Missing You (Gawsten)

He's An Asshole

"Who the fuck even is he?" Geoff asks. Otto nods, wondering the same thing.

The three boys are sitting on the couch. Awsten is thoughtfully silent, while Geoff and Otto are rapid-firing questions at Alex.

Alex, who is standing in front of the three, had arrived two hours ago with a cleaning crew. The cleaning crew dusted the house from top to bottom, and Alex promised that more people would arrive soon with food and other necessary supplies.

"He's... um... what would you call him?" Alex mumbles, looking for a word to describe Kellin.

"I make people disappear! Not in an assassin way, but a witness protection way! That's all you need to know!" Kellin calls from upstairs. He hasn't come back down since he went up to call Alex. Awsten wonders what he's doing.

"He's an asshole," Alex says in a stage whisper, a smirk appearing on his lips, and Geoff nods. He holds Awsten's hand a little tighter.

"Fuck you, Gaskarth!" Kellin calls, and Alex laughs.

"What are Aws and I going to do about our jobs? I work at a restaurant on weekdays and he works at a bank on weekends," Otto asks, and Alex shuffles nervously. Geoff catches the movement, and squints at the standing boy.

"I had someone call in- that's been taken care of. Don't worry about it. You guys have as much time off as you need," Alex responds.

"Meaning?" Geoff presses. Did Alex get them fucking fired?

"Meaning I had Patty call in and pull some strings. Blackmail may have been involved. I don't know the details, but I do know that if I were you two, I would kiss your bosses' asses when you go back to work. From what I heard, Patty dug deep and found some pretty incriminating things on your boss in particular, Awsten. Something about a swedish bank account-" Alex explains, and looks at the door as someone knocks on it.

"That's Travis- or at least it better be, we're very exposed right now," Alex mutters and crosses the living room. He pulls the door open to reveal a shorter man.

"Travis! You've already circled the premises, haven't you?" Alex says in a good-natured expectant tone. He knows Travis, and he knows he's definitely already taken a look around.

"Of course. The small patch of woods behind this house could cause problems, but I'll see to it that proper sensors are armed at the bases of the trees, and I'll attach them to nocturnal cameras. The openness of the street would be a hindrance if this were anything other than a safehouse, but fortunately, that's all this structure and area are being used for. Has Kellin set up the work area?" Travis says. He speaks with a cool tone of professionalism. Just like Kellin, he knows what he's doing. This is his job.

Awsten noticed that Alex and Patty are very... friendly. They're different from Travis and Kellin. It probably comes from knowing Geoff for so long, but there's something more to it. To Alex and Patty, and maybe even Jack, Rian, and Zack, this seems to be more than a job. He'll have to ask Geoff about it later.

"Yeah, he's probably almost done. It's upstairs, first door to the right," Alex answers, and Travis hops up the stairs.

So that's what Kellin's doing.

"How long are we going to be here?" Geoff asks, and Alex casually shrugs. Because it's not a big deal, right? The three boys have only had their lives turned upside-down. Nobody is angry at Alex though- he's just trying to help them.

"Can you give us an estimate?" Otto asks, and Awsten perks up a little, hoping for a short time period.

"Maybe a month or two? We've got everyone working on this. All our other cases have been handed off to other people, and we're calling in reinforcements," Alex says, finally taking a seat in the chair across from the couch.

"Who?" Awsten asks, speaking up for the first time since Alex arrived.

"Well, Kellin can hide people really well. He knows the ins and outs of being a ghost. He knows how to disappear. He's basically Witness Protection, but uh... not government-funded. Travis is a security professional- he'll lock this place up tighter than Fort Knox. Him and Rian together are the security detail dream team, so you guys are in good hands. Patty got in contact with Jawn, and if we need numbers, we'll have them. We're good to go for an all-out brawl," Alex answers.

"This is not a stable shoot-out location! This is only a hideout!" Travis calls from upstairs, and Alex rolls his eyes but nods.

"So, we're hiding here with Asshole and Smarty-Pants, what are you guys doing?" Geoff asks, leaning forward.

"Jack and I are working to get close to your dad's gang. Once we're in, we'll cause inner turmoil and let them take themselves out. "A house devided against itself cannot stand," or whatever. Zack is staying at a nearby safehouse, and he'll get you all out if this thing goes Helm's Deep. Rian is monitoring the gang twenty-four-seven, and has called in our friend, Cody, to help him keep watch," Alex rambles out an explanation.

"Anyway, basically- we've got this. You guys just chill here and do what Kellin and Travis tell you. I've gotta go meet with somebody, so I'll catch you guys later," Alex says as he gets up and walks backward towards the front door. "Think of this as a vacation, but with restrictions. Call if you need anything!" He disappears through the front door, and the three boys are left to mull over all of the information they just received.

***

After both Kellin and Travis gave Geoff, Otto, and Awsten an extremely lengthy speech on different rules and the security measures Travis is going to be setting up over the next couple of days, the two boys went back upstairs, which is their work and living area. Everything either of them may need is upstairs, so really, there aren't many reasons for the two groups to cross paths.

Upstairs, in the first room to the right, is a work area that's full of guns and monitors, and it looks like a proper secret lair. The rest of the upstairs is a living quarters, mirroring the downstairs area, with a kitchen, bathroom, two bedrooms, and small livingroom. The downstairs area has an extra bedroom, since the safehouse doesn't need two secret lairs/security monitoring rooms.

The third bedroom is being used to store the boys' stuff, while Otto has his own room, and Geoff and Awsten are sharing. The queen sized beds- now that they're clean- actually look pretty cozy. Awsten wishes that he could open a window and let some of the overwhelming clean scent out, as well as the stale air that survived the cleaning, but one of Travis and Kellin's rules is that no windows are to be opened. Travis is going to put motion sensors on them soon, as well as a more advanced locking mechanism. The standard window locks don't seem to be enough to please him.

Soon, people drop by with food to fill both refrigerators and toiletry supplies, and Awsten busies himself with helping them stock the downstairs bathroom and kitchen. They seem to be clueless as to why the boys are staying here, but they also know to not ask questions. One girl sends him a sympathetic smile.

"I'm not allowed to know why you're here, but I do hope that everything turns out alright," she says, and gives him a gentle smile. He smiles back nervously. It must be difficult for her to do her job and never know what the situations are, or if they end well. How many people has this girl brought food and supplies to, only for them to be dead a few weeks later? Does she ever find out? Does she really care? Her soft eyes say that she does. Maybe she never knows anything, but she does care. It's people like this girl, and Alex, and everyone else involved in selflessly helping to keep Geoff safe, that make the world a little better. Even in the weirdest and scariest of circumstances, Awsten can appreciate that.

"Thank you."

...