rescue me

brett: bc dude... you are???

brett: oh yeah

brett: i'm also not a good driver

brett: we live in nyc - why are you driving?????

ian: i'm a mess leave me alone

ian: then you piss me off

ian: i like to drive sometimes tbh

rosalind chuckled, “i know what you mean.  and that would be fun.  do you think we’d play cousins on stage?”  they teased.  they’d never really thought about being in a stage production–the thought scared them.  it was live and anything could go wrong.  “oh, that’s true.  we wouldn’t want to cause a fight or anything.  i mean…what would grandpa gus say?”

ian shrugged slightly, “maybe. i dunno! it would be fun though... plus, i feel like i have to try to convert people to the dark side, ya know?” he chuckled before shaking his head, “oh my god, you’re so right. he’d be so disappointed and i couldn’t handle that.”

brett: gdi ian

brett: did you hurt yourself again?

ian: why do you always assume i'm hurting myself wtf

ian: this is just a road rage situation

“yeah, that would be something.” rosalind laughed, shaking their head as they giggled.  it was a funny thought to them.  but it wasn’t anything that they thought would actually happen anyway.  their worlds were best kept separate.  “aw, that’s exciting!  i’ve still never done live acting on a stage.”  concerts counted as live performances, but it was different to act on a stage than to perform.  

“maybe you can come work on one of my shows one day... or like, not my shows but... ones i’m in. it’d be fun to work on a project together at least once in our lives.” ian smiled slightly, shrugging, “but maybe it’s best that work and family stay separate.”

rosalind hummed, as if they were pondering ian’s joke before offering their own joke of a response, “you wanna voice scooby?”  they giggled.  the role had already been cast, so it wasn’t a true real offer but neither was their cousins comment.  “oh, that’s cool.  you sure they won’t fall in love with him while you’re gone?”  they teased, nudging their cousin’s arm as they laughed.  “i’m kidding, you’re like great with the role.”

“can you imagine me being the voice of scooby? oh my god.” ian giggled at the thought-he’d be a terrible voice actor. he rolled his eyes, “oh my god, my actual worst nightmare. but... nah, i’ll be back. he’s really excited too... it’s gonna be his first actual run on a show.”

rosalind nodded their head, finishing off their coffee with a bit of sugar before taking a sip.  “casey’s gonna be playing fred.  and margo and elvie are velma and shaggy.”  they explained with a nod, the excitement of working with their friends clearly showing through as they spoke.  “aw thanks, ian.”  they hummed as they moved around to take a seat next to their cousin.  “so, what’s been going on with you lately?”

“i’m offended you didn’t ask me,” ian joked before shaking his head. “god knows i’m not made for tv.” he bit his lip, running his hands over his face, “well, i’m taking a few weeks off of evan hansen to go be percy in lightning thief again, while the current percy takes time off to be with his newborn... so that’s gonna be interesting. my understudy is gonna be evan while i’m away, which is cool for him.”

niko: yeah but how long has it been?? either you start getting over it eventually or some part of you isn't ready to move on

niko: i think you know more about what u want than ur willing to admit

niko: idk i mean. if that's how you feel about kit maybe it's worth trying to do something about it, ian. fix it

niko: he doesn't WANT to be with me. that's why i need to get over it. it's never gonna happen

ian: what do you think i know

ian: if i could turn back the fucking clock and change things i would but... i can't. so here we are.

ian: i don't think i can fix it. i lied to him

ian: that's fair. it sucks but it's fair

“no i know… i got ahead of myself, sorry…” brett grumbled and looked at the ground before returning his gaze to ian’s. he felt like he never did anything but make a fool of himself. “that’s what i was trying to say! like it’s not easy for a baseball player to switch to basketball all of a sudden - even if they used to play it. i get that,” he spoke animatedly, nodding and smiling at ian. “i’m sure that you’re impressive to them, ian… i can’t imagine you wouldn’t be,” brett complimented him, rubbing the back of his neck. why was he so unsure of himself right now? maybe it was the fact that he couldn’t stop thinking about being so much closer to his friend right at this moment. “i don’t disagree with you. just want you to be happy, man.” he nodded, crossing his arms over his chest. “and well. you need to eat that entire bowl of soup.”

“why are you apologizing?” ian asked softly, eyeing his friend. it was so weird for ian to see the usually sure of himself brett so... flustered. he nodded, “exactly. it’s not as easy as it sounds... people forget i have to know lines, lyrics, staging, and dances... it’s physically and mentally draining to know two shows at once.” he smiled slightly, taking another bite of soup, “i’m gonna be okay. it sucks and it’s dumb but... i’m hoping it just means there’s someone better for me.”

rosalind was glad to have some down time, from the months of planning the scooby doo show to now it actually getting ready to film and going on a short tour for their album not too long ago.  they hadn’t had time to see their cousin, like at all.  “okay!”  rosalind called back, fixing themself a cup of coffee as they leaned against the counter.  “so, the cast for my show was finally announced and we’re starting filming pretty soon.  just getting a couple of things set up.”

ian grinned when his cousin began speaking, “oh my god, that’s amazing, ros! anyone i’d know?” he bit his lip, moving to sit at a place at the bar, “have i mentioned that i’m super proud of you lately? because i’m super fucking prouf of you.”

“it’s a lot different, isn’t it? broadway versus television or movies,” brett tried to empathize. “as evan hansen you perform the same lines and songs night in and night out, which is stable and helps you get really good at a role. it’s like being a really great basketball player. your goal is the same each time,” he tried to relate it to his own field, leaning back against the kitchen counter as he spoke. “but other forms of acting require you to memorize lines for a few days and transition from one scene to the next without threading a whole story and it’s less repetitive.” he shrugged, annoyed with himself for talking so much and hoping ian didn’t judge him for it. the compliments to his mother’s soup made brett look at the ground, flushing a little. “sure she can. but you’d have to deal with her teaching you how to make dumplings and yelling at you that they’re terrible,” he shrugged, laughing. “what if you just… tell him you want to be with him?” brett asked. he had no idea how to handle relationships. why was he even trying?

“i mean, i’ve never done either of those. i’m... i dunno. my mom did stuff for tv and movies but... i don’t feel like that’s my calling or whatever. maybe though. who knows what the future holds?” ian shrugged slightly, nodding, “yeah, for sure. and even going show to show... i get so used to being evan, it’s hard to switch back to being percy. they’re like my second identity.” he smiled, nudging brett’s leg with his foot, “i mean, mom is an actress and mom is a director so... rehearsals with them are an actual nightmare. so, i’m prepared.” he shook his head, “i mean, yeah... i don’t know if that’s a good idea though. everything happens for a reason, eh?”

niko: 1) 'were' being the operative word 2) do something about that

niko: unless of course you DON'T WANT TO in which case that's another conversation

niko: stop being a drama queen

niko: i'm obviously not over him, i'm trying to GET over him by being mature and not having sex with him anymore. there's no point removing him from my life completely. like i still care about him

ian: 1) that's a big fuckin thing to just get over. we were supposed to spend the rest of our god damn lives together. 2) we signed a lease

ian: i mean i don't know what i want

ian: ugh don't call me out i love being a drama queen

ian: i mean... that's sort of how i feel about kit so... i get it.

“well, cool. i’d say go for it then… hard to let go of a project that feels like yours,” he shrugged, guessing it was a lot like when a client got really buff for a movie, then no longer needed him once he was to the level they needed. sometimes you just wanted them back for a little while. “i’ve been to plenty of shows, just not dear evan hansen,” bret spoke, wiggling his bros at the name of ian’s show. “i’m telling you, if you can just get sutton foster to come to your show, i’ll sit right next to her.” he joked, watching as ian took in the smell of his mom’s soup. “just wait until you try it - i swear my mom is a miracle worker,” he laughed a little. it was sad to him, how hung up ian was on kit. he wondered what that felt like… to like someone that much that you hurt from it. “just wish i could help somehow,” he sighed. 

“yeah… it’s all odd. like, in a way, i still feel like percy. except my fuckin’ voice… my voice doesn’t like learning new shit, evidently. in someways it’s like riding a bike, but in others… it’s hard as hell. keeping my lines straight is a nightmare.” ian rolled his eyes, shrugging, “well, you need to come see my show. duh. i perform it literally twice a day every day.” he bit his lip, taking a sip from his spoon. he raised an eyebrow, “oh my god… this is fucking amazing. can your mom be my third mom? you can never have too many moms, eh?” he shook his head, “no, it’s okay… i just need to figure out how to move past him. i don’t know.”

watching ian pull himself up onto the counter made brett smile. ian always seemed so hyped up and like he couldn’t keep himself from having so much to do it was interesting to see him even try to slow down. he wondered where that came from - all of the energy. “like i said, i don’t know how you even function in your world. is it normal to take a hiatus from a show? i only know musicals an their lyrics, not actual shit,” he nodded, unendingly describing his lack of knowledge about ian’s life. when the microwave chimed, he removed the hot soup and set it on the counter beside his friend before moving to open drawers and find a spoon. “whether or not it was meant to be… you’re till allowed to have feelings about it. i can’t imagine what you’re going through,” he shrugged, finding a spoon and lifting it in the air.

“yeah, people do it all the time... for various reasons... in my case, i’d do it to go replace the current percy so he can take paternity leave with his wife.” ian smiled slightly, looking down at his lap, “you need to come to one of my shows. you gotta experience the magic of broadway. there’s something just... incredible about it.” he smiled slightly, picking up the bowl and sniffing it, “this smells fuckin’ amazing. like... holy shit...” he shook his head, “it’s my fucking fault. so... it is what it is. it sucks. but... such is life, eh?” he reached out for the spoon and dipped it into the hot liquid.