Yay...made it.
Warnings:
...Use context clues, the style may make it hard to tell who's who. Especially with two 'kids.' Well, actually, three.
Gabe may be OOC...or...I dunno...I can't tell.
Don't read too fast..?
Gabriel's P.O.V.
Screw.
It.
All.
'Lisa sends me to pick up Joshua.'
I find a million mistakes there. Correction:
'Lisa should have never sent me to get Joshua in the first place, not because I'm trying to be lousy, because there's a freaking snowstorm. And where's Maria when you need her?'
Now...I'm stuck in the kids' house.
No TV, no cigarette, and no bed.
Huh, and here's the owner of this place. "Sheesh. Taking care of Joshua was much already...but how am I supposed to take care of you?" All ready to curse my stupid luck...great.
It's not that I wanted it. "Yeah, I hear you. If you find this surprising, I'll confess that I never wanted to crash at your little manor." Maybe RONI was bad, but this kid's a walking one. "And you don't even have coffee." RONI running the coffee machine at the hospital will always be way better than this kid.
She sighed, "Sorry to upset you, we ran out." Sarcasm, huh? Wish RONI was here to declare her famous algorithm... "Be somewhat grateful that Joshua isn't directly in your hands now at the moment."
"He wasn't my responsibility in the first place." It's the mom that sends a lazy doc to save the day... Wonder how the kid's doing, being pestered by that little squirt and all.
She took that for an offense. "Well, I'm not a nanny," Never thought you as one- maybe once or twice. "So don't put any blame on me." Geez. I wasn't even messing with you yet.
Whatever. I'm getting bored. "You have anything I can do to waste time here? Having a conversation isn't working." Scratch socializing off of the list- if there is one.
"...A game?" She said what..?
"Are you serious?" I wonder why hasn't Joshua thought of that yet? Please, just because I call her 'kid' doesn't necessarily mean I'm one. "If it's hide and seek or tag, I'm not in." And please don't even mention 'hospital.'
The kid rolled her eyes...how rude. "Of course not." Eh... and she's giving me a pretty bad glare... "We're not the only ones involved."
Oh I get it. Bring Joshua into the fun...ugh. "I'm listening." Just this once.
"Simple concept. Right now Joshua is playing with Dr. Sartre." Humph, she doesn't even know the kid's name... "In order to win, relieve him of Joshua, and have the child play with the opponent."
Didn't sound too hard...I think. "And if I win?"
"I believe there is still a coffee mixture in the kitchen. If I lose, I owe you a cup of coffee."
Okay. Sounds good for me. "Uh-huh, and suppose I somehow lose, what happens?" Yeah...'if.'
"Then..." Does her smile mean a good thing..? "You can no longer call me or Dr. Sartre children or anything else other than our names."
What the-? That's a pretty big loss. "I don't think this deal's fair."
She was getting tired of hearing me rant. "Fine...you want to negotiate the conditions... How about if I supplied you with a cup of coffee daily, and the other condition be also a daily restriction?"
The 'terms of agreement' language is getting on my nerves. "Any other rules..?" She ain't going to dash off on me, and I doubt I can either.
"No physical contact, no escaping the house...And If there is a tie, by the storm clearing up or so...both sides lose."
This kid's got some serious thinking...humph.
"You in?"
So...I guess I gotta say... "Yeah, it's to kill time. But don't come crying to me if you lose." Even if her coffee is bad, it gives her another reason to quit bothering me...I guess.
She turned around and reminded, "No backing out."
"What? I'm not selling myself to the devil, am I?" And if I even thought about it, why with her?
The kid glanced back. "Oh, one more thing." Now what? "If Joshua is put to tears, both of us lose, agreed?" She's lookin' at me like I'm guilty.
Really... "You think I would do that?" For crying out loud, he's almost a teen. And unlike last time, I'm not gonna yell at him. "So...we take turns or something?"
"First phase: break the two apart. That person will have the first move. I'll let you take it."
"Fine, I'm tired of just sitting here anyway. So... the kid's up there..?" That smirk of hers is driving me nuts- just what is she...
Oh, damn.
How am I going to break those two up? I can't just go up there, drag Joshua out of there, then make a pit stop...
Man, I should've thought. That kid owns the place- she had a ton of excuses to run off...Ugh...
To hell with that. I'm gonna have to improvise.
That kid's a sly fox...but she ain't gotta clue of what she's dealing with.
"Yo, kid-" So this is what his room looks like. Man, hope the organization this isn't contagious. And there's also... "Oh, hi there, Joshua."
Joshua has to look at me in the eye. "Doc? What are you doing here? Is it time to go home?" Somehow I'm getting a feeling this kid wants to stay here.
"It's still storming outside." And the kid's at his desk. Was he even playing with Joshua?
Ignoring him, I make up some excuse for the boy to leave the kid's office. "This place is pretty big, so why don't you play somewhere else? The doctor over there looks like he's got other stuff to do." And he's also looking at me as if I lost it...creepy. "Uh...go bother the other kid or somethin'."
That surgeon wasn't happy about what I just said. "Alicia is probably busy as well." Huh? Don't tell me the kid's on her side... "You seem to be less occupied." Okay, not this is unfair. How in the world did he know...
"Hey, I gotta... make some calls. I got friends I was supposed to meet with...if I didn't get trapped by this storm." Didn't seem too obvious, though the kid's staring at me as if he's shocked to hear me say 'friends.' What? I have a life, you know... "And Alicia didn't look too busy when I came up here. Go waste time playing with her." Heh, not bad for my first turn.
"Really? Okay, bye doc!" Seriously Joshua, you gotta find something else to refer to. Even if the kid's kinda nameless, he still has a nameplate on his office...
The boy scrammed out of the room, geez, he must really like playing with kids his age...at least ones that look young.
Surgeon still skeptical. "Just what are you doing?" Didn't know the kid actually cared about what was going on. "There is no need to bother someone else for a...petty excuse like yours..." Woah. He's angry. I didn't do anything to him yet, what's with the temper?
"Hold on there kid. I dunno what you're all upset about, but the other kid and I are...holding a game of sorts. Out of boredom, it's not that I'm trying to annoy her or anything...well, actually..." That was the point of this little farce... "Uh...you're not in it...so..."
"A game... of manipulation..." The kid just went quiet after that.
"Not really..." Do I really look that bad with this? "Nevermind. Just... don't get...involved." We don't expect any blood or scars, but it might get a little dirty... So...interference wouldn't be appreciated.
"Um...doc? Alicia said she had to clean her room. Are you done with your phone calls?" Dammit. Joshua's back. That girl's one heck of a liar...her room was as clean as a whistle when I passed by. Bet the kid know that, too. Sadly Joshua doesn't. "So, can I play with you?"
Sheesh...gotta think of something... "Can't you... or... we just help her clean up?" I wanna get involved, so I can make sure she can't backfire again, or else I would really run out of ideas.
"Oh, good idea!" There goes Joshua.
Before I got going, the kid said, "She has the advantage." Oh, he figured it out.
"I'm well aware of that, kid."
"The storm outside will last a long time. Maybe more than an hour..."
"Huh? Your point?" Since when did he keep track of the weather?
"She...may be planning something. I suggest...you take caution." The kid's giving me a warning.
Alright... I think I'm in trouble.
Well, I can panic after I actually lose...might as well get to the other kid's room before Joshua starts complaining...
Damn it all. The kid...
Joshua was first to talk. "Wow... doctor... how..." No surprise seeing him go nuts.
My turn to...compliment the arrangement. "She is definitely going to need help." She must've dumped all of her stuff on the floor to make it look real...
Now her explanation. "Um...the closet was full of things...and..." She already came up with a good lie... "It all came...out." And she can put up an act by looking clumsy alright...
Joshua's already tricked and cleaning. "Hey doc, are you going to..."
I can't stay for long- the girl's going to leave once I join in the mess. "Hold on a sec." Pretending a cell phone is going off, and that it has vibration only, it not...the easiest thing to do. "It's Naomi..." Okay, Gabe. Go to your 'faves' and then 'Naomi Kimishima.' Now's the real thing. "Hi...Naomi, what's with the call?" Oh. And make sure speaker is off and volume is low.
"I know perfectly well that you just called me, Gabe." Weird, maybe. Escape, yes. Good luck, kid. And Naomi? Ticked off. "...What's the meaning of this? You're aware that-"
"Yes, I know... I'm stuck in the kids' house because of it and got into some messed up game." So far, I think I'm in the lead.
"A game? Since when did-"
"I don't have time, so... Naomi, got any ideas on how to get Joshua to play with someone else?" Joshua's going to come out of that door any moment now...
"I should notify you that the recent forecast changed into 'overnight snowstorm advisory.' If you're planning on playing some sort of hot potato with your son, than you should consider the time frame you're in."
"Overnight?" Great. I got myself into a really big ditch. How am I supposed to-
"Is the child's mother notified as well?"
"I know, I mean... no-" I deleted her number a long time ago.
"She may be stuck at work if she has late shifts." Well, that makes sense, but how does she think I know all of that? "If she didn't call you yet, she may already know."
"Forget about that. Just gimme ideas on how to stall this idiotic game already..."
"Why did you even decide to play in the first place..?"
"Because I didn't know it was going to last the entire night!" Oops. Gotta keep my voice down.
"...Fall asleep."
"Huh?" Call it a day now? I haven't even ate- "Hey, I'll lose if the storm ends-"
"Well, if the child is in your opponent's hands, then it should work. Goodnight, Gabe." That's it.
That's really all she could give me... Well, I could snooze right now, but I gotta make sure the kids are-
Joshua turned around to look at me after I opened the door. "Oh, hi doc. Um...Alicia...didn't feel too good, so when we finished...she fell asleep." And...he happens to still be awake.
He's right about the girl sleeping...or at least acting like it. What do I do now..?
The other kid's door looks like it's locked. So... it's either 'I lose' or 'tie' now.
Ugh. So the girl wanted me to get stuck with Joshua..?
"Um...are you going to take me home or not?"
"Sorry..." One, it's crazy outside. Two, I don't think I'll be able to find my way back, too dark. "Looks like we're gonna have to stay overnight." And better yet, dinner hasn't been served. Damn, talk about hospitality.
Joshua almost fell down the stairs after what I said. "What?" I feel the same way, kiddo. "But-"
The howling winds could be heard from inside. I'm not stepping out there anytime soon- hate to break it to the kid, but I gotta tell him. "It's too dangerous...we're just gonna have to eat and hang out here..." Forget the game, the kid's not even watching, I'm not going in there and waking her up.
Joshua looked interested..? "A sleepover?" Is that the term for kids? "Is my mom okay with this?" Since when did kids care about permission if it's below freezing outside?
"Yeah, yeah...let's just get something to eat..." Better hope the kids don't have RONI or something installed in their fridge. Lemme see...
Gack. What the...
"Doc, is it really okay to be..." Joshua's mouth goes off again.
"What are you doing?" This voice is...
The other kid's... Well, better answer. "Hey, storm's gonna last overnight. Joshua and I are gonna need dinner and a place to sleep. Don't bother getting the other kid, she's already in bed..."
"So...the status of the..."
Too many questions...why do I have to answer? "Right now it's a tie. Um...so can you get us something to-"
"Alicia...usually does the cooking..."
Well, most ladies handle the kitchen- not that I'm calling the nuisance a woman... "You said 'usually,' so why don't you do the-"
The kid was being straight when he said, "I...can't." Why did I even ask? This kid really doesn't know anything about running the house, gotta pity the other kid...
"Oh, I know how to fry an egg-!" Joshua again...
Now that brings back bad memories. I was thinking aloud for the moment, "Eh...Yeah, and how many do we need? A dozen?" As if I'm gonna just eat eggs. "Sorry, that won't do."
The specialist saw that I was still a candidate for the kitchen. "Can't you-"
"Don't bother. Just...is there anything in here that doesn't need great skills to make?" 'Open a package,' 'microwave,' and 'add hot water' are the key phrases here.
The kid looked to the side and mumbled, "Actually, I don't know much about..." Man, he's a clueless wonder...
"This is really starting to get on my nerves..." First, the fridge is full of nothing but vegetarian stuff. I get why the kids are lacking muscle and all, but I'm not in the diet... Just because we're doctors doesn't mean we have to go by the advice for the patients... "Uh...Where's Joshua?" That little runt has gone off to make more trouble...
He looked back and said, "I...don't know..." You're really useless, kid.
I'll save the groaning for later. "Whatever...he'll be back..." Might as well look for something decent in the freezer...
"You men can't cook even if your lives depended on it, huh?" How true- wait...who...
Looks like Joshua woke up the kid...he's rather optimistic about it. "I bet you can make something really good-!" He really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
The kid suddenly backed off. Should I...
The girl went up to the fridge and moaned, "Yes, yes...leave me to make the dinner..." Hey, it's not my fault that I'm stuck here.
"I'll help!" Quit volunteering, Joshua. If you break anything or set the place on fire, please send the bill to Lisa.
The kid and I are gonna have to wait in the fancy dining room... And of course the kid brought something to read. Too bad there's no good newspapers around here. The girl's probably always busy cleaning up the place, no time for leisure... I might as well ask, "Kid, do you do anything around here other than eat and sleep?"
"Why...must you ask?"
Why must I ask? "Hey, I know how a house runs...the guy's gotta be doing something...unless you want the other kid to be nagging at you every ten seconds?" She must be finding it hard to yell at this kid's face.
"Wasn't she the one to..." The kid got a plate form Joshua as he was talking. "Thank you."
So Joshua was setting the place up. "Your welcome, doc-!" What's with the cheerful mood?
"Joshua, you realize we're guests...right?"
"Yeah, but mom said I gotta be nice to..." Ugh, I'm plugging my ears. "Well, Alicia has such a big house, don't you think..."
Geez... "I heard ya...stop listening to your mom all the time..." The boy was gonna start with the backtalk, but he should know I hate pointless arguments. "And you think...Alicia...will like seeing you work so hard? It kinda ruins the mood, you think?" I had to say her name that one time...doesn't matter... Now about the kid back there reading... "Hey, kid...that reminds me, you've been living here for quite awhile now..."
He barely gave me any notice while he was talking. "What am I supposed to do?"
Isn't that my question..? "At least say you're grateful...?" Even if he can't do anything... "Forget it..." I'm not their personal adviser anyway. "Someone change the subject already..."
"I thought you said having a conversation wasn't working for you..." Wha? She's already... "I had to guess for what you guys like...Thankfully, Maria bought some poultry for Dr. Sartre and myself not too long ago...well?"
It feels like Thanksgivng...sort of. She got breadsticks, a whole cooked chicken, and salad... It's better than a fried egg. And there's also...huh? "Wait, where's the coffee from?" A change of heart...eh?
"Sadly...Joshua had to shake me in order to wake me up...I broke one of the rules at that point...the rest is self-explanatory."
What? I...won? Ha...what was I thinking, or course I won..! I seriously didn't think I would lose...did I? "Sucks for you, kid. You know, you really gotta stop following your word." That was a little over the top.
She was expecting more sportsmanship. "...Oh." Come on, it was just... The kid's already getting all frowny...my bad.
"Heh? What's going on?" Looks like Joshua's butting in. He really didn't catch on...
The kid was putting away his little encyclopedia of somethin' as he asked, "What were the conditions of the game?" Aargh, he's spoiling it for Joshua.
"What? There was a game?" Secret's out.
Dammit. Come on...someone has to cover this up, or else Joshua's gonna get real upset.
"No there wasn't. If there was, we would have included you." The girl can give one hell of a lie. "Now, let's eat." But sometimes lies work.
The kid and I both shut up after that.
"Oh, alright..." Joshua really trusts her...huh. Whatever, he went for the chicken first and grinned with him mouth full... "Hey, this is good!" Lisa taught this kid manners, right?
And the girl took in the compliment...must really take pride in cooking.
To me, the food's...decent...uh...better than someone I knew. Now it makes sense why Joshua's so ecstatic...Lisa's skills aren't even close... Well, food's fine. How about... "So, where do Joshua and I stay for the night?"
Is it me or is the girl...smirking..? "Single-bed room or the living room?"
I'm not that stupid. "I'll take the liv-"
Someone interrupted me. "Isn't the guest room less trouble?" The specialist-? Sheesh. He doesn't keep quiet here.
The girl began talking with him. "Good point. If you rather want the living room, then there's going to be some weight-lifting up and down the stairs...got it?"
What's with all of these decisions? And why are the kids teaming up on me? God, this isn't funny-
"It's okay! The doc and I can take the room, right? It's really late, too..." J-Joshua?
"So it's decided then..." The girl is definitely smiling.
Aargh.
Should I drink the coffee?
No way. I'm not even gonna touch it.
That kid pulled the last straw. I'm leaving dinner now. "I'm full."
She didn't even notice the full cup? Humph.
…
I really don't know how to yell at kids.
"Something wrong, doc? Why are you to sleep on the-"
I cut Joshua off right there. "You want space right? I'll take the floor." No pun intended. "I'll be fine...Lights out." I flipped the switch and slammed myself to the blanketed floor.
Ouch.
I'm really ticked off.
'If there's anything you need, just ask.' Screw that.
I need space myself. Why can't you at least gimme that?
To let out some steam, I'm escaping downstairs later. Just gotta wait 'til Joshua's asleep.
"Hey, doc?"
"Hm? What do you want?"
"Is mom worried about me right now?"
"Nah, she's fine. Let her yell at me later if she's not. Just quit worrying and get some rest." Please... I'm not gonna stand laying here any longer...
"I..also have school...then there's..."
Okay, let's just hear what the boy's gotta say. "What..?"
It sounded Joshua was laughing at himself when he said, "If I had one, I bet my dad's worried sick, too. Sometimes, I wonder if he's still around..."
Ugh. Actually, I'm not worried about your health, I'm freakin' out over mine. And yeah, I'm right next to you... But for the sake of it, I gotta answer. "Stop being such a worrywart... he's probably doing swell..."
Joshua sat up for a second. "You know where he is?"
Right beside you, getting a cramp... "Who knows...parents fret 'bout their kids no matter where they are." Even if they're on the ground beside you... "Enough talk, get to sleep, you got school, right?"
"Uh...yeah. Night, da- I mean, doc..."
I sighed. "Uh-huh." One day, Joshua will be making that mistake...
Such a great father I am...but that's no reason for the girl to trap me in here...
Whatever...better get out of-
Dammit. Legs...
I'm...too tired.
Pitiful excuse...huh...?
You know, there's something I'm still stuck on.
That saying of 'never give up,' wonder what it applies to.
Running away, or...
Sticking around?
…
I had to get up early next day...to clear off my 'white' car... When I got back, I had someone waiting in the living room- with a cup of coffee waiting on the low table...
I'm not too surprised. "You should stop it with the coffee, kid. I'm not going to drink it."
That red-eyed girl was staring into space as she was sitting on the couch. "I know that." She didn't even look at who she was talking to. How rude.
"...Then why make it?"
She looked down at the cup. "I...usually don't make coffee, you know." Her mood's really down, that's for sure. "My...husband made it for himself...he drank the caffeine."
Sweet, sappy stuff... but I don't care. "You didn't answer the question."
"I don't know what to do with the mix...Dr. Sartre and I don't drink coffee, so...I'll just make it...to...face grief...you know?" She was curling up, he head over her lap in seconds.
This sob story...please don't drag me into it. "I'm not going to help you finish it...so just pour it down the drain already."
She was motionless. I didn't sound too harsh...what's with the negativity..?
I'm getting tired of staring at this kid beating herself up. "Forget the crocodile tears...I'm not gonna give you-"
I was interrupted by a phone ringing. Mine, that is. And...Lisa was calling. "What do you want?"
"I'm picking him up." Cellphone back into the pocket right after that.
"What was that just now?" The girl finally started looking up; that face of hers actually looked like it produced some tears.
I turned around. "Joshua's mom is coming to pick him up. I guess I don't need to be here anymore."
She didn't say anything. Must really be under a raincloud, that kid.
"You're not going to pour that down the drain anytime soon, huh?" To me, the kid's gonna fall over and sleep on the couch.
She laughed out of a sudden. "Likely." She tilted and fell flat on the couch to sleep right there. "Bye."
What an annoying kid.
Dammit, was I supposed to say 'thanks for the food and room' or something? They were forced on me, so...no.
And that cup...ugh. Should I throw it out..?
I mumbled to myself. "Fine, fine...I'll take it..." I bet the kid was still listening. She had a faint smile in her sleep.
Might as well get going...I'll pour it outside. "Stop making coffee...It's not that I'm going to call you a 'kid' forever...well, at least if you don't bother me."
The girl murmured, "Oh...I'll...look forward...to that day..."
Yeah, whatever...
When I got outside, I got a tiny bit curious.
So I tried it.
But just out of curiosity.
...Not...too bad.
Err...
Well, it was free...
...Joy, now I'll go back to Retribution. ;)
No OCxGabe intended,btw. And I can't do a good Josh and Gabe event these days...