A Snake in The Hen House (2/6) spots opennenneenenenen

That didn't help Chris all that much, but it was better to rule it out now rather than later. "Right." they mumbled, pressing their thumb onto their top lip while they thought. Evelyn didn't know where Bear's headquarters was located, so that gave them enough time to figure out a plan of action. "Look," they sighed after a moment, looking back at Shane, gently resting a hand on his thigh. "I'm not going to let you get hurt, okay? For the time being, we are going to stay here, at this house, and come up with a secure plan. Evelyn won't know where to come looking first, and even if she did, there are protections on this house that will prevent even a bomb or tank from entering."

Shane nodded, twitching a bit at the warmth of Chris’s hand on his leg. As they mentioned the house’s protections, his eyes widened. “Seriously? Damn! Bear never trusted me with any of the good stuff.” His face fell slightly, but he quickly covered it up. “How did you manage to keep a bunker off of Evelyn’s radar, anyway? Seems like the kind of thing a local control-freak crime boss would know about.”

Chris glanced away, almost sadly, regret filling their eyes. “I’m a person of many talents..” They gently rubbed Shane’s thigh, a little hesitantly, no longer feeling like the flirty person they usually were. With a soft pat, Chris took the keys out of the ignition and opened the door beside him. “Come on, I need a drink.”

(I want to say yes but the creator of the rp hasn’t been online for a while. It might get things moving though…)

“I- ok.” Shane opened his door and stepped out into the cool night air. Chris was just such a presence, physically and mentally, and Shane felt pale and washed out in comparison. How was he supposed to keep up with them? He quickened his step to catch up with Chris and fell in stride with them. “I quit drinking a few years ago, but tonight is making me rethink that choice. Mind if I join you?”

"Be my guest." Chris pulled the band from their hair, allowing it to bounce as they walked. Their voice flowed back into a natural light, feminine tone. "So, if you don't mind me asking, why did you start drinking?" Chris slowed down their pace a little so Shane wouldn't be wasting energy trying to walk quickly.

“Medical school is stressful, and my… partner convinced me that alcohol would lighten the load,” Shane replied with a wry smile, his eyes slightly unfocused. “It was a lie, of course, but it sure was a fun one.” He brushed a finger down Chris’s arm absentmindedly. “Well, what about you?” Shane asked abruptly, jerking his arm back.

(bump?)

(Ah sorry! I've been swamped with college!! I will be responding later)

(Oh that's ok dude! Take as long as you need :) )

(yo this looks fun mind if I join?)

(I want to say yes but the creator of the rp hasn’t been online for a while and it is ultimately their decision)

(bump cuz i dont want this to die yet)

When they reached the drawing room, Chris pulled open the glass cabinet where all of Bear's old liquor was kept, pouring two glasses of whiskey. "I always found drinking more of a leisurely thing, I don't do it for any specific reason if I'm honest." they paused for a moment, looking back at Shane with a grin. Other than it tastes good." Chris replaced the bottle back in the cabinet and held a glass towards Shane.

Shane accepted the glass with a thankful nod, using his other hand to adjust his glasses, then held it up for a toast. "To… not dying just yet," he said, watching Chris's face warp and shift through the amber liquid.

“We have many more years together to endure.” Chris winked, lifting their own glass to Shane, clinking the glass together gently. They knocked it back, feeling the neat liquor burn down the throat. Chris let out a girly kind of laugh, their eyes wild as they spoke. “I forgot what the burn felt like, I’ve missed it.”

Together? As much as he didn’t want to admit it, Shane liked the sound of that. After the toast, he didn’t drink his whole glass right away, instead taking small sips and savoring the taste. He chuckled softly at Chris’s reaction. “I can’t say I disagree with you there.”

"Do you mind answering me a question?" That in itself was a rhetorical question. Chris wasn't going to give Shane a choice with this one, as it was something they genuinely wanted to know for the benefit of understanding Shane's body language a bit better. "So while I was away I will admit that I did some digging into some medical records after a familiar name popped up on my radar. The 'Candyman', as some people called him. Someone who I was working undercover for was somehow associated with this Candyman… Now my question to you, is why did you risk being expelled from medical school just to run a drug ring?"

"Woah, ok. First off, a little personal there, Chris," Shane replied after nearly spitting out his drink. "God, I was an idiot back in med school, thinking the Candyman was a good moniker. What was I, Willy Wonka?" he said bitterly, swirling the drink around in his hand. "Secondly, I wasn't really the one running it, per se. That was my… roommate. I just helped a little here and there, refilling our stock and facilitating exchanges," he explained. "And my partner was quite persuasive." Shane looked off into the distance, like he wasn't really seeing the room before him.

Chris bit their lip with a smile, their eyes narrowing dangerously. "Partner, huh?" They poured another drink and knocked it back. "I didn't think you were the relationship type. You never cease to amaze me, Shaney."

Shane blushed furiously. “It wasn’t really like that, just convenience I guess,” he mumbled. Well, shit, that made it sound even worse. Not to mention the fact that he was a little scared of the look in Chris’s eyes.

"Ah, just someone you were close to…" Chris nodded, leaning back in their chair. Their eyes softened up, the dangerous glimmer extinguishing almost immediately. "I understand what you mean, I suppose Evelyn was something like that to me."

Shane nodded, staring down at his drink. "Oh," he said softly. "I… sorta got that vibe from you two. If I might ask, what happened?"

Chris smiled sadly, setting their glass down on the nearby table as they perched on the arm of the closest chair. “She fell for someone who didn’t want her.” They looked up at the ceiling.

“Once upon a time, I was looking into local drug syndicates. Evelyn, being a major leader in that department, was causing a bit of trouble that a few higher ups wanted setting straight. She had no idea who I was, so when I asked to join her, I wasn’t looked upon with suspicion. Everything ran smoothly, other than the fact that I realised she had developed a sort of lust towards me. She caught me on the phone to the person I was working for, and in order to get information from me she would always slip a little something into my drink and take me to bed. I never told her the important stuff though, even under the influence I keep a level head.” A few tears fell from the corners of Chris’ eyes—they hadn’t opened up about the relationship between Evelyn and themselves. It always brought up bad memories. “As soon as I got what I needed, I left without a single word. It broke her heart…”

"Wow, that's a lot…I mean, I knew being a spy was shitty, but… yikes," Shane said carefully, leaning forward and almost spilling his drink. "Are you like, ok? Actually?" Planning the operations from the house, he never really got to know exactly what went on at the front lines. Bear didn't let him read the high profile mission reports, and he had always kept his head down and done his job quietly. He felt a burning flash of shame at how he had let all of these operations happen without thinking about the people who carried them out, especially this one. Shane had been so proud of this mission after the fact, and only now did he realize how little he actually did. "I'm sorry."

“Don’t be sorry, that mission was out of your control.” Chris ruffled Shane’s hair, giving him a gentle smile. “I’m alright, I promise you. With everything that has happened to me, it’s going to take more than being drugged and, dare I say, sexually abused to kill me.”
Shane wouldn’t know about the surgeries that Chris had been through in order to get on with a mission. Take North Korea for example… It wasn’t information that Chris would expect Shane to know anyway.

Shane's ears tinged pink, but he shoved that embarrassment aside. "No, it wasn't out of my control, because I ordered it. I ordered the mission. The file on Evelyn had almost nothing, and I wanted to know more. You shouldn't have had to go through that, at all. Any of it." He put his glass down on the table, and before he can second-guess himself, he lunged at Chris and hugged them tightly, his cheeks burning.