The Gig [Finished]

[accalia]

Tony hefts the bags he filled and walks out to the car. dropping the bags in the back.

"Well.... This is it, isn't it?" Tony asks, his meaning unclear. Though as Vic has learned, he can be damn cryptic when he's distracted.

[yamikuronue]

This is it. The end of the road. The last time I'll ever be home again. The last time I'll have a chance of seeing my brothers again. The end.

"Yeah." agrees Vic, in his flat, disaffected tone.

[accalia]

"Best look forward." Tony offers as advice "If you always look back you can't progress and tomorrow will be the same as today."

It's a short drive, neither of them feel much like talking right now. Tony drives by reflex and eventually parking in the driveway of his house.

"Let's get you settled for the night. tomorrow will bring what it will, but at least you should get a good sleep under your head first."

[yamikuronue]

"Yeah." says Vic, getting out of the car. He toddles after Tony, not talking much as they get him setup for the night.

[accalia]

The house is much as Vic remembers it, Upstairs there are three bedrooms, one master bedroom, one room with a twin bed done in green and the name "Richard" painted on the door, and one with a twin bed done in pink and a seriously defaced name on the door, the paint has been scratched away to show bare wood, the only letter of the name still visible is a lowercase t somewhat near the beginning of the name. As the pink room is the only one with clothing, or bedding for that matter Tony puts Vic up in it after shaking the worst of the dust out of the sickeningly pink duvet.

After that tony checks to make sure the basics are still in the upstairs bathroom and retreats back downstairs to take his usual place sleeping on the couch. Seriously? He was sleeping on the couch half a year ago too... what must his feelings of this house be like if he refuses to use more of the house than absolutely necessary?

[yamikuronue]

Vic sits on the bed. Dimly, he's aware that Tony's on the couch and that's a bad idea, but he just can't bring himself to care. Nothing seems to matter. Maybe nothing does matter. Maybe the only thing left in the world is this emptiness.

He picks up his pistol, staring at it in his lap. Maybe there's nothing left at all.

He clicks off the safety.

[accalia]

The safety won't actually click off... what the heck? A moment of investigation reveals that the magazine is missing and the chamber is empty. Okay what the actual hell? When did Tony get a chance to do that?!

[yamikuronue]

It's then that he cries: first a few tears, then great, heaving sobs into the pillow. Somehow, just that small act symbolizes everything he's come to realize in the past few months: how much he wishes there were more out of life, how uncomfortable he's been with his jobs, how stupidly heroic Tony is and how much effort he's spent on some worthless kid like Vic. And once he gets started, it all pours out into the pillow: how lonely he is. How scared. His lack of plans, his inability to keep himself afloat honestly, his... everything.

Somehow, as the tears die down, he manages to fall asleep on his tear-soaked pillow, not bothering to undress or get under the covers.

[accalia]

Vic wakes up to the smell of.....Bacon? Fresh actual bacon.... also the sound of Tony cursing downstairs. The cursing at least passes quickly, the smell of bacon does not.

It's another long moment before Vic realizes that there's a light blanket over him that wasn't there before. He's still on top of the bed covers where he vaguely remembers falling asleep, so this blanket.... this is the one that was on the downstairs couch? It's the only other blanket that Vic remembers seeing in the house.

[yamikuronue]

Vic smiles, patting the blanket gently. He stands, giving a stretch, and goes to see what Bil--

No. Tony. It's Tony making breakfast. His spirits sink, the smile fading. He takes a deep breath, steeling himself, and heads down to the kitchen.

[accalia]

Tony's in the kitchen busily sucking his thumb as he uses his other hand to fork out the last couple of slices of bacon from a cast iron skillet. On the table is Vic's magazine from his gun, along with nine bullets of the right caliber. Looks like Tony doesn't intend to keep Vic's pistol disabled forever. Tony does not notice Vic's presence at first as he reaches for a carton of eggs on the counter. The counter is strewn with fresh bags of groceries, making it plain that Tony's went shopping at some point between when Vic fell asleep and now.

Tony is very confusing.... Also possibly entirely too nice for his own good.

[yamikuronue]

Vic stands in the doorway staring for a moment. Finally, he gives a faint, almost wistful smile.

"...Hi. I'm Victoria."

[accalia]

"Hi, Victoria." Tony replies after recovering from the start that her voice caused, which sent an egg flying across the room to break on the far wall. "I guess re-introductions are in order after last night."

Tony turns around and offers his burnt hand, fingers still bright red, to shake. "My given name is Antimony, but don't you dare call me that. You want I should stick to Vic, or do you want Victoria?"

[yamikuronue]

Vic takes the hand, shaking it with the same firm grip as always. "Vic is fine. I've been Vic for a long time now."

[accalia]

"Just as I've been Tony. Much as that displeased my father." Tony replies, accepting the choice of name without comment. "How do you take your eggs? over medium?"