PASSIVE AGGRESSIVE BULLSHIT , (tag: nell!)

He didn't notice when someone else entered the court, so intent on giving the balls a piece of his mind that the subtle movements from the corner of his eye were ignored. There was a lot of intense concentration on his scowling features and his gray eyes were narrowed like each of the objects had committed some unforgivable crime against him. Because it felt like they had. This was an incredibly strange way to vent his anger toward his father but it was working out nonetheless and so Joshua did not question it. It wasn't until a voice caught his attention that his fierce concentration broke, glancing to the side. "Wh--" He had about a second before he realised that the balls were still coming toward him. Giving a start, he started to hit them away a little more casually--just deflecting, now, rather than trying to pull off anything like a real shot. "Just a second," he muttered, his normally smooth tones in speaking to Nell brittle and irritated. "Oi!" he said none too lightly to the man who was leaning against the wall on the other side of the court, seeming almost amused. Joshua had the sudden desire to nail him with one of the speeding tennis balls, then reminded himself that it would get him kick out. The guy probably didn't mean anything by it, but since when had Josh ever cared about that? "Mind turning the damned thing off?"

He deflected the next few and then turned to Nell, breathing a little hard as he let the racket drop to his side. He didn't look as cheery as usual and there was colour in his face from how violently he had been attacking the balls. But he also didn't want to make a habit of taking out anger on Nell, aware that he'd done this some times in the past, so he took a breath. "Yeah, I play," he shrugged. "There's a tennis court in my..." He trailed off for a moment, realising, and his voice was a tad bitter as he finished, "my parents backyard." He may have learned at the country club but he'd certainly spent time on the home court honing his skills. Now he supposed that he'd be stuck here if he ever had the urge to play again. He could also go to the country club, seeing as he no longer had to be accompanied by his parents for access, but he was a little too uncertain about that. His father went there a lot to meet with his higher class contacts and though the place was very large, he didn't even want to be in the vicinity with him. It was childish and stubborn but he couldn't help himself sometimes.

"Ah," he replied when she mentioned her father. He tried to keep this as light as possible but a hard glint in his gray eyes displayed his distaste. Joshua disliked Nell's father about as much as he hated his own right now. "Fathers tend to do that." He couldn't help letting the icy comment slip past his lips. When Joshua was angry he was a lot less practised at withholding the nasty comments that he'd been storing up. He had simmered down a bit quicker than he normally would have if there had been no way to burn off the anger, but he was still quite irritated. He'd do his best to keep his spirits up for the sake of Nell but Josh wouldn't be able to help it if a few misplaced comments made their way into the conversation. She's probably used to it, he thought sarcastically to himself.

Nell asked if he would play with her and he was about to agree when she mentioned a name that made his limbs go stiff. "In that case," he said with venom, "you don't even have to ask." He hefted the racket and clenched his jaw. Oh, Arabella made his blood boil like nothing else. "I can't stand her. I'd like nothing better than for you to kick her ass." He adjusted the racket in his hand as if preparing. However, this was Nell he was about to play against and not his arch rival. Though he was hardly in the mood to be cheery and kind Joshua was going to go lightly if Nell wasn't that good of a player quite yet. He didn't want to peg her in the side of the head with a violent shot or anything like that. She wasn't his father and so he wasn't going to use the tennis balls to try and murder her. "Come on," he said, jerking his head toward the door. "Let's go to the outdoor courts. It's a nice day." He had only been playing inside for the benefit of the machine. He tapped the racket mildly against his thigh as he walked, trying to calm down a bit for Nell's sake. Perhaps it was just her kind personality, but she really did make it easier to relax.

"How do you hold your racket?" he asked curiously, once they had found one of the empty courts. "That affects a lot." Tossing her one of the tennis balls, he went over to his own side of the court and grinned a little. The expression was strained from his anger but it wasn't really forced. "Alright, your serve. Give me your best." He steadied his grip and watched expectantly, ready to send it back when it came his way.

Though there was indeed something wrong, the fact that she had everything to do with it made him hesitate to tell her. His issues with his father were primarily thanks to the fact that she was a killer and there was just no light way to put that, so instead Joshua just shook his head and said as usual, "No, I'm fine." Because he was always just fine. Unlike most people that would take his words at face value Nell probably knew him better than this by now but he hoped that she wouldn't push it. She usually dropped such things pretty quickly and for that he was grateful. He admired that about her, her ability to know when to let something go. He didn't like to bring up the harder things around her and he needed someone in his life that would show him the same courtesy. Nell was that person. I'm not alright, he thought to himself, somewhat wishing he could share it with her, but knowing that he could not do such a thing, but I won't worry you about that, Nell. Never you. He was not by nature a very selfless person. You had to coach him into trusting you and in learning to trust he learned to care for you like you were family. Of course, he actually did see Nell as family in a way. He cared for her like he did his parents, his sister, but also in a different way than that, since he loved her. It was hard to explain, Josh wasn't that great with feelings.

He snorted slightly when Nell made a guess that he was acquainted with Arabella. Though he did not say anything else or even confirm that he did, the answer was pretty obvious. Joshua was not so petty that he usually despised a person based on the things he'd heard. Nell's father was an exception, her aunt would have been too if he'd heard the awful things about her before they'd been unfortunately acquainted, but for the most part Josh let a person solidify his distaste for them. "Difficult," he repeated, then shook his head. "You're far too generous to her personality." It wasn't an insult to Nell but rather his own opinion. He wasn't asking Nell to change the way that she viewed the girl because he understood she was a genuine and kind person by nature. He was not and he wasn't going to pretend as such for Nell's benefit. She accepted him for who he was, thankfully. (At least, he was pretty sure she did. She hadn't made too many complaints yet and that was a good thing, right?). He gave a bit of a laugh that still bore the cutting edge of his temper when she responded awkwardly to his 'support'. The laugh was not sharp with rage because of Nell, as usual. It was just Josh and his anger issues coming out as usual.

He almost smiled when she held the racket like a baseball bat. He probably would have laughed, too, if he wasn't in such a mood. He was calming down quicker than usual however, something that only Nell could usually do for him. She couldn't take him down from his rage instantaneously--he didn't think anyone could do that--but she at least made it bearable. Besides, his attempts to prevent snapping at her also forced him to relax in a way. It was frustrating that he couldn't snap and snarl and yell all he liked but it was also therapeutic. She was a small part of the reason he wanted control over his anger--that and the fact that he was well aware most future employers wouldn't accept his attitude. He had to change, it was just going to take... well, a while. "Yes," he said with a faint trace of amusement when she asked him if there was a specific way to hold her racket. "Some people vary on style, but it's generally like..." Instead of trying to explain it verbally he just took his own racket and held it in his hand, demonstrating. "Here," he said, showing her how to get a better grip before departing to his own side of the court.

"I was taught," he called across the court, "so now I'll teach you." He wasn't sure what to expect and so he resolved that he would go easy on her at first. Not because she was a girl, not because she was his girlfriend, but because he knew that going all out against her wasn't likely to help her get any better. Still, he wasn't going to go completely soft. His features slipped into a concentration that was less fierce and competitive than they'd been when he'd played the machine but still bore traces of his serious nature. He watched the ball carefully and moved when it came toward him, bringing his racket toward the ball and appreciating the sound of contact. "Heads up," he called teasingly, his gray eyes twinkling. Tennis was always more fun when you weren't trying to absolutely flatten your opponent, in his mind.

He felt bad for a moment, knowing that he was being dishonest and hiding things from Nell. Joshua told his girlfriend more about himself and his life than he'd ever told anyone else and yet he was hiding his anger at his father from her as usual. He was always fine around her and he wondered internally whether or not she ever questioned that, whether she wondered if he was hiding anything. No, I'm sure she'd confront me if she thought it was anything serious, he reminded himself. Unfortunately he had solid reasoning behind that in the form of their first explosive argument. She'd confronted him perhaps a little too readily then and it was a mark of how much they cared for one another that the argument hadn't split their relationship down the middle. If Nell really thought that she had a right to know things she would ask. He hoped. For now, however, he was just going to go about trying to do whatever he could to cheer up so as not to drag her down with him. He wondered if there was anything going on with her but he didn't want to bring about anything to do with that witch of a woman Jane--that could wait until after. Depressing Nell wasn't on his agenda today and any mention of the bitch would likely do a fine job. So he brushed the guilt and similar feelings aside.

Sure enough, his intentions toward Arabella were probably a lot more ill than Nell's. The Earth girl was being her genuine and friendly self as usual and he was more than willing to strike Ara down as brutally as possible. He had gotten into physical fights with the Thunder elemental before and he was willing to bet that they'd probably get into a few more if they were forced together in a less controlled environment than a detention hall. "Well, for your sake and mine, I'll help you do that," he said. He wasn't usually passive aggressive in his mannerisms but if it would stop him from being expelled for fighting and give Nell the edge over his enemy, he was fine with being so. After all, it wasn't like he'd never used sneaky means of revenge before. His fathers bank account came to mind. It was ironic considering they'd made up after that and then fallen out all over again. "True, it's better to learn from me. I'll kick your ass out of love," he said, and couldn't prevent himself from laughing at that. It was true that games between them would be a lot less competitive and rough however. He knew that Nell would likely never be vicious even to Ara but he didn't doubt that the other girl wasn't so kind.

Joshua whacked the ball back over to Nell's side of the court with an almost relaxed ease, feeling much less aggressive than he had earlier. When his girlfriend told him not to go easy on her, however, Joshua smirked. Waiting until the ball came back over to him he brought back his arm and hit it as hard as he could, displaying some of the force he'd used when he hadn't been playing against another person. He'd aimed carefully so that it would at least not hit Nell if she hadn't seen it coming but that it was still both a legal and rather good move. "Are you sure you don't want me to be a little nice?" he teased at this point. He knew that she would probably miss a lot more if he played against her like he would play against someone on his own skill level. She wanted to learn from him after all, not have him repeatedly whoop her ass. However, he'd go as easy or hard as she wanted. He didn't have a problem amping up his skill level a little until they reached a level where Nell was also comfortable but he didn't see the point in making her miss everything. He would try that sort of tactic on Ara. (Not that he thought she'd miss everything--she might not have been good, but she wasn't terrible.)

"So," he said, "why'd your father bail on you?" He tried to keep his tone and inquiry light but he couldn't help the irritation that crept into it. This time it was toward Nell's father, however, and not his own. What was it with the fathers in their lives not being as good to them as they should have? Raising a child was a responsibility, after all. Of course, in Donovan's defence he had done just that. And Josh didn't grow up without his presence and having to deal with a psychotic and abusive mother. He acknowledged that Nell's problems were a lot worse than his but he still resented his father no matter how mild the issues in comparison. So he could sympathise, really. "Not that I'm complaining," he shrugged easily, "since now I've got company." He was actually (selfishly) glad that her father had wormed his way out of playing with her. He liked hanging around Nell and he liked how her presence soothed his rage, albeit slowly and over time.

Though his gray eyes twinkled in response to her words Joshua did not contradict her. He would be up for teasing and a little light mockery but he had no intentions of continuous trolling. To Nell Joshua was much less of a jerk than he might be to anyone else. Besides, he was pretty sure she understood he didn't really mean anything by it. He was as good to her as his personality could manage and considering he'd managed abstinence for several months now Joshua was placing that at the 'pretty fucking impressive' level. He chuckled when she spoke. "I never said I'd go completely easy on you," Josh pointed out. "But you're not going to learn if I continuously kick your ass, either." If she requested that he not play at least a bit nicely then he would adapt to this but he really was hoping to help her learn. It didn't all have to do with Arabella and his desire to passive aggressively get revenge. Some of it lay in the fact that Nell wanted to learn from him and it felt good to be able to teach her something. He was actually a pretty good teacher if he did say so himself. He didn't have a passion for it as some claimed to but leadership qualities and patience were there. He got it from his mother, most likely. Donovan was not usually a very patient man and it was Patricia who had led the Fire elementals back in her day, not her older husband.

He made a noise of disapproval in his throat when Nell said that her father had missed out because of work. It had nothing to do with the reasoning behind the bail--no, he believed that as much as Nell did. Work did tend to get in the way. I remember when my father-- He stopped the thought there, right in its tracks, because he really didn't want to think about his father for the time being. Think of Nell, he coached himself, and as she was his girlfriend that was not altogether a difficult thing to do. Pulling himself out of what would have turned to a very dark train of thought, he reflected on the rather ironic fact that the man he hated so much right now (Nell's father, not his own) was employed in a field that interested Joshua immensely. Though Donovan went more for business and medicine, Joshua was leaning toward a career in medicine with research grants on the side. He loved learning new things and discovery so it seemed ideal for him. Of course, he didn't want to get too ahead of himself. With a doctor as a father he knew only too well that things could change rapidly over the course of a few years, maybe even less. Don't count your chickens before they hatch, wasn't that how the old saying went?

A wolfish grin adorned his features at the question. Rather than answering merely with words, Joshua moved closer to the net and whacked the ball down hard. "You tell me," he teased, then took the ball and called out, "Thirty love, love." There wasn't even an attempt to disguise the fact that he was enjoying himself, albeit his humour at her expense. Then again, there was an upside to this whole thing--he was smiling now, and the rage seemed to be evaporating quite quickly. He still felt a prickling sensation in his stomach that could be attributed to his irritation but that was easily pushed aside. He decided to prove to her just how difficult it was to learn when someone was giving their all against you and when he'd gotten a few games in the bag he leaned against the cage of the court and took a long drink of water, chuckling. "Are you sure you don't want me to cool it a little, Nell?" Though he was pulling her leg the question was also serious. It wasn't fun if someone constantly beat you at something. It might have been amusing at first and a challenge in the beginning but he knew from experience that it got frustrating after a while.

"I won't go easy on you," he promised, "but I'll at least try to cater to your level a bit more. Just for now." With that he tossed the tennis ball up into the air and with a soft thump it arced over toward his girlfriend. It was not until he really felt the need for a break that he set down the racket and stretched his wrists, completely relaxed now. "That was fun," he said lightly. "I could go for some food right now, though. Want to grab something to eat?" Of course it was hardly even required to ask Nell if she wanted food but Joshua was all about formalities and being cordial. Besides, maybe she had something else on her mind and would request that he go alone. He'd be alright with that. It wasn't like this was some sort of date or anything, he was just a little expended from a long time of hitting a ball back and forth and could use some sustenance.