Glance Over || Luke&Jared
Location: Yum!Pizzeria Time: Sunday, 7/26/20 early morning, @themidnightfarmer TWs: Mentions of gun violence, emotional abuse Summary: Jared stops over to help Luke clean up the shop early and hang out for a bit, but Luke gets a phone calls he’s been expecting.
Lucas will be haunted by the ten pockets and olive conversation with Jared for the rest of his damn life. But listen, he loved this dude. Jared could do anything stupid and Lucas would probably feed into it. The fact Lucas had been able to open up about Gotch and they both got to talk about their species while rock climbing had been a huge relief to Luke. Him and Miles shared a difference of opinion on revealing that information, but he wanted to trust the people closest to him. Luke knew he was an exceptional liar, but he didn’t want to be one with his friends and family anymore. He wanted to be honest and open, to feel vulnerability in a better way than he ever felt in the past. Miles said continuously since he’s been back that he ‘wanted this all over’ and Lucas' mind constantly told him, ‘then go with him’. Proving he was still not to be trusted with things involving Gotch.
But after the funeral for Charlie, and the dreams he’s been having involving victory. He really had to wonder what he would do. But he brushed those thoughts aside, and pulled out a small water gun and tossed it towards Jared, taking another out and started immediately attacking his friend while he opened the pizzeria. “Didn’t expect that did you!” Luke’s playful side surfaced to drag a little fun into a mundane thing like cleaning windows.
Jared was increasingly at ease now that the secrets were out. He could relax and not worry about saying the wrong thing to Luke. And it was definitely a relief. Increasingly, he found himself wanting to hang around the other. Luke was fun, very good company, and felt very safe to be around. This is how friends should always feel, Jared had decided.
Reflex was the only thing that saved the nymph from dropping to the ground in an attempt to catch the water gun. He barely caught the object but was slow on the uptake of the action. His shirt got very thoroughly soaked in the first few seconds before his brain could catch up and he could retaliate. “Woah hey THAT’S NOT FAIR.” he whinged ducking away from his friend and trying to hide comically behind a trash can. Hand raised from behind the can squirting water inaccurately in the general direction of Luke in the hopes of getting him back. But Jared was laughing, soaked or not, they were both kids at heart.
“Not fair is right, this is a battle!” Lucas laughed richly, and leaned up against the doorway and took cover just inside it. He took mild pity on the other, but not enough to give notice, Lucas still used all the water in his gun quickly. It was Sunday, and a lazy one at that, there wasn’t really anyone on the streets, and if they were, Lucas would just give them a shrug. “Hm, I’m out,” he peaked around towards the trash can. “Truce already Jared? I actually brought these out to clean the window in a more fun way.” He placed a bucket of suds on the ground, knowing he was fully exposed and would get thoroughly shot up. “Take pity on me!” He joked, and started to clean the window. “I’m sensitive, and can’t take you bullying me.” Lucas continued to tease and joke.
Luke tried for a truce, but Jared kept on spraying his own gun randomly, without looking over the top of the trash can, just moving his hand in the hopes that he’d get the other. As soon as Luke said he was out, Jared peaked over and emptied his last two sprays into his side before emerging. “You started it.” Jared laughed, tossing the water gun into the open bucket trying for one last splash on Luke before they started to do something else. The nymph bumped his elbow into Luke and snorted “I’m sure you’ll live, little bit of water right?” he teases before stooping down to refill his gun, not for a renewed attack and instead to actually use it for helping to clean the windows. As he dunked the gun back into the bucket he looked up. “So, what’s the special going to be today? And do I get a complimentary poll of olives for helping?”
“I always start it,” Lucas admitted with a laugh, using the large sponge to suds up the window well so Jared could shoot it off. They were both decently tall though, so reaching the highest parts weren’t too difficult. “Special is for my friend Adam this week, so its got the olives, onions, special sauce, and you can get it also with some anchovies if you want it more salty. I bought a fresh batch this week and they smelled good when I fried them up. Nice and crispy too, so the crunch is nice with the soft textures.” Lucas stepped away to let Jared spray the window, not that he cared at all about getting wet like Jared had pointed out. Making chores fun was always better than simply doing them alone. Lucas’ phone vibrated in his back pocket, and he ignored it. “Dude, its not a ‘pool’ its a ‘poll’, two different things nerd.” The phone stopped and immediately vibrated again.
“You do, you’re the bully here.” Jared poked his tongue out at Luke as he said this. “You know me bud, I’ll eat anything you give me. But only if you don’t make me share.” A heavy pout was directed towards Luke at this jokingly. Jared even went as far as to risk altering his eye colour a little by glamour to make it a little more effective. The pout dissolved into a laugh easily within the next few seconds however, water gun in hand it was hard to hold up the act for long. “Hey, I want what I want. If you can’t provide me with my own olive pool then maybe I should find a new Pizza place huh?” Jared teased glancing at the sound of a phone going off, and patting his jeans pockets to check it wasn’t his own. “I got the window, grab your phone bud.”
“It’s probably just a spam call or something, no one needs me this early on a Sunday,” Lucas hated that this phone was interrupting their fun, but at Jared’s insistence, he wiped his damp fingers on his jeans and fished it out. The moment he saw it though it clicked off, and immediately called again. A bad feeling settled in his stomach, one that made the hairs on the back of his neck rise, and the long, deep scar on his arm ache. He didn’t know the number, but the insistence had his instincts flaring. The phone stopped ringing again, and called again. He closed his eyes, and clicked the call, bringing it to his ear.
“Ignorin’ me?” The voice on the end drawled out. A southern lazy sound that made the man sound like he was still tucked in bed. Lucas swallowed, but couldn’t speak. “Fine, heard someone wasn’t in town anymore who had been protecting you. But also hadn’t realized you formed a decently sized pack in White Crest.” A laugh, and Lucas’ hands shook, he leaned against the window to keep himself steady, and palmed his face with a release of held breath he didn’t realize he had inhaled and kept inside.
The nymph took over the sponge, and had his back to Luke as he got in about the top corners of the next window over. Jared was oblivious to the mood that had taken over his friend, obliviously humming quietly to himself as he washed away a small spider web from the frame. The moment shattered however when he heard the shaky breath being released from Luke over his shoulder. There was also the soft thunk of Luke's body slumping into the window.
Jared dropped the sponge into the bucket again and turned with an awkward smile, unsure what was going on. But what he found behind him sent his mind racing. With careful hands he reached out to catch Lukes attention. Jared mouthed to the other, trying to ask who was on the phone, what had happened. But he wasn’t very sure he was getting anywhere. Settling a steadying hand on Luke's shoulder, Jared motioned for the phone. Asking audibly this time. “Who is it? What’s wrong?”
Lucas had his eyes covered with his hand, the darkness not as pitch as he wished for it was a beautiful sunny day. Disappointment etched away at Lucas, towards himself. He had told everyone who knew that he was ready for this, and though physically he always was, it was like a leash bound around his neck the second he heard his voice. An invisible muzzle that could so easily tug him in the direction he wanted. Luke didn’t know how to stop it from happening. Every time, outside these moments he felt confident, but now, he only felt scared.
Jared’s voice came through the fog, and when Luke peeled his hand away and his friend came into his sights it was the strangest thing. The world that was blurred came back into focus and for the first time in years, he wasn’t alone when he called. Luke’s eyes were wide in surprise at this revelation, but the fear of it was consuming on his expression. He pulled the phone down and hung it up. Only a second and it rang again. The vibrating sound loud to his sensitive ears. “It’s him--” he managed to say. “The one after me. I don’t know what to say. How to set anything up. All the stuff I planned with my pack, and my head is just blank.” The phone vibrated, and vibrated.
The explanation made Jared’s heart race. He was calling, the threat was very much real. Jared kept his hand steady on Luke's shoulder and started to think aloud. Maybe it would help, maybe it wouldn’t. But at the moment they needed to figure out what to do. First of all, staying on the street was likely safer than going somewhere out of sight. Eyewitnesses were everything when you were being threatened. Anyone on the street might be able to at some point down the line back them up. And so Jared squared his shoulders but offered Luke a soft and open expression.
“Did you have a plan for this? Were you ready? Is there a step to take that we need to do?” The nymph left no space for Luke to tell him to butt out. He was here now. He was going to do all he could. The blond paused and then held his hand out. “I’ll answer it?” Would that make it better? Jared wasn’t sure. But even talking to his tormentor sounded like a truly awful idea at the moment for Luke.
“They are torn,” Luke said honestly. “Some want to have him arrested, others want to…” He didn’t know if he should put ‘kill him’ into direct words. “Set up a trap for him. I didn’t think he’d call already.” He said instead. The phone vibrated and vibrated, and clicked off only to call again. This was such a bad idea, ignoring him. When Jared held his hand out Lucas’ entire soul left his body. “No! Are you crazy? No. No--” he repeated a few more times, and squeezed his eyes closed for a second before answering the phone on speaker. Jared’s presence was literally everything right now. Lucas’ mind was clearing up and suddenly anger came to life as smoldering coals in his gut.
“Who’s there with you?” Gotch asked in instant inquiry when the phone picked up. A lazy sound, calm without a hint of anger or any frustration.
“No one, are you in town?” Lucas barely got out.
“Blonde hair, tall-- does he work at the pizzeria too?” Gotch spoke close to the receiver of the phone to the point a scruff of beard caught on the edge of it making a scratching sound. Lucas immediately, and with strength, flipped their positions and pressed Jared against the window, putting his back to the road, and facing him to block him entirely from sight. It’s always been a drive by. The flashed frantic sound of gunfire, and every instinct in him was terrorfied he’d hear it right now. But nothing happened, yet. Just the quiet of the street.
“Turn around,” Gotch said and Lucas hung up again. His heart was racing and his features were wolfish, the bones in his face shifted subtly, eyes a molten gold, and his chest stretched under his shirt as a low growl rumbled in his chest. “Don’t let him see your face,” Lucas said roughly between them. “Please--” he half begged Jared, cause he knew his friend could contain bravery. “There is a back exit in the pizzeria, please run.”
Okay so the options were not as neatly laid out as Jared would have liked. But in situations like the one they found themselves in, the options tended to change on a dime. The nymph withdrew his asking hand when Luke shut him down. But was glad that -when he answered again- at least Jared could hear what was being said.
One moment the two of them were standing as if they always took tense calls in the middle of the street, and the next Jared stumbled to a stop, with Lucas blocking his view of the street. But surely that didn’t matter, surely Luke was the one being threatened here. This was backwards in the nymphs eyes. Standing on his toes he tried to look over Lukes shoulder. This guy was nearby, he was close. So surely they’d be able to see him as well.
But the fight left him when Lucas’ voice gained a tone he’d never heard before. Concern flashed across Jared's face, blue eyes making contact with the new hue that had taken over the usual brown of the werewolves. “No.” The answer was simple. And Jared only had a single moment to be apologetic about it before he gripped Luke's arm and, using all his fae strength to fight against it, moved Luke's arm so that they were standing side by side. Not looking for Gotch in the street, and not showing his face openly, but he wasn’t going to go. “You’re coming with me.”
“Why?” Luke asked immediately, and hated himself for it. Why didn’t they understand how awful and dangerous this was? That his friends and family always stood there when he asked and begged them not too. There was a reason profoundly known to Lucas, but reason couldn’t always be obtained in these direct situations involving this hunter. Too much time hearing what would happen to those he cared about if he didn’t comply, and even a visual of that young wolf Charlie that they just buried after her face was half blown off because of him. It wasn’t possible to understand the cruelty, to gauge when a line was crossed and it turned into that direction.
Lucas’ chest was rising quickly. Still expecting gun fire, or the patter of feet as hired help would move around and surround them. But still nothing presented that he expected, and so he turned around. Bracing his arm and shoulder to still keep Jared’s face out of view, and looked at the stopped truck behind him. Sitting there just looking was Gotch, looking worn, and more gray, but his eyes were very different. The shirt was tied off just under the shoulder, a few people were in the bed of the truck, all with concealed weapons. Gotch just looked at them, and then waved them to move, and the truck started driving away, the men in the back bed laughed, even waved towards them as a taunt.
All of his body half shifted, and the rumble in his chest ached as he transformed more. Stretching his shirt, and claws pointed out in blackness, and his mouth crowded in fangs, the skin along his face splitting in tracks of blood as it shifted the bones in his jaw to accommodate. Hair raced over his arms, and down his legs. He was about to run after it, Gotch knew he would-- and Lucas didn’t realize it as he was about to launch off into a full run.
“Because doing things alone is stupid.” Jared knew Luke hadn’t wanted an answer, he was well aware that it was more of a frustrated and scared noise than the actual word. But he answered anyway, it was all he could do. He didn’t know the full extent of the trouble, he knew the minimum at best. But the nymph wasn’t scared of something bad happening, not to himself at least. He was worried for his friend over everything else.
Jared didn’t turn to look. Instead he watched Luke. The slightest shift of terror and Jared wasn’t above doing something completely drastic. His ears were sensitive, to mirror the increased hearing range of some of his charges, so he heard the click of the ignition, and the jeers of men as they passed by. But still Jared did not take his eyes off Lucas. Not even to identify the terroriser for who he was.
The shift perhaps should have been shocking or even terrifying to watch. But the nymph was practically born to take all manners of terrifying things in his stride. Instead of recoiling like another might, Jared reached out and drew Luke in. He turned the wolf, and tried to catch his eye. “Inside. Please?” He requested of the other. “We have to figure out what to do.”
Inside. That one word barely made it through him, as the truck drove away, the scent of exhaust lingering. He was wound up, like a coil or a spring, and there was a feral second where he was considering thrashing Jared through the window without a care and chase after them. But Lucas realized quickly that this situation would have been different if it had been set up how Gotch wanted. The hunter didn’t know him and Jared were friends again, that he wasn’t as alone as in the past.
“Fuck-- dammit,” he quickly darted down the steps and out of the street, knowing it was early but still transforming on the fucking street. His mind was racing, and he wanted to break something. “Dammit!” he resisted destroying his clean shop, and instead dropped down into a squat and gripped his head tightly. Trying to calm down.
The nymph stood, calm in the face of the danger he was being presented as Luke decided whether to take the instruction or do something a little bit more drastic. Jared waited, just like he waited when he’d gained yet another distrusting creature on his farm. You treat them with respect, with the patience they need. But you don’t bend to their will. If Luke wanted to go, he could. But when he did, he’d recognize that it was against logic, and it was directly against Jared.
The blond sucked in a sharp breath when Lucas hurried inside. He took a moment to himself to finally glance back in the direction the truck had driven, before following inside with a more shaky step than before. The nymph walked to Luke and mirrored his position close to the ground and knocked their knees together. The effect this whole situation was having on Luke was incredibly heartbreaking to watch. So Jared steeled himself. “So, how do we rid the world of a coward like Gotch?”
Lucas glanced up. “We kill him.”