latino_menace | OOM: Post Mary Anne

It is late when he arrives.

Shaking hands grab for Ramon's even as he sleeps and start to shake him awake with a kind of desperation.

'Wha' the...ow!'

He starts awake and jerks into a half-seated position.

'Jesus Random, what the fuck?!'

"Help."

He collapses into Ramon's lap and holds on.

"Going to fucking kill something, feel like crying, need a paper shredder, please, get up I'm sorry to wake you but I need you. Fucking pissant minor arcana piece of shit."

'It's OK, it's OK.'

He's half asleep and not quite sure what the babbling's about, but that doesn't stop him pulling Random close and wrapping his arms around him.

'Slow down. What happened?'

"Fucking thing. Ruin. Ten of Swords. It's been attacking Gorlim and I wasn't fucking there and now it's taken Andres' face and come to him."

He clutches harder, taking deep, unsteady breaths.

"Fuck. Ramon. Fuck this."

'Oh.'

Ramon scratches his head briefly, then pulls him closer.

'Him.'

He wonders briefly if he should have told Random about the whole situation before this - but judging by the reaction, he's thinking he was right to keep quiet about it.

'Yeah, he's an asshole. He looks like Andres now? Shit. I was hoping I'd never have to see that face again.'

"Ramon!"

Insensitve. Bad thing to say.

"Please, lover. Bigger fucking things to worry about than the aesthetics of my ex."

'...yeah. OK.'

Random has a point, but Ramon still shrugs.

'Gorlim wasn't too bad when I spoke to him a few days ago. I know Ruin's been doing a number on him but he didn't say anything about Andres. Maybe that's one of his other nights used up.'

He could see how a night with Andres would be torture but he's thinking that Random means it's rather more serious than that.

'What happened then?'

"These fucking nights to begin with" he snarls, pulling away and striding away from the bed, hands clenched.

"I... don't know."

Ramon watches him for a moment, then shifts gingerly backwards ont he bed, propping himself against the end with a couple of pillows. Then he flicks the lamp on and lights a cigarette, drawing deeply on it before saying,

'He's got seven left. Or did, when I spoke to him. Maybe six now, as he didn't mention Andres.'

Pause.

'And I spoke to Ruin, back when this was all starting. I tried to get him to take back the nights Gorlim paid for us, because we can look after ourselves. But he wouldn't have it.'

Random stops in his tracks.

"He paid for us?"

He sounds very much like he's going to be sick.

Ramon shifts again slightly, looking rather uncomfortable and rather pissed off about it too. But he nods all the same.

'And Martin. And a few others - Namo and Gabriel and some other friends. He offered himself for those nights in exchange for Ruin not going near us.'

And it had made him livid that Gorlim would try to protect them when they didn't need it, but he still hadn't been able to do anything to change it.

'Are you alright?'

Quite plainly not.

He moves automatically for the window, throwing it open and gasping as the rush of night air sweeps in.

Ramon only hesitates for a moment - just long enough to stub out his cigarette - and then he's up, pulling on sweat pants and walking over to where Random is. Arms slide round his waist carefully and he murmurs in his ear,

'There was nothing you could have done. Gorlim did this on his own and Ruin isn't the type to let him go.'

"I'm being whored for."

He leans back into Ramon's arms.

"And I can't stop it. I hate this."

'I hated it too. Do hate it. But there's nothing we can change, and that's all there is to it.'

He doesn't want Random to get the notion to go up against Ruin. That's the last thing he wants.

'Might not be the worst.'

If Gorlim hasn't told him already, then Ramon thinks he might as well know it all now.

'He thinks he might kill him. Says he might be saving that up till last - and apparently, there'll be no coming back if he does.'

He says it as gently as he can. He doesn't like the idea of it either.

"I'm going to kill him now, then."

He pulls away, heading for the dresser with steel in his eyes and a clenched jaw.

'No! No, you're not.'

Ramon follows immediately, his own face set.

'For one thing, I'm pretty sure you can't. For another - I'm not letting you go up against him Random. I'm fucking not.'

"He's a minor."

He fishes for the tarot cards, though his determination is already wavering.

"It's a fucking bit player, Ramon."

'I don't care!'

He snatches for the cards, because he can't let Random do this.

'It doesn't matter if he is or not. Gorlim was trying to keep you safe and you're not going to make that pointless. And you're not risking yourself when you've got Martin to look after either. You hear me?'

The thought of Random fighting with Ruin - it doesn't bear thinking about.

There's a short moment, less than three seconds, where Random's eyes and posture say, quite clearly, 'you couldn't stop me if you tried.'

But then he makes a strangled sound and throws himself at Ramon, face in his shoulder and arms wrapping around him tight.

The cards go flying in a shower of paper, which doesn't matter in the slightest.

He loves him. Ramon will never have to try.

Ramon knows very well that he couldn't stop him physically. But he was hoping that a plea to his emotions woul work, so he's sighing with relief as he takes him into his arms and holds him.

'It's OK. It'll be OK, Random.'

He's got nothing to back that up with, but it's what people say, right?

'He won't go through all this just to kill him at the end of it. It'll be fine.'

Another guess based on nothing. He's never been the best at being comforting, but he's trying.

"I hope so."

Even just this, just holding and trying, it helps. Even if he can't quite fool himself this time.

"Sorry. Woke you up."

'That's OK.'

He smiles into his hair, keeping him close and hoping it makes him feel better.

'Don't sleep properly unless you're here anyway.'

He does. Random's breathing slowly begins to even out, and he clings a little tighter.

"Promise me you won't let anyone touch you like that to keep me safe? Ever? If it comes to that, you know, we can always go to Amber. Not even the Forsaken could find Amber, and nothing more powerful than that'll ever bother. Just never put yourself in that position, not when I could help, alright?"

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