| In the Wee Small Hours |
| By Debby |
| disclaimer: The Mag7 characters belong to MGM, Trilogy and Mirisch, no copy right infringement is intended with their use |
| �Careful, take it easy with that stuff,� Buck directed in a faint whisper. �We�re insane,� Vin muttered, watching Buck and the children from across the dimly lit room as they worked feverishly around a sleeping Josiah. Tanner took a sip of his coffee and grimaced. It was definitely time for a fresh cup. �Yup, and way too old for this,� Chris agreed, staring at his own mug and debating whether or not his stomach could handle a fifth cup. Josiah, unseen from Vin or Chris� position, let out a surprisingly deep snore. �Shh.� Teenaged boys darted down and out of sight like frightened rabbits taking cover in their burrows. After twenty seconds of absolute silence they emerged again, slowly resuming their activities. �Keep it along his cheek bone there. Real dark, yeah, like that.� Buck pointed. Chris shook his head and shifted in his chair, seeking a comfortable position and yet not daring to go to sleep as he kept his eye on what Buck was doing. �How did Josiah manage to rope us into this anyway?� he asked. �Guilt.� Vin stood and stretched. �Man�s a master.� He grinned as Buck and the kids ducked out of sight again. Sanchez shifted, precariously balanced on a row of chairs and snorted. �And he has the gall to sleep.� Chris frowned. Around the mission�s great room, sleeping bags were scattered randomly. In one corner, a group of boys had commandeered a television for their PS2. In another, three more were watching a Jackie Chan movie. Tanner glanced in their direction, but turned back again to the main source of interest. Checking his watch, he yawned. �It�s four. Better do a walk through, make sure we don�t have any strays.� �I�ll go.� Chris stood; his need for caffeine out ruling the stomach issues for the moment. A chorus of hushed giggles sounded from the largest group as they ducked out of sight again. Moving toward the door, Larabee shook his head. It was definitely not a good idea to fall asleep. The lights in the hallway were bright, causing him to squint while his eyes adjusted. He set his mug on a small table covered with community flyers and entered the men�s restroom. Two boys stood by the far window which they had opened a crack. They stared at Chris like a pair of deer caught in headlights. A lit cigarette, half smoked, hung in mid-pass, the obvious reason for their guilt-ridden and terrified expressions. Chris approached and rolled his shoulders. �Tyler. Kyle,� he greeted casually and held out his hand. Timidly, Kyle passed over the cigarette. �Thank you. Get back to the main room.� �Yes, sir.� They chorused and hurried to the door. �Boys.� He stopped them without turning around. �Don�t let this happen again.� He watched their distorted reflections in the window as they nodded fearfully. �Yes, sir.� Larabee grinned as the door closed behind them. He took a long, satisfying drag on what was left of the cigarette then smashed the butt on the windowsill and flicked it out the window. The hall was still empty as he retrieved his mug and made his way into the kitchen. An eight-foot-long table was covered in a checked cloth and bowls of chips, crackers and snacks. At the far end, sat a dozen or more two-liters of everything from 7-Up to Jolt. He eyed the Jolt for a second before grabbing the coffee pot. Pushing a bunch of empty pizza boxes out of his way he dumped the remaining sludge down the sink and rinsed the stained carafe before refilling it and setting the coffee maker up to brew a fresh pot. �Get lost or something?� Vin questioned when Chris finally rejoined the others. �Or something.� He scanned the room, finding Tyler and Kyle in front of the movie. �They still at it?� He nodded toward Buck�s corner. �What color?� Buck hissed, holding up a tiny bottle. �Red.� �Purple� �Pink.� Three boys answered at once. Buck laughed, �Use �em all.� �Oh yeah,� Vin answered Chris. �What�s Randy doing?� He nodded toward a boy about fourteen sitting in a small group near the Play Station. Randy wore a strange set of goggles, gloves and something on his ankle, all of it connected with wires to a box on his belt. The boys around him were quietly trying to control their laughter as his arms and leg flailed with no apparent pattern. Chris chuckled lowly. �Virtual reality game. He�s fighting ninjas.� Vin raised an eyebrow �They don�t make games like they used to.� �Nope,� Chris shook his head. �You should see Buck play.� A loud snore had everyone in the far corner diving for cover again. �Think he�ll ever ask us to chaperone one of these all night things again?� Vin asked. �I hope not.� Chris answered, all the while knowing they�d all say yes if Josiah did ask. �Wanna see what they�ve done to him?� �Sure.� Vin brought his chair back down onto four legs and walked with Chris across the room. Buck motioned for them to be quiet as they approached but gave a thumbs up sign. Suddenly, Josiah stirred and waved a hand, his multi-colored finger nails reflecting briefly in the light from the exit sign glowing nearby. Instinctively, Chris and Vin dropped to the floor with the others. Slowly, after a few second of Sanchez not moving, the group eased back to their feet again. Vin and Chris gazed down at their teammate and tried to stifle their giddy laughter. Buck grinned broadly. �What do you think?� he whispered. The duo stared, trying to take it all in. Josiah�s eyelids were sky blue; mascara streaked his forehead and cheeks where inexperienced hands had hurriedly tried to apply it. His cheeks were coated with what, in the dim light, appeared to be a purplish shade of blush. His lips were sloppily covered in Christmas red gloss and his beard�sparkled. Vin covered his mouth with his hand, thankful Chris had warned him not to doze off. Larabee had caught Buck showing one of the boys his cache of make-up earlier in the evening. �Well, it�s something,� Tanner finally managed a throaty reply. �Don�t make him any prettier though does it?� �Oh I don�t know�� Buck laughed again garnering worried looks from the boys as they quickly checked to see if Josiah was waking up at all. �What next?� Austin, a tall gangly blond about 16 years old, asked as he handed Buck a bottle of Neon Pink nail polish. Buck held up a finger, signaling them all to wait and began rummaging through his leather backpack. Pulling out a small video camera, he wiggled his eyebrows evilly. �Video,� he addressed the boys like a wise mentor, turning the camera on and focusing it on the contentedly snoring Josiah. �Always remember the video.� |
| This story is an answer Yolande's feb. 04 'mischief' challenge to have the boys bored and up to something, and an answer to Gunny's Nov. 03 challenge to have 1 or 3 guys involved with a group of kids. |
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