Dimitri (basecompound) wrote in commandhq, @ 2018-06-01 13:27:00 |
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Entry tags: | lucas frost, p: sam, theodor lupei |
Who: Theo Lupei & Lucas Frost
What: Clearing the air
When: Sometime after this
Where: Limbo grounds
Rating: Low
After systematically cashing in a favour he had with the IT man, Rickman, in getting any of the evidence of his conversation with Avery deleted and turned onto a loop that they had in the beginning. Easy stuff, Rickman said between chewing on a licorice as a way to gnaw at the nicotine addiction he had. Lucas was pleased with the outcome for the most part. For this part. He owed someone else more a conversation and he didn’t expect it to have a lighthearted turn that it did with Avery. Lucas stepped through the halls like he was a man with a purpose more than he was a man with something on his shoulders. A part of him semi-accepted the fact that as much as he was a handler. It was easy to grow connections with. He knew he needed to toe the line to be more professional. That part was true but at the same time, it was difficult for him when all he had were people’s lives in his hands. Lucas was good at his job, for the most part. Aside from Avery, his agents had a high success rate when it came to going out into the field and getting missions done. He didn’t entirely chalk it up to himself as much as he put it up to the fact that they were good agents. There were some that he didn’t really work too much on. Always waited for the other shoe to fall for the most part when it came to this place and someone to be moved. Or worse. He would’ve cheated if he didn’t feel as though he was invading Theo’s privacy for the most part. But he knew the other man’s habits. He went to check out the pool but only found the new agent lingering at the water’s edge. He stopped at the gym and just peered inside, eyes searching around the faces of agents in the room. Lucas inwardly cringed a little when he followed the normal trajectory of Theo on his run. He wasn’t dressed for this and after being locked in holding, he was fairly sure he was going to write off any chance of that being an acceptable form of punishment by him as he saw Theo jogging along before he moved to catch up to him. “We need to have a talk about what an acceptable form of free time is.” --- Theo had been with the Regiment for long enough to learn that sometimes the best way to work shit out was to run until you could no longer run and that was exactly what he was doing. He was feeling better now that he and Avery has cleared things up but he still wasn't feeling one hundred percent back to himself. Theo felt very much like he was a pendulum in constant movement, swinging from one extreme to the next. He was definitely dressed for his run in grey jogging pants and a dark t-shirt with sneakers on that had probably seen better days but they were comfortable and that was what really counted. He had been jogging for at least an hour or so before he became aware that he was no longer alone on his run. Lucas was there, next to him, and Theo's eyes darted over to him before they went right back to the space in front of him as he kept up the unrelenting pace he'd set for himself. "Pretty sure I can do what I want with my free time." --- Lucas luckily could keep up with the pace that Theo had set for himself, he told himself in the back of his head. He chalked it up to the need make sure he was just as ready as the agents for a mission. For anything really. He knew he was never going to get called into the field but he always did want to try to be ready. Old habits from the military, he told himself. There was always going to be something people didn’t account for. Lucas knew that this was something that was like a rule to the universe. He trailed slightly behind him. Theo was...better than him. Being a handler had gotten him out of shape out for a lot of the things. It was something that he hadn’t kept up with. As much as he wanted to do. But this wasn’t about him keeping up with his own health. He continued jogging behind him and it just painfully reminded him how he was not wearing the right shoes for this shit. “No, you’re definitely right.” He continued to keep up with him. “You can do whatever you want with your free time. Mind if I join you?” --- It was a weird request, asking to join him, especially as it was clear to see that Lucas was not dressed for a jog. He was in that suit of his with those dress shoes, definitely not exercise worthy type clothing. “Knock yourself out,” he offered shortly. Theo was not a man of many words but for those who had managed to get past his walls he was far more verbose and forthcoming. Today however was not one of those days. It was no secret that Theo was not best pleased with recent turn of events especially given the radical decision made by Lucas to lock Avery up for something as simple and stupid as not going to his office when told. Definitely not needed or warranted after a mission like that. --- Lucas stepped along with him, picking up the pace a little before coming to fall in line with Theo and trying to make it seem like he was “alright” with all of this. Lucas made a mistake when it came to Avery. But, he made a decision and he was going to follow through with it. There were certain things he expected and while he always expected Avery to dodge talking about stuff that happened on a mission. He knew she would’ve been dodging him for more than a week if she was allowed too. “Look, I know what went down wasn’t what...It wasn’t the best option.” He huffed as he spoke, keeping up with him the best he could with what tools he had given right at the moment. But there were really no other options. He wasn’t about to lock Theo up in holding just for an opportunity to get him to talk. “I didn’t want it to escalate like that.” --- The look Theo shot Lucas was very much a "no shit" look and honestly he didn't need words when he had a face which could at times be very expressive, getting his point across without a single word being uttered. He kept up the pace for a little while longer, mostly to get Lucas huffing and puffing a little more because well, it sort of felt warranted. Eventually however he took pity on the other man and came to a slow gradual stop, hands lifting to loosen and free the strands of his hair before both hands went into the lengths to tug them back. He was definitely feeling the run and he simply tugged his t-shirt off before balling it up and using it to clean up his face. "So what happened?" He asked as he finally looped his t-shirt around his neck. -- Lucas caught the “no shit” expression on Theo’s face with a little bit of wistfulness because that’s all he had right at the moment. There was no real reason for what he did other than the fact that he was asserting an authority he felt like he didn’t have anymore. When it came to what happened with Davies. He could continue to be angry about it or he could just move along. When he’d gone down to holding with Avery, he was angry. But more than that, he was worried. His worry only seemed to grow at the sight of her. He tried not to breathe a sigh of relief as Theo slowed to a stop and he leaned forward a little before smoothing out his hair. Lucas looked around for a moment before pulling off his suit coat and started to roll up his sleeves. “I needed to have a talk with Avery. I know she’d avoid me. I gave her a choice.” He just didn’t think she would choose that one if he was going to be at all honest. “I...made the wrong choice.” --- "Yeah, you did," Theo said simply and bluntly as he was never one to beat around a bush when he felt something needed to be said. He had also learned that Lucas appreciated his particular brand of candor. "You really expected Avery to comply to a demand especially when you know what she's like. You tell her to do something and guaranteed she'll find a way to wiggle her way out of it because let's face it you and her are more like friends than you are handler and agent. You can't have expected any other outcome, Lucas." He watched as Lucas stripped out of his suit coat and began to work on his sleeves. Clearly somebody was hot. "And it pissed me off," Theo admitted readily and honestly. "So much so that you nearly had a small mutiny on your hands." --- Lucas did appreciate the blunt honesty that came from Theo. It was refreshing when dealing with people who did just beat around the bush when it came to dealing with their handlers. It never helped with communication for everyone. Even if Theo was a man of little words, they had better communication than with some of his other agents. He sighed after a moment, mostly because Theo was right. There was no other outcome he should’ve expected other than the one that played out. “And maybe that’s a problem. We are more like friends than we are handler and agent.” Maybe he held back in training because she was more like a friend than she was an agent. He knew it would’ve seemed somewhat childish for him to say ‘she went to Russell’s office’. Lucas had authority but when it came to some of the agents under his care, the line had been severely blurred over the years. “With you at the helm. I would’ve lost.” He pointed out with a slight scowl. “I know it pissed you off. Emotions were running high for everyone. I triggered that. That’s on me.” If there was one thing about Lucas, it was that he never did attempt to pass the buck on anyone else. --- That was one thing Lucas did have going for him. He admitted fault and kept the buck quite firmly where it should be and in this particular instance that was with him. "It is a problem," Theo agreed. "If this mission proved anything it’s that it doesn't matter if you are a non-combatant if you have a power set that's important to the mission you will be called out. Avery needs to be better prepared, better able to react to danger because she didn't listen at all, Lucas. I told her to stay put, she didn't, and if I hadn't followed her up those stairs? I would have been bringing her back in a body bag." Though thankfully for them a new power had made itself known so even as she had been set on by that super she had managed to look out for herself but not before she'd gotten really messed up. So messed up that it was hard to tell where one injury ended and another began. "She gave no consideration to her own safety or even to her surroundings. All she knew was that she heard somebody who needed her help and she was gone." He blew out a breath and flexed his hands around his biceps. "I didn't understand your reasoning, none of us did. I mean sure if she'd I don't know hit another Agent or abused her position in the clinic then into lockup but just because she wouldn't come and see you? It made no sense, still doesn't. I don't get why you just didn't go and hunt her down." Like she had with him when he'd been avoiding her. --- “I know. That fault lies with me.” And here he was before, badgering Eric for being too friendly with his agents only to turn and do the same thing to his own without realizing it. But it was true. He blurred a line and it was probably too late to back away from it as well. He could make it work. He knew he could. At least with Avery’s training. “You wouldn’t have been responsible for what happened to Avery out there, Theo. If she got hurt...if she was killed. That wouldn’t have been on you.” But that was a lie. The both of them would’ve carried that guilt on their shoulders for the rest of their lives if Avery died out in the field. There was no question about it. Just the same with non-combatants. He could label someone as non-combatant all he wanted but at the end of the day...they were all still agents. They could all go out into the field if they wanted to go out into the field. There was no way to protect them from it. He needed to change how he approached Avery and Chloe in that sense. Because there was really no safety. “My reasoning was personal. It was worry. It was...anger. I was mad.” That much was for certain. He was mad. But not at Avery and not at Theo. He was mad at the situation and he was angry with Russell for pointing shit out. “It was abuse of the position, if we’re going to be honest.” --- Theo folded his arms across his chest and closed his hands around his upper arms, grip tightening a little when Lucas said that if anything had happened to Avery it wouldn’t have been on him. It definitely would have, he'd always taken a protective role of Avery when she was out on the field, and the fact he hadn't been able to keep her safe had really gotten under his skin. "Mad?" Theo queried, head tilting a little as he searched Lucas' expression for some kind of indication what he might be mad about. It wasn't like it was the first time Avery sassed him and refused to do what she was told and certainly wouldn't be the last that much Theo was certain of. He ducked his head as he snorted quietly and then lifted his gaze to regard Lucas through his lashes. "And we are being honest so yeah inclined to agree with you. I think this is the first time in a long while that I've felt that you were on a completely different page." --- Lucas watched Theo as he said that it wouldn’t have been their fault. But Lucas and Theo would have felt that guilt. “But saying that it wouldn’t have been our fault and living through it are two different things. I saw her. The stitches. I can’t get it out of my mind that she could’ve been brought back in a body bag and I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it.” He folded his arms in front of his chest. “Davies called me out. About Avery’s training and lack thereof.” He knew that admitting that it was because Russell had talked to him, didn’t make it right. It was good to have feedback even if it was bad feedback. If it had been Avery sassing him, he was used to that. He was okay with that because that was their back and forth sort of relationship. He scoffed a little with a bit of a smile on his face. “I think I surprised even Merry. She might be a little confused as to what is going on, we usually have a better rapport than what we did have.” If there was one thing that Lucas considered his strength, though. It was the communication he did have with his agents. --- Theo's jaw tightened a little when Lucas spoke about the stitches and how he felt pretty powerless about the whole thing because truth be told Theo had felt something similar. He'd also felt a lot of other things but the one that had overriden the rest had been anger and that had been pretty overwhelming, especially for somebody who like Theo didn't really do strong emotions if they could be avoided. "So Russell critcised you and that's why you went in hard on Avery?" Theo asked, lifting an eyebrow, just to make sure he understood Lucas. "And I wouldn't feel too bad about him telling you failings if I were you. Avery sure as hell didn't listen to him in the field." She'd even gone so far as to take her earpiece out but Theo held back on, figuring that might be dropping Avery into even more hot water. "Yeah, she wasn't overly impressed," Theo said with a pointed look. "The communication skills were... not great to be honest." And it had been weird as normally Lucas was good at articulating himself and expressing his reasons for things in a way that made sense. "Admittedly I could've handled it differently, I wasn't feeling my normal rational self." -- Neither of them did ‘strong emotions’. But Lucas cared about his agents deeply. More specifically so Avery. There had always been a soft spot for her. That much was certain and obvious to anyone who did catch one of their conversations. It was apparent to everyone who had eyes that there was clearly more than just a handler-agent relationship there, it was deeper than that. Lucas knew it was a problem. He just shrugged it off usually. Until now. “Yeah...that’s why. I should’ve trained her better. She wasn’t prepared to actually be put into the field. I knew that. I knew that the moment Davies said she was going into the field. That...Davies was right. That lies with me.” His treatment of Avery and the way he trained her and letting her dodge the important stuff because he knew she was afraid. He could’ve pushed a little harder. But he didn’t. “No, they were fucking terrible.” He admitted honestly. If there was one thing Lucas knew he had going for him...it was that he was honest. He admitted fault where it needed to be. Ash and Theo had done what they could on the field. What they had been trained to do. They handled themselves perfectly. “I mean...a mutiny? What exactly what were you guys going to do? Tie me to my office chair and take the keys to holding?” He paused and took in a deep breath. “Emotions were running high between the both of us, Theo. We both blamed ourselves. Are blaming ourselves for what happened.” --- Theo was well aware that the relationship between Avery and Lucas was more than it should be but what that something was he didn't really know. It wasn't any of his business unless of course it looked like Avery was going to get hurt. Then it became his business. Besides they were both grown adults so whatever they were or weren't doing was entirely up to them. "Well now's your chance," Theo said simply and bluntly. "She's going to be sore for a while but there's no better time than right now to get her doing what she should be doing, training and preparing for the field so if and when she's called out again she knows how to handle herself." He briefly had a flash to the image of the man lying on the ground looking as if he'd been hit by a truck, run over by a train, and shot point blank in the face with a shotgun. "And if not for the new power she'd be dead, you need to talk to her about that as well. It's a part of her and she needs to come to terms with it." He blew a breath out and rubbed a hand through his hair. "A frank conversation was definitely on the cards." Really frank and probably would have been brutally honest. Theo's hand strayed to the side of his neck and squeezed, he could definitely feel the start of a headache. Lucas was right, emotions had been running high and blame was rife. "Did you go and see her, in holding?" --- Lucas’ eyebrow arched slightly at Theo’s words, he wasn’t wrong. This was the opportunity he had to put Avery through the running of the urgency of missions if she was still sore from the previous mission. Despite what she wanted to deal with. Because he knew Avery would still continue to dodge training if it was up to her. “She’s probably going to be called out again. Now that they knew that she can’t just heal.” He mused quietly, because it was true. Now that there was an offensive power in the mix there was no real reason for him to label her ‘non-combatant’. Lucas was slippery, but he couldn’t very well color that any differently. “I know. Knowing Avery she might let it take away from her life.” Hide away. The last thing he needed was for Avery to run away from this. “I wouldn’t have expected anything less. But would’ve been slightly disappointed if shots weren’t fired.” He grinned at the thought of it. He knew that Jade, at least, would’ve loved the fact that the rest of the team had turned against him. But luckily that dissolved before he had to get the full force of the Hensley girl. “Yeah...we talked. Right before I let her out.” He couldn’t just let her sit in there. This had been the first time he’d ever thrown anyone on his team into holding, after all. --- "And I won't be on every mission with her," Theo pointed out. "If she'd been left to her own devices she would have got shot running to where the Senator was." It was the facts and Theo wasn't sugarcoating anything. "So, yeah, now's the chance to right all of that and make sure if she's needed again she can handle herself." In Theo's opinion she needed to face this head on, not let it have power over her or the way that she lived her life, but he knew it wasn't always that easy. "Who needs shots when you can manipulate metal?" Theo challenged, eyebrow lifted. It was good to know that Lucas had visited Avery and not left her alone in the holding cells. "And you're good?" --- Lucas knew that much. Theo did save Avery’s life. Davies would’ve helped her if she had listened to him rather than pulling out her own ear piece and running into danger with no regard to the fact of her own safety and the safety of her own teammates. Lucas knew that Theo would’ve gotten hurt to make sure Avery was protected as well. There was only so much they could do with someone who was unwilling. “Yeah, you’re right. She needs to have a better handle on things.” He knew there was only so much they could do. But he could guide her. That was his job. To help her feel confident in her own abilities and keep herself alive. The side-eye from Lucas was for a moment, but he would say somewhat impressive if he could see his face. “We’re good. Everything that needed to be talked about, was discussed.” Lucas tilted his head to the side as he studied Theo for a moment. “Are we good?” --- "Agreed," Theo said with a short sharp nod of his head. "Glad we're on the same page." He was going to talk to Avery about what happened and why she had been so set on the course of action that she took. He was relieved to know that Avery and Lucas had cleared the air and that they had discussed things because he knew how being thrown into holding would not only have pissed Avery off but more importantly hurt her. More so because of how she and Lucas' relationship was than anything else. Theo's face was unreadable for a moment before he just exhaled. "Yeah, we're good." --- Maybe it was a little weird that he got input from his agents so strongly. But he stood by the idea that agents probably knew a little better about the experiences they had in the field and what they wanted to see and what they didn’t want to see. No one wanted to see another agent they were supposed to rely on run off. If it had been anyone else other than her team mates, the reaction might’ve been a tad bit more different. “I try.” Input was important. No one was probably more relieved than Lucas to have been able to have that talk. Or see Avery at all. That had been the main fear for him. That Theo and Ash might not have been around and she could’ve died. He didn’t expect her to run away from them the way she had. But that was the fear. Always. Lucas smiled and patted Theo on the shoulder, not chastising in anyway. Just as a friend. “Great, next time I chase after you I have to wear better shoes.” There was a slight pause for a moment. “What happened wasn’t your fault, Theo. You did what you could.” --- "Those shoes are pretty stupid," Theo said as he took a look at the dress shoes that Lucas had on. "But I suppose they go with the suit so there is that." Theo had never been a suit and tie kind of guy, he was definitely more casual, but everybody had their own aesthetic. Rationally he knew Lucas was right, that there was nothing he could have done, but irrationally he still felt guilty. "Yeah, well, next time I know to do a double check on the room before I leave her alone." --- “These shoes are fucking horrible to run in.” Lucas deadpanned with a dry expression on his face. He laughed a little as he pulled the tie out of its loop and tucked it into his pocket. Without too much of a second thought as he moved to stand directly in front of the other man. Needing to do something. Lucas tilted his head to the side, sombering for a moment from the moment of lightness in their conversation. “Next time, she’ll be trained better. If we both carry this, we won’t get anywhere. Avery knew what she was doing. She made the conscious choice to pull out the earpiece. You’re not at fault for that.” --- Theo watched as Lucas removed his tie but did nothing about the buttons which held the collar rather firmly in place and so he unfolded from his previous closed off stance and reached out. His hands closed around the two buttons at the top of Lucas' shirt before he adjusted the collar, a small nod being given. "That's better." He withdrew his hands now that he'd thoroughly abused Lucas' collar. "Yeah, I'm getting there," Theo affirmed. "Slowly." --- Lucas’ brow lifted as Theo reached over to fix his shirt collar, just tilting his chin a bit upward to let him adjust the collar. An amused expression on his face at the small lapse of nitpickiness of the other man. “I didn’t even know it would be that much of a problem.” He laughed, tucking his hands into his pockets as he did. “Slowly is better than nothing. If you need anything, I’m here.” Talking was easy for Lucas when he could pull himself out of the situation as a whole. But it wasn’t even an extension to talk, it was more of an extension to let out steam. There were different ways to deal with a situation like this that wasn’t just about talking. --- "Still looked too stiff," Theo offered with a small smirk before he scratched at his bare shoulder. He inhaled and exhaled in the same breath, appreciative of the fact Lucas hadn't mentioned talking because Theo didn't really talk. That wasn't his way. "You never did meet me for that sparring session," he pointed out. Nothing helped blow off steam better than going a couple rounds. --- Lucas knew exactly that talking about feelings wasn’t how Theo dealt with things in this place. It was difficult. One of the things he knew about his agents was how to help them work shit out even if it didn’t mean talking. Sometimes it just meant witty banter and Lucas getting his ass profoundly kicked. “We can do that. I could deal with another asskicking. It makes me feel alive.” He smiled with an amused expression on his face. “Not right now, obviously. I’m sneaky but I have to have at least twenty-four hours to mentally brace myself for a sparring session with you.” --- "You might want to see somebody about that," Theo shot back when Lucas admitted that having his ass kicked made him feel alive. "Somebody might think you enjoy getting your ass handed to you." He nodded and reached up to remove his t-shirt from around his neck, unfolding the material before pulling it on as he was cool once again, hands tucking it down over his hips. "So twenty-four hours from now you me the gym and a sparring session." --- “Maybe you've knocked my head a bit too much. I’ve always wondered if we can get worker’s comp for that. Limping around the facility is not graceful.” Lucas joked a bit, an amused look on his face regardless. He did enjoy sparring with Theo after all. Much more than any other agents because they both knew how each other worked. It was much more of a challenge with Theo than with anyone else. The only exception now being Ash. “Yeah, twenty-four hours from now. You me and the gym for a sparring session. If I don’t show up right away...it’s because I’m already there trying to get the jump on you.” Theo had the obvious advantage. Lucas was always for working the angle to get ahead. --- "Thanks for the heads up." Theo reached up to loosen and free his hair from where he'd secured it, hand ruffling the strands before he just tipped his head. "Think I'm going to warm down and grab a shower." He was pretty sweaty after all and his muscles were definitely complaining, so much so that he almost wished this place had a massage therapist. "Think I've tortured my body enough for one day." --- “Might as well add to the paranoia.” He chuckled a tad bit with an amused look on his face. He pulled his hands out of his pockets and turned to start walking back towards the building. He really needed to work on getting out to go running a little more. This was just a reminder of it. “I think I’ll probably need to grab a shower after that too.” “You’ve tortured us both enough for one day.” He shot a pointed look over his shoulder. --- Theo snorted quietly and watched Lucas for a moment as he started to walk away. "What can I say? I aim to please." He began in the direction of the building, looking forward to a hot shower. Things felt better, more solid, which was good. |