Chad didn't know what exactly was going on. Sitting in the car he would realize that the surroundings were starting to grow familiar and it was with a growing sense of dread that he caught the name of a passing street. Lavender eye's opened wide before they snapped over towards Ace as they parked in front of a building that wasn't appearing the way it should of when Chad had last left it. Licking at his lips nervously the youth's fingers grabbed at the handle to his door before finally allowing himself out. Every muscle that was visible could easily be seen to be quivering as if he were fighting off a desire to lean on the flight part of his adrenalin began to flow through the thick blood in his veins. It would of been an accurate description if one were to turn around and make a comparison between Chad and a beaten dog, both wary of their surroundings, both skittish and some what fear full even after recovery. Chad just stood there his fingers gripping so tight over the car door that his knuckles were white.
Right there in front of him he could see the ghostly image of Diamonds used to look like only now..now it was something different. Slowly he would push the door shut on the classic before sneaker covered feet crunched against the gravel parking lot as he drifted closer to what was appearing to be some sort of Irish pub? Still drifting slower Chad watched as Ace moved a head of him so as to open the door which would allow the urchin to enter with hesitant steps. The first thing Chad noticed that was different was the smell. Diamond Lounge had always smelt of sweat, perfume and cologne as well as several other things that Chad normally would just force himself to ignore. But this...this was so much different. Tilting his head up some air would be pulled in through his nostrils as he savored the scent. It was actually quite....enjoyable. Pale eye's caught Dane's figure behind the bar..or more importantly the smoke hanging from between his lips. In an almost frantic motion Chad started to pat at his pockets before finally finding the smooshed pack.
Pulling it out a bench cigaret would be shoved into his mouth until it was finally lit. Those actions alone were showing just how unnerved Chad was since normally he would of never been this obvious about his emotions. "Yeah...shocking.." He murmured at the redhead behind him before taking a deep drag, feeling the smoke filling his lungs to the extent as he viewed the room around him, his face the perfect mixture of shock and awe..that was until a flash of light nearly blinded the boy and caused him to jump back as natural instinct forced him to react to what he had perceived as a threat "What the fuck!" The snarled words came out with a rush of smoke while eye's narrowed at Dane. Hands shook visibly as eye's darted from left to right. It looked as if he were about to give himself an aneurism from stress at the suddenness of the situation. His head jerked to the side when Ace started to talk, making mention about showing him upstairs..Pulling the tube of tobacco from his lips and tapping the burnt ash into an ashtray on the counter Chad wasn't to sure if he could bring himself to go upstairs.
Memory's were assaulting his mind worse than when he had been ill and it was making his chest hurt with how hard his heart was starting to pump. "You guys are assholes and I just want you to know how much I hate you right now." The words were half hearted with obvious no true meaning behind them as he turned and started to move in the direction Ace was nudging him. Even the stairs had been changed but it didn't stop Chad from remembering what they used to look like..and just what went on upstairs..His protests were swallowed back and kept from being spoken by the cig in his mouth though his small hands started to shake harder until he finally grabbed the railing of the stairs after several more nudges from the hybrid behind him. Apparently he wasn't allowed to not go upstairs it seemed. When told which door was "his" Chad gave the most intelligent of comments. "....What?" He didn't even have the eloquence to question the Italian when Ace stepped around him to open up the door. The first thing that Chad noticed was the smell and then the quiet..
Stepping in slowly those exotic oculars examined every inch of the room quickly though what caught his attention was the soft golden gleam of his mothers urn. A choked gasp was given before his smoke had to be grabbed lest it fall to the floor in his shock. He hadn't ever expected on seeing it again..and while he was thankful that his other items had been retrieved it was the urn he cherished the most for obvious reasons..Slow steps brought him closer and closer to the container as his hands reached out to gently lift it from the night stand..It was freshly polished too and properly at that..He could tell from the way it gleamed brightly from the light and the faint smell of polish. 'I'm back mom...sorry I was gone for so long.' His thoughts echoed the pleasure at getting to 'see' her again before he set the urn back down. Turning around his fingers ran across the brick of the wall while another inhaling of that toxic smoke was taken. It seemed he was closely inspecting everything he could.
Fingertips reached out to flick at his skateboard wheels making them spin as he walked towards the large bed. It wasn't like he hadn't heard Ace's questions but it was simply that Chad couldn't bring himself to actually speak without the knowledge that he would start to cry. Pushing his hands against the soft comforter the youths breath hitched in his throat for a second before he managed to exhale his smoke and then clear his throat in a small cough. Not once did Chad realize just how much was showing on his face or in the way his body was presenting itself until he felt the faint tickle of moisture. Thankful that his back was towards Ace the urchin would let one hand drift up as if pretending to pull his cigaret away only to use his fingers to swipe at his eye's. Sensitive ears easily picked up the sound of the taller male moving further into what was his room before he spoke. After a moment the youth finally managed to consider himself composed enough to face the man as he turned around and lifted those pale orbs upwards to his face.
"A job? What you mean like here at the bar?" Eye's narrowed for a second in suspicion as Ace started to pace over that fresh hardwood floor. Lifting fingers to snag at his smoke the kid turned his head and spotted the ashtray on the dark coffee table. Tapping the tube so as to keep the ash all in one area. Chad wasn't entirely to sure on if he was liking the way that Ace was pacing and how those summer meadow eye's were locking on his features. To say he was nervous would be a horrible understatement at the moment yet at the same time curiosity was peeking its head around his personality..unable not to resist finding out just what the fuck was going on. So Chad would listen as the man in front of him started to explain things..eye's growing wider and wider when the implications behind it all became clear...It was at the slight slip up in choice of words that threw the urchin into a suspicious and ambivalent mood. There shouldn't of been a stumble on words which meant that Ace had accidentally let loose what he had truly meant to say before trying to cover it up without offending Chad.
For several moments he remained silent before finally venturing his question forward "...Why did you sign anything with her in the first place Ace...I get the feeling your not telling me something." Instincts were itching before he simply shrugged it off...after all Ace never would do him harm willingly, not anymore that is. When the second half of the conversation started up Chad would just silently listen while he stood there watching the much larger man..Obviously he had issues staying still..did Ace suffer from A.D.H.D or something? The mention of Malavich's name had Chad instantly stiffening up, his back going ramrod straight when told that the trial would be in a few weeks..he'd have to face the man..the same man who had ordered the disfiguration of his body..lips curled into a silent snarl for only a moment only to be wiped away when told about the deal that had been copped in order to "obtain" his testimony. Surprise painted his face as fingers of his left hand grabbed at the hem of his shirt causing him to not even notice what the digits were doing..
Fuck it..his lips were trembling..he could feel it but there was nothing he could do. The simple fact that he was being presented with a clean slate..it was overwhelming and Chad didn't know how to respond to this sudden gift being given to him on a silver platter. Watching Ace with care at the mention of yet one more thing..Jesus just how much shit was going to happen to him before he could have a chance to shift through it all?!?! Sinking himself down onto the couch Chad would light another one of his own cigs in imitation to Ace..though it was simply more because he needed something to do with those shaking hands besides murdering the hem of his shirt which was already starting to stretch out from the wringing of it constantly. Eye's were trained on the screen of what apparently was now his own TV...that fact alone had him reeling...but he couldn't concentrate on that just yet..no this was something important that required every ounce of his concentration and attention.
Watching the TV flicker on to say that Chad was shocked would yet again be an understatement..apparently he wasn't allowed to have his feet under him emotionally and mentally today. A small flinch followed both shots that echoed through the speakers and the way that the man was groaning on the floor. The hand holding his cancer stick slowly lifted, shaking still until the tips of his fingers touched at the scare decorating his own face. Feeling the puckered flesh just under his eye while observing how Ace had placed an identical cut to the tormentors face. Jaws tightened while that heavy silence continues even as the scuffle turned into a taunting and anger filled conversation about him of all people. He couldn't stop it...there was just so much pressure in his chest as he sat there that breathing was difficult though he still struggled and remained in control of that calm mask. Eye's burned bad enough to finally call forth more moisture which gathered and finally started to spill down against his cheeks to his jaw before falling as he silently wept.
Tapping the ash off his cigaret Chad brought his hands up before grinding the heal of his hands into his eye sockets. Pushing them there for several moments before finally wiping his face clean in smooth even motions. Lips parted as he uttered the best thank you that he could before finally having to look away embarrassed by his tears. Freedom...Ace had granted him freedom from a man who had relentlessly tortured him and personal oppressor. Never again would Chad have to look over his shoulder in fear wondering when he would become another unwilling target. It was when Ace turned around and approached him with a band being held out that Chad realized what was going on..Slowly he reached his hand out to grasp at the leather band, twisting it around to catch the metal band that matched almost identically as the one which hung around Ace's neck. What had started it again was one simple word that Ace probably didn't even realize was so powerful. Family..To suddenly be accepted like that for who he was after being alone for so long..it was enough to make him tremble as his teeth bit into his lower lip, holding on tightly that he was almost biting through the skin.
Watching as Ace just nodded his head after keeping eye contact with him for so long before turning around and leaving, shutting that beautiful door behind him. The silence closed in around him shrouding him. Looking down at the leather band Chad closely inspected the craftsmanship before moving it to encircle one of his wrists...the one decorated with a thick ugly scar which ran all the around. Slipping the leather strap through the buckle Chad would tighten it against his skin before allowing the metal post to find a hole so as to hold it. From there he would allow the strap to be held down properly by sliding it out of the buckle. Turning his wrist around those exotically colored eye's inspected how it looked against his arm..large, big enough to hide his scare comfortably and it was snug against his arm. Chad liked it, rather good taste too if he had to admit. Looking back to the urn of his mother the urchin approached it, his hand stroking the tip of his pointer finger across the pearl inlay.
"Mama...I think things are finally starting to look up for me..Its just like you always said..." His other hand reached out before scooping up the urn and holding it close to his chest. "I promise I wont disappoint you anymore...I'm really going to try this time because its what you'd want me to do right?" Looking down at the urn Chad stiffed a sniffle before giving a genuine smile. "I think this is going to be nice." Days turned into weeks as Chad continued his recovery. Appointments for physical therapy sessions were made and kept begrudgingly. Meetings with a nutrition expert were scheduled...and blown off. Doctor appointments that rolled around seemed to find that Chad had disappeared, a trait he had perfected into an art. Regardless though it was obvious that the boy was starting to come around from his ordeal. There was one glaring problem though, it seemed that Chad's reluctance to eat wasn't a new development. Upon observation a pattern could be seen with his eating habits.
It was only every other day that a single actual meal was taken and even then it was only ever partially consumed.. For the time in between Chad could be found with a bag of chips to be munched on or a granola bar being nibbled between his teeth. It was an ingrained habit by this time in his life, eat light so that when a shortage of food came around the body wouldn't be affected as badly. Another aspect could be noticed if Ace or Dane took a closer look. None perishable food was horded, stored away for later consumption. Further traits could be noticed the longer both adults spent time around the short male. That dead emotionless gaze he carried around wasn't so much a mask as it was a barrier. Used to buffer the world around him as he watched from the sidelines with that jaded view on life. It became obvious though that despite how distanced Chad kept himself the boy longed to belong, to be apart of something. Though his employment with Cipher was doing a good job of that so far.
When out in public the youth could be caught gazing at groups of friends though it was when a family passed by him that the reaction was more visible. Something flickered behind those exotically hued oculars for only a moment before that corpse like gaze returned. The walls that the boy had built around himself were thick and near on impossible to breach but the longer that the Italian half breed spent time with Chad the greater his chances at being let in. When rare glimpses into the males true character something became almost painfully obvious. It appeared that Chad had a very twisted sense of humor, almost bordering on cruel. This tidbit of knowledge was experienced first hand by Dan. It had been a normal enough day where Chad had been sitting in the corner of the tavern that had been quartered off for their own personal use. On the table in front of him random books had been spread around him, loose sheets of paper and highlighters and pens.
Because of his life style school had been a moot point to the boy when there were bigger things to worry about. So the opportunity to earn his G.E.D was not wasted. It had been with reluctance that Chad admitted to the need of glasses in order to assist him in reading. For some reason it had embarrassed the boy in having to confess to some sort of weakness. So when the purchase was made the youth only wore them when absolutely necessary. It was only out of necessity that he was found wearing them that day. Dane had been cleaning the bar when he made an attempt at humor. "You know Chad, with those glasses and your hair someone could mistake you for their Lil' ol' grandma." The heat behind that glare was enough of a warning that Dane had fucked up. But it was the following statement of "I suppose so" that truly put the older man on guard, especially when lips curled up into a sickeningly sweet smile which did not appear right by any standards on Chads face.
At first it seemed as if no consequences were to befall Dane for his comment until things , small things, started to happen. Suddenly Dane was starting to wonder if he had started to gain weight when his work pants began to fit uncomfortably tight. Then it seemed as if the dryer was starting to eat all of his left socks. The Italians friend suspected something as all of the rags he used to clean the tavern simply disappeared. Out of no where Dane became increasingly clumsy. Tripping over his own feet when there had been nothing to trip over to begin with. It was then that he began to wonder if the young man was behind his sudden bad luck that's to the occurrences of when the door handle of his car simply came off when he touched it. The paranoia grew worse when upon turning on his car the radio started to blast out heavy screamo metal at maximum volume. When all the contact names in his cellphone were changed to not only random gibberish but the whole programing seemed to be locked in Korean font.
Dane began contemplating apologizing. The deciding factor was when one morning Dane was fixing a cup of coffee, his eye's still heavy with sleep and movements sluggish while reaching for the life giving brew that had just been prepared with his cream and sugar. The mug was lifted up and a large sip taken only to have it spat back out in a fine spray. Frantically the sugar container was grabbed before the discovery that the white grains were not sugar but salt instead. Minutes were spent in an attempt not to scream before a decision was made. Later on that day Dane would approach Chad while he was studying once more in the corner sectioned off for their private use. Catching the youths attention the man would take a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry for calling you a little old woman" Those exotic eye's would blink behind the thin wired glasses before once again the male knocked Dane off of his mental balance "I don't know what the fuck your talking about Dane..Hey could you go get me a sprite?"
But from that moment on the odd occurrences stopped. Which only left a single question to the older male. Just how the hell had Chad done it all?!?! Well no answers would be given that much was for certain. Further notice of the boys agility and flexibility would become apparent as use of his skateboard was used. Simple enough tricks were displayed here and there. A board flip, grinding along a rail, maneuvering gracefully through large crowds at a fast pace. A love for music had already been known of but not the extent of it apparently. The boys room was always clean for the most part except for his dark stained coffee table. That was always littered with sheets of music and tabs. From time to time a freshly made Ocarina could also be seen sitting there to dry. The creations of his instruments was always a serious affair to Chad. No entry would be granted to the room he occupied on those days. When he did reappear the plae flesh of his hands told to Ace and Dane that the young man had not only been shaping his pieces with clay but that the staining of paint gave away the fact that he was decorating them as well.
When the day came for Chad to take another step forward in his life the urchin found himself ready which was the reason why he had taken a shower that morning. Standing in the bathroom the boy wiped the fogged mirror with his hand causing the face to appear in the reflective surface. Water heavy locks of hair clung around his ears and neck. It was with an absent thought that Chad wondered if he should get it trimmed. Fingers grasped at a lock of those ashen gray strands. No...no he would let it grow out a bit more, after all he could remember just how much his mother had loved her boys hair. Memory's of her fingers sliding against his head and through those strands created a ghosting tingle to spread over his scalp. Back then the child's hair had been a golden blond, mimicking his mothers mop of bright curls in hue. It had been the shock and stress that had forced him into going gray so prematurely. Huffing loudly Chad grabbed at the towel which hung on the hook decorating the back of the bathroom door.
Using it to rub almost violently over his body and finally his hair to get rid of the excess water clinging to him. Shortly after this process a glint of metal caught his eye. Looking over at the leather band sitting on the edge of the sink Chad reached a hand out and flicked his finger against the tag sewn in place causing it to click softly. The light metal contrasted in a stark and bold manor to the dark leather it was bound to. A faint smile curled the corners of his lips as he remembered how Ace had held it out to him. "Welcome to the family Chad" Family. It was a foreign concept to him yet it was undeniable the strange warmth that filled his normally cold heart when he had finally decided to reach out and accept what was being given to him. Now Lifting the band up Chad realized that of late he had been wearing it with a comfortableness that surprised him...licking at his lips for a second the band was wrapped around his left wrist.
Thankful that the leather band was just thick enough to hide a good portion of the ugly scar marring his flesh there. Tightening it and then sliding the post through the buckle Chad would turn his arm to gaze at the identification. It was weird really. Weird because when Chad thought of ID tags he thought of the army styled ones..you know the kind..The ones that would have your name spelt out like "C. SPAULDING" with your birth-date or something. Not this...nope it was strange to look at and unless you had some technological knowledge then the simple fact that it was some sort of higher tech bar code would go unnoticed. Chad was a tad curious just what his was supposed to say..though honestly he could probably ask Ace about it. Though for some reason Chad didn't, as if he were uncomfortable to do it..Shoulders shrugged for a moment before attention was drawn back towards the mirror. Lavender oculars centere3d automatically on the scar decorating his face. Honestly Chad didn't mind it to much.
It added character he believed, plus in his mind it helped to make that baby face of his look a tad older. Tilting his chin up Chad noticed a splattering of fine pale hair that was attempting to claim the skin along his jaw and chin. Facial hair was another thing that could go a long way in making him appear older but it was something which Chad had no desire to do. Adjusting the ear buds echoing music so the cord wouldn't get in the way the youth picked up his razor and started to pin point all the fuzz. It was so hard for him to grow facial hair in the first place that the urchin had completely abandoned the idea. Not to mention that he was dead set in the idea that nay sort of hair on his face would only look absolutely retarded. So it was with a practiced hand that the blade glided over his flesh, cutting away the little bits of hair it was aimed at. While Chad did this the left over steam from his shower continued to cloud the air. The moist heat a welcomed sensation as it caressed over his body.
These days the male had taken to long bouts of soaking in the tub or lengthy showers that apparently a secret necessity and not an indulgence like Ace and Dance seemed to think it was. It was simply because the heated water helped to keep the scared and mangled flesh of his back moisturized, reducing the amount of painful tightness by almost twenty fold. Chad could care less if the older men thought it was being vain and petty, it was a subject that Chad was obviously reluctant to talk about and understandably so considering how he received the marred flesh. There was a reason why the doctors had wanted Chad to attend therapy sessions after all...The effect wasn't lost on anyone who walked past the boys door at night. The muffled sounds of whimpering could be heard through the door and on other nights the undeniable sounds of shrieking echoed for a short time before it would abruptly cut off. The boy suffered from night terrors to the point that they would leave large bags under his eye's in the morning and tint those exotic oculars red from the lack of sleep.
The hardest nights were the ones that drew full blown screams. Those were the ones where Chad would only leave his room with great reluctance in the morning and only if necessary. He hated appearing so weak and while yes the doctors had prescribed him sleeping pills Chad despised them. True they allowed him a deep enough sleep that no dreams penetrated his rest but it also fucked with his perception before he slept and lasting for a few hours afterwards to. So when faced with a decision..Chad chose to simply suffer through the nightmares knowing that eventually they would fade away. `Turning the sink on the youth would run the head of his razor under the running liquid in order to wash away any clinging strands of fuzz from the sharpened edge. once finished the boy would lean closer towards the mirror so he could once more inspect his features. When positive that he had snagged all of the hair from his jaw line Chad decided that perhaps it was time to vacate the heavily steam filled room.
First thing was first though. He wanted to make sure everything was cleaned up and put in its proper place. Attention was dropped down to the sink he was standing in front of. Running the tap once more he used slender fingers against the porcelain to make sure it was rinsed clean. His next stop was the shower. Seeing that the shampoo and conditioner he used was in its designated spot on the built in shelf the youth then checked the drain to make sure none of his hair was clogging it. Finding his suspicions to be proven true Chad would bend forward so he could fish out the small bundle of loose strands. After depositing the clump into the small trash can the next stop was to make sure all of the water he had dripped on the floor was wiped up. Once everything was said and done Chad found himself satisfied with the condition he was leaving the bathroom in.
So it was after making sure the towel was tight around his hips and another draped over the top of his shoulders (presumably to catch any lingering drops of water from his hair, though in honestly it was to hide his back) Chad would unlock then open the door. Now what Chad hadn't realized was that while Ace and Dane had been downstairs talking about what a little girl he was for spending so much time in the shower Dane made mention that he was going to go check on the urchin, especially when they both realized just how long he had been in the bathroom for. So when that door opened and Chad spied Dane to say he wasn't surprised would of been an understatement though it didn't show on his face. Reaching a hand up Chad would pull the ear buds out of his ears as he gazed at the other man. "...What?" The tone was rather disrespectful to be honest so Dane's jaw tensing was understandable. And the only reason why Chad knew that Dane was just seconds away from grinding his teeth was because he had spotted the sinew in the males temple jump.
"Mind telling me what you were doing in there for the last THREE hours Chad??" Now the urchin could of told the truth. Stating that his back had been aching and he had been using the hot water to help relieve the strain. But why go down the boring path that Truth provided when lying was just soooo much more fun? As he stood there Chad just stared back blankly into that irritated glare before he finally answered. "...We don't have a sauna...so I made the bathroom into one." What had given him the idea was the heated steam which was billowing out around him as its entrapment in the room ended the moment Chad opened the door. And while it was a blatant lie not a single ounce of his deception showed through the empty expression decorating his features. It was with a hidden glee that the boy watched several emotions play over Dane's face. Confusion turned into realization which led to more frustration and finally it settled on barely restrained rage.
It was taking all of Chad's experience not to break into a mocking grin as he continued "We should probably get one installed or something." He would just stand there watching Dane fight with himself to prevent a blow up before he finally put the last touch. "...So shouldn't you be going to call someone about this? I thought Ace left you in charge of everything..Your startin to lag Dane, maybe its the old age or something." Fuel to the fire had those features starting to contort while that complexion darkened to a heavy red. With the damage done the boy would start to whistle a tune with a carefree manor as he stepped around the still emotionally conflicted and unbalanced man before sauntering down the hall. It wasn't until Chad was in his room that he heard the result of his brain bomb. "AAAAAAACEEEEEE I'M GONNA FUCKIN KILL HIM!!!!" In the safety of his room the boy allowed himself a hearty laugh. yes he should probably be nicer to the individual that shared space with him under the taverns second floor roof but to be honest Chad simply couldn't help himself.
Dane didn't make it any easier to resist considering just how perfectly he responded to the mental jabs. The man literally made it so easy that it was like he was asking for it. TO someone like Chad it was as if he were taking candy away from a baby. So it was with a chuckle under his breath that the boy started to get ready for his day. Tossing his towels on his tidily made bed Chad started to riffle through his dresser drawers. When clothing had been decided on the articles would be slipped onto the youths still too skinny body. The reason behind the black tank top and dark gray loose shorts being chosen was because Chad knew he was going to need the loose fabric so as not to inhibit his movement. Ace had made mention that the boy was going to need to complete some sort of physical assessment for Ciphers records. Just what exactly it was composed of Ace couldn't (coughwouldntcough) tell. This was the reason behind his decision to by pass his standard choice of headgear as well.
Instead of his normal black beanie a different route was traveled. Brush in hand Chad started to run the bristles through his still damn strands. The desired effect raked his hair back before it was gathered up in the fingers of his free hand. Content with the results a hair band was used to trap the ashen gray locks into a simple pony tail. Past experience allowed Chad the knowledge that his hair wouldn't stay like that for long though. So with that in mind the youth grabbed a bright crimson red bandana. A couple of twists to the fabric had the cloth folded up to about a width of two inches or so. Taking the modified head band the urchin would then wrap it around his cranium before tying it tightly at the base of his skull. His final touches included a simple pair of socks, his comfortable new sneakers and his skateboard which he was almost never seen without. Leaving his room and shutting his door behind him Chad would start for the stairs, his feet easily taking the steps before Ace noticed him.
Ignoring the jab thrown at him by Ace, Chad simply stuck his tongue out at the Italian mutt before descending the stairs fully. ...what the hell took you so damn long? Dane poked his head out from the kitchen, a glare directed towards the shortest of the group "He decided to turn our bathroom into a sauna that's what took him so long" Huffing the man disappeared back into the kitchen as Chad just slipped himself up onto one of the bar stools with a satisfied smirk on his face. At the comment of being told that he was supposed to of worn pants Chad just shot a deadpan look at the man sitting next to him "Yeah...and I'm pretty sure I told you that I have zero fucks to give on that, so what's your point exactly?" When Dane reappeared this time carrying a plate packed full of food only to set it in front of Chad "You didn't put anything in this right? Like poison or shit?" Chad would pick up his fork and poke at the food for a moment until finally some of the eggs were speared before being shoveled into his mouth.
It was chewed for a moment and though the food item was light and fluffy it was more than he really wanted to eat..so eye's drifted to the bowl of fruit. Redirecting his attention on snagging chunks of pineapple he would chew happily enough at the naturally sweet fruit. Now this was good. The mention of his knee's and some jazz coming from Ace only had the youths shoulders rising and falling in a shrug that showed just how much he cared along with a raised middle finger as yet another chunk of pineapple was grabbed by his fork. "I'mma go get my shit, hurry up and eat, I wanna get out there before all the douche bags start showing up." A simple side glance was given towards Ace as Chad purposely grabbed a strawberry and started to chew it as slowly as he physically could as if to tell Ace where to take his 'hurry up' comment.
But even after Ace left Chad simply stopped eating..Just those few pieces of fruit had him starting to feel full..pathetic really but he simply wasn't used to eating very much so while he waited for the hybrid that fork would simply pick apart what was on his plate..taking a nibble here and there before he finally gave up and just pushed it away as he started to sip from his orange juice. The time allotted to him was uninterrupted by Dance who was cleaning off the counter a bit further down which allowed Chad some time to contemplate. While some things had been explained to him he was still having troubles coming to terms with his new life...So willingly offered..so much help being given for free..it unnerved the boy who was used to having to fight for every scrap and inch. His thoughts continued along that path as his fork scooped up a bit more egg..not noticing that it fell off of the fork before his teeth came down in a sharp click. "Fuck!" The exclamation drew Dane's attention towards him the man having a wine glass in his hand now and his rag in another..It seemed as if he were just about to start polishing the wine glasses.
The concerned question presented wasn't verbally answered though a shake of his head was given before he sighed and started to push his food around again. His stomach was starting to feel to full..he knew he needed to stop eating at this point or else he risked making himself sick. When Ace finally returned Chad would glance down at his plate..while it looked like a rather good amount had been eaten in truth most of it had just been pushed around. Well at least he had eaten all of the fruit, that was something right? Hopping off of the bar stool Chad would lift his foot before using the toe of his shoe to tap down hard enough to make his skateboard pop up high enough for his hands to grab at it. "Yea, sure...Lets just get this over with." Despite the rather ideal temperature and almost perfect day Chad hardly looked thrilled to be out and about. He was still sore even after that long shower but not a word of it was uttered to his companion as the older man drove.
When they finally arrived at Cipher headquarters the young man started to scope out the grounds. Experienced eye's easily located all the strengths...and weaknesses, habit really but Chad was pleasantly surprised to see there was very little to actually criticize. Cipher didn't shave any expense it seemed...though it didn't mean the place was impenetrable. Already Chad found at least four different' spots that he could slip in at without anyone being the wiser. He noticed the concerned glance given in his direction after Ace performed the necessary security input though Chad pretended not to see it. He hadn't slept well the night before..having only managed to muffle his screams thanks to the fact his face had already been face down into his pillow. Stiffing a yawn the urchin listened as his companion/co-worker/boss described the grounds, explaining what each building was and doing it as if he had prerecorded the damn thing. Though when his attention was brought towards the obstacle course Chad couldn't and wouldn't suppress his groan
"Seriously?" When the car came to a stop the short male climbed out of the vehicle, hardly even paying attention to Ace. Leaving his board in the back seat of the car the kid pushed his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he just watched everything for a few moments only to suddenly have his damn ear blown out almost thanks to Ace and his fucking stupid mega phone. "God damn it are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack!" He screamed back at the taller man before sneering..Pulling his hands from his pockets the boy would lift his left foot..angling it back before tapping his toes against the ground a few times. He was getting a bad feeling about all of this..but it was ignored as a simple belief that Ace had set him up..so with a huff the boy would start to jog, purposely not running full out and taking his time with the easy pace as he made his way out towards the obstacle course "Worst..fucking day...ever. I can already tell" He mumbled to himself.
He jogged easily enough, actually glad he had picked out the clothing he had. Fuck Ace and his mention of wearing pants. Hell if Chad had actually decided to listen (for once) and worn the pants he knew that not only would he of ended up sweating even worse but the fabric would constrict his legs causing him discomfort and diminishing his performance. "Fuck Ace, why the hell is this necessary?" He called over his shoulder towards the red head..Plans were already starting to settle into effect about what sort of revenge would be enacted thanks to the use of that god forsaken megaphone. Seriously who used that shit!!! His damn ears were still ringing from the surprise rise in noise volume. Despite the nice temperature out for the day Chad knew from experience it was going to heat up quickly..They were in the middle of what seemed to be an odd time considering that while they had just broken from a nasty record low winter their spring apparently was trying to make up for the frigid temperatures by bring record highs for the season.
"Stupid nature..can't fucking decide on one god damn standard...To much to ask for I guess.." Those new sneakers hit the ground and Ace would probably notice that Chad didn't run using the full foot..instead he was only using the ball of his foot and his toes. Every time his shoe covered foot hit the ground only the ball of his foot would take the brunt of the strike which allowed him to rebound the energy that wasn't used into his leg, toes digging in to propel him forward. It was a tactic that track runners used during races. It reduced muscle fatigue and allowed for the runner to better manage his energy. This was the same trick that had also gotten Chad through many different scrapes and the reason why he was so fast. Why waist unnecessary energy when you could be efficient with your get away. After all you couldn't rightly stay alive if you weren't one step a head of the game...Chad liked to be ten steps.
When he finally reached the obstacle course he would slow down until finally stopping. Not even winded from the minor jog the youth settled his hands against his hips as he turned around, letting those strange unusual eye's gaze at everything he could..So there was some sort of balancing thing..like a gymnastics beam he guessed...Obvious that had to be a wall he was meant to scale if the rope hanging off its side was any indication. Some weird sort of death trap of wire..was he supposed to crawl under that..or step through it? Holy fuck what was this place army boot camp?!?! Some of this shit was unreal and others he had only thought were stereo typed from the movies. "Oi Ace." He would call out when the red head grew closer "Do I gotta do any weapons trainin or anything? Cuz honestly I'd rather not deal with the guns."";
Right there in front of him he could see the ghostly image of Diamonds used to look like only now..now it was something different. Slowly he would push the door shut on the classic before sneaker covered feet crunched against the gravel parking lot as he drifted closer to what was appearing to be some sort of Irish pub? Still drifting slower Chad watched as Ace moved a head of him so as to open the door which would allow the urchin to enter with hesitant steps. The first thing Chad noticed that was different was the smell. Diamond Lounge had always smelt of sweat, perfume and cologne as well as several other things that Chad normally would just force himself to ignore. But this...this was so much different. Tilting his head up some air would be pulled in through his nostrils as he savored the scent. It was actually quite....enjoyable. Pale eye's caught Dane's figure behind the bar..or more importantly the smoke hanging from between his lips. In an almost frantic motion Chad started to pat at his pockets before finally finding the smooshed pack.
Pulling it out a bench cigaret would be shoved into his mouth until it was finally lit. Those actions alone were showing just how unnerved Chad was since normally he would of never been this obvious about his emotions. "Yeah...shocking.." He murmured at the redhead behind him before taking a deep drag, feeling the smoke filling his lungs to the extent as he viewed the room around him, his face the perfect mixture of shock and awe..that was until a flash of light nearly blinded the boy and caused him to jump back as natural instinct forced him to react to what he had perceived as a threat "What the fuck!" The snarled words came out with a rush of smoke while eye's narrowed at Dane. Hands shook visibly as eye's darted from left to right. It looked as if he were about to give himself an aneurism from stress at the suddenness of the situation. His head jerked to the side when Ace started to talk, making mention about showing him upstairs..Pulling the tube of tobacco from his lips and tapping the burnt ash into an ashtray on the counter Chad wasn't to sure if he could bring himself to go upstairs.
Memory's were assaulting his mind worse than when he had been ill and it was making his chest hurt with how hard his heart was starting to pump. "You guys are assholes and I just want you to know how much I hate you right now." The words were half hearted with obvious no true meaning behind them as he turned and started to move in the direction Ace was nudging him. Even the stairs had been changed but it didn't stop Chad from remembering what they used to look like..and just what went on upstairs..His protests were swallowed back and kept from being spoken by the cig in his mouth though his small hands started to shake harder until he finally grabbed the railing of the stairs after several more nudges from the hybrid behind him. Apparently he wasn't allowed to not go upstairs it seemed. When told which door was "his" Chad gave the most intelligent of comments. "....What?" He didn't even have the eloquence to question the Italian when Ace stepped around him to open up the door. The first thing that Chad noticed was the smell and then the quiet..
Stepping in slowly those exotic oculars examined every inch of the room quickly though what caught his attention was the soft golden gleam of his mothers urn. A choked gasp was given before his smoke had to be grabbed lest it fall to the floor in his shock. He hadn't ever expected on seeing it again..and while he was thankful that his other items had been retrieved it was the urn he cherished the most for obvious reasons..Slow steps brought him closer and closer to the container as his hands reached out to gently lift it from the night stand..It was freshly polished too and properly at that..He could tell from the way it gleamed brightly from the light and the faint smell of polish. 'I'm back mom...sorry I was gone for so long.' His thoughts echoed the pleasure at getting to 'see' her again before he set the urn back down. Turning around his fingers ran across the brick of the wall while another inhaling of that toxic smoke was taken. It seemed he was closely inspecting everything he could.
Fingertips reached out to flick at his skateboard wheels making them spin as he walked towards the large bed. It wasn't like he hadn't heard Ace's questions but it was simply that Chad couldn't bring himself to actually speak without the knowledge that he would start to cry. Pushing his hands against the soft comforter the youths breath hitched in his throat for a second before he managed to exhale his smoke and then clear his throat in a small cough. Not once did Chad realize just how much was showing on his face or in the way his body was presenting itself until he felt the faint tickle of moisture. Thankful that his back was towards Ace the urchin would let one hand drift up as if pretending to pull his cigaret away only to use his fingers to swipe at his eye's. Sensitive ears easily picked up the sound of the taller male moving further into what was his room before he spoke. After a moment the youth finally managed to consider himself composed enough to face the man as he turned around and lifted those pale orbs upwards to his face.
"A job? What you mean like here at the bar?" Eye's narrowed for a second in suspicion as Ace started to pace over that fresh hardwood floor. Lifting fingers to snag at his smoke the kid turned his head and spotted the ashtray on the dark coffee table. Tapping the tube so as to keep the ash all in one area. Chad wasn't entirely to sure on if he was liking the way that Ace was pacing and how those summer meadow eye's were locking on his features. To say he was nervous would be a horrible understatement at the moment yet at the same time curiosity was peeking its head around his personality..unable not to resist finding out just what the fuck was going on. So Chad would listen as the man in front of him started to explain things..eye's growing wider and wider when the implications behind it all became clear...It was at the slight slip up in choice of words that threw the urchin into a suspicious and ambivalent mood. There shouldn't of been a stumble on words which meant that Ace had accidentally let loose what he had truly meant to say before trying to cover it up without offending Chad.
For several moments he remained silent before finally venturing his question forward "...Why did you sign anything with her in the first place Ace...I get the feeling your not telling me something." Instincts were itching before he simply shrugged it off...after all Ace never would do him harm willingly, not anymore that is. When the second half of the conversation started up Chad would just silently listen while he stood there watching the much larger man..Obviously he had issues staying still..did Ace suffer from A.D.H.D or something? The mention of Malavich's name had Chad instantly stiffening up, his back going ramrod straight when told that the trial would be in a few weeks..he'd have to face the man..the same man who had ordered the disfiguration of his body..lips curled into a silent snarl for only a moment only to be wiped away when told about the deal that had been copped in order to "obtain" his testimony. Surprise painted his face as fingers of his left hand grabbed at the hem of his shirt causing him to not even notice what the digits were doing..
Fuck it..his lips were trembling..he could feel it but there was nothing he could do. The simple fact that he was being presented with a clean slate..it was overwhelming and Chad didn't know how to respond to this sudden gift being given to him on a silver platter. Watching Ace with care at the mention of yet one more thing..Jesus just how much shit was going to happen to him before he could have a chance to shift through it all?!?! Sinking himself down onto the couch Chad would light another one of his own cigs in imitation to Ace..though it was simply more because he needed something to do with those shaking hands besides murdering the hem of his shirt which was already starting to stretch out from the wringing of it constantly. Eye's were trained on the screen of what apparently was now his own TV...that fact alone had him reeling...but he couldn't concentrate on that just yet..no this was something important that required every ounce of his concentration and attention.
Watching the TV flicker on to say that Chad was shocked would yet again be an understatement..apparently he wasn't allowed to have his feet under him emotionally and mentally today. A small flinch followed both shots that echoed through the speakers and the way that the man was groaning on the floor. The hand holding his cancer stick slowly lifted, shaking still until the tips of his fingers touched at the scare decorating his own face. Feeling the puckered flesh just under his eye while observing how Ace had placed an identical cut to the tormentors face. Jaws tightened while that heavy silence continues even as the scuffle turned into a taunting and anger filled conversation about him of all people. He couldn't stop it...there was just so much pressure in his chest as he sat there that breathing was difficult though he still struggled and remained in control of that calm mask. Eye's burned bad enough to finally call forth more moisture which gathered and finally started to spill down against his cheeks to his jaw before falling as he silently wept.
Tapping the ash off his cigaret Chad brought his hands up before grinding the heal of his hands into his eye sockets. Pushing them there for several moments before finally wiping his face clean in smooth even motions. Lips parted as he uttered the best thank you that he could before finally having to look away embarrassed by his tears. Freedom...Ace had granted him freedom from a man who had relentlessly tortured him and personal oppressor. Never again would Chad have to look over his shoulder in fear wondering when he would become another unwilling target. It was when Ace turned around and approached him with a band being held out that Chad realized what was going on..Slowly he reached his hand out to grasp at the leather band, twisting it around to catch the metal band that matched almost identically as the one which hung around Ace's neck. What had started it again was one simple word that Ace probably didn't even realize was so powerful. Family..To suddenly be accepted like that for who he was after being alone for so long..it was enough to make him tremble as his teeth bit into his lower lip, holding on tightly that he was almost biting through the skin.
Watching as Ace just nodded his head after keeping eye contact with him for so long before turning around and leaving, shutting that beautiful door behind him. The silence closed in around him shrouding him. Looking down at the leather band Chad closely inspected the craftsmanship before moving it to encircle one of his wrists...the one decorated with a thick ugly scar which ran all the around. Slipping the leather strap through the buckle Chad would tighten it against his skin before allowing the metal post to find a hole so as to hold it. From there he would allow the strap to be held down properly by sliding it out of the buckle. Turning his wrist around those exotically colored eye's inspected how it looked against his arm..large, big enough to hide his scare comfortably and it was snug against his arm. Chad liked it, rather good taste too if he had to admit. Looking back to the urn of his mother the urchin approached it, his hand stroking the tip of his pointer finger across the pearl inlay.
"Mama...I think things are finally starting to look up for me..Its just like you always said..." His other hand reached out before scooping up the urn and holding it close to his chest. "I promise I wont disappoint you anymore...I'm really going to try this time because its what you'd want me to do right?" Looking down at the urn Chad stiffed a sniffle before giving a genuine smile. "I think this is going to be nice." Days turned into weeks as Chad continued his recovery. Appointments for physical therapy sessions were made and kept begrudgingly. Meetings with a nutrition expert were scheduled...and blown off. Doctor appointments that rolled around seemed to find that Chad had disappeared, a trait he had perfected into an art. Regardless though it was obvious that the boy was starting to come around from his ordeal. There was one glaring problem though, it seemed that Chad's reluctance to eat wasn't a new development. Upon observation a pattern could be seen with his eating habits.
It was only every other day that a single actual meal was taken and even then it was only ever partially consumed.. For the time in between Chad could be found with a bag of chips to be munched on or a granola bar being nibbled between his teeth. It was an ingrained habit by this time in his life, eat light so that when a shortage of food came around the body wouldn't be affected as badly. Another aspect could be noticed if Ace or Dane took a closer look. None perishable food was horded, stored away for later consumption. Further traits could be noticed the longer both adults spent time around the short male. That dead emotionless gaze he carried around wasn't so much a mask as it was a barrier. Used to buffer the world around him as he watched from the sidelines with that jaded view on life. It became obvious though that despite how distanced Chad kept himself the boy longed to belong, to be apart of something. Though his employment with Cipher was doing a good job of that so far.
When out in public the youth could be caught gazing at groups of friends though it was when a family passed by him that the reaction was more visible. Something flickered behind those exotically hued oculars for only a moment before that corpse like gaze returned. The walls that the boy had built around himself were thick and near on impossible to breach but the longer that the Italian half breed spent time with Chad the greater his chances at being let in. When rare glimpses into the males true character something became almost painfully obvious. It appeared that Chad had a very twisted sense of humor, almost bordering on cruel. This tidbit of knowledge was experienced first hand by Dan. It had been a normal enough day where Chad had been sitting in the corner of the tavern that had been quartered off for their own personal use. On the table in front of him random books had been spread around him, loose sheets of paper and highlighters and pens.
Because of his life style school had been a moot point to the boy when there were bigger things to worry about. So the opportunity to earn his G.E.D was not wasted. It had been with reluctance that Chad admitted to the need of glasses in order to assist him in reading. For some reason it had embarrassed the boy in having to confess to some sort of weakness. So when the purchase was made the youth only wore them when absolutely necessary. It was only out of necessity that he was found wearing them that day. Dane had been cleaning the bar when he made an attempt at humor. "You know Chad, with those glasses and your hair someone could mistake you for their Lil' ol' grandma." The heat behind that glare was enough of a warning that Dane had fucked up. But it was the following statement of "I suppose so" that truly put the older man on guard, especially when lips curled up into a sickeningly sweet smile which did not appear right by any standards on Chads face.
At first it seemed as if no consequences were to befall Dane for his comment until things , small things, started to happen. Suddenly Dane was starting to wonder if he had started to gain weight when his work pants began to fit uncomfortably tight. Then it seemed as if the dryer was starting to eat all of his left socks. The Italians friend suspected something as all of the rags he used to clean the tavern simply disappeared. Out of no where Dane became increasingly clumsy. Tripping over his own feet when there had been nothing to trip over to begin with. It was then that he began to wonder if the young man was behind his sudden bad luck that's to the occurrences of when the door handle of his car simply came off when he touched it. The paranoia grew worse when upon turning on his car the radio started to blast out heavy screamo metal at maximum volume. When all the contact names in his cellphone were changed to not only random gibberish but the whole programing seemed to be locked in Korean font.
Dane began contemplating apologizing. The deciding factor was when one morning Dane was fixing a cup of coffee, his eye's still heavy with sleep and movements sluggish while reaching for the life giving brew that had just been prepared with his cream and sugar. The mug was lifted up and a large sip taken only to have it spat back out in a fine spray. Frantically the sugar container was grabbed before the discovery that the white grains were not sugar but salt instead. Minutes were spent in an attempt not to scream before a decision was made. Later on that day Dane would approach Chad while he was studying once more in the corner sectioned off for their private use. Catching the youths attention the man would take a deep breath before speaking. "I'm sorry for calling you a little old woman" Those exotic eye's would blink behind the thin wired glasses before once again the male knocked Dane off of his mental balance "I don't know what the fuck your talking about Dane..Hey could you go get me a sprite?"
But from that moment on the odd occurrences stopped. Which only left a single question to the older male. Just how the hell had Chad done it all?!?! Well no answers would be given that much was for certain. Further notice of the boys agility and flexibility would become apparent as use of his skateboard was used. Simple enough tricks were displayed here and there. A board flip, grinding along a rail, maneuvering gracefully through large crowds at a fast pace. A love for music had already been known of but not the extent of it apparently. The boys room was always clean for the most part except for his dark stained coffee table. That was always littered with sheets of music and tabs. From time to time a freshly made Ocarina could also be seen sitting there to dry. The creations of his instruments was always a serious affair to Chad. No entry would be granted to the room he occupied on those days. When he did reappear the plae flesh of his hands told to Ace and Dane that the young man had not only been shaping his pieces with clay but that the staining of paint gave away the fact that he was decorating them as well.
When the day came for Chad to take another step forward in his life the urchin found himself ready which was the reason why he had taken a shower that morning. Standing in the bathroom the boy wiped the fogged mirror with his hand causing the face to appear in the reflective surface. Water heavy locks of hair clung around his ears and neck. It was with an absent thought that Chad wondered if he should get it trimmed. Fingers grasped at a lock of those ashen gray strands. No...no he would let it grow out a bit more, after all he could remember just how much his mother had loved her boys hair. Memory's of her fingers sliding against his head and through those strands created a ghosting tingle to spread over his scalp. Back then the child's hair had been a golden blond, mimicking his mothers mop of bright curls in hue. It had been the shock and stress that had forced him into going gray so prematurely. Huffing loudly Chad grabbed at the towel which hung on the hook decorating the back of the bathroom door.
Using it to rub almost violently over his body and finally his hair to get rid of the excess water clinging to him. Shortly after this process a glint of metal caught his eye. Looking over at the leather band sitting on the edge of the sink Chad reached a hand out and flicked his finger against the tag sewn in place causing it to click softly. The light metal contrasted in a stark and bold manor to the dark leather it was bound to. A faint smile curled the corners of his lips as he remembered how Ace had held it out to him. "Welcome to the family Chad" Family. It was a foreign concept to him yet it was undeniable the strange warmth that filled his normally cold heart when he had finally decided to reach out and accept what was being given to him. Now Lifting the band up Chad realized that of late he had been wearing it with a comfortableness that surprised him...licking at his lips for a second the band was wrapped around his left wrist.
Thankful that the leather band was just thick enough to hide a good portion of the ugly scar marring his flesh there. Tightening it and then sliding the post through the buckle Chad would turn his arm to gaze at the identification. It was weird really. Weird because when Chad thought of ID tags he thought of the army styled ones..you know the kind..The ones that would have your name spelt out like "C. SPAULDING" with your birth-date or something. Not this...nope it was strange to look at and unless you had some technological knowledge then the simple fact that it was some sort of higher tech bar code would go unnoticed. Chad was a tad curious just what his was supposed to say..though honestly he could probably ask Ace about it. Though for some reason Chad didn't, as if he were uncomfortable to do it..Shoulders shrugged for a moment before attention was drawn back towards the mirror. Lavender oculars centere3d automatically on the scar decorating his face. Honestly Chad didn't mind it to much.
It added character he believed, plus in his mind it helped to make that baby face of his look a tad older. Tilting his chin up Chad noticed a splattering of fine pale hair that was attempting to claim the skin along his jaw and chin. Facial hair was another thing that could go a long way in making him appear older but it was something which Chad had no desire to do. Adjusting the ear buds echoing music so the cord wouldn't get in the way the youth picked up his razor and started to pin point all the fuzz. It was so hard for him to grow facial hair in the first place that the urchin had completely abandoned the idea. Not to mention that he was dead set in the idea that nay sort of hair on his face would only look absolutely retarded. So it was with a practiced hand that the blade glided over his flesh, cutting away the little bits of hair it was aimed at. While Chad did this the left over steam from his shower continued to cloud the air. The moist heat a welcomed sensation as it caressed over his body.
These days the male had taken to long bouts of soaking in the tub or lengthy showers that apparently a secret necessity and not an indulgence like Ace and Dance seemed to think it was. It was simply because the heated water helped to keep the scared and mangled flesh of his back moisturized, reducing the amount of painful tightness by almost twenty fold. Chad could care less if the older men thought it was being vain and petty, it was a subject that Chad was obviously reluctant to talk about and understandably so considering how he received the marred flesh. There was a reason why the doctors had wanted Chad to attend therapy sessions after all...The effect wasn't lost on anyone who walked past the boys door at night. The muffled sounds of whimpering could be heard through the door and on other nights the undeniable sounds of shrieking echoed for a short time before it would abruptly cut off. The boy suffered from night terrors to the point that they would leave large bags under his eye's in the morning and tint those exotic oculars red from the lack of sleep.
The hardest nights were the ones that drew full blown screams. Those were the ones where Chad would only leave his room with great reluctance in the morning and only if necessary. He hated appearing so weak and while yes the doctors had prescribed him sleeping pills Chad despised them. True they allowed him a deep enough sleep that no dreams penetrated his rest but it also fucked with his perception before he slept and lasting for a few hours afterwards to. So when faced with a decision..Chad chose to simply suffer through the nightmares knowing that eventually they would fade away. `Turning the sink on the youth would run the head of his razor under the running liquid in order to wash away any clinging strands of fuzz from the sharpened edge. once finished the boy would lean closer towards the mirror so he could once more inspect his features. When positive that he had snagged all of the hair from his jaw line Chad decided that perhaps it was time to vacate the heavily steam filled room.
First thing was first though. He wanted to make sure everything was cleaned up and put in its proper place. Attention was dropped down to the sink he was standing in front of. Running the tap once more he used slender fingers against the porcelain to make sure it was rinsed clean. His next stop was the shower. Seeing that the shampoo and conditioner he used was in its designated spot on the built in shelf the youth then checked the drain to make sure none of his hair was clogging it. Finding his suspicions to be proven true Chad would bend forward so he could fish out the small bundle of loose strands. After depositing the clump into the small trash can the next stop was to make sure all of the water he had dripped on the floor was wiped up. Once everything was said and done Chad found himself satisfied with the condition he was leaving the bathroom in.
So it was after making sure the towel was tight around his hips and another draped over the top of his shoulders (presumably to catch any lingering drops of water from his hair, though in honestly it was to hide his back) Chad would unlock then open the door. Now what Chad hadn't realized was that while Ace and Dane had been downstairs talking about what a little girl he was for spending so much time in the shower Dane made mention that he was going to go check on the urchin, especially when they both realized just how long he had been in the bathroom for. So when that door opened and Chad spied Dane to say he wasn't surprised would of been an understatement though it didn't show on his face. Reaching a hand up Chad would pull the ear buds out of his ears as he gazed at the other man. "...What?" The tone was rather disrespectful to be honest so Dane's jaw tensing was understandable. And the only reason why Chad knew that Dane was just seconds away from grinding his teeth was because he had spotted the sinew in the males temple jump.
"Mind telling me what you were doing in there for the last THREE hours Chad??" Now the urchin could of told the truth. Stating that his back had been aching and he had been using the hot water to help relieve the strain. But why go down the boring path that Truth provided when lying was just soooo much more fun? As he stood there Chad just stared back blankly into that irritated glare before he finally answered. "...We don't have a sauna...so I made the bathroom into one." What had given him the idea was the heated steam which was billowing out around him as its entrapment in the room ended the moment Chad opened the door. And while it was a blatant lie not a single ounce of his deception showed through the empty expression decorating his features. It was with a hidden glee that the boy watched several emotions play over Dane's face. Confusion turned into realization which led to more frustration and finally it settled on barely restrained rage.
It was taking all of Chad's experience not to break into a mocking grin as he continued "We should probably get one installed or something." He would just stand there watching Dane fight with himself to prevent a blow up before he finally put the last touch. "...So shouldn't you be going to call someone about this? I thought Ace left you in charge of everything..Your startin to lag Dane, maybe its the old age or something." Fuel to the fire had those features starting to contort while that complexion darkened to a heavy red. With the damage done the boy would start to whistle a tune with a carefree manor as he stepped around the still emotionally conflicted and unbalanced man before sauntering down the hall. It wasn't until Chad was in his room that he heard the result of his brain bomb. "AAAAAAACEEEEEE I'M GONNA FUCKIN KILL HIM!!!!" In the safety of his room the boy allowed himself a hearty laugh. yes he should probably be nicer to the individual that shared space with him under the taverns second floor roof but to be honest Chad simply couldn't help himself.
Dane didn't make it any easier to resist considering just how perfectly he responded to the mental jabs. The man literally made it so easy that it was like he was asking for it. TO someone like Chad it was as if he were taking candy away from a baby. So it was with a chuckle under his breath that the boy started to get ready for his day. Tossing his towels on his tidily made bed Chad started to riffle through his dresser drawers. When clothing had been decided on the articles would be slipped onto the youths still too skinny body. The reason behind the black tank top and dark gray loose shorts being chosen was because Chad knew he was going to need the loose fabric so as not to inhibit his movement. Ace had made mention that the boy was going to need to complete some sort of physical assessment for Ciphers records. Just what exactly it was composed of Ace couldn't (coughwouldntcough) tell. This was the reason behind his decision to by pass his standard choice of headgear as well.
Instead of his normal black beanie a different route was traveled. Brush in hand Chad started to run the bristles through his still damn strands. The desired effect raked his hair back before it was gathered up in the fingers of his free hand. Content with the results a hair band was used to trap the ashen gray locks into a simple pony tail. Past experience allowed Chad the knowledge that his hair wouldn't stay like that for long though. So with that in mind the youth grabbed a bright crimson red bandana. A couple of twists to the fabric had the cloth folded up to about a width of two inches or so. Taking the modified head band the urchin would then wrap it around his cranium before tying it tightly at the base of his skull. His final touches included a simple pair of socks, his comfortable new sneakers and his skateboard which he was almost never seen without. Leaving his room and shutting his door behind him Chad would start for the stairs, his feet easily taking the steps before Ace noticed him.
Ignoring the jab thrown at him by Ace, Chad simply stuck his tongue out at the Italian mutt before descending the stairs fully. ...what the hell took you so damn long? Dane poked his head out from the kitchen, a glare directed towards the shortest of the group "He decided to turn our bathroom into a sauna that's what took him so long" Huffing the man disappeared back into the kitchen as Chad just slipped himself up onto one of the bar stools with a satisfied smirk on his face. At the comment of being told that he was supposed to of worn pants Chad just shot a deadpan look at the man sitting next to him "Yeah...and I'm pretty sure I told you that I have zero fucks to give on that, so what's your point exactly?" When Dane reappeared this time carrying a plate packed full of food only to set it in front of Chad "You didn't put anything in this right? Like poison or shit?" Chad would pick up his fork and poke at the food for a moment until finally some of the eggs were speared before being shoveled into his mouth.
It was chewed for a moment and though the food item was light and fluffy it was more than he really wanted to eat..so eye's drifted to the bowl of fruit. Redirecting his attention on snagging chunks of pineapple he would chew happily enough at the naturally sweet fruit. Now this was good. The mention of his knee's and some jazz coming from Ace only had the youths shoulders rising and falling in a shrug that showed just how much he cared along with a raised middle finger as yet another chunk of pineapple was grabbed by his fork. "I'mma go get my shit, hurry up and eat, I wanna get out there before all the douche bags start showing up." A simple side glance was given towards Ace as Chad purposely grabbed a strawberry and started to chew it as slowly as he physically could as if to tell Ace where to take his 'hurry up' comment.
But even after Ace left Chad simply stopped eating..Just those few pieces of fruit had him starting to feel full..pathetic really but he simply wasn't used to eating very much so while he waited for the hybrid that fork would simply pick apart what was on his plate..taking a nibble here and there before he finally gave up and just pushed it away as he started to sip from his orange juice. The time allotted to him was uninterrupted by Dance who was cleaning off the counter a bit further down which allowed Chad some time to contemplate. While some things had been explained to him he was still having troubles coming to terms with his new life...So willingly offered..so much help being given for free..it unnerved the boy who was used to having to fight for every scrap and inch. His thoughts continued along that path as his fork scooped up a bit more egg..not noticing that it fell off of the fork before his teeth came down in a sharp click. "Fuck!" The exclamation drew Dane's attention towards him the man having a wine glass in his hand now and his rag in another..It seemed as if he were just about to start polishing the wine glasses.
The concerned question presented wasn't verbally answered though a shake of his head was given before he sighed and started to push his food around again. His stomach was starting to feel to full..he knew he needed to stop eating at this point or else he risked making himself sick. When Ace finally returned Chad would glance down at his plate..while it looked like a rather good amount had been eaten in truth most of it had just been pushed around. Well at least he had eaten all of the fruit, that was something right? Hopping off of the bar stool Chad would lift his foot before using the toe of his shoe to tap down hard enough to make his skateboard pop up high enough for his hands to grab at it. "Yea, sure...Lets just get this over with." Despite the rather ideal temperature and almost perfect day Chad hardly looked thrilled to be out and about. He was still sore even after that long shower but not a word of it was uttered to his companion as the older man drove.
When they finally arrived at Cipher headquarters the young man started to scope out the grounds. Experienced eye's easily located all the strengths...and weaknesses, habit really but Chad was pleasantly surprised to see there was very little to actually criticize. Cipher didn't shave any expense it seemed...though it didn't mean the place was impenetrable. Already Chad found at least four different' spots that he could slip in at without anyone being the wiser. He noticed the concerned glance given in his direction after Ace performed the necessary security input though Chad pretended not to see it. He hadn't slept well the night before..having only managed to muffle his screams thanks to the fact his face had already been face down into his pillow. Stiffing a yawn the urchin listened as his companion/co-worker/boss described the grounds, explaining what each building was and doing it as if he had prerecorded the damn thing. Though when his attention was brought towards the obstacle course Chad couldn't and wouldn't suppress his groan
"Seriously?" When the car came to a stop the short male climbed out of the vehicle, hardly even paying attention to Ace. Leaving his board in the back seat of the car the kid pushed his hands into the pockets of his shorts as he just watched everything for a few moments only to suddenly have his damn ear blown out almost thanks to Ace and his fucking stupid mega phone. "God damn it are you trying to give me a fucking heart attack!" He screamed back at the taller man before sneering..Pulling his hands from his pockets the boy would lift his left foot..angling it back before tapping his toes against the ground a few times. He was getting a bad feeling about all of this..but it was ignored as a simple belief that Ace had set him up..so with a huff the boy would start to jog, purposely not running full out and taking his time with the easy pace as he made his way out towards the obstacle course "Worst..fucking day...ever. I can already tell" He mumbled to himself.
He jogged easily enough, actually glad he had picked out the clothing he had. Fuck Ace and his mention of wearing pants. Hell if Chad had actually decided to listen (for once) and worn the pants he knew that not only would he of ended up sweating even worse but the fabric would constrict his legs causing him discomfort and diminishing his performance. "Fuck Ace, why the hell is this necessary?" He called over his shoulder towards the red head..Plans were already starting to settle into effect about what sort of revenge would be enacted thanks to the use of that god forsaken megaphone. Seriously who used that shit!!! His damn ears were still ringing from the surprise rise in noise volume. Despite the nice temperature out for the day Chad knew from experience it was going to heat up quickly..They were in the middle of what seemed to be an odd time considering that while they had just broken from a nasty record low winter their spring apparently was trying to make up for the frigid temperatures by bring record highs for the season.
"Stupid nature..can't fucking decide on one god damn standard...To much to ask for I guess.." Those new sneakers hit the ground and Ace would probably notice that Chad didn't run using the full foot..instead he was only using the ball of his foot and his toes. Every time his shoe covered foot hit the ground only the ball of his foot would take the brunt of the strike which allowed him to rebound the energy that wasn't used into his leg, toes digging in to propel him forward. It was a tactic that track runners used during races. It reduced muscle fatigue and allowed for the runner to better manage his energy. This was the same trick that had also gotten Chad through many different scrapes and the reason why he was so fast. Why waist unnecessary energy when you could be efficient with your get away. After all you couldn't rightly stay alive if you weren't one step a head of the game...Chad liked to be ten steps.
When he finally reached the obstacle course he would slow down until finally stopping. Not even winded from the minor jog the youth settled his hands against his hips as he turned around, letting those strange unusual eye's gaze at everything he could..So there was some sort of balancing thing..like a gymnastics beam he guessed...Obvious that had to be a wall he was meant to scale if the rope hanging off its side was any indication. Some weird sort of death trap of wire..was he supposed to crawl under that..or step through it? Holy fuck what was this place army boot camp?!?! Some of this shit was unreal and others he had only thought were stereo typed from the movies. "Oi Ace." He would call out when the red head grew closer "Do I gotta do any weapons trainin or anything? Cuz honestly I'd rather not deal with the guns."";
Ace tried to stifle a chuckle at the pale haired youth with the deep red bandana. It was a pleasant color, actually, he thought to himself before he looked back down to the megaphone in his hand. Chad had started a slow jog toward the military training style obstacle course. 'Hmm' maybe this thing was turned up a bit loud... As he stood there, adjusting the volume on the device, he heard the youth's familiar voice ring out across the distance. "Fuck Ace, why the hell is this necessary?" As the redhead looked up and began to slowly saunter toward the starting line of the training course, the megaphone was brought up to his mouth once more. "BECAUSE I NEED TO BE SURE YOU'RE FIT TO WORK!..."... he began by saying, and lowered the megaphone once he got close enough to Chad that the boy would be able to hear him speak normally. The Italian hybrid stopped in front of the youth and finished his sentence with golden green eyes focused down on him "...I know you're feeling alot better, but this is just protocol. You can thank Carmon later." He took a drag from his cigarette and raised a pierced eyebrow at the mention of weapons training. While the physical assessments were indeed mandatory as part of the new recruitment process, any additional training was completely optional. Ace shook his head of red hair and exhaled a breath of smoke. "No, not unless you wanna learn it. Even though, you ARE pretty spot-on when it comes to throwing shit at people... so maybe you should look into thrown weapons training, eh? I've got full access to the armory now, ya know. Can get you pretty much anything you want." A mischievous grin tugged at the corners of his lips. Yep, Ace was definitely happy about that little perk that came with his new title of '2nd Lieutenant'...which he honestly detested. When it came to things such as titles, Ace couldn't give less of a damn. In his personal opinion, titles were for people who require reassurance of their superiority and who have no other means of setting themselves apart from the rest of their herd... and let's face it, Ace certainly had no trouble doing that on his own. "Let's just take it a step at a time. Now get going, I wanna see how far you'll get on those little legs of yours." The redhead snickered and tossed the cigarette down into the damp earth at his feet whilst lifting that megaphone again. "MAKE ME PROUD, CHICKADEE!"
God, if only Dane were here to watch this. He'd probably burst at the seams with laughter after all the little pranks Chad had pulled on him to make the barkeep's life a living hell. The first set of obstacles were fairly self explanatory just by looking at them. A large section just after the starting line had been outfitted with a blanket of tires. Assembled side by side and held in place with rope, they served to test one's footwork, coordination, agility, and maneuverability. The obstacle that lay beyond this first challenge was a large structure built of wood and rope. It looked like three hefty tree trunks had been stripped and used to build the rectangular frame, in the center of which, a net of thick rope was strung. Obviously the point was to climb up and over, then climb back down on the other side. While Chad worked his way through the first couple of the training course challenges, Ace watched him closely, observing him from a distance while he leisurely strolled alongside each obstacle.
The redhead looked like some kind of savannah predator, stalking its prey, but in truth, he was assessing each and every move Chad made. Of course that didn't stop him from barking the occasional "YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT" ... or "MY GRANDMA CLIMBS FASTER THAN YOU" ... or "HURRY THE HELL UP! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME MISS 'TALK SEX' WITH SUE JOHANSEN!" He had to keep the kid motivated one way or another, after all. When it came to their sense of humor, Ace and Chad definitely had a thing or two in common... they both found a great sense of enjoyment in giving others a hard time or otherwise making their lives a living hell. Probably another one of the reasons that Carmon had stuck the two of them together... maybe they would eventually kill each other.
Obstacle number 3 was a classic for military training. A large area of soggy, chewed up grass, mud and dirt over which criss-crossed a web of barbed wire. The objective: Get down on all fours and belly-crawl to the other side. A cruel task, really...now that Ace thought about it. But it would hopefully help the kid work toward overcoming his fears and anxieties. There would be times in their line of work when encountering such materials in the urban environment would be inevitable. At this stage, Ace was actually encouraging the youth, rather than belittling him teasingly through the megaphone, and if Chad in fact made it through to the other side, the redhead would shower him with praise before they moved on to the next challenge. The fourth obstacle wasn't a readily visible one at all. In fact, it looked more like a square-shaped concrete hole in the ground... It was a 5 ft drop downward into the concrete pit, at which point one could see a narrow square opening beyond which there was nothing but utter darkness. It became clear that this wasn't just a random hole, but a complete underground structure. Ace stopped at the edge of the square concrete chamber and looked down as his young companion in training climbed down with the ease like some kind of parkour artist. The redhead rubbed at the back of his neck as summer-meadow eyes focused on the youth. "Ya know, I gotta admit, It's kinda awkward seeing you in a hole in the ground... Not sure if I like it." But the hybrid shrugged it off and just continued with an explanation of this particular setup. "It's a tunnel system. Pitch black like the inside of the devil's ass. If all goes well, you'll come out over there..." The redhead pointed about 200 ft away, where a 5-story tall, narrow concrete structure jutted up like a white-washed tomb stone from the surrounding area that was mostly dirt, dappled with few scattered patches of grass. "Once you reach the building, you'll have a bit more light. Navigate to the top, but don't take the stairs back down. You'll see a zip-line rig when you're up there. Use it to get to the platform." The redhead bore a smug little smirk and lit up another cigarette. "Good luck... I'll catch ya on the flip-side." And so, the redheaded freelancer began to walk off slowly in the direction of the tall building to which Chad now had to navigate in the complete darkness of the underground tunnels.
While Ace took his leisurely stroll, the youth would be crawling through narrow spaces in complete darkness. Occasionally, the pitch black spaces opened up into slightly larger 'rooms' in which the boy then had to locate the next narrow tunnel that would allow him to continue onward. The redhead puffed on his cigarette and enjoyed the gentle spring breeze that played in the fabric of his clothes. He had left his leather jacket in the car, sitting on top of Chad's skateboard in the back seat. Not that he really needed it, or the large caliber revolver concealed inside at this very moment. The 5-story structure looked almost like one of those buildings they used for training fire-fighters. ((reference image: http://fargofirefighters.unionactive.com/SH103967.JPG)) It looked like it had windows, but instead of regular glass panes, they were covered with what looked like thick, hinged slabs of metal, several of which were propped open slightly to allow some lights and fresh air inside. The interior of the building was fairly plain. Small rooms with concrete walls and concrete stairs leading up to the next level. The rooms were littered with smaller obstacles, like trip-wire traps, wooden beams to navigate around... in fact, the third floor had a section where the ground was missing entirely, and the only way across was to either clear the 7ft jump to the other side, or to walk across the sturdy yet narrow support beam bolted down to the concrete on each end. On the top floor, there were two exits. One was the door that lead to the outside staircase, and the other was a trap-door in the ceiling that could be reached via a built-in rod-iron ladder. Ace reached the building and waited for the young freelancer in training to pop out at the top of the structure. As he finished his cigarette and leaned his tall frame against the cold concrete wall, golden green eyes noticed movement at the edge of his vision. 'Hmm?' Who the hell was this guy?
He was wearing the signature Cipher Corps uniform... but Ace had never met the man in person before. The man was of the same height and even had a similar build to Ace, though his outward demeanor and body language were completely different. They might have even been roughly the name age, give or take a year or two. Jet-black strands of hair swept over stern facial features as pale grey eyes stared at the freelancer from behind silver-rimmed, narrow spectacles."2nd, Lieutenant Drake Valeri, right?" Ace raised a pierced eyebrow when the other male stopped just a couple of feet away from him. There went the titles again. Fucking hell, he hated that shit. Summer-meadow hues looked the other guy over before rolling with vexation. "Sure, whatever... do me a favor and just call me Ace, all right? We'll get along much better that way." The black-haired male cracked a smile. He also wore a metal ID tag on a chain around his neck, exactly like Ace. "You freelancers have no sense of pride. I still can't believe the Captain actually gave you your own division, let alone put you in charge of it." Was this guy serious?! What the fuck did he want from him anyway?? Ace's eyes narrowed to a death glare. "And you collared dogs have no common sense... So did you come out here just to pick a fight with me, or do you actually want something?" The dark haired man's smile faded, and his expression was as serious as cervical cancer. "You've got yourself a bit of a collar now too. Don't forget that, freelancer. Captain Matthews asked me to give this to you." The man held out a little clear plastic case containing a small compact disc. Ace's lips curled into a malicious little smirk as he heard metal slam against concrete, indicating that Chad had reached the rooftop. "Yeah, but my collar doesn't have a leash attached to it that Carmon gets to tug in whatever direction she wants." The redhead took the disk from the other's hand and stuck it in his pocket. It was probably a file for a new assignment, but he was having too much fun toying with this guy to really question it. "Like a good little pup, she tells you to jump, you jump... She tells you to fetch, you fetch... She tells you to roll over, you have to wag your tail and do just that." Ace grinned and craned his head upward to see if Chad was looking down, but when the redhead didn't see anything he turned his focus back on the man in uniform. It was obvious from the narrowed, pale-grey eyes beyond those spectacles he wasn't pleased. But hey, he couldn't have possibly expected to lob an insult at the hybrid without some sort of comeback. "Me on the other hand... I've got a choice. If I don't like the job I'm given... I can decide to take it or leave it without any consequences." The man's ebony bangs swept over his stern countenance. "Then you've got even less commitment than you do pride, Valeri." And with those words, he turned and began to walk away just as Ace looked up once more to actually see Chad peeking over the edge of the building 5 stories above him. Why did he have the odd feeling that the kid was plotting to drop something on his head at any second? "You.... have no idea..." He wasn't sure if the other male had heard him or not. Ace wasn't even paying attention anymore, but the assurance that the redhead had gotten the last word was comfort enough.
The freelancer had work to do, and as he stepped away from the building he lifted the megaphone to his mouth again, directing the voice amplifying device upward. "ALLRIGHT! BREAK TIME IS OVER! GET ON THAT ZIP-LINE, LETS GO!" Ace grumbled a little under his breath. How dare that ass-hat question his sense of commitment. Despite his slacker attitude and apathetic demeanor, the hybrid was incredibly committed... maybe not to Cipher Corps themselves, but definitely to every assignment he'd worked, not to mention the individuals he considered family, friends, or otherwise cared about. Who in the hell had that guy been anyway?! That rude ass-badger never even introduced himself.... but Ace had the feeling that he would find that out sooner rather than later.
God, if only Dane were here to watch this. He'd probably burst at the seams with laughter after all the little pranks Chad had pulled on him to make the barkeep's life a living hell. The first set of obstacles were fairly self explanatory just by looking at them. A large section just after the starting line had been outfitted with a blanket of tires. Assembled side by side and held in place with rope, they served to test one's footwork, coordination, agility, and maneuverability. The obstacle that lay beyond this first challenge was a large structure built of wood and rope. It looked like three hefty tree trunks had been stripped and used to build the rectangular frame, in the center of which, a net of thick rope was strung. Obviously the point was to climb up and over, then climb back down on the other side. While Chad worked his way through the first couple of the training course challenges, Ace watched him closely, observing him from a distance while he leisurely strolled alongside each obstacle.
The redhead looked like some kind of savannah predator, stalking its prey, but in truth, he was assessing each and every move Chad made. Of course that didn't stop him from barking the occasional "YOU CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT" ... or "MY GRANDMA CLIMBS FASTER THAN YOU" ... or "HURRY THE HELL UP! YOU'RE GONNA MAKE ME MISS 'TALK SEX' WITH SUE JOHANSEN!" He had to keep the kid motivated one way or another, after all. When it came to their sense of humor, Ace and Chad definitely had a thing or two in common... they both found a great sense of enjoyment in giving others a hard time or otherwise making their lives a living hell. Probably another one of the reasons that Carmon had stuck the two of them together... maybe they would eventually kill each other.
Obstacle number 3 was a classic for military training. A large area of soggy, chewed up grass, mud and dirt over which criss-crossed a web of barbed wire. The objective: Get down on all fours and belly-crawl to the other side. A cruel task, really...now that Ace thought about it. But it would hopefully help the kid work toward overcoming his fears and anxieties. There would be times in their line of work when encountering such materials in the urban environment would be inevitable. At this stage, Ace was actually encouraging the youth, rather than belittling him teasingly through the megaphone, and if Chad in fact made it through to the other side, the redhead would shower him with praise before they moved on to the next challenge. The fourth obstacle wasn't a readily visible one at all. In fact, it looked more like a square-shaped concrete hole in the ground... It was a 5 ft drop downward into the concrete pit, at which point one could see a narrow square opening beyond which there was nothing but utter darkness. It became clear that this wasn't just a random hole, but a complete underground structure. Ace stopped at the edge of the square concrete chamber and looked down as his young companion in training climbed down with the ease like some kind of parkour artist. The redhead rubbed at the back of his neck as summer-meadow eyes focused on the youth. "Ya know, I gotta admit, It's kinda awkward seeing you in a hole in the ground... Not sure if I like it." But the hybrid shrugged it off and just continued with an explanation of this particular setup. "It's a tunnel system. Pitch black like the inside of the devil's ass. If all goes well, you'll come out over there..." The redhead pointed about 200 ft away, where a 5-story tall, narrow concrete structure jutted up like a white-washed tomb stone from the surrounding area that was mostly dirt, dappled with few scattered patches of grass. "Once you reach the building, you'll have a bit more light. Navigate to the top, but don't take the stairs back down. You'll see a zip-line rig when you're up there. Use it to get to the platform." The redhead bore a smug little smirk and lit up another cigarette. "Good luck... I'll catch ya on the flip-side." And so, the redheaded freelancer began to walk off slowly in the direction of the tall building to which Chad now had to navigate in the complete darkness of the underground tunnels.
While Ace took his leisurely stroll, the youth would be crawling through narrow spaces in complete darkness. Occasionally, the pitch black spaces opened up into slightly larger 'rooms' in which the boy then had to locate the next narrow tunnel that would allow him to continue onward. The redhead puffed on his cigarette and enjoyed the gentle spring breeze that played in the fabric of his clothes. He had left his leather jacket in the car, sitting on top of Chad's skateboard in the back seat. Not that he really needed it, or the large caliber revolver concealed inside at this very moment. The 5-story structure looked almost like one of those buildings they used for training fire-fighters. ((reference image: http://fargofirefighters.unionactive.com/SH103967.JPG)) It looked like it had windows, but instead of regular glass panes, they were covered with what looked like thick, hinged slabs of metal, several of which were propped open slightly to allow some lights and fresh air inside. The interior of the building was fairly plain. Small rooms with concrete walls and concrete stairs leading up to the next level. The rooms were littered with smaller obstacles, like trip-wire traps, wooden beams to navigate around... in fact, the third floor had a section where the ground was missing entirely, and the only way across was to either clear the 7ft jump to the other side, or to walk across the sturdy yet narrow support beam bolted down to the concrete on each end. On the top floor, there were two exits. One was the door that lead to the outside staircase, and the other was a trap-door in the ceiling that could be reached via a built-in rod-iron ladder. Ace reached the building and waited for the young freelancer in training to pop out at the top of the structure. As he finished his cigarette and leaned his tall frame against the cold concrete wall, golden green eyes noticed movement at the edge of his vision. 'Hmm?' Who the hell was this guy?
He was wearing the signature Cipher Corps uniform... but Ace had never met the man in person before. The man was of the same height and even had a similar build to Ace, though his outward demeanor and body language were completely different. They might have even been roughly the name age, give or take a year or two. Jet-black strands of hair swept over stern facial features as pale grey eyes stared at the freelancer from behind silver-rimmed, narrow spectacles."2nd, Lieutenant Drake Valeri, right?" Ace raised a pierced eyebrow when the other male stopped just a couple of feet away from him. There went the titles again. Fucking hell, he hated that shit. Summer-meadow hues looked the other guy over before rolling with vexation. "Sure, whatever... do me a favor and just call me Ace, all right? We'll get along much better that way." The black-haired male cracked a smile. He also wore a metal ID tag on a chain around his neck, exactly like Ace. "You freelancers have no sense of pride. I still can't believe the Captain actually gave you your own division, let alone put you in charge of it." Was this guy serious?! What the fuck did he want from him anyway?? Ace's eyes narrowed to a death glare. "And you collared dogs have no common sense... So did you come out here just to pick a fight with me, or do you actually want something?" The dark haired man's smile faded, and his expression was as serious as cervical cancer. "You've got yourself a bit of a collar now too. Don't forget that, freelancer. Captain Matthews asked me to give this to you." The man held out a little clear plastic case containing a small compact disc. Ace's lips curled into a malicious little smirk as he heard metal slam against concrete, indicating that Chad had reached the rooftop. "Yeah, but my collar doesn't have a leash attached to it that Carmon gets to tug in whatever direction she wants." The redhead took the disk from the other's hand and stuck it in his pocket. It was probably a file for a new assignment, but he was having too much fun toying with this guy to really question it. "Like a good little pup, she tells you to jump, you jump... She tells you to fetch, you fetch... She tells you to roll over, you have to wag your tail and do just that." Ace grinned and craned his head upward to see if Chad was looking down, but when the redhead didn't see anything he turned his focus back on the man in uniform. It was obvious from the narrowed, pale-grey eyes beyond those spectacles he wasn't pleased. But hey, he couldn't have possibly expected to lob an insult at the hybrid without some sort of comeback. "Me on the other hand... I've got a choice. If I don't like the job I'm given... I can decide to take it or leave it without any consequences." The man's ebony bangs swept over his stern countenance. "Then you've got even less commitment than you do pride, Valeri." And with those words, he turned and began to walk away just as Ace looked up once more to actually see Chad peeking over the edge of the building 5 stories above him. Why did he have the odd feeling that the kid was plotting to drop something on his head at any second? "You.... have no idea..." He wasn't sure if the other male had heard him or not. Ace wasn't even paying attention anymore, but the assurance that the redhead had gotten the last word was comfort enough.
The freelancer had work to do, and as he stepped away from the building he lifted the megaphone to his mouth again, directing the voice amplifying device upward. "ALLRIGHT! BREAK TIME IS OVER! GET ON THAT ZIP-LINE, LETS GO!" Ace grumbled a little under his breath. How dare that ass-hat question his sense of commitment. Despite his slacker attitude and apathetic demeanor, the hybrid was incredibly committed... maybe not to Cipher Corps themselves, but definitely to every assignment he'd worked, not to mention the individuals he considered family, friends, or otherwise cared about. Who in the hell had that guy been anyway?! That rude ass-badger never even introduced himself.... but Ace had the feeling that he would find that out sooner rather than later.
Chad huffed in irritation as Ace proceeded to use that stupid megaphone again only to get close enough that it wasn't needed "Yeah well your protocol fucking sucks." Grunting he would kneel down and tighten his shoe laces. When content with that the short male would stand up straight and start to bounce on the balls of his feet again, shaking his hands while rolling his head all in effort to loosen up some. He was glad that he wouldn't have to train with any guns..While it was true that the pale haired youth had incredible aim there was something about guns that just creeped the kid out. Though the mention of throwing weapons defiantly caught his attention. "You'll have to show me some later." When he heard the words little coming out of the red heads mouth Chad would glare at him, only for that expression to worsen when the bullhorn loudly announced Ace's personal nickname so that anyone else within hearing range could be privy to it. "So much hate right now Ace...so much god damn hate for you." But it was the only thing Chad uttered before he took off, starting the course easily enough.
The tires were a joke to the boy as he easily stepped in each one, easing into a rhythm that had legs lifting high enough to clear the rubber things only for his foot to land in the middle of the next one so the pattern could repeat itself. What a joke of a maneuver, really. The next was just as easy for him. Slender hands grabbed at the netted rope as he easily pulled himself upwards. Picking foot and hand holds with an ease and grace that told Ace it wasn't Chad's first time scaling something like this. He didn't even bother climbing down..hell no. The minute Chad hit the top the boy twisted, laid his stomach across the top of those logs and simply pushed himself back. Landing in an easy crouch Chad twisted around and continued along the path. Each task was met with ease and conquered easily though sweat most definitely was starting to slick the boys face, neck and arms as he worked himself harder. There was a deep deep burning desire to succeed. To show that he was actually worth something and deserved the attention that suddenly had been thrust on his life. It could almost be classified as an urge to live life, especially after everything else he had gone through.
Each echoing cry of motivation only served to annoy Chad further until he finally snapped. Stopping dead in his tracks he let his momentum carry his short body forward into a roll. Fingers grasping at something before he came back up in a couch. A simple glance, a forceful flick of the wrist...And Ace would find that his shin was just aquanted with a rock. That should shut the fucker up for a minute...Feet dug into the ground as Chad again started his easy jogging pace before he just stopped..dead stopped..Those exotic eye's wided in shock before narrowing.."You've got to be shitting me." He growled, glaring not at the mess that would eventually end up coating his body..but at the barbed wire which hovered above it. The wrist sporting his ID band started to throb painfully, jabs of phantom pain racing up his arm and making him wince as he grabbed at the aching appendage..Rubbing a finger under his band Chad simply huffed before steadying himself..This shouldn't be a problem..just..crawl through it right? Glancing towards where Ace was prowling Chad was tempted just to say he quit, that he refused to go any farther. But truth of the matter was that he needed this...no...wanted this to succeed. It was time to change his life up..and apparently this was just one of the many stepping stones along the way.
Dragging a deep breath through his nostrils the short male dropped to the ground, not even caring about the nasty feel of the grass laced mud when it stuck to his pale flesh. He ignored the icy chill of moisture soaking the front of his tank top and shorts..or even the way it was somehow getting into his shoes....EEEEEEEGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Grinding his teeth Chad's arms reached out as he started to crawl forward. Mud clung to him stubbornly as even his small body sank into its hold. It was a lot harder to crawl through than most people realized but to Chad it was a walk in the park. Not to mention he had to shift through nasty shit than this before so it wasn't bothering him...what was bothering him was that barbed wire which was looming over his head. Half way through the boy had to shift his weight, his knee having landed on a hidden rock..or something because he could feel the skin splitting and the warmth of blood mixing with the cold mud. That shifting was what caused a massive problem. In the process of trying to take the weight of his leg and attempt to see just what he had done Chad could feel the barbed wire scrape lightly against his back.
Instantly he froze up, fingers sinking deeper into the mud under him as his chest started to ache..it was because he was holding his breath, memory's of what had happened the last time wire like this had touched his skin flooded his mind. Even with Ace calling out encouragements Chad could hardly stop himself from just laying there trembling like a leaf in a storm..NO! No he had to concentrate..it was over..it was never going to happen again! So brutally the youth pushed away the thoughts..viciously ignored the heavy throbbing of his wrist before he started to crawl again. By the time he made it out and was standing on his feet Chad could of given zero fucks if he was being timed or not. The kid needed a breather. Hunched over, hands on his thighs the youth simply took the time to get his composure back.
Once he felt confident again Chad lifted the back of his hand and tried to wipe sweat out of his face, not even realizing he was smearing mud against the pale creamy features of his skin. Regardless he would pick up the pace again, breathing some what heavier before both Ace and Chad came up to the weird concrete pit. Eyebrows furrowed as he looked down to spy what was easily a five foot drop. Easy enough really, he could honestly of just hopped in and landed just fine though the chance of screwing up his ankle was pretty big. Shrugging Chad would sit on his ass before turning around and in much the same fashion hook his stomach against the edge of the hole. Legs spread out to push the bottom of his sneaker along the wall of the hole. With a faint grunt he let himself fall..but because of the positioning of his foot Chad was able to push off one side and do the same with the other. It was literately like some spider man shit before he simply dropped the rest of the way. Landing in a crouch Chad remained like that as he inspected his surroundings before hearing Ace's voice echoing from the top
"What? Why the hell would this be awkward for you? I'm the one in the fuckin hole...I wouldn't put it past you to of slipped something nasty down here too." The urchin grumbled before standing up and shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts while listening to the Italian explain what exactly was going to happen. "Yeah Yeah I get it.." With that he'd flip Ace the bird before turning and disappearing into the darkness..Holy hell the man hadn't been joking, it was pitch black! Well that wouldn't be a problem. Fishing around in his pocket Chad retrieved a special little item he had covertly lifted off of Ace earlier. The mans Zippo...Snickering to himself Chad flipped the top and cracked the wheel so that sparks would catch the fluid soaked wick. When a flame came to life Chad would lift the lighter over his head to illuminate the area before he started to head down the tunnel. With the little cheat being used it wouldn't take Chad very long at all to reach the building through the underground system.
Once he reached the end of the tunnel system Chad would click the almost exhausted lighters lid shut to cut the flame. Pocketing the lighter Chad would bend his legs, muscles tensing as he jumped, fingers catching the edge of the hole that led up into the building. Easily pulling up his light weight the youth threw his leg over the edge and climbed up completely. Standing he rubbed his hands on the back of his shorts since the front of him was still filthy from the mud. "Alright, that was easy enough." Moving through the building Chad was able to locate several of the trap wires but only after making a mistake and tripping on the first one he came across "Mother fucker!" Hissing in anger he inspected his ankle and frowned hard at the line of blood he could see. The damn think had cut him..Sonofabitch! Ohh he was gonna get Ace back for all this shit.
But at least he learned his lesson. Even more alert and aware of his surroundings as he navigated up the stairs and through the rooms before he came across one that simply had no floor at all...and just a narrow beam to span the 7 feet of free fall "Are you kidding me. What chump thought this was hard?" He questioned to himself before easily hopping up on one end. Then as if he were just taking a walk down the street Chad managed to cross the beam. Apparently there was no issue with balance in this department. Hopping off the end the boy would continue on his path before finally he reached the top. Shoving on the trap door he let it fling back with a loud clang as he was greeted with bright light and fresh air. Again climbing out Chad just allowed himself a small breather, moving towards the edge so that he could glance down. Oh hey there was Ace...and some cock sucker..wait the dude was wearing a uniform..well duh the guy obviously had to be a part of a different division associated to Cipher. Even from this height Chad could tell that the conversation (which he couldn't hear) wasn't going very nicely..shit he could see just how bad the tension was...well..No one was allowed to annoy the fuck out of Ace but him so a lesson needed to be learned..
Reaching into his pocket the youth fished out Ace's zippo once more..tossing it in his dirty grubby hand he just watched Ace for a second...and then the slowly receding figure...well he was going to need a little more umpf for this. Plopping himself down Chad rapidly unlaced his shoe..pulling it free as he then pulled off his bandana and started to rig up a make shift ghetto sling...Once done he would stand again an evil smile on his face. So his target was farther away now? Perfect...one weapons training demo coming up! Lifting his hand he started to swing his little homemade weapon, spinning it faster and faster before a simple snap of the wrist had it flinging Ace's lighter. And as if being drawn by a magnet it struck the pompous ass in the back of his head. Snorting in laughter Chad just leaned there on the edge..fuck it...let the man see who had done it. After all the urchin had made the attack just to broadcast a message..you don't fuck with Ace in any way shape or form if Chad was near by. Thing was that mentality would easily be shifted to the whole of his new division when members started to roll in.
Looking down at Ace Chad cupped his hands around his mouth "YOUR LIGHTER NEEDS MORE FUEL IN IT" Snickering to himself Chad turned around and pretty much ignored anything else Ace yelled up at him with that stupid megaphone...oh there were going to be plans including that little object...looking at the Zip-line in curiosity those lavender eye's followed the wire down to where it disappeared into the tree line..Why the fuck was there some sort of ghetto forest here anyways? Maybe it was for survival training or something. Pfft...most of these fools could probably make it out in the wild but lets see how they fair when thrust into the underbelly of the city life. Chad suspected very very few of them would make it out either alive or unscathed....or both..Stepping up onto the platform the boy would reach his arms up, fingers curling around the handles. And with a simple push he was off. The wind whipping at his body, tugging on clothes as he literally zipped along..so apparently that was the reason behind why it was called that. Disappearing between the branches of the tree Chad saw a second platform he was racing towards..Bracing his legs the kid was able to easily break his speed before dropping. Glancing around he easily took notice that he was still rather far from the ground...and the pegs that were meant for him to climb higher..and ho look another platform that was higher than anyone should ever of put it.
Huffing Chad started to climb easily scaling the trunk of the modified tree..Now it wasn't like he had issues with heights..he just didn't like the falling part that was attached to it. He had what could be classified as midgetfallaphobia Not that he called it that...that's what others used to say behind his back. Once at the top he was granted the sight of another zip handle..only this time Chad couldn't see where it was going since the tree's were blocking his sight..Thankfully all necessary branches had been sawn off so that they wouldn't strike his body. Without a second though Chad grabbed the handles and was off. His thoughts were centered on the idea of getting something to drink after all this..and another shower..he was filthy after all..but all thoughts flew from his mind as terror grasped at him.
The reason for this paralyzing fear? The large body of water that simply appeared when he broke the tree line.."Fuck!! No!!" he gasped out, fingers tightening even further on the handles..a quick assessment showed that he would be coming to a jarring stop over the middle of the lake...that he was meant to use that momentum to swing towards another set of handles which would bring him towards the ground on the other side...It wouldn't happen.. "No no no!!" He knew he wouldn't be able to make that swing. Fuck it was meant for someone with longer arms than him...a normal sized body "AAAACCCCEEEEEE!!!" The scream tore from his throat, echoing through the air as he rapidly approached the stopping point.
When he hit it was violent and harsh, jolting his small body and causing his hands to slip. Another scream ripped from his lips as he found himself dangling with only three fingers of his left hand keeping him up. But he could feel himself slipping..the mud which had dried mostly by that point combined with sweat was not the best thing in the world to help the urchin retain the necessary grip. He was panicking..almost hyperventilating as he dangled there, feeling his pointer finger slipping, leaving only two fingers..then one...and finally he was falling.
A terror filled scream filled the air...petrifying and blood chilling. It sounded as if someone was getting murdered brutally and it most definitely would catch the attention of anyone else around. That noise was being produced by Chad before he hit the surface of the water in a painful belly flop. All air was knocked out of him, coming up as bubbles as he began to sink under the surface...limbs flailed, causing water to splash everywhere as he struggled to stay afloat. His dirty little secret..his deepest fear combined in one and being forced to experience it. Chad never had learned to swim and from a past experience he had always feared drowning and it was happening now, his demon come to life..For a second he was able to get his head above the surface, a ragged painful breath taken though his lungs protested it. He tried to scream again but it came out more as a gurgled cry for help before his head slipped under once more.
The impact had left him aching, the jogging from earlier caused his muscles to be sore...fear itself was rendering him useless as he helplessly thrashed unable to get himself back up. Exotic eye's wide as they could could see the light, he could see the sun above the water but try as he might the boy simply couldn't force his body to achieve his goal of oxygen. Arms reached upwards, fingers spread as if he were trying to will himself to reach the top. His chest burnt from the lack of air...his eye's were starting to see black spots. Water splashed in his lungs as his body desperately tried to in-hail something that would sustain him but only ended up condemning him further..Was anyone coming? Had anyone heard him? Was he going to die here after everything else he had gone through..left to a watery grave? Consciousness eventually slipped from his grasp, leaving the boys sinking body to drift limply to the bottom
The tires were a joke to the boy as he easily stepped in each one, easing into a rhythm that had legs lifting high enough to clear the rubber things only for his foot to land in the middle of the next one so the pattern could repeat itself. What a joke of a maneuver, really. The next was just as easy for him. Slender hands grabbed at the netted rope as he easily pulled himself upwards. Picking foot and hand holds with an ease and grace that told Ace it wasn't Chad's first time scaling something like this. He didn't even bother climbing down..hell no. The minute Chad hit the top the boy twisted, laid his stomach across the top of those logs and simply pushed himself back. Landing in an easy crouch Chad twisted around and continued along the path. Each task was met with ease and conquered easily though sweat most definitely was starting to slick the boys face, neck and arms as he worked himself harder. There was a deep deep burning desire to succeed. To show that he was actually worth something and deserved the attention that suddenly had been thrust on his life. It could almost be classified as an urge to live life, especially after everything else he had gone through.
Each echoing cry of motivation only served to annoy Chad further until he finally snapped. Stopping dead in his tracks he let his momentum carry his short body forward into a roll. Fingers grasping at something before he came back up in a couch. A simple glance, a forceful flick of the wrist...And Ace would find that his shin was just aquanted with a rock. That should shut the fucker up for a minute...Feet dug into the ground as Chad again started his easy jogging pace before he just stopped..dead stopped..Those exotic eye's wided in shock before narrowing.."You've got to be shitting me." He growled, glaring not at the mess that would eventually end up coating his body..but at the barbed wire which hovered above it. The wrist sporting his ID band started to throb painfully, jabs of phantom pain racing up his arm and making him wince as he grabbed at the aching appendage..Rubbing a finger under his band Chad simply huffed before steadying himself..This shouldn't be a problem..just..crawl through it right? Glancing towards where Ace was prowling Chad was tempted just to say he quit, that he refused to go any farther. But truth of the matter was that he needed this...no...wanted this to succeed. It was time to change his life up..and apparently this was just one of the many stepping stones along the way.
Dragging a deep breath through his nostrils the short male dropped to the ground, not even caring about the nasty feel of the grass laced mud when it stuck to his pale flesh. He ignored the icy chill of moisture soaking the front of his tank top and shorts..or even the way it was somehow getting into his shoes....EEEEEEEGGGGGGHHHHHHH. Grinding his teeth Chad's arms reached out as he started to crawl forward. Mud clung to him stubbornly as even his small body sank into its hold. It was a lot harder to crawl through than most people realized but to Chad it was a walk in the park. Not to mention he had to shift through nasty shit than this before so it wasn't bothering him...what was bothering him was that barbed wire which was looming over his head. Half way through the boy had to shift his weight, his knee having landed on a hidden rock..or something because he could feel the skin splitting and the warmth of blood mixing with the cold mud. That shifting was what caused a massive problem. In the process of trying to take the weight of his leg and attempt to see just what he had done Chad could feel the barbed wire scrape lightly against his back.
Instantly he froze up, fingers sinking deeper into the mud under him as his chest started to ache..it was because he was holding his breath, memory's of what had happened the last time wire like this had touched his skin flooded his mind. Even with Ace calling out encouragements Chad could hardly stop himself from just laying there trembling like a leaf in a storm..NO! No he had to concentrate..it was over..it was never going to happen again! So brutally the youth pushed away the thoughts..viciously ignored the heavy throbbing of his wrist before he started to crawl again. By the time he made it out and was standing on his feet Chad could of given zero fucks if he was being timed or not. The kid needed a breather. Hunched over, hands on his thighs the youth simply took the time to get his composure back.
Once he felt confident again Chad lifted the back of his hand and tried to wipe sweat out of his face, not even realizing he was smearing mud against the pale creamy features of his skin. Regardless he would pick up the pace again, breathing some what heavier before both Ace and Chad came up to the weird concrete pit. Eyebrows furrowed as he looked down to spy what was easily a five foot drop. Easy enough really, he could honestly of just hopped in and landed just fine though the chance of screwing up his ankle was pretty big. Shrugging Chad would sit on his ass before turning around and in much the same fashion hook his stomach against the edge of the hole. Legs spread out to push the bottom of his sneaker along the wall of the hole. With a faint grunt he let himself fall..but because of the positioning of his foot Chad was able to push off one side and do the same with the other. It was literately like some spider man shit before he simply dropped the rest of the way. Landing in a crouch Chad remained like that as he inspected his surroundings before hearing Ace's voice echoing from the top
"What? Why the hell would this be awkward for you? I'm the one in the fuckin hole...I wouldn't put it past you to of slipped something nasty down here too." The urchin grumbled before standing up and shoving his hands into the pockets of his shorts while listening to the Italian explain what exactly was going to happen. "Yeah Yeah I get it.." With that he'd flip Ace the bird before turning and disappearing into the darkness..Holy hell the man hadn't been joking, it was pitch black! Well that wouldn't be a problem. Fishing around in his pocket Chad retrieved a special little item he had covertly lifted off of Ace earlier. The mans Zippo...Snickering to himself Chad flipped the top and cracked the wheel so that sparks would catch the fluid soaked wick. When a flame came to life Chad would lift the lighter over his head to illuminate the area before he started to head down the tunnel. With the little cheat being used it wouldn't take Chad very long at all to reach the building through the underground system.
Once he reached the end of the tunnel system Chad would click the almost exhausted lighters lid shut to cut the flame. Pocketing the lighter Chad would bend his legs, muscles tensing as he jumped, fingers catching the edge of the hole that led up into the building. Easily pulling up his light weight the youth threw his leg over the edge and climbed up completely. Standing he rubbed his hands on the back of his shorts since the front of him was still filthy from the mud. "Alright, that was easy enough." Moving through the building Chad was able to locate several of the trap wires but only after making a mistake and tripping on the first one he came across "Mother fucker!" Hissing in anger he inspected his ankle and frowned hard at the line of blood he could see. The damn think had cut him..Sonofabitch! Ohh he was gonna get Ace back for all this shit.
But at least he learned his lesson. Even more alert and aware of his surroundings as he navigated up the stairs and through the rooms before he came across one that simply had no floor at all...and just a narrow beam to span the 7 feet of free fall "Are you kidding me. What chump thought this was hard?" He questioned to himself before easily hopping up on one end. Then as if he were just taking a walk down the street Chad managed to cross the beam. Apparently there was no issue with balance in this department. Hopping off the end the boy would continue on his path before finally he reached the top. Shoving on the trap door he let it fling back with a loud clang as he was greeted with bright light and fresh air. Again climbing out Chad just allowed himself a small breather, moving towards the edge so that he could glance down. Oh hey there was Ace...and some cock sucker..wait the dude was wearing a uniform..well duh the guy obviously had to be a part of a different division associated to Cipher. Even from this height Chad could tell that the conversation (which he couldn't hear) wasn't going very nicely..shit he could see just how bad the tension was...well..No one was allowed to annoy the fuck out of Ace but him so a lesson needed to be learned..
Reaching into his pocket the youth fished out Ace's zippo once more..tossing it in his dirty grubby hand he just watched Ace for a second...and then the slowly receding figure...well he was going to need a little more umpf for this. Plopping himself down Chad rapidly unlaced his shoe..pulling it free as he then pulled off his bandana and started to rig up a make shift ghetto sling...Once done he would stand again an evil smile on his face. So his target was farther away now? Perfect...one weapons training demo coming up! Lifting his hand he started to swing his little homemade weapon, spinning it faster and faster before a simple snap of the wrist had it flinging Ace's lighter. And as if being drawn by a magnet it struck the pompous ass in the back of his head. Snorting in laughter Chad just leaned there on the edge..fuck it...let the man see who had done it. After all the urchin had made the attack just to broadcast a message..you don't fuck with Ace in any way shape or form if Chad was near by. Thing was that mentality would easily be shifted to the whole of his new division when members started to roll in.
Looking down at Ace Chad cupped his hands around his mouth "YOUR LIGHTER NEEDS MORE FUEL IN IT" Snickering to himself Chad turned around and pretty much ignored anything else Ace yelled up at him with that stupid megaphone...oh there were going to be plans including that little object...looking at the Zip-line in curiosity those lavender eye's followed the wire down to where it disappeared into the tree line..Why the fuck was there some sort of ghetto forest here anyways? Maybe it was for survival training or something. Pfft...most of these fools could probably make it out in the wild but lets see how they fair when thrust into the underbelly of the city life. Chad suspected very very few of them would make it out either alive or unscathed....or both..Stepping up onto the platform the boy would reach his arms up, fingers curling around the handles. And with a simple push he was off. The wind whipping at his body, tugging on clothes as he literally zipped along..so apparently that was the reason behind why it was called that. Disappearing between the branches of the tree Chad saw a second platform he was racing towards..Bracing his legs the kid was able to easily break his speed before dropping. Glancing around he easily took notice that he was still rather far from the ground...and the pegs that were meant for him to climb higher..and ho look another platform that was higher than anyone should ever of put it.
Huffing Chad started to climb easily scaling the trunk of the modified tree..Now it wasn't like he had issues with heights..he just didn't like the falling part that was attached to it. He had what could be classified as midgetfallaphobia Not that he called it that...that's what others used to say behind his back. Once at the top he was granted the sight of another zip handle..only this time Chad couldn't see where it was going since the tree's were blocking his sight..Thankfully all necessary branches had been sawn off so that they wouldn't strike his body. Without a second though Chad grabbed the handles and was off. His thoughts were centered on the idea of getting something to drink after all this..and another shower..he was filthy after all..but all thoughts flew from his mind as terror grasped at him.
The reason for this paralyzing fear? The large body of water that simply appeared when he broke the tree line.."Fuck!! No!!" he gasped out, fingers tightening even further on the handles..a quick assessment showed that he would be coming to a jarring stop over the middle of the lake...that he was meant to use that momentum to swing towards another set of handles which would bring him towards the ground on the other side...It wouldn't happen.. "No no no!!" He knew he wouldn't be able to make that swing. Fuck it was meant for someone with longer arms than him...a normal sized body "AAAACCCCEEEEEE!!!" The scream tore from his throat, echoing through the air as he rapidly approached the stopping point.
When he hit it was violent and harsh, jolting his small body and causing his hands to slip. Another scream ripped from his lips as he found himself dangling with only three fingers of his left hand keeping him up. But he could feel himself slipping..the mud which had dried mostly by that point combined with sweat was not the best thing in the world to help the urchin retain the necessary grip. He was panicking..almost hyperventilating as he dangled there, feeling his pointer finger slipping, leaving only two fingers..then one...and finally he was falling.
A terror filled scream filled the air...petrifying and blood chilling. It sounded as if someone was getting murdered brutally and it most definitely would catch the attention of anyone else around. That noise was being produced by Chad before he hit the surface of the water in a painful belly flop. All air was knocked out of him, coming up as bubbles as he began to sink under the surface...limbs flailed, causing water to splash everywhere as he struggled to stay afloat. His dirty little secret..his deepest fear combined in one and being forced to experience it. Chad never had learned to swim and from a past experience he had always feared drowning and it was happening now, his demon come to life..For a second he was able to get his head above the surface, a ragged painful breath taken though his lungs protested it. He tried to scream again but it came out more as a gurgled cry for help before his head slipped under once more.
The impact had left him aching, the jogging from earlier caused his muscles to be sore...fear itself was rendering him useless as he helplessly thrashed unable to get himself back up. Exotic eye's wide as they could could see the light, he could see the sun above the water but try as he might the boy simply couldn't force his body to achieve his goal of oxygen. Arms reached upwards, fingers spread as if he were trying to will himself to reach the top. His chest burnt from the lack of air...his eye's were starting to see black spots. Water splashed in his lungs as his body desperately tried to in-hail something that would sustain him but only ended up condemning him further..Was anyone coming? Had anyone heard him? Was he going to die here after everything else he had gone through..left to a watery grave? Consciousness eventually slipped from his grasp, leaving the boys sinking body to drift limply to the bottom
It seemed like hardly any time at all had passed from when Ace had sent the kid into the concrete tunnel system until Chad reached the top of the building. Shit, guess he was more talented than he thought...then again, the regular Cipher members had to navigate that building after a couple of smoke bombs were tossed inside, so it was usually a bit more difficult than this.... The redhead's shin still throbbed slightly in the spot where the rock had collided with it earlier. Chad had good aim, that much was for sure. After their 'conversation had ended, Ace watched the dark haired man in uniform for a few moments as he walked away, though it didn't take long before he stopped dead in his tracks when something struck him in the back of the head. The freelancer raised a pierced eyebrow. What the hell just happened? Did the kid just pelt that dick-wad with another rock from all the way up there?? The matte silver zippo had gleamed briefly as it caught the sunlight just before it found its home at the base of the other man's skull, but Ace really hadn't put two and two together just yet. He chuckled to himself mischievously while he watched the dark haired man curse under his breath as he rubbed at the back of his head and bent over to pick something up from the ground. Damn right, don't fuck with D-0! It wasn't until he looked up upon hearing Chad's shouted words that the hybrid realized what object had just been used to assault his offender. 'My lighter needs more fuel... what the hell?' He thought to himself before he began to pat down his pockets with his free hand. Cigarettes... check. Wallet with chain.... check. The CD in the plastic case..... check. Zippo..... fuck. That little two-bit terror had snagged his lighter! But by the time he had come to this realization Chad's maniacal laughter had already ceased and all Ace heard was the sound of the departing zip-line as golden green eyes focused on the boys small frame before it vanished in the tree line. Damn it, now that pompous ass-clown had his lighter...and he wanted another cigarette too. Sonova bitch!
Ace sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingertips as he allowed an audible sigh pass through his lips. It was then that the hybrid remembered something. As lids had fallen over those summer-meadow colored hues it was as if he was struck by a sudden jolt of his memory. Watching Chad wander around the top edge of that building... it shared an uncanny resemblance with this dream he kept having. Not quite the same, but the similarities were enough to paint a clear picture in his mind's eye..."AAAAAACCCCEEEE!!!!!" Even the kid's desperate scream was spot-on....though it was more like he was seeing it from a much different perspective this time. Ugh, what a dejavu mind-fuck. Ah well, it was just a stupid dream after all, nothing that warranted him being thrown off his groove today, right? The freelancer hadn't let that spectacle-wearing dog in uniform shit on his parade, so why let something as silly as a dream do him in now?? And then he heard it...
Eyelids flew open as he turned his head in the direction from which the scream had come. Pupils dilated as a shot of adrenaline rushed through his body and caused his heart to jump. Wait a minute... that scream just a second ago hadn't been part of his memory spark at all! The kid was actually calling for him. It was definitely one of those 'Oh Shit' moments when you realize that you should have been paying much closer attention to what was going on... like when you fall asleep in class and all of a sudden your teacher pegs you in the head with a wadded up piece of paper... Was Chad actually in trouble, or was he just pulling some other prank out of his sleeve? Either way, the redhead responded and started toward the area through which the zip-line obstacle lead. It wasn't until the next series of screams followed that he really picked up the pace. Fuck, the kid actually needed help, he wouldn't be screaming bloody murder like this if he didn't... And if this DID turn out to just be some cruel practical joke, then the ex-hitman was gonna wring his scrawny little neck for it later. Ace booked it at full speed, ducking and weaving through the little patch of trees in the fastest path he could take. Before he broke through the treeline, he heard the audible splash that resulted from Chad's body hitting the surface of the water. Uuuuh, that wasn't supposed to happen... The redhead slowed his pace until he stood at the edge of the man-made pond, where the water at the surface still rose and fell in ripples. Golden-green eyes darted over every square inch of the body of water, searching for any sign of the boy's emergence... but that didn't happen. 'C'mon..... c'mon... what the fuck are you doing?...' his unspoken internal dialogue shot his mind into overdrive. What if he had somehow hurt himself and wasn't able to swim? What if the collision with the water had knocked all the air out of his lungs? Or what if..... Ah, shit.... Chad couldn't swim... Ace hadn't even thought about it before.
The megaphone dropped to the ground as fingers uncoiled around the grip. His shirt was pulled up over his head and thrown down next to it. There wasn't any time to waste to unlace those leather boots of his and thus, the pants had to stay on too. It would make the swim a bit more difficult, but definitely not impossible. With a running start, the hybrid took a deep breath and dove into the murky water. The pond wasn't too deep, really. Maybe 15-20 feet at best, but the water wasn't by any means clear. Frigid water pulled at him, penetrated the fibers of his clothes and weighed him down. It was difficult to see much of anything more than 4 ft away, but with each stroke of a muscular arm he pulled himself closer to where he estimated that the kid had plummeted from the zip-line. Eyes darted from side to side for any signs of life...maybe that red-bandana...fuck...anything really. Ace could feel his heartbeat pounding up into his throat while he swam deeper. He had to find him, he just had to... but he couldn't hold his breath forever... Hell, he was an avid smoke, so his lung capacity wasn't exactly spectacular. And just before he felt like he couldn't sustain his body on that one breath of air any longer, he spotted it... small fingers reaching out from the cloudy waters just ahead of him. Around his wrist was that leather band which donned the Cipher ID tag. Ok, this was just a bit more similar to that fucking dream...
The redhead pushed himself a bit further until he could curl his fingers around those small digits of Chad's hand. Then he pulled. He pulled until his young companion's body came into full view and he could wrap his arm fully around the boy's scrawny, water-logged frame. God, he needed to breathe... both of them did. Chad wasn't heavy, even with clothes completely soaked he was still a fucking featherweight, and the redheaded freelancer didn't struggle all too much navigating the water even with only one free arm to tread with. Looking up as he swam with all the all the strength he could muster, he kept his eyes trained on the light which shimmered at the surface above. Spots were beginning to appear around the edge of his vision, but at last, they broke the surface and a deep breath of precious air was taken into his lungs. It wasn't over quite yet though, he still had to get back to dry land before his nerves would stop beating the fuck out of his brain with spiked clubs. Chad was passed out-cold. With his left arm still firmly wrapped around him, the kid was half way slumped over Ace's scar-marked shoulder while the redhead made the slow journey back toward the edge of the pond. Just as he had reached the shallows where he could actually walk, Carmon, that dark haired dick wad, and two other individuals in uniform arrived at the scene.
The others closed the distance at an alarmed pace as the dripping redhead came to his knees and laid the kid down on his back in the scattered patches of grass that littered the edge of the pond. "Ace, what the hell happened? Is he okay?" Carmon inquired as she loomed over the freelancer, who was still trying to catch his breath. Ace didn't answer. His hand tapped against the side of Chad's face a couple of times to see if the youth would come to, but if that didn't happen, then he wasn't about to waste any time before giving him CPR. Drops of water rolled off him and fell onto the still, almost lifeless features of the boy's pale face. 'Just fucking breathe!...c'mon man....' Those were really the only words that were going through his mind. The freelancer wasn't worried about anyone or anything else... not about Carmon, not about the guy with the spectacles who had insulted him and taken his lighter, not about the other two who had come along...who were probably field medics from the infantry division... No, none of those people made any difference to him right then and there...in fact, Ace didn't even register them as existent. At that moment, he and Chad were the only two people in the world. How had Carmon found out about all this anyway? Did that other guy call her? The woman had known that Ace was going to be out here with the kid today, that much was certain. He had scanned his ID tag at the front gates, and aside from being an entry key to certain parts of the facility, the microchipped metal tags also served as virtual tracking devices that could pinpoint the geological location of its wearer. Golden-green hues, wide from the adrenaline rush, stared down at Chad for just a brief moment longer before the large male leaned down so he could start the process of giving the kid mouth-to-mouth.
Ace sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingertips as he allowed an audible sigh pass through his lips. It was then that the hybrid remembered something. As lids had fallen over those summer-meadow colored hues it was as if he was struck by a sudden jolt of his memory. Watching Chad wander around the top edge of that building... it shared an uncanny resemblance with this dream he kept having. Not quite the same, but the similarities were enough to paint a clear picture in his mind's eye..."AAAAAACCCCEEEE!!!!!" Even the kid's desperate scream was spot-on....though it was more like he was seeing it from a much different perspective this time. Ugh, what a dejavu mind-fuck. Ah well, it was just a stupid dream after all, nothing that warranted him being thrown off his groove today, right? The freelancer hadn't let that spectacle-wearing dog in uniform shit on his parade, so why let something as silly as a dream do him in now?? And then he heard it...
Eyelids flew open as he turned his head in the direction from which the scream had come. Pupils dilated as a shot of adrenaline rushed through his body and caused his heart to jump. Wait a minute... that scream just a second ago hadn't been part of his memory spark at all! The kid was actually calling for him. It was definitely one of those 'Oh Shit' moments when you realize that you should have been paying much closer attention to what was going on... like when you fall asleep in class and all of a sudden your teacher pegs you in the head with a wadded up piece of paper... Was Chad actually in trouble, or was he just pulling some other prank out of his sleeve? Either way, the redhead responded and started toward the area through which the zip-line obstacle lead. It wasn't until the next series of screams followed that he really picked up the pace. Fuck, the kid actually needed help, he wouldn't be screaming bloody murder like this if he didn't... And if this DID turn out to just be some cruel practical joke, then the ex-hitman was gonna wring his scrawny little neck for it later. Ace booked it at full speed, ducking and weaving through the little patch of trees in the fastest path he could take. Before he broke through the treeline, he heard the audible splash that resulted from Chad's body hitting the surface of the water. Uuuuh, that wasn't supposed to happen... The redhead slowed his pace until he stood at the edge of the man-made pond, where the water at the surface still rose and fell in ripples. Golden-green eyes darted over every square inch of the body of water, searching for any sign of the boy's emergence... but that didn't happen. 'C'mon..... c'mon... what the fuck are you doing?...' his unspoken internal dialogue shot his mind into overdrive. What if he had somehow hurt himself and wasn't able to swim? What if the collision with the water had knocked all the air out of his lungs? Or what if..... Ah, shit.... Chad couldn't swim... Ace hadn't even thought about it before.
The megaphone dropped to the ground as fingers uncoiled around the grip. His shirt was pulled up over his head and thrown down next to it. There wasn't any time to waste to unlace those leather boots of his and thus, the pants had to stay on too. It would make the swim a bit more difficult, but definitely not impossible. With a running start, the hybrid took a deep breath and dove into the murky water. The pond wasn't too deep, really. Maybe 15-20 feet at best, but the water wasn't by any means clear. Frigid water pulled at him, penetrated the fibers of his clothes and weighed him down. It was difficult to see much of anything more than 4 ft away, but with each stroke of a muscular arm he pulled himself closer to where he estimated that the kid had plummeted from the zip-line. Eyes darted from side to side for any signs of life...maybe that red-bandana...fuck...anything really. Ace could feel his heartbeat pounding up into his throat while he swam deeper. He had to find him, he just had to... but he couldn't hold his breath forever... Hell, he was an avid smoke, so his lung capacity wasn't exactly spectacular. And just before he felt like he couldn't sustain his body on that one breath of air any longer, he spotted it... small fingers reaching out from the cloudy waters just ahead of him. Around his wrist was that leather band which donned the Cipher ID tag. Ok, this was just a bit more similar to that fucking dream...
The redhead pushed himself a bit further until he could curl his fingers around those small digits of Chad's hand. Then he pulled. He pulled until his young companion's body came into full view and he could wrap his arm fully around the boy's scrawny, water-logged frame. God, he needed to breathe... both of them did. Chad wasn't heavy, even with clothes completely soaked he was still a fucking featherweight, and the redheaded freelancer didn't struggle all too much navigating the water even with only one free arm to tread with. Looking up as he swam with all the all the strength he could muster, he kept his eyes trained on the light which shimmered at the surface above. Spots were beginning to appear around the edge of his vision, but at last, they broke the surface and a deep breath of precious air was taken into his lungs. It wasn't over quite yet though, he still had to get back to dry land before his nerves would stop beating the fuck out of his brain with spiked clubs. Chad was passed out-cold. With his left arm still firmly wrapped around him, the kid was half way slumped over Ace's scar-marked shoulder while the redhead made the slow journey back toward the edge of the pond. Just as he had reached the shallows where he could actually walk, Carmon, that dark haired dick wad, and two other individuals in uniform arrived at the scene.
The others closed the distance at an alarmed pace as the dripping redhead came to his knees and laid the kid down on his back in the scattered patches of grass that littered the edge of the pond. "Ace, what the hell happened? Is he okay?" Carmon inquired as she loomed over the freelancer, who was still trying to catch his breath. Ace didn't answer. His hand tapped against the side of Chad's face a couple of times to see if the youth would come to, but if that didn't happen, then he wasn't about to waste any time before giving him CPR. Drops of water rolled off him and fell onto the still, almost lifeless features of the boy's pale face. 'Just fucking breathe!...c'mon man....' Those were really the only words that were going through his mind. The freelancer wasn't worried about anyone or anything else... not about Carmon, not about the guy with the spectacles who had insulted him and taken his lighter, not about the other two who had come along...who were probably field medics from the infantry division... No, none of those people made any difference to him right then and there...in fact, Ace didn't even register them as existent. At that moment, he and Chad were the only two people in the world. How had Carmon found out about all this anyway? Did that other guy call her? The woman had known that Ace was going to be out here with the kid today, that much was certain. He had scanned his ID tag at the front gates, and aside from being an entry key to certain parts of the facility, the microchipped metal tags also served as virtual tracking devices that could pinpoint the geological location of its wearer. Golden-green hues, wide from the adrenaline rush, stared down at Chad for just a brief moment longer before the large male leaned down so he could start the process of giving the kid mouth-to-mouth.
Chad's body was indeed light to carry even soaking wet so when Ace's arm curled around him and brought him to the surface it would be as if he weighed next to nothing. As the Italian dragged his body through the pond and towards the shore not a single muscle moved on the kids body. He was as limp as a rag doll as he was laid down over the grass..The boys head lolled to the side as his wet cheeks were tapped in order to garner some sort of response. It failed. It was a fearfully striking image, clothes clinging to his still much to skinny frame, normally pale flesh combined with the way his lips had started to turn blue only gave the impression not of a living person...but a corpse.
Any other method used to gain some sort of response from Chad failed until finally Ace started to perform CPR. When lips met the youths they would be cold and almost clammy thanks to how frigid the water had been. How long had he been under? A few minutes at the least? It only took five minute or so before the lack of oxygen to the brain started a possibility of damage which was the truly scarey thing. When the Italian mutts hands moved to his chest, the heal pressed against his sternum with the other layered over top, the older male would start to apply pressure in bursts. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Ace's finger tips would glide along Chads jawline, feeling for the lymph notes. When his middle fingers found the small nods and his pointer and ring fingers were on either side the man would tilt Chads head back as far as he could. The action had the boys throat fully exposed, his adams apple on view and disturbingly still thanks to the lack of both breathing and swallowing.
The action appeared odd especially when Ace tilted Chads face down once more though only just slightly. The field medics would instantly recognize what the male was doing. The action served an incredibly important purpose after all. In doing so Ace had just assured that Chads throat and airways would be lined up as perfectly as he could get them before lips settled against the boys once more. Air was forced from one set of lungs into the other, the action forcing Chads chest to move before hands once more returned to that position over his sternum. Again pumping to the count of five lips would meet lips with another puff of air being shared.
The process seemed to be going on for too long, much too long until suddenly something happened. Upon the sixth rotation of CPR and the third pump of his chest water rushed up through the youths throat. The action triggered an automatic response as it bubbled from his lips before being forcefully expelled in a choking cough. Those lavender orbs would snap open, shining with terror and confusion as he rolled over and started to cough and sputter loudly. Fingers gripped the grass under him as he suddenly started to vomit..As disturbing and disgusting as it was the action was beneficial because despite the light breakfast reappearing on the ground so did an alarming amount of water. It showed that he had panicked at some point when in the pond, not only breathing in the liquid but swallowing it as well.
Slender shoulders shook...fuck his whole body shook and it wasn't just from the force of his coughing as the boys body curled up. Rotating so that his legs were under him, hunched over, fingers tearing at the grass as he vomited again and again until there wasn't anything left in his stomach but still he retched, the sound of his gagging strained and painful as bile was forced up his esophagus, burning as the digestive acid joining the rest of his stomach contents on the ground before finally he managed to get it under control. Still coughing the boy gasped for air, the effort used easily heard as it tore at his throat..But with Ace being the closest one to Chad he would recognize the noises as something else. That small form shook like a leaf in the wind from a combination of cold and stress as he struggled to stifle the sobs. "D..Don't m..ma..make me d-d-do it a-ag-again." He whimpered out ..The boys head tilted, angling ever so slightly so that Ace could see one single eye..That exotic orb gleaming with tears as ash gray hair stuck heavily to his creamy skin "Pl-p-pl-plea-please."
Any other method used to gain some sort of response from Chad failed until finally Ace started to perform CPR. When lips met the youths they would be cold and almost clammy thanks to how frigid the water had been. How long had he been under? A few minutes at the least? It only took five minute or so before the lack of oxygen to the brain started a possibility of damage which was the truly scarey thing. When the Italian mutts hands moved to his chest, the heal pressed against his sternum with the other layered over top, the older male would start to apply pressure in bursts. One, Two, Three, Four, Five. Ace's finger tips would glide along Chads jawline, feeling for the lymph notes. When his middle fingers found the small nods and his pointer and ring fingers were on either side the man would tilt Chads head back as far as he could. The action had the boys throat fully exposed, his adams apple on view and disturbingly still thanks to the lack of both breathing and swallowing.
The action appeared odd especially when Ace tilted Chads face down once more though only just slightly. The field medics would instantly recognize what the male was doing. The action served an incredibly important purpose after all. In doing so Ace had just assured that Chads throat and airways would be lined up as perfectly as he could get them before lips settled against the boys once more. Air was forced from one set of lungs into the other, the action forcing Chads chest to move before hands once more returned to that position over his sternum. Again pumping to the count of five lips would meet lips with another puff of air being shared.
The process seemed to be going on for too long, much too long until suddenly something happened. Upon the sixth rotation of CPR and the third pump of his chest water rushed up through the youths throat. The action triggered an automatic response as it bubbled from his lips before being forcefully expelled in a choking cough. Those lavender orbs would snap open, shining with terror and confusion as he rolled over and started to cough and sputter loudly. Fingers gripped the grass under him as he suddenly started to vomit..As disturbing and disgusting as it was the action was beneficial because despite the light breakfast reappearing on the ground so did an alarming amount of water. It showed that he had panicked at some point when in the pond, not only breathing in the liquid but swallowing it as well.
Slender shoulders shook...fuck his whole body shook and it wasn't just from the force of his coughing as the boys body curled up. Rotating so that his legs were under him, hunched over, fingers tearing at the grass as he vomited again and again until there wasn't anything left in his stomach but still he retched, the sound of his gagging strained and painful as bile was forced up his esophagus, burning as the digestive acid joining the rest of his stomach contents on the ground before finally he managed to get it under control. Still coughing the boy gasped for air, the effort used easily heard as it tore at his throat..But with Ace being the closest one to Chad he would recognize the noises as something else. That small form shook like a leaf in the wind from a combination of cold and stress as he struggled to stifle the sobs. "D..Don't m..ma..make me d-d-do it a-ag-again." He whimpered out ..The boys head tilted, angling ever so slightly so that Ace could see one single eye..That exotic orb gleaming with tears as ash gray hair stuck heavily to his creamy skin "Pl-p-pl-plea-please."
Ace watched as the boy rolled over, hunched in the fetal position while he hacked up the rest of the water that had invaded his body, along with anything he'd willingly consumed that day. The redhead's heart was still pounding forcefully in his chest, and while he remained down on his knees, he brought his body upright to give the kid some space. Man, that had been scary as hell. Not something he cared to repeat ever again. Arms lifted to comb fingers backwards through still dripping red strands. Bare skin was layered with goosebumps. The frigid water had chilled even him, despite the fact that he had been moving around...and now that lovely spring breeze wasn't quite so lovely anymore. And that's when it hit him like a ton of shit-covered bricks. Thanks to all that commotion this morning with those uninvited media whores, he'd completely forgotten to tell Chad to bring a spare set of clothes. Of course he also hadn't exactly anticipated an aquatic rescue mission on his part, so aside from the shirt which had remained dry, Ace was pretty shit-outta-luck too. In a mental state of vexation, the freelancer growled quietly to himself as he turned his head to shoot a narrow eyed death glare to the dark-haired man with the glasses who had leaned over to whisper something in Carmon's direction. He probably would have opened his mouth to confront the man in uniform at that very second if it hadn't been for the fact that his ears caught the sounds of Chad's trembling words. Ace's head turned as golden-green eyes snapped back down to the shaking boy. He was met with the pleading, moisture filled, gaze of a desperate lavender eye. That glance might as well have reached right up into the hybrid's chest cavity and ripped out his heart with a set of fish hooks. That stern expression he had donned while mentally kicking himself for forgetting the spare set of clothes was gone. In its place now, was a much more sincere and sympathetic one. Christ... all curled up and trembling, drenched clothes clinging tightly to that tiny frame, and that look in his eyes... he looked like a fucking sex-crime victim. And to top it all off, that quiet, unique stammer of a voice was heard once more as it formed the word of a dire plea. Ace had to swallow down a choking sensation that crept up in his throat. It took him a few seconds before he could finally will himself to respond, though when he finally did, he kept his eyes locked with the youth. "Don't worry. You don't have to."
The two field medics had brought a few of their supplies with them. Nothing too important, really, but their standard packs usually contained basic first aid equipment, bandages, sutures, iodine... and luckily also a couple of small blankets, with which they now approached the two soaked individuals. Ace finally rose to his feet and took the square sheets of wool fabric from the two medics with a nod of his head. The dark haired man who had pocketed his lighter had begun to walk away already, presumably to return to whatever douchebaggery his job entailed. Carmon remained, and though one could clearly see the relief as well as respect for the hybrid's actions in the woman's features, it was also obvious that she was stressed out about something. She really didn't look too happy. "I'm glad you two are okay now... Why were you two out here doing this anyway?" The woman shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose while waving the other hand in a manner of dismissal. "Nevermind... I need to get back inside and finish this interrogation business..." She rubbed at her temple, showing once again how stressed the Captain really was. Blue eyes focused on the redhead while the two field medics returned to her side. "You two need to go in and change, or you'll catch your death out here. I'll have someone bring you a set of dry clothes." And with that, the woman and her two subordinate field medics turned and walked away. Well, dry clothes DID sound pretty nice right about now. A hot shower sounded even better. Ace had nodded to the captain's suggestion before he watched her walk away. Despite the current circumstances surrounding the situation, the word 'interrogation' had sparked the redhead's interest, though getting the kid into some dry clothes was definitely the first priority. Once more he focused his attention down to Chad, who still huddled down in the fetal position, shivering from cold and shock. The freelancer leaned down with both blankets tucked under one arm, and extended the other down to the trembling, soggy mess of a kid so that he could help him stand. "Come on, lets get outta here."
Once Chad had risen to his feet, the hybrid would drape one blanket over Chad's shoulders while the other was whisked over his own, and just like that the two made their way to the massive structure that was the main building of Cipher headquarters. "You did a great job. Passed with flying colors." Ace began by saying as they almost reached the back door of the building. "Sorry I didn't warn you about the water though... Those dick-bags from the news crews this morning completely fucked my train of thought." They reached the back door and Ace stood in front of what looked like a sensor similar to the one that had been on the main gate security checkpoint. The device scanned the tag around his neck before a mechanical series of beeps were produced, and the redhead reached out to push the heavy door open. It was truly a maze of a building, but Ace really didn't feel like playing tour guide today. They were met shortly after their arrival by a young man in uniform, who carried several boxes stacked on top of one another down the wide hallway. There was no mistaking that these two "men" were the ones Captain Matthews had instructed him to find. Handing over the boxes to Ace, seeing that Chad was still hugging the blanket around him like it was his last life line. "Here we go, sir. These should be the correct size... even though I had a bit of trouble finding such a...small...size." The redhead raised a pierced eyebrow. He wasn't used to being called 'sir', but the redhead did crack a bit of a smile as the uniform wearing male remarked about Chad's small stature. He was gonna pay for that later, most likely. Ah, but messing with the subordinates could be quite entertaining. "So... you gonna tell me where we can change, or do you want us to strip down in the middle of the hall?" Ace cocked his head to the side as he waited for the other male to give him an answer, which he quickly did. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, Sir. There is a locker room down on your left." Even Ace didn't know every nook and cranny of this place... and he certainly never utilized the locker rooms... actually, he wasn't even aware that they HAD locker rooms at headquarters. Huh... guess ya learn something new every day. "All right, thanks." The freelancer nodded and started in that direction. That guy must have been new. No one was ever THAT respectful to the freelancer... ranking title or no... they were usually regarded as the bottom of the barrel, the lowest of the low... the ones who can just cut and run whenever they wanted to. Oh well, guess it wasn't too bad getting a bit of respect every once in a while, especially at a time like this.
The redhead found the locker room door easily enough, and it wasn't another one of those doors that required a scan of the ID tag thankfully... the individual lockers though... yeah... they had the scanners built in to them to prevent theft. What sort of clothes had carmon given them anyway? Ace was rather curious and set the two boxes down onto one of the metal benches that ran down the center of the isle of lockers. The tape was fairly easily torn through, and when the still shirtless freelancer got the first glimpse of the textiles within the cardboard box, both eyebrows lifted with bewilderment. "Oh hell fucking no!" He lifted the long coat from the large box, looking over the predominantly blue and black, tailored fabric. The item looked way too small to ever fit him properly, so the hybrid turned his head and focused summer-meadow eyes on his small companion. "I think this one's supposed to be yours..." Ace shook his head with a sigh and tossed the garment toward Chad. "Guess we don't really have much else of a choice, eh?" And without even a moment of hesitation, the hybrid reached down and started to undo the brown leather belt and the top button of his soaked denim jeans. Ace certainly wasn't shy or bashful by any means. Cigarettes...fucked... Wallet....soaked.... CD...well, that was okay, of course. The freelancer grumbled under his breath as he sifted through the contents of his pockets before he began to start peeling the soaked denim from his legs. There was nothing worse than wet jeans... They were fucking heavy and clung to you like a freshly deflowered virgin after a game of bedroom-twister. 'Hmm?' Something wasn't right. The kid was freezing his balls of in his soaked clothes, why the hell wasn't he getting changed? Was he embarassed? "Hey, whats up with you? I know the uniforms are retarded as hell, but at least they're dry. Get changed."
The two field medics had brought a few of their supplies with them. Nothing too important, really, but their standard packs usually contained basic first aid equipment, bandages, sutures, iodine... and luckily also a couple of small blankets, with which they now approached the two soaked individuals. Ace finally rose to his feet and took the square sheets of wool fabric from the two medics with a nod of his head. The dark haired man who had pocketed his lighter had begun to walk away already, presumably to return to whatever douchebaggery his job entailed. Carmon remained, and though one could clearly see the relief as well as respect for the hybrid's actions in the woman's features, it was also obvious that she was stressed out about something. She really didn't look too happy. "I'm glad you two are okay now... Why were you two out here doing this anyway?" The woman shook her head and pinched at the bridge of her nose while waving the other hand in a manner of dismissal. "Nevermind... I need to get back inside and finish this interrogation business..." She rubbed at her temple, showing once again how stressed the Captain really was. Blue eyes focused on the redhead while the two field medics returned to her side. "You two need to go in and change, or you'll catch your death out here. I'll have someone bring you a set of dry clothes." And with that, the woman and her two subordinate field medics turned and walked away. Well, dry clothes DID sound pretty nice right about now. A hot shower sounded even better. Ace had nodded to the captain's suggestion before he watched her walk away. Despite the current circumstances surrounding the situation, the word 'interrogation' had sparked the redhead's interest, though getting the kid into some dry clothes was definitely the first priority. Once more he focused his attention down to Chad, who still huddled down in the fetal position, shivering from cold and shock. The freelancer leaned down with both blankets tucked under one arm, and extended the other down to the trembling, soggy mess of a kid so that he could help him stand. "Come on, lets get outta here."
Once Chad had risen to his feet, the hybrid would drape one blanket over Chad's shoulders while the other was whisked over his own, and just like that the two made their way to the massive structure that was the main building of Cipher headquarters. "You did a great job. Passed with flying colors." Ace began by saying as they almost reached the back door of the building. "Sorry I didn't warn you about the water though... Those dick-bags from the news crews this morning completely fucked my train of thought." They reached the back door and Ace stood in front of what looked like a sensor similar to the one that had been on the main gate security checkpoint. The device scanned the tag around his neck before a mechanical series of beeps were produced, and the redhead reached out to push the heavy door open. It was truly a maze of a building, but Ace really didn't feel like playing tour guide today. They were met shortly after their arrival by a young man in uniform, who carried several boxes stacked on top of one another down the wide hallway. There was no mistaking that these two "men" were the ones Captain Matthews had instructed him to find. Handing over the boxes to Ace, seeing that Chad was still hugging the blanket around him like it was his last life line. "Here we go, sir. These should be the correct size... even though I had a bit of trouble finding such a...small...size." The redhead raised a pierced eyebrow. He wasn't used to being called 'sir', but the redhead did crack a bit of a smile as the uniform wearing male remarked about Chad's small stature. He was gonna pay for that later, most likely. Ah, but messing with the subordinates could be quite entertaining. "So... you gonna tell me where we can change, or do you want us to strip down in the middle of the hall?" Ace cocked his head to the side as he waited for the other male to give him an answer, which he quickly did. "Oh, right! I'm sorry, Sir. There is a locker room down on your left." Even Ace didn't know every nook and cranny of this place... and he certainly never utilized the locker rooms... actually, he wasn't even aware that they HAD locker rooms at headquarters. Huh... guess ya learn something new every day. "All right, thanks." The freelancer nodded and started in that direction. That guy must have been new. No one was ever THAT respectful to the freelancer... ranking title or no... they were usually regarded as the bottom of the barrel, the lowest of the low... the ones who can just cut and run whenever they wanted to. Oh well, guess it wasn't too bad getting a bit of respect every once in a while, especially at a time like this.
The redhead found the locker room door easily enough, and it wasn't another one of those doors that required a scan of the ID tag thankfully... the individual lockers though... yeah... they had the scanners built in to them to prevent theft. What sort of clothes had carmon given them anyway? Ace was rather curious and set the two boxes down onto one of the metal benches that ran down the center of the isle of lockers. The tape was fairly easily torn through, and when the still shirtless freelancer got the first glimpse of the textiles within the cardboard box, both eyebrows lifted with bewilderment. "Oh hell fucking no!" He lifted the long coat from the large box, looking over the predominantly blue and black, tailored fabric. The item looked way too small to ever fit him properly, so the hybrid turned his head and focused summer-meadow eyes on his small companion. "I think this one's supposed to be yours..." Ace shook his head with a sigh and tossed the garment toward Chad. "Guess we don't really have much else of a choice, eh?" And without even a moment of hesitation, the hybrid reached down and started to undo the brown leather belt and the top button of his soaked denim jeans. Ace certainly wasn't shy or bashful by any means. Cigarettes...fucked... Wallet....soaked.... CD...well, that was okay, of course. The freelancer grumbled under his breath as he sifted through the contents of his pockets before he began to start peeling the soaked denim from his legs. There was nothing worse than wet jeans... They were fucking heavy and clung to you like a freshly deflowered virgin after a game of bedroom-twister. 'Hmm?' Something wasn't right. The kid was freezing his balls of in his soaked clothes, why the hell wasn't he getting changed? Was he embarassed? "Hey, whats up with you? I know the uniforms are retarded as hell, but at least they're dry. Get changed."
Chad just laid there..no urge to move at all as his body shook. Cold seemed to seep down to his very bones and it forced him to remember those harsh days of winter..of how many times he had nearly frozen to death in the snow. The breeze only made it worse as pale flesh started to tint a faint blue, skin tightening up into goosebumps. He could hardly pay attention to anyone at the moment as his brain was still on overdrive...That fall replaying over and over again..the way his body had slapped painfully against the surface of the water..how badly his lungs had burned in need of oxygen he simply couldn't get.
The thoughts grew worse and worse the longer they were allowed to play out and it was a wonder that he hadn't simply crumbled mentally by that point. The only thing anchoring him was the desperate grasp he had visually..Lavender hues locked with summer meadow..he couldn't bring himself to utter the plea again but it shined in that single visible scared eye, begging that he never have to go through something like this again. Deep down he feared he wouldn't survive the next occurrence. It was yet another close brush with death that someone his age never should of experienced..and as far as Ace knew it was only his second...how sadly wrong he was in that assumption. When he saw that hand extended towards him it would take the frozen youth several minutes to finally move..pain exploded from his back hard enough to cause him to gag once more..a dry heave causing his body to haunch over for a moment before he was able to get it under control.
God it was like someone had lit a fire on his back..a cold biting freezing fire..how could something burn so much yet bite like ice? Slender fingers would curl around Ace's hand as he used the others help to get to his feet..He wobbled dangerously as the blanket was draped over his shoulders and Chad pulled it as tight as he possibly could to his body. Not a single word was uttered as Ace apologized and explained..It was taking all he had just to walk, no energy could be spared for words. At least not right now. When inside the building Chad just stood there dripping over the floor..and it was a testament to just how badly shaken he was when he failed to catch the comment about his height from the Cipher employee. Not even a single glance was shot towards the man as the box's were handed over.
As they started off again Chad began to waver on his feet, teeth grinding together as he tried to force his feet to just carry him one step at a time before they finally made it to the locker room..The first chance he got the kid plopped his freezing ass down on a bench in front of a row of mirrors that were supposed to be used to make sure all staff members could check that they were fully presentable. He couldn't stop his jaw from trembling..it was aching from how hard he was clenching it though in effort when suddenly something landed over his lap..looking down at it in confusion Chad tried to figure out just what the fuck it was. His brain wasn't making connections all that well before finally it sank it..it was a uniform? What ever..it was dry..But there was one problem left that was preventing him from changing.
Slowly the boys attention was pulled upwards as he watched Ace beginning to change, trying to peal himself out of those wet jeans..There was no way...absolutely no way he was changing in front of the older man. Blue lips trembled as he tried to fight off the way his teeth were beginning to chatter together even with how hard he was holding his jaws closed. Lips truly were blue by that point showing just how cold he was yet still he wasn't moving, not a muscle twitched in attempt to change out of his soaking clothes. "Hey, Whats up with you? The question caught his attention as he just stared at the other. Those eye's looked almost dead..causing a flash of memory in the Italian back to the very first day the two had met. As an abstract thought it might start to make sense just why the kid always looked the way he did...The knowledge of your own mortality aged you in ways that no one should ever experience..but to be forced to face that fact of life at so young an age it was mentally scaring.
Glancing down at the uniform jacket still on his lap Chad would finally give in to the chattering of his teeth..it hurt to much to stop it anyways plus he had to give some sort of an answer. Unfortunately the words were mumbled..hardly understandable but a gist was grasped at..Chad didn't want Ace to see him..or more importantly the scars that marked his body. Since day one the boy had gone out of his way to make sure no one could see the wounds on his back..only the nurses and doctors had gotten to see that..Every time his bandages had needed to be changed the urchin made sure to time it so that Ace wouldn't be in the room with him but now..now he had no choice though he was loathed to let anyone see how marked he was.
When Ace saw what the problem was the red head would slowly raise that pierced eyebrow and simply stare at the violently shivering boy. It didn't make sense to him when he honestly thought about it but eventually the realization dawned..He was ashamed..embarrassed of what he looked like. Chad for all his guff and temper had no self esteem to speak of not to mention it was probably ingrained in him from harsh experience of life on the streets. It was brutal out there after all and at the first sign of weakness the carrion eaters would descend at the snap of a finger. It was a situation that needed to be handled delicately as far as Ace could see..Lifting a hand to drag fingers through those red crimson locks the Italian really wished his smokes weren't soaking wet. Fuck the no smoking rule right about now.
"Look..you don't have to be ashamed about it ya know. It only gives Malkavich more power over you." That response definitely caught Chads attention as those eye's narrowed in such a fashion that Ace knew he was treading on dangerous ground as far as the kid was concerned. "If you keep it up like this he's going to have the last laugh..Why not treat it differently. Instead of seeing the marks as a result of what was done look at it as something you've over come." Broad shoulders rose and fell in a half assed shrug as he finally managed to get himself out of the prison known as wet denim. The blanket was used as a makeshift towel, at least it had a double use.
Chad simply sat there watching for the time being..rolling the words over in his head before his eye's caught sight of something...the puckered flesh located over the man's shoulder..Thats right..He had taken a bullet wound to that arm..from a man that..A slight shake of his head was given. Ace was right. He was brooding over it to much like some sort of emo cutter or something..fuck Malkavich..Chad refused to allow the man to rule his life for as long as he live...and if it meant accepting what had been done to him..well he had done harder things. There was no doubt it would take time to get comfortable with what he was about to do but it didn't mean it couldn't be done. Huffing Chad made his decision.
Getting to his feet he shuffled over towards Ace's side, looking down at the box containing the uniform before he sighed and set the jacket over the top. Letting the blanket fall from his shoulders and rest on the bench Chad would grab the base of his soaking tank before pulling it up and over in one swift movement. He felt exposed..weak and vulnerable and they were sensations he didn't like at all...thankfully he was already shivering from the cold so he couldn't betray his true feelings on the matter..He viciously ignored the fact that he was on display as he eased himself over, grinding his teeth at the pain in his back while he tried to get his soggy shoes off. The position gave Ace a clear view of everything Chad had wanted to hide.
The entirety of his back was nothing more than a mangled mess..thick puckered chunks of flesh were an angry red in comparison to the rest of his pale body..blurred lines of black hinted at the art he had once sported though it was well beyond recognition now..each scar looked swollen, tight..painful. And it was utterly understandable just why Chad had worked for so long to hide it from others eye's yet at the same time it would be stunning for the simple fact that the entire time Chad had been in pain..horrible amounts of pain if what Ace was seeing could be considered almost normal..yet not a single hint of it had been let out..to be so utterly fooled and tricked into believing Chad was fine..well it was safe to say Ace was kicking himself mentally over this.
The thoughts grew worse and worse the longer they were allowed to play out and it was a wonder that he hadn't simply crumbled mentally by that point. The only thing anchoring him was the desperate grasp he had visually..Lavender hues locked with summer meadow..he couldn't bring himself to utter the plea again but it shined in that single visible scared eye, begging that he never have to go through something like this again. Deep down he feared he wouldn't survive the next occurrence. It was yet another close brush with death that someone his age never should of experienced..and as far as Ace knew it was only his second...how sadly wrong he was in that assumption. When he saw that hand extended towards him it would take the frozen youth several minutes to finally move..pain exploded from his back hard enough to cause him to gag once more..a dry heave causing his body to haunch over for a moment before he was able to get it under control.
God it was like someone had lit a fire on his back..a cold biting freezing fire..how could something burn so much yet bite like ice? Slender fingers would curl around Ace's hand as he used the others help to get to his feet..He wobbled dangerously as the blanket was draped over his shoulders and Chad pulled it as tight as he possibly could to his body. Not a single word was uttered as Ace apologized and explained..It was taking all he had just to walk, no energy could be spared for words. At least not right now. When inside the building Chad just stood there dripping over the floor..and it was a testament to just how badly shaken he was when he failed to catch the comment about his height from the Cipher employee. Not even a single glance was shot towards the man as the box's were handed over.
As they started off again Chad began to waver on his feet, teeth grinding together as he tried to force his feet to just carry him one step at a time before they finally made it to the locker room..The first chance he got the kid plopped his freezing ass down on a bench in front of a row of mirrors that were supposed to be used to make sure all staff members could check that they were fully presentable. He couldn't stop his jaw from trembling..it was aching from how hard he was clenching it though in effort when suddenly something landed over his lap..looking down at it in confusion Chad tried to figure out just what the fuck it was. His brain wasn't making connections all that well before finally it sank it..it was a uniform? What ever..it was dry..But there was one problem left that was preventing him from changing.
Slowly the boys attention was pulled upwards as he watched Ace beginning to change, trying to peal himself out of those wet jeans..There was no way...absolutely no way he was changing in front of the older man. Blue lips trembled as he tried to fight off the way his teeth were beginning to chatter together even with how hard he was holding his jaws closed. Lips truly were blue by that point showing just how cold he was yet still he wasn't moving, not a muscle twitched in attempt to change out of his soaking clothes. "Hey, Whats up with you? The question caught his attention as he just stared at the other. Those eye's looked almost dead..causing a flash of memory in the Italian back to the very first day the two had met. As an abstract thought it might start to make sense just why the kid always looked the way he did...The knowledge of your own mortality aged you in ways that no one should ever experience..but to be forced to face that fact of life at so young an age it was mentally scaring.
Glancing down at the uniform jacket still on his lap Chad would finally give in to the chattering of his teeth..it hurt to much to stop it anyways plus he had to give some sort of an answer. Unfortunately the words were mumbled..hardly understandable but a gist was grasped at..Chad didn't want Ace to see him..or more importantly the scars that marked his body. Since day one the boy had gone out of his way to make sure no one could see the wounds on his back..only the nurses and doctors had gotten to see that..Every time his bandages had needed to be changed the urchin made sure to time it so that Ace wouldn't be in the room with him but now..now he had no choice though he was loathed to let anyone see how marked he was.
When Ace saw what the problem was the red head would slowly raise that pierced eyebrow and simply stare at the violently shivering boy. It didn't make sense to him when he honestly thought about it but eventually the realization dawned..He was ashamed..embarrassed of what he looked like. Chad for all his guff and temper had no self esteem to speak of not to mention it was probably ingrained in him from harsh experience of life on the streets. It was brutal out there after all and at the first sign of weakness the carrion eaters would descend at the snap of a finger. It was a situation that needed to be handled delicately as far as Ace could see..Lifting a hand to drag fingers through those red crimson locks the Italian really wished his smokes weren't soaking wet. Fuck the no smoking rule right about now.
"Look..you don't have to be ashamed about it ya know. It only gives Malkavich more power over you." That response definitely caught Chads attention as those eye's narrowed in such a fashion that Ace knew he was treading on dangerous ground as far as the kid was concerned. "If you keep it up like this he's going to have the last laugh..Why not treat it differently. Instead of seeing the marks as a result of what was done look at it as something you've over come." Broad shoulders rose and fell in a half assed shrug as he finally managed to get himself out of the prison known as wet denim. The blanket was used as a makeshift towel, at least it had a double use.
Chad simply sat there watching for the time being..rolling the words over in his head before his eye's caught sight of something...the puckered flesh located over the man's shoulder..Thats right..He had taken a bullet wound to that arm..from a man that..A slight shake of his head was given. Ace was right. He was brooding over it to much like some sort of emo cutter or something..fuck Malkavich..Chad refused to allow the man to rule his life for as long as he live...and if it meant accepting what had been done to him..well he had done harder things. There was no doubt it would take time to get comfortable with what he was about to do but it didn't mean it couldn't be done. Huffing Chad made his decision.
Getting to his feet he shuffled over towards Ace's side, looking down at the box containing the uniform before he sighed and set the jacket over the top. Letting the blanket fall from his shoulders and rest on the bench Chad would grab the base of his soaking tank before pulling it up and over in one swift movement. He felt exposed..weak and vulnerable and they were sensations he didn't like at all...thankfully he was already shivering from the cold so he couldn't betray his true feelings on the matter..He viciously ignored the fact that he was on display as he eased himself over, grinding his teeth at the pain in his back while he tried to get his soggy shoes off. The position gave Ace a clear view of everything Chad had wanted to hide.
The entirety of his back was nothing more than a mangled mess..thick puckered chunks of flesh were an angry red in comparison to the rest of his pale body..blurred lines of black hinted at the art he had once sported though it was well beyond recognition now..each scar looked swollen, tight..painful. And it was utterly understandable just why Chad had worked for so long to hide it from others eye's yet at the same time it would be stunning for the simple fact that the entire time Chad had been in pain..horrible amounts of pain if what Ace was seeing could be considered almost normal..yet not a single hint of it had been let out..to be so utterly fooled and tricked into believing Chad was fine..well it was safe to say Ace was kicking himself mentally over this.
Ace cracked a faint smile once he saw the huddled bundle start to unwind and shed that blanked. He knew without a doubt in his mind that this wasn't easy for the kid. It was a bigger hurdle than any of those obstacles on that training course had been, but the fact that Ace's words had coaxed him into giving it a shot was a pleasant sight for the redhead. It was progress. Once Chad had waddled up beside him, the freelancer had shifted his gaze back to the box in front of him and tore it open. There wasn't much of a reason for him to make the kid feel even more uncomfortable than he already was by just standing there, staring down at him. Besides, wouldn't that just make him look more like some kind of pervert? While sifting through his own box of clothing to fish out the pants first and foremost, he kept an eye on Chad from only the fringes of his vision. But as soon as Chad bent down to unlace the waterlogged shoes bound to his feet, the freelancer's head turned completely. Golden green eyes jumped to the raised, red mess that decorated the kid's back. It was as like some horrible nightmare out of a toddler's coloring book. Ace's fingers stopped working to open the button on those deep blue uniform pants as he took in the sheer horror of it. The clear view of that marred canvas of scars lit a spark beneath that ever-present, dormant rage of his. Fingers curled around the fabric he held. What sort of monster could do this to someone so young, small, and defenseless? Well, not that Chad was really defenseless...but when it came to being held down by multiple people while some sadistic fuck-bag is beating you senseless... he really didn't stand much of a chance. Ace had seen the kid's bare back once before already; on that night from hell at the Diamond Lounge... when that tattoo had still been in tact, and there was nothing but smooth skin stretched over muscle and bone. If the redhead hadn't come there that night... maybe things would have been different. But maybe not... Malkavich would have probably just found some other way to get his kicks from torturing the kid. But that particular monster was gone now; locked away with all the other vicious beasts who shouldn't be allowed to roam free. Ace let out a gentle, almost inaudible sigh... maybe that's where he belonged too.
When Chad had straightened out his posture once more, he would find those summer-meadow eyes still fixed on him as they observed the stiff movements of tight muscles under that carpet of swollen, pink scars. The kid was so exhausted, and yet he still put forth 100% effort to conceal the fact that he was in pain. Was it always like this? Is this what he was dealing with on a daily basis, or was this pain a result of the fall into the frigid pond today? Hhmm, if it was a chronic condition, then that certainly could explain the long hot showers, or the fact that he had turned their bathroom into a steam sauna on more than one occasion. But that also had to mean that the kid was really fucking good at hiding his discomforts, because up until now, Ace hadn't noticed a thing. No use assuming, really when he could just ask the kid himself. Hell, maybe a little bit of conversation would even make Chad a bit more comfortable with this moment of uneasiness and vulnerability. "It's always that bad... isnt't it? The pain, I mean..." That velvet steel voice of his with its persistent hints of facetiousness was steady and calm. For anyone who didn't know him better, it was often difficult to tell whether the fiery redhead was being serious or not. That's how he was so often able to play mind-games with the Captain. But Chad had seen the hybrid in a state of sincerity on more than one occasion, and it wouldn't be difficult to tell that this was another one of those moments. The kid didn't seem to eager to answer the question at first, and Ace's eyes slowly shifted from Chad's lavender hues back to that pants button he had been messing with. "You know... If you don't let me know what's going on, then I can't figure out ways to help you..." He paused his words and set the now open pants back down on the edges of the box. With the blanket still wrapped securely around his waist, Ace reached up under the wool fabric of the concealing shield of the blanket and pulled off the soaked boxers too. If he was gonna be stuck in the stupid uniform, which was already bad enough, he wasn't about to do it all the while having the discomfort of cold, wet fabric stuck to his ass and riding up his crotch. Fuck that, he was going commando. Ace gave no fucks. He continued verbalizing his train of thought as he commenced with the pants swap. "...and I want to help you. That's what family does...we support each other. That's how we get stronger." Ace slipped his legs into the dry fabric of the pants and pulled them up to his waist under the blanket, which he soon thereafter removed once it was no longer necessary. Next step: White button down shirt. Well, that wasn't really too bad. A summer meadow gaze was shot over to Chad, curious to hear with what words his young companion would respond... if at all. Ace was fairly used to that from Chad though... The kid could run his mouth all day, bickering back and forth with Dane to see who was right and who was wrong...cursing like a sailor... Ya couldn't get him to shut up sometimes... But then there were other times, when it came to the sensitive subjects, that all the money in the world wasn't enough to coax him into spilling a single word. Family just so happened to be one of those sensitive subjects... and since he had been working so hard to try and hide it, physical pain was apparently one of them too. From having read over the youth's personal files, the hybrid had caught a glimpse of insight into the kid's grim childhood. While his mother hadn't exactly been the poster-child for the parent of the year award, Chad still loved her as dearly as life itself... because she was his life... she was the most precious thing he had to hold on to. When she was gone, life must have been incredibly empty, devoid of meaning.
It wasn't fair, he thought to himself; the fact that he knew so much about Chad, when Chad knew little to nothing about him. There would come a time when the hybrid would be able to lay all of his cards out on the table in front of his young companion. But seeing the delicate nature of such subjects, it would be a gradual process. Arms slipped into the folds of the white cotton fabric and fingers still stiff with cold worked dexterously on the line of buttons from hem to collar. He slipped his fingers into the neck-line and fished for the chain to make sure the ID tag would rest on top of the white textiles, as he had observed from the other Cipher employees. The hem of the shirt was stuffed into the top of his pants with half-assed effort before a narrow eyed glare darted past Chad and toward those mirrors on the far wall. Ugh, he already felt ridiculous, and this was just the beginning of the whole ensemble. Fingers combed through still damp strands of red hair as he sighed with vexation and pulled the next item from the box. A vest? Seriously?! Who's fucking cruel joke was this??? In all honesty, whoever had designed this getup needed to be fired...out of a cannon.
When Chad had straightened out his posture once more, he would find those summer-meadow eyes still fixed on him as they observed the stiff movements of tight muscles under that carpet of swollen, pink scars. The kid was so exhausted, and yet he still put forth 100% effort to conceal the fact that he was in pain. Was it always like this? Is this what he was dealing with on a daily basis, or was this pain a result of the fall into the frigid pond today? Hhmm, if it was a chronic condition, then that certainly could explain the long hot showers, or the fact that he had turned their bathroom into a steam sauna on more than one occasion. But that also had to mean that the kid was really fucking good at hiding his discomforts, because up until now, Ace hadn't noticed a thing. No use assuming, really when he could just ask the kid himself. Hell, maybe a little bit of conversation would even make Chad a bit more comfortable with this moment of uneasiness and vulnerability. "It's always that bad... isnt't it? The pain, I mean..." That velvet steel voice of his with its persistent hints of facetiousness was steady and calm. For anyone who didn't know him better, it was often difficult to tell whether the fiery redhead was being serious or not. That's how he was so often able to play mind-games with the Captain. But Chad had seen the hybrid in a state of sincerity on more than one occasion, and it wouldn't be difficult to tell that this was another one of those moments. The kid didn't seem to eager to answer the question at first, and Ace's eyes slowly shifted from Chad's lavender hues back to that pants button he had been messing with. "You know... If you don't let me know what's going on, then I can't figure out ways to help you..." He paused his words and set the now open pants back down on the edges of the box. With the blanket still wrapped securely around his waist, Ace reached up under the wool fabric of the concealing shield of the blanket and pulled off the soaked boxers too. If he was gonna be stuck in the stupid uniform, which was already bad enough, he wasn't about to do it all the while having the discomfort of cold, wet fabric stuck to his ass and riding up his crotch. Fuck that, he was going commando. Ace gave no fucks. He continued verbalizing his train of thought as he commenced with the pants swap. "...and I want to help you. That's what family does...we support each other. That's how we get stronger." Ace slipped his legs into the dry fabric of the pants and pulled them up to his waist under the blanket, which he soon thereafter removed once it was no longer necessary. Next step: White button down shirt. Well, that wasn't really too bad. A summer meadow gaze was shot over to Chad, curious to hear with what words his young companion would respond... if at all. Ace was fairly used to that from Chad though... The kid could run his mouth all day, bickering back and forth with Dane to see who was right and who was wrong...cursing like a sailor... Ya couldn't get him to shut up sometimes... But then there were other times, when it came to the sensitive subjects, that all the money in the world wasn't enough to coax him into spilling a single word. Family just so happened to be one of those sensitive subjects... and since he had been working so hard to try and hide it, physical pain was apparently one of them too. From having read over the youth's personal files, the hybrid had caught a glimpse of insight into the kid's grim childhood. While his mother hadn't exactly been the poster-child for the parent of the year award, Chad still loved her as dearly as life itself... because she was his life... she was the most precious thing he had to hold on to. When she was gone, life must have been incredibly empty, devoid of meaning.
It wasn't fair, he thought to himself; the fact that he knew so much about Chad, when Chad knew little to nothing about him. There would come a time when the hybrid would be able to lay all of his cards out on the table in front of his young companion. But seeing the delicate nature of such subjects, it would be a gradual process. Arms slipped into the folds of the white cotton fabric and fingers still stiff with cold worked dexterously on the line of buttons from hem to collar. He slipped his fingers into the neck-line and fished for the chain to make sure the ID tag would rest on top of the white textiles, as he had observed from the other Cipher employees. The hem of the shirt was stuffed into the top of his pants with half-assed effort before a narrow eyed glare darted past Chad and toward those mirrors on the far wall. Ugh, he already felt ridiculous, and this was just the beginning of the whole ensemble. Fingers combed through still damp strands of red hair as he sighed with vexation and pulled the next item from the box. A vest? Seriously?! Who's fucking cruel joke was this??? In all honesty, whoever had designed this getup needed to be fired...out of a cannon.
Chad managed to toe one shoe off as he started to work on the sock..Making a face at the feeling of the fabric pealing away from his pale chilled skin. The other shoe was quick to follow in the same manor until he straightened. Jaws clenched silently as the pain throbbed within the scars of his back. It took years for even the smallest marking on someones skin to heal fully and Chad had only a few months at most for healing time. He pulled the bandana from his head, trembling fingers wringing it out to splatter water all over the floor. He was making a mess like this but frankly Chad couldn't care, or more accurately he was to tired to care. Being messy wasn't a normal thing for a youth who normally had a place for everything and everything in its place. But this would explain why from time to time Ace and Dane could find Chad surrounded by junk or papers with little to no motivation to clean up after himself. The comments on lazy behavior had been shoved to the side with a flippant hand wave at those times. How would they know just how much pain he was in.
The gray haired youth was really starting to kick himself for having left his pain medication back in his room at the bar, he could most definitely go for one or two tablets..maybe six or seven..something like that. He caught a visible lack of movement from his side when he knew Ace should be changing. Shifting his head ever so slightly to get a better look at the damp red head the boys lips would tug into a hard frown "What?" He most certainty wasn't in the mood for this today..He was almost begging Ace to utter some sort of teasing comment or something..just give him one excuse..just one and Chad would be reminding Ace why it hurt so much the last time he got nailed in the groin. The following statement was defiantly not what he had been expecting. Muscles already stiff went still as he just stood there, eye's narrowing in the red heads direction.
This most definatly was a sensitive topic that much was obvious, the whole subject of Family was almost a taboo around the young male but at least he wasn't blowing up..Grunting to himself he turned and started to riffle through the box holding his uniform. It really was amazing they had managed to find one to fit him..his luck it was probably a females uniform. No wait he saw pants that meant it was safe right? Right? For the time being he wouldn't utter anything as he followed Ace's example. Wrapping the blanket around his waist the youth would wriggle out of his soaking shorts and boxers making a face as the fabric clung to his skin..Gross.. He'd purposely shove the box to the side before he could sit down on the bench again using the moment to catch his breath. God he was exhausted so the minute to sit definatly was welcomed.
Pulling the long sleeved shirt from the box he'd scoff at it silently for a moment before simply starting to pull it on. Letting the article settle across his shoulders and hiding the mess that his back had become. Without those visual's of just how much pain Chad was in Ace could easily see just why he had been so utterly fooled. Not an ounce of emotion was playing over the boys face that he didn't want there after all. Fingers that had been shaking so badly moments before had finally calmed enough to work on the process of slipping buttons through small holes. "..The doctors gave me medication for it.." He'd start out blandly as he finished buttoning up the shirt. Giving it a good tug at the bottom to straighten out the white material as he reached up and started to smooth down his collar before addressing the sleeves, making sure they were done up properly.
The next item snagged were the same style of pants that Ace had been messing with only minutes before. Hunching over slowly Chad would slip first one foot down the cloth before it was followed by the other. Standing the youth would give a little hop before he pulled the blanket form his waist. Hands wasted no time in doing up the button before pulling the zipper up. Still too big. The things weren't sitting on him just right, still somewhat to large for his skinny frame. Fuck would anything ever fit him properly? Spying Ace seeming to wither at the sight of the vest Chad would tut softly "Don't pick over it. Dry clothes are dry clothes." He'd grumble before grabbing a vest similar to Ace's and slid it on. Hands would grab the excess fabric of his shirt before viciously shoving it into the waist band of his pants. "I don't like taking them though." Taking what? oh yea the meds. "They make me groggy."
The comment might spark a flash of remembrance in the Italian..of how Chad had been trying so hard to study for his G.E.D, an absolute mess surrounding the table in front of him as he was downstairs again. Moments later had found the youth head first on the table practically drooling as he lost the battle for sleep. At the time both adults passed it off to how hard the kid was working at his study's but now the truth would dawn on Ace. Those moments that Chad had been caught off guard so completely, allowing himself to sleep practically anywhere and be so lax in his normal alertness, it had been the fault of the pain medication. "Anything less strong than what they gave me doesn't do anything though so its what ever."
It was amazing just how well Chad seemed to clean up, even in a uniform that was still a tad to big on him the kid managed to pull off a dashing image. Gunmetal grey vest done up properly before that long jacket was soon to follow. The sleeves hung over his hands more than he wanted so the boy easily folded the wrist's upwards without a hesitation before the jacket was buttoned up. It wasn't required that the thing be done like that but each added layer of warmth was more than welcoming to him. "And you don't get to talk about family." Chad would grumble before simply staring at the footwear that was at the bottom of the box...seriously? Please please please at least let these be his size. Huffing the boy would sit on the bench once more as he grabbed first one boot. Spying the zipper along the size he would undo it before slipping his foot inside. Who the fuck makes people wear boots like these..wait..ok he took that back..gay though they may look..holy fuck the damn things were comfortable.
"This can start being considered a family when everyone else shares to. I don't exactly see you and Dane tripping over your feet to tell me things so why should I bother letting you know if I'm in a bit of pain or not." A pale eyebrow perked up in honest curiosity before he finished dressing looking like a miniature Cipher agent with the blue's and grays, his damn hair hanging around a harsh face as he waited for Ace to be finished "Come on..I wanna go home after this hellish day."
The gray haired youth was really starting to kick himself for having left his pain medication back in his room at the bar, he could most definitely go for one or two tablets..maybe six or seven..something like that. He caught a visible lack of movement from his side when he knew Ace should be changing. Shifting his head ever so slightly to get a better look at the damp red head the boys lips would tug into a hard frown "What?" He most certainty wasn't in the mood for this today..He was almost begging Ace to utter some sort of teasing comment or something..just give him one excuse..just one and Chad would be reminding Ace why it hurt so much the last time he got nailed in the groin. The following statement was defiantly not what he had been expecting. Muscles already stiff went still as he just stood there, eye's narrowing in the red heads direction.
This most definatly was a sensitive topic that much was obvious, the whole subject of Family was almost a taboo around the young male but at least he wasn't blowing up..Grunting to himself he turned and started to riffle through the box holding his uniform. It really was amazing they had managed to find one to fit him..his luck it was probably a females uniform. No wait he saw pants that meant it was safe right? Right? For the time being he wouldn't utter anything as he followed Ace's example. Wrapping the blanket around his waist the youth would wriggle out of his soaking shorts and boxers making a face as the fabric clung to his skin..Gross.. He'd purposely shove the box to the side before he could sit down on the bench again using the moment to catch his breath. God he was exhausted so the minute to sit definatly was welcomed.
Pulling the long sleeved shirt from the box he'd scoff at it silently for a moment before simply starting to pull it on. Letting the article settle across his shoulders and hiding the mess that his back had become. Without those visual's of just how much pain Chad was in Ace could easily see just why he had been so utterly fooled. Not an ounce of emotion was playing over the boys face that he didn't want there after all. Fingers that had been shaking so badly moments before had finally calmed enough to work on the process of slipping buttons through small holes. "..The doctors gave me medication for it.." He'd start out blandly as he finished buttoning up the shirt. Giving it a good tug at the bottom to straighten out the white material as he reached up and started to smooth down his collar before addressing the sleeves, making sure they were done up properly.
The next item snagged were the same style of pants that Ace had been messing with only minutes before. Hunching over slowly Chad would slip first one foot down the cloth before it was followed by the other. Standing the youth would give a little hop before he pulled the blanket form his waist. Hands wasted no time in doing up the button before pulling the zipper up. Still too big. The things weren't sitting on him just right, still somewhat to large for his skinny frame. Fuck would anything ever fit him properly? Spying Ace seeming to wither at the sight of the vest Chad would tut softly "Don't pick over it. Dry clothes are dry clothes." He'd grumble before grabbing a vest similar to Ace's and slid it on. Hands would grab the excess fabric of his shirt before viciously shoving it into the waist band of his pants. "I don't like taking them though." Taking what? oh yea the meds. "They make me groggy."
The comment might spark a flash of remembrance in the Italian..of how Chad had been trying so hard to study for his G.E.D, an absolute mess surrounding the table in front of him as he was downstairs again. Moments later had found the youth head first on the table practically drooling as he lost the battle for sleep. At the time both adults passed it off to how hard the kid was working at his study's but now the truth would dawn on Ace. Those moments that Chad had been caught off guard so completely, allowing himself to sleep practically anywhere and be so lax in his normal alertness, it had been the fault of the pain medication. "Anything less strong than what they gave me doesn't do anything though so its what ever."
It was amazing just how well Chad seemed to clean up, even in a uniform that was still a tad to big on him the kid managed to pull off a dashing image. Gunmetal grey vest done up properly before that long jacket was soon to follow. The sleeves hung over his hands more than he wanted so the boy easily folded the wrist's upwards without a hesitation before the jacket was buttoned up. It wasn't required that the thing be done like that but each added layer of warmth was more than welcoming to him. "And you don't get to talk about family." Chad would grumble before simply staring at the footwear that was at the bottom of the box...seriously? Please please please at least let these be his size. Huffing the boy would sit on the bench once more as he grabbed first one boot. Spying the zipper along the size he would undo it before slipping his foot inside. Who the fuck makes people wear boots like these..wait..ok he took that back..gay though they may look..holy fuck the damn things were comfortable.
"This can start being considered a family when everyone else shares to. I don't exactly see you and Dane tripping over your feet to tell me things so why should I bother letting you know if I'm in a bit of pain or not." A pale eyebrow perked up in honest curiosity before he finished dressing looking like a miniature Cipher agent with the blue's and grays, his damn hair hanging around a harsh face as he waited for Ace to be finished "Come on..I wanna go home after this hellish day."
The hybrid hadn't bothered actually buttoning the sleeves of the white shirt as he listened intently to the youth explain the "pain management" the doctors had prescribed him. Pain-meds eh? Well, that certainly explained the random drowsiness that Ace had so often just written off as a result of too much studying...or those awful night-terrors he knew the kid had. Hell, most of the time when Chad woke up with screams in the middle of the night, it managed to snap the redhead out of whatever state of sleep he had managed to slip into. Ace wasn't a complete idiot...and knew just from those terrible nights, that the kid was still being psychologically tormented by the phantoms of his past. But that Chad's pain crossed over from mind to body had been hidden so skillfully by the youth, that it had just completely gone over his head until now.
The freelancer grumbled under his breath and slipped his arms through the black vest begrudgingly, tugging at the fabric so it fell comfortable over broad shoulders. The warmth of the dry clothing was welcome...the overall appearance of said clothes, not so much. Golden green eyes wandered back to Chad as the boy mimicked his own movements with each article of clothing. "And when you don't wanna take 'em, you turn the bathroom into a steam-sauna and give Dane heart attacks, eh?" Each button of the black vest was slipped into its according hole as he cracked a faint smile and cast his gaze aside to the box. It made sense now... Chad didn't want to take his pain-meds this morning because he knew it would lower his performance for the assessment...so he had to go with plan B...the next best thing... If that was the case, then maybe he should pay to have a Sauna installed. Hell, there was plenty of space for it in the basement, and it really wouldn't be that bad of an investment.
Ace dug through the left over articles in the box and fished out the boots first. He didn't feel like messing with the coat just yet, which is what Chad seemed to be doing at that particular point. The youth's uniform fit better than he had expected, honestly...it didn't even look half bad. It was obviously still slightly too big in places here and there, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted with the roll of a sleeve, or tuck of a hem. The redhead moved his box out of the way and sat down on the bench so he could pull those tall, black, leather boots onto his legs. At least they had a zipper... because pulling that fancy footwear over the fabric of the pants all the way up to his knees would have been much too bothersome without it. His focus on the boots was broken when he heard the sound of Chad's voice as it echoed softly through the silence of the locker room. 'Hmm?' Fingers stopped moving to work the zipper and he lifted his head to direct his gaze in the youth's direction. He blinked a couple of times while watching the smaller male seat himself on the bench as well. Lids narrowed over summer-meadow hues momentarily as the kid's words washed over him regarding that touchy subject of family. However, that bitter expression was washed away only seconds after Chad had finished speaking. As he kept his attention fixed on the youthful face with those ghostly oculars, golden-green eyes softened and the right corner of his lips twitched upward into a slight smile. The kid was right... he hated to admit it, but Chad most definitely had a point.
Finally, he broke eye contact and finished zipping up the leather boots. "I wasn't sure if you really cared... " He began by saying, and finally rose to his feet, flicking a flash of glance into those mirrors again. Christ... he looked like a Nazi figure skater and a bell-hop made a homunculus... Oh well, he wasn't going to let it distract him from continuing his train of thought. The beginning of his statement had been the simple truth. Most of the time, the kid was so wrapped in cynicism and jaded apathy that it appeared as though he really couldn't care less if Ace, let alone Dane shared anything with him on a personal level. "...But, you're right. If I wanna know about you, it's only fair if you know shit about me too...It's a two-way street." The redhead sighed and finally pulled the long, heavy coat from the box. 'Hmm?' Well, this was interesting. The predominantly blue garment with its black accents and silver buttons looked almost identical to the one he had seen that black-haired, pompous ass wearing earlier... but the collar on this coat was distinctly different in the sense that it was folded and pressed down in a more traditional military-style collar The cuffs of each sleeve were also a bit less embellished upon closer inspection. Huh, guess that meant that that dick-weed had actually been a 'superior'... Eh, not like Ace really cared anyway.
With one quick, fluid motion the coat was pulled onto his shoulders, arms slipping through sleeves as the long fabric fanned out behind him for a moment before settling around the rest of his frame. It was like some kind of action-movie Matrix shit. Ace rolled his shoulders and adjusted the fit. He really didn't feel like buttoning the damn thing, but if it would at least serve to hide that asinine vest, then so be it. The whole thing was topped off with a black leather belt. Yeah... he was definitely ready to get the out of here, there was no denying that. His own wet clothes as well as Chad's were hastily collected and tossed into one of the now empty uniform boxes. He combed fingers through red hair, ruffling it a bit before he moved to crack the door open. Peeking his head out into the hallway, he glanced left and right in each direction for a moment. No one was visible, and everything seemed fairly quiet. Way down at the end was the door through which they had entered. "Okay...coast is clear. I don't know about you, but I'm avoiding being seen this way like I avoid those spastic semen-zombies that are always lurking around the bars downtown... so pick up the pace." And with that, he stepped quickly, but quietly out into the hallway.
It seemed for a moment like they were actually on their way to salvation; those thick, steel enforced double doors were so close within their reach... But then he heard it; that voice of her's...from somewhere behind them down the hallway. It echoed clear as crystal. "Oh good, you two are still here! I need to talk to you for just a minute." Ace cringed at Carmon's words. Whyyyy? This day was going down the toilet faster than his dead childhood goldfish...and it just kept getting worse by the minute. Ears picked up the hastily approaching footsteps as she closed the distance. "You did get that assignment file, right? It's about a.... WOAH!..." The Captain's words stopped promptly as the freelancer finally turned around to face her, a narrow-eyed expression clearly indicating that he was NOT amused. The woman let her eyes wander over the tall redhead in sheer disbelief, looking like a kid on chrsitmas day. Her gaze drifted to the younger male as well, sweeping him over with fascination like she was standing in front of two mythical creatures from a fairytale. Carmon shot her focus back to Ace and cleared her throat, recomposing herself. "You... I mean, both of you look really good." Ace's pierced eyebrow shot upward. Ordinarily, he would have made some sort of snide comment, some smart-mouthed remark... but he just wasn't in the mood... and when the freelancer didn't even feel like playing his usual games with the woman, then that was a clear indication of just how foul his mood really was. He simply stood there, glaring down at her in that unspoken manner that screamed 'Get on with it!'. Finally, she got the hint and continued. "The assignment... it's about a missing girl... You got it right?" The freelancer lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose accompanied by an irritated sigh. "Yeah, yeah I got it... I'll take it... whatever, can I go now?" The woman blinked and tilted her head of blonde hair to the side slightly before she laid both of her hands on her hips, letting her gaze bounce between the two males again. "Well, since you're here already, and look... presentable... we can go and have HR take your pictures for the division records.... I won't take long. Just follow me." Carmon eyed the two men one last time before she turned around on the heel of her boot and started down the hallway. Ace could have probably impaled someone with the annoyed glare he now sported. Did people honestly not understand that the 'don't fuck with me right now' face meant that he really should not be fucked with...
The freelancer grumbled under his breath and slipped his arms through the black vest begrudgingly, tugging at the fabric so it fell comfortable over broad shoulders. The warmth of the dry clothing was welcome...the overall appearance of said clothes, not so much. Golden green eyes wandered back to Chad as the boy mimicked his own movements with each article of clothing. "And when you don't wanna take 'em, you turn the bathroom into a steam-sauna and give Dane heart attacks, eh?" Each button of the black vest was slipped into its according hole as he cracked a faint smile and cast his gaze aside to the box. It made sense now... Chad didn't want to take his pain-meds this morning because he knew it would lower his performance for the assessment...so he had to go with plan B...the next best thing... If that was the case, then maybe he should pay to have a Sauna installed. Hell, there was plenty of space for it in the basement, and it really wouldn't be that bad of an investment.
Ace dug through the left over articles in the box and fished out the boots first. He didn't feel like messing with the coat just yet, which is what Chad seemed to be doing at that particular point. The youth's uniform fit better than he had expected, honestly...it didn't even look half bad. It was obviously still slightly too big in places here and there, but nothing that couldn't be adjusted with the roll of a sleeve, or tuck of a hem. The redhead moved his box out of the way and sat down on the bench so he could pull those tall, black, leather boots onto his legs. At least they had a zipper... because pulling that fancy footwear over the fabric of the pants all the way up to his knees would have been much too bothersome without it. His focus on the boots was broken when he heard the sound of Chad's voice as it echoed softly through the silence of the locker room. 'Hmm?' Fingers stopped moving to work the zipper and he lifted his head to direct his gaze in the youth's direction. He blinked a couple of times while watching the smaller male seat himself on the bench as well. Lids narrowed over summer-meadow hues momentarily as the kid's words washed over him regarding that touchy subject of family. However, that bitter expression was washed away only seconds after Chad had finished speaking. As he kept his attention fixed on the youthful face with those ghostly oculars, golden-green eyes softened and the right corner of his lips twitched upward into a slight smile. The kid was right... he hated to admit it, but Chad most definitely had a point.
Finally, he broke eye contact and finished zipping up the leather boots. "I wasn't sure if you really cared... " He began by saying, and finally rose to his feet, flicking a flash of glance into those mirrors again. Christ... he looked like a Nazi figure skater and a bell-hop made a homunculus... Oh well, he wasn't going to let it distract him from continuing his train of thought. The beginning of his statement had been the simple truth. Most of the time, the kid was so wrapped in cynicism and jaded apathy that it appeared as though he really couldn't care less if Ace, let alone Dane shared anything with him on a personal level. "...But, you're right. If I wanna know about you, it's only fair if you know shit about me too...It's a two-way street." The redhead sighed and finally pulled the long, heavy coat from the box. 'Hmm?' Well, this was interesting. The predominantly blue garment with its black accents and silver buttons looked almost identical to the one he had seen that black-haired, pompous ass wearing earlier... but the collar on this coat was distinctly different in the sense that it was folded and pressed down in a more traditional military-style collar The cuffs of each sleeve were also a bit less embellished upon closer inspection. Huh, guess that meant that that dick-weed had actually been a 'superior'... Eh, not like Ace really cared anyway.
With one quick, fluid motion the coat was pulled onto his shoulders, arms slipping through sleeves as the long fabric fanned out behind him for a moment before settling around the rest of his frame. It was like some kind of action-movie Matrix shit. Ace rolled his shoulders and adjusted the fit. He really didn't feel like buttoning the damn thing, but if it would at least serve to hide that asinine vest, then so be it. The whole thing was topped off with a black leather belt. Yeah... he was definitely ready to get the out of here, there was no denying that. His own wet clothes as well as Chad's were hastily collected and tossed into one of the now empty uniform boxes. He combed fingers through red hair, ruffling it a bit before he moved to crack the door open. Peeking his head out into the hallway, he glanced left and right in each direction for a moment. No one was visible, and everything seemed fairly quiet. Way down at the end was the door through which they had entered. "Okay...coast is clear. I don't know about you, but I'm avoiding being seen this way like I avoid those spastic semen-zombies that are always lurking around the bars downtown... so pick up the pace." And with that, he stepped quickly, but quietly out into the hallway.
It seemed for a moment like they were actually on their way to salvation; those thick, steel enforced double doors were so close within their reach... But then he heard it; that voice of her's...from somewhere behind them down the hallway. It echoed clear as crystal. "Oh good, you two are still here! I need to talk to you for just a minute." Ace cringed at Carmon's words. Whyyyy? This day was going down the toilet faster than his dead childhood goldfish...and it just kept getting worse by the minute. Ears picked up the hastily approaching footsteps as she closed the distance. "You did get that assignment file, right? It's about a.... WOAH!..." The Captain's words stopped promptly as the freelancer finally turned around to face her, a narrow-eyed expression clearly indicating that he was NOT amused. The woman let her eyes wander over the tall redhead in sheer disbelief, looking like a kid on chrsitmas day. Her gaze drifted to the younger male as well, sweeping him over with fascination like she was standing in front of two mythical creatures from a fairytale. Carmon shot her focus back to Ace and cleared her throat, recomposing herself. "You... I mean, both of you look really good." Ace's pierced eyebrow shot upward. Ordinarily, he would have made some sort of snide comment, some smart-mouthed remark... but he just wasn't in the mood... and when the freelancer didn't even feel like playing his usual games with the woman, then that was a clear indication of just how foul his mood really was. He simply stood there, glaring down at her in that unspoken manner that screamed 'Get on with it!'. Finally, she got the hint and continued. "The assignment... it's about a missing girl... You got it right?" The freelancer lifted his hand to pinch the bridge of his nose accompanied by an irritated sigh. "Yeah, yeah I got it... I'll take it... whatever, can I go now?" The woman blinked and tilted her head of blonde hair to the side slightly before she laid both of her hands on her hips, letting her gaze bounce between the two males again. "Well, since you're here already, and look... presentable... we can go and have HR take your pictures for the division records.... I won't take long. Just follow me." Carmon eyed the two men one last time before she turned around on the heel of her boot and started down the hallway. Ace could have probably impaled someone with the annoyed glare he now sported. Did people honestly not understand that the 'don't fuck with me right now' face meant that he really should not be fucked with...
Turned around as he viewed the mirrors on the far wall. Somehow he actually managed to look half decent. For what ever reason the god who decided to look down on the two deemed that Chad no mater the ensemble would be able to pull of damn near any article of clothing he wore. Maybe it was just a confidence thing...nope..more like a "I just don't give a fuck" deal from this point. Tilting his head back the youth fiddled with the collar around his neck, not enjoying just how tightly it was feeling..well that wasn't true. It wasn't that it was to tight or anything, it was just that Chad didn't like the sensation of shit around his neck. For good reasons mind you.
The youth just stood there for a moment before he heard Ace's little side comment about Dane. Teeth ground together for a minute before he whipped around, Chad most definitely was not in the mood for this shit today and he was about to show Ace something. Booted feet easily carried him up to stand on the bench which left Chad easily able to stare the Italian hybrid in the face "This shit hurts doesn't it?" He'd say before viciously stabbing his finger at Ace's shoulder but still managing to avoid the puckered scar tissue of the bullet wound. "It hurts when its cold..it hurts when there's to much moisture in the air...it kills when its raining and god forbid you move to fast when its deciding to be tender because at that point the whole bloody limb feels like its gonna fall off right?"
That finger would poke once more but this time it was a lot softer and right over the area he knew the red head had been shot in. "Then your laying in bed at night, almost asleep and it starts. That bone deep throbbing begins to spread outwards, claiming muscles, tendons, nerves." That finger tip tapped for a minute as exotic lavender kept summer meadow trapped in a heated gaze meant that Chad wasn't joking. Not an ounce of his words were ringing with anything but serious truth. "You lay there and no mater what way you turn that throbbing just gets worse and worse until finally you have to get up and do something about it am I right?"
He would wait for an answer before finally hopping off of the bench and moving closer to the mirror so he could try to do something about his hair..finally just huffing as he gathered it up into a messy tail near the base of his neck, wet bangs hanging around his face. "You say that their just marks..just scars right?..you don't seem to get it Ace." Chad sighed faintly before he turned to expose the man to a single ocular "That man did more than just tear my skin and leave scars." Fingers curled into a tight fist before it was swung with a surprising strength for that scrawny body against the locker next to him "He fucking ruined me. He destroyed my life and I'm left to pick up the fucking pieces. So guess what..when I hurt..when the ache gets to be to much..yes I give Dane a heart attack and I turn the bathroom into a sauna..the heat helps."
He was unsure of just why he had uttered so much..It was the exhaustion..he didn't have as tight of a hold on his thoughts as normal but near death experiences could do that to you. Plus towards the end he had started to just blab...fuck was wrong with him..uuuuugh. "I wasn't sure if you really cared.." Ok so that could be blamed on him but honestly.."How long are you going to play dumb for cuz I know your not this stupid." Chad would scoff before checking on the strap of his Cipher wrist band ID. Assured that it was holding well enough Chad deemed himself finished dressing and damn if he didn't cut a good looking figure for even his short stature. Hands rested against his hips as the coat flared behind his legs at the movement of him turning around "You aren't exactly the first person to try and get all cozy with me Ace so you'll have to understand if I don't warm up to the idea of you playin Daddy." And the attitude was back, apparently that wouldn't ever be far from the boys lips no matter the situation.
When Ace peeked out and made some random comment...seriously semen-zombies? What the fuck went through this man's head most of the time?! Shoulders rose and fell in a none committed shrug before he followed Ace out into the hallway. Their steps were crisp, the pace swift and features determined that no one even though of stopping the two. While thanks to the uniforms everyone who did see them didn't give the two a second glance..that was until they both were graced with Carmon's oh so sweet voice. "Fuck.." Chad would mutter before trying to pull off a minor maneuver. Simply because he wasn't in the mood to be stared at the youth's feet shifted, pulling him around and behind Ace with a fluidity of a dance almost. His shoulders pressing along Ace's back for the time being, using the Italian's body to prevent Carmon from looking at him. But it seemed she was insistent. Even going so far as to step around Ace just to get a better look of the youth in blue..A vein started to throb in the boys temple from this point as he instantly began to run over escape plans.
"Anyone looks good with enough paint and work." Chads words slipped out with that dead pan expression before huffing as he stepped around Ace once more. Listening to Ace just blatantly accept some sort of mission the kid decided he needed to find out more on what the fuck was going on..and then make it clear he wasn't enjoying being left in the dark about anything. As the three of them headed off down the halls, Chad's eye's were glancing around from time to time, his pace easy and relaxed. Strangely..graceful almost as if he were preparing himself to move swiftly. A sharp tap to the side of Ace's thigh would occur when the two of them hit the third floor. If the Italian looked he would see that Chad's fingers were counting out one then two....in time to his steps..and in time to the steps of three individuals who had appeared behind them on the stairs earlier.
The young recruits were probably just running errands, talking to one another as they followed behind Ace, Chad and Carmon. But what Carmon didn't realize was that Chad was timing his steps to blend in perfectly with the group behind him and suggesting that Ace do the same. Two hallway lengths later would suddenly find Chad's fingers yanking hard on the Italian's wrist as he pulled the larger man down a branch off hallway. Walking as if he belonged Chad wouldn't utter a word as those lavender orbs shifted first left and right as their pace remained the same. Swift, and solid. He would go left at the next hallways that met up with there's followed with a right..another left..two more rights and a single left that should of left anyone dizzy and lost. But behold..a heavy door rested in front of the two men the universal symbol for stairs painted on it.
Sending a glance towards Ace, Chad would just smirk before whistling nonchalantly to himself, hands pushed into the pockets of his uniform pants while the boy began to take the stairs two at a time in effort to quicken their escape time "I don't expect that to fool her for to long..at least not if she's smart so I'd like to get to the car now please."
The youth just stood there for a moment before he heard Ace's little side comment about Dane. Teeth ground together for a minute before he whipped around, Chad most definitely was not in the mood for this shit today and he was about to show Ace something. Booted feet easily carried him up to stand on the bench which left Chad easily able to stare the Italian hybrid in the face "This shit hurts doesn't it?" He'd say before viciously stabbing his finger at Ace's shoulder but still managing to avoid the puckered scar tissue of the bullet wound. "It hurts when its cold..it hurts when there's to much moisture in the air...it kills when its raining and god forbid you move to fast when its deciding to be tender because at that point the whole bloody limb feels like its gonna fall off right?"
That finger would poke once more but this time it was a lot softer and right over the area he knew the red head had been shot in. "Then your laying in bed at night, almost asleep and it starts. That bone deep throbbing begins to spread outwards, claiming muscles, tendons, nerves." That finger tip tapped for a minute as exotic lavender kept summer meadow trapped in a heated gaze meant that Chad wasn't joking. Not an ounce of his words were ringing with anything but serious truth. "You lay there and no mater what way you turn that throbbing just gets worse and worse until finally you have to get up and do something about it am I right?"
He would wait for an answer before finally hopping off of the bench and moving closer to the mirror so he could try to do something about his hair..finally just huffing as he gathered it up into a messy tail near the base of his neck, wet bangs hanging around his face. "You say that their just marks..just scars right?..you don't seem to get it Ace." Chad sighed faintly before he turned to expose the man to a single ocular "That man did more than just tear my skin and leave scars." Fingers curled into a tight fist before it was swung with a surprising strength for that scrawny body against the locker next to him "He fucking ruined me. He destroyed my life and I'm left to pick up the fucking pieces. So guess what..when I hurt..when the ache gets to be to much..yes I give Dane a heart attack and I turn the bathroom into a sauna..the heat helps."
He was unsure of just why he had uttered so much..It was the exhaustion..he didn't have as tight of a hold on his thoughts as normal but near death experiences could do that to you. Plus towards the end he had started to just blab...fuck was wrong with him..uuuuugh. "I wasn't sure if you really cared.." Ok so that could be blamed on him but honestly.."How long are you going to play dumb for cuz I know your not this stupid." Chad would scoff before checking on the strap of his Cipher wrist band ID. Assured that it was holding well enough Chad deemed himself finished dressing and damn if he didn't cut a good looking figure for even his short stature. Hands rested against his hips as the coat flared behind his legs at the movement of him turning around "You aren't exactly the first person to try and get all cozy with me Ace so you'll have to understand if I don't warm up to the idea of you playin Daddy." And the attitude was back, apparently that wouldn't ever be far from the boys lips no matter the situation.
When Ace peeked out and made some random comment...seriously semen-zombies? What the fuck went through this man's head most of the time?! Shoulders rose and fell in a none committed shrug before he followed Ace out into the hallway. Their steps were crisp, the pace swift and features determined that no one even though of stopping the two. While thanks to the uniforms everyone who did see them didn't give the two a second glance..that was until they both were graced with Carmon's oh so sweet voice. "Fuck.." Chad would mutter before trying to pull off a minor maneuver. Simply because he wasn't in the mood to be stared at the youth's feet shifted, pulling him around and behind Ace with a fluidity of a dance almost. His shoulders pressing along Ace's back for the time being, using the Italian's body to prevent Carmon from looking at him. But it seemed she was insistent. Even going so far as to step around Ace just to get a better look of the youth in blue..A vein started to throb in the boys temple from this point as he instantly began to run over escape plans.
"Anyone looks good with enough paint and work." Chads words slipped out with that dead pan expression before huffing as he stepped around Ace once more. Listening to Ace just blatantly accept some sort of mission the kid decided he needed to find out more on what the fuck was going on..and then make it clear he wasn't enjoying being left in the dark about anything. As the three of them headed off down the halls, Chad's eye's were glancing around from time to time, his pace easy and relaxed. Strangely..graceful almost as if he were preparing himself to move swiftly. A sharp tap to the side of Ace's thigh would occur when the two of them hit the third floor. If the Italian looked he would see that Chad's fingers were counting out one then two....in time to his steps..and in time to the steps of three individuals who had appeared behind them on the stairs earlier.
The young recruits were probably just running errands, talking to one another as they followed behind Ace, Chad and Carmon. But what Carmon didn't realize was that Chad was timing his steps to blend in perfectly with the group behind him and suggesting that Ace do the same. Two hallway lengths later would suddenly find Chad's fingers yanking hard on the Italian's wrist as he pulled the larger man down a branch off hallway. Walking as if he belonged Chad wouldn't utter a word as those lavender orbs shifted first left and right as their pace remained the same. Swift, and solid. He would go left at the next hallways that met up with there's followed with a right..another left..two more rights and a single left that should of left anyone dizzy and lost. But behold..a heavy door rested in front of the two men the universal symbol for stairs painted on it.
Sending a glance towards Ace, Chad would just smirk before whistling nonchalantly to himself, hands pushed into the pockets of his uniform pants while the boy began to take the stairs two at a time in effort to quicken their escape time "I don't expect that to fool her for to long..at least not if she's smart so I'd like to get to the car now please."
The moment Chad's small frame had leaped up onto that metal bench as quickly and gracefully as a cat, the redhead seriously had no idea what the kid was up to. But the minute his words were let loose from his lips, and that bony hand reached out to prod a bony finger against the tender part of his shoulder, golden green eyes widened. Muscles tightened. Well, this was certainly interesting. For the first time, in a long time, the hybrid wasn't looking down at the youth, but was actually brought face to face with those lavender eyes. Most of the time they were so ghostly, glazed over with shroud of detachment... perfectly apathetic. But not now. There was something beyond them that caused those lavenders to gleam as pupils dilated slightly. Words continued to pour from those small lips, and though Chad's unique voice wasn't raised much above a normal tone, it was as though the rage that fueled this entire monologue had been enough to allow each and every single syllable to burn like fire. The pressure against his shoulder was uncomfortable, and the fact that the youth was pushing into his personal space was putting the hybrid on edge. If this had been anyone else, he would have reached up and broken several bones in that hand before they could have had the time to blink, but this was different. Instead of anger or outrage, Ace actually felt a strange sense of delight and honor in regarding this little lash out. It wasn't that he was happy to have gotten a rise out of his young companion...no that wasn't it at all. What had the redhead reeling with that peculiar sense of reverence was the fact that he had front-row seats to the first real display of raw emotion he had ever seen Chad put forth... and he was using it in his own defense. It was beautiful but unsettling... like watching a lightening storm, or a forest fire. Another question was posed before that small finger moved again, this time to deliver a prod right at that sensitive place where scar tissue blemished the hybrid's deltoid. Muscle twitched as he anticipated the dull pain that followed, and summer meadow eyes finally removed themselves from the other's lavender hues to trail their way down until they rested on that bony finger pressed against the fabric over his shoulder. Yep, it definitely didn't feel good. Lids narrowed slightly, pupils dilated with the adrenaline his body shoved into his bloodstream in response to the pain. Jaws tensed lightly. Ace could have just moved away; stepped back, or turned his upper body to escape the pressure of Chad's finger... but no, instead, like some junkie for pain, the fiery redhead actually rolled his shoulder forward, pushing it further against the kid's invasive touch. Jaws snared a bit tighter before he shot his gaze back up at his young companion's fury-filled lavender hues. That shoulder injury proved to be an annoyance, a painful annoyance that would take a nice, long while to fully heal. But Chad had it so much worse. His entire back had been marred, flesh split open and then hosted a horrible infection. God, it had to be a nightmarish sensation. The summer meadow gaze softened, staring back into Chad's enraged glare before the freelancer finally replied with jaws still stiff. "Yeah, you're right...good to know we're on the same page." That distinctive voice of his was cold, uncanny, like the calm before a storm.
At last, Ace took that step backwards at the same time that the kid hopped down from the bench to step in front of the mirrors. The hybrid continued to dress himself, listening to the kid go on about Malkavich. Eyes only shot up once when he heard the sound of knuckles meet with the metal locker door, and an odd little smile plucked at one corner of his lips. Those scrawny arms could probably give someone a pretty good beating. He refocused on putting together the stupid ensemble, still listening attentively. "He fucking ruined me. He destroyed my life and I'm left to pick up the fucking pieces. So guess what..when I hurt..when the ache gets to be to much..yes I give Dane a heart attack and I turn the bathroom into a sauna..the heat helps." Ace wasn't even going to go on a psychology rant right now, especially not when it came to the subject of Malkavich, so without even looking up and across to the younger male, he just shrugged his shoulders in that typical 'Ace' sort of way and responded to the statement with a simple solution. "That's all you really had to say... If it helps, then hell,... we'll just get a sauna." A few more moments passed until a pierced eyebrow was raised, and his gaze lifted to the kid just as he had slipped the metal peg of the belt buckle through the black leather accessory. Did that little two-bit terror just say something about him 'playing daddy'. The redhead's brows twitched. He wanted to face-palm. Point taken. Right about now, it was just too bothersome to argue anymore. He wanted to go home.... he wanted a drink, and a shower....maybe punch something... then pass the fuck out for a while.
Once they had been trapped by the Captain in the hallway, and tailed her to the third floor, Ace felt that tap against his thigh from the ashen-haired male who walked beside him. 'Hhmm?' The disgruntled freelancer turned his head to look down at the boy, who seemed to be counting out the rhythmical fall of each footstep and matching his pace to meld seamlessly with the cadent footfalls of the other three individuals who walked a few paces behind them. Ace caught on pretty quickly what was going on. Hell, his own mind was set on 'escape' mode right now, and if this would actually work, then this whole photography disaster could be avoided and they could go the fuck home. Ace let his footsteps match the rhythm...one, two...one, two.... Golden green eyes were fixed on the woman in front of them, and he wasn't even staring at her ass this time... no, he was actually just making sure that she remained oblivious to what was going on behind her. Finally, Ace felt a sharp tug at his wrist when Chad slipped into the branching hallway and pulled the hybrid with him. With a quick and steady pace, black and blue uniform coats flared behind them and they traversed the maze of hallways like it was just any other busy day at the office and they were in a bit of a hurry to get from point A to point B. No one really noticed, no one really thought anything of it, and without any other interruptions, the two found themselves in front of the large metal door to the staircase. The redhead shook his head and cracked a hald-assed smile while looking down at the kid. Hey, he really didn't look all that bad in that uniform with those pale locks pulled back into a messy ponytail. He was pulling this shit off way batter than the hybrid... or at least that was Ace's opinion. Ah well. He pulled the door open and let Chad enter the stairwell first before stepping over threshold himself and letting the heavy door fall shut behind him. A snort came from the freelancers mouth as he couldn't help but show at least a slight sign of amusement. Was the kid seriously whistling? Ha! That little maneuver he pulled was pretty damn impressive, he had to admit that. The kid had managed to let them both ninja-vanish down that hallway without Carmon even batting an eyelash. Chad's voice echoed through the massive staircase, bouncing from metal and concrete. Yeah, they were gonna need to get out of there quick before Carmon could pursue them. Although Ace wasn't really sure if the woman would truly bother to do so. He seriously didn't wanna stick around long enough to find out though. A nod was given in response. "You and me both..."
Ace took the lead when they reached the door to the first floor, and navigated the rest of the way through the sparsely populated hallways and last but not least, out of the back entrance through which they had originally entered the building. Freedom at last! The redhead let out a deep sigh of relief. God, he wanted a cigarette so bad... but they were fucking waterlogged. At least his zippo hadn't been in his pockets, or else that would be drenched now too...thanks Chad. Which reminded him, he was gonna have to go find that ass-clown at some point and get that back from him. He fished his car key out of the box of wet clothing he carried, and soon, they were on their way back home, making only one quick pit-stops for smokes. That purchase experience was uncomfortable, that was for sure. The clerk behind the counter had the most peculiar look on his face the entire time, and Ace looked like he was capable of glaring daggers. Once cigarettes were purchased, and the redhead returned to the car, lighting one with almost fiendish anticipation, he tossed Chad his own, separate pack before pushing the black 69 Chevelle into gear, and pulling off. "Here, that's for getting us outta there. And for hitting that glasses-wearing fuck in the back of the head...." That reminded him of something else. "Carmon apparently sent him out there to give me some new assignment file... If you want in on it I'm seeing a pretty nice paycheck in our future... People pay big bucks to find missing kids." Chad, much like Ace, had a choice: Take a job, or leave it. Just because Ace had accepted an assignment didn't automatically mean Chad had to participate. The kid was allowed to manage his own work load. The remainder of the car ride was fairly quiet, mostly because Ace just wasn't in the mood for casual conversation right now. He really REALLY just wanted to get home. As the Mockingbird Pub was finally reached, and the car put into park, Ace fished the rest of the items out of the back seat. His leather jacket was piled on top of the box, and the skateboard handed over to Chad before he locked the vehicle and started walking toward the door.
Meanwhile, inside, Dane looked up from a newspaper crossword puzzle and shot amber eyes to one of the large windows. The jukebox was tuned to a song by the Mad Caddies. As the dark-haired bartender saw his two roommates approach, his lit cigarette dropped from his lips in sheer bewilderment. "Holy shit.... who put the acid in my scotch..." Hurriedly, he whisked his cigarette from the polished bar top before it could burn the varnish, and nearly dove behind it to get his hands on that polaroid camera of his. Since that first day that Chad had started living upstairs, he'd taken a couple more pictures here and there, and had bought a peg-board to tack them to. But this picture... this was going to be the icing on the fucking cake. Dane waited patiently until they stepped inside. Dear god, this was a sight to behold. The dark-haired male's elbows were propped on the bar top, weight leaned against the edge as he pulled the camera in front of his face. "So, I take it the assessment went well then?" And -CLICK- ! A bright flash indicated that the image had been captured, and Ace REALLY didn't look all too happy. The head of red hair turned with a low growl and lids pressed shut when eyes were assaulted by the bright light. That was it... He let the box fall to the ground and stalked toward the bar. Dane's eyes grew instantly larger in a manner that simply screamed 'OH SHIT!' The redhead's right hand was already clenched into a fist before he even rounded behind the bar. Dane, at this point, figured it would be wisest to run away, but before he could even get farther than two or three steps, Ace lunged forward and grabbed him by the back of the shirt collar. "Shit, shit, shit! Be gentle!" With left fingers curled tightly around Dane's shirt collar, he pulled the other male backwards, almost making him lose his footing. The right hand, still coiled into a fist would then deliver a rather swift and definitely not gingerly punch to the top of that head of nearly black hair. After that, Ace released his grip with a growl. "I don't wanna talk about it. Just get me a fucking shot of rum...and a beer... for the love of god, before I kill something." And that's all the redhead really said with a tone that still resonated with an almost animalistic rage before he headed upstairs to go and change into some more comfortable clothes.
At last, Ace took that step backwards at the same time that the kid hopped down from the bench to step in front of the mirrors. The hybrid continued to dress himself, listening to the kid go on about Malkavich. Eyes only shot up once when he heard the sound of knuckles meet with the metal locker door, and an odd little smile plucked at one corner of his lips. Those scrawny arms could probably give someone a pretty good beating. He refocused on putting together the stupid ensemble, still listening attentively. "He fucking ruined me. He destroyed my life and I'm left to pick up the fucking pieces. So guess what..when I hurt..when the ache gets to be to much..yes I give Dane a heart attack and I turn the bathroom into a sauna..the heat helps." Ace wasn't even going to go on a psychology rant right now, especially not when it came to the subject of Malkavich, so without even looking up and across to the younger male, he just shrugged his shoulders in that typical 'Ace' sort of way and responded to the statement with a simple solution. "That's all you really had to say... If it helps, then hell,... we'll just get a sauna." A few more moments passed until a pierced eyebrow was raised, and his gaze lifted to the kid just as he had slipped the metal peg of the belt buckle through the black leather accessory. Did that little two-bit terror just say something about him 'playing daddy'. The redhead's brows twitched. He wanted to face-palm. Point taken. Right about now, it was just too bothersome to argue anymore. He wanted to go home.... he wanted a drink, and a shower....maybe punch something... then pass the fuck out for a while.
Once they had been trapped by the Captain in the hallway, and tailed her to the third floor, Ace felt that tap against his thigh from the ashen-haired male who walked beside him. 'Hhmm?' The disgruntled freelancer turned his head to look down at the boy, who seemed to be counting out the rhythmical fall of each footstep and matching his pace to meld seamlessly with the cadent footfalls of the other three individuals who walked a few paces behind them. Ace caught on pretty quickly what was going on. Hell, his own mind was set on 'escape' mode right now, and if this would actually work, then this whole photography disaster could be avoided and they could go the fuck home. Ace let his footsteps match the rhythm...one, two...one, two.... Golden green eyes were fixed on the woman in front of them, and he wasn't even staring at her ass this time... no, he was actually just making sure that she remained oblivious to what was going on behind her. Finally, Ace felt a sharp tug at his wrist when Chad slipped into the branching hallway and pulled the hybrid with him. With a quick and steady pace, black and blue uniform coats flared behind them and they traversed the maze of hallways like it was just any other busy day at the office and they were in a bit of a hurry to get from point A to point B. No one really noticed, no one really thought anything of it, and without any other interruptions, the two found themselves in front of the large metal door to the staircase. The redhead shook his head and cracked a hald-assed smile while looking down at the kid. Hey, he really didn't look all that bad in that uniform with those pale locks pulled back into a messy ponytail. He was pulling this shit off way batter than the hybrid... or at least that was Ace's opinion. Ah well. He pulled the door open and let Chad enter the stairwell first before stepping over threshold himself and letting the heavy door fall shut behind him. A snort came from the freelancers mouth as he couldn't help but show at least a slight sign of amusement. Was the kid seriously whistling? Ha! That little maneuver he pulled was pretty damn impressive, he had to admit that. The kid had managed to let them both ninja-vanish down that hallway without Carmon even batting an eyelash. Chad's voice echoed through the massive staircase, bouncing from metal and concrete. Yeah, they were gonna need to get out of there quick before Carmon could pursue them. Although Ace wasn't really sure if the woman would truly bother to do so. He seriously didn't wanna stick around long enough to find out though. A nod was given in response. "You and me both..."
Ace took the lead when they reached the door to the first floor, and navigated the rest of the way through the sparsely populated hallways and last but not least, out of the back entrance through which they had originally entered the building. Freedom at last! The redhead let out a deep sigh of relief. God, he wanted a cigarette so bad... but they were fucking waterlogged. At least his zippo hadn't been in his pockets, or else that would be drenched now too...thanks Chad. Which reminded him, he was gonna have to go find that ass-clown at some point and get that back from him. He fished his car key out of the box of wet clothing he carried, and soon, they were on their way back home, making only one quick pit-stops for smokes. That purchase experience was uncomfortable, that was for sure. The clerk behind the counter had the most peculiar look on his face the entire time, and Ace looked like he was capable of glaring daggers. Once cigarettes were purchased, and the redhead returned to the car, lighting one with almost fiendish anticipation, he tossed Chad his own, separate pack before pushing the black 69 Chevelle into gear, and pulling off. "Here, that's for getting us outta there. And for hitting that glasses-wearing fuck in the back of the head...." That reminded him of something else. "Carmon apparently sent him out there to give me some new assignment file... If you want in on it I'm seeing a pretty nice paycheck in our future... People pay big bucks to find missing kids." Chad, much like Ace, had a choice: Take a job, or leave it. Just because Ace had accepted an assignment didn't automatically mean Chad had to participate. The kid was allowed to manage his own work load. The remainder of the car ride was fairly quiet, mostly because Ace just wasn't in the mood for casual conversation right now. He really REALLY just wanted to get home. As the Mockingbird Pub was finally reached, and the car put into park, Ace fished the rest of the items out of the back seat. His leather jacket was piled on top of the box, and the skateboard handed over to Chad before he locked the vehicle and started walking toward the door.
Meanwhile, inside, Dane looked up from a newspaper crossword puzzle and shot amber eyes to one of the large windows. The jukebox was tuned to a song by the Mad Caddies. As the dark-haired bartender saw his two roommates approach, his lit cigarette dropped from his lips in sheer bewilderment. "Holy shit.... who put the acid in my scotch..." Hurriedly, he whisked his cigarette from the polished bar top before it could burn the varnish, and nearly dove behind it to get his hands on that polaroid camera of his. Since that first day that Chad had started living upstairs, he'd taken a couple more pictures here and there, and had bought a peg-board to tack them to. But this picture... this was going to be the icing on the fucking cake. Dane waited patiently until they stepped inside. Dear god, this was a sight to behold. The dark-haired male's elbows were propped on the bar top, weight leaned against the edge as he pulled the camera in front of his face. "So, I take it the assessment went well then?" And -CLICK- ! A bright flash indicated that the image had been captured, and Ace REALLY didn't look all too happy. The head of red hair turned with a low growl and lids pressed shut when eyes were assaulted by the bright light. That was it... He let the box fall to the ground and stalked toward the bar. Dane's eyes grew instantly larger in a manner that simply screamed 'OH SHIT!' The redhead's right hand was already clenched into a fist before he even rounded behind the bar. Dane, at this point, figured it would be wisest to run away, but before he could even get farther than two or three steps, Ace lunged forward and grabbed him by the back of the shirt collar. "Shit, shit, shit! Be gentle!" With left fingers curled tightly around Dane's shirt collar, he pulled the other male backwards, almost making him lose his footing. The right hand, still coiled into a fist would then deliver a rather swift and definitely not gingerly punch to the top of that head of nearly black hair. After that, Ace released his grip with a growl. "I don't wanna talk about it. Just get me a fucking shot of rum...and a beer... for the love of god, before I kill something." And that's all the redhead really said with a tone that still resonated with an almost animalistic rage before he headed upstairs to go and change into some more comfortable clothes.
Air was pushed through lips that were puckered to cause the result that was gracing Ace's ears. The whisle was light and carefree and as a snort of laughter was given to the boy in response to it Chad would simply glance over his shoulder at the red head before shrugging. Steps were taken two at a time as the clatter of their steps echoed with the whistling. It looked as if pale haired youth was out for a simple relaxing stroll instead of managing to ninja not only himself but one tall red head along with him. When they broke out into the first floor hallways the boy would quit the noise though so as not to draw attention towards themselves.
The click of boot heals against the floor was matching up with the sound of Carmons heals..at least they would if the group had still been together. Facial features screwed up into something that Ace would only of caught on a handfull of times. Happyness. Oh so what if he found this sort of shit amusing, after all how many times could anyone honestly peg a true emotion to the boy. For fuck sakes even Chad had gone through a time where he had begun to question if he could feel anything other than pain and that empty yet heavy cold weight that throbbed in his chest. Oh he knew that most of it was his own fault, a conditioning of his upbringing he supposed.
When the two of them managed to slip outside Chad would let himself into the car though for a moment there was a visible tensing of his jaws as he simply imagined having to remain sitting..so instead an alternate route was taken in the form of Chad sliding into the back seat. Any look cast his way was ignored as the kid pushed everything from the back up front to his normal seat. Easing himself down so he was laying one leg was bent at the knee so his foot could rest against the seat while the other crossed over the knee and bounced idly. Hands were laced behind his damp hair. Eye's closed as the two of them drove off. Escape sucessfull. "I suppose we should expect a rather upset call from her later huh?" It was the only thing he uttered for the most part while he simply tried to relax.
When the pit stop for smokes was made Chad would remain right where he was. No need for him to go in after all..besides Ace was funny enough looking as it was Chad didn't need to complicate matters. Not that he really had an issue with the uniform...sure the boots could probably look a little less gay..maybe he could do something to it. Maybe it was the heal? No. No that needed to stay, it was probably for balance...or something...important. Not like Chad had height issues, pfft as if..giving a shake of his head the youth redirected his thoughts. Pants were ok, the shirt....he could do with a short sleeve but the long sleeve didn't bother him really. And the vest? Ok so that was a tad overkill but what ever. The jacket certainly had to be Chads favorite of the whole thing.
The fabric was nice and warm, soft too plus it was flexible enough to allow Chad what ever movement he wanted. Ideas started to swarm in his head about what special twists he could put on the uniform. Things that would make it unique to him and while it would cost both time and money Chad had that to spare at the moment. Peeking an eye open when the door to the classic was pulled open Chad easily caught his prefered pack of smokes. A simple nod of his head was given as he started to listen to what exactly Mr. Asshat had wanted earlier. "I'll take a look. Unlike you I prefer to see what something is before I agree to it." He would have Ace there considering how easily the man had just rolled over into accepting the assignment in hopes of an earlier escape from Cipher's compound.
Pulling a smoke from his pack Chad would light up and puff happily on the cancer stick while they drove until finally the two arrived back at the Mockingbird. Gingerly crawling out of the back seat Chad would accept his skateboard, tucking it under his arm the kid would flick his smoke when he caught sight of something. Raising his hand he let it settle over his scared eye for a moment while the other gazed at the window of the bar "Ace...I think we should go in through the back door." To late, the front door was being opened and he could already hear Dane. Heaving a heavy sigh the kid decided to be a good sport, though the expression on his face said he was anything but happy. At least he was prepared for the blinding flash and was able to protect his eye's.
Dear god he was glad he had..because watching Ace suddenly advance was more than Chad had ever thought could be amusing. It was nice to see Dane on the other end (which he normally was in regards to Chad) But seeing Ace do it..oh now this was sweet sweet revenge. In fact. The boy moved swiftly, hands reaching out to grab the discareded camera..but unlike Dane the kid was smart. Swiftly finding the flash and disabling it he knew there should be enough light in the bar thanks to window positioning that he didn't need it. So it was with perfect timing that the machine grabbed the very moment fist made contact with head. Oooh the glorious expressions on both men. The photo was snagged and the camera set back down before either could see what he had done.
He would leave the two adults to their bickering..or whatever as he used the same method that Ace had seen Chad pull off earlier. Even with the mild heal on the boots the boy managed to silently make his way up the stairs. It was amazing just how he could do that, moving on near silent feet. Then again it was a product of upbringing. What better way to avoid trouble or arm than to simply melt away into the shadows? Slipping into his room Chad would shut the door but his tired mind would forget to lock it..what ever..Dropping his stuff onto the couch the kid would begin to strip his clothing off. Yet it was with a form of respect that he sought out hangers to properly hang the things from. After all he had some tailering to do just yet so the shit needed to stay in the same condition he had gotten it in. Once down to nothing more than nude flesh the urchin would grab a pair of gym shorts, slipping them on as he sat on the edge of his bed.
Reaching into the beside table he would pull out an almost full bottle of pills. Rattling it around for a moment those lavender eye's would just stare at it before he finally gave up. Things hurt to much to activly ignore it..plus a nap could be used. Twisting the top off three of the pills were spilled into his hand, laying there innocently enough..Honestly Chad hated them, but sometimes it was needed so without a second thought lips were parted and head tilted back while that hand simply tossed the pills down his throat like they were nothing more than candy. Screwing on the lid Chad would curl up on his bed, pulling one pillow close to his chest while the other remained tucked under his head. Eye's would rest on the golden urn sitting near his window while his fingers played with the bottle.
Time and time again he rotated it around causing the contents to shift and click against one another. Something was bothering Chad but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something had happened today..something more than the fearful brush with death. A connection had been made, that's what it was. But why was that bothering him? Chad rolled the thoughts through his mind as he felt his thought process starting to slow down, the meds were kicking in. Maybe it was because he had been alone for so long that was why? He hadn't realized just how much emotion had been visible in his eye's when he went off on that rage rant..Oh sure he knew his apparent apathy was of his own creation though what Chad hadn't realized was just how fully it had claimed his life. The mask he had created to protect him was starting to smother him.
A yawn was trying to tug at his lips though Chad denied it access as he lay there calmly enough picking through his thoughts. When was the last time that Chad could actually identify with someone willingly? To know that a common ground was shared? It was confusing why his chest didn't feel as constricted and heavy like normal. The idea that the youth finally had someone who could understand...truely understand and not simply put forth those gay saying of how one could sympathise..or 'could only imagin' Fuck that. No he actually had some sort of connection with Ace through pain. Morbidly funny but it seemed to make sense to his rappidly drug numbed brain.
Even though the scales were tipped horribly the Italian was someone that Chad could see himself growing comfortable with..well comfortable enough to at least not have to hide how he was feeling all the time. It was a step in the right direction and wasn't that what everyone wanted him to do? Start going in the right direction...which way was right again..what was he thinking about? Those exoticly colored eye's blinked several times as he just stared at the pill bottle held limply in his fingers..Oh hell he needed to talk to the doctor about these things because honestly He couldn't keep...
The thought trailed off as long fingers grasped at his subconcious and pulled it under, deep under the darkness of drug induced sleep which left him near motionless a top of the covers on his bed, snuggling against his pillows, legs curled up towards his chest.
The click of boot heals against the floor was matching up with the sound of Carmons heals..at least they would if the group had still been together. Facial features screwed up into something that Ace would only of caught on a handfull of times. Happyness. Oh so what if he found this sort of shit amusing, after all how many times could anyone honestly peg a true emotion to the boy. For fuck sakes even Chad had gone through a time where he had begun to question if he could feel anything other than pain and that empty yet heavy cold weight that throbbed in his chest. Oh he knew that most of it was his own fault, a conditioning of his upbringing he supposed.
When the two of them managed to slip outside Chad would let himself into the car though for a moment there was a visible tensing of his jaws as he simply imagined having to remain sitting..so instead an alternate route was taken in the form of Chad sliding into the back seat. Any look cast his way was ignored as the kid pushed everything from the back up front to his normal seat. Easing himself down so he was laying one leg was bent at the knee so his foot could rest against the seat while the other crossed over the knee and bounced idly. Hands were laced behind his damp hair. Eye's closed as the two of them drove off. Escape sucessfull. "I suppose we should expect a rather upset call from her later huh?" It was the only thing he uttered for the most part while he simply tried to relax.
When the pit stop for smokes was made Chad would remain right where he was. No need for him to go in after all..besides Ace was funny enough looking as it was Chad didn't need to complicate matters. Not that he really had an issue with the uniform...sure the boots could probably look a little less gay..maybe he could do something to it. Maybe it was the heal? No. No that needed to stay, it was probably for balance...or something...important. Not like Chad had height issues, pfft as if..giving a shake of his head the youth redirected his thoughts. Pants were ok, the shirt....he could do with a short sleeve but the long sleeve didn't bother him really. And the vest? Ok so that was a tad overkill but what ever. The jacket certainly had to be Chads favorite of the whole thing.
The fabric was nice and warm, soft too plus it was flexible enough to allow Chad what ever movement he wanted. Ideas started to swarm in his head about what special twists he could put on the uniform. Things that would make it unique to him and while it would cost both time and money Chad had that to spare at the moment. Peeking an eye open when the door to the classic was pulled open Chad easily caught his prefered pack of smokes. A simple nod of his head was given as he started to listen to what exactly Mr. Asshat had wanted earlier. "I'll take a look. Unlike you I prefer to see what something is before I agree to it." He would have Ace there considering how easily the man had just rolled over into accepting the assignment in hopes of an earlier escape from Cipher's compound.
Pulling a smoke from his pack Chad would light up and puff happily on the cancer stick while they drove until finally the two arrived back at the Mockingbird. Gingerly crawling out of the back seat Chad would accept his skateboard, tucking it under his arm the kid would flick his smoke when he caught sight of something. Raising his hand he let it settle over his scared eye for a moment while the other gazed at the window of the bar "Ace...I think we should go in through the back door." To late, the front door was being opened and he could already hear Dane. Heaving a heavy sigh the kid decided to be a good sport, though the expression on his face said he was anything but happy. At least he was prepared for the blinding flash and was able to protect his eye's.
Dear god he was glad he had..because watching Ace suddenly advance was more than Chad had ever thought could be amusing. It was nice to see Dane on the other end (which he normally was in regards to Chad) But seeing Ace do it..oh now this was sweet sweet revenge. In fact. The boy moved swiftly, hands reaching out to grab the discareded camera..but unlike Dane the kid was smart. Swiftly finding the flash and disabling it he knew there should be enough light in the bar thanks to window positioning that he didn't need it. So it was with perfect timing that the machine grabbed the very moment fist made contact with head. Oooh the glorious expressions on both men. The photo was snagged and the camera set back down before either could see what he had done.
He would leave the two adults to their bickering..or whatever as he used the same method that Ace had seen Chad pull off earlier. Even with the mild heal on the boots the boy managed to silently make his way up the stairs. It was amazing just how he could do that, moving on near silent feet. Then again it was a product of upbringing. What better way to avoid trouble or arm than to simply melt away into the shadows? Slipping into his room Chad would shut the door but his tired mind would forget to lock it..what ever..Dropping his stuff onto the couch the kid would begin to strip his clothing off. Yet it was with a form of respect that he sought out hangers to properly hang the things from. After all he had some tailering to do just yet so the shit needed to stay in the same condition he had gotten it in. Once down to nothing more than nude flesh the urchin would grab a pair of gym shorts, slipping them on as he sat on the edge of his bed.
Reaching into the beside table he would pull out an almost full bottle of pills. Rattling it around for a moment those lavender eye's would just stare at it before he finally gave up. Things hurt to much to activly ignore it..plus a nap could be used. Twisting the top off three of the pills were spilled into his hand, laying there innocently enough..Honestly Chad hated them, but sometimes it was needed so without a second thought lips were parted and head tilted back while that hand simply tossed the pills down his throat like they were nothing more than candy. Screwing on the lid Chad would curl up on his bed, pulling one pillow close to his chest while the other remained tucked under his head. Eye's would rest on the golden urn sitting near his window while his fingers played with the bottle.
Time and time again he rotated it around causing the contents to shift and click against one another. Something was bothering Chad but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. Something had happened today..something more than the fearful brush with death. A connection had been made, that's what it was. But why was that bothering him? Chad rolled the thoughts through his mind as he felt his thought process starting to slow down, the meds were kicking in. Maybe it was because he had been alone for so long that was why? He hadn't realized just how much emotion had been visible in his eye's when he went off on that rage rant..Oh sure he knew his apparent apathy was of his own creation though what Chad hadn't realized was just how fully it had claimed his life. The mask he had created to protect him was starting to smother him.
A yawn was trying to tug at his lips though Chad denied it access as he lay there calmly enough picking through his thoughts. When was the last time that Chad could actually identify with someone willingly? To know that a common ground was shared? It was confusing why his chest didn't feel as constricted and heavy like normal. The idea that the youth finally had someone who could understand...truely understand and not simply put forth those gay saying of how one could sympathise..or 'could only imagin' Fuck that. No he actually had some sort of connection with Ace through pain. Morbidly funny but it seemed to make sense to his rappidly drug numbed brain.
Even though the scales were tipped horribly the Italian was someone that Chad could see himself growing comfortable with..well comfortable enough to at least not have to hide how he was feeling all the time. It was a step in the right direction and wasn't that what everyone wanted him to do? Start going in the right direction...which way was right again..what was he thinking about? Those exoticly colored eye's blinked several times as he just stared at the pill bottle held limply in his fingers..Oh hell he needed to talk to the doctor about these things because honestly He couldn't keep...
The thought trailed off as long fingers grasped at his subconcious and pulled it under, deep under the darkness of drug induced sleep which left him near motionless a top of the covers on his bed, snuggling against his pillows, legs curled up towards his chest.
Ace hadn't noticed the second click of the Polaroid camera, nor did he really notice that Chad had slipped past them and headed upstairs..... he was too busy hitting Dane over the head at that point. It was when the two men settled down again, and Dane composed himself that they both realized that the kid had just vanished from the scene. "Ooowwww, that hurt, ya know." The dark haired bartender rubbed at the crest of his head while his amber eyes glanced down at the two square pictures that lay on the bar top. One of them was still in the foggy, blurred stages of development. Ace sighed and combed fingers through his mess of red hair. "Good." And with that, he turned and made his way up the stairs to go change.
Chad's door was closed. The kid was probably getting changed himself. Man... the shit that had happened today. It had been a close fucking call, now that he thought about it, and the freelancer was glad that he had been able to get to the drowning youth just in the nick of time...otherwise the day would have turned out much, MUCH worse. The redhead opened the door to his own room and stepped inside. It smelled of cigarette smoke, hardwood, and a hint of the earthy scent from the red-brick walls. Ah, home sweet home. He shut the door behind him and proceeded to strip out of the black and blue fabrics of the uniform, which he folded up in a half-assed manner before he stuffed it into the bottom drawer of the ebony dresser. Should he shower now, or do it later? The thoughts were turned over in his head a couple of times, before he made his decision. Fuck it, he'd just do it later. For now, he really needed to sit down and have a drink. The clothes he donned were so much more comfortable; faded out blue jeans riddled with holes that had been worn and washed so many times, the fabric had become incredibly soft. A black tank was pulled over his head and pulled down over his torso. Man, he loved wearing those fucking things, they were so damn comfortable. Besides, regular t-shirts had been bothering him a bit, the sleeves always pressed against that bothersome scar on his shoulder in uncomfortable ways. Ace didn't even bother with socks and shoes. Nope, he just left his room barefoot while pressing a cigarette between his lips, though he left it unlit for the time being. Soundless footsteps carried him down the hall, but just before he reached the steps, he stopped in front of Chad's door and listened. All was silent save for the quiet sounds of Dane shuffling around some things downstairs. Ace was torn... would it be wise to crack the door open and check on the kid? Hell for all he knew, Chad was in just as awful of a mood as he was, and just wanted some peace and quiet. But hey, why the fuck not... if Chad didn't want him in there, Ace was sure the youth wouldn't hesitate to let him know. Fingers curled around the door handle and depressed it before he gently nudged the door ajar and peeked inside. 'Hmm?' A pierced eyebrow raised as golden-green eyes fell on the small, half-dressed figure curled up on the soft comforts of the large bed. Passed out already? Damn, that was fast... well, he did have a harrowing past few hours behind him.
Ace would have probably just closed the door again and let him be if it hadn't been for that little orange bottle that cought his attention. Nestled in the grip of the sleeping youth, the object clawed at the hybrid's natural curiosity and caused him to advance into the room. The redhead really didn't set foot into Chad's room all too often, but he was glad to see that the kid seemed to have settled himself in pretty well. The dark stained coffee table was littered with stacks of papers, music, study sheets, books, and those instruments that Chad enjoyed making so much. Ace had stopped in his quiet tracks to let his gaze wander over the objects, his mind wandering to that moment in time when the youth had sat on his couch in that crappy hotel room he couldn't have cared less about... and the sound of that tune Chad began to play had captured his heart in an instant. It had put his mind at ease and washed away that ever-present, dormant fury....just as Orpheus had lulled Cerberus into a calming sleep. Music soothes the savage beast, perhaps there was some truth to all this mythology nonsense. The redhead cracked a gentle smile and turned his attention back to the sleeping youth. The pale light from the window fell onto the bare skin of Chad's back, those raised scars of maimed flesh fully exposed and visible. Ace absently brought a hand to his own shoulder, to allow fingertips to brush over his own marked skin. The two had been branded for life by the same group of people, they've both suffered the deeply wounding pain of losing people very precious to them, and now they both shared the burdens of physical pain. But above all that, they also shared something else... they shared each other's company, and the thoughts that neither one of them would have to suffer through it alone anymore gave the hybrid a sense of comfort. He found those fingers trailing from his shoulder to that tattooed skin along his collarbone as he made an unspoken promise to himself and his young companion; that he would try, from now on, to work past his own distant, elusive nature... tear down his own walls, and be more like the member of this strange little family he wished for it to be. It wouldn't be easy, but he sure as hell was willing to try.
At last, Ace stepped closer and leaned down to carefully slip that orange pill bottle from between Chad's small fingers. Turning it in his own hand, eyes scanned over the letters of the white label. That pierced eyebrow shot up curiously once more before his other hand reached back to pull his cell phone from his back pocket. What the hell was this stuff? Fingers worked dexterously over the illuminated screen of the mobile phone as he typed in the name of the drug into the search engine. What he found, was fairly shocking. Lids narrowed over summer meadow hues as he skimmed over the text. "Jesus christ..." His words were barely even audible at all as they brushed past his lips. They had prescribed him a high-dosage cocktail of morphine and oxycontin for pain management. No fucking wonder the kid was passing out randomly with that amount of opiates in his bloodstream. Yeah, this shit couldn't go on forever, at this rate, the kid would need a liver transplant by the time he was 25. Ace sighed and placed the phone back in his pocket before he set the pill bottle soundlessly on the edge of the night table beside that polished golden urn with all its pearlescent inlays. He allowed his gaze to rest on the youth for a moment longer, watching that small chest expand ever so slightly with every breath he took. Ace would do what he could. He didn't wish for Chad to be in all that pain anymore, and he sure as shit didn't want him to succumb to drug dependency either. Unfortunately, the hybrid knew that there was nothing he could do to take that pain away completely... but he knew now that he could at least help to alleviate it a bit.
Quietly, Ace moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the wine-colored comforter up to drape it gingerly over Chad's sleeping body. He knew how much the youth loathed being cold, after all. The hybrid didn't spend much more time in the room once he was sure that the kid wouldn't wake up shivering a couple of hours from now. Once he had stepped out into the hallway, and quietly closed the door just as he had found it, Ace finally lit up that cigarette that was still pressed between his lips, and with that, he headed downstairs to get that long awaited drink.
Chad's door was closed. The kid was probably getting changed himself. Man... the shit that had happened today. It had been a close fucking call, now that he thought about it, and the freelancer was glad that he had been able to get to the drowning youth just in the nick of time...otherwise the day would have turned out much, MUCH worse. The redhead opened the door to his own room and stepped inside. It smelled of cigarette smoke, hardwood, and a hint of the earthy scent from the red-brick walls. Ah, home sweet home. He shut the door behind him and proceeded to strip out of the black and blue fabrics of the uniform, which he folded up in a half-assed manner before he stuffed it into the bottom drawer of the ebony dresser. Should he shower now, or do it later? The thoughts were turned over in his head a couple of times, before he made his decision. Fuck it, he'd just do it later. For now, he really needed to sit down and have a drink. The clothes he donned were so much more comfortable; faded out blue jeans riddled with holes that had been worn and washed so many times, the fabric had become incredibly soft. A black tank was pulled over his head and pulled down over his torso. Man, he loved wearing those fucking things, they were so damn comfortable. Besides, regular t-shirts had been bothering him a bit, the sleeves always pressed against that bothersome scar on his shoulder in uncomfortable ways. Ace didn't even bother with socks and shoes. Nope, he just left his room barefoot while pressing a cigarette between his lips, though he left it unlit for the time being. Soundless footsteps carried him down the hall, but just before he reached the steps, he stopped in front of Chad's door and listened. All was silent save for the quiet sounds of Dane shuffling around some things downstairs. Ace was torn... would it be wise to crack the door open and check on the kid? Hell for all he knew, Chad was in just as awful of a mood as he was, and just wanted some peace and quiet. But hey, why the fuck not... if Chad didn't want him in there, Ace was sure the youth wouldn't hesitate to let him know. Fingers curled around the door handle and depressed it before he gently nudged the door ajar and peeked inside. 'Hmm?' A pierced eyebrow raised as golden-green eyes fell on the small, half-dressed figure curled up on the soft comforts of the large bed. Passed out already? Damn, that was fast... well, he did have a harrowing past few hours behind him.
Ace would have probably just closed the door again and let him be if it hadn't been for that little orange bottle that cought his attention. Nestled in the grip of the sleeping youth, the object clawed at the hybrid's natural curiosity and caused him to advance into the room. The redhead really didn't set foot into Chad's room all too often, but he was glad to see that the kid seemed to have settled himself in pretty well. The dark stained coffee table was littered with stacks of papers, music, study sheets, books, and those instruments that Chad enjoyed making so much. Ace had stopped in his quiet tracks to let his gaze wander over the objects, his mind wandering to that moment in time when the youth had sat on his couch in that crappy hotel room he couldn't have cared less about... and the sound of that tune Chad began to play had captured his heart in an instant. It had put his mind at ease and washed away that ever-present, dormant fury....just as Orpheus had lulled Cerberus into a calming sleep. Music soothes the savage beast, perhaps there was some truth to all this mythology nonsense. The redhead cracked a gentle smile and turned his attention back to the sleeping youth. The pale light from the window fell onto the bare skin of Chad's back, those raised scars of maimed flesh fully exposed and visible. Ace absently brought a hand to his own shoulder, to allow fingertips to brush over his own marked skin. The two had been branded for life by the same group of people, they've both suffered the deeply wounding pain of losing people very precious to them, and now they both shared the burdens of physical pain. But above all that, they also shared something else... they shared each other's company, and the thoughts that neither one of them would have to suffer through it alone anymore gave the hybrid a sense of comfort. He found those fingers trailing from his shoulder to that tattooed skin along his collarbone as he made an unspoken promise to himself and his young companion; that he would try, from now on, to work past his own distant, elusive nature... tear down his own walls, and be more like the member of this strange little family he wished for it to be. It wouldn't be easy, but he sure as hell was willing to try.
At last, Ace stepped closer and leaned down to carefully slip that orange pill bottle from between Chad's small fingers. Turning it in his own hand, eyes scanned over the letters of the white label. That pierced eyebrow shot up curiously once more before his other hand reached back to pull his cell phone from his back pocket. What the hell was this stuff? Fingers worked dexterously over the illuminated screen of the mobile phone as he typed in the name of the drug into the search engine. What he found, was fairly shocking. Lids narrowed over summer meadow hues as he skimmed over the text. "Jesus christ..." His words were barely even audible at all as they brushed past his lips. They had prescribed him a high-dosage cocktail of morphine and oxycontin for pain management. No fucking wonder the kid was passing out randomly with that amount of opiates in his bloodstream. Yeah, this shit couldn't go on forever, at this rate, the kid would need a liver transplant by the time he was 25. Ace sighed and placed the phone back in his pocket before he set the pill bottle soundlessly on the edge of the night table beside that polished golden urn with all its pearlescent inlays. He allowed his gaze to rest on the youth for a moment longer, watching that small chest expand ever so slightly with every breath he took. Ace would do what he could. He didn't wish for Chad to be in all that pain anymore, and he sure as shit didn't want him to succumb to drug dependency either. Unfortunately, the hybrid knew that there was nothing he could do to take that pain away completely... but he knew now that he could at least help to alleviate it a bit.
Quietly, Ace moved to the foot of the bed and pulled the wine-colored comforter up to drape it gingerly over Chad's sleeping body. He knew how much the youth loathed being cold, after all. The hybrid didn't spend much more time in the room once he was sure that the kid wouldn't wake up shivering a couple of hours from now. Once he had stepped out into the hallway, and quietly closed the door just as he had found it, Ace finally lit up that cigarette that was still pressed between his lips, and with that, he headed downstairs to get that long awaited drink.