welcome!

[asa spencer chelios-bell]

With nothing more to do, Asa had grabbed his camera and taken the bus to the park. It was still a nice day out, the temperature at a balmy sixty-four. With a sweatshirt on, he was perfectly fine. Trinity was teaching and he had a week off from school for the fall. Willa was busy doing things with the family and band and he just wasn't interested in hanging out with anyone else. No, in fact, he felt in the mood to be creative and what better way than to go to the park. He wouldn't ask for permission from parents to take pictures of their kids but he wanted to try and see what kind of pictures he could get of the landscape. He didn't do too many nature shots and he knew that he'd need some of those for his portfolio, one day. Every photographer had to prove their worth and skill and what photographer couldn't take a shot of nature? It was a little more than embarrassing, if you asked him. He took his art more than a little serious and he knew that he'd need to add something to his profile but he wouldn't even think of doing it until he had the practice in, first. Why not use today as practice? He thought it was a pretty good idea, at least. With the winter coming, the sun set earlier, too. He could practice shots with different lighting and go home and tinker with it on his computer. Afterward, getting advice from his teacher would be nice and he wouldn't even have to worry about a grade on it. It would be nice to have something without pressure in his life.

After grabbing a large cup of hot chocolate and a hot dog from the vendor at the entrance of the park, Asa took time to enjoy his lunch on the park bench. He was home and back to his normal self, once more. It had been nearly ten months since his attack but he was sure that it was in the past. At least, he hoped that it was. Only time would tell. He knew that it had taken a few years for him to get over the anniversary of his parents' deaths. Even now, he still took time to think about them and honor their memory. This, however, was not something that he wanted to remember or honor and he was already planning out things to do for that entire week, just so that he didn't have to spend anytime thinking about any of it. Willa was all for helping him out, there, and they were planning to do a lot of different things - both with her and with Levi. Since Trin wasn't really seeing anyone at the present time, he didn't think that he'd be getting any nieces or nephews so he'd just have to deal with Levi as his surrogate. The more time that he did, though, the more that he thought about the suggestion that Willa had made while he was in the hospital and it sounded rather promising. Getting to be someone's uncle was pretty awesome.

Having finished his food, Asa threw his trash away and headed into the park. He took random pictures, here and there, at first. Then, the further he got into the park, the more he started to take note of the geese and the... Squirrels! For some, ungodly, reason, Asa loved squirrels. If he could have one as a pet, he totally would. They were just way too cute and he loved the way they scampered around. At first, he was just content with snapping photos of them. He would follow them around until he couldn't keep up and, then, he'd find another. Not much longer after that, he was chasing them around. "Here, squirrely! Come back!" Finally tired of all of the running around, Asa figured that the only answer was to climb a tree and knock on a few doors to see if anyone was home. He threw his camera around his neck and picked one of the smaller trees that he'd seen a couple of squirrels run to. "I just wanna play," he huffed and made his way up on a limb. Sitting on the branch of the tree, he pulled his camera up to his face to snap a shot when he realized that the squirrel was a little too close and... pouncing. In his surprise, Asa jumped back but he forgot that he wasn't just sitting on a bench and fell to the ground with a scream.

At least the branch hadn't been all that high. He hit the ground with a thud and an 'oompf', pain taking over the whole of his backside for a moment. "Fine," he groaned and looked up at the tree from his back, "I'll find someone else to play with." Sighing a whimper, Asa shifted on the ground as the pain dulled but he really didn't want to move, now. How did you get over something like that? Oh man, how many people saw him do that?

[bobby brandon savage]

This year had been an eye opening one for Bobby. He’d come to know those who actually cared about him for who he was and those who had only pretended to care because they were supposed to. The truth about him had finally come out, and to mixed results. His parents had cut him off, thinking this would ‘snap’ him out of his foolishness. They’d attempted to force his little sister over to their side, but Tessa refused to give up contact with him and had kept up a regular correspondence with him between e-mails, texting, and Facebook, all summer long. It had been nice, for the first time ever, Bobby and his sister were closer than he could ever remember them being. She’d even flown out for a week to travel with them along on the tour. It had been a good experience for them and they’d talked about her coming to Detroit for a longer visit. He looked forward to it and just hoped his parents wouldn’t get in her way or cause problems because of it. There had been some outrage with certain fans, going passed the upset with Asa that had started it all. But those fans had quickly come to understand that if you didn’t support Bobby in this, you didn’t support the rest of the band either. That was something Bobby had deeply appreciated, and he’d never been more thankful for his friendship with Sully and the other boys. And of course there had been the other fans that had been amazingly cool about it, and even knew fans who had taken to the band because of their own sexual orientation and Bobby’s willingness to be upfront and honest about his own. He’d never thought he’d find himself a gay sex symbol or ‘icon’ but apparently he was something of an encouragement to other struggling gay and bisexual teens in the rock and metal scene who’d been afraid to come out. He’d spent a large portion of his summer on forums and chat sites talking to these kids who’d sought him out.

With another tour under their belt, FTA was doing even better and life was good. He of course didn’t spend all of his time alone, nor had his bed been exactly empty during the months they were on the road. But he hadn’t forgotten the one who had helped bring him to the point that he was at in his life now. He’d seen Asa when FTA and Twitch had joined up for Levi’s birthday. They’d spoken, with more ease than they had since the incident, but Bobby still had the impression that Asa had withdrawn from him because of what had happened. Not that he blamed him... Bobby had been the cause of a major upset in his life, and it would be hard for him to be willing to be the same kind of companions that they had been. It didn’t stop Bobby from missing him though. Asa had become a part of his life unexpectedly, but he’d been a very bright spot in it. Now they world was a little more dim because his brightness wasn’t in it. But that was okay, Bobby was a big boy, and he understood fully why Asa had retreated. He’d gotten updates however. He listened carefully whenever Willa spoke about him, and when he had a chance and didn’t think that it would be too obvious, he’d ask Mars about the boy, just to make sure he was truly okay.

Today had been a rather lax day and he’d decided to hit up the park. It’d been a while since he’d taken the time to just take in the simplicity of nature. And so, grabbing a book of Voltaire’s writing Bobby left his car behind and walked from his apartment to the park, ear buds in his ears blasting a little Coheed and Cambria. He was dressed in a pair of tight red jeans, black converse, a white tee with black crows on it, and a black hoodie over top of this. He’d recently cut his hair, getting rid of the long bang of hair and instead going with a somewhat Elvis inspired poof of hair on top of his head. Gelling it up and back. He’d also gotten golden yellow patches dyed throughout it on the top of his head. He liked that he didn’t have to spend so much time brushing it back out of his face. He’d been searching for a place to sit down and read when he spotted a form that was more than familiar. His teeth clamped down on the lip ring on his bottom lip, hauling all of it into his mouth as he smirked and let out a soft chuckle at the sight of the other male. Scratching at the back of his jaw as he watched Asa climb up the tree, he waited for what he could see as only being the inevitable. When the fall came, he slowly began making his way over to make sure he was okay.

He came to a stop over top of him, leaning forward slightly so that he could look down into Asa’s face. The blue of his eyes was like a sharp zing of electricity through him. He’d forgotten how vivid they were. But he cleared his throat and moved on, concentrating instead on the humour in the situation. ”Did I just see you chase a squirrel up a tree?” He asked him, the smirk tipping his lips and hitting his dark eyes. Shoving his book into one pocket of his hoodie, Bobby extended his hand in offering. ”Think you can get up? Or is there more than just your pride wounded?” That oh-so-familiar teasing light was in his eyes as he asked this.

[asa spencer chelios-bell]

Wow... From the ground, the sky was actually really pretty! He should try looking at things from this angle more often. You know, without falling out of a tree to get to this part. Still, wasn't that what photography was all about? It wasn't about taking pictures of shadows in black and white, it was about finding new ways to look at the world. That was what he had to do. Hang around, lay here or there, hover! So often, you saw pictures of horizons or forests taken from someone standing somewhere. There was no creativity when it came to landscaping, no art. It was just... image. First, though, he had to make sure that the camera hadn't broken on his fall down. He hadn't landed on it, thank god, but he wasn't sure if it had hit the ground when he tumbled or not. That wouldn't have been a good thing. That was an expensive camera and he really didn't have the money to replace it. Even worse, it was his tool for homework and his job so he would have been in a lot of trouble. Not that Trinity wouldn't have replaced it for him but he hated that she was always buying him things. You should have see all of the stuff that she had gotten for him when he'd first gotten out of the hospital. She'd tried to rekindle all of his passions and had bought him several new photography items and CDs and about a million other things. It came from the heart but he always felt like he was taking advantage of her.

He had just brought the approved camera up to his eye to snap a photo when his stomach dropped six feet further. What was he doing here? Sure, Bobby had come by to see him at the hospital and they'd seen one another when Willa and Ash did things that involved inviting their friends over but what was Bobby doing here, at the park? Asa hadn't been left alone with him since... Well, since. When they'd had their parties, Asa had always had Willa close by. She'd been something of a security guard for him. If it looked like he was getting into trouble, she'd come over and either join in on the conversation or steal him away. Now, Asa was left in the park with Bobby, alone. What did he do? It wasn't like he blamed Bobby for what had happened. He just didn't know what to do. Bobby hadn't come to see him for so long, after the attack, Asa had thought that Bobby was reevaluating things. Even when he'd gotten out, Bobby had seemed a little distant. They'd been friends with sexual benefits and, then, the sex had just stopped. It had taken a while to get back to just being friends and Asa wasn't so sure that Bobby was interested in anything else. Not that Asa wanted what they'd had, before. It wasn't that things had been bad, they just hadn't been right.

If he just did what they told him in the hospital, though, he was sure that he'd be fine. Breathe and focus on the positive. Bobby was still his friend. He was his very sexy, knee weakening friend but he was still his friend. He really needed to get a grip on himself. Lowering the camera to his chest, he took a calming breath and beamed a smile up at Bobby. "Did you see that squirrel kick my ass, too? So cute but so vicious. All they had to do was say they didn't like taking pictures." Asa considered his injuries for a moment. Was there anything else, hurt? His entire backside would probably have a lovely bruise in places but that was something he'd be able to get over. He slept on his stomach, most nights, anyway. "My butt hurts," he pouted and reached beneath him to pull a stick from under him. He reached up and took Bobby's hand, using it to keep him balanced while he pushed himself up from the ground with a sore groan. He was going to be tender all day. "No one else saw that, right?"

[bobby brandon savage]

What was he doing at the park? Well, it was one of those free places that anyone in the city could go to. Despite his ‘rocker’ status, Bobby wasn’t opposed to just a quiet afternoon spent in the park reading or just taking in the sights. Plus his apartment felt stuffy and empty and he’d just needed to get out for a bit. Feel like he was a part of this city and the people in it and not some freak hid away in his bachelor pad. He refused to get into the lonesome state that he’d been in last year upon returning from tour and so he’d been doing his best to keep busy. He’d found himself writing more now as well. Not just his typical bits of fiction here and there, but music. It was common for him to work on the music for the songs, but lately he’d begun working on lyrics, and found music coming out of him that was a lot different from what FTA played. Clearly not something that the band could use he’d just been storing it away or on his computer if he managed to get a rough copy recorded. The first few times they’d been in contact with each other after the hospital it had been rather awkward and somewhat stiff conversation. But Bobby had done his best to bridge the wide gap between them so that at least the friendship wouldn’t be lost. He hadn’t been able to ignore the way Willa had watched them like a hawk whenever they were around each other. He’d also been unable to ignore the way she had an uncanny habit of ‘rescuing’ Asa at slightly difficult moments. This had only furthered Bobby’s belief that Asa was having difficulties being around him. It saddened him that whatever had been cultivating between them had come to that, but he had no one but himself to blame. He just wished he’d handled things better so things could have petered out on their own. Instead it had been abruptly cut off before either of them could decide they were finished.

He couldn’t help but smile back as Asa’s bright smile was suddenly aimed up at him. He was reminded of how many times he’d beamed that at him in private, and tried not to think of the different situations either preceding or following it. Bobby snorted softly. ”I thought you were a photographer not the paparazzi. When they run away that means they don’t want pictures taken.” He couldn’t help but grin. How many people raced up a tree after a squirrel just so that they could take a picture? And that was why Asa was special, because he did things like that without thinking about how it might look, or how it might end. It also eased Bobby’s frame of mind, because he could see that the younger male was back to doing things he had always done, before the attack. Bobby let out a loud laugh as Asa commented on the state of his bottom and then yanked a stick out from under him. ”That tends to happen when you fall out of trees. Be happy you landed on your ass and not your camera.” He stated, amusement still glowing in his eyes. As their hands connected, Bobby felt a little shiver of pleasure run up his arm which he did his best to ignore. But as he pulled the boy to his feet, his dark eyes seemed trapped by his bright blues. Bobby shook his head. ”Only all the other squirrels, they’re now all laughing at you and telling stories about how Johnny P totally knocked the human out of the tree by launching himself at his face.” He couldn’t fight the smirk that returned at Asa’s expense as he re-pictured the tumble and fall in his head. It was then that he realized he was still holding Asa’s hand. Clearing his throat he released it and shoved both his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

”Why were you chasing a squirrel up a tree for a picture?” He asked him, looking for easy, and neutral ground to communicate on. He searched Asa’s face for any signs that he was uncomfortable around him and wanted him gone. After all, he didn’t have the little pit-bull Willa around to rescue him this time should Bobby’s company become unwanted.

[asa spencer chelios-bell]

Asa's motto was to just keep smiling. If he smiled, bad things couldn't happen to him. At least, that was the hope. "I just wanted to play and they kept running away. I thought that we were playing tag." No, he wasn't that crazy but it was still fun to say. He just hadn't expected the squirrel to jump out at him the way that it had. Needless to say, he'd thought of them as fearful creatures, ones who would just keep running if pursued. Apparently, everyone had their breaking points. "Fine lines. Besides, Squirrel Weekly pays big bucks." Asa giggled, trying to imagine a magazine or tabloid dedicated to the immoral squirrels of the world. He'd buy it, just for the cute photos. He pouted up at Bobby as he laughed, a playful pout. "But I didn't have to land on the stick, did I? Now, everyone's always going to say how I've got this huge stick up my ass and it's not even going to be a kinky, sexual reference." Willa, for sure, would appreciate hearing about it. It was like electricity, their touch. His stomach must have tied itself into about thirty knots and his entire body tingled with the sensation. Who would have thought that just holding hands would remind him of so much? He missed those hands and what they could do, playing him like he was nothing more than a bass in his hands. He forced himself out of his thoughts and tried to focus on the conversation at hand. Anything to keep himself from thinking more on the past. "I hope I got a picture of that. How cool would that shot be?"

He tried not to show the disappointment on his face when Bobby pulled his hand away. Just more proof that things were over. Of course, he'd kind of gotten that hint when he had stopped seeing Asa for so long while he was in the hospital. It had hurt when he'd heard the rumors that he was taking on bed partners while on tour but he didn't hold anything against the man. Why should he? He had a life to live. Asa looked down at the ground, sheepishly. "Well... Okay, so, I got bored and everyone was busy with something or someone else so I thought I'd come to the park and work on my landscape shots. So, I'm minding my own business, taking crappy pictures of the park when I see this really cute squirrel and I'm all 'Hey, let's take a picture'. After they started running off, I decided it might be fun to take a picture of them in a tree since it's, you know, their home and stuff. So, pretty much..." He took in a big breath to release it as a depressed sigh, "As usual, I got bored and it turned into me getting stupid. Never thought I'd get beaten up by something so small and cute, though. Guess it just goes to show that you can't underestimate anyone, these days. Even the squirrels in Detroit are gangster."

[bobby brandon savage]

Bobby smiled softly, very pleased to hear the giggles coming from Asa and to see him smile. It warmed a part of him that he hadn’t realized was cold. A part of him that had continued to worry about his welfare long after his release from the hospital. Sure, he had seen him since then, but there were always other people around and it had seemed forced. But now it was just the two of them and they were having to prove that they could still function around each other, alone. ”Squirrel Weekly, huh? Ya, I’m totally a subscriber. They do awesome exposés on independent squirrel metal bands.” He did his best to keep a straight face as he said this. ”They once asked Mars to be their human of the month. I told him he should do it because he was definitely nutty enough.” Okay, so it was a lame joke, but he was enjoying himself going along with it. And this was what happened when he was around Asa. He relaxed and this silly side of him came out, one he was quite certain he didn’t let anyone else see. Sure, he was always joking and teasing Mars and his other band members, or anyone who was in his general vicinity actually, but there was an edgier side to that teasing. With Asa, it just got downright ridiculous. Bobby laughed heartily at Asa’s next response. Leave it to him. ”You have only yourself to blame.” He said with a smirk, teeth capturing his lip ring in his amusement.

There was something about being around Asa that made him smile a lot; there had always been plenty of laughter when the two were together. It had been something he’d missed when he was off ‘living his life’ while on tour. There had always been plenty of men and women willing to fill his bed should he choose to, but they were empty moments in time. Swift exchanges with near strangers who shared a part of themselves physically but then disappeared as if into the air. Bobby had begun to realize that he was already getting to a point in his life where he was tired of the emptiness. He had never really been made for promiscuity, always open and ready for the big romance of his life. But no one had ever come along to fill the void. But being with Asa made him feel not so lonely. ”That would be a pretty good action shot. Though I wish someone had been here with a camera to get the sequence of you being attacked and falling out of the tree as well.”

”That is totally a lie, not everyone was busy. I was bored and alone wasn’t I?” He stated, teasing him. Being around him and relaxing like he did made that slip out as if it were the old days when Bobby would just randomly show up at Asa’s door with movies and candy. ”You do have a wonderful propensity for getting into trouble when you’re bored and alone… Maybe you should hire a babysitter to watch you.” He teased him once again. He looked at him for a moment, wondering if he should go there, but then realizing that if there was one thing people expected of him it was to be brutally honest with them no matter what. He didn’t want it to be any different with Asa, not because of what had happened. Especially because of what had happened. ”I know things are different now, and that a lot has happened in the past ten months or so… But you can still call me. I don’t want to lose our friendship, and I miss hanging out.” There, Bobby had been honest, said exactly what was on his mind, just like he was supposed to. Of course, it wasn’t the whole truth, but it was the part that Asa could handle and that he needed to hear. He didn’t have to be put through hearing about Bobby’s hang ups. Because the chemistry was still there on Bobby’s part, he felt it when they had touched and he sensed it when he looked into those unbelievably bright blue eyes. But too much had happened between them for Bobby to press for what had once been. And if what they’d had, had only been sexual Bobby would have left well enough alone and cut his loses. But their time spent together hadn’t been all about sex; a good friendship had begun building, one that he didn’t want to let go of. Bobby took a hand out of his pocket to remove one of the ear buds from his ear so that music was only playing into one and he could hear Asa better. ”Listen, I was headed down to the pond to sit there and read a bit. If you’re looking for landscape pictures you might be able to find some nice ones down there if you wanted to join me for a bit.” He was tired of pretending like they hadn’t once been a fairly intimate part of each other’s lives. Things didn’t have to automatically go back to the ease with which they had previously corresponded, but it would be nice to begin working their way back there.

[asa spencer chelios-bell]

It had been ten months. He was still healing, in some ways, but he was doing better. He didn't like to walk around the city without a buddy after dark, especially in less populated areas, but he was himself in nearly most other ways. He had felt hopeless without laughter and, thanks to a caring bunch of friends and their amazing support, he'd found reasons to smile again. He never wanted to visit that dark place ever again. It just wasn't a place for Asa to be. Then again, it had given him some really amazing stuff to work with for his photography. He had undergone quite the physical transformation, too. While on tour, he'd gone blonde and experimented with a few types of photography. Now, he was back to his natural hair color - brunette. Contrary to popular belief, it was not black. Asa laughed, nodding. "I totally have a picture of a punked out squirrel on my computer, no lie. I found it on the internet and had to save it." Speaking of squirrel metal bands... It might have been a lame joke but Asa had appreciated it. Didn't he usually, though? Coming from Bobby, it was something that he found himself laughing at for more than just the humor in it. "Kinda looks a little squirrely, too." Oh, if only Willa could hear this. She'd appreciate the humor, too. "Eh," he shrugged with a coy grin on his face.

His jaw dropped and he looked to Bobby in shocked awe. "You're horrible to me, you know that?" He fell int a fit of giggles, shaking his head and sticking out his tongue at the older, taller male. Then again, he had a point. It probably would have been really freaking awesome to see him fall out of that tree after having been attacked by the squirrel. Seeing it in slow motion would have been priceless and something for his own books. Something like that, you can't stage and you can't duplicate. It would have, definitely, proven just how impressive his dedication as a photographer really was.

He paused, staring at Bobby with a slacked jaw. He really didn't know what to say to that and it left him blinking for a moment. Then, he realized that it was supposed to be a joke and he needed to laugh or else it might make things weird. Forcing out a chuckle, Asa shrugged. "Figured you'd be off, doing rock star stuff." That was... partially true. He had thought that he was too busy with others to be bothered. Asa didn't think that he'd want anything to do with him, anyway. Things were just far too different from where they'd been. "But they're so expensive and limiting. Babysitters just aren't worth the trouble once you hit a certain age, no matter the trouble you get yourself into." If anything, his sister was his babysitter but she was off, busy with her own life. Could he hold that against her? No, he couldn't and he wouldn't. She deserved happiness and he would do whatever he could in order to give her that. All in all, things had been going rather well with the pair of them until Bobby dropped the bomb that he did. What was Asa supposed to say to that? He had no idea where to even go from there. Did he just not understand? No, of course he didn't. He didn't expect him to, either. While it might not have all been physical, it didn't seem to have struck a chord as deeply in Bobby as it had Asa. He stared down at the ground, searching for something to say. How did he respond to a thing like that when he'd considered all of the "hidden" meanings behind everything that had passed in the last year? Bobby seemed to save him the trouble, though. His offer of getting more pictures down at the pond seemed to be promising. If all he was going to do was read, there wouldn't be a need to talk about anything, right? Looking back up to his face, Asa nodded and started off for the pond.

Where was Willa when you needed her? He pulled his phone out of his pocket and sent a quick text, hoping that she'd be able to offer him some solid advice before he ended up floundering.

[bobby brandon savage]

Bobby grinned. ”I’m surprised you haven’t started capturing them and dressing them up for all types of photos.” This talk had him thinking about the janitor from Scrubs who’d spent one season stuffing squirrels to form a squirrel army. That show and character amused Bobby to no end, and this conversation was rather pleasing as well. Ridiculous, but amusing. Bobby snickered in amusement. ”Don’t let him hear you say that, he’s the biggest drama queen when it comes to his looks.” He grinned in a devious way. No, he didn’t really think that his best friend looked like a squirrel, but it was fun to talk about it. Bobby just shook his head as Asa called him horrible and then became nothing but a bunch of giggles. ”You call me horrible, but you know if it was anyone else falling out of that tree you’d want the action shots too.” He stated with a broad smirk. Not that there was anything wrong with that. It was a rare and likely miserable person who wouldn’t find amusement in what had happened. And to have witnessed it by pure luck and it be someone he knew? Priceless.

Seeing Asa’s reaction to what he had said, Bobby swallowed a little awkwardly realizing that in his relaxing mood he’d said the clearly worst thing possible. Good job Bobby. Smooth. You can talk to anyone else as if you’re a philosopher, but put you in front of Asa and you become a walking Neanderthal. Bobby could have kicked himself as Asa’s forced laugh came out, and he felt horrible for having forced this on him. Bobby was starting to think it would be best if he just left the poor boy alone and stopped forcing his presence on him. ”Well, I did throw a t.v. out a window this morning.” He grinned at him, trying to ease the air between them once more. He thought for a moment. ”An assistant then? Perhaps one interning with you so that you don’t have to pay them?” Hey, there would be people who would want to be around Asa just because of the people he managed to work with. Once again, leave it to Bobby to screw this up. Seriously. With any other person imaginable Bobby managed to come off rather smooth and intellectual, sounding like he knew what he was talking about and he was ‘wise’. Put him with Asa and apparently he did everything the wrong way.

Though Asa remained silent, he received a little nod of agreement. Sighing slightly under his breath, Bobby turned and headed down towards the pond area. There was a tree down there that he enjoyed sitting beneath. However as they reached the pond he walked to the water’s edge. Shoving his hand into the pocket of his hoodie he pulled out the couple of slices of bread he’d brought with him in a baggy. Okay, so he’d gotten the idea from Benji who’d apparently taken a great like in feeding the ducks. Don’t judge him. He may be a ‘rock star’ but he enjoyed the quiet, simple things in life. Pulling out on piece, Bobby began breaking pieces off and tossing them onto the surface of the pond. He let out a small partial smile as the ducks began swimming towards the floating pieces of bread and gobbled them up. Looking over his shoulder at Asa he waved the bread to him, inviting him to join him if he wanted to.

[asa spencer chelios-bell]

Asa looked at Bobby with wide eyes and an impressed expression. That was an idea! "I would but only if I could actually train them. They're wild, you know. I hear they don't live too long in captivity, either. That would be a bit of a problem." He didn't think he'd be too happy if he killed pets. If he wanted a pet bad enough, he'd take on something that was known for domestication. It would have been nice but, for now, he'd just have to deal with having the squirrels to photograph. He'd find the perfect pet, though. He'd find something cute and cuddly and soft and furry and... He'd find something that was pretty freaking awesome. Asa snorted and nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine." Honestly, he wouldn't doubt it if he was. The guy made sure that he worked out and he had yet to see him with a blemish or a bad hair day. Then again, he didn't have much hair to speak of so it wasn't like there were many options for that one. "Totally not the point!" Asa laughed and stuck his tongue out at the man. It was true. Seeing it happen to someone else would have been brilliant. Having proof would have been the best.

He should have covered it a bit better but he had been taken by surprise and his coping skills were a little rusty. He knew how to handle the matter in the old style but that wasn't him anymore. He didn't want to be that way. So, now, he was dealing with the trouble of trying to figure out how to best manage the problems he faced based on what they taught him and what would actually work. He just didn't think that he could really work on something so big without some help but he'd said goodbye to Willa sometime during the Ash comment so that he didn't seem overly rude to his companion. "How very rock star of you. Told you you were doing very rock star things today. Trash any hotel rooms, lately?" Asa shrugged. "Meh. I fear it'll limit creativity." He didn't like to have other people around to watch him while he was setting up shoots. Some of them just didn't work for him and he didn't want people to see his failures. Call him a bit of perfectionist, he didn't care. He knew it was true and he knew that he didn't want to have anyone see anything less than perfection in his artwork.

He attempted to take a few pictures here and there but his heart just wasn't in it. Many of them just ended up with a shot of Bobby from behind or heartless images from around him. When Bobby called him, Asa sighed and set the camera against his chest and approached him. He came to stand beside the man and took a bit of the bread and tossed it onto the water. He stared out over the pond and lost himself in thought until the tear that fell from his eye brought him back to a conscious state. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I'm sorry but I can't do this. I thought I could but I just can't." He looked up to face Bobby and look him in the eye. "When I'm with you, I remember what it used to be like... before. I can't pretend that I don't want that, still. I dunno if I need more time or if it's ever going to change. I do know that I can't just be your friend." He rubbed at the eye that had the tear fall and shook his head. He couldn't meet his gaze anymore. "I should go." Asa turned on his heel and headed off for the street. What had he just done? He felt like he was going to puke his guts out, now...

[bobby brandon savage]

He grinned at the expression on Asa’s face that was just a little bit like child-like wonder. There was such a freshness when around him, and Bobby wondered what it was like to look on everything in the world with that kind of interest and excitement. Bobby looked at pretty much everything with curiosity and interest, but it didn’t excite him the same way that it did Asa. He wished that he knew how to be like that. ”You’ll need to pick up some other form of furry creature then that will last and that you can use.” He could see Asa with a furry little critter. Of course, Bobby himself had been considering getting a pet and as odd as it might seem the animal he’d been debating over was a rabbit. Yes, not exactly the manliest of animals, but what could he say? He had a bit of a weak spot for the floppy eared critters. Bobby just laughed and shrugged his shoulders. Perhaps not the point that Asa was trying to make, but definitely the one Bobby was attempting to make.

It wasn’t Asa’s fault, Bobby should have been watching what he was saying. He knew that things between himself and Asa were still rocky and that he couldn’t just pretend everything was okay. But that had been exactly what he’d tried to do. For some reason all the common sense Bobby had acquired over the years seemed to fly right out the window when it came to this guy, and he really had no idea why. ”Nah, I don’t really do hotels, prefer to sleep a bus.” He grinned. ”And Mars would beat me if I trashed the bus.” He chuckled a little. Who wasn’t a perfectionist when it came to their art? FTA didn’t play a new song for their fans until they were sure they had all the kinks worked out. That was why there were a number of songs that just got trashed along the way. Once you had built a name for yourself you had to make sure you lived up to it.

Bobby had stood quietly beside Asa, acutely aware of the boy’s presence at his side but not saying anything to him, just letting them be. Finishing off with the bread he brushed his hands off and shoved them into the front pockets of his jeans. At Asa’s voice, Bobby turned to face him and felt his heart pound a little at the sight of the tear. What had happened? Had he done something? As Asa spoke, he felt like he’d had the wind knocked out of him and he was positive that he had to have the most dumbfounded look on his face. Asa wanted more? He was in a state of shock and there was a big possibility that his mouth was hanging slightly open. For a moment he wasn’t able to think let alone speak, and as he blinked back his surprise it was to find Asa saying good bye and walking away from him. What had just happened here? This wasn’t at all what Bobby had spent the last ten months thinking at all, and he didn’t really know how to respond to this. But taking in the sight of Asa’s retreating form he felt a sense of regret. ”Shit Bobby move.” He scolded himself under his breath before jogging off after Asa. ”Asa!” He called out to him, and not stopping until he was beside him. Taking his arm he pulled him gently to a stop and brought him to face him. ”Wait... please?” He cleared his throat and looked away for a moment, tugging at his lip ring. Sighing he met Asa’s eyes. ”I don’t know exactly what we were doing, and I don’t know what the hell we’ve been doing this last ten months cause I thought you wanted nothing to do with me...” He kept his dark gaze trained on Asa’s lighter blues. ”But I know I miss being around you.” He brought his hand up to scratch at his jaw, searching for the right words. ”I don’t want to just let you walk away, it just feels like the wrong thing. And I - fuck, I don’t know what I’m doing but... Can we do things right this time?’ Was he making any sense? ”Can I take you out to dinner? Or a movie? Or, whatever you might feel like doing?” He tugged at his lip ring once again. Maybe once again this was the wrong thing to say, but he knew he wanted to do this. Before he’d been still trapped behind his wall of denial and too afraid or ashamed or whatever to do the normal thing and take a guy he was interested in out on a date. If it’d been a girl? No problem. Now he wanted to change that. And he was interested in Asa, he didn’t know where that interest might lead him but it felt stupid and foolish to just let it walk away. Plus, if he remembered correctly he didn’t think any guys had ever done that for Asa, and it was about time he had the right thing done by him.