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31_days2015-03-25 11:47 pm
insaneladybug.livejournal.com) wrote in 31_days2015-03-25 11:47 pm
[March 25th] [The Man From U.N.C.L.E.] Old Scars, New Wounds
Title: Old Scars, New Wounds
Day/Theme: March 25th - That's not who you are. It's just how you feel.
Series: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (specifically, The Odd Man Affair episode)
Character/Pairing: Mr. Ecks, Mr. Wye
Rating: K/G
By Lucky_Ladybug
Ecks jumped a mile when he heard the door bang loudly. Immediately he got up from where he had been going over a list of pros and cons he had made about Wye’s latest job idea. “What on Earth is the problem?” he frowned.
“My ex-wife and my ex-friend really do live here,” Wye snarled. “Can you believe that? Of all the places they could end up, it would have to be here!” He gestured wildly.
“How do you know they’re here?” Ecks pressed. “I doubt you actually went and researched them.”
“Of course not. I ruddy well saw them both! They were having dinner in a restaurant I was passing. And oh, not just any restaurant; it was one of them big fancy places. They’re livin’ pretty high on the hog. Probably why she gravitated to him over me.”
“Is that the impression they gave you years ago?” Ecks asked.
“No,” Wye admitted. “My chum acted like he was just greedy and couldn’t keep his eyes and hands off her. And she sure didn’t discourage him.”
“Well, it sounds like they lusted after each other more than anything else,” Ecks frowned. “She probably wasn’t a sound catch to begin with.”
“She seemed so at the time,” Wye growled. He crossed into the living room and sank into the couch, leaning forward. “I thought she loved me. I was always faithful to her. And we weren’t doing too badly where it came to money.”
“Was that before or after you joined the organization?” Ecks asked.
“Before. I had a good job and all. She worked some when she felt like it, but mostly she just wanted to spend what I earned.”
Ecks sat down next to him. “Did they give you any kind of an explanation when they decided to hook up?”
“Yeah, my chum said ‘Sorry, old man, but I’m cuttin’ in. Permanently.’ And my ever-lovin’ said ‘Try to understand, dear. I’m sorry, but I’m happier with him.’” His lip curled. “They both said ‘Sorry’, but they didn’t mean it.”
“I can’t believe you took it calmly,” Ecks said.
“I just sat there for a long time trying to process what they were telling me. Finally I asked ‘Why?’ I never really did get a satisfactory answer. They tried to say something, but it didn’t make sense to me. Finally they got up and left me sitting there. A few minutes later I heard a motorcar’s engine starting up and I realized they were leaving, just like that.”
“And that’s when you took your revenge on them,” Ecks deduced.
“Pretty much almost immediately,” Wye nodded. “I fixed it so he couldn’t hold down his job or get another in the same field.” He leaned back, folding his arms and laughing a bit. “They were afraid of me. Figured I’d keep doing things to them. So they packed up and left England.”
“I’m sorry,” Ecks said quietly. “And I do mean it.”
That brought a smile. “I know you do.”
“. . . So, what are you planning to do now that you’ve seen them here?” Ecks wondered. “Are you going to go after them again, like they were afraid of?”
“Oh . . . maybe I would’ve done it if I’d run across them sooner. Right now, I’m just honestly kind of burned out. It happened so long ago, and seein’ them again makes me boil over with rage all over again, but it’s not enough to make me feel like really doing anything more to them. I’m just disgusted by the sight of them both.”
“Do they know that you’re supposed to be dead? I guess if this happened before the organization, they wouldn’t.”
“You know, I don’t know what they know,” Wye realized. “I guess it depends on how obsessive they were about keeping up on my every movement. Part of me kind of wanted to waltz on into that restaurant and make a scene, but I didn’t really want to let everybody there in on my past.”
“That’s just as well,” Ecks said. “But do you plan on approaching them at all?”
“I really shouldn’t,” Wye said, “especially after I came down on you for stalking Kuryakin on the same principle. But part of me wants to rub it in their faces that I’m still around.”
“I understand.” Ecks leaned back. “I won’t advise you on that; you’ll have to make your own choice. I still feel a certain satisfaction over how I let Kuryakin know he didn’t get rid of me.”
“I still despise them both,” Wye said. “If what I feel for them ain’t hate, it’s awfully close to it.” He sighed and leaned back, passing a hand over his eyes. “I thought I’d moved on as much as I could and now they both had to pop up again.”
“I hate them too,” Ecks told him. “They had no right to treat you that way.”
“Don’t you go doin’ anything foolish now,” Wye suddenly exclaimed, looking to him. “You remember how I warned you before.”
“I know,” Ecks assured him. “You don’t want them to know you have someone in your life who means something to you.”
“Only because I still don’t know if they might try to do something to you because of it,” Wye said. “Otherwise, I’d be happy to let them know that I’d found someone better than they ever were.”
“So would I.” Ecks watched as a weary look passed through Wye’s eyes.
“. . . Every now and then, I sort of wonder what kind of influence I am on you,” Wye abruptly said. “I’m a hateful, even sadistic, sort. And I couldn’t just keep it to myself; I’ve passed all of it on to you.”
“You feel those things sometimes. It’s not who you are.” Ecks regarded him firmly. “And you haven’t passed anything on to me except what I agreed to accept. You’re a good, loyal friend. That’s what I care about.”
Wye smiled slightly. “I wonder how I got so lucky to run across you.”
“No one can have bad luck all their life,” Ecks said. “I used to think I could, but I was wrong.”
“Well, if nothing else, at least that went right for both of us,” Wye said, leaning back against the couch.
“And we’re alive against all odds. That has to count for something.”
“That also.”
“And screw the both of them. They deserve each other, and that’s not a compliment.”
Wye laughed. “It sure enough ain’t.”
Ecks smirked. He hoped he had helped cheer Wye up at least a bit. It would take a while to get over the blow of seeing those people again, he knew. And it was very possible that they could run across each other again. But he hoped that even if that happened, him being around could help ease the pain.
Somehow he felt that it would.
Day/Theme: March 25th - That's not who you are. It's just how you feel.
Series: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (specifically, The Odd Man Affair episode)
Character/Pairing: Mr. Ecks, Mr. Wye
Rating: K/G
Ecks jumped a mile when he heard the door bang loudly. Immediately he got up from where he had been going over a list of pros and cons he had made about Wye’s latest job idea. “What on Earth is the problem?” he frowned.
“My ex-wife and my ex-friend really do live here,” Wye snarled. “Can you believe that? Of all the places they could end up, it would have to be here!” He gestured wildly.
“How do you know they’re here?” Ecks pressed. “I doubt you actually went and researched them.”
“Of course not. I ruddy well saw them both! They were having dinner in a restaurant I was passing. And oh, not just any restaurant; it was one of them big fancy places. They’re livin’ pretty high on the hog. Probably why she gravitated to him over me.”
“Is that the impression they gave you years ago?” Ecks asked.
“No,” Wye admitted. “My chum acted like he was just greedy and couldn’t keep his eyes and hands off her. And she sure didn’t discourage him.”
“Well, it sounds like they lusted after each other more than anything else,” Ecks frowned. “She probably wasn’t a sound catch to begin with.”
“She seemed so at the time,” Wye growled. He crossed into the living room and sank into the couch, leaning forward. “I thought she loved me. I was always faithful to her. And we weren’t doing too badly where it came to money.”
“Was that before or after you joined the organization?” Ecks asked.
“Before. I had a good job and all. She worked some when she felt like it, but mostly she just wanted to spend what I earned.”
Ecks sat down next to him. “Did they give you any kind of an explanation when they decided to hook up?”
“Yeah, my chum said ‘Sorry, old man, but I’m cuttin’ in. Permanently.’ And my ever-lovin’ said ‘Try to understand, dear. I’m sorry, but I’m happier with him.’” His lip curled. “They both said ‘Sorry’, but they didn’t mean it.”
“I can’t believe you took it calmly,” Ecks said.
“I just sat there for a long time trying to process what they were telling me. Finally I asked ‘Why?’ I never really did get a satisfactory answer. They tried to say something, but it didn’t make sense to me. Finally they got up and left me sitting there. A few minutes later I heard a motorcar’s engine starting up and I realized they were leaving, just like that.”
“And that’s when you took your revenge on them,” Ecks deduced.
“Pretty much almost immediately,” Wye nodded. “I fixed it so he couldn’t hold down his job or get another in the same field.” He leaned back, folding his arms and laughing a bit. “They were afraid of me. Figured I’d keep doing things to them. So they packed up and left England.”
“I’m sorry,” Ecks said quietly. “And I do mean it.”
That brought a smile. “I know you do.”
“. . . So, what are you planning to do now that you’ve seen them here?” Ecks wondered. “Are you going to go after them again, like they were afraid of?”
“Oh . . . maybe I would’ve done it if I’d run across them sooner. Right now, I’m just honestly kind of burned out. It happened so long ago, and seein’ them again makes me boil over with rage all over again, but it’s not enough to make me feel like really doing anything more to them. I’m just disgusted by the sight of them both.”
“Do they know that you’re supposed to be dead? I guess if this happened before the organization, they wouldn’t.”
“You know, I don’t know what they know,” Wye realized. “I guess it depends on how obsessive they were about keeping up on my every movement. Part of me kind of wanted to waltz on into that restaurant and make a scene, but I didn’t really want to let everybody there in on my past.”
“That’s just as well,” Ecks said. “But do you plan on approaching them at all?”
“I really shouldn’t,” Wye said, “especially after I came down on you for stalking Kuryakin on the same principle. But part of me wants to rub it in their faces that I’m still around.”
“I understand.” Ecks leaned back. “I won’t advise you on that; you’ll have to make your own choice. I still feel a certain satisfaction over how I let Kuryakin know he didn’t get rid of me.”
“I still despise them both,” Wye said. “If what I feel for them ain’t hate, it’s awfully close to it.” He sighed and leaned back, passing a hand over his eyes. “I thought I’d moved on as much as I could and now they both had to pop up again.”
“I hate them too,” Ecks told him. “They had no right to treat you that way.”
“Don’t you go doin’ anything foolish now,” Wye suddenly exclaimed, looking to him. “You remember how I warned you before.”
“I know,” Ecks assured him. “You don’t want them to know you have someone in your life who means something to you.”
“Only because I still don’t know if they might try to do something to you because of it,” Wye said. “Otherwise, I’d be happy to let them know that I’d found someone better than they ever were.”
“So would I.” Ecks watched as a weary look passed through Wye’s eyes.
“. . . Every now and then, I sort of wonder what kind of influence I am on you,” Wye abruptly said. “I’m a hateful, even sadistic, sort. And I couldn’t just keep it to myself; I’ve passed all of it on to you.”
“You feel those things sometimes. It’s not who you are.” Ecks regarded him firmly. “And you haven’t passed anything on to me except what I agreed to accept. You’re a good, loyal friend. That’s what I care about.”
Wye smiled slightly. “I wonder how I got so lucky to run across you.”
“No one can have bad luck all their life,” Ecks said. “I used to think I could, but I was wrong.”
“Well, if nothing else, at least that went right for both of us,” Wye said, leaning back against the couch.
“And we’re alive against all odds. That has to count for something.”
“That also.”
“And screw the both of them. They deserve each other, and that’s not a compliment.”
Wye laughed. “It sure enough ain’t.”
Ecks smirked. He hoped he had helped cheer Wye up at least a bit. It would take a while to get over the blow of seeing those people again, he knew. And it was very possible that they could run across each other again. But he hoped that even if that happened, him being around could help ease the pain.
Somehow he felt that it would.