keep your blood in your head and your feet on the ground (closed, one-shot, timed to monday evening)

[davin]

TRIGGER WARNINGS: graphic physical violence and hate speech (including derogatory slurs) both inflicted upon a gay character.


“I’m sorry it’s gotten so bad, kid. I had no idea.”

It had taken weeks to get Tom on the phone long enough to have a proper conversation, as he’s been off deep sea fishing in Mexico, and Davin is so grateful to finally be able to talk to the owner of the shop about things. He’s been dreading coming to work lately, and he just wants to get rid of the two assholes making his life a living hell. Thankfully, Tom seems to be in agreement.

“They’ve just worked for ya forever,” Davin explains. He’s holed up in his office at the shop, and he can hear Mel and Hank’s loud, annoying laughter filtering through his door. Everyone else has gone home for the night. “I didn’t want t’do anythin’ without consultin’ ya.”

“Davin, I put you in charge for a reason, didn’t I? Hell, I’m practically retired,” Tom tells him, and Davin bites his lip against a small swell of gratitude. “It’s gonna be yours one day, isn’t it? You’re keeping that place afloat, kid. It’s thriving under your leadership, and if you want to get rid of two assholes I hired way back before I found a goddamn prodigy like you, be my guest. I trust you. And I’ll be back soon. I’m bringing you a shot glass with naked ladies on it. They didn’t have one with naked guys.”

Davin is overwhelmed from all the nice things Tom says. No one has ever really believed in him like Tom has, and he can’t help but to laugh about the thing with the shot glass. Not long after Davin started working at the shop one of the guys saw him out on a date and brought the gossip back like a seventh grade girl, effectively outing him. It’s not like Davin was in the closet, hadn’t been since high school, but he felt no need to advertise it at work. Tom had seemed put off by it just like the rest of them and that broke Davin’s heart, but it wasn’t long before Tom started to open up his mind and accept Davin for who he was and change his whole attitude about homosexuality. He’s not going to go marching with PFLAG or anything, but he no longer sees it like it’s something terrible.

“Thanks, Tom.” Davin says tiredly. It’s like a weight has been lifted, and now all he has to do is actually fire them. “I appreciate it.”

“No problem, kid. Just be careful, alright? Mel’s meaner than a junkyard dog and Hank ain’t much better,” Tom tells him, like Davin was unaware. “They’re not gonna take it well.”

“I got it. See ya soon, old man.” Davin hangs up the phone and takes a deep breath, scrubbing his hands over his face as he stands up. He’s got everything ready, like their last paychecks and termination notices, and now he just has to call them in and do it. He takes a step away from his desk and bites his lip, going back to turn on his webcam and turn it to face the rest of the room with the computer monitor still off. He’s a little nervous, but he’s not going to back down. He’s also not going to let them get away with any bullshit.

Part of him thinks that he should wait for Tom to get back, or maybe have Jason around just in case, but he’s just so tired. He wants it over with. He leans out of his office and searches around until he spots them over by a Lexus with fender damage. Davin can pop that dent out of place with his magic tomorrow no problem, and then it just needs a new paint job. “Mel, Hank, can ya come in here? I need t’speak with ya.”

“Oh, sounds like we’re in trouble with her majesty,” Mel says to Hank, who snorts unattractively. Davin rolls his eyes. “Coming, princess.”

Davin goes back into his office and leans against his desk, waiting for them to amble in. When they do, he takes a deep breath and picks up two envelopes, handing one to each of them. “I’m letting ya both go. Here’s your final paychecks.”

There, like a Band-Aid. If only it were that simple.



“Excuse me? What the fuck did you just say?” Mel crumples the envelope in his fist and Hank just looks dumb and angry, which is basically his default expression. “You can’t fire us, you little shit. We don’t work for you.”

“Uh, yeah, actually ya do. Tom made me the manager an’ even if he hadn’t, I just got off the phone with him,” Davin tells them. “He agrees with me. Your work is shoddy an’ your attitudes are terrible, an’ I don’t need t’put up with your bullshit anymore. You’re gone.”

Davin thought he was prepared for anything, but Mel grabbing him by the lapels of his coveralls and slamming him against the wall still surprises him. The impact knocks the air out of his lungs and Davin gasps, chest aching as Mel gets in his face. “If you think I’m gonna let some little faggot fuck me over, you’ve got another thing coming.”

“Oh, don’t ya worry,” Davin spits out, because he never knows when to keep his mouth shut. “This faggot’s never gonna fuck ya, Mel, no matter how bad ya want it.”

The fist that connects with Davin’s jaw makes him see stars, and the skin of his lip tears when it rakes across his teeth. He barely gets in a breath before he’s punched again, and this time it’s his eye. He feels dizzy when Mel suddenly pushes him, and he stumbles before he’s grabbed by Hank. “It doesn’t matter what ya do,” Davin says, spitting blood out of his mouth. “You’re still fuckin’ fired.”

Hank’s fist lands solidly in the middle of Davin’s belly and he groans, stumbling a little. The blow to his back, just above his last rib, sends him to the ground.

“Fucking little fairy,” Mel shouts, just as his boot hits Davin in the ribs. “You’re nothing. You’re just a little abomination who doesn’t even deserve the goddamned air you breathe.” There’s another kick that does steal Davin’s air, and then another fist to the face. They’re both shouting at him, kicking and punching, and the pain is unlike anything he’s ever felt. For a second, Davin is seriously afraid that he actually might die at their hands.

“Stop,” he cries out in a raspy breath, heart pounding with fear. The blows keep coming and Davin reaches out to slam his palm to Mel’s chest, pushed to the edge of desperation. “I said stop!”

Sparks shoot out from Davin’s fingers and the shock sends Mel flying backwards, crashing into a filing cabinet before dropping to the floor. He doesn’t get back up and Davin lets out a sound like a harsh sob, breathing raggedly as he grips the edge of his desk in a futile attempt to stand. Hank retreats at that, and his eyes are wide. At least Davin thinks they are. His own eyes are already swelling. “What the fuck did you do?”

Davin blinks blood out of his eye and looks over at Hank. He can’t breathe. He’s so scared and pissed off and his chest feels like it’s on fire. There’s white hot pain every time he drags in a ragged breath and he slaps a bloody hand down on his desk as he tries to pull himself up. He lets out a sound like a yelp and Hank takes a few steps closer. “What the hell did you do, you little shit? I’m gonna fucking kill -“

“No,” Davin cuts in, voice loud. Hank huffs and moves closer, and Davin grits his teeth as he calls for the metal letter opener on his desk. He flings it out with his power, stopping it within an inch of Hank’s face and letting it hover in the air. He pulls on whatever metal is on Hank, his watch, the zipper of his coveralls, and sends him flying back against the wall. He’s pinned there and the letter opener surges forward, again stopping just before it hits his eye.

“What are you?” Hank cries out, staring at the letter opener with panic in his eyes. Davin is up on his knees, chest heaving as he breathes, and when Mel groans and starts to get up, sparks start to curl themselves around Davin’s fingers. He’s never been this scared, this angry, and he spits the blood pooling in his mouth onto the floor as he looks at them.

“I could kill ya with a single fuckin’ thought,” Davin rasps out, expression venomous. He may be down, forced to his knees by their blows, but he’s not going to give up. “Get the fuck out of my shop, an’ don’t come back. I swear t’ya, ya won’t like what happens if ya do.”

Mel and Hank start at him, wide-eyed, and the lights start to flicker. Davin has never felt his power surge like this. He wants to lash out with it, use it as a weapon, and that’s more terrifying than any blows Mel or Hank could land on him. He’s shaking all over, sparks jumping from finger to finger, and a light bulb bursts in a shower of sparks when Davin yells. “Now!”

They trip over themselves in their hurry to get out of the office and the letter opener quivers in mid-air for a moment before dropping to the floor with a clatter. The lights go back to normal and Davin lets out a sob, feeling sick as he grips the edge of the desk. There’s blood in his eye, filling his mouth, all over the floor. He doesn’t even know where it all came from.

“Fuck.” He tries to pull himself up but the pain skyrockets, and he just falls to the floor instead. It’s cold hard cement and Davin curls up, squeezing his eyes shut tight. He doesn’t know what to do. His phone is in his desk and he can’t get up, his chest hurts too bad. He could have broken ribs.

They were kicking him with steel-toed boots.

Davin swallows back bile and rolls onto his back, staring at the ceiling. The lights flicker again as he panics, and soon he’s too tired to do anything but close his eyes and lay there.

He doesn’t know how much time passes before Jason finds him in a bloody mess on the floor of his office, or how long it is after that before he’s loaded into an ambulance. He hates it, and he doesn’t want to be lying on a gurney like some victim, but they cut his shirt off to reveal dark bruising on his chest and stomach and Davin’s vision blurs and sways.

They’re talking about broken ribs and how they want to check for internal injuries. Contusions and abrasions and lacerations. He can’t listen anymore.

“You’re gonna be fine, kid. We’ve got you,” is what he hears before he finally just closes his eyes and lets go, fingers grasping at something that isn’t even there.


[feel free to post character reactions to seeing an ambulance outside coastside auto and/or not being able to get a hold of davin. there will be no replies on this post, but there will be an open post with davin to deal with reactions/aftermath later this week.]