Adrien Perks Up Even More. There's A Little Shop Here? His Fingers Already Twitch, Wanting To Get Work

Lucas laughs. "God, I'd love some real Tabasco."

He nods at the suggestion.

"I'll run it by Jim, Cam, and Santi later. Nothing's gonna be perfect."

He looks at her, studying her body language.

"When did you last sleep? Do I need to lock you in a cell so you'll take a nap?"

Anastasia forced a half-smile at Lucas’s grimace, the weight of Cameron’s name still lingering between them like a storm cloud that refused to pass. “Yeah, she’s still here,” Anastasia echoed, her voice softer, more resigned. “Lucky might not be the word I’d use, though.”

She folded her arms, glancing at the supplies between them. The mention of Kina sent a flicker of something painful through her chest, but she pushed it down. There wasn’t room for that now—not when so much needed doing.

Lucas’s weak chuckle at the old joke gave her an unexpected sense of warmth, though—a sliver of something familiar amid the chaos. She allowed herself a real smile this time, brief but sincere. “If one ever does show up, I hope it has coffee. Real coffee, not that powdered crap.”

She crouched down next to him, her knees protesting the movement. “We’ll figure out the rations. We always do. Maybe we set up a system—rotate who gets what, make it feel like less of a gamble.” She paused, exhaling slowly. “Not that anyone’s going to love that idea.”

Adrien sees the frayed cord and immediately jumps up excited.

"Oh, that's easy. Give me like twenty minutes. Take a seat."

He takes the fan from her, setting it on the desk, and then immediately begins to rummage for the tools he needs. He hums quietly until he has everything in his hands. Settling in at the desk, he starts to work.

"So how long you been here? What can you tell me about it?"

His gaze stays focused on the wires as he asks the questions.

a nostalgic sort of smile curls her lips up and she's reminded of something that she'd rather not be - the innocence of her son - before she shoves the thoughts away with a fierce push. "i have a fan that won't work anymore." she explains, holding the tiny electrical fan up. "it plugs into the wall but the chord recently has frayed..." she shows him the end that is obviously frayed. "sucker has been with me the entirety of my ten years here and i need it to last a few more, especially because i use it in the summer at the infirmary for people with heat sickness." looking hopeful, she sets the fan down in front of him. "think you can work some magic?"

Lucas feels a slight ache in his chest as they walk hand in hand. He didn't realize how much he missed this. Walking with Rae. Being with Rae.

"Hey," he says, soft but firm. "You are important."

They turn a corner, and they can see their houses. Only a couple of other residents between them. It had been a little awkward at first after the breakup, but then they eased into comfortable. Being close was comforting.

"I know you can. I just want to help like I used to. Moving bodies around. I saw how many you still had to do. That will definitely take forever on your own."

for most of the walk he couldn't stop looking down at his hands, constantly making sure the blood hadn't returned. that it was just a figment of his imagination. sometimes rae wondered if it was the town or his own sanity slipping.

it's ok. it wasn't, but having lucas' hand in his helped quiet the constant urge to check. he spent the rest of the walk relatively fine.

“luc, i don’t want to keep you from more important things,” he protested. "and don't say what i know you're going to say. i can handle it on my own, today was just...tough."

Finally. It had been a long day. Survive the storm and night, get the run down of the town, meet El, see the Chop Shop, and now, finally, being shown where he's going to be living. It's a cool place. Big, a little fancy, and it's buzzing with energy even with quiet somber air. So different from his aunt and uncle's place.

Cameron showed him his room and where the supplies he might need are kept. Then he's let loose to wander and see what he can find.

He finds a common room with some couches and chairs. And books he steps in to see what kind of books might still be here, but then he freezes because someone else is already in here.

Adrien blinks because there's no way this guy is real.

Adrien's seen cute guys back home. But this guy? He's handsome, beautiful.

Adrien licks his lips. Then, he realizes the guy is looking at him. Talking to him.

"Oh. No, not mine. I don't have much that's mine anymore. Just my mini-tool kit. No books. Uncle Don didn't let us bring books on our family hikes. So it's fine if you read that."

He's feeling breathless under the guy's gaze.

"Hi, I'm... I didn't mean to stare. I just... well, you're..."

He shuts his mouth and swallows hard. Get yourself together, he tells himself.

He steps forward, wiping the sweat from his hand, then holds it out to the guy.

"Adrien. I'm new."

@patroclusblossom

LOCATION: colony house

The storm passed. Some were hurt, and a few went missing. Less died than he expected, but the gruesome sight was enough to send many into somber silence.

Sangjoon had finally settled into the Colony House thanks to Cameron and was clearing out a spot to sit. There was a book in his way and after a moment of deliberation, he picked it up. He wasn't completely sure what the rules were regarding property in this house and wondered if he was going to upset someone just by flipping a few pages. Still, after all the horror, it felt nice to read.

Escape for a moment to a safer world.

What pulled him back to the bleak present was a pair of eyes. Sangjoon, having lived the way he did, was always hyperaware of any attention on him.

Fortunately, the gaze did not seem unfriendly.

"Is this book yours?" Were you looking at this, or looking at me? "I should have not touched it without permission, sorry."

"I mean, there aren't many good men out there, so it's not your fault for only finding the bad ones."

He snickers. Then the song changes and he cheers.

"I love this song. Come dance with me."

He grabs Cherry's hand and tugs on her.

THE QUESTION TAKES CHERRY ABACK FOR A MOMENT . her face scrunches a bit at the thought as she says, " usually pretty shit . at least by my track record ." there's a beat before she adds the disclaimer , " at least when it comes to men ." she shrugs then . " when it comes to everyone else it's pretty okay ."

Adrien smiles at El.

"Exactly. It's kinda beautiful to think about it like that. Tragic, but beautiful."

He moves back to the engine.

"So, you've been doing this as long as you've been here? Working in the shop?"

Ellington leans against the truck frame, wiping a bit of grease onto their already stained jeans as they watch Adrien pull out the valves. There’s a gleam of appreciation in their eyes as they examine the truck—it’s a solid piece of machinery, the kind that’s endured decades without much fuss.

“Yeah, it does feel a little wrong to rip her apart,” Ellington replies, giving the truck a gentle pat. “I mean, they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore, right? Sturdy, reliable… might’ve had a few more years left in her.” They shift, gesturing to the growing piles of parts. “But hey, every bit we pull is something that keeps this town running a little longer. Bet these valves can patch up at least two or three motors around town.”

There’s a sense of pride in their voice, and they flash Adrien a quick grin. “Besides, something about finding new life for the old stuff? Kinda feels like we’re doing right by her, even if she won’t be on the road again.”

Lucas nods toward the dried up bouquet and watches Hollis pick up.

Before he can walk away though, Lucas speaks up.

"Actually," he says, voice trembling slightly. "Could you..."

His voice trails off. He's not sure what he wants Hollis to do but at the moment, he doesn't want to be alone.

Hollis kneels beside the headstone, fingers tracing the edge of the carved lettering. His tools, a small brush and cloth, rest on the ground next to him, though his works seems more like a ritual than any overly needed maintenance. Hearing Lucas' steps, he straightens up, but doesn't turn right away, eager to finish what he's doing. Eventually he stops, lifting his tools and placing them back onto his toolbelt before finally looking over at Lucas, his face a strange mix of distant yet observant. "If you want me to...I can give you some space." He finally spoke, voice barely above a whisper, afraid to disturb the air. He gestured with a small wave of his hand to the marigolds in Lucas' hand. "Or, I can replace those for you? Out with the old..." His fingers spread out into a small claw, waiting for permission to remove any old flowers from the site.

Lucas sighs and rubs his face.

"Okay, how about this: you let me search your place real quick. If I find those bottles, then I take you down, and we sort out your restitution. If I don't, then I leave you alone for the rest of the day?"

CHERRY'S EXPRESSION SCRUNCHES . she tries desperately to think of anyone who might've actually saw her behind the desk that day or anyone who will vouch for her, time be damned . " i mean, whoever the fuck was in the lobby that morning ? i don't know everyone's name, luke ." cherry huffs a bit in exasperation, throwing a hand up before she adds, " i only know yours cause of, y'know ." a shrug as she shifts her weight, letting her hip rest against the doorframe . " continued exposure ."

where: infirmary

when: after kina's autopsy

whom: @ludics Rae

Lucas takes a deep breath as he walks toward the morgue. It's been a long day, and he'd honestly love nothing more than to just head home, take a shower, and go to bed. As much as he wants to make sure everyone is safe, secure, and taken care of, he definitely needs time to himself.

Except there's one more person he needs to check up on. One he needs to handle personally.

He pauses outside the door, bracing himself for anything he might see, then knocks on the door.

"Rae?" he calls through. "It's Luc."

He waits, letting Rae set the pace though he's not taking "go away" as an answer that's for damn sure.

RAFAEL SILVA as CARLOS REYES 9-1-1: LONE STAR (2020-)