of death valley

♫ Workin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’. Barley gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’. ♫

As soon as the chorus of the song hit Roman had landed on the pool table and during the verse after that he was talking. AJ couldn’t help but wonder if he had planned that out, but the angry expression on his face made him think that maybe it was just a coincidence. With all attention on him, because of the extremely dramatic entrance, Roman was being surrounded by the men. AJ attempted to make his way over to him, and was once again slammed up against the wall.

♫ You would think that I would deserve a fair promotion. Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me. I swear sometimes that man is out to get me. ♫

It was then that AJ’s attention was brought to the long winding staircase. Ana was running down it quickly, with practiced ease, while wearing a helmet that belonged to one of the swat members. When she was near the bottom, she used the advantage of being quite a few steps above one of the men who had just begun climbing the stairs and managed to land a hard kick, with her booted foot, directly on his nose. She then followed his body down the rest of the stairs and began jumping around happily in celebration when it appeared that he was knocked out.

♫ They let you you dream just to watch em’ shatter. You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder, but you got dreams he’ll never take away. ♫

The blonde’s eyes quickly scanned the room until she found Roman. “I’ll help!” She said excitedly, before speaking up even louder. “Hey! Look at me!” As she said that she pulled a small round object out of her pocket and threw it in the direction of everybody. The men saw this and all began to scatter. The man near AJ pulled him in close in an attempt to shield him from, what he thought was going to be some sort of a blast. 

♫ In the same boat with a lot of your friends, waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in. And the tides gonna turn and it’s all gonna go your way.”

“Hahaha! Juuuust kidding!” Ana spoke happily and AJ recognized the round object as a toy she had painted to look like a bomb a while back. Before the men could recover from the confusion, she managed to make her way towards Roman and jumped on the back of the closest man to him, clawing at his face. While the man that was holding AJ grabbed his arm even tighter and began roughly forcing him to walk towards the door again.

@quinn-roman​

♫ You would think that I would deserve a fair promotion. Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me. I swear sometimes that man is out to get me. ♫ 

Roman looked over this back at the blonde gliding down the staircase, landing a kick to the face of one of the intruders. Normally he would be impressed, she constantly shocked him, but he was too angry to even have that thought. His eyes flicked between the covered faces of the SWAT and landed on AJ, who was being manhandled by the biggest one. “Uh-uh,” he disagreed as he stepped towards the edge of the tabletop. A hand grasped the edge between his feet. The first man who hit the top level and was met with a boot to the chest and thrown from the second story. He swung the bat low like a golf club, crashing it against the side of his helmet which flew across the room and knocked bottles from their place on the shelf. 

♫ They let you you dream just to watch em’ shatter. You’re just a step on the boss man’s ladder, but you got dreams he’ll never take away. ♫

He watched the glass shatter to the floor before jumping to the floor, stepping over the surely unconscious body. In a few long strides, he met two more officers who were now focused on him. He raised the bat far over his shoulder and swung, but it was stopped by a baton before it could make any impact and Roman was tackled into one of the solid wooden tables and it rocked backwards dumping both of the men onto the floor behind it. The bat rolled across the floor and stopped out of reach.

♫ In the same boat with a lot of your friends, waitin’ for the day your ship’ll come in. And the tides gonna turn and it’s all gonna go your way.”♫

Roman heard the girl’s voice ring and watched as she threw what seemed to be one of her cherry bombs. He knew better, or he knew she did so when the SWAT members scattered for shelter, Roman took it as an opportunity to once again close some distance between he and AJ. He stayed low, scooping up his weapon and making a run for the bar, jumping over one of the men taking cover. 

♫Workin’ 9 to 5′, what a way to make a livin’. Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’.♫

In a swift motion swung the bat again and it hit against the wrist of the man who was pulling AJ and he was free. “You’re up to bat, kid.” Roman said to AJ before lightly tossing him the weapon. “Watch her, will ya?” He said before jumping the bar in search for a walkie talkie to contact Ace. 

♫ They just use your mind and you never get the credit. It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it. 9 to 5. Yeah they got you where they want you. ♫

A loud bang echoed through the room; AJ jerked his head up off the bar, that he had apparently fell asleep on at some point, and almost fell off the stool he had been sitting on. Rubbing his eyes the tired man attempted to search the room for where the noise was coming from. The door? His first, still half asleep, thought was, maybe Ace is trying to get in. Before he could really get a decent grasp on the situation though, the lock broke and it flew open. Phoenix found himself face to face with a full blown swat team.

The first man, who held a riot shield, scanned the the room cautiously. He said something AJ couldn’t quite hear to the people behind him then the whole group strategically entered the building. Most of the men began a thorough search of the entire bottom floor of The Limelight, a couple of them moved towards the stairs, while one of them briskly made his way to him. After saying things like,“your father sent us,” and “we’re going to get you out of here,” he was jerked up out of his seat and a hand was on his shoulder that was roughly pushing him, trying to force him into walking.

Anxiety filled him. He had to do something, the last thing in the world he wanted was to be taken back to that city; back to his father. He took in a deep breath, then suddenly threw all his weight into the swat team member standing next to him. The man began staggering a bit and AJ took advantage of that by grabbing a cup sitting on the bar and throwing it at Roman’s door. He opened his mouth in order to yell up to his friend, but before he was able to say anything he was forcibly pushed into the wall.

AJ began flailing wildly in a, somewhat pathetic, attempt to get free when his hand smacked the jukebox. Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun DUN DNUH DNUH DNUH

@quinn-roman​

They’d waited up for days watching the door expecting, at least, to hear a response to their big reveal and only a couple of hours more, when Roman finally closed his eyes a loud BANG shook the walls of The Limelight and got Fox stirring once again. He sat up motioning to Ana to keep still and quiet while he listened for...

Boots? He thought. He stood up, his own still on along with the rest of the clothes from the days before, he moved swiftly across the room and put his ear to the heavy hardwood door. Steps, some shuffling and another BANG, leaving a ringing tone in one ear. This one only on the other side of the door separating him from the wide open room below. He grabbed the wooden bat left by the door in one hand and swung the door open with the other when the words kick in. 

♫ tumble out of bed and stumble to the kitchen. pour myself a cup of ambition. yawnin’ and stretchin’ and try to come to life ♫

It didn’t take long for him to assess the situation downstairs. SWAT from The City were in his home with their hands on his friend. 

“Oh hell no.” He said, quietly enough for the two coming up the stairs not to notice. He moved along the wall, waiting only a second before kicking the first SWAT officer directly in his padded chest, sending him over the banister and to the ground floor below. Only a moment later, the other officer was on the landing, readying his gun on the man, before changing his aim as a confused blonde came through the same doorway. He took the opening and swung the bat, crashing it against the side of the helmet knocking the man off balance. Using all of his weight, he jammed his shoulder into the SWAT officer’s body, tumbling him back down the metal, spiral staircase where he came from. He’d be down for a while. With a swift motion, he launched himself over the banister, landing, boots heavy, on the top of a pool table. 

“You motherfuckers don’t think to knock?” 

“If ‘only the good die young’ does that mean the evil live forever?” AJ broke the silence that had settled between them in The Limelight, as they waited for Ace to come back, by mentioning an idle thought brought on by the song that was playing from the jukebox. He fell quiet again and waited for a response. He wasn’t really expecting anything serious just some dumb comment from probably both Roman and Ana.

When the blonde girl didn’t chime in though, AJ glanced around the room. 

With widened eyes the man looked back to his friend. “Rome…where is Ana?”

Roman took a few moments to process the good question he’d been asked, but didn’t immediately speak. He looked to the spot on the broken-down sofa beside him, then over his shoulder to the bar. “Huh...” Is all he managed before he stood up and started towards the stairs leading up to his living space. “It has been very quiet...” 

When he emerged alone from the bedroom, a worried expression had grown on his face. “She was jus’ here like...? An hour ago? Or somethin’, right? She was uhhhhh-” His words trailed off as he quickly started down the spiral stairs again to the open music hall. He never finished that sentence. “I lost a whole person. Holy shit...”

AJ stood silently and watched Roman while waiting for a response for a response. With how slow his friend was moving, he was entirely unprepared when the lightning fast punch that hit him. “Ow!” The boy exclaimed loudly and than much quieter continued, “ow ow.” After a couple seconds passed his eyes moved from his now sore arm and he turned an accusing gaze towards Roman. “Why would I want to be hit there!?” His voice was a bit louder than he had meant it to be so, he took in a deep calming breath.

Using the hand of the arm that wasn’t hurting, AJ rubbed his eyes. He wondered if Roman had done that to be mean, but decided that he probably only had himself to blame since he didn’t actually specify what he wanted. “Okay…Roman…” he started calmly his eyes finally meeting his friend’s again, “I need you to hit me in the face…” the second the words were out of his mouth AJ regretted them. “Wait! Wait wait wait!” He said throwing up a hand in an attempt to stop whatever rapid punch Roman may have been preparing.

If that last hit was any indication of how this whole thing would go, AJ knew that he needed to be less sober for this. After downing the drink that was already in front of him, he shook his head. “I’m going to need something stronger.” He mumbled before sitting back down in his seat. He paid no attention to the judging look on  the blonde girl’s face as she moved behind the bar to pick something out for him and said, “I think I’ll just take the whole bottle for now.”

With the alcohol now in front of him, he began filling his friend in on his thoughts. “It’s only a matter of time,” his voice took a sudden sullen tone as he stared ahead at the bottle, “there’s no way he won’t make a move again soon, especially not after that speech…” he trailed off and took a big drink. “It’s better to stop the nuisance before they become a real problem.” He sarcastically repeated something he had heard that man say before. “It may not be as big as a bomb but it’ll be an extermination nonetheless.” He fell silent in an attempt to find the right way to put what he was thinking. “But if we have leverage…say,” AJ spit his next words out like they were venom in his mouth, “his precious little heir was kidnapped and held in the valley. He won’t do anything.” 

He shrugged, “maybe we can get some money out of it too.”

For very few, Roman practiced silence. AJ was one. To the rest of the country, Fox’s words were the loudest, strongest, and the truest, but not if you asked the figurehead himself. Those words he stood on his soapbox and screamed were AJ’s. It was AJ’s plan that got them to where they are and he would follow though with this plan too. 

“Ok, ok, ok, ok, ok...” Roman repeated immediately after Phoenix stopped, nearly cutting him off. He leaned forward, embracing the silence for only a moment more. “That makes sense ‘n all, them comin’ back to finish the job... But I can’t help but feel like me beatin’ on his precious only son is just gonna make him angrier... He might not blow us the fuck up, but then what?” Roman asked, not expecting an answer back from the dark haired boy. He straightened his arm out, asking for the bottle without a spoken word. 

He took a little more time to think it through. I might be the only way to buy more time. He took a drink and stood up, cuffing the sleeves of his shirt as he spoke. “Alright. We doing this?” 

Reblog this with your characters response to the question.

Deep. Uh– what would I tell young Roman…?

Winning lotto numbers? To invent Instagram. Aha- Blow up Sole City before it blows us up?

It’d be stupid of me to say somethin’ like “you need to stop this thing from happening.” Shit’s so far over my head. Over everybody’s head. They’d just kill a kid like me for even fuckin’ around in their shit like that… Leave me in a ditch somewhere. Another Death Valley cold case for the dusty ass file cabinet in the basement. They still tryin’ that one…

I don’t know… Jus’ prepare myself for the day, I guess… Tell myself where to be. In the chaos still, but a different street corner. I’d make sure Ana and Pops never got hurt like they did.

quinn-roman:

adrian-joseph-jr:

“I wanna steal a ship and sail around the world fighting vikings!” The crazy haired blonde girl exclaimed to Roman with bright eyes and a big smile. AJ, who was sitting nearby with a drink in his hand, sighed quietly. He wasn’t sure how it even came to this. They had been talking about the next step they needed to take against his father.

“Okay…” AJ suddenly rose from his seat and turned to face Roman, “I need you to hit me.”

There was a brief moment of silence before Ana placed a hand on Roman’s arm. “He’s really lost his marbles,” the blonde stated, as she eyed AJ skeptically.

“What?” He shook his head, somewhat shocked that she, of all people, would be the one saying that. “No. I haven’t. I’m more sane than ever and,” AJ’s eyes met Roman’s while his voice took on a deeper; more persuasive tone, “I need you to hit me.”

Roman sat low in the old, broken-down chair, one hand barely holding the dainty fingers of the blonde sitting nearby, the other, a fist his chin rested heavily on. This time of the day, the limelight was silent. The only sounds that could be heard were the light humming of the generator that ran day in and day out and the rambling girl who talked over it. Roman halfway listened to her and halfway zoned, trying to find the right path to take next. One that wouldn’t get anyone else killed or worse.

There was a couple seconds pause after she ended her thought. He cleared his throat and responded. “I don’t know, Ana. We would have to grow our beards out to be Vikings. You know AJ can’t grow his beard long-” His thought was cut off by the dark haired boy’s request.

He had no immediate response. The blonde spoke again, and he waited for AJ to chime back in. More sane than ever. Somehow Roman wasn’t so sure of that, but if AJ needed some sense knocked into him, he would rather do it than one of his brothers. Roman wasn’t quick in his movements as he sat up, but the punch was fast and landed just below the shoulder of his friend. He fell back into his poor posture and locked his fingers together in his lap.