Partners in Crime [TP and LIY]

[Tamissa Pines]

Why the fuck do they care so much about granola bars? Carla scowled to herself as she shoved the box into the patched up messenger bag that hung at her up, glancing over her shoulder at the pursuing security guards. Why did such a little gas station have security guards? She'd grabbed a single box of granola bars, which she was certain she needed more than anyone who could actually pay for it, and they'd been on her in seconds, which was strange. Normally gas stations were pretty poorly guarded, so it was easy to slip in, grab something small, and flee again, but not this particular gas station. Maybe it was because it was in the part of town where robberies were common? She supposed she should have taken that into account before she tried anything, but she'd been a little off her game lately, though she couldn't explain why. She'd had too many close calls too close together, and it didn't make sense. Normally, she was stealthy as could be, but for the past few weeks, she'd been tripping up time and time again. She needed to get her act together.


Fortunately for her, her life style led to her having a very high endurance, so she was sure she could out run them if she tried hard enough. She'd escaped cops and other malicious pursuers time and time again in the past, so she didn't doubt that she could do so again now. Besides, if she was being honest, the security guards currently chasing her were not quite up to par with what she was used to facing. She rounded a corner, and skidded to a stop less than a foot away from plowing into a man who was almost twice her size. She was just about to apologize quickly and keep running, when she looked up at his face and paused, blinking a few times in surprise. She knew those eyes. She'd only spent years trying her best to pick out the shards of suffering that lingered in his crystal irises, after all. It had been years since she'd seen him, and he'd aged, of course, like anyone would have, but his eyes had stayed the same. There were still fragments of pain and slivers of torment lingering, even with all she'd done to rid him of them.


"...Adrien?" she asked uncertainly, hesitating just a moment before speaking. This seemed strange. What were the odds that she'd run into him on the street after all these years of separation, after all the towns she'd skipped and all the miles she'd traveled away from home? A shout rang out from behind her and she bristled, looking over her shoulder and cursing under her breath. It was the worst possible time for a reunion, which was unfortunate, since she'd enjoy a moment to chat with her old friend. A similar bellow echoed through the air, but from the other direction, and her mind put together the pieces in a split second. They were running, albeit from different people, and they couldn't stop here. Acting on impulse, she quickly looked around before grabbing his arm. "Follow me!" she urged quietly, tugging him into a nearby alleyway. Moving fast, she lifted the lid of a large dumpster and peeked in, thanking every god from Buddha to Zeus (despite not believing in a single one of them) that it was empty. "In here!" she hissed, interlocking her fingers to boost him into the dumpster. After she had gotten him inside, she jumped up herself, climbing in and softly closing the lid to prevent their pursuers hearing them and figuring out their hiding spot. She sat silently, tense and waiting, as footsteps approached, two sets of voices chatting in muffled tones before splitting in different directions. After a minute or two of silence had passed, she let out a breath of relief, standing and pushing the lid of the dumpster back up, climbing out and dropping to the ground, looking around to make sure the coast was clear.

 

[singularsins]

Adrian glanced around his surroundings cautiously, chewing on the inside of his cheek in thought. The footsteps had faded into opposite directions, but there was no telling whether or not the pursuers would return to have another look at the area. They couldn't linger here long. He turned to the girl he'd known years ago. The girl who had never left his mind. Everything seemed to be rushing back to him instantly. This was the last person alive he'd ever felt such loyalty and dedication for. This was the very same person who'd been stolen from him years ago. The same person who, by fate, seemed to have landed back in his life at a rather unsuspecting time.


"C'mon." He said, without hesitation. "We can't stay long. I have a place a few blocks down where I've been staying the past few days. It's abandoned, too dangerous for the authorities to go poking their heads around. That is, if you're daring enough to follow me thoughtlessly." For a brief moment, a small, playful smirk played upon his lips. The gesture was foreign to him. In the past years, he'd only managed a half smile when associating with people that would score him a treasure trove of supplies. Without allowing her to answer, he grabbed her hand and led her to the end of the alleyway, which connected to another. He peered around the corners, noticing some flashlights flickering in the distance before they disappeared around another corner. He breathed a sigh of relief before rushing into another dark pathway. He moved with precision, slowly allowing her fingers to slip from his just so he could climb a fire escape to reach the fourth floor of a decaying building. He could hear the sounds of voices somewhere, talking about moving this way and that. He knew eventually they'd move towards them. That they'd look fruitlessly until dawn at the very least. He also knew they needed to get inside the building before they arrived. Lest they spend their reunion behind bars.


Arriving at a window, he waited for her and guided her through the makeshift entrance before hopping in just as he could hear the heavy footsteps moving their direction. He pressed himself against a wall, noting the flashlights moving up and down the walls of the buildings surrounding the men below. Then, slowly, they disappeared. He let out a deep sigh of relief, feeling rather worn out. Though he had high stamina, his recent string of bad luck had taken most of his strength.


Looking to Carla with the calm apathy that was common for him, he pulled a smooshed pop tart out of his bag along with a two sodas. "Want one?" He asked, nonchalantly, though he looked just like the boy he'd once been in his youth. The one trying to be tough. The one that never needed to be for her, but tried regardless. "I always thought if we'd meet again I'd have more to show you than this, but I think this is enough for now. How have you been?"


Regardless of her answer, he slid the soda towards her and opened the package, picking up a piece of the crumbly treat and eating it. He slumped against the wall, content.

 

[Tamissa Pines]

Carla reached behind her head, tying her tangled hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of her face. The dirty white scrunchie she used to hold it was a little outdated, but hey, it was serviceable, so that was all that mattered. She could think a lot more clearly when strands of matted hair weren't dangling in her vision, racking her mind for a good place that she could hide out for the night. Traveling by foot, she couldn't just drive out of town and sleep in her car, so she needed to find the cheapest possible motel to spend the night in. She shouldn't linger here long either, should she? They could turn around at any second. But some part of her wanted to stay, just for a moment, and the reason for the urge was standing right beside her.


At the sound of Adrien's voice, deeper but still familiar, she turned to face him, deciding to worry about what the night would bring later. For now, she had the opportunity to catch up with an old friend, a rare occurrence considering how few friends she'd had and how often she swapped towns. Besides, Adrien was more than just a friend. He was her best friend, the only person she'd ever dared to confide in, and even though the circumstances weren't the best, she was over the moon at an opportunity to talk to him again after the many years of separation. At the playful taunt, she couldn't help but grin, memories rising inside of her like the tide. "Is that even a question?" she asked breathlessly, not uttering so much as a word of complaint when he took her hand and began to lead her along, pulling her from one dark alley to another. If it had been anyone else, she never would have let them lead her, wouldn't have followed them blindly into unknown territory, but Adrien was the exception. It seemed he always was, no matter the situation. She had never let anyone see her writing (admittedly rather poorly done and cliché when she was younger), except for him. She never dared to take off her sweater around anyone, lest they see the bruises, except for him. She had made a rule of isolation, told herself to trust no one, except for, as it seemed, him.


She followed him up the fire escape as quickly and quietly as she could manage, knuckles turning white from how tightly she gripped the bars. She could hear voices in the distance, drawing closer and closer, and they spurred her to move faster, climbing through the entrance and ducking out of sight mere seconds before the voices reached them, echoing in the empty alleyway below him. After a moment of tension, they cleared off, and she let out a breath of relief that almost perfectly mirrored that of her companion.


"I'd love one," she told him, exhaustion heavy in her tone as she accepted the soda offered to her. She supposed that to some degree it was strange how casual they could be after not seeing each other for so many years, but when they'd been so close, it was hard to be anything but. Years had passed and things had changed, but at its core, things were much the same. They were two poor people in unfortunate situations, just as they had been all those years ago. At the comment, she gave a small chuckle that lacked some of the mirth it usually held. "At least you have a consistent place to sleep while in town," she pointed out, taking a sip of the soda, "More than I can say, that's for fucking sure."


The next question, though, made her hesitate for just a brief moment before she decided to be completely honest, sighing and giving a small shrug. "If you want an honest answer, things...things haven't been great. But you know, I'm surviving, and that's what matters," she answered, lowering herself to sit against the wall, "And I suppose the freedom's rather nice. How about you?" As she waited for an answer, she reached into the pocket of her jacket, pulling out a cigarette and sticking it between her lips before taking out her lighter as well, pausing before lighting it and glancing at Adrien. "Do you mind?" she asked uncertainly, not wanting to cause any ripples when they'd so recently found each other again. It briefly passed through her mind just how much she'd changed since they last saw each other, going from a bruised child with a flower crown to an equally bruised adult with a cigarette and a track record as long as the Nile, but she pushed the thought away.

 

[singularsins]

"At least you're honest with me." Adrian muttered under his breath, though it didn't contain the typical contempt it usually held. Instead, he just seemed withdrawn. He waved a hand dismissively at her. "You aren't doing anything I'm not already." He commented, quietly. Despite the voices having faded into nothing more than a mere memory waiting to dissipate, he was still careful. He could never be too relaxed, it seemed. Not like he'd been when he was a mere child. When fighting was only worthy of minimal punishments and listening to numerous sessions of scolds. When innocence still existed, even in feeble amounts. He liked to think of the time when he still believed that he had a chance. When pursuing that better life still felt like a palpable, realistic opportunity to him. Now he accepted he was only good for causing trouble and making authorities curse his name. That, perhaps, he was put on the earth to bring mischief to the world around him. That's all he'd ever done in the past, thus he was destined to continue doing so in the future. That is, until his body grew older and he began to weaken. Until running and hiding and stealing were no longer options. Yet he wouldn't think of that now. He was still young. Young and ready for several more years of chaos.


"It's not necessarily consistent. Usually I've got some cheap motel accommodating me. I hadn't had enough money together to afford one this go round, so I found this place. It's beginning to fall apart, but it's sturdy enough. You havin' a hard time around this place too? What do ya say we travel to the next town together?" He had plans on leaving tomorrow, actually. He was heading for somewhere down south, where the weather was still warmer and he could still cherish the last happenings of the dry, hot season. Then winter would move in and he'd frigidly starve and strife to make end's meet. Winter was always his worst time of the year. The cold always bothered him and he barely scrounged enough clothes to keep him warm, let alone venture out into blizzards.


As he pulled a cigarette out his pocket and lit it, he realized he may have pressed her too far with his suggestion for them to travel together. They had been best friends. Heck, he still considered them best friends....but he wasn't trying to force some commitment on her. They'd been separated once already. In fact, it seemed she was getting off fairly well without him. Not that he speculated too much that she meant more to him than he did her, but he was always a worrier. He decided to brush the thought away. They'd picked up right where they'd left off, it seems. That had to mean something.


Yet, he felt a new sense of hope filling the hollowed bones of his wellbeing. That, perhaps, he now had the strength to walk thousands upon thousands of miles. His best friend. The long lost friend that had always been there was finally back. He'd showed her off the various trinkets his mother would sneak him, just as he'd tell her stories of his mother and her kindness. How it made him believe in a better world. One where she and him could both be happy. He'd promised her time and time again he'd work to make the world a better place for her.


And look where he was now, eh? Not that he felt she was upset with him over the petty promise. In fact, she'd probably forgotten. They'd both resorted to lives they likely never dreamed of living, but he was honestly content with his lifestyle. He never truly hurt people that didn't deserve it. In fact, he probably only inflicted suffering upon those that did. The girls at the bar that obviously took their good lives for granted. The men who hurt the weak because they could. The selfish and cruel deserved to be fooled and taken down a notch. Everyone else could live on in sweet oblivion.


"I'm not trying to make you tag along with me on some permanent trip or anything....I just figured it would be nice....Catching up with an old friend after so long." Honestly, he had no desire to try to stir the pot too much right now. In fact, he'd just appreciate the few moments of her time he'd managed to steal. She'd always seemed so out of reach since she'd disappeared. In fact, she was. And now she just felt like a fleeting soul, too far for him to fully grasp and too close for him to believe she was truly there. He was stuck between various stages of awe and wonder. Why had the same oppressive hands of destiny that had taken his mother and separated them all those years ago suddenly bring them back together?