[ somehow, billy is not at all surprised. well, not about saya, anyway. billy doesn't really have anything against her, considers her his friend, but he's always said that she's untouchable, unattainable. if billy had to place his bets on anyone at king's being able to win her over, he'd have gone all in on marcus, if only because of his classic good looks and his take-no-shit, brutally honest attitude.
he is, however, slightly surprised to hear that marcus was going to jump. billy hardly knew him back then, not more than his name and his reputation, but he can't really imagine how life would be like now if saya hadn't come through and brought marcus back. maybe it'd be better for marcus, honestly - he wouldn't be here trying to figure out how he's gonna kill some kid he made friends with, he wouldn't have gene's blood on his hand, another body to add to his long list. but if it weren't for saya, marcus would also probably be dead, too.
as shitty as it is, billy's glad that she kissed marcus. he's glad, selfishly, that she's good at what she does, if only because it means billy's got marcus here by his side. he's not sure where he'd be without marcus. dead, probably, his body shoved in the closet of some seedy hotel room in vegas, cold and forgotten. gene wouldn't have shown him any mercy.
billy owes marcus his life. he'd give him anything, do anything. his friendship means that much.
the weight over his chest is unexpected, and billy tenses up a little only because his brain is somewhere else, still standing at the top of a clock tower he's likely never been to, imagining what marcus must have been feeling at the time. he holds his breath for a second, blinks, tilts his chin down a little to look, and finds marcus closer than he was before, finds his arm draped across his chest. it's... strange, but it doesn't necessarily make billy uncomfortable. he's just - unused to it, the closeness. the intimacy, not just with marcus, but with anyone, really. it's stranger, to him, that it doesn't actually feel that strange at all.
billy swallows quietly and shakes his head a little, the movement barely noticeable. he keeps his arms folded behind his head, keeps his gaze focused upward, and breathes out slow, letting the light weight of marcus' arm pin him down. ]
Nah, [ he says, quiet. ] It's cool. Whatever.
[ and that's all he says for a while, for at least a solid minute or two, silently chewing on the inside of his cheek. he shakes one of his ankles like he's anxious, and maybe he is, just a little bit, without really knowing why. eventually, he speaks up, takes one of his hands out from behind his head to scratch his fingers through his mohawk, back to front. ]
She wasn't wrong though. Right? About not being alone. [ billy moves his hand from his hair and rests it high on his chest, careful not to touch marcus. he turns his head slightly so he can look at him. ] I mean, maybe she wasn't talking about herself, but - we're friends. You got me. Which, let's be real, making out with Saya all the time over hanging out with me would have been a way sweeter deal. Also probably a death wish, but, you know. Details.
[ he lifts his hand off his chest, shrugs one shoulder, sets it back down. again, he goes quiet, looking up at the up's underbelly. ]
... Glad you did decide to come back, though. And hey - you've got Maria, too.
[ also a fucking death wish if billy's ever heard of one, but he's not gonna point out the obvious. he's a good friend like that. ]
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he is, however, slightly surprised to hear that marcus was going to jump. billy hardly knew him back then, not more than his name and his reputation, but he can't really imagine how life would be like now if saya hadn't come through and brought marcus back. maybe it'd be better for marcus, honestly - he wouldn't be here trying to figure out how he's gonna kill some kid he made friends with, he wouldn't have gene's blood on his hand, another body to add to his long list. but if it weren't for saya, marcus would also probably be dead, too.
as shitty as it is, billy's glad that she kissed marcus. he's glad, selfishly, that she's good at what she does, if only because it means billy's got marcus here by his side. he's not sure where he'd be without marcus. dead, probably, his body shoved in the closet of some seedy hotel room in vegas, cold and forgotten. gene wouldn't have shown him any mercy.
billy owes marcus his life. he'd give him anything, do anything. his friendship means that much.
the weight over his chest is unexpected, and billy tenses up a little only because his brain is somewhere else, still standing at the top of a clock tower he's likely never been to, imagining what marcus must have been feeling at the time. he holds his breath for a second, blinks, tilts his chin down a little to look, and finds marcus closer than he was before, finds his arm draped across his chest. it's... strange, but it doesn't necessarily make billy uncomfortable. he's just - unused to it, the closeness. the intimacy, not just with marcus, but with anyone, really. it's stranger, to him, that it doesn't actually feel that strange at all.
billy swallows quietly and shakes his head a little, the movement barely noticeable. he keeps his arms folded behind his head, keeps his gaze focused upward, and breathes out slow, letting the light weight of marcus' arm pin him down. ]
Nah, [ he says, quiet. ] It's cool. Whatever.
[ and that's all he says for a while, for at least a solid minute or two, silently chewing on the inside of his cheek. he shakes one of his ankles like he's anxious, and maybe he is, just a little bit, without really knowing why. eventually, he speaks up, takes one of his hands out from behind his head to scratch his fingers through his mohawk, back to front. ]
She wasn't wrong though. Right? About not being alone. [ billy moves his hand from his hair and rests it high on his chest, careful not to touch marcus. he turns his head slightly so he can look at him. ] I mean, maybe she wasn't talking about herself, but - we're friends. You got me. Which, let's be real, making out with Saya all the time over hanging out with me would have been a way sweeter deal. Also probably a death wish, but, you know. Details.
[ he lifts his hand off his chest, shrugs one shoulder, sets it back down. again, he goes quiet, looking up at the up's underbelly. ]
... Glad you did decide to come back, though. And hey - you've got Maria, too.
[ also a fucking death wish if billy's ever heard of one, but he's not gonna point out the obvious. he's a good friend like that. ]