Chaos ficlet: Staked Out 1/1
Title: Staked Out
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: eviinsanemonkey prompted with Casey and Billy on a stakeout. And I actually managed to keep this angst free :) Thanks to moogsthewriter for the quick read and enabling me so thoroughly.
Summary: Casey and Billy bond during a stakeout. More or less.
-o-
“You’re breathing too much.”
Billy sighs, shaking his head. “Now what kind of criticism is that?”
“An appropriate one,” Casey returns tersely. “It’s getting hard to see out the windows with all your unnecessary huffing and puffing.”
“I am not huffing or puffing,” Billy replies.
“You should still learn to reduce your breathing rate,” Casey advises. “It may save your life someday.”
Billy casts him a glance across the car. “I know conversation is getting thin in here, but I assure you, that’s just as much my fault as yours,” he says.
Casey’s gaze doesn’t waver. “I don’t want conversation,” he says. “I want to get eyes on our suspect so we can’t stop freezing our asses off in this godforsaken car in this miserable country.”
“Germany is quite a nice country,” Billy says, as though Casey has merely forgotten.
“It’s a political wasteland that once supported the Nazis,” Casey deadpans back.
Billy’s brow furrows. “Spoken like a man who has never made a mistake before,” he says, somewhat pointedly.
Casey barely spares a moment to roll his eyes. “My mistakes involve one night stands and spilling coffee in the break room,” he says. “Not the almost-annihilation of a race of people.”
For a moment, Billy is silent. “Though I suspect you would probably enjoy the idea of worldwide domination.”
At that, Casey seems to stop. His eyes turn toward Billy skeptically. “Possibly,” he admits. “But only if I had the appropriate means to enforce a just society.”
Billy seems encouraged by that answer. “I have a feeling that such a thing might be harder than you think,” he surmises.
Casey is thoughtful now. “But not as hard as you think it is,” he says. “With the right laws in place and appropriate displays of power and grace in equal turns, it’s really not so hard to control the masses.”
“I’m sure Machiavelli couldn’t have said it better himself,” Billy tells him earnestly.
Casey’s fantasy seems to dissipate and he turns back to the stakeout with a scowl. “What would you know about it,” he says. “The Scottish have failed to come up with an independent system of government and still choose to live willingly under the archaic British system.”
Billy feigns hurt. “No need to get personal here, mate,” he says. “I do my duty to your country and still maintain equal respect of my own.”
“The country that deported you,” Casey reminds him blandly.
Billy shakes his head. “It was mostly a misunderstanding.”
“Clearly,” Casey says sarcastically. “You misunderstood that the one-way plane ticket they gave you wasn’t a parting gift.”
Billy’s expression falls a bit further and he slouches in the seat for a moment, watching the door. “You know,” he says. “You can be rather cruel when you put your mind to it.”
Casey looks at Billy out of the corner of his eye. He sighs. “It’s this damn stakeout,” he says. “Stuck in a car all night watching a door, freezing our asses off. In Germany, no less.” He shrugs. “It makes me grumpy.”
Billy seems marginally mollified. “Grumpier than usual, you mean,” he offers.
Casey’s goodwill evaporates. “You’re still breathing too much,” he says. “It’s fogging up the glass.”
“If I breathed less, I’d be dead,” Billy reminds him.
At that, Casey looks at Billy fully and smiles. “I know.”
Billy glares. “You know,” he says. “If we didn’t have such a long and colorful history together, I might get the distinct impression that you don’t like me.”
Casey turns back to the door, squinting in the darkness for any sign of movement. “And that would be the first true observation you’ve made all night.”
Billy opens his mouth to protest but abruptly stops when something moves. “You see that?”
Casey nods. “I see that.”
Billy leans forward, fingers on the keys as they watch their mark slink out, slipping into the car parked out front. They wait in silence while the car pulls away and Billy starts the car, easing out quietly into traffic a few moments later.
Billy maintains an appropriate distance, hands on the wheel as he keeps his focus in front of him.
“Should we call Michael?” Casey asks.
Billy shakes his head. “We don’t have anything yet.”
“But he’s on the move.”
“He could be getting cigarettes.”
“At three AM?” Casey ask skeptically.
“Nicotine is a powerful drug,” Billy returns.
Casey stares.
Billy glances at him and shrugs.
Finally, Casey shakes his head, sulking a bit on the seat.
A few turns later, Billy is leaning forward to peer through the windshield. “I think we’re fogging up in here,” he says. He glances at Casey in all seriousness. “I think you’re breathing too much.”
Casey is not amused.
Billy can’t help but grin.
“You know I can kill you without even taking my seat belt off,” Casey says.
Billy looks back at the road contentedly. “You can,” he agrees. “But you won’t because you love me entirely too much.”
“I’d love you more if you’d stop breathing,” Casey tells him tersely.
“That would perhaps solve our foggy glass problem,” Billy agrees. Then he glances at Casey again, eyes sparkling. “But it’d make stakeouts a lot less fun.”
Casey seems to want to protest but after a minute, he slinks lower in his seat. “Agreed.”
Billy is practically beaming when he looks back at the road, following their mark carefully into the night.
Disclaimer: Not mine.
A/N: eviinsanemonkey prompted with Casey and Billy on a stakeout. And I actually managed to keep this angst free :) Thanks to moogsthewriter for the quick read and enabling me so thoroughly.
Summary: Casey and Billy bond during a stakeout. More or less.
-o-
“You’re breathing too much.”
Billy sighs, shaking his head. “Now what kind of criticism is that?”
“An appropriate one,” Casey returns tersely. “It’s getting hard to see out the windows with all your unnecessary huffing and puffing.”
“I am not huffing or puffing,” Billy replies.
“You should still learn to reduce your breathing rate,” Casey advises. “It may save your life someday.”
Billy casts him a glance across the car. “I know conversation is getting thin in here, but I assure you, that’s just as much my fault as yours,” he says.
Casey’s gaze doesn’t waver. “I don’t want conversation,” he says. “I want to get eyes on our suspect so we can’t stop freezing our asses off in this godforsaken car in this miserable country.”
“Germany is quite a nice country,” Billy says, as though Casey has merely forgotten.
“It’s a political wasteland that once supported the Nazis,” Casey deadpans back.
Billy’s brow furrows. “Spoken like a man who has never made a mistake before,” he says, somewhat pointedly.
Casey barely spares a moment to roll his eyes. “My mistakes involve one night stands and spilling coffee in the break room,” he says. “Not the almost-annihilation of a race of people.”
For a moment, Billy is silent. “Though I suspect you would probably enjoy the idea of worldwide domination.”
At that, Casey seems to stop. His eyes turn toward Billy skeptically. “Possibly,” he admits. “But only if I had the appropriate means to enforce a just society.”
Billy seems encouraged by that answer. “I have a feeling that such a thing might be harder than you think,” he surmises.
Casey is thoughtful now. “But not as hard as you think it is,” he says. “With the right laws in place and appropriate displays of power and grace in equal turns, it’s really not so hard to control the masses.”
“I’m sure Machiavelli couldn’t have said it better himself,” Billy tells him earnestly.
Casey’s fantasy seems to dissipate and he turns back to the stakeout with a scowl. “What would you know about it,” he says. “The Scottish have failed to come up with an independent system of government and still choose to live willingly under the archaic British system.”
Billy feigns hurt. “No need to get personal here, mate,” he says. “I do my duty to your country and still maintain equal respect of my own.”
“The country that deported you,” Casey reminds him blandly.
Billy shakes his head. “It was mostly a misunderstanding.”
“Clearly,” Casey says sarcastically. “You misunderstood that the one-way plane ticket they gave you wasn’t a parting gift.”
Billy’s expression falls a bit further and he slouches in the seat for a moment, watching the door. “You know,” he says. “You can be rather cruel when you put your mind to it.”
Casey looks at Billy out of the corner of his eye. He sighs. “It’s this damn stakeout,” he says. “Stuck in a car all night watching a door, freezing our asses off. In Germany, no less.” He shrugs. “It makes me grumpy.”
Billy seems marginally mollified. “Grumpier than usual, you mean,” he offers.
Casey’s goodwill evaporates. “You’re still breathing too much,” he says. “It’s fogging up the glass.”
“If I breathed less, I’d be dead,” Billy reminds him.
At that, Casey looks at Billy fully and smiles. “I know.”
Billy glares. “You know,” he says. “If we didn’t have such a long and colorful history together, I might get the distinct impression that you don’t like me.”
Casey turns back to the door, squinting in the darkness for any sign of movement. “And that would be the first true observation you’ve made all night.”
Billy opens his mouth to protest but abruptly stops when something moves. “You see that?”
Casey nods. “I see that.”
Billy leans forward, fingers on the keys as they watch their mark slink out, slipping into the car parked out front. They wait in silence while the car pulls away and Billy starts the car, easing out quietly into traffic a few moments later.
Billy maintains an appropriate distance, hands on the wheel as he keeps his focus in front of him.
“Should we call Michael?” Casey asks.
Billy shakes his head. “We don’t have anything yet.”
“But he’s on the move.”
“He could be getting cigarettes.”
“At three AM?” Casey ask skeptically.
“Nicotine is a powerful drug,” Billy returns.
Casey stares.
Billy glances at him and shrugs.
Finally, Casey shakes his head, sulking a bit on the seat.
A few turns later, Billy is leaning forward to peer through the windshield. “I think we’re fogging up in here,” he says. He glances at Casey in all seriousness. “I think you’re breathing too much.”
Casey is not amused.
Billy can’t help but grin.
“You know I can kill you without even taking my seat belt off,” Casey says.
Billy looks back at the road contentedly. “You can,” he agrees. “But you won’t because you love me entirely too much.”
“I’d love you more if you’d stop breathing,” Casey tells him tersely.
“That would perhaps solve our foggy glass problem,” Billy agrees. Then he glances at Casey again, eyes sparkling. “But it’d make stakeouts a lot less fun.”
Casey seems to want to protest but after a minute, he slinks lower in his seat. “Agreed.”
Billy is practically beaming when he looks back at the road, following their mark carefully into the night.