Rivals: The Killjoys vs. The Youngbloods

22. Small Talk

Twenty  hours. Just twenty measly hours left until Courtney's deadline.

To say tensions were high would be an understatement.

The number of hourly disagreements averaged at about thirteen; most of them were started because of Jack.

"You mean to tell me that the fate of this entire operation rests on the shoulders of this jokester fuckboy?" Patrick asked, exasperated.

Jack glanced up from his notebook. "Hey man, you came looking for me. I didn't come into your territory shoeless and begging for help."

"Guys!" Mikey groaned, running a hand over his face. "Stop it, we leave in the morning and if you keep bickering and not doing your job I will leave you here."

"And who put you in charge?" Patrick crossed his arms over his chest.

Mikey stood, asserting his dominance with his height. "I did. Since you're sleeping in my  warehouse, eating my  food, and planning a rescue mission for my  boyfriend."

Jack whistled. "I'm sensing some heavy tension and it's making me feel really uncomfortable...sooo, I'm just gonna leave." He shoved his notebook under his arm. "Alex!" He shouted.

Jack fled the room, leaving Mikey and Patrick to their stare down.

Patrick spoke first. "You remember our agreement?"

"I remember it." Mikey sneered. "But we haven't stopped Courtney yet, therefore Pete is still my boyfriend."

Patrick smirked. "Not for long."

"Do you really think that after all of this, Pete is going to want to be with you?" Mikey asked. "Was that your plan? Get rid of me so you can have him all to yourself?"

"I'm taking back what was mine," Patrick argued.

Mikey scoffed. "He was yours? Pete is not a piece of property. He's a human being with feelings, and those feelings led him away from you."

Patrick clenched his jaw; his blue-green eyes blazed.

"So you can take me out of the equation," Mikey said. "But that doesn't guarantee that Pete will come running back to you. Especially if he knows what you did to get him back," he glared at Patrick.

Jack popped his head around the corner. "Sorry to interrupt this brooding storm, but Ray told me not to leave you two alone. Something about a Paris-Romeo-Juliet love triangle that could end in a blood bath."

"Ray's a smart guy," Mikey muttered, staring down Patrick as he grabbed his jacket and left the warehouse.

Did I say thirteen arguments? Let's make that fourteen.

>>>>>

Louisa knocked on Ray's bedroom door softly. "I um, I didn't mean to intrude. I was just looking for my daughter."

Ray looked towards the bedroom door. "We're just watching Hercules," he looked down at Artemis, who was snoring quietly. "Well, I guess I'm just watching Hercules."

"Artemis seems to be taking a liking to you," Louisa observed her daughter, who was curled up against Ray's body. "That's impressive, seeing as she normally doesn't like new people."

Ray grinned. "Do you think she inherited that trait from you?" He rubbed Artemis' back.

Louisa sat down on the edge of the bed. "Well, if I owned up to that, I couldn't claim that she got all of my good traits."

Ray chuckled. "Well no one is perfect."

"That's for sure," she agreed. "Look, I've been thinking-"

"I want to stay home and take care of her," Ray interrupted. "She trusts me and the rest of the guys need you, since you know the most about Courtney."

Louisa looked surprised. "I was- I was going to ask you to do the same," she looked at her daughter's sleeping form. "She's the most important thing to me, I want her to be safe, just in case-"

"Don't talk like that." Ray shook his head. "You'll come home."

"It's just an inkling I have." Louisa tapped her temple. "A little voice in the back of my head that whispers 'what if?'"

Ray rested a hand on Louisa's arm. "You're coming back to Artemis, I know it."

"But just in case I don't make it, take care of her for me," Louisa pleaded. "She has no family left. Her dad died in the Resistance."

Ray squeezed Louisa's arm slightly. "She's not going to lose her mom either. I believe in you."

"Just promise me, so we can tie up lose ends," Louisa asked desperately, making eye contact with Ray. "Will you take care of my daughter?"

Ray nodded, lost in Louisa's brown eyes. "I promise," he said quietly. "Come here." Ray wrapped his arm around Louisa waist and pulled her against his side.

Louisa rested her head against Ray's shoulder. The two of them sat, wordlessly watching the animated characters on the screen move to the melancholy tune of a Disney song.

>>>>>

Mikey held the lighter close to his face, watching the shadows that the little dancing flame cast.

He lit the smooth, rolled up piece of paper skillfully and inhaled, relaxing as the chemicals filled his lungs.

"You know," he said to no one in particular. "I would like to think that I'm doing a good job as a leader. But then I remember that during the three weeks that I've been in command, two men died, my boyfriend was kidnapped and one of my men was a double agent."

Mikey leaned against the railing of the fire escape, exhaling smoke into the night sky.

"Frank shot the wrong guy," Mikey chuckled. "He killed the wrong bastard."

His little chuckles turned to pitiful sobs.

"I'm doing everything all wrong." Mikey looked up to the sky. "Everything has literally gone to shit without you Gee," his voice cracked. "I wish you were still here, you'd fix everything."

The metal stairs creaked as someone ascended them. "You know, he'd be proud of you." Ray leaned against the bar beside Mikey. "You're doing the best that you can."

"My best isn't good enough," Mikey sighed.

"You were just dealt a bad hand of cards," Ray said calmly. "And look what you did with them. You managed to unite four enemy gangs together to stop the greatest threat to Los Angeles. Believe me, your best is great."

Mikey exhaled more smoke. "Are you practicing your dad pep talks on me?"

"What are you talking about?" Ray asked.

Mikey smirked. "I saw you and the Allen girls getting all cuddly together."

Ray blushed scarlet in the moonlight. "There's-there is nothing going on between Louisa and I."

Mikey gave Ray a sideways glance. "You sure? So you're just going to stay home tomorrow and babysit out of the kindness of your own heart?"

Ray shrugged. "Right now, isn't the time for all those feelings. When Louisa is home safe, and things settle down, maybe...maybe something could happen."

"You son of a bitch," Mikey chuckled. "I can't believe you're about to get laid; I guess kids really are the best wingmen."

Ray shook his head. "It's not-whatever."

"Yeah, whatever indeed Mister soon-to-be Dad," Mikey teased.

Ray rolled his eyes. "This is the last time I will ever give you a pep talk." He turned and walked back down the creaky metal stairs.

And it was the last time, in some respects.

Four chapters left! Four chapters left!