"That should do it."
Pushing aside the keyboard, Will stretched her arms above her head prior to looking towards the dark-haired teen lounging on the sofa, eyes focused solely on the images being projected by the VVG. Calling for him would've proved to be pointless what with the headphones pressed snugly against his ears, the sounds of the background music blaring with craze, fast paced beats.
Walking over, Will leaned over the edge of the couch to observe the slight smile pulling at the raven's mouth. Tapping her shoulder, she looked down at it to see that her mini robotic pet was nowhere to be seen. Glancing in the direction of her work space, not seeing the bot there, she raised an eyebrow before picking up on a low chirp. When it came again, she looked down to see SHU perched atop Cal's head with a jack plugged into the side the headphones. The light of its eyes flashed every now and then while it bobbed its head every few moments, syncing with the raven that would move every once in a while.
Shaking her head, she couldn't help but smile before reaching down to pluck the bot from its perch. She drew back when met with resistance. Tapping her foot, she watched as the small robotic creature resituated itself in the teen's dark hair, eyes flickering once in a while, causing her to sigh aloud.
"You have got to be kidding me, SHU," she groused before trying to remove it from Cal's head. "You have better things to do than play games." The mini robo just bobbed its head. "You've spent too much time with Renyx if you find this fun."
"You say that like spending time with me is a bad thing."
Turning towards the voice, Will watched as the redhead came waltzing in, already in the process of shedding the button down shirt in favor of donning a t-shirt he might've grabbed on his way back to the room. Once it was on, he pulled his trench coat on in fluid motion before plopping on the chair across from the raven-haired teen. Patting his leg, Renyx brought his hands up to rest them behind his head prior to hearing a low chirp. Tilting his head a bit, he caught the sound of small feet leaving faint clinking sounds of metallic feet scuttling across polished carpet. Within several seconds, SHU was perched on the soft material right before the redhead's face.
"Hey there," Renyx said as he presented a metal nut. "Have you been a good little bot?" SHU bounced upon the pillowed couch before turning attention to the item in the redhead's hand. "Want this, do ya?" he asked, moving it about to see the robot following it. "Sit." Lighted eyes looked towards the tawny pair before the bot came to a stop, folding its legs beneath itself as Renyx held the object above its head. "Stay."
"Renyx…" Brown eyes narrowed at the man that had set the treat atop SHU's head. "Ren-"
"Wait," he said before looking over at his friend. "Yeah?"
"My SHU is not a dog, Anthony."
Said person cringed at the name before snapping his fingers, watching the small bot react. As soon as faint gnawing sounds reached her ears, Will sighed heavily before walking over to collect the small creature. Seeing how it took shelter beneath the Renyx's lapel, Will shook her head before taking a seat in the chair alongside the couch.
"You spoiled it."
"I did no such thing," Renyx said. "You gotta let it play sometimes. Isn't that right, SHU?" Said thing popped its head out, gnawing away at the treat given before poking its head back inside when it saw its creator eyeing it meticulously. "You scare guys when you do that, Will."
She turned to see her friend looking up at her. "That being said, why are you still here then?"
"Well, I do live here."
"Point taken."
"Dully noted." Sitting up, a grin split the man's face as the small robot scurried to the other side of his collar before taking refuge there. Tawny eyes panning over to the woman, Renyx sobered a bit. "Did you finish?"
"But of course. I'm not a slacker."
"You wound me, ma'am."
"Pansy."
That elicited a laugh before the pair looked towards the teen. "How long has he been in there?"
"I'd said…roughly four hours," she replied before looking out the window. "It's dark."
"I see…"
Hopping to his feet, Renyx trudged over, hands in his pockets, before he leaned down to chuckle at the teen's tongue that was currently poking out the side of his mouth. Looking for the button to turn the device off, he triggered it once it had been located.
"What the…" Removing the shades grudgingly, brown eyes adjusted before focusing in on the oh so close tawny pair. "Shit!" Falling off the couch, Calix glared up at the laughing man before pulling himself into a seated position as he heard Will stifle a laugh. "Really, what the hell?" he groused as he got back on the couch.
"Did you enjoy the game?"
The raven gave a one-shouldered shrug as he averted his gaze. "It was ok."
"You played for four hours straight," Will commented. "Dead to the world."
"Oh, shut up…"
"And it's dark outside."
"Wait, what?!" Clambering to his feet, Cal looked up at the starless sky to see the moon hanging lowly in the sky. "Dammit!" Gathering his things, he hurried to the door. "I'm so dead!"
"Cal-"
"No, I have to go!" he pressed before tugging on his shoes and swinging his pack over his shoulder.
"Cal-"
"Whatever it is, tell me tomorrow!"
Watching as he bolted out the door, Renyx looked towards his remaining guest. "I could've had the chauffer take him home. He does know that the curfew is in effect as of…" He looked toward the large, digitize clock on the wall. "…thirty minutes ago."
"Don't worry."
The redhead's gaze panned over to her, eyebrow raised. "Oh?"
"Seriously, seriousness doesn't suite you at all."
"And that's why you love me," he laughed, gaining an aggravated sigh.
"You're impossible."
"But?"
"But I have to catch up to him," Will replied, pulling out two, small cards as she hurried towards the door. "See you later."
"Are we still on for this weekend?" he called as he leaned against the doorway, watching as SHU scampered after its departing creator.
"But of course," she called as she reached the stairs. "I didn't work all this time for nothing."
"That you didn't," he chuckled as she departed. "I'll handle the rest."
- † -
Ducking into the safety of the shadows, Calix tilted his head back as he waited for his heart to steady. Eyes sliding shut, he did his best to tune out the pounding in his ears long enough to see if he could hear any other approaching footsteps. When nothing came, he pushed himself off the brick wall and took a knee.
Once he got home he'd have to kick himself.
Not only did he not make it back before curfew, he didn't have a pass to be out this late.
Nineteen be damned, he was going to get arrested if he was caught by the patrolling officers.
Sure, he had no record of being a delinquent, mainly due to the fact that no one had ever manage to catch him, but because he was still viewed as a teen, a student.
So, basically he was up to no good.
Gotta love stereotypes.
He'd mute his mind if he didn't need it but his instincts never truly seemed to be effective when he did so.
"You there!"
"Goddammit…"
Looking over his shoulder, Cal turned around to face the officer that had managed to track him down. Glancing over his shoulder to see a high, chain-linked fence, he sighed wearily before shifting the bag on his arm.
Weight in mind, he took a step back before turning to climb the fence. Disregarding the warning to stop, he hopped onto a dumpster to gain leverage before freezing as he heard the sound of a firearm's hammer being pulled back. Hearing the order to stand down, Calix lowered his head while his hand balled into a fist.
"If I don't, will you shoot?"
When no answer was received, the raven merely sneered before tossing his bag over the fence. Grabbing hold of the railing, he gave the man a salute before hopping over the top. Hearing the bullet ricochet off the railing, Cal looked over his shoulder before giving the officer the finger. Collecting his bag as the man went to shoot again, Calix stepped aside, watching as the bullet sailed by prior to darting down an adjacent alleyway.
Hearing shouts, followed the sound of communicators echoing orders in the silent streets, the raven scrubbed a hand down his face the moment he heard the fence rattling. Picking up his pace, he froze when he heard the sound of hammer being pulled back.
"Hold it." Recognizing the voice to an extent, Calix looked over his shoulder to see a pair of dark claret-colored eyes staring back at him, boredom ghosting along his sharp features. "It's after curfew, sir. You know I'm going to have to ask you to show me your ID." The other took a subtle step back, shifting the bag he was carrying in the process. "Don't run." And, as if on cue, the raven turned on his heels and bolted out of the alley and down another lane. "God, I love it when they run," Tyson chuckled.
Coming to a walled dead end, Calix patted himself down for his gloves before sliding the much needed items on. Placing his hand on the brick, he rapped his fingers along the hard surface before placing his foot on it. Finding it sturdy enough, he stepped back a few paces then ran forward, pushing off with his foot to gain enough leverage to do the same with the conjoining wall. Close enough to an indention in the grouting; Cal hung there before dropping his gaze as he heard the sound of footsteps approaching. Spotting the odd colored eyes shining in their own way, mischief and danger appearing in the gaze, the teen pulled himself up before the other man got the chance to reach into his pocket. Grabbing a nearby wire, Calix swung himself up to grab the next highest ledge before reaching the roof after several more seconds.
"He's coming your way," Ty said into the radio on his shoulder.
Not hearing any steps behind him, brown eyes drifted upwards to stare at the low moon, clouds casting growing shadows along the tops of buildings.
"You there; don't move."
That voice…
Looking over his shoulder, Calix turned slowly to see the white-haired officer standing on the rooftop with one hand hovering dangerously close to his holstered weapon. Stepping back himself, the teen glanced down at the ground several stories below prior to facing the man in front of him once again.
"I'm going to have to-"
"Ask me for an ID. Yeah, I heard that from the other one a few minutes ago."
"Yet you did not do as requested."
"As reque-do you hear yourself right now?" Calix asked before rolling back his sleeve. Catching a glimpse of the other grabbing the end of his weapon, brown eyes narrowed. "I don't have a damn weapon so you don't need to go pulling out a gun on me." The hand stayed glued to the butt of the firearm. "I can't believe you'd actually fire at me."
"If needed, yes."
"Well, this situation doesn't require you to do such a thing." Glancing up at the overcast sky, he shifted the weight from one leg to the other before looking at the watch on his wrist again. "Now, if you would excuse me, I-"
"-must show me your ID."
Feeling a chill run down his spine, the younger male looked up to see Evren standing before him, his oddly-colored eyes narrowed to a slight degree. Face void of any sure emotion, Cal stepped back to distance his self before skirting around the man as he went by. Looking back at him, Cal gave a somewhat apologetic smile before running into something solid.
Jumping back, he focused on his front to see the red-eyed man standing before him with a mildly amused expression on his face. Stepping back as the larger male took one forward, Calix looked back to see Evren walking toward him.
"Just show us your ID kid. We wouldn't want to throw you in jail, now would we?" Tyson asked before leaning in. "Some of the street's trash can be quite nasty and a pretty boy like you wouldn't last with the likes of them for even an hour. There'd be no lines or sills to scale to get away, no one to help you when you're left alone with them." His smile then broadened. "Then again, you'd probably like that wouldn't you?"
"Go to hell," Calix spat as he stepped back once more, avoiding the quieter of the pair. "If anything, I think you'd just like to see me behind bars."
"Oh, I've been to hell," Tyson replied before charging the raven, "and I must say it's quite nice at this time of year." He then made a grab at the other's blazer. "You should go; you might like it."
"Yeah…no."
Evading the larger officer, brown eyes settled upon the paler enforcer, a slight frown marring the teen's face before skirted past Tyson.
"Not so fast."
Feeling a hand snag the back of his blazer, as well as school top beneath it, Calix clenched his jaw before he began pulling to get free. "Let go of me!"
Yanked back, escape started to see more improbable the closer Cal got to the taller, red-eyed male. Glancing at the quieter man, the teen lowered his head the moment he felt another hand grab hold of his arm. Feeling the other hand move to seize his arm, Calix slid his eyes shut the moment he heard a pair of footsteps.
"Search."
Tensing at the feel of his blazer shifting, the teen caught a glimpse of thin fingers pressing and prodding at the material covering his body. Grimacing when they reached his pockets, Cal sighed silently as the hand stopped to pull out a short, metal rod. Remaining quiet, knowing questioning was imminent, brown eyes cracked open when the object was returned to its original location.
Lifting his head a bit when he felt hands patting down his legs, Calix made a face as his wallet was confiscated.
"Give that back."
Mismatched eyes lifted to regard the tallest, dark-haired male.
"Check it."
Looking back down at the black, aluminum case, Evren popped the latch on it to take a look inside. Rifling through several receipts and cards, he closed the container and slipped it back into its owner's pocket prior to facing his leader.
"Nothing."
"Excuse me?"
"He doesn't have one," Evren replied, glancing over at Cal to see a rather dejected and quite frustrated expression.
"Well, you know what that means." The teen shifted when he felt that hands on his arms tighten. "You're going to need to come with us."
"I thought the first time was a warning and a ticket," Calix groused as he tried to get a bit of distance between him and his captor.
"But you did run from us, not to mention the other you left in the alleyway."
"He fired at me when I was unarmed," Cal countered. "Anyone would run." He received a chuckle. "Let go of me."
"Ah, ah, ah," Tyson chided, "besides, I have a few questions for you, Calix." Said person tensed as he felt a breath ghost past his ear. "One being, do you know Evren?" the taller male asked quietly as his red eyes shifted towards his subordinate that was standing by dutifully with his eyes diverted to the street below.
"Why?"
"I take that as a yes."
You should take it as a question," Calix said with simmering anger as he tried pulling away again. "Now, will you please let go of me? It's late and I have to g-"
"You seriously can't be in that much of a rush, right? After all, it's past curfew so you couldn't have been in that much of a hurry. I mean, you would've made it to where ever you had to be if you were truly on a deadline." Grin broadening a bit when the younger male continued to struggle, dark eyes panned over to see the quietest man still looking elsewhere, face void of any thought or feeling. "Evren." Said person arched a brow but didn't face his leader. "Evren."
Hearing the faint growl of his name, Evren turned his head by an inch or two to see Tyson hooking his arm around the teen's neck while his other wrapped around Cal's front, effectively pinning his arms to his side.
"Sir?"
"What should we do with this one?"
Brown eyes shifted towards the other before lowering.
Watching him for several moments, Evren turned his attention towards the man that was holding the shorter male captive. "Let him go."
"Excuse me?"
Evren gave a sigh. "You know I hate repeating myself, Tyson." He received a pointed look from the higher ranking man. "Sir, just let the brat go."
"Hey, I'm not-"
Receiving an annoyed glance, Cal shut his mouth and dropped his gaze.
"Sir, just let him go. It's just a first offense."
"Why are you defending him all of a sudden?"
Brown eyes lifted slightly. Why are you?
"I'm not," Evren stated. "That's the guidelines of the law in place. If you bothered to read it, you'd…know that…by now…" His own eyes averted themselves as he saw the growing irritation along the man's face.
"Fine," Ty said after a few seconds of deliberation. "You're free to go."
Feeling the arms slip away, Calix stepped away from the raven before glancing over at the white-haired male. Opting to say nothing, merely giving an appreciative nod, Cal snagged up his pack and took off.
Staring off in the direction their previous captive had fled, Evren turned in that direction before feeling a hand grab his arm. Feeling an arm hook itself around his waist, he clenched his jaw the moment he felt a warmer body press against his back.
"Ty-" Wincing inwardly when he was held tighter, Evren bowed his head. "Sir, will you please let go of me? This is quite-"
"Nice."
"Unprofessional," he replied. "Now, if you would be so kind, let go."
"Where are you going?"
"To continue my duties."
"You're done for the night," Tyson stated. "You're coming back with me."
Looking back at the man skeptically, Evren stepped forward to get away, only to be pulled into the warm body again. "Let go."
"Where are you going if I do?"
"To finish my duties like I said."
"I don't believe you."
"You have trust issues."
Scoffing mentally, the tallest of the pair spun the other around, earning a baleful glare. "Then prove to me that I should trust you."
Staring up at his newly appointed leader, Evren bowed his head because he already had several endings already thought up for his current situation.
"Sir." He received a low hum. "You should know by now to trust me. I'm on your team after all. I…follow you after all," he said, choking inwardly on the words spoken. "You should know by now that-"
"I do trust you," Tyson finished. "But I trust you the most when I can see you. I trust you the most when I'm watching you." He watched the man quirk an eyebrow. That way I know you're not trying to kill me.
"Sir-"
"Since you're so set on continuing your duties, I expect you to be back no later than one," Tyson replied, watching the man's face for a reaction. He received none as usual before dropping his arms to his side. "But you will have additional duties when you return. That is if you wish to go on."
"Very well."
Stepping back, Evren bowed slightly at the waist before taking off.
Losing sight of his paler counterpart, Ty turned, looking over his shoulder. He's definitely getting additional duties…a strenuous one at that.
- † -
Pushing on the front door, Calix wasn't quite ready for the thing to swing open nor was he ready to be yanked inside the awaiting darkness. The sensation of the door up against his back soon had the teen's instincts kicking in but, before he could even react, dark grey eyes glimmered in the light of a passing squad car. Shoving the hand off himself, he circled around his caretaker, only to stop with a wince as his arm was seized.
"Do you know what time it is?" Malecai asked with a low hiss. Brown eyes averted themselves. "I was just about to go looking for you."
"I'm not a kid, Mal."
"Yet you're not thinking like an adult."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"It means that you're not thinking like an adult," Mal drawled. "I know you know what time you need to be inside. You don't have an ID and you have classes tomorrow morning."
"I could've called out sick."
"Excuse me?"
Rolling his eyes, Cal sidestepped the man in favor of walking out the back door. Taking a seat on the step, he reached into his bag, pulling out a carton of cigarettes. Grabbing a lighter, he lit one and inhaled deeply as his eyes drifted close. Hearing the door shut behind him, he sighed to himself as he exhaled the dark cloud of smoke.
"I was let off with a warning," he replied, "by two task officers."
"Task officers?"
Calix nodded once as he exhaled another dark cloud. "Yeah."
"Evren." Brown eyes drifted in the man's direction. "Evren was one of them, wasn't he?" The raven stared off at the fenced yard as he continued to smoke. Feeling the grey eyes still watching him, he stubbed out what was left of his cigarette before getting to his feet. "Cal-"
"G'night, Mal," he replied as he went back into the house.
Once upstairs, Calix closed his bedroom door, locking it in the process. Dropping his bag on the floor, he pressed his forehead against the door. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, they open as he heard his curtains flutter in a gentle breeze.
He hadn't opened the window and it was closed when he left that morning.
Pushing himself off the door, he stooped down slowly to grab his bag before turning once he had one of his blades in hand.
However, before he even got to use it, he was knocked onto the bed.
"How dare you."
Recognizing the voice, Cal sat up. "Will, how-why are you in my room?" He then looked over at the LED light trailing lazily along the wall. "And at this hour?
"Well, let's not switch the subject on how you tried to pull a knife on me." She earned a glare."Fine," she said prior to flicking something his way.
Catching it, he looked back at his guest, question in his eye before he saw a card resting between two of her fingers. Dropping his own gaze to see an identical one complete with his information, he looked back up at her to see her tucking away her own.
"What-"
"It's an ID card. I don't know about you but I'm not going to tolerate some stupid curfew. I'm not a little kid, Calix. We're not little kids. So, I don't know about you but I'm still coming out at night." Calix examined his card. "Renyx has one too."
"Where'd you get these?" he asked. "They're hard to get, you know?" Will arched a fine eyebrow. "You didn't."
"Oh, you know I did," she replied with the faintest traces of a smirk.
"How…?"
"You wound me with your incredulous belief of my skill," Will stated, mirth now gone.
"Sorry, sorry. It's-"
"To be on your person at all times, especially when out at night. Is that understood?" Cal looked down at the card again before giving a mock salute. "You're such a dork," she said before heading back to the window.
"Says the one that made a robotic crab."
"It's not a crab. It's my SHU." To that, said thing popped its head out prior making a sound falling between grating metal and a hiss. "See? You went and made it mad."
Calix just shook his head as he walked over to the window. "Goodnight, Will."
"Goodnight."
Shutting the window once she was off his ledge, Cal watched as she headed down the street before looking down at his new ID card. Tossing it on his bed, Calix remained by the window for several minutes more, watching as a squad cruiser went by. Not being able to shake the feeling of being watched, he shut his curtains and went to bed.
Watching from across the street as the curtains slid shut, all motion coming to a standstill in the room, Evren stood up from his perch as he continued to observe the teen's place of residence. Looking down at the living room level, he watched as the curtains swayed slowly before waiting for a passing police car. When one came close, Evren stepped off the ledge.
Curling his fingers along the edge of the roof, Evren kept up his crouched position as he rode his way through the city. Observing several other policemen along the grounds, patrolling no doubt, Evren redirected his attention to the police station. Passing by the building, he looked at the dormant skyscrapers shining in lone light before sliding his eyes shut. Loosening his hold on his current transport, he soon let go in favor of jumping onto the sill of his living quarters.
Mismatched eyes then opened, looking towards the starless sky prior to reaching back to knock rhythmically on his window. Glancing over his shoulder when the glass didn't shift or budge for that matter, Evren stooped down, running his hand along the clear surface. Spotting a latch, he trailed his fingers over it, pulling them away the moment a few sparks lit up the darkened region. Standing as he heard a faint series of gears whirring, he then slid the window aside before stepping into the room.
Listening as the glass moved back into place, Evren lowered his head as he let out a tired sigh. Undoing a holster at his thigh, he then paused as he heard the subtle sound of footsteps. Peering through his bangs, he looked around slowly not seeing anyone. Returning to his previous activity of removing his outerwear, he stilled as he felt a heat source behind him.
The moment arms wrapped around him, pinning his arms at his side, the paler officer sighed aloud as he felt a warm breath ghost over his ear. "Tyson."
Feeling one of the arms move, the captive tensed slightly before following the limb as it pointed to the clock mounted on the wall. Seeing how the time read a minute past one, Evren swallowed thickly and unknowingly as the arm came back down to wrap securely around his waist.
Silence enveloped the bedroom, leaving the smaller male to hear the faint sounds of his heart beating as well as the stronger one of the other man present. When nothing was said, Evren lowered his head by a fraction as the heat along his backside intensified. And closing his eyes, they opened quickly when he felt a bite at the top of his ear before being pushed onto his bed.
"You're late."
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