To Hell and Back

Don't Touch My Stuff

Lance's Pov

A muted thud followed soon after she slammed her door shut. I chuckled and bent down to pick up my apple, dusting it off on my jacket before I took another bite. Following Robin, I walked down the hall to her room, wanting to make sure she collapsed on her bed and not the floor like it sounded like. 

Opening the door, I saw she did not if fact, make it to the bed. Lying sprawled on the floor, brown hair splayed everywhere she look like an angel, an angel who fell from heaven and did not land lightly upon the earth. Grunting I lifted her up and maneuvered her onto the bed.

"Didn't drink that much my ass." I complained, sarcasm dripping from every word, I walked back through the door, she was like a little sister to me and was definitely the only one I was willing to put into bed after they passed out on the floor, chair, or elsewhere. The door shut behind me, not softly but it didn't make the same 'bang' as it did when Robin closed it.

 I sighed, I swear this group gets more dysfunctional everyday. I took the apple back out of my pocket from where I had stashed it, someone in this house should eat healthy, occasionally. Most of the candles were dark already but light spilled out from under the door of Thom's room like it did most nights. Of course most nights there wasn't any, no actually fights were actually pretty common, but they usually didn't involve Thom. I gently tried to twist the handle, locked. Thom never locked his door, he never had a reason to. Shit. I knocked gently on the door.

"Hey, Thom, you in there?" I raised my hand, knocking against the wood again, "don't make me break down this door Thom, you know I'll do it." I leaned against the door frame rolling the apple back and forth in my hands. The door didn't open but the shadow continued moving around under the door.

"Thom, dude come on please?'

The lock clicked and I opened the door, loose papers covered every surface, books were stacked along the walls and on the chairs and desk. Thom was pacing, shuffling papers, moving books and putting up different images.

"You want to take a break? This can wait till the morning."

"That was our only lead, I have to find, there has to be another way." Thom said under his breath, "what do you want Lance, I'm busy."

"You ok?" I picked up a paper, turning it over in my hand, studying the detailed drawings.

He snaches it back, "Don't touch my stuff."

"Answer the question."

"What the fuck do you think?" He glowered shoving the paper into a random notebook. I step in front of him, blocking him from desk, "That's some colorful language, not like you to cuss."

He grunted, "Oh so it's ok for you to cuss but I'm not allowed to? Who are you my mother?"

"You know that's not what I mean." I sigh, Thoms glares and tosses the book pass me to the table.

"Really? Because all I know, is that months of hard work just went down the fucking garbage because our 'not so perfect-stupidly handsome-motherfucking-leader, who isn't even the leader, doesn't like the one goddamn lead I've found in months!" Thom shouted, he drew a deep breath before he continued berating me. "No, I am not ok and I thank you to now take your leave and close the fucking door behind you when, you, go!" The last three words were punctuated with Thom swinging the notebooks in his hands at me, catching me in the arms and the side of my head.

"Stop." I grabbed his arm as he was about to make another pass with the notebooks, something I would now consider a deadly weapon in the hands of someone who was majorly pissed off. His breathing came fast and shallow but he allowed me to pry the books from his hands and place them on the table.

"Are you done?" I ask, turning back around to face him, he nods, keeping his eyes low, not looking at my face. "Good. The work wasn't for nothing, I have no problem with this Daniel person, I can do the meet with him instead of Mikael."

"Devon."

"What?"

"His name," Thom said dejectedly, "The seller, his name is Devon."

"Okay?" I look at him in confusion, and he finally looked up, meeting my gaze.

"You said Daniel but its Devon, Devon Shadawich." He corrected wearily, pushing his glasses back up his nose. I sigh and run my hand through my hair, trust Thom to catch you when you make a mistake.

"The point is, I'll still use the intel and if Mikael tries to stop me I will beat him up and lock him in the basement." I said, pushing off the desk and back out towards the door, "Your work wasn't for nothing Thom. It's good intel and to be frank, it's the only piece of godman intel we have at the moment so..." I shrug, trailing off, a slight smile pulling at my lips. It seemed to be contagious because Thom started smiling too.

"So," I say, pausing in the doorway. "Do want me to close the door or are you going to follow me to bed?"

He smiles, a big one this time, and follows me out, closing the door to the study behind us. Work can wait, I however, am not very patient and have a different kind of work on my mind, one requiring a bit more exercise than flipping through papers.