(no subject)

[nottheboss]

It's late at night. The corridors aren't quiet; they're full of men and women restlessly trying to sleep in their quarters. Bossie should be one of them. But instead he slips barefoot down the hallway to Carver's room, where he knocks.

"Hey, man, you up?"

Comments

[fortitudosalutis]

Carver breathes in through his nose, out through his mouth. He counts to four once, twice, again. It doesn't help.

"Get him," he murmurs. "Please."

Riley just crosses his arms.

[nottheboss]

"Don't go anywhere," Bossie tells Riley. "Just- just don't."

And then he rushes through the hallways, up the stairs, to Fifty's room first, praying he's there.

[fortitudosalutis]

Gabe, thankfully, is both there and awake, though not dressed. But back in the kitchen, Carver and Riley just stare at each other. The room almost hums with tension, too loud.

"You want some more coffee?" Carver tries hopefully.

"No."

[nottheboss]

"Gabe," he says, a little out of breath even though the run is nothing to him. "I need you to come convince Riley to stay. You need to- to teleport him. Prove to him we're not crazy. Or else he's going to leave."

Or Pope will order them to confine him and that's even worse.

[minuteofangle]

Well, this wasn't how he'd planned to start the morning. Gabe lowers his arm, tilting his head toward the door. He's bare ass naked, for one thing. It's also early as hell, for another.

"Okay," he says slowly, and if he's tired he pushes past that. He sits his ass up and he dresses himself matter of factly. "How much time do I have?"

Minutes, seconds? The three minutes he'll need to get himself dressed?

[nottheboss]

"If you could come barefoot and not bother dressing all the way I won't complain," he says, pacing restlessly, wondering if Riley has already left.

[minuteofangle]

Okay, then. Gabe doesn't bother with questions or protestation. He just shrugs, gets his pants and a clean shirt on, and then motions for Bossie to step closer so Gabe can take his arm.

A moment later, they're just in the kitchen. And he has to duck because Riley yells and throws a heavy goddamn bowl at his head.

[nottheboss]

"Hey!" Bossie hollers, moving in front to shield Gabe. "The fuck?"

He looks around, quick, for Carver.

[minuteofangle]

"What the fuck!?" Riley demands, grabbing for a cast iron pot and hefting it over his head, readying another throw.

Carver jumps between them, hands raised. Beseeching. "Wait," he pleads. "Riley, just wait, we had to show you -"

[nottheboss]

"Put it down!" Bossie doesn't have his side arm but he has his knife. He has it up. "Put it down and listen to us. Listen to Carver. For fuck's sake."

He doesn't take his eyes off Riley. "You good, Fifty?"

[minuteofangle]

And now there's a knife in play. Gabe tilts his head, frowning as he considers the situation and the way that Riley's voice rises up, up, and up and finally cracks as he yells. He thinks about the knife that Bossie's pulled and the way Carver sounds like he's about to cry.

Not good, is it?

"I'm good," he replies calmly. "Hey! How about we don't throw the stupid heavy shit at the blind guy?"

[nottheboss]

"Yeah that was a bullshit move," Bossie snarls, and maybe he's protective of Gabe and maybe that's obvious now. "Put it down and I'll put this down and we can talk. Got it?"

[minuteofangle]

"What the fuck!?" Riley repeats, nearly screeching, but he doesn't throw the pot. He doesn't bolt for the door, either, and nobody needs to get tackled to the ground or disarmed.

Progress. Maybe.

Gabe taps his bare foot against the floor, sighing loudly. "Hey, Anders? Wanna see a magic trick?"

"No!"

"Okay," Gabe continues, calmly. "But we're gonna talk now, so I need you to focus and breathe. Think we can try that? Carver, make some more coffee. Please. I'm not awake enough for this."

[nottheboss]

Slowly, slowly, Bossie lowers his knife. "If you hurt Gabe or Carver I swear to god I'll take your arm off," he tells Riley, but he's willing to try this.

They have to make him see reason.

[minuteofangle]

"Don't fucking threaten me," Riley hisses.

"Okay, how about we take like ten steps back?" Gabe suggests, tapping his bare foot against the ground. Everyone's emotional and tense and he's riding high on his zen; it's almost pleasant because so far nobody's gotten stabbed. That might change, though. He knows it, they all do. Everyone he's so goddamn well trained. Riley's been off active duty for a while but Gabe knows better than to underestimate a twitchy soldier, former or otherwise.

And this is a shock. Of course it is.

"Coffee," he repeats firmly. "And then we're gonna stand here and talk like adults. Nobody's going to hurt anybody, yes? Can we agree to that?"

[nottheboss]

"Yes, sir," Bossie clips out, moving carefully, moving to the coffee pot. To the mugs. Never quite taking his eyes off Riley. He brings a mug back to Gabe and gently sets it in his hands.

Finally, finally, looks at Carver, who he dreads to look at because of how this must be hitting him.

[minuteofangle]

Slowly, haltingly, the moment settles as much as it's going to. Nobody does any violence to each other. Not yet.

Gabe reaches out to feel for the wall, orienting himself. His goddamn feet are cold. And he can't see the expression on Carver's face, but his tech's synched up well enough to read the careful way Carver holds himself. Anxious, fighting back the fidgets.

"Okay," Gabe says slowly. "Monsters are real. We're fighting demons."

[nottheboss]

"Fifty," Bossie says, alarmed that he's being so honest. But then what else is there? Riley will leave. So he looks at him. "We're fighting actual demons. They got Gabe. Then Gabe met us and we took up the cause."

[fortitudosalutis]

"What?" Riley demands, wide-eyed. He presses a hand protectively over his breast pocket and Carver realizes suddenly that the kitten's in there. That Riley really was going to up and leave, just like that.

The realization goes tight in his chest. Carver swallows hard.

"We know how it sounds," he tries. "We do, I didn't believe it at first either. But Fifty, he can teleport."

Gabe hums, standing barefoot and unshaven in the kitchen. "Want a demonstration?"

Riley stares at him. "It gonna hurt the kitten?"

"No. Might make her squeak, though, it's disorienting."

[nottheboss]

"I can hold her," Bossie offers, holding out a hand. Hoping this will convince Riley to stay, to give them a chance to save his life. "It really is trippy the first couple of times."

[fortitudosalutis]

"It's okay," Carver tries, taking a risk and stepping closer. He holds out his hands. "We've all done it, it feels fucking weird but it won't hurt you. We just - we just want you to understand, Riley."

Riley's gaze darts between them. Wary. Then he exhales through his teeth and, with visible reluctance, takes Dulcinea out of his pocket and hands her to Carver.

[nottheboss]

Bossie glances at Gabe and then back at Riley. "It'll all make sense after this."

[minuteofangle]

Maybe it will, maybe it won't. Maybe that's just a story they tell themselves to try and find some peace at the end of the road, among all this madness and ugly shit. Because if it makes sense, then it can't all be bad, right?

That's the story. And they need to hear it, Gabe knows.

He sighs and wiggles his hand in Riley's direction. "C'mon, man. I'm not gonna hurt you, I'm just gonna show you how it works."

Riley squares his shoulders. Then he takes Gabe's hand in his and his breath hitches when they teleport, popping suddenly to the roof and then back again, but he doesn't scream.

[nottheboss]

Bossie watches Riley, braces for panic, for the worst case scenario. If this doesn't convince Riley, surely nothing will.

"He heals fast, too. And those things out there, the demons, they can, too."

[minuteofangle]

Riley staggers away, bracing his hands against the counter. Gabe can hear him breathing, digging his nails into the metal. Trying to come to terms with something impossible. And God, that's a familiar sensation, isn't it?

"Riley?" Carver tries.

"Just...just give me a goddamn minute," Riley hisses.

Gabe steps back, motioning for Bossie. "C'mon, kid. Let's give them some space."