Jett Fulgen - Book 3, Chapter 13: Boys

Hey boys, boys, boys

I’ma cut through the noise

I got charm, I got poise

You know you can’t resist me

Hey boys, boys, boys

I see right through your ploys

Go find somebody else

Not just anyone can get me

—“Boys,” LCUNA

Guys’ Night was completely improvised.

It was bittersweet that it actually happened, honestly. I’d suggested an event almost exactly like it when I tried to reach out to Dante all those weeks ago. Now? Well, no one knew exactly where he was. As his trial approached, he’d stopped showing up for check-ins and preliminary court dates. Guiltily, I kind of hoped he’d skipped town, an option I’d briefly contemplated when it looked like my pardon was going to evaporate. Running couldn’t be good for him, but… I wasn’t looking forward to testifying against him.

As for Guys’ Night, it all started as Fu, Eunbi, and Yuki left for their outing with Jess. Wally and I were packing up in our borrowed cubicles, getting ready to head home, thinking to veg out at his place. The boys from Team Ambassador were a few cubes away.

“So,” I asked, “what are you doing with the second bedroom now that I’ve moved out?”

“It's my mini-workshop now,” he said. “And it's where Yuki keeps her… stuff. Her figurines and wall scrolls. You can take a look. Just don't breathe too hard on anything; you know how collectors are. I have plastic draped around my workshop.”

I nodded. “Duly noted.”

“Also…” his cheeks reddened. “Don't look in the closet.”

“Why? Why, Wally? You can't just drop a mystery like that on me.”

“It has her costumes. Some of them are for cons and things… and some are not.”

I laughed. “Got it. Fu has this chest in her closet—”

“You can stop right there.”

“Yeah, I’d probably better. So, you two. Pretty serious?”

He blushed even harder. “She told me she loved me a few weeks ago. I told her the same, and then we had to listen to Koyuki squeal for several minutes.”

“That is awesome. Congrats, Wall. Fu and I said it right after everything went wrong with Jess a couple months ago. Not that it’s a race or anything. Honestly, we fell into it because we were emotionally wrung out. That event ended with Fu beating me half to death with a pillow.”

Wally nodded, not even questioning. “So, how are you two now? Besides already raising a teenager?”

I grinned. “I think I’m gonna do it, Wall. I'm gonna pop the question. Just need to figure out the when and the how.”

“Dude. Wow. Things I never thought I’d hear. But seriously, congratulations in advance. Is that why…?” He touched his hair.

I scoffed. “No. I got a little… I was trying to… I just wanted to change things up a little, is all. I even ran it by Catalina just to be safe, and I also got some tips from…”

“Marissa?” Wally fought to keep a straight face.

“Oh, damn it. I fell right into it, but she rattled off all her fashion credentials and I was already so set on doing it… So that’s her game. She’s too smart to greenlight a total PR disaster, but this? Shit, has she posted anything about the color change yet? Are you still analyzing stuff on the web? What are people saying?”

He shrugged. “It’s kind of split. Some like it, some hate it. You could say the response is two-tone.”

“Damn it. I am not liking you right now.”

Wally zipped his laptop bag with an insufferable grin. “Now, to your other problem. When and where to ask? I’ve got an idea. Imagine if there was a very public proposal at Trillium Nexus, live.”

“That…” My eyes widened at the thought. Taking a knee on a gigantic stage, in front of the whole world? Catalina would be over the moon. “Okay, I like you again.”

He shrugged. “I actually thought of the idea for myself, but… I’m not quite sure Yuki and I are there yet. You can try it out. That way if it bombs I’ll know not to do it.”

“Yeah, thanks. But on the other hand, yes. That is a kickass idea.” I suddenly felt way too hyped up to just flop on a couch for the evening. “We should do something tonight. The girls are going out. Evan and Lys are on a freaking date. We guys should do something too. Hey, Brandon!”

The Ambassador captain looked over, mildly surprised. “What’s up, Jett?”

“You guys doing anything this evening?”

“Did I hear you gentlemen discussing evening plans?” asked Julian.

I almost jumped. Shit, where had he come from? I really wasn’t down for letting the man’s smugness put a damper on things. But I was supposed to “impress” him, and I was trying not to be a total asshole. So I would probably have to invite the bastard.

“Uh,” I began.

“Because if you were looking for something to do,” he continued lightly, “I might be able to help you crash a literal mansion.”

Wally’s jaw dropped. “What? Really?”

I blinked. “You mean like, your parents’?”

“Yes, more or less. Within reasonable constraints, of course, but we’re all adults, and I’m sure you G-Tech men can be respectful of other people’s property. There’s a fully stocked wet bar—which I can happily and competently tend—an indoor pool, and a theater room with overstuffed chairs. If, as I said, you were looking for something to do.”

I worked my jaw. I looked across at Brandon, Kaito, and Orren. “So… we were thinking of including the Ambassador boys in our plans. The ones we might or might not be making.”

“Ah, yes, you were discussing that before I butted in. Well, they clearly overheard, and I wouldn’t want to be rude. Of course they could come along.”

I cast about for any reason to say no. My eyes fell on Wally’s metal-wrapped legs. “Does the pool have a lift?” I asked.

“As it happens, yes. My father has a bad hip. The stubborn bastard finally caved and sprung for the lift after my mother pestered him for years, so it’s almost brand new. Lucky, eh?”

“Works for me,” said Wally.

Damn it.

“Yeah, lucky,” I said. “Okay, I guess we’re doing this. Ambassadors, you in?”

Orren held up a fist. “Let’s party!”

Julian dipped his finger into an empty glass, and a perfectly spherical, perfectly clear ball of ice formed inside. Then he poured Goldsilver Reserve over the ice and slid the glass over to me. He looked at me expectantly as I took a sip.

“Wow, this is really good,” I said. It was so far beyond what I thought of as whiskey I hardly even had words for it. Smooth, a little sweet, and nicely smoky. But that probably wasn’t fancy enough to do justice in the eyes of a true snob.

I watched as he formed another sphere of ice. “Show-off,” I muttered.

He laughed. “I am, I’ll freely admit it. I have to be. When you’re an ice sorcerer and you’re apprenticing under people like my parents it’s almost an expected duty. Bartending, I mean. Builds character, you see. It gives me important experience serving others—in a comfortable climate-controlled environment, doing something people invariably appreciate. Just like you legal vigs, right? Yes, if I have any redeeming qualities I can surely attribute it to serving Agatha Rheinholdt her fifth mint julep on poker night.”

[You know, I do see why Jessie compares you two. He sounds like you when you’re going off on a sarcastic binge, only snootier.]

«So like… if we were combined?»

[Well, that was rude.]

“Not that it’s all fun and games,” Julian continued. “Rich folk in no hurry is one thing, but pouring at a busy nightclub? Or at the only watering hole in two thousand acres of banana farms? It can get very hectic. I’ve done both to earn favors, pay my way, or simply listen for rumors on several occasions. I’ve made large, sweaty grown men weep, for they never realized a drink could be so cold and refreshing as after I’ve worked my magic.”

“You’re a saint.”

“Never. So, you said you’re no expert, but you went straight for the Goldsilver. It’s not the most expensive thing out there, or even on this shelf, but it is highly regarded. Why that one?”

“Squid likes it. Or at least, he thought it was a good bribe. Figured I’d see what the fuss was about.”

“Ah yes, your old manager—and I understand he had a harrowing night during the Cryos incident. Glad he’s all right. I believe I caught a glimpse of him at HQ. What’s he up to lately?”

“Training Team Hurricane.” I shrugged. “Firelance is in pretty good shape; Fu, Wally, and Yuki are pretty solid now and able to use skidding in the field, so I asked him to do them next. Hurricane is an interesting case with their current makeup: half speedsters and half might-based bruisers. If we can get the bruisers skidding they’ll be able to respond several times as fast without the need for vehicles.”

Julian nodded. “A team is only as fast as its slowest member. You’ve really brought something innovative to G-Tech—as have you, Mr. Donner, since I believe you and Fu are the resident skid tech experts.”

“Oh,” said Wally. “Well, thanks.”

“Is that impressive?” I asked.

“I have unreasonably high standards. I will call it a point in your favor, though.”

“Do you want to try to learn to skid?” I asked.

Wally studied Julian for a moment. “Podder.”

“Huh?” I laughed. “Wally, are you developing Squid senses?”

“Hey, Fu and I have been designing the equipment and listening to Squid ramble. I’ve picked up a few things. Yeah, Julian seems agile, slippery, and he annoys people by poking them repeatedly. Definitely a podder.”

I whistled, and Julian laughed. “Excellent, Wally,” he said. “This round goes to you. A very generous offer—the skid lessons, I mean—but you haven’t seen me in action yet. I have my own means of moving about quickly. You might find it reminiscent of what Lys does.”

“You freeze the ground in your path and slide around?” I asked.

He paused. “That is roughly accurate. How did you know?”

“Cryos used a similar trick to escape G-Tech and get to the docks quickly.”

“That bastard. He truly must be stopped.”

I smirked; I’d made a similarly petty observation when I realized the trick was reminiscent of skidding. “Yeah, a lot of shit went down that night, but the sliding thing did it. That was a bridge too far.”

“Well, stop him from copying me and I’ll hand that dagger back over for sure.”

“I will do my best.”

[Aww, look at you two, starting to get along.]

«Don’t you dare.»

Orren laughed. “Wow, you bastards are entertaining to listen to. Hey barkeep, may I get a top-off?” He shook his glass suggestively.

“But of course, Mr. Shah,” said Julian. To me he added, “Nice hair, by the way. Like the new color. Glad to see I’m a good influence on you.”

I took a swig of my drink to avoid a comment I would surely regret.

“So, Jett,” said Brandon, sliding in beside me. He looked strangely nervous, running a hand through his hair in a manner that wasn’t entirely a camera-ready move. “You and Fu still going strong?”

“You could say that,” I said.

“That’s awesome, man. You guys are so goofy good together I gotta smile every time I see it. You too with Yuki, Wally. It’s ‘kawaii.’”

“Oh. Thanks.” Wally pulled his face into a rictus. Brandon had somehow mangled the pronunciation of “kawaii” so badly it came out as four syllables.

Brandon cleared his throat. “So I wanted to get you guys’ opinion on something. Me and Tina.”

I blinked. “Is that a question?”

“I was thinking about asking her out.”

“Oh. I figured…” I bit back my reflexive response, which was “I figured you’d already dated her.” Recalibrating, I said, “For what it’s worth, when I first came on at G-Tech I half suspected you two were already a couple. You always kind of jump into the spotlight side by side, but you don’t really compete for it. It feels like a good dynamic. Maybe I’m reading too much into it.”

Wally jumped in with a version of my unspoken comment. “Is there a reason you haven’t asked her out already?”

“I don’t know. I mean, she’s pretty, she’s nice, she’s outgoing. Maybe it was too obvious. Plus, a few people have mistaken us for brother and sister, which is weird. Probably the locks.” He touched his golden shoulder-length hair, which was a little reminiscent of Tina’s lustrous blonde mane.

“I’d say go for it,” I said. “If you’re asking because you want me to put in a good word? Well, I probably could, but I do my best wingman work when people are trying to restrain me.”

Brandon laughed. “That is still funny. That night was shit, but I’ll always love that story.”

“I could ask Yuki to say something,” said Wally. “Of course if I do, Koyuki will probably blurt it out at the worst possible moment. But sometimes that works out anyway.”

“I think it’s a great idea, Captain,” said Kaito. “I was honestly wondering when you’d ask her out myself.”

The stoic sniper finished his glass. “Well, I don’t know about you guys, but I intend to take full advantage of our host’s hospitality. Where is this pool?”

“That’s the spirit,” said Julian. “Double doors right behind you. Shall we all convene?”

“Aww, don’t go!”

“Come on, we want Lys!”

“All right, come on!” said Evan. “We got an early start tomorrow! Gotta train up our new Metal Guardian! Super important stuff!”

Lys laughed giddily. Her entrance had been nerve-wracking. So many curious faces. So many voices. So many wonderful, overlapping smells. But little by little she’d managed to settle in. They really were nice. Just like Nixie always said, she’d let her worries go little by little. She’d relaxed.

The margaritas might have helped.

She certainly felt like the star of the night. So many eager little faces demanding another “trick” as they thrust a glass of water at her. Of course, even her animated gel would splash and get people and things wet in a very real way—something a few of the more exuberant kids had figured out the hard way. She’d eventually settled on a small display using an aquarium. She caused a stream of water to spiral up and back down, like a miniature version of the fountain at HQ.

Evan had also shown off. His power had excellent prank potential, and he got good at tapping children as they ran by, either pulling them back to him or switching places with them.

He also… Well, he was just good. That was the only word her mind could come up with. He was good with the kids. He introduced her slowly and gently to his many relatives—Shones, their names were all a blur, but she remembered many friendly faces. He stood as a buffer when he sensed she needed a break. He made jokes, and he told stories about his childhood, police work, and even the better parts of first encountering Jett, all in that slightly-too-fast excitable way of his. Then he’d stop to catch his breath, and he’d check in on her, always with that bright smile of his. She found his excitement and earnestness more and more endearing as the evening went on. Was it only the margaritas? Or something more? She wanted to find out.

A small boy latched on to Lys’s leg. “You can’t take her, Evan! She’s mine!”

“I think not, Miguel.” He tapped the boy on the shoulder, and a moment later they switched places. “Oh!”

Lys gasped. Fortunately Evan didn’t match his little cousin’s posture, but he did end up pressed against her quite close. “S-sorry,” he said. “Rescue effort. This class is still so tricky.”

“My hero,” she giggled.

She hugged Evan’s parents and promised to come back again, which was an oddly confident thing to promise. At long last they both extricated themselves from Casa de la Cruz, and Evan pulled his phone and summoned a ride.

Lys leaned on Evan, still feeling giddy. Distantly she knew she ought to be embarrassed.

“You okay?” Evan asked. “Careful.”

“One… one moment,” she said.

«Okay, let’s reactivate Guardian’s Immunity.»

[That’s probably a good idea.]

“One moment?” Evan asked, nervous. “Are you not feeling well?”

“No, I’m just… sobering up.” Already she was feeling steadier.

“For real? It really does work like that, huh?”

“When you’re a Guardian, yeah.” She squinted at Evan; her arm was still linked with his. “Jett… Jett used that same trick on Marissa, you know. You’ve heard the story? He did it to fake being drunk. He did the same thing. He faked being drunk. Okay, I’m repeating myself. Still not quite there yet.”

They waited at the curb. Snow flurries swirled around them. Meanwhile, her head swam less and less. She focused intently on Evan.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Evan asked.

“I’m trying to figure something out, is all. I really had a good time tonight, Evan. Your family is wonderful. And they liked the water, but not just the water.”

“Thank you,” he said. “But what are you trying to figure out?”

Little by little, her head cleared. She studied Evan’s eyes.

“Something that requires cheating. If you’re not cheating you have to wait a lot longer.” She moved in closer. “To figure this out, I mean. Almost there.”

“I’m still very confused, Lys.” He chuckled. “Are you sure your skill is working?”

“Yeah.” She tilted her head. She replayed the evening in her mind once again. Evan’s family. Evan with his family. Evan’s past… and Evan right now. And she made a surprising discovery. “Huh. I do. I really do.”

“Do what?”

She smiled. “Feel the same way when I’m sober.”

“About what?”

Lys raised an eyebrow. “Has anyone ever told you you’re very bad at taking hints?”

“Once or twi—”

She stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him.

It was a gentle kiss, sweet. A quiet mountain spring rather than a raging waterfall. Evan responded, tentatively wrapping his arms around her.

Then the whooping started.

“Yeah!”

“All right!”

“¡Sí, sí!”

“Oh, are you kidding me?” said Evan. A small group of De la Cruzes had snuck outside and were watching them from the front stoop. “¡Pa’ dentro, cabrones! ¡Esto no es función para ustedes!”

Lys could only laugh hysterically, her face burning even in the cold, as Evan’s family reluctantly slipped back inside. She thought she heard someone say, “I told you so!”

“Oh, Shones,” she said, hand to her face, still laughing. “Oh Shones, I can’t believe that just happened.”

“Seeing is believing, right?” Evan laughed. “That was… Just another big family perk. I’m sorry about that.”

“No. Don’t be.” She grabbed his scarf and pulled him closer, feeling curiously bold. Was she really sober? “Don’t be sorry. I’m not.”

Evan’s eyes widened. “I’m quite glad to hear that. But just a fair warning: I don’t trust them not to peek again.”

Lys shrugged. She held a hand out and conjured a wall of gel between them and the house. It rippled and glistened in the starlight from the sky projection, warping the image beyond it. It wasn’t perfect privacy by any means. But for the moment? It was good enough.

She smiled at Evan. This time, he got the hint.

The next kiss wasn’t quite as gentle. Maybe more of a brook than a spring. But it was just as sweet.

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