Lemon Chiffon 10: One Night Stand
Title: Animals Cost Extra
Author: Zombz
Rating: PG-13 (cursing and sexual references?)
Notes: This is a caramel piece and in being so doesn't follow the plot arc I've been doing. I was inspired, what can I say. There are some severe spoilers in here. Like at least three or four. Enjoy? Clearly questions are ok!
“So you still Hop?” Dom asked in a conversational tone. Silence had descended upon them since they left the house. He couldn’t blame Oso for being uncomfortable; Dom certainly would be if the roles were switched. The terms they left on hadn’t been pleasant and it wasn’t as if Dom and Oso were what anyone might consider friends. Dom knew that Oso had resented him for many years and possibly still did. Possibly at this moment he resented him more than ever. Dom was interrupting Oso’s private and personal life after all. He was bringing the past into what was obviously very serene present. He looked over as Oso replied.
“Yeah, but not the way we used to.”
“The whole point was not to Hop at all.” It came out sounding more scornful than he meant. Dom had gotten used to giving orders in those last few years and he had never been known to waste pleasantries on Oso. He regretted that such bad habits fell so easily back into his routine. Maybe it was for the best that he let the bounty hunter know how he feel. Dom had decreed it against the law for any Hopper who had ever been under his jurisdiction to Hop, though without a dimension his law meant very little. Oso had seen it all though and Dom would have guessed that with the knowledge of what Hopping could do the older man might stop his ways. Instead of shoving Dom to the ground and pummeling his face in like he thought would be Oso’s response to his tone the bounty hunter shot Dom a roughish grin.
“Yeah, but I don’t go doing it like you guys used to.”
“Sort of the point,” he paused in hesitance at his following statement, “You never were as talented as we were.”
“Whatever.” The man’s tone was icy and Dom could see the sharp edge to his eye. Dom was on thin ice with Oso and he had probably only gotten so far because Risk knew Dom was here… and alive. “I’m fighting for your cause so it doesn’t really matter.” The agitation in the darker man’s voice gave Dom excited goosebumps and he momentarily wondered if he had purposely pushed Oso this far. Had he missed arguing with the brutish killer? It certainly made a nostalgic smile grace his scruffy features.
“What does that even mean?”
“Most of my work nowadays is reconnaissance and squashing rebellions from people who were surprisingly loyal to the regime you guys set up.”
“I don’t really align myself with them anymore…” He mumbled to himself, kicking a stone out of the way of their path. He looked up in time to catch Oso roll his solitary eye, a gesture that always held some fascination for Dom with all things considered.
“I actually stopped a facility that was trying to start up the whole Whites Program again.” He gave Dom a harsh slap on the back, pushing the younger veteran forward with his large and powerful palm. “So, I got your back on that.”
“Heh, good to know.”
The silence drew on again. This time Dom savored it. He listened to the sound that his sneakers and Oso’s boots made against the sidewalk. He had never realized sneakers were so comfortable until the war was over. The air was damp from the warm rain that had been falling earlier and he could practically feel his hair curling around his ears. More than usually anyway. He liked this place that Risk had chosen to live. There were children that ran down the streets happy and without fear. Birds sang songs and somewhere a dog was barking. Dom could smell the faint aroma of dinners cooking in houses with large kitchens and larger families. He found it ironic that this was where Risk had settled. He wondered how at home she really felt.
“… Does she seem happy?”
“Yeah.” He answered immediately and for the most part without thinking. There was a strange compulsion to reassure Oso but it disappeared after the affirmation was done with. Was she happy? Why ask Dom? He had just gotten here. “Why? Don’t you think she’s happy?”
“I do. I did. I thought everything was going great and then you show up and everything feels different.” Oso scratched the back of his neck like he always did when nervous. Dom coughed a little and pulled his own hand from the back of his neck. He had never noticed the shared gesture until it had been pointed out by a barber on the old base. Once cleaned up for service the two curly haired hoppers had turned out to be quite comparable physically. After that other similarities just started falling into place. It was quite troublesome.
“She’s happy but I’m not going to lie that it’s in a different way than she ever was when I knew her.” He held back from saying that it was because she wasn’t doing the thing she loved best. That seemed like an insult on just too many levels. “It’s… a calm sort of happy.”
“I really do think she’s come to peace with her past.”
“I’d like to think that I gave the Hoppers that much at least when I disbanded the army. Maybe I couldn’t give everyone a home and happiness but I want to believe they’re all at least at peace with everything that went on.” It was half an attempt at changing the subject and half a supplication. Dom knew Risk’s past and what kinds of things she had gone through. He knew it would take more than a simple change of scenery to overcome them. It almost made Dom angry at how Oso could say something so naïve about the person he apparently held feelings for. Oso seemed to take the hint and the conversation teetered into more light hearted territory.
“I think so. Hey, what the Hell is with that kid anyway?”
“I just… I dunno. Picked him up.”
“This is like the third kid you’ve “just picked up”. You’re like a serial kidnapper or something.”
“Shut up. His parents are dead and I’ve been taking care of him.”
“How noble.”
“How do you think Risk’s holding up watching him?”
“She’ll complain to us about it but I think she’s enjoying it. I think she sort of wanted to do that whole family and kids thing. But… ya know...” he gestured at his crotch, “Expired goods.” Dom nodded and pushed his hands into his pockets. He wouldn’t really stick Oso and Risk as parents. It made his skin crawl just thinking about how they would go about making the babies. His gait slowed as the atmosphere of the street began to change. He stuck his arm out to stop Oso in his tracks.
“This is where you took me out to relax? This place looks like a red light district or something!” Oso rubbed his gut from where he had walked into the cybernetic replacement that served as Dom’s arm. He grinned when he had recovered his breath.
“Because it is a red light district or something.” He placed a thoughtful on his beard covered chin. “I like the “or something’ because it leaves an air of mystery.”
“I may not have been around for the last few years but Risk is still my best friend. I’m not going to stand around while you cheat on her with a freaking hooker that’s had sex with who knows how many other men or animals and then go home like you didn’t have God knows how many number of one night stands!” He seethed. His hands balled into fists. Oso might have been huge in comparison to any man Dom had ever seen but he would still punch him into comatose. He might have become a pacifist in these past few years but that didn’t matter because he wasn’t going to stand for something like this. All Oso ever did was complain and whine about how Risk didn’t return his feelings and then when she needed him he goes off to do stupid shit like this. Dom couldn’t have been more furious.
“Dom, relax,” Oso said, a calm smile on his features as he waved his hands defensively.
“Relax? What the Hell!”
“Risk and I don’t have sex. We don’t have that kind of relationship.” Dom’s body relaxed as confusion etched its way over his face.
“What?”
“She doesn’t let me touch her. What you’ve seen from being around the house is about as far as it goes. She’s just not into it.”
“And you’re ok with that?” He asked now unable to stop himself from rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. Oso gave a curt nod and Dom felt the embarrassed flush that filled his cheeks. “Sorry.” He apologized lamely. Oso waved it away, wrapping his arm around the slimmer boy’s shoulders.
“So, hookers and animals, Dom? What the fuck do you do in your spare time?”
Author: Zombz
Rating: PG-13 (cursing and sexual references?)
Notes: This is a caramel piece and in being so doesn't follow the plot arc I've been doing. I was inspired, what can I say. There are some severe spoilers in here. Like at least three or four. Enjoy? Clearly questions are ok!
“So you still Hop?” Dom asked in a conversational tone. Silence had descended upon them since they left the house. He couldn’t blame Oso for being uncomfortable; Dom certainly would be if the roles were switched. The terms they left on hadn’t been pleasant and it wasn’t as if Dom and Oso were what anyone might consider friends. Dom knew that Oso had resented him for many years and possibly still did. Possibly at this moment he resented him more than ever. Dom was interrupting Oso’s private and personal life after all. He was bringing the past into what was obviously very serene present. He looked over as Oso replied.
“Yeah, but not the way we used to.”
“The whole point was not to Hop at all.” It came out sounding more scornful than he meant. Dom had gotten used to giving orders in those last few years and he had never been known to waste pleasantries on Oso. He regretted that such bad habits fell so easily back into his routine. Maybe it was for the best that he let the bounty hunter know how he feel. Dom had decreed it against the law for any Hopper who had ever been under his jurisdiction to Hop, though without a dimension his law meant very little. Oso had seen it all though and Dom would have guessed that with the knowledge of what Hopping could do the older man might stop his ways. Instead of shoving Dom to the ground and pummeling his face in like he thought would be Oso’s response to his tone the bounty hunter shot Dom a roughish grin.
“Yeah, but I don’t go doing it like you guys used to.”
“Sort of the point,” he paused in hesitance at his following statement, “You never were as talented as we were.”
“Whatever.” The man’s tone was icy and Dom could see the sharp edge to his eye. Dom was on thin ice with Oso and he had probably only gotten so far because Risk knew Dom was here… and alive. “I’m fighting for your cause so it doesn’t really matter.” The agitation in the darker man’s voice gave Dom excited goosebumps and he momentarily wondered if he had purposely pushed Oso this far. Had he missed arguing with the brutish killer? It certainly made a nostalgic smile grace his scruffy features.
“What does that even mean?”
“Most of my work nowadays is reconnaissance and squashing rebellions from people who were surprisingly loyal to the regime you guys set up.”
“I don’t really align myself with them anymore…” He mumbled to himself, kicking a stone out of the way of their path. He looked up in time to catch Oso roll his solitary eye, a gesture that always held some fascination for Dom with all things considered.
“I actually stopped a facility that was trying to start up the whole Whites Program again.” He gave Dom a harsh slap on the back, pushing the younger veteran forward with his large and powerful palm. “So, I got your back on that.”
“Heh, good to know.”
The silence drew on again. This time Dom savored it. He listened to the sound that his sneakers and Oso’s boots made against the sidewalk. He had never realized sneakers were so comfortable until the war was over. The air was damp from the warm rain that had been falling earlier and he could practically feel his hair curling around his ears. More than usually anyway. He liked this place that Risk had chosen to live. There were children that ran down the streets happy and without fear. Birds sang songs and somewhere a dog was barking. Dom could smell the faint aroma of dinners cooking in houses with large kitchens and larger families. He found it ironic that this was where Risk had settled. He wondered how at home she really felt.
“… Does she seem happy?”
“Yeah.” He answered immediately and for the most part without thinking. There was a strange compulsion to reassure Oso but it disappeared after the affirmation was done with. Was she happy? Why ask Dom? He had just gotten here. “Why? Don’t you think she’s happy?”
“I do. I did. I thought everything was going great and then you show up and everything feels different.” Oso scratched the back of his neck like he always did when nervous. Dom coughed a little and pulled his own hand from the back of his neck. He had never noticed the shared gesture until it had been pointed out by a barber on the old base. Once cleaned up for service the two curly haired hoppers had turned out to be quite comparable physically. After that other similarities just started falling into place. It was quite troublesome.
“She’s happy but I’m not going to lie that it’s in a different way than she ever was when I knew her.” He held back from saying that it was because she wasn’t doing the thing she loved best. That seemed like an insult on just too many levels. “It’s… a calm sort of happy.”
“I really do think she’s come to peace with her past.”
“I’d like to think that I gave the Hoppers that much at least when I disbanded the army. Maybe I couldn’t give everyone a home and happiness but I want to believe they’re all at least at peace with everything that went on.” It was half an attempt at changing the subject and half a supplication. Dom knew Risk’s past and what kinds of things she had gone through. He knew it would take more than a simple change of scenery to overcome them. It almost made Dom angry at how Oso could say something so naïve about the person he apparently held feelings for. Oso seemed to take the hint and the conversation teetered into more light hearted territory.
“I think so. Hey, what the Hell is with that kid anyway?”
“I just… I dunno. Picked him up.”
“This is like the third kid you’ve “just picked up”. You’re like a serial kidnapper or something.”
“Shut up. His parents are dead and I’ve been taking care of him.”
“How noble.”
“How do you think Risk’s holding up watching him?”
“She’ll complain to us about it but I think she’s enjoying it. I think she sort of wanted to do that whole family and kids thing. But… ya know...” he gestured at his crotch, “Expired goods.” Dom nodded and pushed his hands into his pockets. He wouldn’t really stick Oso and Risk as parents. It made his skin crawl just thinking about how they would go about making the babies. His gait slowed as the atmosphere of the street began to change. He stuck his arm out to stop Oso in his tracks.
“This is where you took me out to relax? This place looks like a red light district or something!” Oso rubbed his gut from where he had walked into the cybernetic replacement that served as Dom’s arm. He grinned when he had recovered his breath.
“Because it is a red light district or something.” He placed a thoughtful on his beard covered chin. “I like the “or something’ because it leaves an air of mystery.”
“I may not have been around for the last few years but Risk is still my best friend. I’m not going to stand around while you cheat on her with a freaking hooker that’s had sex with who knows how many other men or animals and then go home like you didn’t have God knows how many number of one night stands!” He seethed. His hands balled into fists. Oso might have been huge in comparison to any man Dom had ever seen but he would still punch him into comatose. He might have become a pacifist in these past few years but that didn’t matter because he wasn’t going to stand for something like this. All Oso ever did was complain and whine about how Risk didn’t return his feelings and then when she needed him he goes off to do stupid shit like this. Dom couldn’t have been more furious.
“Dom, relax,” Oso said, a calm smile on his features as he waved his hands defensively.
“Relax? What the Hell!”
“Risk and I don’t have sex. We don’t have that kind of relationship.” Dom’s body relaxed as confusion etched its way over his face.
“What?”
“She doesn’t let me touch her. What you’ve seen from being around the house is about as far as it goes. She’s just not into it.”
“And you’re ok with that?” He asked now unable to stop himself from rubbing the back of his neck anxiously. Oso gave a curt nod and Dom felt the embarrassed flush that filled his cheeks. “Sorry.” He apologized lamely. Oso waved it away, wrapping his arm around the slimmer boy’s shoulders.
“So, hookers and animals, Dom? What the fuck do you do in your spare time?”