[FIN] Bottom of a Bottle

[Suudonym]

He listened - it was hard not to, given the tone the words took - with a deep frown in his features. "I know that," he said at length. "Or I knew it at one point. I thought if my father was going to keep insisting against my engagement, then you know, ******** him." He waved a hand in an abstract gesture. "I love her a hell of a lot more than I care about his stupid opinion. But he stopped insisting, and I figured it was because he knew I felt that way and he didn't want to wreck what's left of the family. So just..." A slight sigh, his fingers pushed into his hair. "...just having gone all this time thinking it'd work out after all only for him to arbitrarily decide I'm worthless and he doesn't care anymore..." Realistically speaking, he knew that he shouldn't care about the opinion of a person like that; if Luke was worthless to his father, then his father was worthless to him. But it still stung with the guilt of failure.  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome had slumped back into his stool once he managed to pry the drunk Gengar off of him half draped over the Gengar's back as he reached out for Jermoe's mostly finished beer.

"Man- ******** em." He made another light gesture to Luke "Say it man."  

[Suudonym]

Sure, on the one hand, ******** him. ******** his self-righteousness and his high horse and his elitism and his ulterior motives and everything else. But on the other hand, it was surrender. It was putting his hands up and letting his father have his way, regardless of what Luke wanted - again. He folded his fingers together, resting his forehead against them, and shook his head, a grimace knit into his expression.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Man- ya gatta say it." Jerome continued when the boy didn't answer.  

[Suudonym]

He shook his head once more, more emphatically.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"ain't actually ganna help f'ya don't say it." Jerome pointed out at a long silence.  

[Suudonym]

"I don't want him to win again," he said, the words tight in his throat. "He's always gotten what he wants in the end."  

[Blood_Goddess]

"He's winnin' by ya givin' a ******** man!" Jerome said pushing himself back up. "C'mon ya know that. an how is what ya got not winnin'?"  

[Suudonym]

"I don't know!" Luke replied, straightening his posture and gesturing helplessly. "I don't like it - that's all I know! I know it sucks and I hate it and I don't want it to go this way!"  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Then ******** it!" Jerome emphasized, honestly at this point his muggy mind wasn't at all sure what the problem even was anymore.  

[Suudonym]

"That really doesn't sound like a good way to solve problems!" Luke countered, arguing back primarily on principle.  

[Blood_Goddess]

"Man I ain't the one sittin' here askin' fer and wonderin' nothin'" Jerome pointed out "So how would ya know f''it don't work?"  

[Suudonym]

"I don't know, but it's just like..." He shook his head, unable to find the words easily. "Like, it doesn't go away, right? It still sucks, you just act like it doesn't suck, or like it doesn't bother you that it sucks." He paused, considering the idea that suddenly occurred to him. "...I should call him again."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Jerome squinted at Luke for a couple of seconds, as if not entirely keeping up with his thought process.
"aight- tell em ******** emself."  

[Suudonym]

He didn't wait for permission before extricating his phone from his pocket, dialing the number that would reach his father and leaning on the counter as it rang and rang and eventually clicked the signal that someone had picked up. Heat swelled in Luke's chest.

"Yes, who--"

"You don't win!" he snapped abruptly.

"Excuse--"

"You're a shitty person with no sense of shame and no morals and no basic consideration for other people as ******** and I hope, I hope with all my heart, that you get everything you deserve, you useless, horrible, elitist idiot b*****d!"

"Lucien--?!"

"Luke fon Fabre! And don't you dare breathe a single syllable out of place!"

Having said all he felt that he wanted to say at the moment, he brushed a thumb over the button to end the call, his hand and the gear within it falling heavily to the counter. He drew in a deep breath and exhaled it gradually. "...So yeah. ******** him."

He still didn't really feel any better, though.