Kaye glanced over towards the blonde boy who had just walked into the alleyway, a hood shadowing part of their features as he studied them. Were they honestly trying to stop this fight? The other men seemed to think the same thing as they snorted in disgust.
He gave the taller boy a hard look that said 'you don't need to do this.' Kaye knew he could use the help, though he had never been one to accept anything from others. "Uh, look-" Kaye started, though a deeper, gruffer voice cut him off.
"Leave, blondie. This is between us and him," the tall, lanky man spoke as he crossed his arms over his chest.
(I’m sorry if this is cheesy I’m trying)
Simon was careful to keep his expression blank. He walked up to the closest guy, stopping when they were almost nose to nose. His gut twisted in disgust as he looked him over, raising his hands in a shrug. “Don’t feel like it. You’re blocking my shortcut.”
(No, it's great. You're an amazing writer.)
Kaye frowned as the boy approached the tall man, wondering as to why they were helping them. What were they thinking? Sure, Kaye hadn't been handling the situation very well in the first place, but the boy still didn't need to step in. Still engulfed with the thought of why he was being helped, he let out a small huff, acting as if he were bothered that the blonde man had stepped in. Really, part of him was a bit grateful.
(Thanks Nessie, you too)
Simon rocked back on his heels, grateful for the fact that he was taller than most of them. “Go on,” he said nonchalantly, tilting his head towards the road. “Off you go.” He raised a hand and waved for extra measure, smothering a smirk. It was almost as if he was tempting them to try anything, to punch him, to hurt him.
The two men glanced towards each other, nodding in agreement after a few moments as they turned to leave. They didn't seem shaken up, telling Kaye that the blonde man's words didn't affect them as much as he thought they would. They're still leaving at least, he told himself, trying to stay a bit optimistic. Within a few short minutes the two men had left the alleyway, their heavy footsteps in the odd puddles of gutter runoff the only noise surrounding the pair of boys. Kaye looked up towards the other, his usual bored look resuming on his face as he studied them, curious to see what they looked like under the hood.
Simon took off his hood, taking one look st the battered, bruised guy before him before heaving a sigh and ravaging into one pocket. His hand emerged with a roll of gauze and bandaids, which he tossed to the poor guy. “Here you go.”
"Oh…thanks," Kaye mumbled, catching the wad gauze and bandaids. He frowned as he looked down at them, as if he were trying to figure out how to use them and what to start off with. Would bandaids work on a busted lip? He brushed a few strands of dark, reddish colored hair out of his eyes, still looking a bit clueless as he fiddled with the roll of gauze.
Simon watched him for a second longer, before giving up and stepping closer. “Here,” he started, gently removing the gauze from the guy’s hand. “Like this.” After demonstrating how to use and apply it, he handed it back, leaning against the rough brick wall behind him. The gang— had it been a gang? Or just a group of the wrong kind of people?— hadn’t returned yet, so he figured that it was safe to assume they wouldn’t.
Good. Simon glanced back at the other man to see how he was doing with the gauze.
Kaye nodded, averting his gaze from the other as he looked down at the strip of gauze and how the man seemed to apply it. After taking the strip back, he began to feel around his right cheekbone with the pads of his fingers to see where one of his first cuts were. Thankfully, he didn't have very many and they weren't particularly bad, though they still stung.
After a few moments, Kaye managed to clumsily, yet still effectively, cover the cut with the small strip and a bandaid. He dropped his hand, deciding that bandaids wouldn't help with his busted lip.
Simon pulled back the hood of his sweater, fiddling with the zipper of his battered leather jacket. His eyes flicked over the other guy, an almost bored expression on his face, when in reality, his interest was piqued. Something about him was….. different, and he couldn't quite pinpoint what.
Maybe he's some special breed of humanoid.. he thought to himself, laying on hand on the drainpipe next to him and soaking up the energy from the water droplets caught inside.
"So," Kaye began with a sigh, reaching to pull his discarded beanie off the ground and onto his head. It suited him quite nicely; framing his pale face and a few strands of his longer hair sticking out beneath, though he mostly wore it because the weather in Canada was practically freezing at this time of the year.
"What's your name?" He asked after a few beats of silence, tilting his head to the side as a thoughtful frown crossed his face. It almost appeared as if he were trying to guess it himself.
Letting the buzz sink into his skin, Simon turned to face the guy, looking him over again. "Simon," he replied after a pause, running a hand through his curls. "And you are?" Still trying to put his finger on why he gave off that unfamiliar vibe, he searched his face.
"Kaye," he answered simply, a quick quirk at the corners of his lips hinting at a smile. His gaze left Simon for a few moments, as if he were looking for sight of someone at the end of the alley, yet no one was there. "Thanks for helping. I didn't have a chance to say that earlier," Kaye added a bit quickly, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked back towards Simon.
Kaye. The name suited him. A faint smile alighted on Simon's lips, barely visible to anyone who wouldn't recognize the slight dimpling of his cheeks and barest raise of both eyebrows. "It's no problem," he replied with an eloquent shrug, tapping his forefinger against the drainpipe by his side.
"At least let me buy you a drink," Kaye said after a few beats of silence, the words leaving his mouth before he even knew that they were. "It's the least I can do," he added with a small shrug of his shoulders, deciding that he would go along with it. After all, Simon seemed nice…and something seemed a little off about them too. Maybe a few beers could let him know.
Simon hesitated, keeping a casual expression fixed to his face. After a moment, he gave another shrug. “Sure, why not.” He was confident enough that any trouble that came their way could be easily dealt with by simply speaking, he had yet to meet someone who could detect his Speach when it was used on them.
"Good. Now there's a small place a little down that way," Kaye explained, gesturing towards the street across from the alleyway they were still standing in. He had been friends with a few of the bartenders in the past, so hopefully they would let him in.
"Sounds good." Simon pushed himself off the wall, extending a hand towards the direction Kaye had pointed in. "Lead the way." His thoughts drifted back to the last time he'd been to a bar, the time he'd left with a bloody nose and a huge bruise on his cheekbone. There was still a faint impression of it there, barely noticeable, but still slightly sore when pressed, not that he ever noticed. Pain had become almost detached over the past few years, it registered as something exterior, not as something he himself was feeling.
Kaye nodded, subconsciously brushing his fingers against the cut on his lip as he started to walk down in the street. A few people turned their heads towards the two, noticing the bruises staining his cheek, though he ignored them and continued. He had gotten good at barely acknowledging people over the years to the point that it became a habit. So then why did you suddenly open up to Simon? Frowning heavily and dismissing the thought, he continued towards the bar, occasionally glancing up towards Simon.
Simon could feel Kaye's eyes on him every minute or so, which brought back the familiar nausea that came from being watched. The fourth time it happened, he gave up on silence and turned his head to look at Kaye, clearing his throat. "Why were they beating you up? Those men?"
"Oh," Kaye sighed as he stuffed his hands in the pocket of the hoodie he was wearing. Of course he knew that the conversation would eventually lead to that, though he didn't have a reason to give Simon yet. "I was looking for something and they didn't like that. I just ran into the wrong people," he explained with a loose shrug.
Simon senses his hesitation to tell the full story, but understood it. So, in answer, he merely gave a nod of understanding. He tugged absentmindedly at a blond curl fallen across his forehead. “Are we almost there?”
"Yeah, it should be right here," Kaye answered, trailing off as they approached a small lit up bar on the corner of the street. It appeared quaint and small, with it's brick exterior and blue marquee, though cigarette smoke and yelling could be heard from outside. He glanced over towards Simon, nodding his head towards the small bar before he stepped inside.
Simon followed, the heat of the bar hitting him in the face as soon as they entered, a stark contrast from the outside temperature. He breathed in deeply, the smell of nicotine wafting up his nose, which made him gag. Much more enticing was the sight of a bartender pouring golden liquid into a set of tiny glasses at the back.
Kaye's nose wrinkled lightly at the smell, though he was already used to it from coming to this bar for so long. A few people looked towards the pair as they walked in, though most didn't seem fazed by the bruises and cuts on his face. By now, they had seen plenty of that. As Kaye continued down towards the back of the bar and sat down at the long, wooden table, a familiar voice and face approached him.
"Kaye! Is that you?" A tall boy behind the bar called out, his messy, ashy colored hair falling across his eyes. A small smile replaced his usual scowl as he left the cloth he was using to wipe the tables down. "I could barely recognize you with all those cuts."
Simon stood to the side, electing not to socialize and instead glancing up at the drunks menu displayed on the screens above. He took in the atmosphere of the bar as he was doing so, calculating the risk for any potential fights, scouting out the most wasted of drunks, ensuring that nothing was going to go wrong.
Kaye laughed lightly, the first time this night as his friend, Ashley, made his way over towards the two. He glanced over towards Simon, noticing that the other had decided not to talk before he turned back towards his ridiculously tall friend. Ashley tilted his head towards Simon as well, his eyebrows raising in question, though he didn't say anything either.
"You two look like you could use a drink. What can I get you?" The man asked, fiddling with the small apron tied around his waist.
Simon finally turned towards the man, who seemed to be Kaye’s friend, shrugging lightly and faking a small smile. “Up to you, Kaye,” he invited. “Surprise me.” The bartender was cute in a messy sort of way, slightly uncoordinated, but attractively so. He wondered how hard he’d be to flirt with, but quickly shook away the thought, for now..
"Oh, let's see," Kaye answered, a small, casual grin crossing his face as he looked up towards Simon, his more joking side already coming out. For some reason, he liked the way his name sounded when the other man said it. "We'll have two Painkillers then, Ash," he announced, turning towards the bartender as he sat back down into his seat. Ashley laughed lightly, already walking off to get the drinks ready, his clumsy figure already bumping into a few things on the way.
Simon watched the bartender go, leaning against the wall with a lazy smirk crossing his features. “What’s his name?” he asked Kaye, eyes flicking back and forth between the two. “And what’s the ‘Painkiller’?”
(Simon you’re hitting on the wrong person)
