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It is much easier to start a fight than to finish it. Will Laurence has always known this. He just had no idea.
How he ended up with this fight on his hand, he still doesn’t know. It’s not like he never had a clash of opinions with anyone before – it’s not like he never had one with Tharkay – but never quite like this.
„I don’t even know what are we figthing about”, he says into his third – or possibly fourth – glass of... cider-like thing that Temeraire keeps pressing into his hand whenever he notices him finishing the previous glass. Will does not know what is with the kid and his weird craft brew fetish but right now he is not even remotely interested. It probably has to do something with whatever social justice issue Temeraire is currently immersed in, and in that case, Will is going to hear all about it sooner rather than later. For now, he is only interested in one thing.
„Are you even listening to me?”, he demands.
„Yes. You and Tharkay are fighting. You don’t know what are you fighting about, you don’t know how the fight started, you are miserable and you think the whole thing is your fault”, replies Temeraire. „Like always”, he adds, but there is no malice in his words, nor exasperation. If anything, he sounds fond. Laurence immediately feels bad for being snappy with him.
„My apologies, Temeraire. I did not mean to take that tone with you.”
„Oh, I don’t mind. Better me than Jane.”
Laurence shudders a little at that. „Quite so”, he says.
Temeraire absently pats his hand where it is gripping the glass. „Why don’t you tell me what happened”, he suggests.
„We were at that little tea room... you know the one? We always go there when he is in town. He swears that is the only place in the city where they have „the good stuff” – that oriental blend he likes. We were talking about music. Then he shouted at me and stormed out.”
„That does not sound like Tharkay at all,” says Temeraire doubtfully. „I don’t think I have ever heard him raise his voice.”
„No,” Will agrees in a miserable voice.
„You must have said something disagreeable, then.”
„But I didn’t! I actually...” Laurence’s voice trails off, like he is uncomfortable with whatever he was going to say.
„You actually what?”, prompts Temeraire, full of curiosity.
Laurence looks down at the table. „Sarah Madden is visiting her parents”, he says to the beermat.
„What does that have to do with anything?”
„I thought...”
„Laurence”, says Temeraire warningly.
„I bougth him concert tickets, okay? To that band he likes. The one with the screaming, and the guy with the beard, and the funky light effects. And I told him Sarah is in town, and that he should give it a last try.”
Temeraire’s face contorts itself into an expression that is part horror, part resignation and part tolerant amusement.
„And I just don’t get what I did wrong; I really don’t”, Will hurriedly continues. „I even tried asking the others, but they were singularly unhelpful. Granby only texted back a bunch of those weird emotional faces and something that looked like an eggplant. Tom flat-out refused to get involved, and Jane wrote „You’re an idiot.” I mean, I get that I’m not...”
„Laurence”, Temeraire cuts in.
„Yes?”
„You know I love you, right? Like, you are my bestest best friend and everything?”
Will can’t help but colour a little at that. „The feeling is entirely mutual, Temeraire.”
„Thank you. You are an idiot.”
„Why, thank you, my dear”, mutters Will sourly.
„Oh, don’t be like that”, his friend nudges him with a foot beneath the table. When Laurence looks up again, he sees that Temeraire is beaming at him with that rather disconcerning, toothy smile of his.
„I take it you think you understand what I did wrong, then?”
„Oh, yes.”
„Do enlighten me.”
„Laurence”, Temeraire says, using his gravest tone of voice. „Tharkay does not want to give it a last try.”
„He doesn’t?”
„No. In fact, there is something entirely different he wants to give a try to.”
„You mean, he has his eyes on another woman?”
Temeraire rolls his eyes, and says, „No. I definitely do not mean that.”
Will feels like he took a wrong turn somewhere in this conversation. „I can sense that you think I should be getting it, but I don’t.”
„Of course you don’t”, sighs Temeraire. „I can sort of see how even Tharkay’s patience ran out in the end”, he mutters in a decidely uncharitable fashion. Normally, Laurence should be vaguely offended at that, but he is way past caring.
„Temeraire”, he growls. „Tell me what did I do wrong so I can make it right. Now.”
„Why, Will, it is perfectly evident”, says Temeraire with a huff, clearly taking offence at the tone. „You have been stringing that man along for months with your cozy little tea room dates, and just when he thinks you have finally cued in, you try to set him up with his ex!”
Laurence faintly thinks this must be how avalanche victims feel. A sudden weigh, and then nothing but opressive blankness.
„Oh”, he says. „Oh.” And then, „But I---”
„Yes, you did.”
„But I do not---”
„Yes, you do.”
„But he can’t---”
„And yet.”
„Really?”
„Will. Even Ishkierka noticed, and she has eyes for nothing but herself.”
Will stares at his bestest best friend for a long minute, then buries his face in his palms. He does not look up for a good long time.
Temeraire just hums to himself, quite pleased, then flags down the waiter to ask for another round.
***
Temeraire watches Will's face closely when the other man finally raises his head. He looks like someone who has entered a quiet little cave and encountered something rather large and fanged inside.
„Temeraire”, he whispers. „I did. And I do.”
„I know”, says Temeraire, and grips his friend’s wrist in support.
Laurence stares at him for a minute, then his expression changes. Now he looks like someone who encountered something large and fanged, and had been invited in for tea by it. „I can have this,” he says, and his voice is so full of disbelief and wonder, Temeraire feels his heart crack just a tiny little bit.
Except of course, this is Laurence; so immediately after, his face changes again. Now he looks like he found out the tea is poisoned, and Temeraire thinks he might have stretched this metaphor a bit too far.
„He is never going to forgive me,” whispers Will.
Oh, is that all? Temeraire leans back on his chair. „Oh, sure he will. Use pandas.”
„What.”
„Pandas,” tells him Temeraire solemnly, „were gifted as symbols of goodwill and peace throughout Chinese history. China might not be his favourite country in the world, but he will find it funny.”
Laurence, for some reason, looks confused. „I can’t gift him a panda, Temeraire. Those are protected animals.”
Temeraire lets out a gusty sight. Why must this man be so damned literal?
***
Two days later Tharkay receives an envelope in the post. Inside there is a folded greeting card depicting two droopy-eyed pandas. They are quite adorable. When he opens the card, he finds two concert tickets and a note.
May I have the honour of accompanying you?
He strokes a finger over Will’s neat, elegant handwriting, smiles, and reaches for his phone. Yes, you fool, he texts back.