[He was infuriating. He was rude. He was absolutely intolerable.
He also happened to be absolutely right.
As soon as Luca stepped outside that building, he was instantly met with the reality that he had absolutely no idea what the future was like. He had thought he would be able to figure it out, he had managed things like 'electric lights' and 'cell phones' while in that game, but this was different. This wasn't a closed location with just a few people, this was a city of millions with more innovation in one city block than in the entire country Luca had grown up in.
Don't mind him he is just at a loss for words. His anger had instantly vaporized the moment he had seen the sea of cars moving along the road.]
[Some time later, Cabanela himself will leave the coliseum at a much more leisurely trot. He's finished everything he had to do in there, he's fairly sure, so it's time for him to go back home. ...Well, after getting a good night's sleep in a hotel, anyway. Taking a plane anywhere is not an option for him right now.
He does spot Luca from the corner of his eye, but opts to just keep walking. What happens to the man from here on out is none of his business, apparently.]
[Even if Cabanela leaves without saying anything to Luca, tgat doesn't mean Luca doesn't see him. And for a moment, Luca starts to reach out to call for Cabanela, but he stops himself. No, he won't ask for help, he can do this on his own.
That doesn't mean he won't be going a different way, though. Cabanela has to go to this 'airport' as well, so Luca decides to follow him discreetly. If they have to go to the same place, then Luca can find out where to go without directly asking. ]
[It doesn't take all too long for Cabanela to realize he's being followed. He could call Luca out on it, but he figures he might as well shield some of the man's pride and pretend to be oblivious to it. A brisk walk and some directions from a not-entirely-kind stranger later, he's found the nearest hotel. It's extremely early in the morning (the game ended with a midnight ousting, after all) and the guy behind the counter is being a little cross about booking a room without a creditcard to charge, but a bit of persuasive talking, a flash of his badge and a few wads of cash later, Cabanela's got himself a room key. ...And by key we mean card, of course, because what kind of hotel still works with keys nowadays?
Good luck dealing with that guy yourself, Luca. If you need him, he'll be in his room. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out which one, because he repeated the number very loudly when he accepted his key card.]
[Fun fact: All of Luca's ID papers, excluding the passport tgat protoshepard gave everyone, looks like it belongs in a museum. And Luca has no idea what a credit card is. Nor does he understand how email works, when the front desk guy asks for his.
And he also tries to haggle over the price of the room too, because inflation over 200 years still trips him up.
So, Luca ends up turned out very quickly. It takes him more than an hour before he finally gets over his own stubbornness and goes up to Cabanela's room.
He doesn't bother knocking, though. Instead, he uses his chalk on the door and "convinces" the door handle wants to open itself. He had been planning to pick the lock, but one look at the key card locks tells him it is pointless.
So. Yeah. About an hour and a half after Cabanela got the room, Luca will be breaking in to sleep in a corner somewhere. ]
[There probably isn't a single world out there in which breaking into a Special Investigations inspector's room is a good idea. Lucky for Luca (or maybe not so?), Cabanela is showering. He had waited a while to see if Luca would get over himself and come knocking, but apparently not. Then he spent about half an hour attempting to sleep, only to find himself unable despite the exhaustion. Finally, he decided to take advantage of the fact that he has a bathroom all to himself again, with all the necessities included.
At last, a razor. Now he can shave and stop feeling like half a homeless person. Careful, Luca, he's almost done in there.]
[See, he had been hoping that Cabanela would be sleeping already, so they could avoid any talking. And if Luca slept by the door, then he could have hurried out once Cabanela had woken up.
When he hears the water running and sees the bed empty, Luca is about to turn and leave. But the door shuts behind him before he can do so, and it is rather loud too. Welp.
Cringing, Luca books it for the window. He slides the window open, and he moves to jump out, only to find that there is a strange metal mesh of some sort covering the opening. Whatever it is for, Luca won't be getting out that way.
[So there Cabanela was, minding his own business in the shower when he hears the door slam. That was way too close by to be coming from a neighboring room. Naturally, he does what any cop would do. He hops out the shower, hastily puts his pants on (NO TIME FOR UNDERWEAR!!!) despite being soaking wet and grabs his gun from where he left it near the sink. Then he virtually kicks the bathroom door open in his haste to catch the would-be burglar.
SAY HELLO TO HIS LITTLE FRIEND- ..... Goddammit Luca.]
Y-you-! What are you- [The "what" is obvious. The "why" is probably a better question.]
[If Luca weren't in danger of being shot, he might have appreciated that a bit more.
But for now, Luca freezes in place, only moving to slowly turn and look to Cabanela. Welp. he's been caught.]
Ah... Non parlo Inglese?
[Not that he expects Cabanela to believe that he doesn't speak English, but maybe it will make him laugh? And it will stall for time while Luca tries to think of a way to explain all of this.]
[Yup, that is one heck of an untruth, right there. It doesn't even explain the biggest problem here.]
So you thought you could use miiine? Around here, it's common courtesy to knock and wait for someone to open the door. [He's not mad, of course. Just... wow.]
[OKAY SO doot de doot skipping over some time in which they do the same boring bullshit that they had planned on doing while here. Luca discovering amazing things about the future, Cabanela finding out more about magic and trying to figure out a way to corner the manipulator, that sort of thing. You know, actual work things meant to justify their delaying their return to their own times.
But over that time, There is one fact that becomes increasingly obvious, so much so that Luca cannot deny it anymore: he is still attracted to Cabanela, and that wolf game only dampened the feeling for a few days tops.
It is particularly irritating, to be working in such close quarters with someone that he is so attracted to, but Luca manages. They have work to do, after all, and they can't be acting on feelings like that, even if Cabanela was willing to revisit the subject after the rather disastrous blowup at the wolf game. Which he might not be, after the way Luca acted, but he will have to live with that. And he has mastered the art of the 'nothing is wrong' smile, so he can keep up appearances.
At least until he gets a few bottles of booze into him. That is when his mask starts to slip. So one night, late in the evening, while they are sitting around and boozing it up (because they don't have plans in the morning, so why not), that is when Luca speaks up.]
I don't know how you manage it. How do you stay so good-looking with such little effort? You are like a personal maintenance-wizard, or something.
[Says the guy who takes at least an hour in front of the mirror every day.]
[And what great boring bullshit they tended to it was. It was a bit of an adjustment for Cabanela to not focus on work 24/7 and instead take his time to relax, but he's pretty sure he's got the hang of it by now. Part of him feels guilty, because what if time is still flowing back home? And yet... This sure is a nice place to hide and pretend Jowd can still be saved. The notion that there might be such a harsh truth waiting for him is exactly why he's reluctant to return.
Yup, this is a good place to be with good company to have. Considering Luca's remarks and actions during the wolf game, he would've expected the man to crack long before now. It could be argued that maybe Cabanela's not as handsome and appealing as he likes to think he is, but Luca's own comments are already disproving that. ...He is exactly as handsome and appealing as he likes to think he is.
So he just smirks and takes another sip of his bourbon before responding.]
It's eeeasy, baby. I'm just a naaatural at looking good. What you seeee is what you geeet. [Fun fact about Cabanela, once he's had a few drinks he starts drawing out his vowels even more.]
[He noticed that, actually. If he were sober at the moment he might have found it annoying, but as he is getting himself further into his cup he actually finds it charming rather than annoying. It's funny how drinking makes some behaviors more tolerable.]
See, you make it look so easy. I spend hours making myself look presentable each day. You should see the horrible bed-head I have to tame each morning.
[Since they share a house, Cabanela might have caught glimpses of it before, though Luca is quick to shower and get rid of any signs of the last night of sleep. It is decidedly worse during his nights on the couch, too.]
[He's caught glimpses, yes. Caught them on purpose, to be precise, because from time to time he's found himself checking Luca out. ...There's no harm if he's just looking though, right? Everybody does that.]
Seeeen it? It's kinda hard to miss! [Hahahahaha! Hah! Everything is ten times funnier when you're drunk. ...But he should probably add something to that before he seriously pisses Luca off.] Heh... Just kiiiddin'. Seeeriously though, it ain't that bad, baby. It has a certain... chaaarm to it.
[Luca vastly prefers well-groomed men in stylish suits, but he can understand the appeal to bedhead. It is a very intimate thing, to see someone like that. Part of him wonders if maybe that is why it is hard for Cabanela to miss?
Grinning, Luca decides to pursue this further.]
Why Cabanela, I had no idea your tastes ran in such a direction! You should have spoken up sooner, better arrangements could have been made.
[Luca, have you learned nothing from your previous games of Very Gay Chicken with him? Give him a finger and he'll go for the hand. ...And then some. He knows exactly what to do with that hand, too.]
Aaawww... You'd be willing to arraaange things just for me? I'm flaaattered, baby. You just let me know if I can return the faaavor, hmmm?
[Oh, he learned a lot from it. It's not 'gay chicken' when the gay part is definitely meant on purpose.]
Hmm...How to return the favor...
[He already has something in mind but he is pretending to think on it for a bit.]
Well, it is supposed to be my night on the couch, but we have gotten to know each other pretty well by now, hmm? So perhaps alternating nights doesn't have to be a thing anymore?
Oooh? But if you don't sleep on the couch, howeeever will you get such a magniiificent bedhead? [He can think of a way... He'll leave the implication open and instead take another sip from his drink. He's not quite drunk enough for this, he's sure.]
[Hm. Either this will lead to some very interesting things, or Cabanela's about to walk straight into some kind of trap. That's a risk he's willing to take, though. He puts his glass down to scootch right on back.]
You'd better make sure to whisper it in my eeear, baby.
[Fortunately, Luca is juuuuuust drunk enough that he doesn't feel silly about this.
So he scootches on over next to Cabanela, leans in, and. Well. Let's just say his rather large vocabulary is being put to good use, even if it's raunchy as all hell.]
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He also happened to be absolutely right.
As soon as Luca stepped outside that building, he was instantly met with the reality that he had absolutely no idea what the future was like. He had thought he would be able to figure it out, he had managed things like 'electric lights' and 'cell phones' while in that game, but this was different. This wasn't a closed location with just a few people, this was a city of millions with more innovation in one city block than in the entire country Luca had grown up in.
Don't mind him he is just at a loss for words. His anger had instantly vaporized the moment he had seen the sea of cars moving along the road.]
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He does spot Luca from the corner of his eye, but opts to just keep walking. What happens to the man from here on out is none of his business, apparently.]
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That doesn't mean he won't be going a different way, though. Cabanela has to go to this 'airport' as well, so Luca decides to follow him discreetly. If they have to go to the same place, then Luca can find out where to go without directly asking. ]
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Good luck dealing with that guy yourself, Luca. If you need him, he'll be in his room. It shouldn't be too hard to figure out which one, because he repeated the number very loudly when he accepted his key card.]
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And he also tries to haggle over the price of the room too, because inflation over 200 years still trips him up.
So, Luca ends up turned out very quickly. It takes him more than an hour before he finally gets over his own stubbornness and goes up to Cabanela's room.
He doesn't bother knocking, though. Instead, he uses his chalk on the door and "convinces" the door handle wants to open itself. He had been planning to pick the lock, but one look at the key card locks tells him it is pointless.
So. Yeah. About an hour and a half after Cabanela got the room, Luca will be breaking in to sleep in a corner somewhere. ]
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At last, a razor. Now he can shave and stop feeling like half a homeless person. Careful, Luca, he's almost done in there.]
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When he hears the water running and sees the bed empty, Luca is about to turn and leave. But the door shuts behind him before he can do so, and it is rather loud too. Welp.
Cringing, Luca books it for the window. He slides the window open, and he moves to jump out, only to find that there is a strange metal mesh of some sort covering the opening. Whatever it is for, Luca won't be getting out that way.
Mistakes, they have been made.]
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SAY HELLO TO HIS LITTLE FRIEND- ..... Goddammit Luca.]
Y-you-! What are you- [The "what" is obvious. The "why" is probably a better question.]
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But for now, Luca freezes in place, only moving to slowly turn and look to Cabanela. Welp. he's been caught.]
Ah... Non parlo Inglese?
[Not that he expects Cabanela to believe that he doesn't speak English, but maybe it will make him laugh? And it will stall for time while Luca tries to think of a way to explain all of this.]
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You expect me to beliiieve that, baby?
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Not particularly, no.
[He still needs a reason for breaking into Cabanela's room, though.]
They, ah. All of the rooms were full.
[Blatant lies.]
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So you thought you could use miiine? Around here, it's common courtesy to knock and wait for someone to open the door. [He's not mad, of course. Just... wow.]
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I did not want to wake you.
[To avoid the conversation entirely, but look how well that turned out. ]
Though it seems you are too damp to have been sleeping.
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dot doot skipping ahead a bit
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whoop whoop assuming things from canon
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But over that time, There is one fact that becomes increasingly obvious, so much so that Luca cannot deny it anymore: he is still attracted to Cabanela, and that wolf game only dampened the feeling for a few days tops.
It is particularly irritating, to be working in such close quarters with someone that he is so attracted to, but Luca manages. They have work to do, after all, and they can't be acting on feelings like that, even if Cabanela was willing to revisit the subject after the rather disastrous blowup at the wolf game. Which he might not be, after the way Luca acted, but he will have to live with that. And he has mastered the art of the 'nothing is wrong' smile, so he can keep up appearances.
At least until he gets a few bottles of booze into him. That is when his mask starts to slip. So one night, late in the evening, while they are sitting around and boozing it up (because they don't have plans in the morning, so why not), that is when Luca speaks up.]
I don't know how you manage it. How do you stay so good-looking with such little effort? You are like a personal maintenance-wizard, or something.
[Says the guy who takes at least an hour in front of the mirror every day.]
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Yup, this is a good place to be with good company to have. Considering Luca's remarks and actions during the wolf game, he would've expected the man to crack long before now. It could be argued that maybe Cabanela's not as handsome and appealing as he likes to think he is, but Luca's own comments are already disproving that. ...He is exactly as handsome and appealing as he likes to think he is.
So he just smirks and takes another sip of his bourbon before responding.]
It's eeeasy, baby. I'm just a naaatural at looking good. What you seeee is what you geeet. [Fun fact about Cabanela, once he's had a few drinks he starts drawing out his vowels even more.]
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See, you make it look so easy. I spend hours making myself look presentable each day. You should see the horrible bed-head I have to tame each morning.
[Since they share a house, Cabanela might have caught glimpses of it before, though Luca is quick to shower and get rid of any signs of the last night of sleep. It is decidedly worse during his nights on the couch, too.]
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Seeeen it? It's kinda hard to miss! [Hahahahaha! Hah! Everything is ten times funnier when you're drunk. ...But he should probably add something to that before he seriously pisses Luca off.] Heh... Just kiiiddin'. Seeeriously though, it ain't that bad, baby. It has a certain... chaaarm to it.
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Grinning, Luca decides to pursue this further.]
Why Cabanela, I had no idea your tastes ran in such a direction! You should have spoken up sooner, better arrangements could have been made.
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Aaawww... You'd be willing to arraaange things just for me? I'm flaaattered, baby. You just let me know if I can return the faaavor, hmmm?
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Hmm...How to return the favor...
[He already has something in mind but he is pretending to think on it for a bit.]
Well, it is supposed to be my night on the couch, but we have gotten to know each other pretty well by now, hmm? So perhaps alternating nights doesn't have to be a thing anymore?
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Oooh? But if you don't sleep on the couch, howeeever will you get such a magniiificent bedhead? [He can think of a way... He'll leave the implication open and instead take another sip from his drink. He's not quite drunk enough for this, he's sure.]
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[Short answer: yes.
Long answer: hell yes.
He just might be scootching a bit closer to Cabanela, too.]
Want to hear what I had in mind?
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You'd better make sure to whisper it in my eeear, baby.
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So he scootches on over next to Cabanela, leans in, and. Well. Let's just say his rather large vocabulary is being put to good use, even if it's raunchy as all hell.]
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......... Okay, he's good.]
Oh myyy. Do you kiss your mooother with that mouth?
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I really wish I had better icons for this, sob...