latino_menace | OOM: The latest with Mary Anne

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OOM: The latest with Mary Anne

Ramon is quiet when he walks into the house. He feels like he's done something wrong, even though he technically hasn't. Not wrong in that he toyed with Mary Anne a bit to get her to tell the truth for once - wrong because the conversation happened at all. Knowing how hurt Random was after he'd kissed her, it feels slightly off for him to talk to her about the situation. Almost as if he's been unfaithful, somehow, especially given that she showed him what might have been.

But he hasn't, and wouldn't - but he still feels the need to tell Random what happened. In a minute though. Right now, he's just leaning his back against the front door and pausing to try and get some of the tension out of him. He has a vague notion that something might just snap if the day carries on like this.

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"I can make any paperwork you need to dissappear simply vanish."

He's good at that sort of thing.

"I do have a few friends in the police force here. I was a witness a while back. Murder case."

'Yeah? I didn't know that.'

He takes Random's hand and idly lets their fingers twine. Likes dong that, especially when they're wrapped up in bed together.

'I've taken care of the paperwork already - all on computer anyway and the disks are hidden well. And there's not much actual product around because it went out to the street guys three days ago. Just depends whether they've had surveillance on us and just been waiting for today - we'll need to find out how much evidence they've got.'

And he's wondering how the hell he didn't get tipped off on this one in advance. Obviously he hasn't got well enough connected since he started - that'll have to change.

"We need to build up our people, yeah?"

He yawns, widely, and squirms to get a little more comfortable.

"Not the top people, I rather like them," and by now, they're all used to Random and his questions about their wives and if their son'll be at the parade tomorrow and would he like to sit with him and Martin, they're alone. "But let me wander around a bit lower down in the rungs. Give me some money, I'll help some people, and inspire some nice loyalty."

'The lower rungs is what we need. We need desperate street scum that'll spill their guts on anbody as long as they get paid for it. You can't help them Random, because then they'll be no good to us.'

He feels better thinking about business. This is something he knows inside out. Nothing grey about this stuff.

'And we need more people in the cop stations. More people who can give us a heads up on this shit in advance.'

From tomorrow, Ramon's going to be getting paperwork on every cop in the city and he'll be going through it to identify the weakest of them, the ones with traits that can be manipulated. Random might play nice, but he doesn't - that sort of information is invaluable when you need something to happen fast.

"If you need me to make someone happy, just tell me."

He yawns again, and nuzzles closer.

"I'm here if you want."

'Yeah. It'll be OK.'

Ramon's wide awake now, his brain working over what's going to happen tomorrow. It's the perfect distraction from all the personal shit, and all the stuff he hsn't said.

'Go to sleep Random, you're tired. I might get up and work a bit but I'll be quiet.'

"I'm just drowsy."

His eyes are still closed though.

"Talk to me for a bit? Just. Talk."

'What about?'

Anything, he assumes. So he casts around for a moment and figures people are as good a place as any to start.

'I met an old woman who's kind of like Raven. Goddess-legend thing, you know? She told me how to make applemash whiskey. It's good stuff.'

"Want to try some together later?"

He could stand to make whiskey with Ramon, for an afternoon. That'd be a nice way to pass the time.

'We could. But it'd have to be in a diffrent shadow, where it's hot.'

He chuckles and kisses his cheek fondly.

'Good thing about being with you, we won't have to wait six months for it to be ready. Walk us forward and we can have it in a few hours.'

That'd be awesome, he thinks. That stuff had rocked.

"Whatever you like."

Just keep holding him like this and telling him things.

"We'll get to it later. Maybe have some on hand for Christmas. 's coming soon. Our second Christmas together."

'Yeah.'

Ramon smiles. He'd been thinking about Christmas the other day. He likes it, as a rule, and last year had been nice. Apart from Martin's visit on the day itself. That had been excruciating.

'What do you want to do for it? Spend it here, or somewhere else?'

"I want to spend it back in Columbia."

He sighs, happily, and settles his head so it's on Ramon's shoulder.

"We can afford a day a year."

'With Martin?'

He flinches and...no.

"If..."

Oh.

So that's how it is.

Random falls silent.

'No. No you don't...I don't mean I don't want him with us.'

He doesn't, but that isn't what he'd meant. He shakes his head to try and get rid of the shock that idea had caused.

'I'm sorry. But he can't go there yet. That's where...' he stops, and swallows.

'He's too young for it.'

It had been Emanuel's home, most of his life. He can't see Martin there, enjoying what his son can't.

"Okay."

He doesn't let himself pull away from Ramon, because that'd be blatant and cruel, and he needs this to be alright for him, really he does.

"Haven, then. We can set up the tree, and..."

Everything, yes. It doesn't matter. He's alright with this.

Right.

And then he remembers that he's Ramon Salazar and nothing bothers him and you know what? It's fine.

'No, lets go there. I want to go home anyway. It'll be alright.'

His voice sounds tired, but not too resigned. He doesn't want to guilt Random out of not going.

"We'll talk about it later," says Random in the tone that means he isn't going. No matter what.

"When we're more awake."

And Ramon is just as sure that they are. And he really does want to go home. It would be stupid, he thinks, to pass up the opportunity to go back to Columbia just because of the child.

'Alright.'

Pause, while he wonders if he can sleep yet. No. It's still early.

'What do you want to get him?'

"He gets one present from us, and one present from Santa, and then whoever else thinks of him. We're not spoiling him. I think, at his age, it should be a trike."

Martin + wheels = far too cute.

Ramon turns his head to look at him properly with a look of intense disbelief.

'One present from us and one from Santa?

...you do know how much money we have, don't you?'

He doesn't like Martin that much. But to him, two presents for your son at Christmas isn't much short of cruelty.

"Then we'll donate the spare to Shepherds of Good Hope or something. My family has a dreadful tendancy to see what they want and think they deserve it. So do you, sometimes, baby. The little one needs to understand that we do love him, and will get him some things, but he needs to work for the luxuries."

Don't get him wrong. They will be very good Christmas presents. But.

"The Christmas season is about giving, and sharing. I don't want him thinking it's about money. If he comes away knowing I'm happiest with a mug with 'daddy' misspelled on it that he puts effort into rather than the fanciest thing he could buy, then I've done my job."

Ramon makes a mental note to buy a mug that Martin can misspell his name on for Random. He'll make sure he gets some good things as well, but that one goes on the list.

'It's not about 'deserving',' he says, although it totally is. 'It's about affording. How's he going to feel when he sees that I've bought you a heap of presents and he's only got two to open?'

He has the dreadful feeling that Random's going to stop him buying things now, and that makes his heart sink. He thinks the best way he knows to show love is to buy expensive presents, which is why Random gets whatever he wants, even if it's just mentioned in passing on a whim one day and then forgotten about.

"I think you know the answer to that."

He kisses the nearest bit of skin.

"Just one, lover. Santa doesn't come for grown ups. I promise, Ramon, we'll do alright by each other. Just, one thing at a time, and let you mean it rather than just think it's easy, okay? Why don't you ask Martin what he wants from Santa for Christmas, love, then it can be nice and big and you can spoil him for it. Speaking of which, what would you like?"

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