Fandom Life in a Quarantine Zone { The Last of Us 1x1 with icedthemoon }

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos peered over his shoulder at the chuckle. That was exactly what he wanted to hear. That was a good sound. A great sound. A beautiful sound. “Don’t let them get to you,” he feigned at warning. “I would hate for such a good officer to be tempted by something so… dangerous.” He let the last word flick off of his tongue with a full weight of meaning he would like him decide what to do with. He sent a little wave over his shoulder, wiggling his fingers. He laughed himself as he turned back to face away from him and bound away to actually go do his job. Maybe. Maybe he would make up another excuse to see him.
​

 

[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb looked at Strong Arms as he looked back over his shoulder. Dangerous? What was dangerous was the fact that he was trying to find any reason to talk to or be near this man. “A little temptation is sometimes all that’s needed.” Kaleb said, and he smirked at the little wave as the man continued on to do his job. Kaleb was either going to break rules and go after a civilian or leave and wonder if he’d follow Kaleb.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

It was easy to tear stuff down and throw it into a junk heap when his mind was elsewhere, because this was easy, mindless work. In fact, now that he was so focused on not this work at all, he was doing it better and faster. How that made any sense, he did not know. Oh maybe not better. He did just wound himself. This wasn’t so bad. Okay, so it was a pretty big gash on his arm. And it was bleeding pretty bad. It was not going to kill him. He could ignore it. String Bean came over, wanted to clean it up for him, maybe do something to make it feel better. Carlos wasn’t in the mood. “You’re never in the mood anymore,” String Bean whined. He shrugged. That was entirely untrue. It wasn’t that he wasn’t in the mood. It was that he was always thinking about someone else. As String Bean disappeared glumly, he had a thought. This was a pretty bad wound. He probably should get it looked at. Who better to tell than an officer? He walked himself out of the middle of this demolition zone in search of his favorite officer. He skirted clear of Scowl and went straight to Blue Eyes. “I think I may require some assistance.”
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb had been walking around the site, talking every so often to the workers who weren’t doing quite so much. He was moving around when he looked up hearing footsteps. Strong Arms was walking up to him, and bleeding? The flash of fear and upset surprised Kaleb. “Come with me.” Kaleb told him, trying to keep his calm demeanor as he led the way. He should take him to the medics. Where did Kaleb take him? To his bunkhouse where he kept his own stash of medical supplies.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

What Carlos was expecting was to be taken to the medics. He’d been to the medics plenty of times over the years since he was in fact the trouble magnet as he liked to cause much trouble. He didn’t really need to medic probably. Well, okay maybe. Honestly, if this were any other day with any other guard, he would have waited until he went home to let the rest of them handle it. He just wanted to be around him. And then he just kept going as he followed, and it was not to the medics at all. It was to the bunkhouse? Now that was a strange development. “You got a secret medic in here, Blue Eyes or are we about to play doctor?”
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb walked into the bunkhouse, looking back at Strong Arms. What was he doing? Was he really going to bring this man into his bunkhouse and clean him up? He should go to the medics with him. He was silent as he stepped inside the house. None of his other officers were there. Kaleb pointed to his bed. “Please sit” he told Strong Arms. Again Kaleb had to wonder just what he was doing right now. Not that he really cared about what others would say. He could use his father as a threat if he had to.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

A part of him was a bit nervous about this. An officer was bringing him, number one trouble of the troubles, into his bunkhouse and was now asking him to sit on his bed. He had no idea what was about to happen, and that was more than a little scary. It was also exciting. Wasn’t this exactly what he was working so hard to do? Get the attention of Blue Eyes? This was certainly proof that attention was had. Unchaperoned attention. He sat as he was told, wishing that he could figure out what to say to get him talking and also that his heart would slow down. “Color me curious about you,” he spoke as he looked around the room. It was decidedly boring. Not enough color. “You know you make zero sense?”
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Once Strong Arms was in and sitting down, Kaleb reached under his bed for his medical stash. He opened it up and grabbed a rag. He gently took hold of the man’s arm and wiped it down. It was big but not deep. “I make zero sense? Says the one using a fight as a distraction to paint a giant mural.” He said, working on cleaning up the wound. “But tell me, what about me makes you curious?” He asked as he cleaned it.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Blue Eyes had a point. Carlos was trouble, and he did a whole lot to get what he wanted. “To be fair,” he began, “I didn’t do the fight. Basira and Jade were more than happy to start that. They are always itching for one.” He probably shouldn’t have said that. He just admitted to fancy officer man that two of his cohorts were far less innocent that they had the guards believe. But he trusted this man for absolutely no reason. Maybe it was because of how often he got away with things or the extra ration cards. “But when it comes to you? Everything. Everything about you makes me curious.” His eyes followed the line of his hands up his arms and to his shoulder. To his face. “Why are you so different? Why aren’t you another one of them? Who are you, Blue Eyes?”
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

‘Who are you Blue Eyes?’ That was a question that even Kaleb didn’t know the answer to. He’d been raised in the rules and regulations of FEDRA. He was trained to do things and enforce rules that he knew were wrong inside. So who was he? Was he an officer? Son of a general? Or just Kaleb Price? But in that same aspect who was Kaleb Price? What made him so different from the others? Why was he so different? “That’s a question I don’t know how to answer.” And Kaleb didn’t know how. He wrapped up the wound a moment later. “Though in answer, I might not be around much longer so you won’t have to worry about who I am.”​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos waited anxiously for his answer. He wanted to know. He really wanted to know. Blue Eyes seemed to think about that too. Interesting. Did he not know? Because that changed things. Or maybe it explained this. Something like that. And then everything turned upside down. Might not be here? What did that mean? His heartbeat faster after the fraction it stopped completely. As he finished wrapping the would, Carlos panicked. He grabbed his hand. Stay here. Stay with me, beautiful blue eyes. “Leaving so soon? The party just started, and I was excited for the dancing to start.” Where are you going? What are you doing? Is it you or someone else? Is it like No Fun? Is it like Boring? He had a million questions, but he also desperately wanted to tell him not to go. But why? That was the other question.
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb looked at him, shock on his face as he felt Strong Arms take his hand. He looked down at it before back up at him. "Dancing? Who's throwing the party?" He asked, head tilted in curiosity. He had just said he was leaving soon, and it was like he'd pulled the rug out from under Strong Arms. "I'll be leaving here at the end of the week. Going out into the country. Now you take care of yourself and stop causing trouble. I won't be able to stop them anymore." Kaleb said. "Go on before they question why I've got a civilian in the guard bunkhouse." Kaleb added.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos couldn’t stop his brows from resting at the top of the bridge of his nose. That was not at all what he wanted. End of the week? He only just now got his attention. He only just now got the courage to really talk to him. He didn’t move, because if he left, was that it? Was this all he got? One interesting week before he had to go back to the way it was before? But what if he didn’t want to go back? What if he liked it better out here in this vast ocean where he very well could drown since he didn’t know how to swim? “Me,” he finally answered as he stared into those beautiful eyes. “It’s my party.” He stood, unsure what to do. He stepped once. Twice. Looked back. “What’s your name? Your real one? Not this fake one you share with everyone, because it’s what they want to hear. What’s your name, beautiful blue eyes?"
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb could see that the man was thinking. It was intriguing to say the least to Kaleb, that he had to think about this. He wasn't sure what he was thinking telling a civilian he was leaving. But he felt like he could trust this man. He had a feeling that Strong Arms wouldn't rat him out or tell anyone. He blinked his eyes when the man finally spoke. "Your party hmm. And pray tell where are you partying?" Kaleb asked with a curious tone. He watched as Strong Arms stood, and Kaleb watched him take one step, then another before he looked back. His name? The one he hasn't used in ages because they insist on last names only? "Kaleb. That's my real name" He said, looking at him. "What about you Strong Arms, what's your name?"​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos had a choice to make here. Blue Eyes probably didn’t know that this was a choice he was having to make, but this was certainly one, and it was going to be very important. He knew that he couldn’t go back to how it was before him. He couldn’t live a life with people like No Fun, Boring, and Scowl. He could not pretend like he was at all happy with the way that Jade and Basira were living their lives. He could not pretend like Salim’s little radio test was going to do anything for them. These last days playing this game with him was one of the best times of his entire existence. How was he supposed to let that go by the end of the week? Make a choice.

He called him Strong Arms?

“Carlos,” he answered thoughtfully. He made a choice. He twisted around and closed that gap between them, standing but inches from him. He lifted a hesitant hand, but it didn’t shake like he could his insides doing. He placed it first on the hand he took before then dragged it up the arm. Muscled arm. Up to shoulder and chest. “Well, Kaleb, it’s a roaming party it seems, and I would very much like to dance with you.” He brought both hands up, wrapping one around the back of Kaleb’s head, fingers tangling into hair, and the other hand touching the ends of his cheek as his lips were very much against s those of an officer who decided to go rogue. No stopping it now. He broke away, breath intermingling for just a moment, before he turned around and left.
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos.. That name suited him. It suited him well. He watched as the man who'd been walking away twisted around and closed the gap between the two of them. He felt him take his hand, then drag it up Kaleb's arm, to his shoulder and then to his chest. He felt a shiver run down his spine at his name from Carlos' mouth. He wasn't expecting both hands of his to come up, one on the back of his head, fingers in his hair, and the other touching the ends of his cheek. Kaleb's eyes went wide at the feeling of his lips on Kaleb's and it was like the officer's world had frozen. Kaleb blinked as Carlos broke away and he lost his breath for a moment there, before he gasped, drawing it back in. He was about to say something when Carlos turned and left. Kaleb brushed his fingers over his lips and sighed softly. Oh boy.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

What did he just do? Did he kiss a FEDRA officer? Did he kiss Blue Eyes? Kaleb. He kissed Kaleb. That was definitely different than any other kiss that he ever had, and he kissed a lot of people. Honestly, the amount of people he had not kissed was probably easier to count than the other way around. That was the other troublemaking he was known to cause. The group down the hall got into it over him. He was going around kissing everyone, and they were all jealous. But this. This was not even like those when sometimes he wanted to make people jealous. This wasn’t like the ones that were hot and heavy for the fun of it. Work. He should go back to work. He could go back and show off his fancy wrapping and say he had to go to the medic. No, he didn’t know where Officer Price was. Hadn’t seen him. Never met him, honestly. Work. He still had to eat. No, he couldn’t work. Not after that. So he moved himself through the streets until he finally ended up back in the little room where he was all alone, because Salim was finally feeling better enough to go earn his own ration cards. He sat at the table, staring at the many drawings with the blue eyes. Kaleb. Kaleb was leaving by the end of the week, and he was going to go with him.
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb wasn't sure what had happened, but he didn't know if he'd be able to leave. Not unless he brought Carlos with him. He couldn't ask the man to do that though. Kaleb would feel guilty asking him to leave everything he knew to join him on what could be considered a silly journey where he'd probably die from a horde of infected. Kaleb knew he had to get back to the work site, but he was still not quite in the right mind set. And did it really matter? Not really if he was leaving. And so Kaleb laid down and spent it thinking about everything. From the kiss to Carlos in general.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

First back was Jade who gave him an earful about not working and feeding himself or them. He should be ashamed for not getting those extra ration cards. She didn’t understand what was going on between him and that officer, but she knew they better use it to their advantage. Next was Salim who had a new idea about how he could work that old radio to maybe see if he could tap into additional frequencies outside of the QZ. He immediately went to work on that. By the time Basira came back, he was already exhausted pretending to care at all about anything they had to say. She was angry about something he didn’t listen to and wanted to pick another fight. This would be the perfect time for some art, big brother. Why don’t we start creating more that is going to bring people to their cause?

What cause? Why did they only ever want to start riots?

He couldn’t be in the same room as these people anymore. They all wanted what he wanted or so he thought, but now that he distanced himself, maybe it wasn’t the same after all? They didn’t want to end this suffering, they just wanted revenge. He didn’t want to create revenge propaganda. He wanted to make art. He didn’t want to be stuck in this world forever. He wanted to explore. Remember to dream. He found himself wandering. It wasn’t too late yet, or at least not so late that the guards were going to yell at him for being out. He didn’t have anything with him, so it wasn’t like they could bust him for more graffiti. He was just wandering. Thinking. Maybe even planning.
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb couldn't lay down in his bunk anymore, not with how fast his mind was still racing. It wasn't dark out, but it wasn't light either. It was that beautiful time in between day and night and Kaleb was headed out of the bunk house for a walk. He wasn't on guard duty, in fact one of his group had that pleasure and so Kaleb was safe to walk outside. He actually ventured towards the mural and looked at it, with a smile, admiring the artwork.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

He wandered until he found that he was walking towards his mural. The mural that changed everything. Did it? It did for him. It encompassed everything he was trying to achieve and say all at once. Maybe the message wasn’t super clear to everyone else, but he knew it. If nothing else, he did have that. To his surprise, someone else was already admiring it. Someone else who he did not expect to see. He should have. It was for him, after all. “Did you catch that crazy guy who did this, yet? Heard he’s a trouble maker for sure.”
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb was looking at the mural, not expecting anyone to be around. Kaleb heard the voice behind him and turned to see the man he couldn't seem to get out of his head for some reason. "No, he keeps slipping through our fingers. These trouble makers are crazy to do this." Kaleb said with a small chuckle, turning his attention from Carlos to the mural again. It was beautiful, and he loved it, not knowing that it was for him.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos shook his head, moving up to stand right by Kaleb as he looked up at his own mural. They were approximately a foot apart. His gaze touched Kaleb’s face before slipping down to his hands. He gave a quick scan around. No one else was there. His fingers reached out and found Kaleb’s only long enough for them to slip away soon after. “That’s too bad. Criminals like that should really be caught before they do anything too drastic. Too dangerous.” He pulled his hands behind him and slid his eyes to look at the painting. He was smooth.
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[EquineGurl23]

Kaleb Price
High-Ranking FEDRA officer | 25 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Kaleb looked over at Carlos when he stood beside him. He wasn't expecting to feel fingers touch his hand before slipping away. He wanted to hold that hand longer. That weird feeling in his stomach was back. He looked at Carlos who had his hands behind him and staring at the mural. "I guess I should find these dangerous criminals then huh?" He asked with a grin.​

 

[icedthemoon]

Carlos Da Silva
Trouble-Making Citizen | 23 | Current location ;; Denver Quarantine Zone

Carlos kept his attention on the mural, afraid of what he would do if he looked over at Kaleb. Having now opened up his own can of worms, this little creatures were wiggling literally everywhere and there was no taming them. “You really should.” He scooted a half a foot closer, smiling at him. “Imagine what they could do if you let them run loose.” He raised a hand and ran it down Kaleb’s arm before bringing it back to his chest. “How much mischief they could bring to our poor, unsuspecting little home here.” He raised both brows, looking specifically away still. “Or, you know, out and about. Maybe in the country?”
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