Chapter Text
It had been three days since Sean and Black were at the docks, and he'd spent those days thinking about what he could ask Black to do.
In those three days, he'd barely seen Black. It was almost like he'd dissappeared. Not that he needed to know where the smaller had gone, but it was strange. It had been a good while since the other had gone missing for a few days, and he seemed so much less capable of looking after himself than before, so naturally Sean was slightly more worried.
So imagine his relief when he saw the smaller checking his bike when he returned to the garage. Wasn't a usual sight, and was definitely something the old Black would've done, but hey, maybe Black had finally learnt a thing or two from Gumpa about bike maintenance.
As Sean took off his helmet, Black stood and wandered over to the tool station.
Sean double checked that the area was clear, and that he wouldn't get caught, and snuck up behind Black.
“So, can I cash in my outstanding wish now, hm?” Sean whispered against Black's ear.
In a split second Sean had been span, pushed against the tool station and had his arm twisted up his back. What the fuck?
“What the fuck?” Sean verbalises, “I know you might be worried about what I'm going to ask you, but don't you think this is a bit extreme?”.
Black pushed Sean's arm closer to his back, a way of hopefully silencing him. Obviously it didn't as he spoke again.
“What's gotten into you anyways? You disappear for three days and it's like you're your old self again. A version I didn't like. The version I didn't fall for. A version I would've happily murdered a few times,” Sean huffs as the pain increases as Black keeps a constant pressure on the taller's arm.
After thirty or so more seconds, his arm is released, but Black doesn't say a word. Instead, he just goes back to working on his bike. New Black did not know how to do that, old Black did.
“I was going to ask you to take me out, on a date, but apparently that's not on the cards anymore,” Sean says rubbing his shoulder soothingly.
“What the fuck are you talking about? I am not going anywhere with you. I can't stand you. The further away you are from me, the better,” Black says.
That surprises Sean. He thought that Black, new black, was into him, but maybe he misread the situation. Maybe Black was regretting it? He can't be regretting can he? No, that simply can't be the truth. He was way too vulnerable to be regretting it like this.
“What do you mean? You say that like you weren't all over me 3 days ago, and I made sure to not pressure you into anything. What's wrong?” Sean asks, looking straight at Black to see if he can see any signs of visible change (be it regret or remembrance) on the other's face. Nothing.
“I don't know what dream world you're in Sean, but I wouldn't touch you with a ten foot pole,” Black says as he tightens a bolt back onto his bike.
“So us being on that rooftop, me bearing out my heart to you, and the events in the tent all mean nothing? Wow. You're the same dick that you were before,” Sean says frustratedly.
“I haven't changed. You clearly have. I don't know what you think there is between us, but I can tell you decidedly that there's nothing between us. Even the thought of you being nice to me for a dare, or a prank makes me feel ill,” Black says, “now, you either get out of my way, or make yourself useful.”
It's been a few days since Sean saw Black. It had been a confusing few days. The way Black holds himself now is the way “old Black” held himself. The way he speaks, the things he does around the garage, the way he avoids/avoided Sean, the time he arrives and leaves. Everything. It all seems like the Black of old. He hasn't come to collect his stuff from Sean's room, but Sean doesn't know how to interpret that. Doesn't know if he should take that as hope that maybe he'll come back for it, if he's coming back and this is just a blip, or if he's left it there and isn't willing to collect it because it likely means that he'll have to interact with the other.
“You seem down, everything okay?” Gumpa says as he sits next to the stool station as Sean checks the oil in his bike.
“I'm fine Phi,” Sean says, smiling weakly.
“You're not, and don't try lying to me. You and Black haven't spoken in days, and I'd say you've both reverted back to how you were before. What happened?” Gumpa asks.
“I honestly don't know Phi. We were doing well, but I spoke to him a couple of days ago and it's like he's gone back to the old Black. The new Black seems to have disappeared into the void and we've been left with the dick we had before. I was finally getting on with him, and building a relationship, and then he pulls a 180° on me,” Sean sighs before wiping the bike's dipstick on a cloth, and putting it back into the bike, oil levels being sufficient.
“Wow, I can't say I've noticed, but he does seem a lot quieter. I saw him training earlier, he seems sharper, like the Black of old, but I can't imagine that he's ignoring you because he hates you. You can't go from where you two were a week ago to him completely shutting you out, it doesn't make sense,” Gumpa reasons.
“I'm just going to give him space for a bit and see what happens, maybe start by giving him the stuff I've got in my room,” Sean says reservedly. He desperately doesn't want to because this really could mean the end of what could have been.
“But once you've given him his space, make sure you talk to him. There's clearly something happening there, and I don't think he'd talk to any of us about it. Don't worry about it too much,” Gumpa says before patting Sean's shoulder and heading off to do something Sean's unsure of.
What could've possibly changed him like this? Sean thought before shaking his head, it's probably nothing.
It's been three weeks since the rooftop, and things haven't got any better with Black. If anything, Black seems more agitated than before. Any time Sean enters the garage, Black is always finding an excuse to leave. Everyone's beginning to notice the changes, and are becoming increasingly confused. Black wasn't like this just a few short weeks ago, what's changed?
“Sean, have you spoken to Black recently, like at all?” Yok asks when they're eating twenty-three days after the rooftop.
“Yok, I can't get near him. Wherever I go to find him, he's always conveniently leaving and disappears into thin air. I haven't spoke to him for about two weeks. I planned on giving him some space, but it seems like he's gone back to how he used to be and I guess it doesn't suprise me, but it definitely sucks. It's weird that he's avoiding all of you too tho,” Sean says, frustrated that no one seems to get that he can't get near Black no matter how much he wants too.
The rest sit in silence for a moment.
“I see him around university sometimes. He generally seems like old Black, but even then there's something different about him. He seems determined to do something but I have no clue what. I got the usual, “I'm just tired”, or the even better “I'm fine” last time I spoke to him,” Gram says seemingly affected by Black's dismissive nature.
“I can't even say he'll come to us when he's ready because I truly don't if be will, but hopefully he will. Give it another week, and we'll see where we're at. For now we need to think about what our plan is for those stalking Black, Sean and Yok, and whether or not any of us turn up at the next anti-Tawi rally,” Gumpa says, regaining a group focus on something, or someone other, than Black.