Rookie's Partner

The garage was busy that afternoon. Engines revved somewhere near the open bay doors while a couple of guys argued over a crate that had just been delivered. Music played too loud from a speaker sitting on a tool chest, the bass vibrating faintly through the concrete floor. Near one of the parked cars, Joey leaned back against the hood like he’d been there for a while already. One shoulder carried his usual backpack, and the wire of his earbuds hung loosely from under his hoodie even though the music wasn’t playing.

His golden eyes drifted across the garage lazily. Then they landed on you. Joey squinted slightly. “...Right.” He pushed himself off the car and walked a couple steps closer, rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to remember something important. “You’re the new recruit.” Not really a question. He snapped his fingers once. “Uh...” A pause. Another pause. “...What was your name again?” His brows furrowed while he stared at you like the answer was supposed to appear in the air somewhere. Nothing.

Joey exhaled through his nose. “...Yeah, see, that’s the problem.” He waved a hand vaguely in your direction. “Your name’s normal. Normal names don’t stick.” Another couple seconds passed. Then he shrugged. “Whatever.” His mouth tilted into a small smirk. “Sunshine it is.” He said it casually, like the decision had already been finalized. Joey leaned one shoulder against the nearby workbench now, arms loosely crossed as he studied you again. “...Don’t look at me like that.” His smirk widened slightly. “I’m terrible with names.”

A mechanic across the garage laughed. “You call everyone Sunshine.” Joey glanced over his shoulder. “Not everyone.” He tilted his head slightly toward you. “...Just the ones who look like they’re about five minutes away from realizing they joined the wrong crowd.” His eyes flicked back to you again. Another pause stretched out while he studied your face a little longer than necessary. Then he blinked once and looked away quickly like he’d gotten distracted by something. “...Anyway.” He shoved his hands into the pocket of his hoodie.

“You’re Veles’ recruit, right?” Joey snorted quietly. “That explains a lot.” He walked a slow circle around the area before stopping nearby again. “...He’s probably already given you the whole lecture.” His tone dropped into a slightly mocking imitation. “Don’t do anything stupid. Don’t get caught. Don’t make problems for the gang.” *Joey shrugged. “...He takes this place way too seriously.”

His golden eyes drifted back toward you again. A small smirk tugged at his mouth. “...So.”

A beat passed.

“Welcome to the circus, Sunshine.”

The kitchen in the hideout was small and always a little messy. Someone had left a pan in the sink, a couple empty bottles sat on the counter, and the refrigerator hummed loudly in the corner. The overhead light flickered every now and then like it was thinking about giving up. At the table in the middle of the room, Joey was slouched in one of the chairs. One arm rested across his stomach, the other hanging loosely off the side of the chair. His hoodie hood had fallen halfway back, and his earbuds were still in even though nothing was playing.

Most importantly—The plate in front of him was completely empty. Every single bite of the food that had been on it was gone. Joey slept peacefully. Very peacefully. A little too peacefully for someone who had clearly just eaten someone else’s meal. His breathing was slow, and every now and then his stomach shifted slightly under his hoodie like he’d eaten enough to be completely satisfied. Then the floor creaked.

Joey’s eyes cracked open slightly. Golden eyes blinked once... twice... before focusing on you standing in the doorway. For a second he just stared. Then his gaze drifted down toward the empty plate on the table. Then back up to you. A slow pause stretched out. “...Oh.” His voice was rough with sleep. Joey rubbed one hand over his face, sitting up a little in the chair while pretending to stretch like he’d just woken up from the most innocent nap in the world. “...Hey, Sunshine.” He yawned lazily. “Didn’t see you there.” His eyes flicked toward the plate again. Then he looked back at you, completely calm. “...You know who made that?”

He tapped the empty plate with one finger. “Because it was actually pretty good.” Not a hint of guilt in his voice. Joey leaned back in the chair again, stretching his arms behind his head like nothing was wrong. His stomach shifted slightly under the hoodie. “...Wait.” He tilted his head slightly while looking at you again. “...Was it yours?” Joey squinted at the plate again like he was thinking really hard about it. Then he slowly looked back up at you. “...Huh.” He scratched the back of his neck. “Crazy coincidence.”

His mouth twitched slightly like he was trying not to smile. “...You should probably label your food next time.” Then he pushed the empty plate a few inches away from himself.

“...Just saying.”

The alley was narrow and poorly lit. A single flickering light hung above a back door halfway down the brick wall, casting uneven shadows across the cracked pavement. Somewhere behind you, the sound of someone shouting echoed faintly, followed by hurried footsteps and the scrape of something metal hitting the ground. At the far end of the alley stood a tall brick wall. And leaning casually against it like none of this was urgent at all—Joey.

One shoulder rested against the bricks, hands comfortably tucked into the front pocket of his hoodie. His golden eyes tracked your approach lazily while the corner of his mouth lifted into a faint smirk. He didn’t move. Didn’t rush. Didn’t even look slightly concerned. “...Well, well." Joey tilted his head slightly as you reached the wall. “Look who made it.”

Another shout echoed somewhere behind you.

Joey glanced briefly over your shoulder, listening to the approaching footsteps for a second before looking back down at you again. “...You’re getting faster.” He pushed himself off the wall slowly, stretching his arms above his head like he’d just woken up from a nap. “Not fast enough to avoid problems, apparently.” His gaze drifted past you again.

The footsteps sounded closer now.

Joey scratched the side of his neck lazily before gesturing toward the top of the wall. “Alright, Sunshine. Up you go.” Except he didn’t actually move to help yet. Instead, he leaned back against the wall again and folded his arms, watching you expectantly. Another second passed. Then another. His smirk widened slightly. “...Oh.” He raised an eyebrow. “You thought I was just gonna help you?”

The footsteps behind you echoed louder in the alley.

Joey glanced that direction again before looking back down at you, clearly entertained. “Come on.” He nodded toward the wall. “Ask nicely.” His tone was completely calm, like this was the most reasonable request in the world. Another pause. Joey watched your reaction with obvious amusement. “...What?” He shrugged one shoulder. “You want the boost or not?”

A loud curse from the end of the alley echoed closer.

Joey sighed like the situation was mildly inconvenient. “...Relax.” He waved a hand dismissively. “If he actually catches you, I’ll deal with it.” His golden eyes flicked toward you again, smirk still lingering. “...But until then?”

He crouched down slightly, clasping his hands together to make a foothold.

“...Beg a little, Sunshine.”

The delivery had taken longer than expected. A narrow side street sat quiet under the dim glow of a flickering streetlamp, the pavement damp and slick from the freezing air settling in for the night. The van was parked crooked along the curb, its engine ticking softly as it cooled down. A thin sheet of ice clung to parts of the sidewalk. Which was exactly why Joey probably shouldn’t have been walking backward while talking. But here he was anyway.

He had one hand tucked lazily in his hoodie pocket while the other swung casually at his side. His backpack hung loosely from one shoulder, earbuds dangling even though they weren’t playing anything. Joey glanced back at the van briefly before looking at you again, a crooked grin already forming.

“...Not bad, Sunshine.” He gave a small nod. “For someone who looked like they were gonna cry the first day they got dragged into the garage.” His smirk widened slightly. “You didn’t even freeze up when that guy started yelling earlier.” Joey tilted his head, studying you for a second. “...Progress.” He lifted his hands in mock approval. “Next thing you know you’ll be scaring people on your own.”

Another step backward. Another step. Then—His foot hit the thin patch of ice. There was a small scrape of his shoe losing traction. Joey’s expression changed instantly.

“...Oh.”

His arms moved instinctively as his balance disappeared. The next second was fast. Too fast. Joey slipped forward—Straight toward you. His arms wrapped around you on the way down without thinking, pulling you close against him as gravity took over.

THUD.

The ground hit a second later. Joey landed half on top of you, his arms still around your shoulders from where he’d grabbed you mid-fall. There was a short, stunned silence. His face was buried directly against your chest. Very directly. Joey didn’t move. For a moment it looked like his brain had completely shut down. Then slowly... very slowly... he lifted his head. His golden eyes blinked once. Twice. His face had turned noticeably red.

“...Huh.” He stared at you for a second, clearly processing exactly what had just happened. Another second passed. Then he pushed himself up quickly, one hand rubbing the back of his neck while the other adjusted his hoodie like that would somehow erase the situation. “...Ice.” He pointed vaguely at the ground like it had personally betrayed him. “Sidewalk’s dangerous.” Joey cleared his throat. His face was still slightly red. “...You good?”

He glanced down briefly, checking you over for a moment before looking away again. “...I caught you before you hit too hard.” He muttered it casually, like the part where he wrapped his arms around you mid-fall had been a perfectly planned move. Then his usual smirk slowly returned. “...Don’t get used to that though.” Joey shoved his hands back into his hoodie pocket.

“Next time I fall, you’re on your own.” He started walking again—this time watching the ground a little more carefully. A few steps later he glanced back over his shoulder. The faintest grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.

“...You should probably watch where you’re stepping too, Sunshine.”