Tucker bristled, reacting to the sharpness in Rabi's tone. "I'm involved because you involved me. And yeah, I could just give it back, take you at your word that you'll do what you said you'd do, but that's a lot of trust to put in someone, and you've never done anything to earn even a sliver of my trust." He'd had a week to mule it all over, and there was something more than just answering anger in his tone. Something tired and worn down. "So no, it's not just your life being fucked around with."
"You have the option to leave." He leaned forward again, still sharp. "You think you get to make this choice, why, because you have it now?"
"Leave where, Rabi? Where am I gunna go?" His hands came up, palms pressing into his face as he sighed before dropping back to his sides. "You think any of this is what I want? I don't want this. I don't want to keep you trapped here, but I don't want to get fucked over, either."
He shrugged, gesturing loosely at Tucker. "That's still your decision. You have the choice."
He looked almost miserable, like he would have preferred to be almost anywhere else. "It's not much of one, is it? Make us both unhappy, or give you what your want and hope you're feeling charitable enough to not only make all this mess disappear, but also not simply burn me where I stand the second you don't need me anymore."
"It's still an option." He shrugged, tapping fingers against his arm. "It's a choice."
Pale eyes flicked away from Rabi and around the room before landing on the clock and he made a small sound at the back of his throat. "I have to go to class." It was an out, and he was going to take it, backing towards the door with a hand back to grope for the handle.
"Uh huh." He didn't look impressed, or like he believed it -- just watched Tucker somewhat flatly.
His fingers wrapped around the handle, but he paused just long enough to look around the room for the books he'd left there the week before. When he didn't see them he looked back at Rabi like he wasn't entirely sure if he wanted to ask for them back just then. Not the best time. He'd ask later.
Eyes too wide, he pulled the door open and hurried through it, letting it close behind him as he moved swiftly back down the hall to leave the building.
He'd have time to stress about it -- or get over it -- before he was due to meet Lukas that evening -- in a coffee shop that was very hip, with communal coffee table seating and high ceilings and an island bar. And Lukas nowhere in sight again.
At least he had class as a distraction, which did help. He'd put all his focus on that, and when the last one wrapped up he'd make his way to the coffee shop with the help of the pen, dropping the disguise before he arrived after ducking into a convenience store bathroom.
Then he'd wait, nudging the handle of a mug sitting in front of him in an absent, twitchy way. Gaze turned out the window, but his mind was elsewhere.
Only five minutes late or so, Lukas sat down next to him with a coffee that smelled like lavender and a pastry that was huge and flecked with chocolate chips. "Rough day?"
He looked up as Lukas sat down and flashed him a wane smile. "Little bit." Tucker had most of vanilla latte left.
He broke the pastry in half to offer Tucker half, absently. "Some days are like that. And others, you make a couple grand."
It made him smile softly, lips tugging up at the corners as he pinched a piece off the offered pastry to try it. "Thanks." Though it was followed by a small snort and a laugh. "I'd like to know what the latter feels like."
"It feels like the opposite of being caught and ending up in prison." He smiled at Tucker, a little more gently this time.
He flicked his eyes up, brows arching. "Is that experience talking?"
"I plead the fifth." He grinned at Tucker again, easy, leaning over to hook his bag.
The answering grin came easily, and tugged another piece of the pastry off, bigger this time. "Well I definitely don't want to know what that feels like."
"It happens to the best of us, clearly." He dug into the bag to pull out a small box -- not actually a ring box, it looked like a takeout container.
Tuck sat up straighter when he saw the box, leaning on his arms as he finished off the bit of pastry he'd torn off. Eager to see just what Lukas had come up with.
He wiggled it in his grasp, but didn't hand it over just yet: instead he held onto it as he took a sip. "Trade you."
"Oh, right." He straightened so he could pull the bundle of neat bills from his pocket, and then handed it over after counting it just to be sure. "Here."
In return, he gave Tucker the box, and he could tear in if he wanted. The ring was a simple band, hammered, darker than silver.
He'd open it once it was in his hands to pull the ring out, turning it in his hands before testing to see which finger it'd fit on best. "What kind of metal is this? Not silver."
"It's silver, just oxidized." It'd probably fit best on his middle finger; big but hopefully not too loose. Once it was on, Lukas caught his hand to test the fit, carefully.
Lukas catching his hand would make him jerk, initially, but he relaxed quickly, pale eyes rolling up from tanned fingers to the other man's face, watching for just a moment before looking back down.
"I think it'll hold." His eyebrows knitted, Lukas looked serious for the moment -- thoughtful.
Tuck tipped his head, brows arching curiously. "What does that mean?" It didn't sound especially comforting. "There's a chance it won't?"
He blinked, once, then looked up at Tucker with the smile back in place. "If it were too big it'd slip off, and then what would it do you?"
"Oh. Yeah. I thought you meant something else. Not the fit." He flexed his fingers gently, eyes on the band. "How much stronger is it supposed to make me?"
"You'll have to make a fist for it to do anything -- it'll help keep you from smashing your phone when you hold it, and all that." He tapped the back of the band. "But you should pack a wallop. I wouldn't face off against a vampire, but...."
"Good thinking." Knowing him, accidently crushing his phone would have been a real concern. "I'll have to be careful with soccer."
He blinked at the idea, and then looked amused, picking up the rest of the pastry for a big bite. "Or take it off."
He worked his head thoughtfully, running his thumb along the inside of the band. "Or that." He'd hate to forget to put it back on, though.
"String around the neck." He chewed thoughtfully, his head cocked. "Not too hard."
That would work. That'd work real well. "That's a good idea. I don't want to accidentally knock a teammate out."
"No, I imagine not." It made him smile, all at once, eyebrows raised. "They'd wonder, if nothing else."
"Just a bit," he agreed, smiling back. "Might like the extra oomph getting the ball across the field, though." Which was absolutely cheating.
"They might wonder about that, too." He settled his elbows on the table and looked around the place, absently.
"Better to just avoid it." He reached out to pull his mug closer as he said it, lifting it to take a long drink now that it wasn't scalding.
He looked back to Tucker, quick, faintly amused. "I suppose so."
He shrugged somewhat helplessly, because he was out of his depth and Lukas already knew that. No sense pretending he knew what he was doing. "So is this like, indefinite? The charm?"
"Things like this usually gain strength over time." He spread a hand, absently. "It's just a little boost now..."
"Really?" Brows arched as he looked back at the ring. "I was worried the...I don't know, magical potency, or whatever you'd call it, would fade over time."
"No, not generally. But when I say over time, I mean..." He licked his lips, looking for words. "These things become stronger over hundreds of years. It probably won't change much in your lifetime."
"Ah." Mild disappointment, then a small shrug. "But so long as it doesn't get weaker over time that's still great."
"Right." He smiled at Tucker. "That or figure out how to survive a couple hundred years, right? Though most of the options I've found have some extreme downsides."
He cocked his head to the side. "Like being a vampire?" A very tiny smile played at the corner of his lips. Like even knowing they existed now, it was impossible to shake that last kernel of doubt.
]
"Yeah, like that." He made a little face, and picked up the pastry. "To never eat again...oof."
]
"Not being able to go out in the sun," he added, wrinkling his nose. It definitely wasn't for him. "Hard pass."
]
"No Mexican adventures." He took a big bite of his pastry, shaking his head. "Seems too much to me."
]
"Couldn't finish school. Couldn't work a normal job. It's too much to give up." He took another drink, looking thoughtful. "But I guess if the choice was between that and dying. Not eventually, but like, on the spot."
"I just feel like with enough effort I can find something better." He shrugged just a little bit, sipping at his coffee -- and sighing. Cool already.
"Probably." This was definitely outside his wheelhouse, but he enjoyed the speculation. And Lukas was just easy to talk to.
"Worst case I sell my soul." He smiled suddenly, like it was a joke. Maybe it was.
It got a startled blink, Tucker lifting his head from the rim of his mug. "That's a real thing?"
"I'm sure it is." He said it agreeably, unconcerned. "To someone. The fae like that sort of thing..."
"They do?" Well now he was glad he'd avoided the fae on the list Beau has given him for another reason. He huffed a sigh as he took another drink.
"Sure. I'll give you power, all you have to do is promise to follow by my rules exactly and never step out of line -- if that's not selling your soul, I'm not sure what is." He shrugged just a bit.
He wrinkled his nose, glancing away. There was a familiarity to it that left a bad taste in his mouth. "Hard pass on that, too." The ring tapped lightly against the ceramic in his hands. "It'd be handy if there was like an encyclopedia for shit like that." Avoid the fae was sound advice, but now he knew why.
"There are dozens of encyclopedia; just look up any book of fairy tales or any myth. Not all of it is true, of course, but a good amount of it is grounded in experience." He watched Tucker out of the corner of his eye.
Maybe he'd give searching for the pin another go, now that he knew a little more about what Rabi could do. And it wouldn't hurt to have at least some minor understanding of what could possibly be out there. He spun the ring on his finger as he considered it. "You're pretty in the know around here, yeah? What would you say is the most dangerous thing in this city to cross paths with?"
Lukas blinked a bit, looking down at him -- and hesitated as he thought it over a bit. "One on one, or....well, I mean, physically or politically?"
Pale eyes rolled back to look up at him. "All of the above?"
"Politically, I'd say the fae; they're well connected, rich, and old. They know the rules better than most." He tapped fingers against his elbows, weighing it over. "Physically, a dragon. They're temperamental and hard to predict. And might eat you."
"Do they all just look human, or are there ways of telling they're not?" He'd set the mug down completely, head turned back to watch the other man.
"Some things look human, and some don't." He finished off the pastry, idly, his eyes flicking briefly toward the counter, where a twenty-something with facial piercings was working on orders. "Some things don't look human but are."
Tuck followed Lukas' line of sight but gave a small sigh, still confused. Not so straight forward as he'd hoped.
"You'll figure it out. Or you won't." That made him grin back at Tucker again. He finished off his (cold) coffee.
"Sink or swim, right?" He said it jokingly, but there was a thread of anxiety to it as he finished off the rest of his latte as well.
"If you're clever, you might do better than just survive." He shrugged, shoved the last bite of pastry into his mouth, and swiped his hands clean.
"If," he agreed softly, almost ruefully. He wasn't sure he'd count himself as clever, or he might not have landed in the mess he was in.
But he'd managed so far, so maybe.
Lukas laughed again, grabbing his bag and shrugging at Tucker. "Or you could end up chasing down vampires. Not sure that's clever at all."
"Ha, no. I think I'll pass on that." He stood, gathering up Lukas' plate and mug as well as his own. "Sounds like the opposite of survival."
"No one ever accused me of being smart." He stood as well, smoothly, head cocked to the side.
He chuckled as he grabbed his bag as well, balancing the dishes in one hand to sling it over his shoulder. "I dunno, you seem pretty smart to me."
"Kind of you to say so." He watched Tucker another moment, then shifted to fish out his phone and check the time. "Call if you have problems."
"Will do." He set the dishes on the little bit of counter designated for it and glanced back. "And I know you said not to say it, but still, thanks." It might have been a business deal, but Lukas could have refused.
He rumbled a little, amused despite himself. "Did I do you a favor?"
Tucker shrugged, smiling back. "You didn't know know me, still don't, really. You could have said no."
"Well, you can just owe me one." He took a step back as he said it, head tipped to the side.
He made a face, still smiling, and lifted a hand to wave him out the door.
