"I'm sorry," Sean replies, his brows furrowing as he picks up Ulysse's hair tie from the table, behind the man's back and snaps it around his own wrist. Then he gestures for Ulysse to turn his back to him.
"There's very little I can do about this," he admits quietly. "I could put him to jail but the chief would let him out immediately and most likely I'd be kicked out from the same door opening as he would be let out. I'm trying to get here as fast as I can but it's getting harder and harder. I think someone must be giving him the heads up when I'm tied up with something else."
Turning as directed, Ulysse shakes his head and reaches back to give a squeeze to the cops' hip. "Honestly, that's probably for the best. I'm worried that if you keep interfering, they'll just go after you to get rid of you," he murmurs. "I'm thinking I need to invest in some security, but... There's no one game to take the job from town."
Part of him is tempted to just concede to Anton's gang's demands and to just give them the damn bar and leave, but his family is here. What's left of it, anyway... Arie would never forgive him for giving up so easily, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried fleeing would just leave Midnight in danger's path. Anton's proven to be quite the spiteful asshole, after all, and Ulysse suspects that the bastard would target the youngest of the brothers on losing his favourite punching bag.
Ulysse pauses, thinking, and then sighs, more irritated this time as he comments, "I forgot to buy more shells for the shotgun. I'll have to remember to go by the shop tomorrow before opening."
Sean's fingers are gentle as he starts to gather Ulysse's hair onto a ponytail, the way he likes it, tidy at the back of his neck. But he runs his fingers through the curls a little extra just because he knows Ulysse likes it.
"Maybe you should look one from outside the town," he suggests quietly. "Someone who isn't afraid to fight back. Maybe a little dirty too."
He hates the fact that he can't help, even his batch and gun isn't enough to deter these assholes. They know well enough that Sean, a junior cop, can't really do shit to them when the rest of the force is on the payroll.
"I worry about you and that thing," he says with a soft huff. "One day someone is going to take it as an invitation to get into a shoot out with you."
"Just as well I'm a good shot," Ulysse huffs without much pride, eyes closing as he leans into the stroking hand, prolonging the contact for a bit more. "And I can't afford to coax someone to move here. They'd be expecting some sort of compensation or assistance to move."
It's partly why Ulysse hasn't gotten a bouncer all this time. He definitely needs one with how rough the patrons get even without the gangs getting involved, but he just can't afford to pay someone to move into town for the job.
"... I guess I can try to hold down the fort a while longer," he mutters. He draws away from Sean and heads out the office door. "Do you want to take a drink for the road?" he asks over his shoulder.
It's a simple thing, this arrangement they have. Never a night slept in the same bed, never much more than just wham bang and thank you mam. Sean is fine with that. He likes Ulysse plenty but he's not mooning after him like he was some years ago.
He stands up, adjusting his belt, and slips a lock of his own hair back behind his ear where it's supposed to be.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind a glass of something cold."
When they're walking out, he nudges Ulysse's elbow with his own. "You should ask your your brother, maybe, he probably wouldn't mind covering the fee. Because you need someone here who can kick back these assholes. I'm serious, think about it at least."
It's not a sharp response or even hasty, but there's a firmness to Ulysse's soft voice that suggests Sean shouldn't push the matter. He refuses to ask Midnight or Arie for more when they've already had to do so much just to get him sorted this far.
He looks through the fridge and tugs out a beer, uncapping it and sending it sliding down the bar to Sean's hand before getting one of his own. "I'll figure something out. Don't worry about it."
"I worry," Sean replies as he catches the beer and slides his ass onto one of the stools. "Promise me you will do something about it. And if you do need my help, you'll ask."
Sean, as good as he is reading people, doesn't know Ulysse will lie to his very face to get out of the situation without hesitation. He does know the brothers are always at each others faces and there's some tension there, but they seem more than eager to help each other out.
Ulysse just doesn't like sharing his problems with all the world. He doesn't even like doing so with his brothers when he can help it, really, but Arie and Midnight don't often let him avoid them. He already knows he's likely to have his hands full once Arie's back, but he doesn't want to have a headache already over it.
"If it gets to a point I can't handle it, I'll ask," Ulysse answers in his roundabout way which allows him to neither lie nor tell the truth. Then he smiles a bit and glances up at the roof with all its patches from the warning shots he's had to take. "At least with how the weather's turning, those holes are more a welcome added ventilation..."
Sean takes a swig from his beer as he looks at Ulysse's pretty face as he peers at the ceiling. He's always been like this, quiet and calm, handling his own business privately. Sean used to feel offended when he was left out of it, but he doesn't anymore. He just thinks that it's how Ulysse works.
"Well, however things turn out," he says as he swigs the beer inside the bottle, from one side to the other, again and again. "You have my number. And you know I'll be here as quickly as I can. Whatever little help it is."
It's times like this when Ulysse quietly wonders why he couldn't have just stuck with Sean. He would have been happy and safe with Sean for sure, and they would have eagerly provided for each other. But something was just not quite right between them, and it's a crying shame in moments like this when Ulysse is reminded just how good a man Sean is.
He smiles privately and gives a little salute with his bottle. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."
Sean thinks he's being lied to a little bit, somehow. But he doesn't challenge Ulysse for it, because he does call when things get bad. And if Sean will make that sour between them, he might not do that and try to handle everything by himself with that old shotgun.
"Well, at least you'll call when you feel like fooling around," he says with a small grin, teasing a bit. He could say Ulysse should call him and they could go out for dinner or something like that. But he doesn't. Because that card they've already played and seen, it's not going to happen, and they're both cool with that.
The little tease manages to draw a fuller smile from Ulysse for a second and then he shakes his head, commenting, "Am I really calling you when you seem to just show up at the right time?"
It's as they're drinking that the bar door swings open, Ulysse's hand immediately reaching under the counter. But then he sees the familiar curly-haired figure and relaxes, greeting, "Good evening, Damian. You're here late?"
Damian smiles sheepishly and ducks his head as he crosses the floor, giving a little wave to Sean as he approaches. "Hey. I meant to come by earlier but I got held up. I just wanted to see if everything was okay, tonight."
And judging by the lack of new holes in the ceiling and the door still being in one piece, he's guessing it was just that.
"Maybe I read minds," Sean murmurs but lets the joke go when Damian shows up. He gives Ulysse a long look from the corner of his eye as the man almost goes for the shotgun. He should take that away from the man, honestly.
"Hey," he calls out, "Ulysse was just closing up the doors. I stayed to make sure all is good." It's like the lamest excuse ever and they all know what he's actually doing here. Except what he said is also true, because part of the reason why he does stop here almost every night at closing time is to make sure there isn't any trouble. Some nights he doesn't get out of the car, though, just waits for the bar to quiet before heading out.
"You need a ride home?" he asks, taking a swig from the beer.
"I'm thinking of staying here tonight, actually," Ulysse shrugs, glancing pointedly between the fridge and Damian to which the latter grins and nods. He gets another beer out, continuing, "Arie's coming soon, and he might want to stay here so... I thought it might be worth tidying up the upstair's room for him."
Damian perks up immediately and asks, "Yeah? How long is he staying for?"
Lips twitching, Ulysse shares a knowing look with Sean instead of immediately answering, letting the pup stew a little as he uncaps the beer. Honestly, Arie and Damian... "He didn't say, but it seemed like he might be here a while," he says at last, handing the bottle over.
"Oh, but who knows, the travelling artist life," Sean continues with a small smile hidden behind his beer bottle. "Might leave right away, isn't that so?"
His eyes are full of mirth, merry crowfeet dancing around them. Damian and Arie, right...
He's always thought those two would end up together, eventually when Arie got the worst of the travel lust out of his system and Damian would grow a bit of spine of steel to put his foot on the little spitfire and reel him back home.
But he also thought he and Ulysse would be married by age twenty five and just the thought of it makes him laugh now.
"Do you need a ride?" he asks from Damian instead.
"Nah, I'm good," Damian answers, wiggling his bottle as he adds, "I'll just have this and go." He's responsible like that.
"Come by earlier next time so we can share dinner," Ulysse suggests, directing this at them both. He doesn't need to take care of his brothers any more, but apparently he still finds himself taking care of the other men in his life where and when he can.
"Yeah, sure, one day," Sean replies with a shrug. "I've been fixing my dad's old boat. We could take that old girl out to the bay and have a lunch out there, too."
He finishes his beer and leans over the bar to put it away himself.
Ulysse smiles and brushes his fingers over Sean's hand as he withdraws from the bar. "Come again whenever you want, Sean. Have a good night."
"Night Sean," Damian echoes, giving the cop a little salute with his bottle. There's an unspoken promise there that he'll make sure Ulysse locks up safely. Don't worry and go get some rest, bud.
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"There's very little I can do about this," he admits quietly. "I could put him to jail but the chief would let him out immediately and most likely I'd be kicked out from the same door opening as he would be let out. I'm trying to get here as fast as I can but it's getting harder and harder. I think someone must be giving him the heads up when I'm tied up with something else."
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Turning as directed, Ulysse shakes his head and reaches back to give a squeeze to the cops' hip. "Honestly, that's probably for the best. I'm worried that if you keep interfering, they'll just go after you to get rid of you," he murmurs. "I'm thinking I need to invest in some security, but... There's no one game to take the job from town."
Part of him is tempted to just concede to Anton's gang's demands and to just give them the damn bar and leave, but his family is here. What's left of it, anyway... Arie would never forgive him for giving up so easily, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried fleeing would just leave Midnight in danger's path. Anton's proven to be quite the spiteful asshole, after all, and Ulysse suspects that the bastard would target the youngest of the brothers on losing his favourite punching bag.
Ulysse pauses, thinking, and then sighs, more irritated this time as he comments, "I forgot to buy more shells for the shotgun. I'll have to remember to go by the shop tomorrow before opening."
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"Maybe you should look one from outside the town," he suggests quietly. "Someone who isn't afraid to fight back. Maybe a little dirty too."
He hates the fact that he can't help, even his batch and gun isn't enough to deter these assholes. They know well enough that Sean, a junior cop, can't really do shit to them when the rest of the force is on the payroll.
"I worry about you and that thing," he says with a soft huff. "One day someone is going to take it as an invitation to get into a shoot out with you."
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"Just as well I'm a good shot," Ulysse huffs without much pride, eyes closing as he leans into the stroking hand, prolonging the contact for a bit more. "And I can't afford to coax someone to move here. They'd be expecting some sort of compensation or assistance to move."
It's partly why Ulysse hasn't gotten a bouncer all this time. He definitely needs one with how rough the patrons get even without the gangs getting involved, but he just can't afford to pay someone to move into town for the job.
"... I guess I can try to hold down the fort a while longer," he mutters. He draws away from Sean and heads out the office door. "Do you want to take a drink for the road?" he asks over his shoulder.
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He stands up, adjusting his belt, and slips a lock of his own hair back behind his ear where it's supposed to be.
"Sure, I wouldn't mind a glass of something cold."
When they're walking out, he nudges Ulysse's elbow with his own. "You should ask your your brother, maybe, he probably wouldn't mind covering the fee. Because you need someone here who can kick back these assholes. I'm serious, think about it at least."
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"No."
It's not a sharp response or even hasty, but there's a firmness to Ulysse's soft voice that suggests Sean shouldn't push the matter. He refuses to ask Midnight or Arie for more when they've already had to do so much just to get him sorted this far.
He looks through the fridge and tugs out a beer, uncapping it and sending it sliding down the bar to Sean's hand before getting one of his own. "I'll figure something out. Don't worry about it."
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Sean, as good as he is reading people, doesn't know Ulysse will lie to his very face to get out of the situation without hesitation. He does know the brothers are always at each others faces and there's some tension there, but they seem more than eager to help each other out.
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Ulysse just doesn't like sharing his problems with all the world. He doesn't even like doing so with his brothers when he can help it, really, but Arie and Midnight don't often let him avoid them. He already knows he's likely to have his hands full once Arie's back, but he doesn't want to have a headache already over it.
"If it gets to a point I can't handle it, I'll ask," Ulysse answers in his roundabout way which allows him to neither lie nor tell the truth. Then he smiles a bit and glances up at the roof with all its patches from the warning shots he's had to take. "At least with how the weather's turning, those holes are more a welcome added ventilation..."
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"Well, however things turn out," he says as he swigs the beer inside the bottle, from one side to the other, again and again. "You have my number. And you know I'll be here as quickly as I can. Whatever little help it is."
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It's times like this when Ulysse quietly wonders why he couldn't have just stuck with Sean. He would have been happy and safe with Sean for sure, and they would have eagerly provided for each other. But something was just not quite right between them, and it's a crying shame in moments like this when Ulysse is reminded just how good a man Sean is.
He smiles privately and gives a little salute with his bottle. "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind."
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"Well, at least you'll call when you feel like fooling around," he says with a small grin, teasing a bit. He could say Ulysse should call him and they could go out for dinner or something like that. But he doesn't. Because that card they've already played and seen, it's not going to happen, and they're both cool with that.
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The little tease manages to draw a fuller smile from Ulysse for a second and then he shakes his head, commenting, "Am I really calling you when you seem to just show up at the right time?"
It's as they're drinking that the bar door swings open, Ulysse's hand immediately reaching under the counter. But then he sees the familiar curly-haired figure and relaxes, greeting, "Good evening, Damian. You're here late?"
Damian smiles sheepishly and ducks his head as he crosses the floor, giving a little wave to Sean as he approaches. "Hey. I meant to come by earlier but I got held up. I just wanted to see if everything was okay, tonight."
And judging by the lack of new holes in the ceiling and the door still being in one piece, he's guessing it was just that.
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"Hey," he calls out, "Ulysse was just closing up the doors. I stayed to make sure all is good." It's like the lamest excuse ever and they all know what he's actually doing here. Except what he said is also true, because part of the reason why he does stop here almost every night at closing time is to make sure there isn't any trouble. Some nights he doesn't get out of the car, though, just waits for the bar to quiet before heading out.
"You need a ride home?" he asks, taking a swig from the beer.
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"I'm thinking of staying here tonight, actually," Ulysse shrugs, glancing pointedly between the fridge and Damian to which the latter grins and nods. He gets another beer out, continuing, "Arie's coming soon, and he might want to stay here so... I thought it might be worth tidying up the upstair's room for him."
Damian perks up immediately and asks, "Yeah? How long is he staying for?"
Lips twitching, Ulysse shares a knowing look with Sean instead of immediately answering, letting the pup stew a little as he uncaps the beer. Honestly, Arie and Damian... "He didn't say, but it seemed like he might be here a while," he says at last, handing the bottle over.
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His eyes are full of mirth, merry crowfeet dancing around them. Damian and Arie, right...
He's always thought those two would end up together, eventually when Arie got the worst of the travel lust out of his system and Damian would grow a bit of spine of steel to put his foot on the little spitfire and reel him back home.
But he also thought he and Ulysse would be married by age twenty five and just the thought of it makes him laugh now.
"Do you need a ride?" he asks from Damian instead.
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"Nah, I'm good," Damian answers, wiggling his bottle as he adds, "I'll just have this and go." He's responsible like that.
"Come by earlier next time so we can share dinner," Ulysse suggests, directing this at them both. He doesn't need to take care of his brothers any more, but apparently he still finds himself taking care of the other men in his life where and when he can.
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He finishes his beer and leans over the bar to put it away himself.
"Thanks, babe."
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Ulysse smiles and brushes his fingers over Sean's hand as he withdraws from the bar. "Come again whenever you want, Sean. Have a good night."
"Night Sean," Damian echoes, giving the cop a little salute with his bottle. There's an unspoken promise there that he'll make sure Ulysse locks up safely. Don't worry and go get some rest, bud.