Hart couldn't look away from it. There were a lot of policemen over there, looking at their bodies. His hands were sticky with their blood and even though his eyes were open, he kept flashing back to it. Pearls on the ground.
His ears were ringing from the gunshots. It was still raining, but Hartley found he didn't care that he was getting wet. He wasn't sure whether he was crying and this way no one else could be sure either, not that anyone paid attention to him anyway. They had shoved him to the side and that had been it. Now he was standing next to the building, in the alley his parents had been shot, and nothing could be the same again.
Paco accidentally saw a lot of bad shit on the streets, it wasn't uncommon to witness things he shouldn't but this one? Shit. That wasn't some normal mugging, those people were rich. Like fancy rich. And they had a kid. The whole thing was a bit much to take in, it wasn't just some drug dealer getting shot like last time or a gang feud gone bad. These were respectable people.
While the police were busy gathering evidence, Paco watched the boy crying and wondered who was going to come and pick him up. Who was supposed to help him now? Paco knew the wise thing to do was just to leave but he didn't. He hesitated and slid down from the perch he'd been on, just above where Hartley was standing. Paco landed awkward on his feet and cleared his throat. "You okay?" Obvious but what else did he say?
It surprised Hart to hear someone's voice, especially a child's. He turned around, eyes still wide, but he did his best to appear composed otherwise. "Yes. Of course."
He would have to be. What did this even mean for him? With his parents dead... He didn't really want to think about it. "You're very kind to ask." His smile was barely there and he looked at this child. Just a boy and it looked like he wasn't exactly of means. Hart didn't judge, of course, he just noted. "Thank you."
"Yeah, of course you're fine." Paco looked over Hart's shoulder and eyed the police, working away at the scene. "Is that your parents?" He let out a low whistle. Who would be fine when their parents were dead like that on the dirty ground? He'd seen it himself. The way they'd shot the gun, the way Hart had cried out so desperately and painfully. He was not fine.
It seemed weird to pretend otherwise. "They shot them for no reason." Paco said without thinking, a small frown on his face. They gave over the money and the jewellery so why pull the trigger? It seemed weird.
"Yes. My mother and father." Who were gone, just like that. Hartley looked down at his hands at the blood there, still trying to get from what he knew to be true to what he believed. It couldn't be, could it? Things like that didn't happen, not like this. He turned his head to get another glimpse of the bodies and tried to accept that this was reality. "I know. I don't know why they--"
Wait. "Did you see them?" He turned his head to look at Paco, taking a step toward him. "What did you see?"
"What? Oh-- no, nothing. Kid, I saw nothing." He held up his hands defensively because oh boy, this was going down a road he so didn't want to have to explore with him any time soon. He winced a little and backed up. No way was he going to be a witness here, they'd catch him and he'd end up in a police station. And that could only end up badly for him. "I was just saying. It was a needless crime, you know? They didn't have to die."
Hart had never skipped school before. Ha had never broken any rules, period. Once he had had dessert when he wasn't supposed to, but that was really more on Mick than anyone else. But here he was now, closing his coat over his school uniform to blend in more and trying to find Cisco. He approached a group of kids gathering around a barrel, clearing his throat. "Excuse me. Do any of you know Cisco?"
It wasn't that surprising that they ignored him. Hart considered offering money, but he knew better than that, at least. "It's really important."
"Don't know any Cisco. Get lost."
At least he had their attention now, but he wasn't sure that was preferable. "He has longer black hair. About my height. Don't you know anyone like that?"
"What's in it for us if we know?"
So they did know him. Hart smiled with relief. How much money was appropriate to give? "Fifty?" He ventured, noting their surprise. Oh. Too much? "I mean, ten?"
"Nah, fifty, let's see it."
"I don't have it on me right now." But they were already surrounding him and Hart found himself backing away a step.
"Paco's got rich friends."
"Paco?" Oh, that was good to know. Hart smiled, though it died quickly, seeing them all around him and knowing he was just a step away from the wall.
"If he's Paco's friend, that's really dumb of you."
Barry was still standing by the barrel, warming his hands and not looking up from the fire because he didn't really need to. He knew they heard him.
"Shut it, Allen."
"It is though. I mean what if you upset Paco? Think about it. Then you upset Dante. Do you really want to upset him?"
The kids all hesitated suddenly and there was a general unease. No one went for Hart, they clearly wanted to but no one made that move. They were too afraid to just in case. Clearly Paco had some kind of power. Finally, Barry looked up and gave the others a smile. "Go ahead and take the risk if you wanna but I never would."
Who was Dante? Who was the boy helping him? Hart was very unsure, but did his best not to show it. Why were they all so scared of this Dante?
"I just need to find Paco. Please." He finally dared to step past the children, closer to the one by the barrel. "Do you know where I can find him? It's important."
It was a lie but Barry wasn't stupid, he would never lead someone to Paco if Paco didn't want them to find him. That'd just be dumb. He rubbed his hands together and looked up at the other boy with only slight interest. "Who are you?"
"He knows something that's very important to me. We were interrupted last time." Hart moved closer still. Leonard had told him not to tell anyone who he was and that rule made a lot more sense while people were glaring at him like this. "I'm Hart. Who are you?"
"Hart?" Paco slipped into Hart's bedroom as he often did these days, landing on the floor softly and keeping his voice down. He knew which times to expect Hart, he knew where to find him and they had a good working relationship these days. The thing was that usually Hart requested to meet him but lately, he was turning up more and more with tips and information.
"Japanese lessons," Leonard said, just as he shut the window. The door was already locked. He had suspected that this kid would show up and, no, not because Hart had ratted him out. He just wasn't quite as subtle as he thought he was. Neither of them were. "You should have really kept sticking to the schedule the young master gave you, kid." Leonard leaned against the wall, eyeing him. "What do you want?"
His inevitable demise. "I-I-" Paco had no idea what to say, he slowly backed up to the door. Maybe he could pick the lock from behind and run when he had it open. He didn't really have many other choices. "Look, I'm sorry, he invited me to come over and I must have gotten the time wrong. I didn't need nothing. We were just gonna hang." How was he going to get out of this one?
"You're not exactly what I'd call savoury company." Leonard watched him, not overly worried. The doors in this house weren't easily picked, even by him. Definitely not by some kid who couldn't even see what he was doing. "Now, how about you do me a favour and tell me just what exactly the two of you discuss when you're 'hanging'?"
"TV." What? Like he could prove him wrong. Paco eyed the window and paced around the room carefully, knowing that if it came down to it, he'd just have to fight back. "We talk about normal friend stuff, dude. What do you think we'd talk about?" He stuck his chin out, trying to look defiant. He was going to be okay, this guy wasn't going to hurt him and if he did, he was going to have Rupture set loose on his ass. "You don't want to mess with me, dude."
"I brought you dinner." Hart glanced at Paco as he made his way toward Barry's bed. "I mean, we did." Mostly Paco had sneered at him wanting to do this, but still, it had happened, he had been there while Hart talked Mick into letting him bring the food to Barry. He set the tray down on the end of the bed and tried a careful smile. "Are you feeling any better?" At least he was awake, that had to be something.
Barry made a noise that didn't commit to anything, one way or another, before he reached out and took the tray contently. Paco cleared his throat loudly from the chair he was now chilling out at, shuffling a deck of cards he planned to use to play solitaire to kill a bit of time. Barry seemed to take notice of the noise and grumbled out a vague 'thanks' sort of noise before he pulled the tray into his lap and looked it over.
"Don't mention it." Hart smiled a little, as always very relieved that Paco seemed to have his back. He never knew how to thank him properly. It was hard to really put it into words. "I'm just glad you're feeling better. You are welcome here for however long you want. My house is your house, as you please."
If this was too generous an offer, Hart didn't care. Barry's life had been made into a mess because of something that involved his parents in some way and he owed him. Even if he didn't, they had both recently suffered a loss. He felt for him.
"I don't like your house, it's too big." Barry explained to him as he shovelled food in his mouth, tentatively looking over at Hart to Paco, who was playing his game already, letting these two talk but likely listening to what they said. He knew that Paco liked Hart, that much was pretty damn well obvious. "I liked my house. It was nice. I had a telescope and I watched the stars. This place doesn't have one."
And that, clearly, made this place suck. Barry shoved some bread into his mouth and met Hart's eyes as he chewed slowly, swallowing hard. "And a swing, I had a swing. You don't."
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His ears were ringing from the gunshots. It was still raining, but Hartley found he didn't care that he was getting wet. He wasn't sure whether he was crying and this way no one else could be sure either, not that anyone paid attention to him anyway. They had shoved him to the side and that had been it. Now he was standing next to the building, in the alley his parents had been shot, and nothing could be the same again.
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While the police were busy gathering evidence, Paco watched the boy crying and wondered who was going to come and pick him up. Who was supposed to help him now? Paco knew the wise thing to do was just to leave but he didn't. He hesitated and slid down from the perch he'd been on, just above where Hartley was standing. Paco landed awkward on his feet and cleared his throat. "You okay?" Obvious but what else did he say?
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He would have to be. What did this even mean for him? With his parents dead... He didn't really want to think about it. "You're very kind to ask." His smile was barely there and he looked at this child. Just a boy and it looked like he wasn't exactly of means. Hart didn't judge, of course, he just noted. "Thank you."
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It seemed weird to pretend otherwise. "They shot them for no reason." Paco said without thinking, a small frown on his face. They gave over the money and the jewellery so why pull the trigger? It seemed weird.
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Wait. "Did you see them?" He turned his head to look at Paco, taking a step toward him. "What did you see?"
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Which really wasn't far wrong.
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It wasn't that surprising that they ignored him. Hart considered offering money, but he knew better than that, at least. "It's really important."
"Don't know any Cisco. Get lost."
At least he had their attention now, but he wasn't sure that was preferable. "He has longer black hair. About my height. Don't you know anyone like that?"
"What's in it for us if we know?"
So they did know him. Hart smiled with relief. How much money was appropriate to give? "Fifty?" He ventured, noting their surprise. Oh. Too much? "I mean, ten?"
"Nah, fifty, let's see it."
"I don't have it on me right now." But they were already surrounding him and Hart found himself backing away a step.
"Paco's got rich friends."
"Paco?" Oh, that was good to know. Hart smiled, though it died quickly, seeing them all around him and knowing he was just a step away from the wall.
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Barry was still standing by the barrel, warming his hands and not looking up from the fire because he didn't really need to. He knew they heard him.
"Shut it, Allen."
"It is though. I mean what if you upset Paco? Think about it. Then you upset Dante. Do you really want to upset him?"
The kids all hesitated suddenly and there was a general unease. No one went for Hart, they clearly wanted to but no one made that move. They were too afraid to just in case. Clearly Paco had some kind of power. Finally, Barry looked up and gave the others a smile. "Go ahead and take the risk if you wanna but I never would."
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"I just need to find Paco. Please." He finally dared to step past the children, closer to the one by the barrel. "Do you know where I can find him? It's important."
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It was a lie but Barry wasn't stupid, he would never lead someone to Paco if Paco didn't want them to find him. That'd just be dumb. He rubbed his hands together and looked up at the other boy with only slight interest. "Who are you?"
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Why?
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Today, he needed a favour.
"Hart? Where you at?"
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His inevitable demise. "I-I-" Paco had no idea what to say, he slowly backed up to the door. Maybe he could pick the lock from behind and run when he had it open. He didn't really have many other choices. "Look, I'm sorry, he invited me to come over and I must have gotten the time wrong. I didn't need nothing. We were just gonna hang." How was he going to get out of this one?
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If this was too generous an offer, Hart didn't care. Barry's life had been made into a mess because of something that involved his parents in some way and he owed him. Even if he didn't, they had both recently suffered a loss. He felt for him.
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And that, clearly, made this place suck. Barry shoved some bread into his mouth and met Hart's eyes as he chewed slowly, swallowing hard. "And a swing, I had a swing. You don't."