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Nov. 16th, 2003 04:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nanowrenletJustin was silent all the way to Rube's place. He looked out the window as they drove, walked with his head down and his hands in his pockets, and in general did a very fine impression of an eighteen-year-old bump on a log. Rube wasn't sure whether to offer him a hug or pop him one for making him worry, and since he wasn't exactly the hugging type he settling on making tea.
"You take sugar in your tea, kiddo?"
"Yeah." Justin was sitting at the little dinette table, either studying the weave of Rube's tablecloth or just staring at it. Rube added the sugar bowl to his tray, carried it over to the table, and sat opposite Justin. He set one of the mugs in front of the kid and watched as he added sugar and began to stir. Justin still wasn't talking, but Rube knew he could wait him out. He simply sat and sipped at his tea.
Rube's mug was half-empty by the time Justin stopped stirring and looked up at him. "I really can't do anything to him."
"Technically, you can do anything you want. But you really don't want to do this."
Justin frowned and started to swirl his spoon again. "It's not like... when I try to see Brian, or the others. Is it."
Rube had to hand it to Justin, he was a smart one. "No, kiddo, it isn't. Having contact with your family or your friends, that's a bad idea on many levels. Upsets the balance of things. Confronting your killer... well, that's a whole other ball of wax. It causes problems you can't begin to imagine the scope of, and the front office frowns on that kind of mess."
"What would they do...?" Justin was searching Rube's face, his eyes, and Rube sat silently and let the kid read whatever answers he could there. It was better that way, Justin was more likely to heed the conclusions he'd draw on his own instead of being lulled by the simplicity of the only answer Rube could have offered him: bad things.
Justin broke his gaze, finally, and stared down into his mug of tea. "So you've just been hanging around, waiting for me to go off like this."
"Yes and no. I'm here until they tell me it's time to leave."
"But you knew this would happen."
Rube shrugged. "Not as such. It's an urge a lot of reapers in your position get, confront their killers, wreak a little vengeance. You hadn't gone out looking for him, so I was optimistic about your chances."
"Guess I just fucked up again, huh."
"Not really." Rube drained his mug and got up, heading back for the steaming teakettle. "You didn't try to hurt Brandon, did you?"
"I... no. I just wanted him to let go. He's kinda big, though, I doubt I could hurt him much."
"Point is, kiddo, you didn't try." He freshened his cup and fixed another as well, Justin's had to be stone-cold by then. "You could have, and you didn't. Of course, you'd have had to go through Pete and Monique as well, and that girl may be short but she's a scrapper." When Rube turned back to the table, Justin's eyes had gone wide.
"Why?"
"Because they like you, Justin. Not a one of them would just stand by and let you do something we'd all regret."
Justin took the second mug from Rube and looked like he was thinking that over. "And I didn't hurt him. Any of them."
"Nope. You had a hell of a shock today, kiddo, and you may have gone a little out of your head over it but you held back when it counted. You're not a danger. I know that, and so do they. And now so do you."
Justin got quiet again, and stirred the sugar into his second mug of tea for so long that it was lukewarm by the time he finally picked up and drank any of it. "So... why am I here?"
[675/675/29564]
"You take sugar in your tea, kiddo?"
"Yeah." Justin was sitting at the little dinette table, either studying the weave of Rube's tablecloth or just staring at it. Rube added the sugar bowl to his tray, carried it over to the table, and sat opposite Justin. He set one of the mugs in front of the kid and watched as he added sugar and began to stir. Justin still wasn't talking, but Rube knew he could wait him out. He simply sat and sipped at his tea.
Rube's mug was half-empty by the time Justin stopped stirring and looked up at him. "I really can't do anything to him."
"Technically, you can do anything you want. But you really don't want to do this."
Justin frowned and started to swirl his spoon again. "It's not like... when I try to see Brian, or the others. Is it."
Rube had to hand it to Justin, he was a smart one. "No, kiddo, it isn't. Having contact with your family or your friends, that's a bad idea on many levels. Upsets the balance of things. Confronting your killer... well, that's a whole other ball of wax. It causes problems you can't begin to imagine the scope of, and the front office frowns on that kind of mess."
"What would they do...?" Justin was searching Rube's face, his eyes, and Rube sat silently and let the kid read whatever answers he could there. It was better that way, Justin was more likely to heed the conclusions he'd draw on his own instead of being lulled by the simplicity of the only answer Rube could have offered him: bad things.
Justin broke his gaze, finally, and stared down into his mug of tea. "So you've just been hanging around, waiting for me to go off like this."
"Yes and no. I'm here until they tell me it's time to leave."
"But you knew this would happen."
Rube shrugged. "Not as such. It's an urge a lot of reapers in your position get, confront their killers, wreak a little vengeance. You hadn't gone out looking for him, so I was optimistic about your chances."
"Guess I just fucked up again, huh."
"Not really." Rube drained his mug and got up, heading back for the steaming teakettle. "You didn't try to hurt Brandon, did you?"
"I... no. I just wanted him to let go. He's kinda big, though, I doubt I could hurt him much."
"Point is, kiddo, you didn't try." He freshened his cup and fixed another as well, Justin's had to be stone-cold by then. "You could have, and you didn't. Of course, you'd have had to go through Pete and Monique as well, and that girl may be short but she's a scrapper." When Rube turned back to the table, Justin's eyes had gone wide.
"Why?"
"Because they like you, Justin. Not a one of them would just stand by and let you do something we'd all regret."
Justin took the second mug from Rube and looked like he was thinking that over. "And I didn't hurt him. Any of them."
"Nope. You had a hell of a shock today, kiddo, and you may have gone a little out of your head over it but you held back when it counted. You're not a danger. I know that, and so do they. And now so do you."
Justin got quiet again, and stirred the sugar into his second mug of tea for so long that it was lukewarm by the time he finally picked up and drank any of it. "So... why am I here?"
[675/675/29564]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 03:26 pm (UTC)Okay, that was random.
But I like this, too.
no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 04:16 pm (UTC)Gowritemorenowplease.
I just really really really really really want to hug Reaper!Justin.
Date: 2003-11-16 06:33 pm (UTC)writemorewritemorewritemorewritemorewritemorewritemorewritemorewritemore!
Re: I just really really really really really want to hug Reaper!Justin.
Date: 2003-11-16 09:56 pm (UTC)It's getting there :)
no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 08:47 pm (UTC)And now I have to join the other fangirls in saying writemoreplease. :))
no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 09:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 09:23 pm (UTC)(and why is justin there? what are the rules for why someone becomes a reaper and doesn't just... die?)
no subject
Date: 2003-11-16 09:59 pm (UTC)Betty: It's a destiny-thing!
Progress
Date: 2008-07-18 12:38 am (UTC)