Work Text:
“Hey Luz, look at this, I found your jacket!”
Pushing himself off his desk, Luz uses the momentum to roll with his swivel chair to Perconte’s cubicle. He nearly crashes into Skip who's coming back from break and is throwing a curious glance over Perconte’s shoulder.
“The hell are you doing on Craigslist, Frank?” Luz asks as he pushes Skip away. “Don’t you have that report for Lip to finish?”
Perconte shakes his head disapprovingly. “Is this how you thank me for solving your jacket problem? I expected more gratitude. Maybe a free round of booze.”
Luz grins. “Sure, buddy, sure. But first show me what you got.” He leans over to look at the screen of Perconte’s computer, the same ancient model that everyone at Troopers Inc. is forced to work with. For a multimillion company their bosses surely could invest a little better in their work equipment.
“‘Guy, you took my jacket by mistake’,” Luz reads. “‘We’ve got the same Hawk & Co. jacket. Looks like you accidentally took mine from the couch of ‘Bastogne’ last night and left yours. Mine had my keys, which I clearly fucking need. Yours had an avocado in the pocket. I assume that’s equally important.’”
Luz leans back and claps Perconte on the back, grinning widely. “Frank, you found a true treasure. Guy values fruits and has good taste in fashion.”
Narrowing his eyes, Perconte glances sideways at Luz, who willfully ignores him.
“You got a number or E-Mail? I want my avocado back, and maybe propose or something.” More to himself, he adds, “I was wondering why that thing had suddenly turned into keys. Then again, Smokey caught me off-guard with his bazooka shots. Stranger things have happened to me.”
Perconte nods. “Why did you go drinking on a Tuesday anyways? You’re not 20 anymore, George.”
With a dismissive hand gesture, Luz waves the insult away and makes a grab for the mouse. “It’s fine, I haven’t had anything important to work on since the Horton deal. Don’t downplay my liquor holding abilities. Tell me where I can find contact information for this guy.”
Rolling his eyes, Perconte snatches the mouse away. He opens his mouth to answer but Skip, having reappeared unnoticedly with a cup of coffee in his hand, beats him to it.
“Ask Bill, he knows the guy.” Smugly, he takes a sip of coffee as Luz and Perconte simultaneously turn around to look at him with equally suspicious and surprised expressions.
“What?” comes out of Luz’s mouth, at the same time as Perconte says, “You sayin’ I clicked around for ten minutes to find out his E-Mail for nothin'?”
Skip lowers his cup and looks at them unimpressed, entirely confident in his superior position. “Maybe next time you’ll know to appreciate me, instead of pushing me to the wayside.”
“Alright, alright, got it,” Luz playfully kicks Skip’s foot, which Skip answers with a light kick back.
“How do you know this anyway?” Perconte asks, feelings still slightly bruised. “I mean, this all went down what? Twenty hours ago?”
Skip shrugs with his left shoulder. “I got the skills, the network, my methods.”
“A pretty face,” Luz adds.
Grinning, Skip gestures at Luz with his cup. “Fast learner. I like that.” He throws a quick glance to the right. “Ah, there’s Speirs, coming right in our direction.” Perconte and Luz receive a nod in farewell. “Fellas. I’m gonna head back to Penk’s super cool 3D model and leave you two with your jacket problems alone. And don’t forget it, Luz: you owe me something.”
With a jaunty salute, Luz bids him goodbye.
A moment of silence passes. Well, silence is relative. There is the clicking of keys, phones ringing, paper rustling, and the unmistakable voice of Liebgott arguing with someone on the other side of the room.
Luz leans his head back against the chair so he can look up at the white ceiling with its blinding LED lights. Using his feet to swivel gently from left to right, he hums thoughtfully.
“You know what, Frank?”
“What?”
“Maybe I will keep the jacket. It smells really nice.”
Perconte groans.
| | |
An hour later on his way to refill his cup of coffee, Luz runs into Bill in the break room.
“I had a feeling it might be you,” Bill says while he scribbles a number on one of the paper napkins, remnants from the last office party. “I know you got the same jacket, just couldn’t be sure. Here ya go,” he hands Luz the napkin, the black numbers written in one of the red balloons and the name ‘Joe Toye’ next to them.
Slipping the napkin in his pocket, Luz grins at Bill. “Thanks, man, you’re saving the life of my avocado.”
Bill cackles. “I’m saving the life of this city. Tread with caution when you call him. After spending the night on my couch, he’s even more pissed off than usual.”
Frowning, Luz pours coffee in both their mugs. “He didn’t give a spare key to someone?”
Snorting ungainly, Bill leans against the counter. “That would require trusting someone enough to voluntarily give them access to his holy halls. He’d give one to me or Babe if we didn’t live on the other side of the city. And his neighbors are all idiots, trust me, I've met them, wasn't pretty.”
Luz contemplates this for a moment. “Doesn’t sound like the kind of guy who posts things on Craigslist, if I’m honest.”
Bill grins. “Heffron’s idea. Kid can be very resourceful.”
“That,” Luz nods, “makes a lot more sense.” He pushes Bill’s cup of coffee to its rightful owner and mirrors Bill’s leaning position. “So tell me, how come I don’t know this guy? You seem good friends.”
Two sugar cubes land in Bill’s cup with plops. Bill wipes away the splatters on the counter, grinning. “Me, Joe, and Babe went to the same high school. Yeah, you’re makin’ the same face as Mrs. Myers when me and Joe wanted to work together on a chemistry project.” He laughs. “We had some real good times.”
“I can imagine. Though I am also frightened to do so,” Luz says. “Sounds like my kinda guy. What happened?”
Bill sobers a bit, stirring his coffee. “His family moved away. Personal business, not important for you to know. We kept in touch but you know how it is, it’s different.”
Sensing a figurative minefield lying in that direction, Luz quickly asks, “But he’s moved back by now, has’t he?”
Immediately Bill’s expression brightens up. “Yeah, half a year ago. Smokey already knows what to serve as soon as Joe walks in. Even Roe’s been won over.”
Luz puts on his most charming smile. “Then why haven’t I been introduced?”
Bill punches him in the shoulder (Luz doubts it was meant to be so forceful; all this office work is making him soft). “It’s your own damn fault for not showing up at Babe’s birthday party in May. ‘Sides, he didn’t tell me he feels the need to meet new people.”
“Well,” says Luz cheerfully, patting the pocket of his pants in which the napkin safely rests, “we’ll see how it turns out.”
“Can’t wait to hear all about it.”
| | |
Luz’ first impression of Joe Toye is that he’s the very definition of ‘rough.’
He calls him as soon as he gets home. The napkin has stayed miraculously intact, despite Luz’ constant urge to pull it out, to make sure it’s still there. He’s never been good at waiting for a task to get done.
Toye’s voice sounds like he’s just woken up and he hasn’t had anything to drink yet. Unlikely, Luz thinks, considering that it’s seven in the evening and according to Bill, Toye works in construction, a job that requires getting up early, right? Maybe it’s a consequence from drinking last night, but a tiny part of Luz hopes it’s his normal voice. Okay, maybe that part isn’t as tiny as he’d like to tell himself.
For someone who’s merely the responder to a public ad of sorts Luz does a lot of the talking. It’s a shame, really, but he knows better than to take Toye’s monosyllabic replies to heart. Sometimes, more is less. Luz knows better than to judge.
Especially when Toye proposes meeting at ‘Bastogne’ and snorts when Luz says, “Return to the crime scene? Sure, why not.”
When Luz hangs up he finds he’s looking forward to their meeting the next day, and not necessarily because he’ll get his avocado back.
| | |
The plan had been to play it cool and test the waters whether there is a chance for Luz to add a new name to his already long but limitless list of friends.
On the phone Toye seemed likeable enough, and someone who appreciates Luz’ jokes usually ends up in his good book. There is something about him that is inexplicably intriguing. If it takes the man some time to warm up to Luz’ charm, Luz has no problem with patience.
He has problems of a different nature. When he opens the door to ‘Bastogne,’ favorite bar of the employees working on Floor E of Troopers Inc., he’s faced with an entirely unexpected sight: at the bar sits a man, an avocado next to him on the counter, with a smile on his lips that is small but genuine, and that warms Luz’ belly better than any liquor’s ever managed to.
Luz isn’t jealous of Smokey being the one the smile is directed at. Smokey is a great guy and wouldn’t be such a successful bartender and -owner if he didn’t have a good sense of humor. But it’s enough to make him wonder if adding Toye to the ‘Friends’ list is really what he wants.
Weaving his way to the bar, Luz takes note of the black leather jacket Toye is wearing, his Hawk & Co jacket draped over the back of the chair. He’s scratching at the label on the beer bottle in front of him, the scraps of paper landing around the avocado lying next to the beverage.
Luz slides into the barstool on the left of his potential friend. “I see you’re delivering the cargo undamaged and on time, just like we discussed,” he murmurs, unable to pass up an opportunity for a joke.
Immediately Toye’s expression hardens; immediately Luz makes it his personal mission to bring the smile back.
For a second Toye eyes him warily, then his gaze falls to Luz’ jacket. Or at least the one he’s wearing, not that it’s his, strictly speaking.
“I see you’re still wearing my jacket.” Seems like the roughness of Toye’s voice really is normal. “For your sake I hope you also got my keys with you.”
“Lucky me then, cause I do,” Luz replies easily, patting the left coat pocket. He leans on the bar with his elbow, upper body half turned around so he can give Toye a more or less subtle once over. The man looks about his height, but where Luz is rather soft around the edges, it’s obvious Toye’s working an outside job that requires more muscles than a desk job does. There’s tension in his shoulders, and he’s sitting rigidly upright.
“You know,” Luz says, more serious now but not without smiling disarmingly, “I feel like we got off on the wrong foot.”
“You could fucking say that,” Toye mumbles.
Luz holds out his hand. “George Luz, good to meet you, stranger whose jacket I accidently mistook for my own. Apologies for that, I hope we can call it even and start anew. Unless your plan all along was to murder me in the back alley as soon as you got your keys back. If that’s the case, please excuse me while I run for my life.”
“You always talk this much?” Toye asks, eyebrows raised as he contemplates Luz’ outstretched hand.
“Wouldn’t you like to find out,” Luz retorts, grin bright.
“You had an avocado in your pocket,” Toye points out. “I’m not sure I want to know what else you got in store.”
A second passes. Then he takes the proffered hand, and shakes it.
+
Instead of simply exchanging the mixed up possessions, they remain at ‘Bastogne’ for over an hour.
Luz offers to buy the first round and asks cheekily if he should ask Smokey to prepare two drinks containing avocado. Comfortable warmth spreads through his chest when Toye - Joe - rolls his eyes and says, corners of his mouth twitching, “Just get me a drink, Luz.”
After noticing Joe’s discomfort when asked questions about his life, Luz quickly changes tactics and mostly talks about himself. He pauses whenever Joe looks like he wants to interject or share something, and they work out a pretty good conversational flow.
They mostly talk about work since it’s a relatively harmless topic and they share a few common friends. When Luz tries and only half succeeds at imitating Bill’s thick accent while cursing the coffee machine that one time, the smile from the night’s beginning makes a reappearance. Luz considers it enough of a success to not feel too disappointed when Joe says he has to leave.
His “I’ll see you” sounds serious, not at all like a meaningless phrase.
Luz’ “I’m looking forward to it” sounds the same.
| | |
Joe T. (10:21)
You dumbass forgot to give me back my jacket.
George L. (10:22)
But I DID give you back your keys :D
Joe T. (10:23)
I want it back.
George L. (10:25)
How about Friday? I’ll text you my address and you drop by in the evening.
George L. (10:26)
Wear comfortable clothes and bring popcorn, if you want :)
Joe T. (10:34)
Maybe.