The standing fan spun a steady stream of cool air onto Riley's body, who was seated on one of Wrench's work tables at the garage. Her tank top and shorts allowed a maximum amount of her skin to be exposed to the A/C, but it still didn't feel like it was enough. Dammit, why was it so goddamn hot?8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡQAlwM97fST 維尼
San Fran was going through a strange heat wave in the middle of September. Not outright unheard of, but it hadn't happened for a long time. Instead of their usual 70 degrees midday, it was a ridiculous 95, leaving California's residents slowly melting in their own clothes, coupled with the high humidity due to a recent rainy day, it was just…ugh. The garage was spacious and airy, but the only problem was that it wasn't equipped with a powerful enough A/C unit to cool the entire space, so Wrench had to make do with a bunch of standing fans for the time being.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡVCDvwxCNqT 維尼
Wrench was in a similar state, for once forgoing his mask while the large garage doors were open. It was either that, or sweat buckets with it on. He didn't like having it off without the doors shut, but this time around he made an exception. His vest and hoodie were draped over a nearby chair, leaving him in nothing but a short sleeved black t-shirt.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYmbFZsGhV 維尼
"How can you even be doing anything in all this heat?" Riley asked miserably, watching as he tinkered with a few small parts for Marcus' motorcycle. It was in the finishing stages, and just needed a few decal touch-ups. Despite the heat, he didn't seem all that affected by it.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ977KhX0uzo 維尼
"Distraction." He answered simply, wiping away at his brow and shooting her a grin. "It's not so bad if you don't think about it."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡzgtllnsUTz 維尼
"Ugh, New York was never this bad…" She groaned, laying back on the table to suffer a little more comfortably. "Isn't the hackerspace air conditioned?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ33SBL99nwZ 維尼
"Yeah, but Ray is there. And I'd rather not be around him right now." Wrench explained with a huff.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡGcDVGFsxpe 維尼
With a sigh, the brunette sat back up. "Oh, come on. You two are gonna have to figure something out. You can't have all this animosity between each other forever."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡfilpMIefBB 維尼
"I don't see him offering an olive branch."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡJwY8N4iaYF 維尼
"Because you don't let him. And who said he had to be the one to offer it? You could always do that." She reasoned, and he only gave a non-non-committal gesture with his hand.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡVIowoKTp0b 維尼
"I'm sure I could manage without having him as a best friend."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡocADCEsM1D 維尼
"He's not that bad."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡValVIa3XBq 維尼
Wrench shrugged. "For you, maybe. But I don't like him. Sure, he's the 'legendary hacker' we've all learned from and shit, but he's a total dick."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡKT1HSff60V 維尼
Riley rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. "You know, you're not too far off rom that description either."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaOIX3jqRA 維尼
"How…dare you!" He cried in exaggeration, one hand held to his chest. He pretended to glare at her accusingly. "I'm nothing of the sort."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡqsT3oT1qqU 維尼
The brunette looked at him pointedly, not buying that claim. "Yesterday you fried two teens' phones because they were walking too slow in front of us."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡIbkgK4iPQT 維尼
"They were taking selfies and going the speed of a goddamn sloth. I'm actually the hero in this scenario." Wrench reasoned with an amused look, and Riley scoffed.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7MRXsLY9Fi 維尼
"Sure, sure…" She shook her head, knowing Wrench would keep defending himself regardless. It was a waste of breath trying to get him to be on good terms with Ray. They'd have to figure something out in their own time. She just hoped it wouldn't affect the rest of the group too much. She was tired of hearing them argue whenever they were in close proximity during an operation.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡrE1T4lHV4Y 維尼
Out of boredom, she grabbed his mask and inspected it closely. Wrench gave her a glance but only smirked, letting her take a closer look at it. She felt along the seams, seeing how finely it was crafted, and the LED configuration.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2S7OPYZ4cI 維尼
Turning it around, she saw how the inside was padded with a more breathable material to prevent the leather from irritating Wrench's face. Around the eyes of the mask were tiny little indents, with what she assumed to be some sort of sensor or camera system. Hmm. Was this how it automatically knew which emote to switch to? Cool.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡlgs0gw0be0 維尼
She peered inside, trying to see through Wrench's perspective in the mask. It would probably be presumptuous of her to just put it on, right? It meant a lot to him after all-8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡaLQeterPOv 維尼
She felt a light smack at the back of her head. "Just put it on, you dweeb. I don't care." He said from the side, noticing her burning curiosity. She gave him a playful glare, before bringing the mask all the way onto her face.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡI0nV0brkvq 維尼
Right off the bat, she could feel that it was too big for her. Wrench's nose was slightly bigger than hers, meaning there was a gap between hers and the front of the mask. The sides extended past the curve of her face, almost reaching her ears. But the eyes were in relatively the same space, so she could see out of it.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡik22V95gc6 維尼
Riley hadn't known what she expected his vision to be like in the mask, but it didn't appear to be anything different than normal, just with a faint black-lined overlay for the emotes. It almost wasn't noticeable unless you were looking for it.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡV7j0zPVDaq 維尼
"Woah." She said, holding it to her face to keep it in place and looking around the garage.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXqxAHOEpp 維尼
"What?" He asked with a chuckle, watching her fully now. From his perspective, the eyes of the mask became two wide circles, occasionally blinking as she faced left and then right.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ37YF7cUfbI 維尼
"How do you breathe in this thing?" She asked, her voice masked with the robotic filter he'd applied. "Heh, ok this sounds weird."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAgFckbGHk 維尼
She laughed, hearing herself talk. Wrench found it adorable. "I am C-3PO, human, cyborg relations." She quoted in her best impression, eyes changing into his happy expression.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡLnqsfDQuHQ 維尼
Wrench smiled, reaching up and poking her in the head. The eyes became two X's. "Access denied."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7OWN6wgOK 維尼
The eyes switched to the angry slants. "I'll be back."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SK4l87LLk 維尼
Then, question marks. "Shall we play a game?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡeq8ZvM0843 維尼
"I think it's time to put the mask away." He suggested, wondering how many robot or computer quotes she could think of. They might be here all day, if she loved movies as much as he did. And he was fairly certain she did.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡOcnWCZI9tC 維尼
The X's returned again, and she straightened her back. "I can't do that, Dave."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5dQrqb78HJ 維尼
Wrench raised a brow, unimpressed. Riley finally relented, taking it off her face and placing it back on the table. "Satisfied?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡC2I8WohhUq 維尼
"I wanted to put that on at least once so yes, I'm good now." Was her reply, smiling cheerily. Wrench grinned, getting back to his task. He wanted to get this bike done for Marcus. He was sure his friend would love the way it turned out. All of the paint was done, now the only things left were small decals and touch-ups.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4YSz6dSdGb 維尼
Riley swung her legs back and forth again, bored once more. She spent some time watching Wrench work before even that sort of became a little boring. Her eyes swept the garage again, looking for anything to do, suddenly spotting something that hadn't been there before. A man standing in the doorway of the garage. He appeared to be examining the inside with interest.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡDW9ciPq9zm 維尼
"Uh, were you expecting any visitors?" She asked quietly, gesturing behind him to the doorway. Out of reflex, he swung his gaze at the door behind him, perhaps forgetting that his mask was not in fact on his face, baring his birthmark to this stranger. The man standing there locked eyes with him, and started walking closer as Wrench whipped his face away. Riley swore she could see…fear in his eyes. Wrench? Afraid? This was new.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡHhxEIlcI68 維尼
"How the fuck did he…" He whispered just loud enough for her to hear, already reaching for the mask that sat on the desk beside him. It was strapped on and in place in a matter of seconds. Wrench turned in place and pointed at the approaching man.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCeIgG2W7q 維尼
"How the hell did you get here?" He called out in anger, slashes displaying his discontent. Riley dropped down from the table, unsure of what exactly was going on. Did Wrench…know this person?8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjGN78VYGq 維尼
The man had gone back to looking around the garage, as if unperturbed by the hacker's potential violent reaction to his presence. "I recognized your face when you were leaving the hospital." He said distractedly, eyes still scanning his surroundings, until they finally fixed themselves on Wrench. "No one's got a mark quite like yours, now do they? It was easy to tell."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ01MK3HU9yW 維尼
His mask went blank, but he said nothing. Riley wasn't sure if he was too angry for the mask to register, or if he intentionally wanted his feelings shut away. The man continued before they could respond.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ05hfQovdhd 維尼
"And it certainly wasn't easy to find you. It took awhile…tracking you down. My people weren't sure where you lived until yesterday." He wandered over to Marcus' motorcycle in the corner, not touching but inspecting, Riley was able to get a good look at him now.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡDS9Per0F6L 維尼
He was blonde, a darker color than Wrench's own light hair. Slightly more built up than the hacker but just as tall. He was dressed sharply, even in this abysmal heat, with black slacks and a tucked in button-up shirt. His tie was in place neatly, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. A very expensive-looking watch adorned his wrist. Just who was this guy, and how did Wrench know him?8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡYBW7p9PEMs 維尼
"Well, it was a waste of time. I don't want anything to do with you, or them, so get out of my garage." He warned with a dismissive gesture, stepping closer. It was an obvious attempt at intimidation, but this man didn't seem swayed. As if he knew something they did. Riley didn't like that.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡq9XsMaDSY4 維尼
The more she looked at his face, the more it looked familiar…8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ85zMK6dViq 維尼
The man smiled with a small shake of his head. "So hostile. You've changed so much since back then."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡDTPjSYuNCX 維尼
"I told you to get the fuck out." Wrench said in a much lower tone, another step closer. Riley stood off to the side, gaze switching between them, still utterly confused. Who was this guy? Who was he to Wrench? Gosh, they had the same light-colored eyes, too.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡSEJEU2Bsy6 維尼
Wait a minute…8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡjY9NFhX4OQ 維尼
The man seemed to be fed up with being brushed aside, because he turned back and faced Wrench again. "Damien, if you would talk to me like an actual adult-"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡoR5VJ3OxZU 維尼
"Don't…call me that. That's not my fucking name!"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡqYAQjqlTDR 維尼
Hold the fuck up. Damien? Was that Wrench's real name? Considering he had nearly physically flinched at the mere mention of it, she was willing to bet it was. Wrench was actually a Damien? Too much was happening all at once for her to process it properly. She was still very much not sure of what was happening, but she began to suspect.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45QafiJEcZ 維尼
"It is your name. Mother gave it to you." He retorted. Then suddenly it must have dawned on him that Riley was also in their company, because he turned to her with an apologetic bow to his head and a hand to shake. "I'm sorry, I haven't even introduced myself to you. I'm-"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡtbaYWqjohS 維尼
"Garrett." Wrench interrupted dryly, as if it had a bad aftertaste. "My brother."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡlo5n3TUJp2 維尼
Things clicked into place for her, but she'd already started to suspect before who he was. Seemed her hunch was correct. That's why he looked so familiar. His facial structure was very similar to Wrench, of course without the birthmark that covered most of his brother's eye. He was handsome, and as a whole charismatic. Just like Wrench. She should have known the moment he walked in.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡOCYwNfynkI 維尼
But that still didn't lessen the amount of shock currently going through her head. There was a whole lot of revelations about Wrench being brought up that she wasn't prepared for.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡpSq3U7E7sR 維尼
Garrett shot Wrench a stale stare at his rude interruption, but softened his gaze as Riley took his hand. But instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips and kissed it in the way that fancy people often do. "A pleasure to meet you."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2PTFVDvWS 維尼
She hadn't quite been expecting that. "Uh-"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡMsCqmcYA8l 維尼
Wrench wedged his way between them, pushing his brother back a few feet and keeping Riley at his back. "Don't touch her."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡQrzIhHbBbr 維尼
Garrett, still unperturbed, held up his hands in a placating way. However, he did put some distance between them for good measure. "I didn't mean offense."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1fcaLaYACi 維尼
"What is it you want?" Wrench finally asked harshly, hoping he would say what he needed to say and then leave. Immediately. Riley moved from Wrench's back a bit to the side so she could watch events a bit more clearer.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1n1jUwSmh 維尼
Garrett shrugged. "Mother and Father want you to come home."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡJvj0qT6y7X 維尼
"Like hell they do." Was Wrench's muttered scoff.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡwZalBTlY94 維尼
Ignoring his remark, Garrett continued. "It's not like their request is unfounded. You ran away. They haven't seen you for 10 years. Of course they'd be worried about their youngest son. And is it so strange that I want to get to know the brother I used to have?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡLZbYyVtrRJ 維尼
Wrench huffed out a humorless laugh, as if he didn't believe Garrett's claim. From what Riley knew of Wrench and his family, perhaps he couldn't seriously believe that his family would worry about him, or even care about what happened to him after all was said and done. How sad, she thought to herself.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡUNPCenZUIA 維尼
Garrett must have guessed the same thing. "You don't have to believe me, but that's the truth."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡUISqrOCPUb 維尼
"Fuck you. And fuck them." He finally spat with a shake of his head, walking closer threateningly. "For the last time, get the hell out of my garage. If I ever see you walk in here again, you won't be able to walk out."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡY83a88QpeC 維尼
Both brothers stared each other down, one much more angry than the other, with Riley standing to the side unsure of what to do or say. This didn't really have anything to do with her, but she wanted to help somehow. Wrench was obviously upset, but maintaining the tough facade for the sake of Garrett, if she knew him at all. He probably wanted to break something right now, given the amount of stress in the room.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQQc8IjBc4 維尼
Garrett finally took a long breath, releasing it slowly. His expression remained calm. Always in control. "I haven't yet told them where you live. But if you don't agree to see them, I'll make sure they know."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mh2t7sc5y 維尼
At first Wrench didn't respond, just faced Garrett with three dots on either side of his mask. Eventually, he threw up his hands and the angry slashes returned in full. "Fuck…" He walked away meanderingly, trying to clear his thoughts.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡfCHz5pwRuC 維尼
It was a clever bind. He either agrees to see them, or they'll never stop pestering him so he'd either have to eventually cave or move out of the country or some shit. That was the last thing he wanted to do. Why should he have to pick up and move because of them? He didn't have a choice, when it came down to it.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡy2ZE2PwnCA 維尼
"It's up to you." Garrett said, standing there waiting for an answer.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡGoYSFG91Mo 維尼
Riley looked to Wrench, watching as he slowly came to terms with the situation. She wondered what was going through his head as he paced the concrete floors.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡujfUL2fmez 維尼
"If I want any goddamn peace in my life again, I fucking have to go. So, when am I being summoned?" He spat. Riley was amazed that Garrett hadn't caved to Wrench's volatile nature, and his penchant for swearing. The man looked like the worst he dealt with was a spot of dust on his marble flooring. He handled a pissed-off estranged brother remarkably well. She supposed deceiving looks ran in the family, recalling how she had been surprised with Wrench's own contradicting personality in comparison to his appearance.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhwVxlqRhd 維尼
Garrett gave a small smile. "This afternoon-"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡotTggIzwCy 維尼
"Hell no!" Wrench immediately denied. "If I'm going back, I need time to get fucked-up drunk first, and I don't have enough alcohol. They can fucking wait!"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7XsocjvfUr 維尼
Apparently that was all that Wrench could handle for the day, because he went straight back to his work tables after a dismissive wave and began grabbing random things from the table, trying to find something to do with his hands. Maybe he just didn't want to focus on the fact that his brother was here to bring him back home.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2qOrg6l60e 維尼
Riley watched as Garrett sighed inaudibly to himself, eyes closing momentarily, before catching her eye. Riley supposed she had to be the spokesperson for the time being now, because Wrench was far too pissed-off now to be reasoned with. If Garrett's intention had been to keep things civil and nice, he had done a shit job of it. Tact wasn't the way to go with Wrench. Not for things he didn't like.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡWAHNhYuFf3 維尼
"When would a good time be?" She asked politely. No need to be abusive to him just because Wrench had deep-seated issues with him. Riley herself didn't have a reason to hate him. Yet. Whether it was justified remained to be seen.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡGeudAPW0rj 維尼
Garrett seemed to appreciate her civility, nodding a silent thanks. "If today isn't good, then perhaps tomorrow afternoon? Say…2:00?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡiO4a6LXhWg 維尼
They both glanced at Wrench to see what he had to say about it. Apparently nothing. All he did was aggressively stab at a computer tower he had planned on taking apart later on. He ignored the both of them. But he wasn't adamantly telling them no either, so she supposed that was a good enough sign.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡxFZdi6fAZJ 維尼
"That should be fine." She replied. Still no opposition or agreement from Wrench, but she was willing to bet he was still listening closely to their conversation.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WGvQjtObe 維尼
"We'll expect you then." Garrett confirmed, looking towards Wrench's back in expectation, but the hacker didn't bother acknowledging him any further. Turning back to Riley, he gave a silent nod in farewell, before leaving through the same way he'd come.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJLxWMAR6s 維尼
Riley watched him go, then nearly jumped as a metal grating sound echoed around the space. The garage doors began to close, and when she looked over, Wrench had his finger on the button to lower the metal paneling down. His head was downturned, shoulders tense underneath his t-shirt.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5afKjBZPm 維尼
The garage finally shut, leaving the both of them in an uncomfortably long silence. Riley didn't know how to bring up the subject, and Wrench did appear to want to talk about it. But they had to. He released the button and began pacing the area in front of the tables again. He rubbed at his arms, constantly moving, unsure of what to do with himself and all this anger and frustration.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡSazIwzn93h 維尼
Riley took a step forward, hoping to put him at ease. "Wrench-"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡrGnhJvSzUi 維尼
"Son of a bitch!" He yelled suddenly, grabbing the nearest thing off the table, an empty beer bottle from the night before, and chucked it as hard as he could against the nearest stone pillar. The brunette flinched as it shattered upon impact, sending thousands of shards of glass in every direction. A few pieces bounced harmlessly against the skin of her arms, but she still shied away from it regardless.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZm1ARXg0b 維尼
So she held off from saying anything else until he calmed himself down enough. For several minutes he paced the garage, cursing and grumbling under his breath, grabbing unimportant trash and other small odds and ends from the tables and hurling them across the space. Riley made sure to keep her distance when he did so, not wanting to accidentally have a motorcycle or computer part chucked in her direction. Wrench was mindful of where she was so that wouldn't happen, but better safe than sorry.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡUjdZARBVXm 維尼
On an unrelated note, she realized Wrench had been right about one thing. Distractions certainly helped with the heat. She hadn't even thought about the temperature and how uncomfortable it was until things had settled down between Garrett and Wrench. Now, though, it returned in full and she could feel the sweat pooling on her forehead.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡq3HmeTk847 維尼
Before long he eventually started to calm. Or, at least stop throwing things around. Until finally he also stopped pacing, and leaned against the table, crossing his arms. His mask was blank, either too angry or too upset to change into anything.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡtCIV7ZnAwX 維尼
He sighed heavily, shoulders rising and falling as he breathed. Riley took his ceased movement as a good sign, and hesitantly came closer to him.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡfA2dH6NKsz 維尼
"Wrench?" She tested, but he didn't react violently. Good. These were all good signs. Another few steps and she was directly in front of him. "What's going on in that head of yours?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡkO8YuTBHUo 維尼
One hand reached up and hesitantly combed through his messy blonde hair, trying to soothe him further. It was a…'kink' of his, if you could call it that. But not in a sexual way, specifically. She'd found that just running her fingers through his hair tended to relax him. Hopefully it would still do so now.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡVQbcCgP5ca 維尼
"It's all fucked." He growled, shaking his head. She recalled using a very similar phrase after finding out about her own job's deception. "I never wanted to go back there."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqpXqDggKQ 維尼
"I know." Riley looked at him empathetically, fingers still slowly playing with his hair. It seemed to be of some help, his shoulders slumped and relaxed versus how they were before. "I'm sorry you're being dragged into something you don't want."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8omQ02RVW 維尼
"Not your fault." He muttered.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡV6FWXuOhyH 維尼
He was right, it wasn't her fault, but she still felt bad that he wasn't happy. There wasn't much more she could do besides be there for him, so that's what she did. Silently reminding him she was there by gently soothing him down from his anger.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡR1e5nxoRsY 維尼
Eventually, the mask displayed two underscores, indicating his eyes were closed. His hands loosely held her hips, thumbs brushing the skin just above the hem of her shorts slowly as they just stood there.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSOTzqDPRN 維尼
They listened to the sound of people going by outside, muffled and distorted by the metal doors and concrete walls. Cars drove by. Wind brushed against trees at the edge of their hearing.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡh2sm6ikH94 維尼
"Tomorrow," he started after some time of silence, "will you come with me?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡrow1j3rhvU 維尼
She looked up into his mask. "Of course. Why wouldn't I?"8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8q3f05nFrP 維尼
He shrugged, not able to come up with any believable reason. "I just don't want to deal with them by myself. It'll be easier for me if I have you around." Then, he looked up at her rapidly. "Just…don't ever call me that name. Please."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡCJUW3D9WWF 維尼
Riley nodded, seeing the vulnerability back in his tone. She hadn't really heard it since he visited her in the hospital. She thought she understood. 'Damien' was the person he'd been back before running away. 'Wrench' was the identity he created for himself afterwards, taking control of his life as he wanted. She could relate, but with Wrench it was just in a much more literal sense. Denying his real name was denying his past. Running away from it.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡq4ZCKIFYpA 維尼
It might not be the healthiest method of dealing with his problem, but Riley wasn't about to tell him how he should live his life. If this was how he wanted to handle things, she'd support whatever his decision was.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡRRzetSNOfa 維尼
In reply to his request, she smiled. "I never intended to." She let her fingers trail down some of the spikes on his mask. "Because you're Wrench, and nobody else."8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡBa0ZJ7vZ67 維尼
Wrench looked at her with two small circles on his mask, before reaching up and taking it off entirely. The brunette felt a tug on her shorts' belt loop, and the next moment he was kissing her. It was…strangely desperate, or some other emotion she couldn't quite understand, but she wasn't exactly complaining, lips moving in time with his.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡNI1eg9z1oc 維尼
He knew she probably didn't understand the significance of what she'd said, and how much that actually meant to him, but he hoped he could somehow communicate that through this kiss, pulling her closer.8964 copyright protection339ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqY0ivhWuB 維尼
ns3.236.234.223da2
