pullmeoutalive | Ramey

Ohhh, yeah. [ another dry touch of humor, a smile that might as well be a grimace. He takes a careful inhale, and his side twinges, warns him away from any more of that, thank you. ] Bruised, at least.

[ He tips his head back against the wall, lazily watching as Alec works. That purple again, and Peter imagines that pressure around his neck, his hand going to his collar unconsciously. ]

Walk me through what you’re doin’.

[ Because if he has to stand here in silence, he’ll have to think to keep himself occupied, and really, all he can think about right now is how much tonight has fucking sucked, and how much everything hurts. ]

[ His gaze slides back over to Peter, one eyebrow arched. ]

Seriously?

[ He’s not sure just what Peter’s going to do with a step-by-step guide to opening a door with magic, but he supposes it’s something to talk about. Better than sitting around and doing nothing. So, he doesn’t wait for a response before continuing, ]

If this were an old-fashioned tumbler lock, I’d have it open in about a second, but since it’s not, I’m trying to get in without forcing it too much.

[ He casts as he talks, a line here, another careful mark there. ] Elemental spells are kind of my specialty, and once you learn how to manipulate lightning, electricity isn’t too far behind. I’m gonna pull the power out of the lock and disengage it that way.

[ He gets about three-fourths of that, at least. Figure it’s like redirecting power, in a way, killing the electricity in one system and moving it to another, then reestablishing the connection when all’s said and done. Not that he’s super good at that, personally – Peter’s better at the hands-on stuff, like picking locks and slipping items out of pockets – but he’s seen Rocket do it. ]

Is it gonna be noticeable? [ A tiny little jerk of his chin toward the lock. ] They gonna know it got tampered with after?

The system shouldn't detect any loss of power. [ He indicates the series of runes he's been drawing out. ] It'll redirect here, and get stored here. For all intents and purposes, it'll still be powering something.

Then I'll ease the power back in. It'll be like we were never here.

[ Peter nods, content with that answer. Bad enough they've left two guards (guards' bodies?) to recommend them by; they didn't need tampered devices and computers to mark their passing, too.

He lets Alec work for a few more seconds before the corner of his mouth twitches up in an echo of his usual, roguish smiles.

Then, ]

See? [ a familiar hint of smugness. ] That wasn't so hard, was it? Explainin' to me what you're doing.

[ Alec's gaze flits back over to Peter at his remark, and it's a testament to how much his mood is improved that he breathes out a little laugh. ]

Okay, but how much of that explanation did you just smile and nod your way through?

You lost me after "tumbler lock."

[ He lazily reaches out his free hand, patting Alec on the shoulder. ]

Appreciated it, all the same.

See if I ever explain magic to you again.

[ He steps back from the door, inspecting the runes glowing up at him. Apparently satisfied, he holds his hand out for Peter. ] Come on. I'm ready to be done with this place.

[ He takes a breath, jaw clenching as he readies himself, then pushes himself off against the wall, one hand clasping Alec's wrist. It's less a matter of getting himself upright, as it is a matter of getting himself upright enough for Alec to catch him.

And he does, mostly, though he nearly spills over to one side; he grabs onto Alec's shoulder at the last second to keep himself on his feet, though the strain of it sends a warning flare up his side, bright and near blinding. ]

—sorry. [ A shaking breath. ] Sorry. 'M good.

[ Peter nearly topples over and Alec moves on instinct, hooking his free arm around Peter's side to help steady him. For a moment, they just stand there as Alec waits for Peter to get his bearings, for his breath to even out. ]

I got you.

[ When it seems that Peter's not going to collapse, he eases his arm back over his shoulders- second verse, same as the first. Once they're ready to go, he gives a little motion of his hand, and the runes over the keypad glow brighter, sparking as electricity moves from mark to mark in a steady stream. The keypad goes dark and the door opens with a soft click.

Alec grins again- he does so love it when things work out- and guides Peter into the room, pausing only long enough to quickly disassemble his spellwork before shutting the door, the lock clicking back into place. ]

Still with me?

[ Yeah, that was pretty impressive, Peter has to admit. Begrudgingly admit.

... nah, just straight up admit. He doesn't give enough of a shit to do the whole "resentful and annoyed" routine right now. ]

Depends.

[ His gaze flicks over to Alec as they move further into the room. ]

If I say "no," will you finally let me fucking sleep?

If you say no, I'm gonna pour some cold water over your head.

[ The door to the back patio thankfully unlocks easily from the inside, and they're able to slip out without much trouble. Alec turns and magics the lock back into place behind them. He's very big on covering his tracks, as if that weren't already apparent.

Something occurs to him as they carefully make their way down the stairs to the garden- something he wanted to address but in the moment was not the time to do it. ]

You seriously thought I threw you under the bus back there?

[ He doesn't sound angry or accusatory. Peter seems to have dropped that line of thought anyway, so there's no reason to get worked up about it. He's just curious. ]

[ One foot in front of the other, he tells himself. He has to trust Alec is doing shit to minimize their presence, because Peter sure as hell doesn't have a mind to do it, himself. Wasn't much his style, anyway; he liked leaving a mark, back when his work drifted more into the darker side of grey. Like leaving signs that said, "Star-Lord was here."

... Figuratively.

... ... Sometimes literally.

(It wasn't nearly as impactful as he had hoped.)

The stairs prove a little more difficult, and with his free hand, he hangs onto the railing with a white-knuckled grip, teeth gritted against his discomfort. He nearly doesn't hear the question, or at least doesn't comprehend it, but eventually it settles, and he tenses at Alec's side. ]

I—

[ absolutely fucking did.

And I'm still not super convinced that you wouldn't right now, if you had to. ]

... wasn't thinking straight. [ is what he decides on, because it's a valid reason. The best lies are those that come from grains of truth, after all, and the excuse he gives comes out relatively smoothly. ] Panic. Concussion.

[ He clears his throat, easing himself down to the next step. ] You know how it is.

[ Normally, he’d be a little bothered by that explanation, logical though it is, but right now he can’t seem to find even a spark of indignity in him. He’ll be the first to admit that this partnership went south very fast, through no real fault of their own, but it still didn’t make for a great working relationship.

He lets out a soft noise, an exhalation of air through his nose. ]

If I really wanted to make you miserable, I know about a million other ways to do that than letting some cotton candy motherfuckers beat the shit out of you.

[ A length beat of silence, then, ]

If that was meant to, like, reassure me, then, uh.

I mean, A for effort, but...

[ Another amused little laugh, barely more than a huff of air. ]

I do what I do to screw people over, but only a certain type of people, and you don’t fit the bill. Besides, it’s not your fault the universe dealt us both a shitty hand, so taking it out on you would be pointless.

Also, your buddies would murder me if I let anything happen to you.

[ He breathes out a laugh of his own. ]

I get what you're saying, but hypothetically speaking, it's not like I would've been the first person with dangerous friends you messed with. They can't be that much of a deterrent.

There’s a difference between someone I’m trying to mess with and someone I’m trying to work with.

I’m— [ there’s a pause as he helps guide Peter down the last couple of steps. They stop there for a few to let Peter catch his breath before moving into the garden. If he remembers right, there should be a gate nearby. He picks up the thread of their conversation once they start moving again ] –I’m very particular about choosing my business partners, and usually they’re people that I would both never want to piss off and would never have to work against.

Edited (brackets!!) 2016-11-02 17:13 (UTC)

[ He makes a noncommittal noise at first, letting that stand in response as they make their way to the exit. His strength is flagging, he thinks, made worse by this weird feeling of comfort flowing through him. A quiet sort of contentment, like slipping under the covers of his bed after a long day of work.

It's probably that familiar sort of shutdown, when his mind knows they're almost scot-free,tells his body that it's welcome to clock out for the evening. ]

All this to say, "I didn't narc on you"?

[ Alec is ready to put this whole mess behind him. He’s ready to kick off his shoes and crawl into bed, and just the thought sends a lazy little wave of warmth rolling through him.

He would shrug in response to Peter’s remark, but considering he currently has Peter’s arm draped across his shoulders, he makes a little “eh” noise instead. He’s not usually so open about his business practices, but given how convoluted their whole situation has become, he’d rather set the record straight. ]

I just figure you should know where I’m coming from. Things kind of went to hell before you could get a sense of how I work.

Not for lack of trying.

[ He says it a little pointedly, flicking a sidelong glance Alec's way. ]

Pretty sure I've been askin' you this whole friggin' time to just talk to me.

[ A beat. ]

Till, you know. [ He clears his throat, looks away awkwardly. ] Recently.

[ He doesn’t see that look, focused as he is on guiding them along, but he certainly does feel it. And… all right, he was really obtuse about this whole thing from the get-go, so that’s on him. It’s been a while since he partnered up with anybody for anything and he was clinging a little too hard to his secrets. ]

Sorry. After a while, I forget what it’s like to be on a team.

"The less people know about me, the easier it is for me to do my job."

[ It's a passable imitation of Alec's intonation. Not as practiced as his impression of his teammates, but enough to get the point across. ]

Did your other teams deal with that BS, too?

[ Now he looks at Peter, one eyebrow quirking up at the impression. He’s not sure if he should be annoyed or impressed, but he can’t find much annoyance in him, so he settles for the latter. ]

Only other team I had were the guys who trained me, so… not really.

[ He snorts a little. ]

Well. Maybe don't pull that shit again when you're supposed to be teaming up with other folks. Doesn't exactly set a good tone.

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