the_ragnarok

(OK so technically it's thursday here, shh)

"Were you," Harold says, weakly.

John's smile turns sly. "I like to think I still am." Said smile dims somewhat as he takes in Harold's response. "I'm not a very good distraction, am I?"

"On the contrary," Harold says at once. "You are exceptionally distracting. I can barely remember what I needed distraction from."

That reply makes John's smile increase again, and Harold is somewhat upset at how pleased he is with that. "Anyway, once I'd started doing that, it seemed like something to do. Make people happy by being soft." He waggles his eyebrows at Harold. "Or hard, as the case might be."

Desperate to change the subject, Harold asks, "Is there anything about the army you miss?"

John looks up and considers. "I miss feeling like I was making a contribution," he says at last. "Making people happy is nice, but it's not saving anyone's life."

"I suppose not," Harold says. Abruptly, he says, "I apologize. I have no right to your private life, and even less right to react so strongly to events primarily affecting you."

"I told you I don't mind," John says. "But if this subject is bothering you, we could always switch. I know, you should tell me more about what you were muttering about while you worked."

"I was not--" Harold pauses, and deflates slightly. "I suppose I was. The issue is, web programming is a wretched hive of scum and backwards incompatibility...." He keeps going for quite a while. If John is bored, he shows no sign of it - on the contrary, he asks questions and seems engaged.