the_lawless (the_lawless) wrote in the_colony, @ 2010-04-28 22:03:00 |
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Entry tags: | ^ week 07, jared bivens, leo parker, | jared and leo |
Week 7 - Monday
Characters: Jared Bivens and Leo Parker
Setting: Parking lot of Siena Suites.
Summary: Jared sneaks out to go find cigarettes and Leo intercepts him, possibly earning some brownie points for giving the kid some space.
Rating: PG-13 for Swearz all around.
Leo’s sleeping problems were really starting to get to him and this wasn’t the first time he realized that his mind was playing tricks on him. He’d felt this way before, back at the prison, when he’d been left to starve for some countless number of days. Leo left the lobby when he was startled from a groggy haze by the sound of gravel crunching under car tires in the parking lot. There was no car, and there was no sound, and Leo was left standing against the wall staring off into the darkness with his hand rested on the back of his neck.
It was there, in the shadows, that he heard another noise... footsteps... and this time it was real. Already deeply on edge, Leo held his breath in the dark and waited for the intruder to show himself. Before the stranger would even realize he wasn’t alone, Leo’s shotgun, already cocked and ready, was silently lifted at what would be eye-level to any average human being. “Move another inch,” he said into the night, “and I’ll shoot you right in the face.”
Jared was glad he’d gone to the bathroom recently, or else he would have had an embarrassing puddle to deal with. He hadn’t seen Leo, and had no idea how the man had seen him. He was wearing a black hoody, despite the heat, for the express purpose of not being seen.
He’d frozen on instinct, but it took him a moment to recognize the voice, and a moment longer to regain his own. “It-it’s me, Leo,” he said. Then, in case that wasn’t enough, “Jared.”
Leo stared down the length of the shotgun at Jared as though nothing made any sense to him. There was a dangerous moment of deliberation and then in one fluid motion, the man lowered the gun and took a step closer to grab Jared by the front of his shirt. He jerked him forward, bringing him chest to chest.
“Are you crazy?! I coulda killed you just now,” Leo gritted his teeth, but his temper had flared. “What the fuck are you doing?”
Almost on somatic reflex, Jared’s hands grabbed Leo’s wrists, though he didn’t struggle. Leo’s expression had him pinned in place. He could hear his own blood pumping in his ears. Experience had taught him that in these moments, trying to escape would make things worse. “I-I didn’t think you’d be out here!” His brain managed to work through the panic enough to make him realize that wasn’t really answering the question. “I just, I needed to get something.”
“Out of the parking lot?” Leo asked. His voice was heavy with skepticism, but slowly he realized the panicked grip of Jared’s fingers around his wrist and felt a sweep of awkward guilt come over him. Letting go of the boy, he gave him a little push and continued to glare. “Does Alice know you’re out here?”
Just like that the world righted itself and Jared felt his breath even out. “I was going to get cigarettes, okay?” he said defensively. “Alice doesn’t like me smoking them, so she’d probably say no if I wanted them in a raid.” Leo eyed him, still looking a little more disheveled than he should.
“Where were you going to get them?” Because if Jared had a stash, Leo sure as hell wanted to know about. Meanwhile, he slid a mostly-empty pack out of his pocket and shook a cigarette loose through the opening. That one was for him and he let it perch between his lips as he shook another loose and offered it over to Jared. It was the least he could do, after pointing a gun in a kid’s face; give him drugs.
Jared glanced down at the cigarette, then back at Leo. Was it a peace offering or a bribe? Either way, taking it could mean he’d have to tell Leo more than he wanted to. But hell, he couldn’t have the man thinking Jared was afraid of him. Even if it now might be a bit true. He took the cigarette and lit up before answering.
“I got a place.”
“Is it far from here? Because you oughtta know better than be wandering around the city by yourself.” Leo lit his cigarette, the shotgun hooked in the crook of his elbow so both hands would be free. Not only was Jared breaking the rules that Alice had set out for him, but he was also risking his safety. “Haven’t you learned anything at all?”
“It’s night,” Jared said, his jaw stiff as he blew out a stream of smoke. “It’s safer at night, and with buildings around. Easy to move without being seen. I’m not driving through the desert in the middle of the day like some moving target.”
“I saw ya,” Leo smirked. He was poking fun at the boy and making a point at the same time. “Heard you, first. Clomping around like a drunken clydesdale.” He exhaled smoke up into the night air and then lowered his gaze to the teen again. “You sneak out all the time?”
Jared wanted to say yes just to prove he wasn’t completely inept, but he had a feeling that wouldn’t be the right answer. “No. I just-- I’m sick of having to have a babysitter everywhere I go. Yeah, I know she’s got good reason,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. “Doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck. I needed cigarettes, and I just wanted one place I could go on my own. I’d have been better out there, too; I know the city better than you do. I just wasn’t being careful ‘cause I didn’t think anyone would be awake or outside.”
“Yet here I am, with a gun pointed at your head,” Leo added. “There’s no such thing as being too careful anymore, kid.” He thought for a moment and took another drag from his cigarette. “And it doesn’t have anything to do with being ‘babysat’. Nobody’s supposed to go out on there own anymore. I don’t like it anymore’n you do.”
“Don’t bullshit; it’s different for me, and you know it. Besides, you wouldn’t have shot me,” Jared said, with a hell of a lot more confidence than he had about that fact a minute ago.
“You don’t think so?” Leo quirked a brow, though he felt that gnawing need to grab the kid by the throat just to prove himself. “I had my finger on the trigger, an’ I was already squeezing it. Lucky for you, you were smart enough to say something before I made a huge fuckin’ mistake.” Aggravated again, he took another couple of puffs and blew the smoke in the small space between them.
“Lucky for me, you’re smart enough to ask questions first and shoot later,” Jared said, his shoulders relaxing. Seeing Leo tense up made it easier; he liked being the cool, level-headed one. “Look, man, you did your job, scared the shit out of me. But I came to Vegas expecting to die. I’m living on borrowed time, so if I wind up dead, I wind up dead. The idea doesn’t bother me all that much. So remember that in case you do accidentally shoot me next time.”
“Well, it might not bother you that much, but I’m sure a lot of people around here wouldn’t exactly be understanding to that kind of mishap.” With one long slow drag, Leo finished what was left of his cigarette and tossed the remainder of it out into the gravel. Growing thoughtful again, Leo stared hard at the ground and then lifted his eyes to read Jared’s expression in the dark. “You’re pretty young to have stopped caring whether you live or die. If you don’t care then what are you doing here with the others? Why not just take your chances on the street?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t care,” Jared said, pointing his cigarette stub at Leo before dropping it to the ground. “I’d prefer staying alive. But it’s not like I have a say; didn’t have a say with the swine flu leaving me alive. It’s like chaos theory or something. So you just live knowing you could die at any second. It’s either that or live in a hole. Besides, I like the company.”
Leo watched the boy from where he stood, his gun now held down at his side, and contemplated Jared’s philosophy. He had never been any good at contributing to deep conversations. Hell, he had a hard enough time making idle chit-chat. With Jared it seemed a little easier, somehow. Same with Alice. “Me too,” he said after a long pause. “The company, I mean.”
Jared cocked his head to the side, considering Leo. Then he grinned. “Look, man, I’m flattered, but you’re just not my type,” he teased.
Managing a half-grin of his own, Leo rolled his eyes and straightened his shoulders. “Just... Shut up.” He glanced over his shoulder and looked toward the sidewalk. “I’d better get back to the lobby,” he admitted. “You be careful.”
That got an eyebrow raise. No armed guard back to his room? Did that mean he could actually go? It was too good to question, though there was one thing he had to get straight, his expression sobering. “Are you going to tell Alice?”
“If it comes up, I won’t lie to her.” Leo had already turned to walk back but he paused and looked back at Jared. “Don’t ever ask me to lie to her.”
“I won’t, I wasn’t,” Jared said quickly, as though the words had been a threat. Still, the possibility that it might come up was a bit unnerving. Not sure what else to say, he added, “I’ll grab you a pack while I’m there.”
“Yeah?” This perked Leo’s interest, and the good feeling that he’d made the right choice in not pushing Jared one way or another. Of course, he might regret it later, but for that simple offer alone he thought maybe it’d be worth it. “How long will you be gone?” Because he wanted to know when to expect him back, and when to start worrying.
Jared shrugged, though he was glad he appeared to have said something right. “An hour or two. Don’t really know how long it’ll take me to walk there since I haven’t done it before.”
Leo nodded. “Well, if you change your mind and want a ride... I can leave here soon as the sun comes up.”
The offer surprised Jared and he frowned slightly, thinking it over. “Maybe next time. But thanks,” he said, heading for the parking lot. Leo shrugged and watched the teen make his way off the property until he was literally out of sight and then, hefting his gun over his shoulder, he turned and made his way back to the lobby.