94 Party (8)

It wasn't that easy to get rid of Marge, however. As they brought the dirty plates into the kitchen, she spoke up again. "Don't try to avoid me, I can see that something's wrong. He's not his usual self."

"What IS his usual self? I haven't yet managed to figure out how one can be a playboy, a talented businessman, an airhead, a brilliant innovator, a ruthless social-climber, and a trusted ally all at once. If you have, do tell me."

Marge laughed. "You've thought of this before, haven't you?"

"Sometimes, when I'm left speechless by something new he does when I thought I had him figured out and placed into the right shelf."

And there had been many such moments. By then, it had come to the point of him passively accepting everything and just rolling with it, since making sense of it was an impossible feat. Gale's mind worked in a way that normal people could never fathom.

"So what's happened now? He reminds me of…" Marge didn't finish, but she didn't need to. They both knew what she was thinking.

In college, Gale was a person that was friends with everyone and no one. He was the soul of every party, instigator of most of them. Nothing happened without him participating in it. Yet he couldn't be seen with the same group of people two times in a row. Every time he showed up, there was another girl in his arms, another group of guys worshiping the ground he walked.

Kyro had found him an eyesore, but they didn't move in the same circles, so there was no more feeling than that. He wasn't even sure if Gale knew who he was.

And then came the second year, the resolution to destroy Brons' company. It seemed stupid now, childish, but at the time, it became his only life goal, and Gale showed up like a moth attracted to a flame.

They didn't see eye-to-eye, and Kyro could remembered trying to distance himself from the annoying eyesore, but Gale had suddenly showed persistence. With enviable acuteness, he had figured out what the plan was from the few clues he glimpsed and did everything he could to make sure that it succeeded.

In time, Kyro had given up on trying to push him away and allowed him to join his scheme, and Gale had dived into it like the Brons family had been his own mortal enemy. Together, they worked for years to get rid of them, then another family, and then finished with their masterpiece, the takeover of Gale's father's company.

During those times, it wasn't rare for Kyro to be left wondering what fueled Gale's passion for destruction. It was as if he had an unlimited supply of anger and fury which were aimed at nothing in particular. The takeover of his family's company was a statement, but not one that made sense, since Gale's father never hid his intentions to leave the company to his son who he thought was a competent businessman.

"You're his best friend, you should know what's going on," Marge whispered after he didn't say anything for a while.

"That's not it. He speaks often and a lot, but never about himself. You know that."

Marge gave him a look that said she didn't buy his shit, but she didn't pry anymore. They washed the dishes in silence until Jimmy returned, then said swift goodbyes and they left.

He returned to the living room and sat down on the sofa. In a while, Gale showed up in a bathrobe, hair dripping with water, and also sat down. After a long silence, he said, "Sorry, I shouldn't have brought them here."

Kyro raised his eyebrow, and Gale's face twisted into a mockery of a smile. "I know I've made a mistake, no need to give me that disbelieving look."

Silence then reigned once more. There was much to say, but neither of them seemed willing to break the quiet.

Gale's patience was the one that ran out first. "Do you want me to get out as well?"

"I won't kick you out like your companions, if that's what you're worried about," he said in a calm, businesslike voice. No inflection, no emotion, like he didn't care at all. "You can use the room on the right, as always."

He stood up then, ready to go. If there was nothing to speak about, then no point to waste time here.

"Fuck, Kyro, you know I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I just…" Gale's voice trailed off, like he himself didn't know why he had ruined their get together by bringing strangers and then hurrying to get wasted.

Kyro smiled, slightly. "That's why they were kicked out and you're not."

Gale snorted and rose as well. "What a friend. Thanks, though." He walked toward the corridor and the spare bedrooms, and Kyro turned off the light in the living room.

He wanted to know what was eating at Gale, but asking him was no way to get that information. Questions were a quick way to get left behind. Unlike what Marge thought, they weren't friends because they shared interests or understood each other better than everyone else.

No such thing had brought them together. The reason they became friends was because they understood that the other could be trusted to do things without being given an explanation. Their friendship was an agreement to borrow one another's strength to further their own goals and would last until one of them broke the condition of not trying to learn why something was done or endangered the other party for no reason.

Kyro could even remember where he had hidden the contract all those years ago—in one of the books in his study. He hadn't taken it out in years, but it was still there, a constant reminder of how they ended up as companions.

As he lay down with the heavy thoughts, he felt his pets climbing onto the bed. The large body that curled up by his feet had to be Lucy, and the light brush of wind by the back of his head had to be the fennec. He shifted slightly to pick it up and bring it over before himself.

The fox whined lightly, but didn't try to escape, and Kyro fell asleep while stroking its fur and wondering whether six years were enough to turn allies into friends.