they never saw us comin'.
It had mainly been an excuse to get of his comfort zone, randomly flying to L.A. without really telling anyone. Imogen encouraged it, and even Dillon had suggested that he stop cooping himself up in his house and studio and not look at the world through a screen all the time. So for once, Joel had actually listened to good intentioned advice, hopping a red-eye across the border. He’d forgotten how differently everything smelled here, slightly fishy in a way that reminded him of home that he couldn’t quite place. Wandering from place to place, he’d finally almost taken up residence in a somewhat secluded back corner of the umpteenth Starbucks he’d come across since he’d arrived. He had his tablet charging quietly beside him, the quiet hum of electricity just loud enough for him to hear and comfort him, remind him of home with all his whirring synths and setups. He entertained the thought of someone recognizing him, but Joel reminded himself that no respectable Canadian ever let themselves be caught dead in a coffee shop that wasn’t one of their beloved Timmy’s locations. So he settled in to rest after his long flight, nearly dozing off a couple of times until a barrista came to gently shake him awake and remind him that there were plenty of hotels in the area if he needed a place to sleep. He shrugged it off and started toying with a song idea on his tablet instead of actually resting as the place steadily filled up for the morning commute. Not like Joel’d be able to sleep through all the banging and scraping of chairs anyway. He barely heard it. Almost missed the familiar, soft bass rumble under the loud conversation of two excited businessmen a couple booths away, but he knew what the noise was before he even looked up to locate its source. He quietly returned the rumble, a smile finding its way onto his tired features. Tiny, scraggly-curly goblin. "Hey, Skrill." He stowed his tablet away in his bag, scooting over to make room. "Didn’t know you were out and about. Or that we were playing hide and find mau5. Either way, you win. You get one free coffee thingy as your prize. I don’t know what fancy shmoopy shit you put in yours though, so you’ll have to get it yourself." He laughed a little, actually thankful to see a familiar face. Like, really thankful. He was worried that coming here on his own was a bad idea, even though he usually did pretty well without someone to talk to.
The scrape of chairs along the floor was shrill and almost jarring in the confined space. Sonny nearly frowned as he had to readjust himself. When it wasn't so open he couldn't listen so closely, or he'd end up fucking up his hearing. Humans were inconsiderate in that regard. They didn't realize that there was anything other than human around, so they didn't know, but if they did, he still doubted that they'd be very accommodating for something like that. They liked things their way and hated change, hated anything different.
With that thought, the alien dropped the rumble out of his throat, letting it cut off and die. It didn't twist over itself like it normally would have, but it did wobble for a moment before it fully cut off. The people around him wouldn't hear it, but Joel might have. The sound was solid when it wasn't being cut off, though. He hoped that he could tell that it was something friendly and warm, inviting and content.
Sonny stopped by the counter first, retuning his hearing again to fixate on the sound of Joel's heart and lungs. He matched his inhale to Joel's, letting the exhale linger. That was the quickest way to calm down when he got excited, and in all honesty, he was really excited. He hadn't expected to be drawn to anyone he knew, so it was as much of a surprise to him as it probably was to Joel that they were both there.
The sounds of coffee brewing, percolating, in their machines made his ears twitch again. He ordered quickly-- vanilla iced, just the same as always-- and listened as they turned the machines on again. The ice rattled into the cup, the sounds of it cracking and splitting as they pouring the coffee and milk over it made him look up from where he'd found himself listening more intently to Joel than anything. The softer rumble was nice, sent a pleasant shiver up his spine. He could play that off as a cold chill if need be, but for now he was just glad to take the coffee from the barista.
"Hey. We're always playin' hide and find mau5, man. S'part of our whole deal." He smiled easily at him as he slid into the space that Joel had made for him at his side. He fitted himself into his space just as comfortably as if he'd been there all day. "What the fuck are you doin' here anyway? Been hearin' nothin' from you for months and then BAM! here you are!" He was happy to see him, though. He always was.
![Do We Really (Go On) [Extended]](https://64.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mt2z7vLEDZ1scpzil_1379103864_cover.jpg)
