Pop that Bubble! {Cobalt}

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha jumped into the hearse that belonged to his new brother-in-law. Well, the boy might as well be his brother-in-law. Shit head was spending enough time in his sisters room. "I'M OUT BITCHES!" he screamed, throwing the bottle of vodka into the backseat. Every Russian deserved Vodka- and this way he didn't drink it on his drive. See, Ant was responsible. Sort of. Alright not really, it was merely a present for the guy he was going to see.

Oh yes Ant had a date tonight. A date about a boy. So awkward. But that was Ant's life: awkward, crazy, and full of sex. "Turn around, every now and then I get a little bit lonely and you're never coming around!!" he was screaming on the top of his tone-deaf voice. Singing was not his god given talent: his talent laid a little lower then that. Oh, did we forget to mention Ant was looking for some loving? That is important.

He slid into a parking spot-alright well he made it a parking spot- across the street from a well known building. The clock on the dashboard flashed midnight, and there was his date. Right on time! "Oh baaaby~ Cars right here!" he cried, jumping out to grab Cobalt-and magically held onto the bottle of vodka. Well Ant grabbed him around the waist and dragged him closer. He loved watching Cobalt squirm, so much fun. "Where you going, baby? Did you forget about our date?" He pretended to look hurt and did a little pelvic trust against the older guy to get attention.

Ant loved attention.

"OH YOU GOT TO SEE THIS SHIT!" and without further ado Ant ripped off his shirt in the middle of the side walk and turned his back to Cobalt to show the older man his tattoo. His birthday present to himself. "What do you think?? It's awesome right??" so Ant turned back around, showing Cobalt his little bottle. "Ready to go baby?" Alright so Ant was a little... Crazy. But wasn't everyone?

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt glanced up at the wall clock in the office and raised an eyebrow in surprise. Was it almost midnight already? Hell. Stretching his arms, Cobalt sighed and flicked off his computer. He’d finally gotten some work to do and he’d completely lost track of the time. At least that was what he would tell Leila in the morning. The truth was, if he weren’t doing work in the office, he’d be doing it at home. Leila frequently accused him of having no life, which was probably true, but hey. Cobalt liked working.

But still, midnight was a little much. He took his time, organizing his papers and sorting folders into his backpack. Finally, he shucked on his jacket and turned off the heater and the lights. He stretched again, limping out the door. As he made his way through the parking lot to his car, Cobalt felt himself waking up again, the shadows rolling under his fingers. The night always re-energized him, the shadows were always stronger and full of more energy. It was a largely contributing factor to why Cobalt rarely slept. He fiddled with his jacket pocket, looking for his keys when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist.

“WAUGH!” Cobalt yelped, shadows leaping in surprise. He squirmed around, trying to see who the assailant actually was.

Then the assailant opened his big mouth. Cobalt groaned, rolling his eyes. “Dammit, don’t do that, you delinquent.” Cobalt sighed, wriggling out of Antosha’s grasp. “I could have hit you again. Remember the first time you did that, Annie?” Cobalt was familiar with the boy and his family, since he had been the one to help Kent gain custody of the little brat when he was a child. He caught sight of the bottle in Antosha’s hand and snatched it out of his grasp, “For your sake, Antosha, I hope you weren’t planning on drinking this.” He raised an exasperated eyebrow. God help him, he really was fond of the teenager. Even if he was a little crazy. And inappropriate, let’s not forget that.

Aaaand now Ant was taking off his shirt. “Annie…” Cobalt sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “Don’t take off your shirt, it’s cold. And weird.” He glanced at the tattoo, “Yes, yes, it’s very nice, put your shirt back on, please.” He fought down an exasperated smile as he looked at the teen, “So what do you want? Thought you’d be graduated by now or something.”

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha raised an eyebrow at the older man. "Oh please baby, what would you do without my sexiness? I know you looove me!" Now Ant wasn't stupid: he knew he really shouldn't egg on a guy who's ability was stronger at night. But again, as always, this is Ant. He call and will use Cobalt as his stripper pole. Oh wait- he is. Yes my dear friends Ant is rubbing up against Cobalt like there is no tomorrow. His ass was rubbing places no gay man had gone before on Cobalt: and this pleased him. But there was a method to this madness, he wanted something.

What did he want? Well Ant wanted his alcohol back. "Aw baby, share with a Russian." Ant wanted to see if Cobalt would drink it to keep it away from the hormonal boy. So yes, he was rubbing up and down his old family friend. Oh and he's still shirtless. "I forgot your present oh wait hold on..." Ant moved back to his car and dove over the drivers seat.

Ant had bought the poor older man a kitten and he was pretty sure it was in here. He had heard meowing, though how he had over his screaming was a miracle. "Like the view baby?" he shook his ass while it was in the air, like Cobalt wasn't looking. The guy was as gay as Ant was. He grinned to himself as he pulled out a tiny kitten-is fit in one hand easily. It was a tiny thing with a white pelt, amber eyes, and a half-length tail.

Yes, he had gotten the boy a kitten. "MERRY CHRISTMAS BABY!" he turned around and shoved the poor thing it Cobalt's face, it's big hot pink bow tickling his nose. "Oh, I'm here to pick you up for our date. Remember baaaby?"

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt jerked away violently when Ant started getting far too far into Cobalt’s personal space. “Annie, I swear to god I’m going to blind you, get off.” He smacked the young man on the back of the head probably a little harder than necessary, but hey. The kid was well aware of the consequences of acting like an idiot around the shadow manipulator. Ant never was one for personal space, but dammit, the boy knew how Cobalt disliked it when he did that. “And no.” Cobalt said firmly, “You are not legal, and vodka is disgusting anyways.” He rolled his eyes, “Now, please. Please. If you have any respect for my sanity, put your shirt back on. And stop touching me.” He gave Antosha a shove for good measure. God, but the kid was tall. He’d grown quite a bit since Cobalt had last seen him.

Cobalt sighed, his head beginning to ache. He could leave; his power was such that he could literally disappear into the shadows and Ant wouldn’t be able to find him. But no, he figured that once Ant calmed down a little bit, they could actually have a polite conversation.

Well. Okay, relatively polite. Because really, this was Ant he was talking about.

And then Ant was rummaging around in his car. Which looked a little like a hearse. Cobalt squinted, then sighed, deciding that he really didn’t want to know. He rolled his eyes exaggeratedly as Ant continued to be inappropriate and annoying. “Annie, I really wish you would call me Cobalt like everyone else. My name is not baby.” He didn’t think sarcasm was incredibly safe to use around Ant, so he said nothing more on the subject, hoping Ant would just drop it without Cobalt having to inflict more bodily harm on the young man. He really didn’t want to have to punch the kid.

“Wait, what?” Cobalt looked at the young man suspiciously, “Annie, I don’t know what you got me, but firstly: you didn’t have to. And secondly: if it’s something explosive or inappropriate, so help me god, Annie, I will smack you so hard--” He stopped abruptly as Antosha shoved a kitten under his nose. Good god, it was tiny. Startled, Cobalt took the cat without thinking. “What the heck is this?” He pushed the bow off its neck. He looked at Ant, eyebrows raised. “You got me a cat. How did you manage to keep this thing alive?” The little thing mewled in his hands. “And…no. I do not recall ever arranging a date with you, Annie. I don’t date, remember? And even if I did, you would most certainly be on the very bottom of my list.” He gave Ant a glare before continuing, “Now, remind me why you’re here.” Cobalt stared back at the kitten, marveling at the fact that it was still alive, having been in Ant’s care.

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha chuckled, pulling his shirt back on for the sake of his friends sanity. Well and it was a bit cold. Though he would never had admitted it to anyone. Not that anyone would ask. However the next request he found he couldn't honor. Touching people was what Ant did best in this world. "Let's see, babe. I can't call you cobalt it's just so FORMAL." he chuckled again, throwing an arm around the short guy's shoulders.

"So, so. You like the kitty? AND EXCUSE ME? I can take care of cats!" he frowned, alright cobalt had truth behind his words. Ant wasn't exactly the best pet owner in the world- thirty fish, and Killer was his fourth hamster. "May helped..." he admitted then grinned again.

What was he doing here anyway? Well the thought of business made him frown, a look rarely found on his face that wasn't sarcastic. It was truthful now. Ant would much rather be home chilling in front of a TV. "I brought news about the family, you know me. Kent sends his love. May wants you over for dinner and hold on.." Ant rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a small picture of all of them- including Ash and their new dog. "Kent said you needed a new picture. OH! GUESS WHAT. May got a fucking boyfriend."

"Yeah, I was shocked too." he reached over and stroked the kitties head, smiling. "Your keeping it, right? Good, so now down to business." Ant suddenly got serious. "Look, Babe, I need you opinion. Honestly. Do you think there is anyway for me to assume guardianship of a minor without death of relatives. It'd only be till the kids 18."

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt rolled his eyes at the young man, barely tolerating the arm around his shoulders. Just as long as it stayed on his shoulders. He eyed Antosha with a raised eyebrow, “Cobalt is not formal, it’s my name. I’m rather fond of it, so if you wouldn’t mind…” He looked down at the kitten cupped in his hands, “Yeah, yeah, I like the cat. How old is it?” Must not be very old, the thing was tiny. He raised another pointed eyebrow at Ant’s protestation about his ability to care for animals. “Ahh, that explains it,” Cobalt nodded at the mention of May. He remembered May. She was really the only sane kid in the group. Poor little thing.

Cobalt grinned at the mention of family news. “Well, send my regards to Kent as well, I’m glad he’s doing okay, same as May. Oh, thanks.” He took the picture and glanced at it, they all certainly looked older and taller than he remembered. He really needed to stop getting out of touch with people. There was a new boy in the picture as well as a dog. Huh. “Hey, you all look great.” He smiled at the picture, “Glad to see the family’s doing well.” He looked up at Antosha with mild surprise at his announcement about May. “Really? Well, I expect you terrorized him appropriately before allowing this, so good for her.” Were Ant any younger, Cobalt might rebuke him about his swearing, but eh. He was twenty years old, he could very well say what he wanted.

Cobalt looked at the kitten, then back up at Antosha. Then he sighed, “Yeah, yeah. I’ll keep him—her. It. I’ll figure it out later.” He stroked a finger under its chin; it mewled at him.

Then Antosha got serious. Which was unusual enough that it got Cobalt’s full attention. At his question, Cobalt blinked in shock. The question are you serious? sprang to mind, but no. Antosha was serious. “Uh.” He shifted his feet, forcing his brain to go back into a professional mindset. “That depends on a couple things. Legal guardianship is tricky, and unfortunately, there are a few things that count against you. The first thing is that you’re still attending school and financially dependent on Kent, right? That’s not gonna look good. It doesn’t help that there’s no death of relatives. That would mean you’ve got to get consent of the parents in addition to the court.” He stared into middle distance, his brain scanning for stored information. “I gotta be completely honest with you, Annie, I don’t think that’ll fly.” He gave the young man an apologetic look. “But there is another way, if your friend is sixteen or older.” Cobalt shrugged, “He could apply for emancipated minor. He just needs to prove that he can get a place to stay—which I imagine you wouldn’t mind obliging—that he can become financially secure, which means he needs to get at least a temporary job somewhere. After that, it’s just a matter of filling out a form. The court may want to investigate, but you know I’ll be there if you need me.” It was said matter-of factly, because it was a fact. Cobalt didn’t know the whole story, but he liked Antosha, and he would be there to help out that family.

“So.” He looked at the other boy expectantly, “Gimme some details here, let me know what the situation is, that’ll help.”

[Antosha Vikenti]

Antosha listened to the older man’s words, leaning away to think. Yes, when he got serious he actually would back away from people’s bubbles. How amazing was that. He ran a hand through his hair, thinking it over. Yeah it sucked that he couldn’t actually get guardianship, but then again it would make Shaw related to May and that would be… Awkward. For all involved.

“Well, babe, I’ve known the kid for six years- he’s a good kid. Maybe not good enough for my sister... But I trust him; for the most part. His ‘power’ scares the fuck out of me though...” He mumbled, avoiding the question about the situation. Even he didn’t know the whole thing- just that Shaw’s mom was a bitch and his siblings were out for blood. Why would he need to know more anyway? This was Ant, king of irrational decisions; and awkward, inappropriate moments. He rubbed his jaw, for once wishing he had some stubble there so he could look cool. Maybe a fedora and cigar would complete the image.

Ant sighed, taking the kitten back and rubbed his cheek against its tiny face before -finally- saying something useful for the lawyer. “Kid’s mom a fucking ice queen; you know the type? Sends the check and never picks up the phone. Personally I think she’d be glad to get rid of him. His siblings are out for blood, or at least that’s what I got from the e-mails he got.” Ant wasn’t ashamed of the fact he had gone through Shaw’s shit. The kid was staying at their house; there were things that he’d been hiding so Ant had taken the opening. “And look, babe: I have taken a liking to the kid so don’t think this is just a random stray.”

[Cobalt Weaver]

Cobalt waited patiently as Antosha mumbled his way through an initial half-assed answer to Cobalt’s request for information. He knew better than to push the question; people were either willing to talk, or they weren’t and Cobalt never saw the point in pressing the issue. Especially since he was fairly certain Ant couldn’t tell him anything if he didn’t want to. He gave the young man a questioning look at his reservations about the other boy’s power, but didn’t say anything.

And then, Antosha began to tell him things that were actually useful. Cobalt listened with concern and no small amount of sympathy for this other boy. Nothing made Cobalt angrier than the idea of parents rejecting their children. It wasn’t right; and it was infuriating to see people taking their families for granted. “Annie,” Cobalt sighed, running a hand through his hair, “You are… infuriating, obnoxious, a pain in the ass, have no respect for personal space, and you act like a delinquent.” He eyed the boy with an exasperated grin, “But what you also are is loyal. You take care of your own. And if were up to me,” He shrugged, “That would be it. But unfortunately, I am not in charge of the social services. Nor do I have any sort of power to make those decisions. But I will say that I’m actually very proud of you, wanting to help and take responsibility of your friend. And I think that getting him emancipated would be the best course of action. And I’ll be glad to give him and you any other help you need.”

Cobalt glanced at his wristwatch, “Oh hell. It’s really late. I’m old and tired and I wanna go home.” He allowed Ant to deposit the kitten back into his hands, where he looked at it and sighed, “And I have to figure out how to care for a kitten. So I’m going to head home. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about, Annie?”