Because I Said So (Stefan.)

[Stefan Spencer]

“It’s quality that matters,” Stefan explained. “Not quantity.” He wiggled his eyebrows as he smiled at Greg. Although if Stefan was truthful with himself he sometimes felt that more friends were better than one or two close friends. He wasn’t against having someone close who he could count on, but he felt he had better odds if he knew more people. And better odds meant a better chance he wouldn’t be alone.

Stefan was glad at Greg’s reaction to his assumption that Greg was dating Josh. Even if tonight didn’t end as Stefan has original thought it might, the fact that Greg wasn’t dating Josh meant there might be a chance in the future. “Sean Neville,” Stefan said. That name sounded a bit more familiar. “He works up at Hammel, correct?”

“Well looks like you’ve got some good friends there,” he continued. “Can’t say I’ve ever had one who would give me a house.” He grinned at the thought, but he was only half joking. Sounded like Greg’s friends were the kind you held onto. This camping trip was starting to sound better all the time.

And Stefan realized he had hit yet another dead in for a conversation topic. He got the feeling that his new friend was the sort of man who had a few topics he didn’t like to discuss. But Stefan was okay with that. After all, everyone had conversations they did their best to stay away from. “Yes,” he said, laughing. “I do believe I am enough of a reason.”

“I write for the local paper,” he said. “Mostly human interest stories. Although I keep trying to convince my editor to let me start a advice column from the love doctor.” He smiled, taking a long drink. He was a little sad that Greg seemed to be putting a hold on the flirting. But then again, company was company. Stefan just wanted to be around other people, no matter what the relationship. “Yourself?”

[Gregory Strickland]

“Depends on what you’re looking for,” Greg challenged with raised eyebrows. He had a few close friends, a couple of whom lived here in Pilot Ridge. He knew his college years and former married life wouldn’t have been the same without them. He knew he would be going absolutely insane without them right that. True, close friends, were there in good times and bad. They were irreplaceable gold. Now party friends, they were good for letting lose, people you could try and forget with. Greg still hadn’t decided which category Stefan fell into.

Greg nodded. “Indeed, he’s the school psychiatrist,” the blonde frowned, “at least, I’m pretty sure he is.” He laughed at himself, toying with the drink in his hand. Oh alcohol and it’s precious after math. “He’s a telekinetic you know.” This shouldn’t really come as a surprise, especially when Sean was working at a school for metas. Sean was a topic Greg could go on for hours about, since he happened to be gold.

“It’s only temporary, the house I mean. He didn’t really give it to me, he’s just letting me stay there, which is better than renting an apartment and,” Greg stopped himself, smiling softly, “I’m rambling aren’t I?” It was a rhetorical question.

Greg nudged Stefan playfully. “Ah, you’re a humble man I see,” he laughed, taking another sip of his drink. Anyone who thought they were a good reason to come out to drink must be humble of course.

“Do you really?” Greg looked Stefan up and down. “So that’s why your name sounded so familiar! And now I have a face for the name. A very handsome face of course.” Flirting was always his fallback in awkward situations. It didn’t always work, in fact it often made situations more awkward, but at least he was trying. He pursed his lips, staring at his drink. “I’m an architect, but I don’t have any work. Trying to take it easy for a bit.” He hadn’t had a steady job since he moved here in August. And maybe he didn’t want one.

[Stefan Spencer]

Stefan wiggled his own eyebrows back at his friend. “Sure does,” he joked. Even as he had gotten older, Stefan had never been concerned with settling down with any one person. True, sometimes he envied those who had someone on whom they could depend to spend time with at the end of the day, but still he couldn’t force himself to be committed to any one person. People were just so interesting to him. He wanted to meet as many of them as he could. Not just because he was eager to get them into his bedroom, he enjoyed just talking or having a few drinks. He liked learning the little habits and gestures that each person made their own. It fascinated him to a degree. Close friends were nice to have, and Stefan had a few who might fall into that category, but he was never one to turn down the idea of meeting new people even if it was only for one night.

“Really?” Stefan asked, a little intrigued. He thought his own talent of reading body language was tough enough. He could almost always tell when someone was lying or what their basic emotion was at the time. Although there were times when he wished he could know what someone was thinking, he would never wish for the ability to read their mind. Sometimes ignorance truly was bliss.

As Greg started talking a bit more about himself, Stefan rested his hand on his chin and just watch him. He really was a gorgeous man. And something about just listening to him talk was delightful. “No don’t stop,” he said, smiling as well. “I don’t mind, really.”

He reached out to rest his hand on Greg’s. If his friend was going to go back to flirting, then Stefan had no problem joining in. “An architect? Beauty and brains.” He finished off his second drink and motioned the bartender for a refill. He turned to Greg to see if the man would like another as well.

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg knew what it was like to settle down. He had been a little wilder during his college years, but once he was in a career he loved, he also found Nathan, the love of his life. Still, he didn’t know what would be worse. Never finding his late husband, or finding him and having lost him. Sometimes he wished he was a meta with time control. Maybe then he would still be in New York, still have Nathan. But he took another swig of his drink and tried not to think about it.

He nodded a couple times, clearly excited that his friend was in such a high position. “I don’t have any powers,” he added solemnly. Had he said that already? Greg glanced at Stephan, a sheepish smile on his face. He needed another dose of liquid courage. He looked up at nothing in particular. “I guess I will be trying to find a place of my own soon,” he smiled, looking back down, “I think I’m gonna stay.”

The hand rested on his and Greg made no motion to move it. It was comforting, and it was nice to have close contact with someone. Greg held up his empty glass and nodded at the bartender. Of course he’d like another! “It sure helps to have both. You can’t build things without knowing what you’re doing, and you can’t really get people to sign contracts if they’re suspicious of you.” He laughed.

A song came over the speakers that Greg knew, and he started humming along. “Why are they playing Frank Sinatra? Not that I mind, it’s just so out of place!” He laughed and took his new drink straight to his lips.

[Stefan Spencer]

There was something in Greg’s eyes that made Stefan wonder what the other man was thinking about. He seemed deep in thought about something. But something else, perhaps his power and perhaps his general knowledge of people, that told him now was not the time to ask that question. Most people, including Stefan, were not the type to lay their baggage out for inspection the first time they met someone. Still Stefan couldn’t help but with he could remedy the far off look in Greg’s eyes.

“I beg to differ,” Stefan said. “You certainly have powers of attraction.” He laughed softly, his eyes gleaming from delight in meeting his new friend and perhaps a little from the alcohol. There was something in Greg’s sheepish smile that made Stefan grin. “Myself, I read people’s body language,” he paused to emphasize that this was above any baseline’s ability. “Extremely well.”

He waited for Greg’s reaction to that. In his experience some people would become stiff trying to hide their gestures, like Stefan was a mind reader. Other times, people would assume that he was joking and that it was another one of his pick-up lines.

“Well if I have any say I think you should stay,” his said, glad that Greg seemed to enjoy Stefan’s hand on his. “Besides, we’ve only just met. It would be a crime for you to leave now.” He laughed, but he was serious about considering it an offense.

Stefan had been so absorbed in Greg and their conversation that he hadn’t noticed the music. He chuckled a little. It was an odd choice, not that he was going to complain either. “Must be a new DJ?” he suggested, although this bar didn’t really have a DJ usually so much as a running play list of sorts. At least that’s what he’d assumed. Then again, he was feeling a bit of a buzz and even sober he had trouble keeping track of how each bar and club handled music. They all seemed to blend together towards the end of the night.

Speaking of that, Stefan wondered for a moment how he was going to get home that night. Although he was enjoying his time with Greg, he had gotten the feeling earlier that the two of them would not be leaving together. And Stefan probably shouldn’t be driving at this point. “Did you drive here?” he asked Greg. Because if Stefan shouldn’t be driving, then Greg probably shouldn’t either.

[Gregory Strickland]

“Well we must be a couple of magnets then,” Greg said in return. It had been quite some time since someone actually responded to his flirting. He was going to go with this for as long as possible.

Greg’s eyes widened in surprise in interest. “Oh really? What’s my body saying right now?” He asked. There was nothing shy about the blonde, not at the moment anyways. He was slightly turned towards Stefan, soaking in his every word. Highly interested and yet, there was something reserved about him as well. Like he could talk the talk but couldn’t walk the walk if Stefan directly asked him to come over later.

“Well if I have any say I think you should stay,” his said, glad that Greg seemed to enjoy Stefan’s hand on his. “Besides, we’ve only just met. It would be a crime for you to leave now.” He laughed, but he was serious about considering it an offense.

“I can stay, for now. Eventually I’ll be pooped out,” he said with a laugh, squeezing Stefan’s hand briefly before taking it away. He didn’t think anyone would find his sweaty hands attractive.

Greg scanned the bar, wondering where said DJ was. Unless Stefan was kidding. He laughed a bit at himself. “He must be around our age,” he seconded. ‘You Make Me Feel So Young’ was one of his favorites.

No they wouldn’t be leaving together, not tonight anyways. Perhaps they could remain friends. Greg would like that. He still wanted Stefan to come on that trip though. Greg laughed a bit, shaking his head ‘no’. “No sir, I don’t have a car.” He had never owned a vehicle in his life. New York was too crowded for that and Pilot Ridge’s taxis weren’t nearly as much. “I’ll just get a cab whenever you’re tired of me,” he teased.

[Stefan Spencer]

“Hopefully our poles line up,” Stefan teased, offering an apologetic smile. It was the type of joke his nephew would have made. He usually tried to be a little more suave, but the drinks were making his filter a little slow. Hopefully Greg wouldn’t get offended.

Stefan laughed at the expression on Greg’s face. He couldn’t help but be reminded of some of the younger students at Hammel when he’d first arrived so many years ago. He wondered if they would really feel the same about swapping powers if they knew how hard it was sometimes. People’s true feelings were not always a pretty thing.

He smiled at Greg’s question, giving the man a long look up and down, although he didn’t really need to. He had been watching Greg long enough to have a fairly good read on him, but he wasn’t about to miss an opportunity to ‘feast his eyes’. It also gave him a minute to work out just how to answer.

“You, my friend,” he said. “Remind me a lot of myself. You’re extroverted, enjoy turning up the charm, not to mention you can handle yourself on a barstool.” He took another swallow himself before continuing. “But that’s only what you let poke through on the surface.”

He gave Greg a smile, hoping that his new friend would understand that he didn’t expect Greg to pour out his soul. Stefan had secrets of his own, so he understood the need to keep up walls in certain areas.

Stefan smiled and relaxed a little when Greg mentioned his plans for getting home. Although he still didn’t think his chances were good for heading to the same place, at least not for this night, he was also glad to hear that Greg seemed to be in no hurry to leave. “Oh I wouldn’t worry about me getting tired of you,” Stefan said, requesting another drink. “I’m just getting my second wind.”

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg only snickered at the word ‘poles’. Honestly, what was it about alcohol that made people act so childish? Losing your senses was one thing, but what about the sheer difference in intelligence? Maybe he could look that up later.

He did his best not to pose as Stefan gave him a good long look. Greg would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous or flattered. He wasn’t completely ignorant about powers, and judging by how old Stefan was, he must have a good grasp of how to use them quickly and precisely. He didn’t need to stare as long as he had, but Greg didn’t mind. Not at all.

Greg smiled, before leaning into Stefan. “Are you a mind reader too? Or do you write the horoscopes? Because that was eerily spot on.” Just because Stefan was right didn’t mean Greg was going to let that be that.

“What about you?” Greg asked, a little worried. “You don’t have a car do you? Because I am not letting you drive home drunk.” He said, tapping Stefan’s hand. He was pretty sure that by round two, he was going to be the one rolling around in filth on the bathroom floor.

[Stefan Spencer]

((sorry this is so late))

Stefan found Greg’s snickering to be contagious and snorted a little in his scotch, chocking on it a little. He had always found the giddiness that accompanied a night of drinking to be a welcomed break from trying to act like an adult all the time. Of course Stefan was never one to try too hard at that in the first place.

Stefan couldn’t help but smile as Greg posed for him. “I’m no mind-reader. Thank god. And the horoscopes isn’t my section of the paper. I’m just that good. Of course, it’s only one on the long list on my talents,” he continued, adding a wink to his last comment.

“I do,” he said, finishing his drink. “But I don’t think I’ll be using it tonight.” He had made that mistake before. And his family would kill him if he tried that again. He nodded towards the barkeeper that had been helping them out. “I tend to hand over the keys the moment I walk in. I’ll pick it up in the morning…or afternoon.” Luckily most of the bars and clubs didn’t have a problem with this method. After all Stefan was a great customer, so they wanted to keep him happy..and alive. “When the time comes I’ll catch a cab…or perhaps find a ride with some handsome figure?”

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg had never really acted like an adult, not in the true sense of the word anyways. He was always a little goofy, a little irresponsible, but mature when the situation called for it. He only laughed more as Stefan choked on his scotch, and he patted the man’s back. “Don’t die on me!” The fun was only getting started.

Greg smirked at Stefan. “Just that good hey?” He shook his head, hoping Stefan really wasn’t that full of himself and only pretend to be. “What else is on your list? Of talents?” Greg asked. “Other than being positively charming and mind reader-like.”

“Good, because I wouldn’t let you,” Greg said, fully prepared to snatch the keys away if he deemed it necessary. He had already mentioned this, but hey, he’s drunk. Some people were really set on driving while impaired. Greg was never once the designated driver, but he didn’t mind walking people home if there wasn’t another option. “We can split a cab later,” he said with a nod.

“So what else do you do for fun?” He asked. Greg didn’t have a lot of hobbies. This one took up most of his time.

[Stefan Spencer]

“I’ll try not to,” he said, once he’d cleared his throat of scotch. “I’ve got a few more things planned to do in my life.” More like a few people. But he didn’t feel it was necessary to point that out.

Stefan might have been a little full of himself most of the time, but he knew that he had his faults. Still he probably felt a little higher of himself than the average person, but what was so wrong with self-confidence. Or maybe it just stemmed from his desire to prove to everyone that he was functioning well and therefore clearly not an alcoholic. “Well I’d have to say those ran pretty high on the list,” he answered. “And of course those two come in handy quite a lot. Other than that, I guess I do alright on the piano and I used to be great at boxing. But those days are kinda behind me now.” Of course that didn’t mean he would walk away from a fight, even at his age. He just didn’t sign up for one on a regular basis.

“And how about you?” he asked, once again letting his eyes wander over Greg’s body. “Certainly you’re more than just a good Samaritan with an eye-catching smile?”

“Sounds like a plan,” Stefan said. Although he wished the would be sharing the cab ride back to the same place. He didn’t want to press his luck. After all, he was enjoying himself at the moment and he didn’t want to spoil it by pressing Greg for more than he was comfortable with. Still, he could hope.

“You mean besides hang around in bars with all the pretty people?” he asked, laughing a little. “Can’t say there’s much I enjoy more than this.”

[Gregory Strickland]

"Boxing?" Greg asked, surveying his new friend. "Now that's surprising to hear." Stefan just didn't seem like the type, but Greg should be used to such surprises by now. He shrugged. "No, not really, you pretty well nailed it. Right on the head," Greg gave a little motion with his hand as though he were nailing something in. He wasn't very talented in anything other than his career, which had worked out well in the end.

"So you've always enjoyed being a bar fly?" Greg asked. There had a been more to his life than this at one point. And he wished there was something he could do to have it be that way again. For now though, he was content. "Honestly, I don't meet a lot of friendly people at these places. Plenty of bitter ones though."

[Stefan Spencer]

Stefan laughed at Greg’s obvious astonishment. “Well, admittedly, my ability did help out a bit.” Although he had never felt like he was cheating, he could see how some might consider it that. It made things a whole lot easier when you could tell what you’re opponent’s next attack was going to be. “But like I said, at my age I try to avoid getting into many fights,” he added. Besides, his leg wasn’t really up to that kind of activity these days.

“It comes naturally,” Stefan said grinning. He had always felt that he was in his element sitting where he was right now. Surrounded by people to talk with (and hopefully more than just talk) and a drink his head. How could anyone not enjoy this?

“You say bitter, I say just waiting for their next opportunity,” Stefan said, giving the other man yet another wink. True there were some that came out just to attempt to drown in their problems, but Stefan had always felt they were far outnumbered by those who were just looking for a good time.

“And yourself? If this is a newly acquired hobby, I must say you’re handling yourself well,” he said, taking the chance to lay his hand on Greg’s once again.

[Gregory Strickland]

Greg would never consider using ones natural talents as cheating. For example, if he was charming enough to land himself a handsome date, he would take it and not feel as though he were deceiving anyone. Charm was a gift not everyone had, and he was willing to use it to his advantage when need be. “I never took up any sort of fighting, unless you count attending protests,” he thought about it for a moment, “you know, the cops did show up during one of them. That was pretty insane.” Greg smiled a bit to himself, staring off into space.

It came naturally. Hmm, was this Greg’s next stop in his life? Or was he destined to be a barfly for life?

“Come on. You wouldn’t be saying that if someone was telling you flat out where to go and how to get there,” he said, his eyebrows raised. Sure there were those that went out for drinking, dancing, and a lot of fun. But there were also those just waiting to take out their anger and hostility on someone chipper, like they took pride in taking down people’s good moods. It was really awful.

Not moving his hand, Greg gave a small shrug. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot to do here, so yes, I’d say it’s new,” he smiled at Stefan, “New York was always, open.” There was always somewhere to eat, something to watch, or just something to relax and enjoy yourself in. But not here. Here everyone seemed to be a on a curfew.

[Stefan Spencer]

"Oh really?" Stefan asked, obviously interested. "What sort of protests?" Although he couldn't recall being at a protest where the cops had been involved, he had attended a few over the years. Admitted there had been once or twice when he'd been too drunk to remember most of the protesting though. Nowadays he spent more time reporting protests than actually protesting though.

"Okay, ya got me there," Stefan agreed. There had been once or twice when he'd gotten extremely wasted and flirted with someone who didn't appreciate it. But usually his ability prevented that. He just naturally knew which people were open to being approached. Well at least when he wasn't too far gone he did.

"I guess it depends on your interests," Stefan continued. Although he had spent time in New York City a few times, he preferred the small town life. He liked knowing a majority of his neighbors. Then again, he also liked spending every evening/night at a bar.

"So what have you been up to then since you moved here?" he asked. "Just waiting around for me?" And there he went wiggling his eyebrows again.