(closed)

[deadlock]

Who: nathaniel renko & james devlin.
What: doing what creaky old men do best. yapping.
When: night time is the best time.
Where: sigyn house.
Rating: pg-13/tba?

Renko could handle things like waking up in strange places, lions on the loose, and to even some extent, random stabbings— but when videos of childrens' heads exploding for no particular reason began cropping up, he'd decided that was enough for him. That was a little too gruesome and bizarre for his still-adjusting tastes. It wasn't too much, but coupled with his feeling of severe displacement in his odd little room in the even odder yellow-green house, he needed something familiar.

After leaving a clumsy message for Devlin (one that he made a point to avoid sounding desperate; it was just a simple request for him to stop by whenever he had the time), Renko saved his pacing for later and instead sat on the edge of the bed, resting his head in his hands while he tiredly leaned forward.

On second thought, maybe he didn't have the energy for Devlin... Not that he was expecting much. Though he wasn't sure what time it was, he could see it was dark out. James probably wouldn't even see his message until morning.

Comments

[devildog]

Devlin wasn't really too impatient any more; way he saw it was that he was already dead. Wasn't like he had time to waste anymore. Plus, it was Renko. Even if he was left waiting for a bit, he didn't really mind...

Once Renko appeared, Devlin blinked and then laughed, because damn, that was pretty hilarious, seeing him poke his head out the door like a damn gopher. "Hey there, hotstuff," Devlin said with no lack of sarcasm in his voice. "You took all that time getting dolled up, huh? You're lucky I'm patient. I thought you fell in." What a smartass.

[deadlock]

"Oh." Oh indeed. Why had he missed this? He wasn't sure, but God, he had.

Renko slapped on his most disappointed look, deadpanning, "It's you. I thought someone important might've been waiting for me." The anxious swell in his chest may have eased after he laid eyes on Devlin, but that didn't make him exempt from harassment. He started it, anyway!

It was too hard for Renko to keep a straight face, however, and he was soon cracking a smirk. The novelty of Devlin being alive and moving and acting like his normal insufferable self hadn't quite worn off yet. Still... "Better be on your way, I'm not supposed to let strays inside."

[devildog]

Devlin grinned widely at Renko's reaction, clearly not giving any fucks about the deadpanned look he was getting. He was used to this give and take, this idle exchange pattern. The fact that Renko had slipped into it so easily made it all the more satisfying. For once, Devlin didn't mind the whole being dead thing, if it meant he got to spend this second chance with a friend.

"Aw, but I just got all my shots updated!" Devlin countered, still grinning like a damn fool. He stepped closer to Renko, arms crossed at his chest. "Besides, you're the one that called me up. Unless you misfired a booty call, or something, given the hour."

[deadlock]

Christ. Renko couldn't help laughing at Devlin's coarse humor, shaking his head while stepping out on to the porch. Devlin had moved just close enough for Renko to reach out, snag hold of him, and pull him in to one of those good ol' man-hugs. Why? Because fuck you, that's why. Devlin could deal with a few more hugs on sight, Renko would get over the excitement of seeing him not dead eventually...

He parted from Devlin after a few seconds, giving his shoulder a pat before retreating back in to the house. He even held the door open for Devlin like the gentleman he was. "Come on, then, I'll make an exception this time. Hurry up, I don't want you to start crying over how cold you are."

[devildog]

And Devlin was just feeling accomplished for getting a laugh out of Renko, for once. Neither of them really had the opportunity to be cheerful in recent days, what with how messed up this damn place was. It was nice to be able to unwind a little, if just for a moment.

Ah, and then Renko decided to make it worse by reaching over and hugging Devlin. He was given a little bit of a start by Renko's bold antics, but just as easily as that, he returned the embrace with a laugh of his own. "I see you've missed me." He remarked. He really couldn't help it...

After that was done with, Devlin followed after Renko, not ignoring how gentlemanly his friend was being. "Oh, how kind. But excuse me for not enjoying the arctic breeze, you damn yeti."

[deadlock]

Devlin's remark got a quick scoff out of him while he played doorman. Of course he missed him. He didn't have to say it, any he didn't feel any need in denying it. He was sure Devlin would have felt the same way had their positions been reversed.

"Cold air is fresher, granny. It's good for you." He totally did not just make that up. Totally not. Once Devlin was inside, Renko carefully swung the door shut, dropping his voice down to a quieter mumble for the sake of his housemates. Well, consideration and the fact that his mood had taken a slight turn towards the more serious. Might as well be honest about why he was calling for him in the middle of the night. "So... I wanted to check up on you, I guess." Wanted to make sure his head was still on his shoulders was more like it.

[devildog]

Devlin followed suit, keeping his steps light and his voice low as he trailed after Renko. Wasn't that different than their days in boot camp, if he thought about it. Sneaking around past lights out and all... Devlin was snapped out of that bit of nostalgia as Renko admitted the reason behind their midnight rendezvous.

"...Check up on me?" Well, that was slightly embarrassing. Devlin scoffed and muttered another remark under his breath. "I'm fine, I'm fine... I know better than to mess with people in this place." Given that so many had gotten injured or killed within the span of a few weeks.

[deadlock]

"Yes, check up on you." Hear that tone? That was the because you're a troublemaker tone, and Devlin knew it was damn true. Renko supposed he should be thankful, though. Devlin may not have had the sense not to "mess with" a guy pointing a gun at his face, but at least he knew better than to bait gods.

Small victories.

Renko turned and headed for the stairs, taking each one slow and gently like the old man he was— only because it was extremely difficult not to clomp noisily up the stairs with unlaced boots. Assuming Devlin was hot on his heels, he explained further, "I'm not sure if keeping your nose clean is enough." It must not have been; honestly, what trouble could a little girl cause? Nothing that warranted an exploding head, in his opinion. "Have you been watching your bracelet?"

[devildog]

Devlin rolled his eyes rather dramatically at Renko's motherhenning, despite the fact that he was just as bad about it. If not worse. Sometimes he couldn't help it, really. It was all habit anymore...

He listened to Renko and grunted, coming up beside him rather than behind him because damn, that was a hazard waiting to happen. "Yeah, unfortunately. Fucked up shit. I can't make heads or tails of half the crap that goes on. Like that shit with that girl..." He hadn't been too pleased about that, either. Downright disturbing, actually.

[deadlock]

"You saw it," he mumbled, glancing over at Devlin while they continued up the stairs. Well, there was a blessing in Devlin walking beside him instead of behind. They could gossip like schoolgirls without waking anyone up. "Can you blame me for wanting to make sure all your parts were still attached?" Ghost stabbings and children bursting wasn't anything to smile about, but he mustered a feeble smile at Devlin's expense.

"There's not much we can do about it, is there?" Might as well ask the Asgard expert.

[devildog]

"Yeah, kinda hard to miss it," Devlin retorted crudely as he gave Renko a sidelong glance. That bit about his parts and being attached and all that jazz sort of made Devlin uncomfortable in the sense that he didn't have a proper comeback. He really didn't have a good reason as to why Renko shouldn't have been worried about him, because really, all the reasons to worry about him were right there. Dangerous place, Devlin's history with not being able to keep his mouth shut, Devlin's aggressive nature... It all added up to a disastrous formula.

Devlin sighed and rubbed at his face, offering a mirthless chuckle in response. "So far? Not much I can tell."

[deadlock]

Luckily Renko was always around to keep Devlin somewhat under control, and thank God for that. On a good day, Devlin had enough aggression for the both of them, but by now Renko recognised that as part of what made Devlin... well, Devlin.

Renko exhaled a quiet sigh as well, finding himself faced with the impossibility of the problem all over again. It was unlike him to go this long without a plan, but what was he supposed to do? It didn't matter anyway— as far as he knew, he was as dead as Devlin, so what was even the rush to get back home?

Renko was quiet for the rest of the trip to his new living space, opening the door and using his hands to herd Devlin inside first. "Let's enjoy the vacation, then." And then a pause. Being a shit to Devlin always lifted his spirits a little bit, so why not... "I suppose I could let you go back to wherever you came from, but I'm not finished looking at you."

[devildog]

Devlin, likewise, had no real plans. He was slowly but surely coming to grips with the fact that he was dead--Renko's own status was not yet dealt with in his mind--and that was as far as he got. He wasn't sure if this was some sort of afterlife or not; there had been plenty of people to tell him otherwise, as if they had a clue. But as far as the larger picture, Devlin was taking it step by step.

All he could really be thankful for was that Renko was with him, even if at the same time, that sort of made him feel terribly selfish. He slipped into Renko's quarters silently, glancing back over his shoulder at his friend with a small smile. Some vacation.

Devlin hadn't the chance to spit out even the smallest of retorts before Renko was in on him like some kind of starved beast. And that, in and of itself, was more than relaxing. So long as Renko acted like himself, Devlin had less reason to worry. "Oh, really? Why don't you take a picture, Romeo? I'm sure it'd make a fine addition to the decor in this pit." Sassy as ever...

[deadlock]

"You don't like my place?" After the door was shut, Renko walked further inside the room, gesturing to the walls while he moved like he was showing off some magnificent work of art.

Well, okay, it was kind of old timey and the color wasn't anything to write home about, but Devlin's probably wasn't any better.