Who: Victor Sullivan & Remy LeBeau When: September 29th, About 1pm Where: Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar What: Two old rivals have-at. And have lunch. Rating/Warnings: PG13 for Language Status: Completed
It’d been just about eleven years since Remy had last seen Sully. He’d been just a young pup-- sixteen. But he’d been taking things that weren’t his since he was ten, he’d been taking art from museums and private collections since he was thirteen. And he’d been rather exceptional at it by sixteen. But not as good as Sullivan. Back then, he wasn’t sure he’d ever be as good as Sullivan.
These days, he was sure he could wipe the floor with him. And then some.
Well, these days he was a lot more cocky than he had been back then.
He’d sent a few letters, a few care packages while Sully was in the joint, but they had all been addressed as having come from the inmate’s mother. The blonde, though, surely had known where they had really come from. How could he not?
So to say that Remy had viewed Sully as a sort of strange, resented but oddly liked parent would be rather accurate. He didn’t, after all, have any other real adult influences.
His best description of their relationship, though, would be Frenemies.
Sure, they were buddies.. sort of. If the other man were dangling from a rooftop ready to fall to his inevitable demise, Remy would save him. If the other man were about to woo away a girl he was hitting on (silver fox his ass!) or take something shiny that he’d been watching, Remy would shove him off the very same rooftop.
Well, maybe not, but he’d handcuff him to a drainpipe and leave him there.
This having been said, it surely couldn’t be any surprise that he’d offered lunch and showed up to the provided location in a black SUV driven by a man in a suit. Remy wasn’t allowed to drive yet and he was moving a little slow. A little stiff. The kid had somehow managed to hurt himself, but he was fine. He’d be knocking on Sully’s door in no time.
It had been years since Sully had last seen Remy and he had mixed feelings about it. The dynamic between the two of them had always been sort of weird. They’d always gotten along more or less, but their relationship was half mentor-student (at least from Sully’s perspective), and half rivals. Always friendship mixed with a bit of cut-throatedness. You had to be like that in their line of work.
But Sully wasn’t in that line of work anymore. Hadn’t been in a while. He didn’t know how that was going to change things--if it was going to change things. He wasn’t a threat to Remy’s business anymore and he certainly didn’t want to be. He was finished with all that. Not too old for it, mind you; if he wanted, he could very easily slip back into his old life without a hitch. But he didn’t want to. So he didn’t know where this “frenemies” thing was going to go. This might be a little weird.
But still. Free lunch and all that. Sully wasn’t about to pass that up.
Sully couldn’t help but roll his eyes when he saw that Remy wasn’t the one who’d been driving the car to come pick him up.
“You’re a real piece of work, kid,” he said. “You know that?”
"Yeah, I know. I'm the best." He'd flash Sully a smile and stick out his hand, he'd give him a firm shake and release. He had a businessman's handshake. "But the car isn't just for show. Trust me, I'd rather be driving. But I'm on some pretty heavy painkillers and I'm not cleared to drive for another week or two."
Until then, he had people willing to drive him and a car service. "How does steak and lobster sound?" Heck yes he aimed to impress. Especially Sully. He had never wanted to impress someone as much as he wanted to impress his former rival.. okay, and maybe they'd been sort of friendly. He trusted the guy, okay? Well, as much as he could trust him.
It had been great for Remy. He had certainly missed this man.
“Jesus, kid, you got knocked around real good, didn’t you?” Sully asked. “I guess there’s an interesting story behind that. Do I get to hear it over lunch?”
Sully was willing to bet it had something to do with Remy’s line of work. You always ran the risk of getting hurt. It was one reason Sully was glad he’d never gone back to that life. He was getting too old to bounce back. Remy would be fine, most likely. He was young, he still had that luxury.
Sully was slightly thrown for a loop when Remy shook his hand. It was a lot firmer than he remembered. Probably because the kid was just that when he’d seen him last--a kid. Man, a lot had changed in eleven years.
“I couldn’t tell you the last time I had surf and turf,” he said, a dreamy quality to his voice as he imagined eating it. “Excellent choice.” “I suppose I could fill you in during lunch.” He’d remark as he climbed into the back of the SUV and stretching out long legs. Once Sully was in, the car was off. A hand came up to smooth over his chest-- it hurt, but it wasn’t that bad. Not since he’d been taking it easy.
“I’ve got to warn you, though, this place is.. strange. A lot of people have weird dreams. Dreams about former lives, or.. fantasies, or something. I’m not sure what it is. But some people start to get their.. well. You’ll see.” He turned his head to flash a grin at the older man. “So I’ve always been curious. In prison.. is there unlimited hot water? Or if you shower last, are you in ice cube city?” Only LeBeau would ask such a question.
Within just a few minutes, they were arriving at the (appropriately) fancy restaurant. Sully had wanted something nice! Climbing out, Remy would straighten his suit and flash a smile at the doorman, who would open the door of the establishment and usher them in. “Mr. LeBeau.” He would greet as the two went inside. They’d be led straight to a table in the back. Secluded, quiet-- they knew Remy liked his privacy.
“Is this suitable?” He’d ask the other man with a smile.
Sully’s mustache seemed to frown with him as he thought that over.
“Dreams, huh?” he asked. “Well, I haven’t had any yet. I don’t know what sort of things I’d be dreaming about. My life has been pretty exciting, I don’t know what I’d possibly have to fantasize about.”
He rolled his eyes at Remy’s question. Of course, he’d ask that. He could be such a child. Somethings never changed.
“Listen, kid, if you’re so interested in the prison experience, why don’t you go and see for yourself?” he said. “I mean, you’ve probably got a pretty impressive rap sheet yourself, it wouldn’t be too hard to get yourself locked up. You can find out about all the lurid, steamy details yourself. I don’t want to spoil anything for you.”
Sully was pleased with the restaurant, although he felt a little underdressed. But the second he got a whiff of the inside, he didn’t mind so much about his dress. The seating arrangement suited him just fine too.
“You seem pretty famous around here,” he said. “They must not know how much of a little shit you are. This place is nice. I’m impressed.”
“Yeah.. I’m pretty famous everywhere. Well, around movie buffs and nerds.” He broke into a slow, easy smile, tossing the criminal a wink. Did Remy have a rap sheet? Would Sully be surprised to find he didn’t? Not really. A speeding ticket. A few hours in jail for getting into a bar fight.. but that was it.
You’d taught him well, Sully, and his surrogate sister had watched his back from her fancy electronics. Remy, after all, no longer did things the old fashioned way. He was Batman of the Thieving world. He had all sorts of insane gadgets. It kept him safe and anonymous. And, he always replaced the things he took with replicas. People never knew they were missing, so they never came looking.
“No real interest in prison, I guess. Just interested in your experience in prison.” He would slide into that seat and smile at the waiter who came over. “I’d like a strawberry lemonade, please.” Then he was turning hazel eyes onto Sully, waiting for him to order his drink, then the waiter would leave and the red-head would turn his eyes down onto the menu. It all sounded so good.
“What are you doing now that you’re out?” He asked because he was being polite. He could have found out without asking, of course.
Sully ordered a Scotch. Remy had promised fancy and Sully was going to treat himself.
“Just opened up a garage,” he answered. “Not too much business, but I make enough to get by. And it keeps me busy.”
Busy was good. Boredom would lead to temptation. He could take as much time as he needed working on engines, changing oil, replacing tires, and before he knew it the day would be over. And he’d be too tired from all that to want to go out and get into trouble, so he’d stay home. It was a boring, uneventful life, but it worked for him.
“I’m enjoying my retirement.”
A drop in the bucket for the Billionaire Playboy. He could certainly afford a fancy celebration meal for his.. what was Sully now, anyway? They weren’t friends-- Remy didn’t have friends-- so maybe just acquaintances? Did they really need a label?
At sixteen, Remy had once fantasized that they were more intimate than friends.
That had been a great dream.
But he was older now, they both were, and boyish dreams had been replaced with curvy bodies and hard abdomens.
Ah, yes, it was hard being Remy LeBeau.
“You’ve always been good with your hands.” It was fitting that he worked in a garage. “One day, I hope to do the same.” Enjoy retirement. He was looking forward to retiring around forty and doing.. well.. nothing at all.
“I guess I don’t have to ask about a wife or serious girlfriend?” He wasn’t wearing a ring and.. well. For some reason, Remy doubted the ’Silver Fox’ had a steady girlfriend. Usually people trying to get their lives back together didn’t leap into relationships.
Sully let out a laugh.
“No,” he finally answered. “Not much time to date in prison. And don’t buy that ‘everyone loves a bad boy’ spiel. No sensible woman wants to date an ex-con.”
Now, sleeping with an ex-con was an entirely different matter. But in Sully’s vast experience with women, he knew that one-night stands never ever led anywhere. And he was okay with that for now.
“I wouldn’t mind having a woman’s touch around,” he continued. “But I wouldn’t know what to do with her besides charm her, anyhow. And that gets really old, really fast. Unless I bagged an idiot, in which case, I wouldn’t want her sticking around anyway.”
He sat back in his chair.
“What about you?” he asked, folding his hands together. “I hate to give you a compliment and make your head any bigger, but you’re not too terrible looking yourself. Is there anyone contending for the title of Mrs. LeBeau?”
“You know, I’ve never found that charming gets really old really fast. Maybe you’re just not doing it right. I give out free lessons on how to charm a woman every Wednesday at the Y.” Remy joked with a smile.
But then the waiter was coming around to take their orders, get them more drinks, and them make himself scarce again. Remy waited until he was gone to continue the conversation.
“Oh, there are plenty of women out there looking for that title.. but I’m not ready to be part of a Mr. and Mrs. team. I’m not husband material-- I’m not even boyfriend material. I’m dating material.. that’s where I’m comfortable and until my looks go, which I don’t expect to be any time soon.. that’s where I plan to stay.”
“With the right woman, charm can only get you so far,” Sully said. “They can see through that bullshit. It works on bimbos, but not a woman with a good head on her shoulders. Not that there’s anything wrong with bimbos, mind you. I’ve had some pretty good times with them myself.”
He chuckled to himself, remembering some distant, fond memory before straightening his face again. “Alright, so no woman in your future, I can respect that,” he continued. “At least you won’t be distracted. That’s good. I guess.”
Sully didn’t really agree with the lifestyle Remy was leading anymore, but he still respected anyone who could do what they did and do it well. And Remy seemed to be doing really well for himself. It was a weird mix of pride and disappointment. Sully got the idea he’d be feeling that for a good long while.
He glanced around the area they were in, making sure there wasn’t anyone around. He knew all the tricks about not wanting to be seen when you were eavesdropping and Sully made sure there were no errant ears around them before continuing the conversation.
“So, who have you been working for lately?” he asked. There were only so many big names in their business, and Sully knew pretty much all of them. “Are you keeping yourself safe?”
Remy lived a complicated lifestyle, that was for certain. But he simplified it as much as he could-- and that meant keeping his love life uncomplicated.
“I don’t work for anyone these days. I work for myself.” No more fencing.. if he took it, it was because he wanted it. Gone were the days of missing relics, he now commissioned perfect replicas and switched them out. No one was anymore the wiser. It gave him the originals and it gave them something to display.
It was win-win. No one looking at it would ever know it wasn’t the real thing. Those people didn’t know their ass from hole in the wall. What made them worthy of the real thing? Nothing. They should be with Remy. He could appreciate them.
“I’m safe as can be. I’ve grown up a lot. I’ve spread out.. I’ve teched up.” And he had plenty of tech on his side. He was like.. the bad Batman, using his powers for evil instead of good.
“Good, good,” Sully answered. “Just make sure you don’t get in over your head.”
God, he was such an old man now, what with the lectures. But he couldn’t help it. Remy was his rival, but he didn’t want to see the guy get in trouble. At least, not in the kind of trouble he couldn’t get out of. Honestly, a stint in prison would probably do him good, humble him a bit. But Sully didn’t want him to have to go under the same circumstances he had. He wouldn’t wish that on his worst enemy.
Okay, maybe he would wish it on his worst enemy, but not his best frienemy. That was just messed up.