Messing Around
This is a request from mymail3356. Sorry this took so long!
Tron knew from the start that when taking on a younger program as his legacy, it would be a constant push to keep him growing, to not grow stagnant.
But this cycle was one where the uphill climb was going nowhere.
He sighed silently, closing the simulation and approached his apprentice, who got to his feet, rubbing the back of his neck with a wince.
"You know what you did wrong?"
He shook his head, not meeting Tron's gaze.
"You weren't paying attention to your surroundings. You know better than to be negligent, especially_"
"Okay, I get it." Beck's voice became sharp, before he sighed, "I'll try better next time."
A small silence followed and Beck continued to look away, not wanting to see the stern look on Tron's face…so full of disappointment and anger….
"Beck."
He didn't turn right away.
"Beck."
Sighing, Beck turned fully to face the gaze of his mentor. So cold and impersonal…
"Go home."
A blink. Followed by another blink. And a couple more followed in quick succession.
"W-what?"
"Go home, Beck. I mean it."
"You're serious?"
"Extremely."
And still, Beck kept a wary gaze on Tron as he began to leave, and was endlessly surprised when Tron didn't move or speak. Rather, his piercing gaze followed the Renegade's form out of the door and out of sight.
Tron's gaze wasn't as impersonal as Beck would have thought. He may not act like it, but he had seen the tense in Beck's form when Tron spoke. He had seen the wary look as he backed away…quickly too, now that he thought about it.
He faced the window and saw the light of Beck's bike travel into the city and his frown deepened.
Something wasn't right.
Beck ran through the streets, his feet making a careless slap against the ground. He was already late for his shift. If he could just make it before they closed down…
His sprint slowed to a near stop, though, as he rounded the corner to see the lights of the garage had already gone dark for the cycle…
But what made him stop in his tracks were the two programs waiting at the front. He eased onto his back foot. Perhaps he could turn back before they would see him, just deal with it all next cycle…
No. They already saw him; he could see Mara's expression from his distance, an expression that dared him to turn back. Sighing, his shoulders slumped, and he continued forward.
If looks could kill, Beck knew that he would have been voxels by the time he was within touching distance.
"Where were you?" The words were a venom spitting off Mara's tongue and Beck flinched.
"I'm sorry…"
"Sorry doesn't change the fact that this is the fifth time you've bailed on a shift!"
"I-I…I know…"
"I'm getting tired of covering your shifts!" Zed added in, "You need to start owning up to your work!"
Beck rubbed the back of his neck, right on a mark growing a brighter shade with each rough touch. The touch continued to grow rougher as his breath quickened.
"I-I'm sorry…I really am…"
"Beck, for the last time sorry won't change ANYTHING!"
"HEY!"
All three programs jumped, though Zed and Mara were the only ones to see the masked program in black approach. Beck tensed, though, as he sensed the program stop behind him.
"Is there a problem here?" The voice rumbled across their ears.
"It's a problem when an employee doesn't show up for work when he promises to!" Mara countered, staring coldly into the stranger's mask, "Wouldn't you think so?"
The stranger didn't answer for a long moment.
"Well," Beck turned to look at the stranger, "Is this true?"
Beck sighed and nodded, bowing his head, "Yes."
The stranger gave a small sound and glanced down to see the back of Beck's neck…
"What's this?"
Beck inhaled quickly through his nostrils. His head shot up and he reached back to cover the spot.
"Don't touch it." The stranger stopped him, "It'll only make it worse."
"Make…what worse?"
The stranger glanced up as Mara's voice had quieted, and he could sense the concern in her voice.
"Come here."
She obeyed and he stood to the side, gently positioning Beck's head so she could see. She gasped at the sight.
"Beck…what did you do?"
"It's an injury like you would get in a fight." The stranger answered for Beck, "Whatever your friend here has been doing, he managed to get hit on the back of the neck."
He let go of Beck's head as he raised it again. Beck tried to hold back a hiss of pain but failed.
"It's going to hurt for a while. I wouldn't recommend tasking him with a lot that would require him to look down at something. Not for the moment."
Mara nodded, "Thank you."
She reached for Beck's hand but he jerked his hand away. Her eyes softened.
"I…I'm sorry Beck…I shouldn't have gotten upset."
"You were just worried." The stranger reasoned, "Brings out the worst in every program."
She nodded, no longer able to meet Beck's gaze.
The stranger set a hand on Beck's shoulder. "Go on."
With a second more of hesitance, Beck took her hand and she led him to the entrance, where Zed was waiting. He joined them as they passed, and Mara glanced back once to see Tron disappear into the shadows, just like he had come.