the cautious losers and emotional wrecks (for Chase)

[sortofaman]

The Doctor had reverted to Plan C. Plan C was not particularly ideal, and in actuality it was hardly a plan at all, more a reactive mechanism until he could sort out what his actual plan was going to be, if he did at all, or until he couldn't take anymore.

Whichever came first.

Plan C was dealing with the issue by not addressing it head-on, by not engaging. Mostly it was because the Doctor had no energy to do so--Nate had been up nights again off and on with teething, and he'd been trying to write up a thesis on different theoretical reactions to the idea of being fictional, and how people would come to terms with it. He was thinking his project would be to come up with a set programme of therapeutic mechanisms for treatment of said issue...

Anyway.

So he didn't really look up when Chase came in, only mumbled a greeting and underlined some text with a pencil.

Subject lyrics by Bob Seger.

Comments

[dr_robchase]

Chase felt more than irritated to see the Doctor than he thought he would. He wasn't sure why, exactly, but it had to do with the last fight they'd had that had been simmering and they hadn't exactly talked to each other. "I'm curious," he said, drawing out the words and letting his accent run rampant. "But why exactly are you treating me like I'm the plague?"

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

It took a moment for the Doctor to figure out exactly what Chase was saying. "You haven't exactly been Little Miss fucking Sunshine," he retorted, nibbling on the rubber of the pencil with his two front teeth. His gaze flicked upwards briefly, then back to the page, where he starred a quotation. "And you made it pretty clear that whatever I had to say wasn't relevant to you."

He'd responded before remembering that Chase only talked like that when he was either very horny or very angry, and that realisation was slowly sinking in.

[dr_robchase]

Chase suppressed a rolling of his eyes because it wasn't like he had wanted the conversation to spill into the day-to-day of things. Sure, it meant a lot to him, but not enough to make things this tense between them. "Will you at least put the work away so we can go to bed like normal people with a normal schedule for once?"

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"Since when are we normal people," retorted the Doctor, but it was the kind of response that made him think that he was being a bit of a fucking child--the least he could do was be the sensible one. He closed the book, stuck the pencil behind his ear, and got up, hands on his hips.

[dr_robchase]

Chase shot the Doctor a dubious look because the question seemed absurd to him. "We're parents in a house with a garden," Chase deadpanned, cocking his brow up momentarily as he crossed his arms over his chest in a defensive measure. "How is that not normal? Why can't we spend a night like normal people, too?"

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"We are highly abnormal normal," the Doctor replied, and he was already heading for the stairs because it had been a stupid thing to say and he was avoiding the very nature of discussing it any longer.

"Fine, come show me normal," he called after him.

[dr_robchase]

Chase followed along and when he got to the bedroom, he immediately yanked at the nearest pillow, shoving it on the bed. "It involves sleeping and not bickering for one night because I swear to god, I never thought I would have this in common with my parents."

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"I'm not bickering," the Doctor said, "I'm dealing. This is my coping mechanism." He drawled the last words as he took his shirt off, indicating just his level of sarcasm.

[dr_robchase]

Chase fought the severe urge to roll his eyes and he managed, he really did. He took a heavy breath and looked the Doctor down and chewed on his lower lip. "Were you really this much of a jackass when we were dating?" Chase wondered as he started to arrange the pillows.

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

The Doctor looked at Chase over his shoulder. "Worse," he replied, lifting both brows at him and smirking a little. "I've mellowed. You complete me."

[dr_robchase]

Chase sat down heavily on the bed and wished to god that didn't make him cringe because right after his parents, the thing he hated most was out and out romantic crap. A little was nice, 'you complete me' made him choke on the sugar of it. "Sometimes," he muttered under his breath, "I feel like siccing House on you."

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

It had been terribly sardonic, though, which was probably why Chase had wanted to toss House on him. The Doctor was a romantic, just not like that.

"I'd give him all he was worth and you know it," he retorted, hands on his hips, turning back to Chase. "Greg House is not the be-all-end-all of smartarse bastards. Close, but not quite."

[dr_robchase]

"No, but he'd feel compelled to argue until you were in submission," Chase replied right back, sarcasm running over the words as he arched a brow the Doctor's way, sitting up in bed and not sure exactly that he wanted to go to bed this angry. "Or do you."

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

The Doctor took off his jeans, engaging in a massive, massive eyeroll. "Yes, because he's so effectual at either," he said, looking up from the floor and then sitting down on the bed.

[dr_robchase]

Chase just pressed his lips together and eyed the Doctor's neck, thoughts flickering through his mind as he debated what they were doing and why they were sniping and just what the hell was going on in general. "You have an answer for everything, don't you," he said, half under his breath.

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"Would I be me if I didn't?" The Doctor slid under the duvet. His posture gave the impression that if he had been standing, his arms would have been crossed over his chest.

Honestly, now he was just being antagonistic for the sake of it, because Chase wouldn't back down.

[dr_robchase]

"No, but some days," Chase said, his tone sounding more like his father than he really liked it to, "I wonder if that maybe wouldn't be a bad thing." He shot the Doctor a glare. "If you know me so inside and out, why do you antagonize me?"

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"Because you do it to me," he pointed out, and rolled over onto his side, away from Chase, stubborn as hell. "If I didn't know you, it wouldn't be so damn effective, would it."

[dr_robchase]

Chase levelled a long look on the Doctor, slowly crawling overtop of him and settling on all fours in a mock-straddle. "So then what the hell do I have to do to get you to shut up and to stop harping on my issues?"

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"Not be a bloody ponce," said the Doctor, not even startled by Chase being on top of him now, even if he was having a stupid human reaction to the very fact of it. "Does it make you feel any better that if I didn't care, I wouldn't give you shite about it, Robert?"

[dr_robchase]

"Don't call me Robert," he snapped at the Doctor and leaned even closer than before until there was hardly any room between them at all, their faces close. "You're doing everything that pisses me off and I know you know that."

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

"Then stop being a royal bloody wankjob," the Doctor replied, eyes dark and brown and angry, his hand on Chase's bicep tensing with fingers drawing in against skin and muscle. "Trying to pretend everything's just peachy bleeding keen and ever so delightfully normal. You wanted normal, you wanted someone who'd just roll over and take shite, well, you married the bloody wrong man to do it!"

[dr_robchase]

"I don't want normal. I've never been normal." Each word was heavy and each sentence followed the same heavy cadence as the other. "But I want some respect and consideration and for you to act as if you still love me instead of just tolerate me," he snapped, words hurt and irritated at once.

[sortofaman.livejournal.com]

The Doctor was, in all honesty, slightly stunned, and he looked up at Chase with a wide stare. "I'm trying, but if we don't talk about it or do anything about it, then how can I not react like I do?" he asked, frustrated as hell, and moved up to rest his forehead against Chase's.

[dr_robchase]

Chase pressed his forehead against the Doctor's with a little more firmness, trying to swallow all the dryness in his throat. "If we talk," Chase said, voice low. "You can't rile me up. It makes me feel like we just run ineffective circles. We have to talk, for real."