Nitty Gritty

354 Words

Don't look like they're fading

Charlotte seemed to relax when Hunter looked at her and he thought he could make out the hint of a smile from his best friend's profile. If he were being completely sappy and gross, he'd have said it was actually kind of cute the way they responded to each other. Something about the way they were together just fit. Like when she moved, he moved and when he looked at her, she was already looking at him. They were in sync which he found to be sort of strange to witness. He'd never seen something like that before.

Damian grinned at his best friend when he slapped his back hard. Once the girl was leading them into the house, a few steps ahead, he cast an aside to Hunter, "She's smokin' I'll give ya that, bubba. Seems pretty chill, too." And chill girls were always a good thing. Having Lena at his disposal, he couldn't imagine going for some high maintenance broad. Too much work.

Charlotte led them into the main living room and she took a seat on the couch, her legs folded underneath her. As subtly as he could, he watched her body language. It was relatively clear that she was hoping Hunter would sit beside her, but Damian also knew that what was obvious to him wasn't going to be so obvious to his best friend. So, as the great best friend that he was, Damian made sure to sit in the chair opposite of her which left only the spot on the couch beside her or the floor. One would think they'd have more furniture given the fact that they were rich. She turned to him, her eyes finally leaving Hunter and he turned his attention to her, "So you guys met in the army?"

His lips twitched into a smirk and he shook his head, "Oh no, we've been friends for a lot longer than that. I met this dweeb in school. Ain't that right, Hunt?"

Don't look like they're ever going away

367 Words

Don't look like they're fading

His hands raised in a surrendering gesture, taking note of the non-joking manner that Hunter seemed to take when talking about her. While he'd never been one to degrade women the way that Damian did, he still hadn't heard him talk about anyone that way, even with as little as he actually spoke. Too bad the poor girl seemed utterly oblivious to the fact that his best friend had the hots for her.

His eyes settled on the two of them sitting beside each other and though he'd witnessed her clearly wanting Hunter to take the seat beside her, he also witnessed the way she seemed to curl in on herself to make sure that she wasn't too close. He'd give her credit for that, at least she wasn't trying to make his job any harder than it was for him. She seemed acutely aware of boundaries and testing them. Damian liked her already, she was smart but in such an understated way. Like she just seemed to understand things from several perspectives without much time dwelling over them.

Her eyes moved from Damian to Hunter when he answered and Damian had to snort loudly. "No, no, no. That's not what I remember. I distinctly remember me beating the piss out of some loser in the hallway and you coming to save that sorry punk's ass before I killed him." He looked back at Charlotte and shrugged, "He's always been the body guarding type. Except before you, he was protecting everyone from me because I was a bit of an asshole in school."

Charlotte nodded slowly and looked down at her hands, as if considering her next question carefully. She was trying to make this easier on his best friend instead of asking for the gory details straightforward. "Don't think too hard, sweetheart. He can't get mad at you, worst he can do is hit me again and well, it wouldn't be the first time or the last."

She glanced up and offered the hint of a smile, "Were you guys friends immediately or?"

Don't look like they're ever going away

315 Words

Don't look like they're fading

Getting into the details of the way that both he and Hunter had been in school didn't seem quite right. The girl liked his best friend and he liked her, there was no use in painting him in a light that made him seem like a dick. Damian on the other hand could care less who thought he was a dick because he actively was one. Hunter was only one when it was absolutely necessary. And even then, he wasn't as good at it as Damian was. Bad ass, maybe, but not a dick.

Charlotte's question made him snort and Hunter's response was even more outrageous than he'd have been able to come up with. "Fuck no. I think it was switched. You were the school golden boy and I was the mysterious, dark entity that the teachers couldn't stand and pawned off on you in hopes that you'd be a good influence." He turned back to her and smirked, "Too bad it was more like me being a bad influence on him. He may seem like a total stick in the mud now, but he used to be kinda fun every once in a while."

Damian was aware that he was about to cross a line, but it was only fair that the girl understand that the person she was dealing with now hadn't always been the one that Hunter was. If she could fall for him like this, he could only imagine what she'd have thought of him before he was shot.

"He's not a stick in the mud all the time," She said with a grin at his best friend. On the one hand, she seemed shy, but there was a level of comfort she obviously had with Hunter.

Don't look like they're ever going away

220 Words

Don't look like they're fading

"Oh yes, Hunter, you stud. You set fire to my loins," Damian said in a higher pitched, girly voice as he swooned mockingly. Charlotte placed a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing and he had to admit, he took pride in that. Hunter had been right about her, not quite as prissy as he'd expected, but generally down to Earth. If Hunter didn't do anything with her, he couldn't say that he wouldn't.

Damian and Charlotte looked at each other before cracking up and Damian held his hand up, "Bubba, we could if it weren't so damn accurate. I mean, c'mon." He snickered some more before rolling his eyes at his best friend's dramatics. "Kick you while you're down? Boy! What the hell do you have to be down about? You're best friend is back from deployment and you're babysitting a gorgeous girl. I'd say there's nothing about that situation that'd have me down."

Charlotte snorted, "Hey!"

He laughed once and shrugged, "Sorry babe, we all know that Hunter's just a glorified babysitter this go-round. Shoulda seen him in action. He could make any girl weak at the knees if they saw him in combat."

Don't look like they're ever going away

202 Words

Don't look like they're fading

Charlotte seemed to take what he said in stride, although he didn't blame her for being a little miffed over the babysitter comment. She had a cute laugh and based on the way Hunter was looking at her, it wasn't something that happened frequently. Damian clapped his hand over his heart, "Me? Incapable. Pfft. You're just mad because she'd have liked me as her babysitter more than you." Damian turned to Charlotte and flashed her a quick grin.

She looked at Hunter, the way she always did when she was gauging his reaction which Damian found was most of the time. After a brief pause, she looked back at Damian and shrugged, "I dunno, I mean, you probably would have followed the rules that I gave Hunter on the first day we met better." Her eyes cast down and she was grinning.

It was Damian's turn to look at Hunter this time and he arched an eyebrow, "Rules, eh? Please do tell." He leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for his best friend to elaborate.

Don't look like they're ever going away

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Don't look like they're fading

Damian arched an eyebrow at his best friend's response. He could see the way Hunter was closed off. Talking to and about Charlotte seemed to be a touchy thing and while Damian didn't quite understand, he could sort of get it. Because the moment that Hunter brought Lena up, he felt his own jaw clench. Lena was not his girlfriend, not by a long shot, so the reason for his reaction was still to be determined, but either way, he wasn't keen on it.

He gave his best friend a tight smile and shrugged, "I mean if you're trying to get rid of me, all you had to do was say something." He stood up a moment later and stretched his arms over his head before shaking his arms out, "Don't worry, bubba, I'll be outta your hair soon enough." Damian turned to Charlotte and gave her a wide smile, "It was great meeting you, doll. Try to keep my baby boy in line, don't be afraid to smack him around a bit if he gets mouthy."

He considered lingering and waiting for Hunter, but given the fact that there was a bit of tension, he decided to walk away and leave the choice up to Hunter whether he followed or not. Damian shoved his hands in his pockets and turned on his heel to walk out the way he came.

Don't look like they're ever going away

287 Words

Don't look like they're fading

It didn't take long before Hunter followed, but Damian kept a steady pace, looking to get out quickly and without getting into any trouble. He tried not to take it personally that his best friend was dismissive, especially given that he'd showed up unannounced. The initial reaction was easy to understand, but it wasn't like Charlotte had much of an issue with him. He'd even go so far as to say she'd liked him a little bit. She took him in stride the way most people couldn't and he appreciated her efforts to engage in conversation with him. She may not have known why it was important to him, but she'd passed his test to see if she was anywhere near cool enough for Hunter to have the hots for.

Damian snorted, "You don't need to hold my hand and make sure my feelings weren't hurt. I can see myself out." The harshness in his tone was directed at Hunter, sure, but he knew he was being irrational. Any other time Hunter would have been throwing back beers and filling him in on everything he missed. Apparently this was a line crossed that he wasn't quite fond of and Damian realized that now.

He took a deep breath and stopped once they were outside, kicking his feet against the pavement near his truck, "I like her, y'know. And I get it. It's your job and she's a priority. Not too keen on the fact that she was a little easier to talk to though. But it's her house, so I shouldn't be surprised, right?"

Don't look like they're ever going away