C9 The Suits

Kailan was having a hard time keeping his mouth shut. Still, he managed to barricade his thoughts to himself. When Vinny began to waver, he grabbed him by his arm until he regained his footing. "You okay there?" If he was to guess by the vacant clouding in Vincent's expression, he was not.

As Vinny examined his drink, Kai raised an eyebrow. Jabbing a thumb hard into Vinny's side, he moved in front of the taller boy, tilting his head curiously to the right. "Are--" He paused for a moment, a grin cracking its way onto his face. "Did that girl drug you, Vinny?" Oh this was hilarious.

Vinny only let off a short grunt, rubbing desperately at his face to clear his head, "She's done it before."

Kailan perked quite a bit at the confession, brow furrowing as a sigh rocked his lungs. He wasn't one to admit to things, but he'd had his fair share of experience with drugs. He'd never seen Vinny under the influence of anything other than alcohol, and even then, he typically had some self-control left at the bottom of the bottle. This was different, though. He was uncertain of just what substance the enigmatic woman had sent swimming through his bloodstream. "Shit, you know they say never accept drinks from others." He said, resting a hand on Vinny's shoulder as he met the slender eyes of the girl. Her expression was much like a cat that had cornered a mouse; proud and smug of her helpless catch. "What a bitch," He hissed, his sights returning to the wobbly Vinny who staggered back a step or two.

"You need to sit down or something?" He was concerned for his friend. He'd deal with the girl later.

Vincent set the tainted beer aside, though he missed the table--by quite a lot, at that--and only managed to drop it to the ground with a sharp crash. He eyed it for a minute with the most muddled of expressions. Whatever he had ingested was working its magic. "Yeah." He muttered, struggling to focus his vision on Kai as his faded Irish tongue slipped its way into his words, "Sitting might be good."

"Can you walk or should I carry you?" Despite the serious question, Kailan's tone was joking at most. Draping an arm around Vinny's shoulders, he led him to a table that was a little out of the way--a safe distance from the crowd, but not so far that they seemed conspicuously out of place.

"How many times has she done this?" He asked, helping Vincent safely into the rickety metal seat and pulling up a chair for himself. He watched as Vincent shook his head with a smirk, and let out a groggy sigh.

"Twice." He held up the wrong amount of fingers. His head lulled back against the chair as if it were too heavy to hold up on his own. "I couldn't remember her before, but I do now. That girl has it in for me."

"What? You screw with her best friend?" Kailan was oblivious to the woman, but she gave off an eerie vibe, and it was all he needed to go by. "Women are a pain. Maybe you should stop accepting drinks from her."

"I would." Vinny grumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. "But I'll forget all about this like last time."

Kailan cursed under his breath, looking to the mass of the party. Everyone was mingled together, careless and happy in their soon-to-be drunken stupor, but Kailan felt uncomfortable in this place. The music was too loud, his friend who he hadn't seen in three years had been drugged, and the catty woman was shooting them relentless looks from across the room. Nothing about the situation was pleasing.

Standing to his feet, he made the short venture to the refreshments table. It took effort just find water among the glut of alcoholic beverages, but he laid his eyes upon a bottle of seltzer, just waiting to be cracked open and abused by sugary syrups and bitter booze. He filled a glass with the only sober liquid and returned to Vinny's side, before the asshole could flee his chair. Though, that didn't seem possible at the moment. He was pale, his eyes heavy. Frankly, he looked like hell. "Shit like what she gave you causes dehydration. And since I care," Kailan gave an exasperated huff, setting down the glass, "drink some fucking water."

Vincent looked to the glass for a moment, but he didn't take a drink. Hell, he hardly acknowledged the thing. Instead, his eyes traveled slowly to Kailan's face. He stared for far too long, as if he was lost in his own dreary thoughts. It was hard to keep a grip on eyes like those; they were so vivid, so focused, and so blue you could practically see ripples in the lapus. They were weapons surely, but neglected ones. Vincent rarely kept eye-contact like this. It was uncomfortable for Kailan. Pressing. Then suddenly Vincent reached up and planted a hand on his head. "You got taller. And what happened to your hair? It's so long now."

"It's called growing up," Kailan said with a snort, taking Vinny's hand by his wrist and removing it from his head. Even with Vinny drugged out of his mind, Kai felt unnerved by his piercing gaze. He always felt transparent, it pissed him off.

Vincent's jaw went rigid and his regard fell to the crowd, finally freeing Kailan from his icy stare. Those same blue eyes lingered from one person to another before they landed on the coy brunette, who seemed rather smitten with herself to see Vinny so out of his wits. His Adam's apple bobbed in his throat as he laid his head back and he forfeited his gaze to the ceiling. "I haven't grown up much, have I?"

"You're still an idiot, if that's what you mean." Kailan gave Vinny a smile, hanging a hand on the back of his chair. "Though I'm hardly mature myself." The comment accompanied a smirked, and he bit at the inside of his cheek. Neither of them were really the dimwitted kids they claimed to be. They'd both had a whole lot of growing up to do in such a brief amount of time, and that didn't exactly leave them with much of a childhood. If anything, it wouldn't kill them to be a little less jaded. But of the two of them, Kailan had always been the mature one. He was a year younger, but decades brighter. He still remembered Vincent as the asshole who spent an entire tutoring lesson trying to balance a pencil on his nose. The guy wasn't stupid, he just didn't care about grades. Then again, when you've got a dad like Johnathan Alexander, grades don't really matter.

He observed the downward twitch in Vincent's lips as he reached for the glass. He may as well have had commentary floating above his head. He was easy to read, he always had been. Even now, with his eyes glued to glass in his hand, and his glare lost to the effervescence of bubbles that swam and danced and broke the water's surface, Kailan knew there was more to that expression. Vincent was a whole lot of things, but happy had never really been one of them. It was a characteristic they'd shared from the beginning, and the look he wore wasn't a hard one to decipher. He was feeling shitty, and he probably deserved it.

"To growing up." Vincent raised the glass with a smirk, and brought the drink to his lips, but before he could even take a sip of the water, bubbles began to grow. It was no longer the soft fuzz of carbonation, but something else entirely. Heat was adding to the equation, orbs racing to the liquid's surface, a soft steam leaving condensation on the glass.

"Kailan," Vinny alerted him, struggling to decide between a look of concern and amusement. The bubbles were tumbling up in rapid speeds, the water itself reaching a strong boil.

Until finally the glass shattered in his hands.

Scorching hot water dripped from his unscathed fingertips, shards of glass shooting in every which direction. Luckily the noise was nothing compared to the boisterous bass of thumping music that muffled everything from playful shouts, to the high-pitched chirps and giggles of drunken college girls.

Kailan swore under his breath, getting to his feet as the water fell over the side of the table. Vinny stumbled out of his chair alongside him, his eyes meeting two seemingly normal hands. They were everything but, the dampness of water that clung to his flesh simply disappearing--sizzling into nothing more than airborne vapor.

"You damn idiot." Kai snapped, smacking Vinny upside the head. "If someone saw, we're fucked." Despite his scolding tone, Kailan wore a grin, hoping to play it off lest someone caught the conspicuous incident.

"I didn't know I could do that." Vincent cackled, shaking the heat from his hands. "Hey," He slung an arm around Kai's neck, grinning from ear to ear, "let's go melt stuff."

"You're a human torch and you didn't know you could do something as simple as boil water?" Kailan raised an eyebrow, though he couldn't help but find the situation amusing. "You sure you can even walk straight yet?"

"Nope." Vincent gave him a hard tug and took into motion. The room was still spinning, and his footsteps were off balance, but with Kai as his crutch he could manage his way through the crowd. The lights were too bright, and the music too loud, but even without the distractions, he wouldn't have been able to spot her in the mess of moving bodies. The smug brunette had disappeared.

They finally made it to the wall adjacent to the bathrooms, and Vincent released Kailan from his hold, slumping back against the brick structure behind him. He was beginning to feel ill, a fever higher than seemingly possible prickling at his skin.

"Kai," he lulled his head to the side to look at him, "what the hell did she give me?"

Leaning next to Vinny, he shrugged and looked him once over, "I don't really know. Seems a lot like roofies, but that takes thirty minutes to work. Plus you wouldn't be able to move. It could be anything." His words weren't reassuring, but Kailan was never one to tell a lie. Truth was, he didn't know what Vinny had in his body. In an hour, he could be entirely incapacitated, totally sober, or dead. He wasn't going to sugar-coat or bullshit it.

Pressing a hand to Vinny's forehead, Kailan found his fever more threatening than anything. He felt like a worrisome parent, eyeing his friend with the shake of his head. "Maybe you need to be in some ice water."

But suddenly Vincent was reaching for Kailans hand, lazily pulling it off of his forehead, and using it to leash him forward with a rough yank. Strong arms wrapped around his neck and Vinny dropped nearly all of his upper-weight on his friend as he crushed him into a massive hug. Kai's body felt smaller his arms, and he dropped his chin on the boy's shoulder with a sigh. "You were gone for so long." Even his voice was groggy at this point, lingering on one word or another. "I was lonely."

Kailan froze, unsure how to react. Vincent had never been a hugger. Not like this. This was new. After his hesitance wore off, he ran a hand through Vinny's hair, casually ruffling his messy undercut. "Missed you too." Still, he was thankful that no one was around to see Vinny like this. He didn't need to deal with the other party-goers throwing around some outlandish gossip.

"We should probably get back to the dorm," He said, patting his scruffy blond head and bidding space between them as he pushed him gently back. "You sound like you're about to pass out."

"Pass out?" Vincent laughed, taking a confident stroll towards the crowd. "I feel more awake than ever."

One second later and the world was moving around him. He fell into his side, hooking an arm around the nearest stranger for support.

"Vinny?" It was Cally's baby-blues that blinked back at him. "Are you alright?"

"The hell, O'Connor? What have I told you about touching my girl?" A second voice interjected, and Vincent's arm was nearly ripped away from Cally's body. When his focus finally settled, it was no stranger that seethed in front of him, face red and nostrils flaring. He was large, brawny, and clad in a letterman's jacket, and as Vinny recognized him, a look of sudden regret washed over. "The fuck you think you're doing here anyways, bitch?" The man growled, giving him an antagonizing shove backwards.

Kailan caught his friend before his balance was gone completely. When Vinny steadied, Kailan let go, chuckling as he turned his attention to the angry red ogre. He was fuming, veins bulging from his bulky trunk of a neck. Vinny must have really screwed the pooch with this guy."It's a party and last I checked there wasn't a guest list." His comment caused much of the focus to jump to him.

"And who the fuck are you?" The man barked, nearly foaming from the muzzle. My oh my, Vinny you fucking idiot.

Kailan splayed out his hands, shrugging with a harmless smirk. "Who cares who I am? Just don't shove my friend like that, alright?" He spoke as though he were talking to a child; a little slower for emphasis. A few people were observing, but Kailan looked ever so cheerful as red began to erupt on the jock's hostile expression

"This doesn't involve you. Fuck off." He snapped, but Kailan only laughed.

"I mean, it kinda does, considering you're trying to pick a fight with my fucking idiot of a friend." Kailan could tell that the guy was looking for someone to show his horns to. Of course there had to be a reason behind it.

"Thanks buddy." Vincent gave him a firm pat on the shoulder, though sarcastic as he was. His foggy sight laid on the angry brute, and amusement found him quickly.

"By the way, 'your' girl." A chuckle melted from his chest and his luminous eyes flickered to Cally's concerned expression, down her busty chest, and to her diamond encrusted belly button piercing. "You think she wore this for you?" A taunting grin sliced through his expression, "You poor bastard."

"Vin--" Kailan thought about stopping him before things had gotten out of hand, but instead decided to close his mouth. He was interested to see how it would all play out.

"You have some balls, O'connor." The man ripped away from Cally's restraining grip and strode forward. He was taller than Vincent, bigger than Vincent, and much, much more intimidating, and as they stood face-to-face, that all became apparent. "This is my girlfriend you piece of shit. The hell do you know?"

Vincent wasn't scared. Be it the drugs rushing through his bloodstream, or Kailan's bad influence, he raised his grin. "I know that she's a bit of a sadist. That she giggles when you tickle her lower back. Oh, and when she's really into it, her voice quivers like she's never felt anything so good in her life." His words slowed, his tongue clicking, sharp and antagonizing. "It's rather irresistible. Shame you'll never hear it."

Kailan couldn't help the loud snort of laughter, though he was lost among the crowd. Everyone was focused on Vinny, as usual. Not all of that focus was positive. A hard shove nearly knocked the wind out of Vincent, who latched onto Kailan for stability.

"Hey! Hey! Knock it off!" Suddenly, it was Jeff in front of him, separating him from the grunting gorilla of a man. "Look, Vinny. Sorry, man but one of you has to go, and since this party is for the football team..."

"We were just leaving." Vinny said with a smirk.

Really now? Leaving? "Can't take on one football player? You've gotten soft." Kailan knew he shouldn't be pushing Vinny to fight. He knew it wasn't exactly right for him to intervene. "But why her?" The question was intended to be only a thought, but it slipped past his lips and he had done nothing to cloak the disgust in his tone. "Oh, was that out loud?" The girl looked offended, turning away as her boyfriend seemed to redden even more, if that was possible. Kailan could swear he saw the simultaneous heartbeat in every vein on his meaty neck. He sniggered at the sight, sheathing his hands into his coat pockets and shooting a look to his friend.

"Time to go," He grinned, turning to the door. "Nice meeting you all." He was confident that Vinny would follow, he sure as hell couldn't fight by himself. Still, he was annoyed. He'd been around less than a week, and Vincent had already gotten them knee-deep in shit.

"Come on, man." Jeff took hold on Vincent's arm. "You drank way too much again."

Looking over his shoulder, he tossed one of his charming smiles to Cally, "Guess I did."

He was led out behind Kailan, Jeff's small frame only doing so much to keep him afloat. Once outside, the city was dark, lit only by busted street lights. Vinny grabbed hold of one as he stumbled onto the cracked and crumbling sidewalk.

"Sorry man. I know Jason can be a dick, but I can't just kick him out. Next time, alright? I'll text you." Jeff stepped back inside, and the door shut behind him with a jolt. The music was quickly replaced with the sounds of the city, and Vincent stood, clinging to the lamp post for dear life.

He let out a nauseated groan, bending over just in time for the contents of his stomach to come purging out. It wasn't much, as he had only a shot and a few sips of the poisoned beer. He nearly fell over as he stood up straight, wiping the residue from his lips.

"I love how your sex life is literally what caused all of this." Kailan stood a ways off, grimacing at the sight. "Genuinely, that was amusing. And you deserved all of it."

"I think I'm dying." Vinny croaked, leaning back against the post. He felt a little better with an empty stomach, but the ground was still a winding roller-coaster, and it was hell bent on knocking him on his ass.

"I thought the Irish could hold their liquor." Kailan knew that wasn't why he was puking, but the joke was irresistible. When his friend was done Kai walked over and gave a small puff of air. "What a wonderful way to meet some of the college, thanks man." He wrapped an arm around Vinny's neck, something close to a choke hold, which didn't play out for him all that well considering he was the shorter of the two. "Must suck not having everyone kiss your ass like they did in high school, huh?" Even if he was a bit annoyed by the situation, he found it amusing. It was rare to see Vinny kicked out of a party, but he supposed all the rich-kid glamour he had in the past was gone.

"They still kiss my ass." Vinny smirked, his balance stabilizing the longer they walked. "I'll call us a ride. We shouldn't be walking this part of the city so late at night."

"Who was the ape, anyways?" Kailan asked.

"Jason." Vinny replied, "Running Back. Biggest bastard in state. Can barrel through guys like bowling pins." He laughed, "Never planned to start a war with someone like Jason, but shit did it feel good to get that off of my chest."

"You deserve to get your ass kicked, you know." A smile gripped his lips, and Kailan gave his friend a disapproving shake of the head as they walked side-by-side, "You really haven't changed much."

"I didn't know they were dating at the time," Vinny drawled the words out, as if he had heard the same phrase spoken to him time and time again. He deserved to get his ass kicked--he did, but not over this. "I fucked a lot of people I shouldn't have, but I thought Cally was single. Jason's just afraid he can't compete." He fished his cell phone from the depths of his pocket with a small smirk, "That and I've kind of built up a reputation here."

Just as he began to dial in the number for a cab, a subtle scrape against pavement resonated behind him. He glanced back over Kai's shoulder to take a gander. Ten yards away, a handful of silhouettes shadowed in the distance. They cut through the dim, flickering lights behind them. Five or six amorphous figures at most. There was something about the way they walked. Cautious, yet quick, like they were trekking on uncharted territory.

"Tch," Vincent cocked a brow. "They're really looking for a fight?" But the more he examined the silhouettes, the less they resembled the football team. They weren't big and bulky, but average sized, with square shoulders that gave the impression of neatly-pressed suits. In the leader's right hand was something shiny, and as it glinted moonlight in Vinny's direction, his stomach twisted. This time, it wasn't the drugs. He leaned in close to Kailan, gesturing behind them with the nod of his head.

"Kai, I think we're being followed."

"Oh?" Looking behind them, Kailan read the peculiar figures for a brief moment. They were hidden in the dark, but he could make out just enough of their features to know these weren't typical college kids. Their movements looks too organized, too...Military.

"They don't look like students," Kai bit the inside of his lip. "Do you think someone found out? I mean, you did shatter a glass." He was hissing under his breath, pleased that he had Vinny's head in his grips. He didn't have to speak very loudly. "We should just keep walking. We can't fight them if they actually try to attack us."

It was common knowledge for beings like them. Hide in the shadows, live in the shadows. Vincent had broken the sacred rules of Wickedry. When a Wicked was caught utilizing their powers in public, they were often detained. Some were gunned down by swat teams, and helicopters. Others simply escorted into police cars with tasers pointed at their hearts. But more than anything, it wasn't the government that Wickeds had to fear. It was the people. One way or another, someone would find them, and one way or another they'd find themselves staring into the double-barrel of a shotgun. If in fact these men had seen, or caught wind of what happened in the party, they may very well be after them both. Hunting Wickeds had become as common as hunting game. And just like game, they hadn't the fangs to defend themselves. Vincent was in no condition to fight, and Kailan sure as hell wasn't going to use his power. He couldn't, even if he thought it would do them any good.

"Better idea." Vincent latched onto Kailan's wrist, dragging him along as if he couldn't walk for himself. Though his legs still felt a bit numb, there was a break in traffic, and it was the perfect time to race across. Towing Kai in-hand, he bolted to the opposite side of the street. A few passing cars created a perfect wall, disrupting their line of site to the men.

Vincent looked around for a decent place to hide, turning a sharp corner into strip of rundown cafes and tattoo parlors. The places were still up and running, but shabby and unkempt. Vincent always felt uncomfortable around the parts. Considering the used needles tossed about on the concrete, and the strangers who eyed him from the shadows, he had reason to be. It wasn't until they were safely out of the line of sight that Vincent released his grip.

He wasn't all too familiar with the area, and even Kailan seemed unnerved as they walked along, passing homeless men and scattered litter. Seattle was a beautiful place, but you'd never know, standing in the slum of it all.

They'd taken an entirely different route now, and the soft stampeding of footsteps still followed in the distance. Slow at first, as if they didn't know which direction to head in. But soon, the sounds became louder and louder, clapping against brick walls and cemented rubble. In time, they scattered into something less synchronized, more hasty. And as Vinny looked back once more, he found that the silhouettes had emerged from the corner. The moon mirrored off of their shiny metal toys, all sharp and loaded and aimed in his direction. Guns. Guns and batons, and tasers, and suitcases. Funnily enough, the suitcases terrified him the most. If they so casually carried deadly weapons on their hips, then just what were they hiding in those little boxes? Something dangerous, was all he could assume.

They stood side-by-side, a wall of suits obstructing the path nearly thirty feet away. It took a gander around the place for Vincent to understand the situation. They had been headed straight into an abandoned cul-de-sac. Oh, he fucked up. Vincent had really fucked up. Dragged his best friend straight into a dead end. There was no turning back now, and he was unfamiliar with the place. Maybe if he'd ventured here more often, he'd know all the cracks and fissures to hide in. He'd know which alley ways were deadlocks, and which bled into a different district entirely. But he hated this side of the city, avoided it like the plague. At the moment, he didn't know left from right. He had no idea where to turn. No fucking clue. He was stuck at a standstill. Then suddenly, all at once, the men took into motion. The footsteps began again, fast, thundering, loud, and as Vincent shoved Kailan forward, only one thought came to mind.

"Run."