Blood In The Water

9

Connor woke up in the repugnant comfort of Kevin Price's bed.

He wasn't intending to fall asleep there, he was only going to rest his eyes and call a car when he was ready. But as fate would have it, he drifted off fairly quickly in the warmth of the apartment.

Sun leaking in through the thin slats of the dust-covered blinds, Kevin was still asleep. Face down in the mattress, clutching a pillow between his arms like a child, holding his stuffed bear.

Connor slowly sat up and analyzed the room around him, once again. Being surrounded by guns was a bit more intimidating in the cold, sober light of day. Though, being in a mobster's bed was a bit more frightening, as well.

Kevin awoke not long after, with an immediate groan as he sat upright, rubbing his throbbing forehead

"Mmh... Jesus fuck, what happened, last night..?"

"You had thirty seven dollars worth of drinks and fell asleep on my lap..."

"Oh, Christ..."

"How are you feeling..?"

"Like somebody beat my brains in with a pipe...why didn't Pesci take ya home?"

"You- you invited me in 'for a smoke', told him to take off.."

"...M' that lousy of a gentleman, ey?" Kevin rubbed his heavy eyes with a drowsy smile

"I forgive you..." his hesitations eased

".. don't worry. We didn't do nothin'." Kevin assured him, with a surprising amount of authority

"I know.. I only had three drinks... How the hell do you remember?" Connor chuckled weakly

"Babydoll, if I made love to you, we'd both remember it."

Connor's chest tingled slightly as he quickly looked away to hide his embarrassed fluster. Kevin just kept his self-assured smirk, as he grabbed a cigarette off his nightstand and positioned it between his teeth.

"..that's uh.. probably true.... uh, I-I'm glad I took the day off, I'm exhausted.."

"Mmh, count yourself lucky. I got... work to take care of.." he censored himself, lighting his cigarette, with a hand up to guard the flame

Connor at least appreciated the attempt to not appear so threatening.

Even still, he couldn't quite get it through his head. Who Kevin really was. It was as though he wouldn't believe it if he didn't see it, he couldn't believe it.
How could the man that speaks to him so sweetly, that was giggling like a schoolboy last night, be the same one that allegedly had a guy's tongue cut out for trying to rat on him? How could he be the same man who extorts innocent people and breaks their knees? Kills in cold blood? It didn't make any sense to Connor. The side of Kevin he'd seen was so unlike any of the stories he'd heard.

Even when Kevin frightened him, even when he was recalling a death or describing his work in full honesty, he spoke to Connor with such a Cadence, that it didn't even seem possible. Behind all of the stories, behind the gruff voice and the scars on his face or the blood on his shoe, he showed Connor care that nobody else had ever given him. How could somebody who treated him the way Kevin did be capable of what everyone talks about? Particularly after last night, watching him stumble and slur like a teenager, spilling his secrets. He was just a kid. He is just a kid.

And the kid that Connor saw last night, the naive excitement and innocence that returned to his eyes. He simply couldn't be the same man that had such a grip on this city. Connor couldn't seem to make himself believe it.