"Elementary," Mort muttered, not quite inaudible. Teasing him? James snuck a look sideways. Damn. Jealous.
"Elementary - my - dear - Mortimer," he said, leaning across the chair between them and threatening to beep Mort's nose. Mort glared cross-eyed at his finger, so he didn't, just dropped his hand on the table. "You want to tell the slide rule story, Mortimer? It's more yours than mine."
"Actually, I was going to head to the little boys' room," Mort said. James could tell it wasn't true, or not his primary reason for leaving the table.
"Let me help you up," James said. Mort didn't object, so he said, "Actually, I was too. Excuse us a minute, Joy, Aaron? Sorry." It was a flat-out lie, but a social one.
When they were well away from the table - James helping Mort along - James whispered, "Are you upset?" Want to talk about it?
"It's nothing," Mort insisted, sulky.
"...are you bothered that I brought you along? Come on, Mortimer, I won't apologize fer livin'." He wasn't sure if Mort knew the quotation, but he couldn't help throwing odd lines from musicals (and everything else) into a conversation that needed lightening up. "Just... spit it out. Please?"
They'd reached the bathroom by this time. James lounged against the wall while Mort limped over to use the facilities. It was a good excuse for Mort not to look at him.
"You dated her, right?" Mort said.
"In what sense?"
"Don't be coy. She's a hooker."
"She's a stripper. She is not a hooker. There's a big difference. But yes, I did date her. In - that sense." James let a tight breath out, slow.
"I'll take your word for it," Mort said, apparently referring to the difference between a stripper and a hooker. He zipped up his pants. "But - now you're flirting with her." He edged sideways to the sink and began to wash his hands.
James's knee-jerk reaction was to say, no, I'm just treating her like I do every pretty woman I talk to. But... well, that was flirting, in a way. He liked to praise women, flat-out openly, in a way they didn't get much from men; he thought they were all pretty, and he liked to see them smile when he told them so, and blush, and think a little better of themselves. Joy didn't need that, but she still took his compliments well because she knew they were sincere. Besides, she deserved them - she didn't get a lot of compliments without ulterior motives, in her line of work.
"I'm just talking to her like I do to every woman," he said slowly. "Is that not what you're hearing?"
Mort turned around, leaning on the edge of the sink to dry his hands. "I'm hearing you laying it on thicker than usual," he said. "That bothers me, yeah. But..." He tossed the wad of paper towels accurately in the trash can. "I guess I just don't hear you talking to women who aren't strangers much. You and Joy know each other pretty well, it makes sense you'd feel okay telling her--" He smirked sideways. "Gobs of poetry like that."
"I'm hearing a 'but'," James said. He stepped away from the wall, held out his hand: you want my help back to the table?
It was hard to see if Mort was blushing under his brown skin, but he ducked his head, looking embarrassed. "She does know we're... exclusive now, right?"
James chuckled. "Yes. Doesn't she have a boyfriend with her anyway? I wouldn't think you'd be worried."
Mort shook his head, once. "He's either gay or asexual. I was watching them while you got the drinks."
"They could be dating anyway," James said. He got his arm around Mort's shoulders and they headed back out into the coffeeshop.
"Could, but you don't sound convinced. Does she do exclusive?" Mort lowered his voice as they progressed.
no subject
James winked at him - later - then stood up and walked around to his own chair. "It's really not that hard," he said to Joy. "You're built like you get regular exercise, but not at a professional-sports level: not like an Olympic athlete, for instance." He glanced deliberately at her chest, just long enough to indicate what he meant. Joy, used to following the direction of mens' eyes in her vicinity, should catch on. "You have excellent posture, you place your feet in such and such a way... but none of that's what I saw." Well, it was and it wasn't. "What I saw was--" He chuckled. "It sounds cliché, but I saw the music you hear when you walk. You dance all the time, Joy, every time you move; that's what I saw. I saw a woman who had to become a professional dancer if she could. She looks happy, so she did. She looks fit, so she's still doing it and enjoying it. That's all."
"Elementary," Mort muttered, not quite inaudible. Teasing him? James snuck a look sideways. Damn. Jealous.
"Elementary - my - dear - Mortimer," he said, leaning across the chair between them and threatening to beep Mort's nose. Mort glared cross-eyed at his finger, so he didn't, just dropped his hand on the table. "You want to tell the slide rule story, Mortimer? It's more yours than mine."
"Actually, I was going to head to the little boys' room," Mort said. James could tell it wasn't true, or not his primary reason for leaving the table.
"Let me help you up," James said. Mort didn't object, so he said, "Actually, I was too. Excuse us a minute, Joy, Aaron? Sorry." It was a flat-out lie, but a social one.
When they were well away from the table - James helping Mort along - James whispered, "Are you upset?" Want to talk about it?
"It's nothing," Mort insisted, sulky.
"...are you bothered that I brought you along? Come on, Mortimer, I won't apologize fer livin'." He wasn't sure if Mort knew the quotation, but he couldn't help throwing odd lines from musicals (and everything else) into a conversation that needed lightening up. "Just... spit it out. Please?"
They'd reached the bathroom by this time. James lounged against the wall while Mort limped over to use the facilities. It was a good excuse for Mort not to look at him.
"You dated her, right?" Mort said.
"In what sense?"
"Don't be coy. She's a hooker."
"She's a stripper. She is not a hooker. There's a big difference. But yes, I did date her. In - that sense." James let a tight breath out, slow.
"I'll take your word for it," Mort said, apparently referring to the difference between a stripper and a hooker. He zipped up his pants. "But - now you're flirting with her." He edged sideways to the sink and began to wash his hands.
James's knee-jerk reaction was to say, no, I'm just treating her like I do every pretty woman I talk to. But... well, that was flirting, in a way. He liked to praise women, flat-out openly, in a way they didn't get much from men; he thought they were all pretty, and he liked to see them smile when he told them so, and blush, and think a little better of themselves. Joy didn't need that, but she still took his compliments well because she knew they were sincere. Besides, she deserved them - she didn't get a lot of compliments without ulterior motives, in her line of work.
"I'm just talking to her like I do to every woman," he said slowly. "Is that not what you're hearing?"
Mort turned around, leaning on the edge of the sink to dry his hands. "I'm hearing you laying it on thicker than usual," he said. "That bothers me, yeah. But..." He tossed the wad of paper towels accurately in the trash can. "I guess I just don't hear you talking to women who aren't strangers much. You and Joy know each other pretty well, it makes sense you'd feel okay telling her--" He smirked sideways. "Gobs of poetry like that."
"I'm hearing a 'but'," James said. He stepped away from the wall, held out his hand: you want my help back to the table?
It was hard to see if Mort was blushing under his brown skin, but he ducked his head, looking embarrassed. "She does know we're... exclusive now, right?"
James chuckled. "Yes. Doesn't she have a boyfriend with her anyway? I wouldn't think you'd be worried."
Mort shook his head, once. "He's either gay or asexual. I was watching them while you got the drinks."
"They could be dating anyway," James said. He got his arm around Mort's shoulders and they headed back out into the coffeeshop.
"Could, but you don't sound convinced. Does she do exclusive?" Mort lowered his voice as they progressed.
"Not really, no." James chuckled.