My Line of Work 2
Banner found on Pinterest; will credit artist if I find out who it is
Title: My Line of Work 2
Author: enchanted_jae
Fandom: Cal Leandros
Author's note: In a perfect world, we would all treat one another with kindness and respect, our pets would live as long as we do, and Niko would never have cut that glorious long blond fall of his hair.
Characters: Cal, Niko, oc
Rating: PG13
Warning(s): First person pov (Niko's), language
Word count: 1015
Disclaimer: Characters are the property of Rob Thurman, et al. This drabble/fic was written for fun, not for profit.
Written for:
♦ dove_drabbles Prompt No. 112 - Cheer for chocolate!
♦ ficlet_zone Prompt No. 59 - Bing Crosby songs. I chose: Sunshine, I Apologize.
Summary: Niko learns what Cal got up to the previous week.
I turned a slow circle, looking for my brother. Cal and I were meeting a client this afternoon, and Cal was meant to meet up with me here, in Washington Square Park. There was another farmer's market going on which made spotting my brother more difficult. Knowing Cal, he had made a furtive stop at the food stalls first.
I headed in that direction, alert for any danger. It was a requirement not only in my line of work, but in my life. I glanced at the sky just as the clouds parted and allowed sunshine to peek through. With luck, the rain would hold off until we were back home.
The first food vendor I saw featured a large 'Cheer for Chocolate!' sign. Cal didn't have a sweet tooth. I was more likely to find him at a stand with a sign proclaiming 'Mystery Meat Sold Here'. I suppressed a shudder at the thought of the garbage my little brother ingested on a regular basis.
Musings about Cal occupied only a small portion of my mind. The greater portion was engaged in remaining vigilant, which is why I noticed the priest approaching me. His expression was half terrified, half determined. I shifted so that I was balanced on the balls of my feet and waited. He came up to me and halted just out of reach. His graying hair stuck up all over his head as if he'd been raking anxious hands through it. He reached inside his jacket and I tensed, reluctant to draw a weapon in the crowded park.
The priest withdrew a crucifix from his coat and extended it to me with a hand that trembled a little. "Would you hold this for me, my son?"
I hesitated only long enough to ascertain that he was holding it with his bare hand and seemed to be suffering no ill effects. I took the crucifix from him and waited to see what he planned to do next. His hand went into his coat again, this time coming out with a vial of what appeared to be holy water. He removed the cap and flung the contents at me, soaking the front of my shirt.
My eyes narrowed. "Explain yourself."
The priest flushed and began to stammer. "There...there was a man. A very frightened man who came to my church last week and insisted he encountered a demon in this park."
There were no demons in New York. The other paien had driven them out decades ago.
"A demon," I repeated. "In broad daylight?"
"Er, well, yes."
"Ah."
"He said, he said the demon had black hair, pale skin, and glowing red eyes."
I was going to kick Cal's ass for this. I raised one eyebrow and said, "That sounds more like a vampire."
"V-vampires aren't real."
I stifled a sigh. Wouldn't Promise be surprised to learn she wasn't real? "What does any of this have to do with me?"
The priest swallowed nervously. "The man, he said the demon was accompanied by a guy with a long blond braid."
"And you assumed that was me?"
"Oh, er, well..."
I spotted Cal approaching from the direction of the food vendors. No surprise there. "Here comes the demon now."
The priest looked at Cal and took a stumbling step back.
Cal walked up to us, and I handed him the crucifix. "Hold this."
Cal accepted it with a surly frown. "What am I supposed to do with it? Bless the fruits and vegetables?"
I ignored him and turned my attention to the priest. "Do you have any more holy water?"
He handed it over without a word. I flipped the cap open and dumped the contents over Cal's head.
"What the hell?!"
"Language," I chided him mildly. I looked at the priest. "See? Not a demon. He's quite pale because he spends all day indoors playing video games."
Cal scowled. "I do--oof!"
I ignored my brother and continued. "If his eyes were red it was most likely because he'd been drinking the night before."
"Hey, I wasn't--oof!"
I aimed a glare at Cal, who was glaring back and rubbing his sore ribs. "Why don't you show the nice priest your pretty gray eyes so he has no reason to fear a demon is stalking the park?"
Cal smirked. I slitted my eyes at him. He relented and removed his sunglasses.
"Do I pass muster, father? You're not going to exorcise me?"
"My lazy brother does despise exercise," I offered.
The priest retrieved his crucifix. "I apologize," he muttered. "The man said a demon with glowing red eyes threatened to take him to hell."
Cal snorted. "You mean that creepy asshole from last week? I caught him perving on a little girl and I told him if he touched her he was going to hell. Isn't that what happens to pedophiles, father?"
After stammering out another apology, the priest scuttled off. I turned to stare at my brother.
"How is this my fault?" he protested.
"You flashed your baby reds at a human?"
"He was a pedo, Nik," said Cal. "He was perving on little Melissa, your almost-daughter."
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"All I did was scare him off," Cal finished. His chin jutted out. Stubborn and mulish in all the worst ways, but this time for a good reason at least. Cal would choke on his own tongue before he'd admit it, but he had a soft spot for little girls.
"It seems you put the fear of God into him," I said. "Literally."
Cal's answering smile was wicked but suffused with genuine humor. "I guess I did, huh?"
"We have a meeting to attend," I said. "After which, we will go for a ten mile run."
The bitching began immediately. "Aw, come on, Niko. What was I supposed to do?"
I ignored him and headed for the nearest park exit. My brother fell into step beside me while continuing his litany of complaints. I tuned him out with the ease of long practice. It's what big brothers did.