He shall leave with dignity and in his own time, thank you very much.]

[shittybirthday]

[ Yeah, well, that's not fast enough. Jeff gets a firm shove forward to move faster in between his shoulder blades. ]

[textualhealing]

Hey! [Jeff's snapping around with a finger in Joel's face.]

Don't touch me!

[shittybirthday]

[ Joel ignores him. He's one second away from shoving the guy again. ]

Pick it up, buddy.

[textualhealing]

[So goddamn rude.] Yeah. Well done. Doing a great job of keeping people off your property. Gold star for you. Why don't you go back to your pool cleaning, Pablo?

[shittybirthday]

[ Shove against the chest. ]

Do I gotta keep countin'?

[textualhealing]

[That's enough to finally get Jeff shoving back, one hand planting solidly against Joel's chest and pushing sharply.] Maybe you gotta. Or maybe you need to cool the fuck down.

[shittybirthday]

[ No chance in hell, not after what the guy said about Joel being an old man all over his seriously younger buddy. Speaking of which... how in the hell did this guy even know about that?

He looks like he's about to lunge at the guy and start beating the shit out of him. ]

You been spyin' on me? Huh?

[textualhealing]

What? No! I'm not... It's not like that.

[His lie might be a little more convincing if it hadn't been for what he'd said earlier. Yeah, so maybe he screwed up there... He's got enough sense to start backing up, at least.]

Look, I was a college teacher back home, alright? I thought maybe I could... do it again. So I hear about this place and I'm like 'why not check it out'? I swear, that's it.

[shittybirthday]

So, why in the hell are you sayin' weird shit about things that ain't your business?

[textualhealing]

Becaaaause... [Because he really likes pushing big red buttons that say 'do not push'.] ... I'm an asshole...?

[Close enough.]

[shittybirthday]

An asshole that's been spyin' on me.

[textualhealing]

I don't even know you, why the hell would I spy one you?!

[Just slightly desperate.]

[shittybirthday]

[ Joel lunges at him, grabbing hard hold of the guy's upper arm. Joel has superstrength, so dragging most people is like they weigh nothing more than a feather. He intends on dragging the guy down to the main road and dumping his ass in the gutter. ]

[textualhealing]

Hey--! [On the defensive until, yeah, he won't be countering that grab, especially when he feels the grip on his arm and just how easily he's manoeuvring Jeff. Winger just goes with it, because it's seriously not even worth trying to argue with a hold that's probably already forming bruises against his skin.]

... Wow, you are really strong. Do you lift, bro?

[shittybirthday]

I could throw you down the end of the street from here if I wanted to.

[textualhealing]

Nah. I'd rather you didn't. But thanks for the offer. [Such politeness to the guy hauling him around.]

Look, I'll just go home, you go back to your boy and we'll just pretend this never happened, right?

[shittybirthday]

[ They're almost at the edge of the main road. Joel comes to a stop but he gives the guy a hard shove. Definitely hard enough to send him sprawling out onto the curb. Your boy? Is this asshole goddamn serious? ]

You oughta be grateful you ain't walkin' home with a broken arm, although I'm seriously beginning to consider changing my mind.

[textualhealing]

[Jeff's stumble and flop to the floor is anything but graceful, landing hard on his ass and laying there for a second as he considers his options. He fucked up. He fucked up pretty big, and that's enough to get him huffing out an annoyed sigh as he pushes himself to his feet, more than just his ego bruised.]

Yeah, real scary, tough guy. Go sing some Taylor Swift.