Part XIII - His Curse on the Fairest Joys
#13 of From the Depths Wrought Within and Without
Why did you have that photo, Mr. Alvarez?
For once this story Adult cause there's actual sex, and not just cause the source material is Adults-only.
I think the term for this is "crack-ship." For the sake of classification, assume this to be based on the Modern AU as presented in the Smoke Room holiday specials, and that the events of echo played out as they would in the world those holiday specials present: what that last clause means precisely may remain to be seen.
Cover art by Eden, aka @/GayGooCat on twitter.
By reading this online version, you confirm you are not associated with OpenAI or any other AI project, that you are not procuring information for the OpenAI corpus or any other machine learning database, that you are not associated with the ChatGPT project or a user of the ChatGPT project or any other AI, machine learning, or algorithmic database focused on producing fictional content for dissemination.
Kane's taillights vanished slowly down the long gravel road. More slowly than they needed to. Possible, Will supposed, that he'd been a little more emphatic than needed explaining about the steepness of the way up here. Also possible that Dunbar was still a little after-dazed.
Might be both.
Sam's paw landed on his rear. Under the guise of groping him, he confirmed what Will still had in his back pocket. "Well," said the cougar, "shall we get this little ceremony out of the way?"
Before Will could answer there was a crash.
Leo came barreling out of the front door, still pulling on his pants. He scrambled to his truck, hit the driver door so hard it rocked on its suspension, skidded in the gravel but pulled himself upright on the handle.
Before Will or Sam could finish assembling the words 'what the fuck,' the truck roared to life and split down the road.
There was a moment of perfect stillness.
Then Todd burst out the front door, shouting "Wait! You fergot your..."
"I dunno!" Todd huddled in the old recliner, shoulders hunched. "I noticed his phone was gettin lots-a messages, I brought it, he looked at sumfin on it, and next thing I knew he was lit out like he was tryin to beat a tornado to the storm cellar."
"He didn't,' Cliff sipped the cocoa that Nik had busied himself with, to stave off worry, "say anything? On the way out?"
"He sure didn't." Todd shook his head. "Just looked like he was fixin to have a heart attack, dropped his phone, an bolted!"
"So it was something in the messages he was getting?" Will glared at the phone Leo had left behind. "...does anyone know how to open this thing?"
"Wait, is that a good idea?" Murdoch froze, Leo's shirt halfway folded in his hands, "we're not about to go looking through his-"
"I'm supposed to be responsible for him, aren't I?" Will's stare was cold, not like ice, but like exposed bedrock.
Sam had already tilted the phone toward the light, squinted at the screen from the edge. A few trial guesses of the four digits with finger smudges on them, and the unlocked phone was passed back to Will.
"What?" Sam met Murdoch, Cliff, and Nik's incredulous stares. "You pick up skills when you do sex work!"
"Oh shit." Will cut off the oncoming argument. The messages from Leo's father were still open, to the photo. "Well that's what spooked him, then."
"But how did his father,' Nik looked, and sounded, deeply shaken, "get this photo in the first place?"
"How do I see," Will asked, "what other messages he might have got?"
Sam clicked his tongue, took the phone back, tapped, and returned it to Will.
There were messages from Will, and messages from the mechanics union (muted,) and the messages from his father. But the only unread messages were from someone named 'Jenna.'
> You need to know about this.
And there was the picture again, with "forwarded from "Old Gang" above it. Looked like someone tried to warn Leo that someone else was showing it around.
But who the hell took this?
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Hey isnt this that guy from high school football? That used to live out by yall? Hang out with you guys all the time?
said somebody named 'RS.'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Holy fucking shit
> Fucking wolfboy
somebody named 'FM' replied.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> omg yeah thats totally leo bro stfu
somebody named 'CH' answered.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Thats leo alright FUCKING asshole
Apparently 'FM' had been typing an answer at the same time as 'CH.'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> OMG LOL NO WAY
said 'RS.'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Wait, what's going on?
somebody named 'TJH' asked.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> the sanctimonious prude too good to come to the bar with me but NOW hes doin fuckin fetish play right out in the fuckin street
> in down fucking town payton
said 'FM'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> is it weird i think he don't look half bad?
said somebody named 'MV.' The remark went ignored.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> I don't get it, why are we looking at a picture of Leo?
> What's he doing?
'TJH' was only getting more confused.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> ask ur mommy and daddy when ur older teej lol
> whered u get this?
said 'CH'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> I was just driving home from work! Was over by the hardware store and that furniture place thats never open
said 'RS'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Hang on, that's the guy who used to fix my scooter!
someone named 'DD' spoke up.
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> yeah lol his dad owns the garage hes been workin there since high school
said 'CH'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Ha lame!
> Should I stop by sometime and say hey?
said 'RS'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> better not dude
> dude went serious nuts last i saw
said 'CH'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> oh yeah hes a fuckin menace but man itd serve him right if his parents found out about this
said 'FM'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> Guys I don't know if that's a good idea!
'TJH' interjected
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> its just a prank tj calm down
> not like they dont know hes the biggest homo in the county
> now that im gone
said 'FM'
(Forwarded from "Old Gang")
> oops already sent it lol
said 'CH'
> I told them not to, but it sounds like they already did.
> You should be prepared for the possibility your parents may know about whoever this is you're with.
> Leo, what were you THINKING doing something like THIS?
> And in PUBLIC?
That was apparently all 'Jenna' had had to say. For now at least.
At least that answered the question of why he'd freaked out and run.
"Someone should really check on him," Cliff said. They didn't need to specify that 'someone' meant 'us,' because who else was there?
"How?" said Sam, "He doesn't have his phone, we do."
"I know where he lives, though," Will pocketed the device. "We'll start there."