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It's a quiet, chilly night in Hunting Park, the cramped neighborhood shut up for the evening. Well, the respectable folx have shut up, at least. It's the perfect time of night for ne'er-do-wells to wander, and get into who knows what sorts of trouble.
Which, of course, is exactly what Calamity's doing. They've got their ever-present dark green bandana up over their nose and mouth, and they've snuck around the back of a boarded up house. There's a small, but intense light that casts their silhouette against the peeling clapboard, and they're clearly focusing very hard on whatever they're doing.
Finley totally hadn't been stalking Calamity. Totally a coincidence that they were passing through the neighborhood, unnoticed by Obfuscate. Totally a coincidence that they spotted Calamity moving around the house.
They're wearing their usual--gray oversized coat, a baggy t-shirt, cargo pants. Tonight's mask is a simple :3 face. The obfuscate slips away as they quietly step around the side of the house, relying on zher natural stealthiness as zhe creeps along to where Calamity is working.
"Calamity...?" zhe whispers, eyes wide.
There's a hiss of breath, and the flame disappears, pitching the back alley into darkness. But a second later, Calamity's face - what's visible above their bandana - is illuminated by a pale yellow flame they seem to be holding between two fingers. Easy enough to mistake for a match, if you didn't know better.
"WhatTheFuck - Fin?" They demand in a whisper. "What're you doing here?"
Finley lets out a startled sound at the sudden flicker of flame, stepping back. Zhe blinks, brows creasing together with worry. "Mm... saw you... sneaking. What are... you doing...?"
"Why're you all the way out here?" Their voice is muffled by the bandana, and they pull it down with a huff.
"...Walking?" zhe murmurs in an embarrassed tentative whisper.
"Fuckin' long walk from your place..." They narrow their eyes. "Were you following me, or something?"
Zhe glances left and right, hands fidgeting together nervously. "Only... for a little while..."
"...Why?" Calamity frowns. "Fucking creepy, you know?"
Zhe winces, taking another step back. "S-sorry. I can... go..?"
"Why were you following me?"
"...Curiosity...?"
They wrinkle their nose. "Fucking...weirdo." They huff out something that might be amusement. Their voice has lost all its heat, it almost sounds...fond? "You...don't have'ta go. But like...I dunno, just text me or sometime, 'f you wanna come hang out."
Finley shrinks back at first, shoulders hunching and looking down. But as they let out the amused huff they dare looking up again, watching him nervously a moment. "S-sorry... Um... I will. Didn't mean to freak you out..."
"Thought you were one of the guys, at first. Comin' to check on me." Calamity shrugs and shakes their head. "Actually lets - go somewhere not here. 'F any of them come looking they're not gonna be happy if I've got someone with me."
"I can hide," Finley insists, taking another step closer. "If... you want help...?"
"I - you don't like fire, 'n shit. Had the idea of like...graffiti, but burning it instead of painting it. Dunno how well it's gonna turn out, but it'll get the point across." They turn back toward the house, holding their flame up a little higher so Finley can see the doodles burned into the plywood covering the window here.
Finley looks up to blink at the scorch marks for a moment, considering. "I... can stay way back? And just watch."
"I mean...if you wanna." Calamity shrugs. "It's not like...pretty or anything. I'm not an artist." Another huff of amusement, and they pull their bandana up to cover the lower half of their face again before turning to continue drawing on the plywood.
"Oh man wait, did you get a chance to look at my blood, or whatever?"
Finley does in fact step backwards. Several steps backwards. And even then they watch Calamity anxiously... but with open fascination.
"O-oh--um, yeah... I did..."
"Anything cool?" They turn to look for Finley's reaction.
"No..." Zhe shoulders slump more, looking down at the ground. "S-sorry. I looked for everything I could think of. But I didn't see anything weird. I... I think I'd have to... look at a lot of different samples, um. From other special people. To be able to make any... worth while studies. Sorry... it didn't come up with anything interesting..."
"Awh." Calamity's shoulders slump a little. "I was kinda hoping there'd be something cool. But I guess now you know?"
"I was too. Mm... yeah... It was still worth doing, I think. You are feeling okay, right?"
"Oh yeah - I slept really good and felt better the next day. I bet the ice cream helped, too." They turn again, the sides of their eyes crinkling as they presumably smile.
The look is mirrored back to them before zher head dips sheepishly. "We could... get some... When you're done."
"...We could. There's not a lot around here - a 24 hour corner store that's got like...pints in the freezer and ice pops and that sorta shit?"
"Mm, that works too. Whatever you want..." They watch their hand. "Why... are you sending a message?"
"I mean right now I'm not. Just practicing. But like...this's our street, and we gotta let people know that."
"Ooh..." Finley blinks slowly, hands burying into zher coat pockets. "...You're in a gang, huh?"
"...Yeah?" They sound...apprehensive. "Safety in numbers, 'n shit. You know?"
"...I guess." Finley doesn't sound judgmental. Maybe a bit concerned? "Do... you like it?"
"Wouldn't be here, without 'em." It's a practical statement, and they shrug, turning back toward the house. "They look out for me, you know?"
"...They're your friends?" Fin shifts zher weight between zher feet, watching Calamity more than the fire in their fingers now.
"They look out for me," Calamity repeats. "D'you have people looking out for you?"
Finley doesn't say anything for a moment, just watching Calamity. "...Yes. A few people. Not... like... a gang, though. Like... family." Their brows knit together. "Are they... good to you?"
"They don't beat me, 'f that's what you mean." Calamity sniffs. "They're fine. Bunch'a guys, kinda annoying sometimes. You know. They're better family than my shitty-ass one."
"...Do they make you do dangerous things...?"
They scoff and shake their head. "Wish they fuckin' would, they don't let me do shit. 'M the fuckin errand runner."
Zher head tilts. "You want to be in danger...? Why? Because you're bored?"
"I wanna be able to use my..." they gesture with their hand, and the flame in it extends, curling up into the air like a snake. "They don't know I can do this, and they don't fucking take me seriously. Drives me crazy."
Finley's eyes widen as the flame snakes up. They step backwards, but their eyes are filled with open fascination. "Mm... you're... getting better?"
"Nah, I'm just getting bored so I'm experimenting more. That's part of this, too, seeing how much I can control when it's small."
The Haunt stares for a few seconds, then lets out a soft breath. "...Okay. Just... if... they hurt you... Let me know..." Finley seems to finally accept what they're saying, though there's a strange edge to zher voice that Calamity hasn't ever heard before.
"...Yeah. Sure." They nod, their brow furrowing a little at the way Finley's speaking. "If...they hurt me they'd have to find someone else to do all the shit they don't wanna, so I doubt that'll happen," they say after a few moments of silence. It's clearly meant to be reassuring.
"I... guess that makes sense," Finley murmurs. Zhe seems about to maybe say something else, instead falls quiet, just watching them burn the wood.
"What were you gonna say...?" Calamity finally steps back, holding the flame over their head a little bit. Rough letters read "B&H." The ampersand is a little weird, like they had to go over it a few times to really figure out how to do it, but it's legible.
Zhe peers curiously at the mark, then turns back to meet their eyes. "...You don't owe them anything. B-but... if you're happy, I won't, um... bug you about it..."
They shift, avoiding Finley's gaze. "...They're the reason I'm not dead in a ditch somewhere, 'course I owe 'em something. But yeah, 's better than nothing so I'm doing fine."
Finley shifts zher weight between zher feet a moment, then steps closer--though zhe stops short, giving an anxious glance towards the fire.
"...Gonna be too dark to see, if I put it out." They sound apologetic.
Finley stares, confused. Then they pull out their phone and turn on the flashlight, holding it up.
"...." And they ball their hand into a fist, snuffing the flame out and looking very embarrassed.
Zher eyes crease, smiling behind the mask, then giggles softly. Zhe closes the distance, reaching out to touch their arm. "Mm... the fire is cooler though..."
"Aren't you afraid of it, though?" Calamity jumps a little in surprise at the physical contact.
Finley nods, eyes apologetic. "But it's still cool..." The jump makes them jerk their hand back, stepping back to give them space.
"Oh - no you just...surprised me." They look down, embarrassed again.
"It's...it's cool that you think it's cool. Can't tell most people I can do it, so..."
Zhe hesitates, watching them a moment before tentatively stepping closer again, resting zher hand on their arm, letting it linger there this time. "I think you're really cool, Calamity..."
"I mean...you're pretty cool too. And smart, and shit." They're still staring at the ground, but they're smiling, now.
Maybe Finley is getting a bit bolder. When zhe sees Calamity smile, zhe relaxes a little and even... leans in to rest zhe side lightly against their's, hand still on their arm. Almost holding, just above their wrist. "Thanks..." A beat pause. "Still... want some ice cream?"
Calamity goes very, very still at the contact. But only for a second, and then they let out a breath and lean against Finley just a little.
"...Fuck yeah. I always want ice cream, and I get so hungry after I play with fire..."
"...Really?" Zhe blinks, suddenly curious. "Why? Mmm... it drains energy from you?" Zhe starts walking, keeping a light grip on their wrist to lead them along, if Calamity doesn't pull away.
"I don't - um -" Calamity barely speaks, and pulls just the smallest bit against Finley's hand on their wrist.
"We...um. Hands, are...better" They seem to be strugging to get the words out.
Finley stops and very nearly jerks zher hand away when Calamity starts to pull back. But then zhe pauses and watches them a moment, then looks down at their hand nervously.
"...Um... Can I... hold your hand?"
"Yeah." They sound relieved, honestly, and hold their hand out to zhem.
Finley stares at their outstretched hand for a moment, zher body conveniently coming alive just in time for them to literally blush. But zhe reaches to take their hand, squeezing it gently. Zhe watches, waiting for any negative reaction.
Calamity squeezes back, and kicks a pebble out in front of them, unable to keep a smile off their face even as they stare at the ground.
"Ice cream. Or whatever the corner store has."
"Okay," Finley says softly, head dipping after a second. Zhe turns, keeping hold of their hand as they walk out onto the street, then to the closest 7/11 or whatever gas station. Finley buys them as much ice cream as they want, though zhe instead gets a slushie--probably because zhe can eat that with a straw, and thus not remove the mask.
They end up with one of those frozen milkshake things that gets mixed together in the special machine. Chocolate fudge brownie.
And an energy drink, too.
"...Thanks. You know you don't gotta keep buying me shit," they say as they leave. "Like its cool but I can get myself stuff, too sometimes."
Finley looks over sheepishly. "I... like buying things for you..? But if it makes you uncomfortable, I won't...?"
"No, I mean...I just wanna make sure that...you don't feel like you gotta."
They open their mouth to keep talking, but change their mind and look away.
"N-no--I know! I like it, I promise." Finley pauses, eyeing them, then reaches out to take their free hand to hold again. "What...?"
"You're prolly gonna want something from me eventually, is all." They shrug, completely failing to pretend it's not a big deal, and that they don't really care.
Finley frowns behind the mask--it's obvious from the tilt of their brows. "...I'm... not like... the people you run with. I just... want to be your friend..."
"It's not just them -" they wave what Fin's said away with their free hand. "That's just how life is. Everybody wants shit from somebody else at some point. Favors, or a good word. Something."
"...But... wouldn't you just... do that freely? For someone you care about? And if they care about you, they should be willing to help you too. It's not... about... balancing a ledger..."
"...Yeah, it is." They frown at zhem. It probably says something, that this is what they're getting hung up on, with Finley. Not the mask, not the weird vibes, not even the basement apartment. No, the fact that zhe just wants to be their fucking friend, that's what they can't seem to wrap their brain around.
"And...sure, I mean I'd do that shit. 'F I trusted whoever I was doing it for wasn't gonna fuck me over, and just be pretending. Which they always fuckin' are."
Finley stares for a long moment. Long enough that it probably turns a little creepy. Granted, their stares always are a bit uneasy.
"...I'll let you buy ice cream next time? If... that will... make you feel better..."
Calamity shrinks a little under zher stare, shying away. "...Okay." They nod, and swing Finley's hand back and forth as they walk.
Finley accepts that with a nod, and seems happy to walk down the sidewalk with them, letting Calamity swing their hands.
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