bragnificent | IC CONTACT ➛ mask or menace.

[ Reggie just stares at the messages on his phone without answering them, guilt ebbing away the longer he lets them sit and with each new reply. His jaw clenches, chest feeling tight, mind cold.

Fuck this. Fuck the-- why is this all being put on him? Like Tate hadn't played along with the mistake, like Derek wasn't the one here keeping secret on top of secret? ]

if it hadnt been tate u know what wouldve happened
u know what anyone else normal wouldve said
"sorry uve got the wrong person"
& that wouldve been that
i was a total stranger to u when i found out u were a werewolf how secret do u rly keep that
how is any of this m

[ He's typing quickly now, but backspaces the rest of whatever increasingly angry spiel has begun spilling out from under his thumb and lets himself actually take a moment to think further on what he'll say next. He's angry and embarrassed and still a little bit guilty, though the other former two emotions are quickly stealing the latter's thunder; angry, embarrassed, and uneasy about this entire situation. Tate does unsettle him even when the two of them are getting along, and Reggie feels like Derek's delusional if he thinks Reggie won't also be put through hell over this-- if not more so.

]

i DIDNT say any of that crap
none of that even
freaking
HAPPENED

You were a stranger, yeah, but you were also some stupid, brainless little kid who I thought I could scare into backing off with some flashy eyes and a few pointy claws.
You're small. Pointless. You're not a threat.
You're not anything. You're barely worth my time.

[ and I was the one who made the decision to tell you about the werewolf thing, anyway, he almost adds, about to spiral off into some big, pointless rant about how if Reggie outed him it wouldn't be the same as Derek sharing the secret. In a display of awareness, though, he realizes he's getting angry over a completely irrelevant hypothetical that has nothing to do with anything. He tries to get back on track. ]

Fuck.
Moron.

[ dot dot dot. Derek knows Tate pretty well, but part of being close to him is knowing he can be sort of - unpredictable. While he's sure Tate's just at home being angry about this on his own terms, Derek's also sort of worried he might... stop throwing things against the walls long enough to turn to thoughts of escalating things with Reggie. They've already been in one fight, after all. So.

So. ]

I'm not cleaning up your blood if he stabs you.

[ More than he's worried about any fallout, now even the vague shame of the situation is taking a backseat to defensive anger and hurt feelings. Derek knows exactly what to say that Reggie hates hearing most: Small. Pointless. Not anything. Barely worth his time.

His jaw clenches more tightly, back teeth beginning to grind. Typing, typing... delete. Nothing. Nothing. Typing... delete. He doesn't even know what he wants to say.

]

god no wonder u 2 like each other
im sure u'll be real fucking happy together

Cool burn.

[ The heat's still in Derek but without anything to really aim it at it just sits in his stomach like molten lead. Things are starting to catch up with him and he wants to apologize - lashing out and getting angry has always been a part of him but it's been a while since he's turned his temper against a friend, only partially because he doesn't really have any.

He hasn't cooled down enough to actually apologize, and he still thinks Reggie's fucked up here more than he has, so he doesn't, but. He thought about it, at least, and that pulls him back from any more insults. Progress. ]

Fucking things up for me is one thing, but what if you'd messaged Veronica with some shit you were saying behind her back? What if you had screwed over someone that means something to you, instead of me.
You gotta be careful, Reggie. In everything you do.
That's just a part of life.

wasnt even a burn

[ Derek brings up some valid points, obviously, and his anger in general over the situation isn't precisely invalid, either-- Reggie is just at a point where he doesn't even want to hear it anymore, he just can't give a shit about whatever sense Derek might actually be making after all that other crap he's been saying to Reggie. ]

im not talking behind her back
i asked u for advice cuz YOU said i c [ ... A whole bunch of things that have pretty much been refuted in this conversation. ] that u wanted to help me win her over
do u think i talk about that crap with just anyone u fucking asshole

[ What's with this "instead of me" bullshit!! ]

Kinda do, yeah.

[ dot. dot. dot. ]

You listed names.
People you were going to invite to your party.
If you talked to me about the shit going on in your life, I'm sure you've talked to them.

[ They're your actual friends, is the implication. ]

hell no
i hate that mushy crap

[ ... Is as much as he feels like saying on the subject, but really, it sums it up. Reggie hates talking about the frustrating, vulnerable problems in his life with people who are supposed to be his peers, people he has fun with, people who are supposed to admire and be intimidated by him. Talking about problems is something people do with their parents, and even that barely applies to Reggie. His parents just aren't... like that, aren't good for things like that. ]

[ Man, does that mean Derek really is the first person Reggie's opened up to about some of that shit? He suddenly feels even worse, which only makes him angrier, because Reggie's the one who fucked up here, not him. He's petulant and a little stubborn when he keeps talking. ]

I'm still pissed.
And I have to go deal with this. Make sure you're not going to get your spine removed in your sleep tonight.

[ Heeeeeeee's tiiiiired. ]

I shouldn't have talked down to you.
That's not an apology.
Just a statement.

[ DOESN'T IT SUCK WHEN LIFE IS COMPLICATED LIKE THIS... yes, yes it does. Reggie even knows he fucked up, but that's hard enough for him to acknowledge even just to himself; being comfortable with having all the blame unfairly (in his opinion) dumped on his shoulders is utterly beyond his abilities.

So he relaxes a little when Derek Does Not Apologize, even if it's definitely not an apology, and if it had been, it'd be a completely shitty, unacceptable one. Reggie doesn't feel affirmed or appeased by it, but it tells him that Derek is at least calming down enough to be less mad at him. ]

whatever
tell that to someone itd mean something to

Reggie, that doesn't make any sense.
I've only talked down to you.
Why would I say "I shouldn't have talked down to you" to someone I hadn't talked down to, regardless of how much they might mean to me in correlation to you?
I'm not just going to go up to my mom and tell her I shouldn't have spoken down to her.
She's been dead for six years.

[ He's at that stage where he doesn't even know if he's actively trying to be hard on Reggie or if he's just desperate to fixate on something and make a joke out of it so he doesn't have to think about what's really going on. Derek scrubs his hand down his chin and stares at the screen, tries to recalibrate. Find some even ground to stand on. ]

This sucks.

[ Doesn't find it. ]

oh my god
just forget it

[ Reggie doesn't really want to be or stay mad at Derek, but right now he's angry, and when he's angry that's all he wants to be or even can be; he can't think about being reasonable or trying to smooth things over right now. It's not going to happen until they both cool down. ]

look i gotta go im done talking about this

[ He starts typing "bye," but then backspaces. ]

later

Yeah, okay.

[ Slightly riled that Reggie's the one who gets to be done talking about this. Derek taps his nails against the side of his phone, foregoing one last snide comment to just - end this. ]

Talk to you some other time.
Maybe.

[ salty ]

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