[OOM: Rm 134]

[mnt_mike]

Mike sits in the middle of the floor. There is a sleepy miniphant at one side, and a blessedly quiet guitar on the other. In front of him lay a good thirty to fourty poloriod pictures all neatly arranged in a very intricate organizational system. To the outside observer it looks like your garden variety mess, but there's a system hidden in the chaos.

The biggest problem Mike is having is how to organize them in the scrap book. It's one thing to put them together in a cohesive unit, but it's a totally different thing to get that unit to fit into the constraining shape of a scrap book.

Mike wants to know why they don't make scrap books wall sized. Hmm, maybe he's on to something there.

Comments

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

The door opens, and Indy lumbers in laden with snack foods. He's tailed by Raph, bearing similar amounts of junk food. It all gets dumped on the counter except for the ice cream and pizza. Indy busies himself stowing those items away in the freezer. There's a nod to the living room, and a simple, unreadable greeting.

"Hey."

[mnt_raph]

*Raph nods to his brother, and after he dumps his own portion of the food in the kitchenette, he heads for the living room.*

Organized chaos, huh?

[mnt_mike]

"Wouldn't be a ...um...what's today?...I'm wearing pants, so it's not Thursday. There were no Waffles, so not Wednesday....Well it wouldn't be a day without it.

Welcome back, mighty warrior."

He smiles up at his brother from his centrally located mess.

Stampy looks up at Uncle Indy, and wags her tail, but stops to snuggle closer to Daddy when The Angry Guy approaches.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy reneges on his alcohol abstention and plucks a beer out of the fridge. After second thought, he grabs one for Raph too. If only Mike was so easily appeased.

"You got the ones back from the Pirate Party yet?" he says as he wanders over and hands off the other bottle. Small talk. Gah.

[mnt_mike]

Mike looks up with mischief in his eyes.

"Well that depends. Do you want the obvious poloroids? Or the ones taken with the tiny camera?"

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Strained banter. Even worse. Indy cringes slightly, but it could easily be attributed to the prospect of spy camera revelations. He wasn't particularly happy with his behavior at that party as it was, and he can only remember half of it.

"Um... just the regulars."

[mnt_mike]

"You're no fun, anyone ever tell you that?"

Mike scans the fanned out photos, his hand coming to rest over a small pile to his right.

When he turns back to hand them to Indy, he sees it. The whole picture. Raph seated on the arm of the couch, one of Indy's beers in his hand.

Indy looming.

[mnt_raph]

*What the hell do you say? Aren't these things supposed to start by telling the person to sit down? What if they're already sitting?

Maybe Raph could say something worse. Like, we found the charred body of your cat. No just kiddin' your girlfriend is gone. That'd soften the blow, right?

Raph drinks his beer.*

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy flips through the offered photographs. "Oh... that's... eww... um, ouch. Heh. That's a good one." But it's half-hearted at best.

[mnt_mike]

Uh huh, something is up.
Mike fishes through another pile. This one is pirate themed, but family oriented. Meaning, it's his family.

"Look Raph, one of us doing Kareoke. HUP!"

He tosses the picture.

[mnt_raph]

*Raph catches the picture, and his expression doesn't change. Not a scowl, not a smile. Hell, not even a smirk or a back hand.*

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy knocks back some beer, adding to the forboding silence. He tip-toes through the piles and flumps into his lounger. "They're all good Mike."

[mnt_mike]

"And next you're going to tell me you really like me holding guitar practice in the living room, right?"

Mike folds his arms over his chest.

"Spill it. You're both terrible at this game."

[mnt_raph]

Mel's gone.
She left this morning.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy nods, slowly and grimly, backing Raph's statement. "Sorry, Mike."

"From what Raph says, the door just worked, and she didn't want miss the chance. Sometimes there just isn't time for goodbyes." And considering the untimely demise of Delia, he certainly knows about this. "Everything had already been said, that needed to. And you more than anyone know about her Duty."

He bites his lip and waits for the inevitable now.

[mnt_mike]

"oh."

His hand tightens on the pictures he's currently holding.

"Well that explains a lot then."

His bottom lip quivers for a fraction of a second.

"Look at me sitting here. In the middle of a mess with company over."

And with that he begins sweeping his organized pictures into one giant pile.

[mnt_raph]

*FUCK!*

Mike, it's fine. Leave'em. Really.

*He grabs for the pile as Mike tries to move away.*

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy winces, long and hard. It's bad. Stampy looks at each person in the living room, sensing the vibes, and hating it. She always does. Why do they have to keep doing this to each other?

Mike needs her. But she can't stand it.

The tiny elephant canters out of the room and squeezes herself under Mike's bed. Mel's side.

[mnt_mike]

They struggle over control of the pictures.

"Raph. Let. GO!"

The last word is shouted louder than Indy has ever heard Mike yell. And it's been years since Raph has heard it.

[mnt_raph]

*Raph backs off as if he's been struck. The pictures fall to the floor in a large swooshing heap.*

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Shit! Indy wishes he could follow Stampy. "Guys... GUYS! Quit it!"

"Jesus. Leave the goddamn pictures alone."

[mnt_mike]

Mike's hands drop. They form into fists, but quickly relax.

Suddenly the floor becomes very interesting indeed.

"I...i don't feel so good. I'm gonna...i'mgonnago"

[mnt_raph]

Mike wait...

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

"Don't move, buster." Indy stays calm and reassuring. "We know what you're going through. You don't have to bottle it or run away."

"Just talk about it. Get it out."

"We can't change anything, but we can listen, and we're not gonna freak out, or baby you." A meaningful look to the elder brother Right, Raph?

[mnt_raph]

*Raph gives Indy a strange look, but responds in kind.*

Yeah. You know, you want like a pick up game of apple or somethin'. Whatever.

[mnt_mike]

His smile has begun to worm it's way back onto his face.

"thanks guys, really. i'm fine. and while i appreciate your company, both of you, i'd just rather be alone right now. and i hope you'd respect my wishes in that."

Mike walks towards the door.

[henry-jones-jr.livejournal.com]

Indy looks to Raph again, something dark brooding behind his eyes. But ultimately it's a look of resignation and surrender. "I'm done."

To Mike: "I'll be here if you wanna talk."

[mnt_mike]

When Indy looks towards Raph, Mike disappears. There isn't so much as the clicking of the front door. He's just gone.

[mnt_raph]

*Raph doesn't know what to do with himself, but it's very possible that when he does figure it out, it'll involve hitting something.*

He knows.
This is his way.

I'll uh, I'll just let myself out.
Thanks for the beer.