Sequel: Carnage ›
Devil
And Now I Give More than I Care to Take
It took him only two hours to return that time.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked, sitting down in the stool next to her.
“I’ve already told you, I’m not interested.”
“And here I thought that was your name.”
Cheeky. She smirked.
“Touché.”
“What do you do when you’re not here?”
“You’re trying too hard, Danny,” she responded, taking a sip of her recently refilled peach vodka.
“What should I ask you, then?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s no fun.”
“I’m not here for your entertainment.”
“Why are you here?”
She shrugged. She really didn’t know why she was here, or why she was allowing him to talk to her like that. It briefly occurred to her that this relationship, or whatever it was, was inappropriate, but she looked in the Kid’s office, and saw that the light was out again, which angered her.
He had been leaving earlier and earlier as the weeks went on. Initially, she suspected that he no longer took joy in the workings of the Warehouse, which he confirmed one night when he drove her home after a particularly bad shift. But lately, he couldn’t focus on the job, and his control was slipping. He was always thinking about something else, sometimes with a dopey smile on his face. Nebraska had begun to suspect he was seeing someone outside of the business. His life was none of her business, but after his relationship with Charlotte went sour, he'd sworn off relationships. It was like he was trying to escape them. The thought made her oddly jealous.
“What do you do, Danny?”
“I DJ.”
“How lucrative.”
“You’d be surprised.”
She smirked again.
“Perhaps you should DJ here.”
“Tell me when, and I’ll be here.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t up to me.”
“Who’s it up to then?”
“The Kid,” she replied simply, as if that was all the answer he needed.
“Who’s he?” She gestured around them. It wasn’t very clear, but he understood anyway.
“How do you know him?”
“No,” was her response.
“Am I not allowed to ask questions?”
“Ask away. But I reserve the right to not answer.” He grinned, his bright smile lighting up his face. Nebraska nearly smiled at his exuberance, but covered it up with an eye roll and a scoff as she briefly turned away from him to glance at a couple making out on the couches lining the walls.
She spun around in her stool, deciding to face the dancefloor instead of the bar while he asked her his questions. She wasn’t much interested in giving away information about herself, and kept herself occupied with monitoring the crowd.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“A girlfriend?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Where are you from?”
“DC.”
“Dance with me.”
She paused for a moment, as if considering. “That’s not a question,” she finally responded.
“That wasn’t a no.” She smirked, taking a sip of her drink to cover it up. She hadn’t said no intentionally. The flashing lights of the club reflected dully off of her necklace and black nail polish. Still rather high, Danny was easily distracted by it.
“All out of questions, Danny the DJ?”
"What's with the necklace?" he asked, finally coming to his senses.
"It was a gift."
"From the Kid?"
"If that's what you want to believe."
“That wasn’t a no either.” Nebraska looked at him a moment, as if judging him. He certainly was persistent, which could be good or bad, depending on his intentions.
“Why are you here, Danny the DJ?”
“To buy you drinks and ask boring questions.”
"Really."
"I'm only here for you."
She smirked, making a tutting noise with her mouth, and got off of the small stool, her heels hitting the floor softly.
"Lying isn't very becoming of you, Danny the DJ," she said as she walked away.
He turned to catch her arm, but before he could, she disappeared into the crowd.
She wasn’t sure what prompted that, but she had begun to feel uncomfortable with the way that he was looking at her. She had grown accustomed to being glazed over, like the furniture, by the people who came in, but he looked at her as if he could see her. All of her. No one but the Kid had looked at her like that before, and she didn’t like that. Or rather, she did, but didn’t like that she liked it. It was all extremely unsettling.
Nebraska made her way through the gyrating mass, eventually arriving at the Kid’s office. It was locked, of course, meaning that he wasn't coming back for a while. Frustrated by the night’s events, she made her way back through the horde and to the bar, happy to see that Danny had already gone. She quickly grabbed her coat and left, not even bothering to nod goodbye to Finn as she normally did.
When she arrived at her small apartment a little while later, she crashed on the bed and slept instantly, not even removing her outfit or coat. It wasn’t until she woke up the next morning did she realize that her exasperation over Danny had led her to forget her money, again.
“Do you have a boyfriend?” he asked, sitting down in the stool next to her.
“I’ve already told you, I’m not interested.”
“And here I thought that was your name.”
Cheeky. She smirked.
“Touché.”
“What do you do when you’re not here?”
“You’re trying too hard, Danny,” she responded, taking a sip of her recently refilled peach vodka.
“What should I ask you, then?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s no fun.”
“I’m not here for your entertainment.”
“Why are you here?”
She shrugged. She really didn’t know why she was here, or why she was allowing him to talk to her like that. It briefly occurred to her that this relationship, or whatever it was, was inappropriate, but she looked in the Kid’s office, and saw that the light was out again, which angered her.
He had been leaving earlier and earlier as the weeks went on. Initially, she suspected that he no longer took joy in the workings of the Warehouse, which he confirmed one night when he drove her home after a particularly bad shift. But lately, he couldn’t focus on the job, and his control was slipping. He was always thinking about something else, sometimes with a dopey smile on his face. Nebraska had begun to suspect he was seeing someone outside of the business. His life was none of her business, but after his relationship with Charlotte went sour, he'd sworn off relationships. It was like he was trying to escape them. The thought made her oddly jealous.
“What do you do, Danny?”
“I DJ.”
“How lucrative.”
“You’d be surprised.”
She smirked again.
“Perhaps you should DJ here.”
“Tell me when, and I’ll be here.”
“I’m afraid it isn’t up to me.”
“Who’s it up to then?”
“The Kid,” she replied simply, as if that was all the answer he needed.
“Who’s he?” She gestured around them. It wasn’t very clear, but he understood anyway.
“How do you know him?”
“No,” was her response.
“Am I not allowed to ask questions?”
“Ask away. But I reserve the right to not answer.” He grinned, his bright smile lighting up his face. Nebraska nearly smiled at his exuberance, but covered it up with an eye roll and a scoff as she briefly turned away from him to glance at a couple making out on the couches lining the walls.
She spun around in her stool, deciding to face the dancefloor instead of the bar while he asked her his questions. She wasn’t much interested in giving away information about herself, and kept herself occupied with monitoring the crowd.
“Do you have a boyfriend?”
“No.”
“A girlfriend?”
“Not at the moment.”
“Where are you from?”
“DC.”
“Dance with me.”
She paused for a moment, as if considering. “That’s not a question,” she finally responded.
“That wasn’t a no.” She smirked, taking a sip of her drink to cover it up. She hadn’t said no intentionally. The flashing lights of the club reflected dully off of her necklace and black nail polish. Still rather high, Danny was easily distracted by it.
“All out of questions, Danny the DJ?”
"What's with the necklace?" he asked, finally coming to his senses.
"It was a gift."
"From the Kid?"
"If that's what you want to believe."
“That wasn’t a no either.” Nebraska looked at him a moment, as if judging him. He certainly was persistent, which could be good or bad, depending on his intentions.
“Why are you here, Danny the DJ?”
“To buy you drinks and ask boring questions.”
"Really."
"I'm only here for you."
She smirked, making a tutting noise with her mouth, and got off of the small stool, her heels hitting the floor softly.
"Lying isn't very becoming of you, Danny the DJ," she said as she walked away.
He turned to catch her arm, but before he could, she disappeared into the crowd.
She wasn’t sure what prompted that, but she had begun to feel uncomfortable with the way that he was looking at her. She had grown accustomed to being glazed over, like the furniture, by the people who came in, but he looked at her as if he could see her. All of her. No one but the Kid had looked at her like that before, and she didn’t like that. Or rather, she did, but didn’t like that she liked it. It was all extremely unsettling.
Nebraska made her way through the gyrating mass, eventually arriving at the Kid’s office. It was locked, of course, meaning that he wasn't coming back for a while. Frustrated by the night’s events, she made her way back through the horde and to the bar, happy to see that Danny had already gone. She quickly grabbed her coat and left, not even bothering to nod goodbye to Finn as she normally did.
When she arrived at her small apartment a little while later, she crashed on the bed and slept instantly, not even removing her outfit or coat. It wasn’t until she woke up the next morning did she realize that her exasperation over Danny had led her to forget her money, again.