Breaking Out
Feb. 3rd, 2012 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
intheheartTitle: Breaking Out
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Michael bails Danny out.
Date: 2001
Notes: The author personally has no idea why marijuana is illegal. Seriously, guys.
Warnings: Mentioned drug use.
Michael, bless him, brought her jacket with him when he came to bail her out.
"Oh, you're a lifesaver," Danny said, and shrugged it on. "The blankets here are way too thin for this cold." She looked over her shoulder at the cop who'd escorted her out, and grinned sheepishly. "Not that I'm complaining."
The cop shrugged, and leaned against the counter. "They're fine most of the year," she replied. "Your bad luck to get busted when it's fuck-off cold."
"My bad luck to get busted at all," Danny said, and looked at her brother, who was not smiling.
Nor did he reply to either of them. Instead, he said, "Thank you, officer. Come on, Danny, let's go."
"Sure," Danny said. "Let me just..."
"Now," Michael said, and suited action to the word by walking out.
Danny, puzzled, said goodbye to the cop and followed her brother outside, to the rustbucket car parked in the handicapped space. To her surprise, there was no one inside.
"Michael," she said, and when Michael didn't respond, she picked up her pace, skirted a patch of ice, and caught up with him. "Michael, where the hell's Mom?"
"At home," he replied, shortly, and didn't look at her.
Danny stopped walking in shock, then ran to catch up with her brother. "Are you serious? You don't have your license yet, you can't drive by yourself!"
Michael still didn't look at her. "Why don't you say that a little louder, Danny? I don't think all the cops around here heard you."
"Give me the keys," she said, and when he didn't fork them over immediately, she swerved sideways to stand in front of him. "Give me the keys, Michael!"
He dropped his eyes immediately, but dug the keys out of his pocket and threw them at her before dodging around her and heading for the car, hands shoved in his pockets.
Great. So now he was pissed. Danny, getting a little irritated herself, went after him. He wasn't the one who'd just spent a goddamn night in jail. "Michael," she snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Fuck off," he muttered, and tugged at the handle of the passenger's side door. She hadn't unlocked it yet, and he glared at her over the roof of the car. "Unlock your deathtrap and let me in. It's cold out here."
"Not until you tell me what the hell's wrong with you," she said, crossing her arms and glaring right back.
Michael stared at her for a moment, his face incredulous, then he said, "You got arrested, Danny! You spent the night in jail! Why the hell do you think I'm upset?"
Suddenly uncomfortable, she shrugged, and rolled her eyes. "First-time possession charges, less than two ounces. The cop said I could probably get community service. It's not a big deal or anything!"
"Not a..." he trailed off. "Danny! You got arrested!"
"Is it the bail?" she asked. "Because I can pay Mom back. You don't have to flip..." Michael's face froze, and she stopped talking, watching him closely. "Mom didn't pay the bail?"
Michael shook his head. "No," he said. "I did."
"I'll pay you back, then," she said absently, but there was something more, something he wasn't saying, something... "Mom called the cops on me."
It wasn't a question.
He closed his eyes, and lowered his head, which was all the answer she needed.
Danny clenched her fists, feeling her nails bite into her palms even through her gloves, then slammed them both down on the roof of her car. "God damn her!"
"She was worried," Michael said, but he didn't sound like he believed it.
"Yeah," Danny said, and slammed her fists into the roof again. It dented satisfactorily. "Sure. She was worried about you and what you might learn from me. God!" She whirled and leaned against her car, staring up at the cloudy grey sky. "I can't wait until we get out of here."
"Yeah, well." She heard a thunk, and wondered if Michael had hit the car with something. "I worry, okay? Even if Mom doesn't worry, I do."
She closed her eyes, shook her head. "It's just a little weed, Michael. It's not like it's fucking me up or anything." A remembered fact popped into her head, and she laughed with no humor. "It's better for me than those cigarettes your friend Benny is always smoking."
"It's not that you smoke it, it's that the cops here get really ticked about marijuana!" Michael stopped and visibly forced his voice down. "Really. If you're going to do drugs I'm glad you're doing weed. But Danny... do you know what you're risking, if you get caught again?" His voice got closer, and she turned to the side, to find him there.
He put a hand on her arm, looked up and into her eyes, solemnly. "I won't leave without you, Danny," he said. "Just like you won't leave without me. If you're in jail, I can't leave."
She sighed, closed her eyes, and put her hand over his.
"It's how I get out," she said, slowly. "Michael, you know if it weren't for you, I'd have left two years ago. This is how I manage, until I'm old enough to go, and I don't... I think I might have killed somebody without it. "
Michael was silent for a long, long moment.
"Okay," he said, at last. "I get that."
They stood like that in silence for another few minutes, until Michael shivered suddenly, violently.
"Oh, jeez," Danny said, and turned around, unlocked the car. "I'm sorry. Get in the car already."
Michael smiled, a quick wry twist of his lips. "You better pay me back," he said. "Bail wiped me out and I need my savings."
"Sure," Danny said, and swung into the driver's seat. She started up the car and turned the heat up on high. Cool air blasted out at them; she winced, and turned the air vents away from Michael until the air warmed up. "Just let me know how much it is."
"I'll wait until we get home," he said, and buckled up. "So you don't drive into a wall in shock."
She sighed. "Fabulous," she said, but it was her own damn fault (and her mother's) so she might as well take the hit.
"Hey, Danny," Michael said, and his voice sounded different, all of a sudden. "Look up."
At first she thought it was smudges on her smeared windshield, but then another one appeared, and another. "Oh my God," she said.
"It's snowing," Michael said, and grinned.
Rating: PG-13.
Summary: Michael bails Danny out.
Date: 2001
Notes: The author personally has no idea why marijuana is illegal. Seriously, guys.
Warnings: Mentioned drug use.
Michael, bless him, brought her jacket with him when he came to bail her out.
"Oh, you're a lifesaver," Danny said, and shrugged it on. "The blankets here are way too thin for this cold." She looked over her shoulder at the cop who'd escorted her out, and grinned sheepishly. "Not that I'm complaining."
The cop shrugged, and leaned against the counter. "They're fine most of the year," she replied. "Your bad luck to get busted when it's fuck-off cold."
"My bad luck to get busted at all," Danny said, and looked at her brother, who was not smiling.
Nor did he reply to either of them. Instead, he said, "Thank you, officer. Come on, Danny, let's go."
"Sure," Danny said. "Let me just..."
"Now," Michael said, and suited action to the word by walking out.
Danny, puzzled, said goodbye to the cop and followed her brother outside, to the rustbucket car parked in the handicapped space. To her surprise, there was no one inside.
"Michael," she said, and when Michael didn't respond, she picked up her pace, skirted a patch of ice, and caught up with him. "Michael, where the hell's Mom?"
"At home," he replied, shortly, and didn't look at her.
Danny stopped walking in shock, then ran to catch up with her brother. "Are you serious? You don't have your license yet, you can't drive by yourself!"
Michael still didn't look at her. "Why don't you say that a little louder, Danny? I don't think all the cops around here heard you."
"Give me the keys," she said, and when he didn't fork them over immediately, she swerved sideways to stand in front of him. "Give me the keys, Michael!"
He dropped his eyes immediately, but dug the keys out of his pocket and threw them at her before dodging around her and heading for the car, hands shoved in his pockets.
Great. So now he was pissed. Danny, getting a little irritated herself, went after him. He wasn't the one who'd just spent a goddamn night in jail. "Michael," she snapped. "What the hell is wrong with you?"
"Fuck off," he muttered, and tugged at the handle of the passenger's side door. She hadn't unlocked it yet, and he glared at her over the roof of the car. "Unlock your deathtrap and let me in. It's cold out here."
"Not until you tell me what the hell's wrong with you," she said, crossing her arms and glaring right back.
Michael stared at her for a moment, his face incredulous, then he said, "You got arrested, Danny! You spent the night in jail! Why the hell do you think I'm upset?"
Suddenly uncomfortable, she shrugged, and rolled her eyes. "First-time possession charges, less than two ounces. The cop said I could probably get community service. It's not a big deal or anything!"
"Not a..." he trailed off. "Danny! You got arrested!"
"Is it the bail?" she asked. "Because I can pay Mom back. You don't have to flip..." Michael's face froze, and she stopped talking, watching him closely. "Mom didn't pay the bail?"
Michael shook his head. "No," he said. "I did."
"I'll pay you back, then," she said absently, but there was something more, something he wasn't saying, something... "Mom called the cops on me."
It wasn't a question.
He closed his eyes, and lowered his head, which was all the answer she needed.
Danny clenched her fists, feeling her nails bite into her palms even through her gloves, then slammed them both down on the roof of her car. "God damn her!"
"She was worried," Michael said, but he didn't sound like he believed it.
"Yeah," Danny said, and slammed her fists into the roof again. It dented satisfactorily. "Sure. She was worried about you and what you might learn from me. God!" She whirled and leaned against her car, staring up at the cloudy grey sky. "I can't wait until we get out of here."
"Yeah, well." She heard a thunk, and wondered if Michael had hit the car with something. "I worry, okay? Even if Mom doesn't worry, I do."
She closed her eyes, shook her head. "It's just a little weed, Michael. It's not like it's fucking me up or anything." A remembered fact popped into her head, and she laughed with no humor. "It's better for me than those cigarettes your friend Benny is always smoking."
"It's not that you smoke it, it's that the cops here get really ticked about marijuana!" Michael stopped and visibly forced his voice down. "Really. If you're going to do drugs I'm glad you're doing weed. But Danny... do you know what you're risking, if you get caught again?" His voice got closer, and she turned to the side, to find him there.
He put a hand on her arm, looked up and into her eyes, solemnly. "I won't leave without you, Danny," he said. "Just like you won't leave without me. If you're in jail, I can't leave."
She sighed, closed her eyes, and put her hand over his.
"It's how I get out," she said, slowly. "Michael, you know if it weren't for you, I'd have left two years ago. This is how I manage, until I'm old enough to go, and I don't... I think I might have killed somebody without it. "
Michael was silent for a long, long moment.
"Okay," he said, at last. "I get that."
They stood like that in silence for another few minutes, until Michael shivered suddenly, violently.
"Oh, jeez," Danny said, and turned around, unlocked the car. "I'm sorry. Get in the car already."
Michael smiled, a quick wry twist of his lips. "You better pay me back," he said. "Bail wiped me out and I need my savings."
"Sure," Danny said, and swung into the driver's seat. She started up the car and turned the heat up on high. Cool air blasted out at them; she winced, and turned the air vents away from Michael until the air warmed up. "Just let me know how much it is."
"I'll wait until we get home," he said, and buckled up. "So you don't drive into a wall in shock."
She sighed. "Fabulous," she said, but it was her own damn fault (and her mother's) so she might as well take the hit.
"Hey, Danny," Michael said, and his voice sounded different, all of a sudden. "Look up."
At first she thought it was smudges on her smeared windshield, but then another one appeared, and another. "Oh my God," she said.
"It's snowing," Michael said, and grinned.
