Voicemail

[shutupandkillsomething]

"This is Cade. I'm either not here or avoiding you, so leave a message and take your chances on me comming back."

Comments

[suitably_heroic]

Oh, for the love of--

camel.

[shutupandkillsomething]

There was a long pause.

thought you were dead first

[suitably_heroic]

Well. He blew out a breath, threw his arm over his forehead, and took a minute.

needed to get out from under the order. bailed when i could. u know how it goes

Maybe Cade would let him play it off?

[shutupandkillsomething]

There was a longer pause.

Huh. Headsup wouldve been nice

[suitably_heroic]

Jack's brain made a sort of squelchy-keysmashy noise.

sorry. spur of the moment. then spent a summer hiding.

He pressed the butt of his phone against his forehead for a second. Then added,

but anyway this is my number don't spread it around

[shutupandkillsomething]

ill keep it out of the group chat i dont have. why tell me now? you in jail?

[suitably_heroic]

The answer was a picture of J-- Atton's shoulder, and the sprawling black tattoo of the night sky - he didn't expect Cade to recognize the arrangement of the stars had anything to do with Metallica - that now covered the huge scar Sion had left there once.

i'm not doing more than another two i refuse to turn into you, he texted.

Read: getting it had reminded him of Cade. And then made him feel bad about not telling Cade he was alive. Shh.

[shutupandkillsomething]

if its not in a language you can't read, it won't count, said the proud owner of a Japanese tramp stamp.

[suitably_heroic]

thanks. that helps a lot actually.

He eyed his phone.

Snorted.

Ugh. Did he feel the slightest twinge of fondness at Cade being Cade? He was going to have to scrub his brain later.

anyway everything fine and calm here. ur welcome in nyc if u ever swing past earth again

[shutupandkillsomething]

i might. few thousand credits short on a job. laying low until they forget's not a bad plan.

It was a spectacularly terrible plan.

[suitably_heroic]

well if it's a couple of days and u dont bring any narcotics.

This was beginning to sound like something he might regret.

[shutupandkillsomething]

ill see what i can do

[suitably_heroic]

and i will talk to my ro

No.

Backspace, backspace.

and i will talk to my bo

Nooooono.

and i will talk to my partner but space dont throw up anywhere its nyc this apartment is small

[shutupandkillsomething]

partner? knocking over banks?

[suitably_heroic]

At this point, Atton seriously considered the idea Cade was trying to torture him. (Or maybe he just needed to get out of his own head about crossing the streams.)

as in my guitarist and the person im dating, he texted. At least that would hopefully kill any further questions.

[shutupandkillsomething]

Huh. sure.

Very helpful, Cade, thank you.

[suitably_heroic]

great.

Could you not come up with a single thing to make that less awkward, Rand?

good talk.

[shutupandkillsomething]

not awkward at all

Again with the helpfulness!

[suitably_heroic]

Goddammit, Cade.

Atton closed his eyes for another moment, searching for a way out of this. Or maybe a way forward.

look, a lot has changed in my life over the past few years. mostly good things. i'm sorry i didn't keep you up to date, but honestly, i didn't know you even cared until we talked about it briefly during that bar night last year, he texted. i don't have a lot of friends left from those early days, though, so if you WANT to, you're welcome, i'll catch you up on everything, and we'll see. but if you don't, whatever, it's fine. i'm just trying to be less of a dick than i used to be.

[shutupandkillsomething]

don't be too much less of a dick. i don't know what to do with boring people who are always nice.

That, for Cade, was a bit like forgiveness. Ill let you know if i need a place to hide if this thing with a Hutt doesnt go well.

He was trying to blackmail a Hutt. It would go less well.

[suitably_heroic]

yeah im sure theres no way that can go wrong.

The weight shifted off his shoulders, if a little.

keep me updated.