Who's the Buster? - Fast and Furious Fic (Chapter 9/14)
Masterpost Available Here
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Chapter Nine
Brian's first choice for food was DT's Diner and Garage, even if the food wasn't spectacular, but he took Rome to a place called Mom's Best BBQ. He'd never been to it himself, but had overheard Mia and Letty comparing the chicken and burgers there to Dom's last Sunday at the BBQ and how good it was, so he figured it was a safe bet.
Judging by the pleased sound Roman let out after his first bite, Brian hit the jackpot.
"So you got me out," Rome said around a mouthful of food.
A shrug. "I called in a favor." When Rome kept looking at him, Brian let out a short breath. "One of their guys nearly got me killed, would've if I were reg, so I asked for your life in return."
He was surprised to see Rome out and about, though. Brian had thought Rome would simply be moved to the Torettown jail to be treated more fairly as he burned through a diminished sentence, not free on the streets. Then again, Rome had been arrested for grand theft auto via mutation eight years ago, so the Torettown system probably ruled he'd served his sentence and was free and clear. If not, Elena or Lisa and Melinda would have him back in cuffs within the week.
Rome gave a long suffering sigh and set his burger down. "Now see, I can't stay angry at you when you do stuff like that."
He leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms, watching Brian eat his own burger for a moment. The silence wasn't as comfortable as the ones from when they were kids, but it didn't feel strained either. Rome was assessing him, trying to decide how much of his old friend was there and how much of him was still a cop. Brian was still a cop, but even he didn't know how much of him was still there from before he first went undercover. Hell, since his powers developed.
"They told me 'bout this latest job you doin'," Rome revealed, making Brian choke on his Coke. "Didn't want me rushin' in and blowing your cover, I guess. I see you're still letting everyone think you're a reg."
The tone was disapproving and Brian frowned right along with him.
"It was safer that way and you know it," Brian reminded him. "I couldn't bullshit my way out of it if someone caught on, Rome."
"That's the real bullshit, right there," Rome countered. "You've been bullshitting your whole life, man." He leaned forward again so he could use his hand to make wild gestures. "Anyone ever caught you copying their ability to do math on a test? How fast they can read? How well they can fight? Play basketball? Huh, B?"
Those were all things Brian had done in school and Brian hated that Rome was using those against him.
He glared at his old friend. "I was scared," he said. "You know better than anyone how scared I was."
Rome smacked the table with his hand, calling the attention of the closest other patrons to them. He shot them a charming smile until they looked away and then faced Brian again with a frown.
"You're still scared, Brian," he hissed. "None o' your reg cop buddies know a damn thing about you. You're still hiding."
He was accusing Brian of protecting himself and that pissed Brian off. Growing up, he'd had goddamn panic attacks about being a mutant. Barstow was not the place to be a mutant. He'd gotten so used to hiding it that doing so became the norm. And then he was passed around from station to station and there was no way he could get close enough to anyone to trust them with the secret, so why the hell would he? He wasn't going to tell Joe Schmoe about his powers and hope he didn't spill to his superiors!
Just as he opened his mouth to spit some of that out at Rome, Rome's glare fell away and he smirked instead, halting the words in Brian's throat.
"But not here," Rome said. "That was a fine game you played, Brian. Very fine."
Brian was still frowning. "You don't know if they knew whether I'd played before."
Rome snorted. "I heard you tell that Letty chick on my way in. Besides, some people in the stands recognize you from your work at that auto shop or whatever, or from hanging with Mr. Not-Mayor. Apparently Domination Tor-et-oh don't hang with regs, no matter who they are."
"That's not his name."
"Oh I know that. I ain't stupid," Rome said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Point is, B, that I may not be fine with you still working with the blues, but I'm glad they gave you this job."
Brian rolled his eyes. "Because it got you out of prison?"
Rome frowned. "Because I haven't seen you look this happy since before I lifted that first car." He shrugged his shoulders and picked his burger up again. "So, whatever you've got going here? It's good, and I ain't gonna mess it up for you. I got your back, B."
He held up his fist and Brian was quick to bump it with his own, a smile crawling over his lips. "Thanks, Rome. I appreciate it."
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Rome met Brian at his studio apartment the next morning and Brian drove them in his Eclipse over to Dom's house for the BBQ. The place wasn't packed when they arrived, but Rome had arrived late so they were also later than Brian usually was. Instead of helping to cook, they arrived just as the neighborhood was showing up and beginning to eat. Brian had to park two cars down the street from the actual driveway.
Weird.
In the crowd, Brian could see Letty and Vince. Leon was, predictably, nowhere to be seen. He caught a glimpse of Jesse entering the house through the back door and assumed Mia must be in there as well. Dom was working the grill with Hector.
Dom was wearing a white tank top, as usual, the muscles in his arms and back out on show for anyone to enjoy. They shifted as he flipped the meat on the grill or took a plate from Hector or turned to call to someone across the yard. On one of those turns, he caught sight of Brian. A brief smile, one Brian imagined was full of relief, appeared on Dom's face. He inclined his chin in a greeting and Brian waved in return, also smiling, as he hoped Dom hadn't noticed his staring.
A cold beer touched Brian's bare arm, just below the sleeve of his t-shirt, and he jumped. Rome chuckled while handing Brian the beer properly. When Brian looked back at Dom, the smile had been replaced with a deep frown. They barely met eyes before Dom turned back to his job.
Wait. What?
"Dom doesn't like you," Brian said to Rome, surprise coloring his voice.
Rome chuckled and took a swig of his own beer. "Not surprised. I'm moving in on a bro's territory." He clapped a hand on Brian's shoulder briefly. "What'd you do to win him?"
Brian shrugged, tearing his eyes from the taut line of Dom's back while he cooked to look at Rome. "I don't know," he admitted. "I told him I was looking for a place of my own." He thought back to their first meeting. "I nearly got into it with Vince, and Mia said I was like a cat, and…A few days later I was invited to the races."
The look on Rome's face was flat. "Tell me that's a euphemism."
A startled bark of laughter jumped from Brian's chest. "No, I mean literal racing. Street racing." He lifted an eyebrow at Rome. "It's not illegal here."
Rome smacked him. "Shut up. Shut up! That's wrong. Don't do that." Brian just kept grinning at him. "You better not be lying to me, B. Don't you do it. It's wrong to mess with a man's feeling like this."
"I'm not lying," Brian promised, crossing his heart.
Rome did his best to smack his hands together without destroying his beer, a fiery glint in his eyes. "Shit. I know where I'ma be at night then. When's the next race?"
Brian shrugged. "Jesse'd probably know," he said. Jesse had given his opinion on Brian entering the race and knew cars like the back of his hand and had been the first to approach Brian at the race itself. He'd tell Rome if he thought the overconfident man could hack it in Torettown street races. Brian motioned to the house. "I saw him go inside a few minutes ago."
Nodding, Rome motioned to Brian with his beer. "I'll catch you in a bit."
He disappeared up the back steps and Brian shook his head. Rome hadn't changed much since they were teens.
Brian's eyes roamed the semi-crowded backyard and found themselves drawn back to the grill. Letty was now standing by Dom instead of Hector, who was bringing a plate piled high with chicken wings to one of the tables set up for food. Hector overbalanced and all of the chicken wings would've ended up on the grass except that a young woman threw her hands up and they were suspended in midair. Brian didn't watch what happened next.
The conversation at the grill seemed tense. Brian could only see Letty's face, since she was turned sideways and Dom's back was to him, but her eyebrows were drawn low over her eyes and her lips were down. Dom motioned to nothing with a pair of tongs and Letty's frown deepened.
She said something to Dom but Brian's rusty lip reading skills only let him catch the words "stupid Dom." Dom turned his head enough to scowl at her and she rolled her eyes, hard. Again, Brian caught only the words "Fine, I" and "about it." Then Letty gave a sharp grin. "Chicken," Brian saw her say.
Something told him she wasn't talking about the food.
Letty's eyes turned and caught his. Brian looked away at where Hector was now chatting up the girl who had helped him, in an effort to seem like his eyes had merely been drifting over them instead of him watching them, but he felt it was too jumpy and quick to be believable even as he did it.
He finished off his beer and moved to the side of the house where all the trashcans were set up to throw the bottle away. The bottle was barely in the bag before another was being held out for him. Turning, Brian came face to face with Letty.
Taking the offered bottle, Brian said, "Looks like I'll never have to get my own beer. People keep bringing them to me."
The look on Letty's face became predatory and Brian did his best not to react, taking a swig from his beer to hide his nervousness. "Yeah, your boyfriend probably keeps you in stock, huh?"
Brian spit out the beer. "What?" he sputtered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. "Rome's not my boyfriend."
"No? You two seem really close for two guys who haven't seen each other in eight years," Letty countered. "And that bullshit he said yesterday-"
"No," Brian said with a shake of his head. "We grew up together and were best friends. That bullshit from yesterday was just that, bullshit. I told you, that's his power. He can make you believe things that aren't true." Brian ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "We're just friends."
For a few moments, Letty simply observed him. She took a drink of her own beer before nodding. "Alright, Buster, I believe you."
Good, Brian thought, and then wondered why he was so relieved that she believed him.
What would it matter if they thought he and Rome were dating? Brian's cover had no significant other or set orientation. Sure, Brian had pretty much been spouting off truths about himself left and right because his cover was vague enough for it, but Brian had faked more than a relationship for a job before. Hell, he'd faked ethnicity before. If he could get Rome to go for it, making a relationship between them seem real would be no problem.
But Brian didn't want to lie about that.
He was Brian Spilner from Arizona. He'd been wandering the country, no home, no loyalties, since he was nineteen. It was left open to Brian what to fill those years with so that he could fake whatever he needed to in order to get close to the Torettown inhabitants. Brian had just conveniently filled them with shit he'd actually done, only leaving out the bit about it all being in service to the cops. They say the best lies are veiled truths, and the less Brian lied, the less likely he was to get caught in his own web.
Brian shook his head. That wasn't why he was glad to not lie about himself here and he knew it. Given a slightly different childhood, Brian could have lived here, could've known these people as Brian O'Conner.
Monica was right. Brian was playing house, and he'd keep playing for as long as he could.
"So what happened?" Letty asked, bringing Brian out of his thoughts. "Between you and motor mouth?"
They moved away from the trashcans when a group of people came over to throw things away. The BBQ was in full swing now and Brian knew he needed to grab some food before it was all gone. It could wait a few minutes though.
"We grew up together," he repeated. Letty lifted an eyebrow and Brian resisted the urge to sigh again. "Rome and I met when we were literally in diapers together. We actually lived pretty much on opposite sides of town, but we were part of the same daycare group. I developed powers first, then him. When my mom died, his parents took me in." And now to add a little lie. "He got arrested when we were nineteen for using his powers to steal cars and I ditched town, never looking back. I didn't know he was free and in town until yesterday."
His answer seemed to appease her a little. "No romance, then?"
Brian led her toward the food, where Dom was now the one placing a plate of hotdogs on the table.
"No. No romance," he told her. "We never had sex or kissed or even lied about it for kicks in school." As they came up next to Dom, he raised both eyebrows at the short woman. "Now, are we done or would you like me to pry into you and Elena next?"
Letty smirked but it was playful rather than predatory this time. "Trust me, you would regret prying," she promised him before reaching around him for a hotdog.
She gave Dom a meaningful look before she pulled back that Brian didn't understand. If he had more time with them, he might start to understand their silent communication, but he didn't.
A fight broke out on the other side of the yard, obvious from the thunder clap and the acid spit just before the fists started flying. Letty looked at Dom and said, "Dom," like an order.
Dom rolled his eyes. "Right." With one glance at Brian, like he was checking the blonde was still there and was pleased that he was, Dom turned and hurried across the yard to where Vince and what appeared to be an off duty cop were already working to break it up.
Brian moved to help as well, but Letty grabbed him by the arm to keep him by the food table.
"They can handle it," Letty told him. "We were talking."
A boom of noise sent Vince, and a few other guests, sprawling to the ground and Brian winced. People started to move away from the fight, creating a sort of wall between Brian and the action, further keeping him at the table with Letty.
"So, what are you looking for, Spilner?"
Not looking away from the fight, even though he couldn't actually see it, Brian asked, "What?"
Letty hit him lightly on the arm to pull his attention back to her. "In a relationship, dumbnut," she clarified when his eyes were on her. "I used to think I'd be with Dom. We even gave it a shot for a bit, but it didn't last. Then I met Elena. Elena and I are pretty steady and very active, but that's not for everyone. So what are you looking for?"
Brian immediately moved to watch the fight again but stopped himself halfway through the motion, forcing himself to keep looking at Letty. A slight upward tick of her lips said she'd caught the action and found it funny.
"Nothing," Brian insisted. "I can't-" He took a deep breath. "Right now, I'm not looking for anything."
Letty shook her head. "Sometimes you ain't gotta be looking for it to find you," she told him. Nudging his arm with the bottom of her cold beer bottle, she asked, "What would turn your head?"
Brian rolled his eyes and started watching the crowd. The fight was mostly over it seemed. Through the dissipating mass of people, Brian caught sight of Vince and Dom manhandling the two fighters while the off duty cop led the way, on the phone with what was likely the police station. The two younger mutants were still trying to fight as they were hauled off and most of the BBQ crowd was following the action closely even as it moved out of the backyard.
"Someone slim and skinny?" Letty asked, offhand. Brian vaguely shook his head once, still watching where Dom was vanishing around the side of the house. "Or maybe someone with a bit more muscle like Dom," she said lowly right in his ear.
Brian clapped a hand over his ear and rubbed it to get rid of the feeling of her hot breath over his skin. He shot Letty a scandalized look and stepped back from her so she wasn't practically draping herself against his side.
"Letty," he started.
It felt like Brian backed up into a hot poker and he felt the blood drain from his face before he realized what had happened.
"A gift from Señor Braga," a completely different voice murmured in his ear. Then he felt something like a blade tear free from his back and his knees locked up as the pain laced through him.
"Le-" he got out before he wobbled where he stood. Brian reached over to steady himself on the table but the motion pulled on the stab wound in his back and he hissed, dropping to his knees.
"Leon!" Letty called, not quite a shout, and then there was a zap of electricity thrumming past Brian's head and a thump behind him as a body hit the ground.
Hands grabbed Brian around the shoulders and lifted him up to his feet, and then started leading him to the house. The pain in his back was intensifying with every second and it was all Brian could focus on. Throb. Throb. Throb. He could feel the blood matting yet another shirt to his skin, pouring down his back and ruining his pants as well. It amazed him that he could walk. Every step felt like it was making something grate in his back near his spine.
The back door was open. They were on the steps. He could see into the house, where Rome and Jesse were standing by the stairs to the second floor and talking. There were people in the backyard but Brian couldn't tell if they were paying attention to him or the fight that had happened or anything else.
He couldn't move his legs.
"Just a bit further," he heard Leon say, but it was like listening to a TV on low from the next room.
"I can't-" Brian choked out. "I can't feel my legs."
His arms strained when his legs actually gave out, falling loose beneath him. Only Leon's arms around him kept him from hitting the floor. Panic began to set in and Brian's breathing quickened into desperate panting.
"I can't feel my legs."
More arms grabbed him and he was hefted into the house, the smack of the back door closing jarring to Brian's already aching head. His back was on fire now, but his whole body felt numb. Something was very very wrong.
He must have blacked out or gone into shock or something because the next thing he was aware of, Brian was lying on the couch on his stomach. There was something pressing heavily on his back where the blade, or whatever it was, had stabbed into him. A moment of clear thought on the edge of consciousness told Brian that his spine was injured, explaining why he couldn't move his legs.
He wasn't panting anymore, but every breath felt like a chore. It took a moment for him to recognize that Rome was the one next to him pressing something into his back, Leon was gone, and that Jesse, Mia, and Dom were there too.
Brian wasn't aware he'd reached out until both of Dom's hands encompassed his own.
"Brian," Dom said, his voice helping to clear Brian's head. Rome was cursing and babbling under his breath but Brian couldn't understand him. "Concentrate. Mimic me."
"What the hell good would that do?!" Rome spat out. "B's been stabbed and you want him to start cooking steaks or something? Shit!"
Brian huffed a laugh and felt more than spit come out of his mouth. Damn, his lung too? What had that guy not hit? Though that explained why breathing felt like a damaged air dancer at a car dealership…that was also on fire. Brian clenched his eyes shut on a groan.
Gosh he hated being on fire. This totally sucked. Someone get the fire extinguisher.
Rome wasn't yelling anymore, and Dom must've let go because Brian couldn't feel his hand anymore. All he could feel was the pain, even if the wheeze of his lungs and the throb of his back were gone. Brian was floating in a sea of fire and there was nothing tethering him to shore. Wasn't he meant to be doing something?
Dom's grip was still tight on his hand, tight enough to cut off circulation. That was the first thing Brian's brain realized when the pain began to ebb. He hadn't let go. Next, he became aware of something that felt like cool water running through his veins instead of blood that was putting out the fire. Then it retreated and Brian shivered, his fingers gripping Dom's almost unintentionally.
"Brian," Dom said, relief heavy in his voice.
Opening his eyes was easy, and the pain was gone from his body. Brian frowned. He hadn't mimicked Dom, had he? Sure, he'd felt the cool healing effect, but not the total immersion he'd basked in when he mimicked Dom. How was he okay?
A tanned Asian-American woman with dark blonde hair stepped back and into view, her hands losing a glow as she went.
"Thanks, Suki," Leon said from where he was standing near the kitchen doorway.
She nodded. "How are you feeling?" she asked Brian.
Brian nodded as he sat up, but Dom didn't release his hand. "You heal people?" He rolled his shoulders as best he could without pulling his hand free. There wasn't even a slight ache, and breathing was easy. He could still feel the blood wet stick on his clothes though. And he could feel his legs, which was something he would be forever grateful for.
"Yes," Suki said. "I worried you were too far gone, though." Dom's grip on his hand tightened but when Brian glanced at him, his expression hadn't changed. "I'm glad you weren't."
"Thank you," Brian said with a nod of his head.
She smiled. "You're welcome."
Suki received hugs from Leon, Jesse, and Mia on her way out, and then they were alone again.
"Not sure how to feel about you almost dying all the time," Jesse murmured. "It's hell on my nerves, bro."
Brian gave a reassuring smile to the younger man. "Sorry. I promise I'm not doing it on purpose." He gave Dom a guilty look. "I couldn't mimic fast enough."
"Speaking of!" Rome said loudly, drawing attention to himself as he came from behind the couch. There was a bloody towel in his hands that he threw to the side without looking where it landed. "Since when can you mimic powers?"
The looks Brian received from Toretto and the gang were equal parts pointed and confused. Brian must've been out longer than he thought if they'd had time to tell Rome about his secondary mimic ability. He gave a nervous shrug.
"Since…Ms. Hensly thought Brenda had a cousin when we were sixteen," he admitted.
Rome blinked twice before recognition flared in his eyes. "Mariselle?" he said. "That was because of you?" he asked accusatorily. Brian nodded guiltily. "Brenda had to tell her eight times she had no cousin Mariselle and still we all thought Hensly was batty for the rest of school. How'd you do it?"
Brian gave Rome a look he hoped conveyed how stupid he thought the older man was being.
"Oh. Oh, me? You copied me?" Rome asked. When Brian just kept staring at him, Rome stepped forward and smacked Brian on the arm hard enough to make him flinch. "You son of a bitch, I can't believe you never told me!"
"I think we've got more important things to worry about," Mia spoke up, breaking the moment between the two friends.
Dom was still holding his hand. Brian shot a quick glance at their hands before focusing on Mia, but gave no other indicator that he knew Dom still held on so that Dom wouldn't let go.
"Letty told Dom what that guy said," Mia said.
"A gift from Señor Braga."
Dom gripped his hand again, this time to pull Brian's focus. When their eyes locked, Dom looked angry and disappointed at the same time. "Why're you going after Braga, Brian?"
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Preview of Chapter 10
Opening the door revealed Vince and Dom. The more muscular men shifted from surprise at the door opening to deep rooted frowns at the sight of Monica, and Brian had to rethink his previous thought.
Brian turned to look at Dom, his heart rate picking up. "Have you been watching me?"
Monica caught his eyes. "You can't do this alone, Brian. I'm supposed to help keep you safe. Let me do my job."
He shifted a few of the shirts around and a faint shine caught his attention. There, hidden underneath his shirts but peeking out, was his MCF badge.
Rome leveled an unimpressed, daring look at Vince. "You sayin' my homeboy, B, is goin' behind my back?"
"The plan is working then," Monica noted.
Rome frowned. "What plan?"
Brian was going to have to tell them the truth. He'd have to tell them he was a cop.
Brian's breath stuttered when Dom reached a hand up to cup his neck. His fingers tangled in the hairs at the base of Brian's skull and Brian tingled with anticipation.
"The plan to make Braga come kill me himself."