OOM - Beware of Swedes bearing gifts

[onceaviking]

Eric is slowly loosing his patience.
He's been parked here for several minutes now and someone still hasn't made an appearance.

It will rather ruin the effect if he has to actually walk up to that sad little shed and drag Lafayette out of it. So he honks again and tries to will the man to actually react.
He's got to be home. The light is on.
And it's not the only thing that has been lit up, judging from the smell.

He sighs.

And then finally something stirs.

He turns a little in the seat, running his hand across the leather upholstery.
Then he raises his hand and gives Lafayette a small, almost coy,three-fingered wave.

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[onceaviking]

Eric watches his face, half turned away as it is. Listens to the way he draws breath, the soft slap of his hand against the leather - and then he cuts him off, leaning in a little.

"Relax," he says, drawing the word out, letting it end on an almost breathy note. "You'll ruin your new ride."

One of his eyebrows move up. Just a little. Almost like a physical "You with me?"

[a_little_cocoa]

"...Huh?"

He draws his hands away from the leather upholstery. And this time, he does turn to look at Eric, confused.

[onceaviking]

"Pam's been a little harsh," Eric says, cutting off Lafayette's nervous explanations and excuses. He's got no time for that.

"She's been under a lot of pressure lately," he continues.
Which must qualify for understatement of the year. Others might not realize it, but he can feel the tension in her. Everything's just amplifying everything else. The Queen, Compton disappearing, the weres. The silver eyed psycopath at Milkiways. One thing after another, and even if she isn't fully aware of the complications, he knows that she is picking up on his tension too.

"I thought it'd be a good time for a small gift to my - uhm - top salesman."
Softspoken. Reasonable. As a contrast to Eric in the dungeon, here is Eric, the entrepreneur.

[a_little_cocoa]

There he goes, with his voice all velvety and shit.

Lafayette eyes him with a wary sidelong look.

"What's the catch?"

Because there's always gotta be a catch.

[onceaviking]

"Well, you'll have to pay the insurance of course," Eric replies.
"I'm not an idiot."

Really now. Is this the time to look gift horses in the mouth, Lafayette?

[a_little_cocoa]

Okay.

Well.

That's reasonable.

But he still looks very, very uncertain about this whole thing. Getting a gift from a vampire doesn't happen every day. Plus, the word 'generous' ain't exactly the first thing that comes to mind in regards to Eric.

Still...

It's a fucking sweet ride.

[onceaviking]

"And," Eric continues, looking ahead, "I'm gonna go have to sell you the car for one dollar to avoid that pesky gift tax."

He looks back at Lafayette and dangles the keys over his hand.

[a_little_cocoa]

...Right.

Goddamn, he never figured Eric to be so...practical.

He stares at the keys for a moment and finds his palm opening up to catch them.

[onceaviking]

"Mind you," Eric says, running his hand beneath his nose in an oddly human gesture, "it may look a little, uh, out of place parked outside of that strange plywood hut you live in."

He will never understand why people settle.

[a_little_cocoa]

It's a bungalow, thank you.

Lafayette turns the keys over in his fingers, wondering why Eric is really giving (essentially) this car to him. A bribe. An incentive to keep selling. Something to keep him indebted.

Just because Eric's doing this don't suddenly make him a nice guy. And it certainly don't make up for three weeks in his dungeon.

"I ain't takin' on no more of your shit," he mutters, still looking at him askance. After he sells off this batch of V, that is it.

[onceaviking]

He ought to make it very clear, right now, who's in charge.
You don't let humans talk back like that.

And yet, he finds himself so - something - with Lafayette.
Annoyed perhaps.

"You have great value, Lafayette," he finds himself saying. Insistently.
And he is a valuable tool for Eric. There can be no doubt about that.

"You're discreet, efficient, and you have a network of loyal customers with enormous disposable income.You could become quite wealthy if you wanted to."
Still quietly intense and insistent.
And he tells himself that he is merely trying to protect his investment. That a loyal Lafayette will be an asset even if Sophie-Ann realizes that the V business isn't for her.

Even though one might wonder why he doesn't just glamour him and get it over with?

[a_little_cocoa]

Lafayette might have regretted saying that, as he shrinks back against the door under Eric's ice-cold gaze.

(His heart rate picks up in a spike of fear. Not arousal. Not arousal, goddammit. Never mind that his toes are curling in his slippers.)

But he swallows hard.

He's adamant about this.

"I don't need no more money."

It's said softly, not out of defiance or disrespect. Just...he's tired of it. And the trouble that it gets him into.

[onceaviking]

Eric stifles a sigh.

"No? I never thought of you as lacking in ambition," he replies.

"But perhaps you're content with moth-eaten afghans and secondhand furniture."

It's a statement, not a question. But perhaps it will elicit some form of useful response.

[a_little_cocoa]

Well, this emotional manipulation ain't gonna work on ol' Laffy, nuh uh.



But this is sweet, sweet ride. Nothing wrong with showing off.

And maybe he could eventually replace his ratty afghans, but he'll keep his vintage furniture. Vintage.

And...there's his mama to support. Those bills don't pay themselves.

If Eric can be practical about this, why can't he?

Finally, he replies as noncommittal as possible:

"I'll think about it."

Somehow, Eric might know that his answer will be yes. After all, the car keys are still in his hand.

[onceaviking]

Eric looks at him, his face giving nothing away.
Then he says, "Don't make me wait too long."

Offers like these do come with an expiration date. And as much as he can see the value in Lafayette, he'll sever all ties if it comes to that.

It's not like humans matter to him.

He gets out of the car, all long legs and firm ass and tight, tight jeans, saying, "You can owe me the dollar."

And then he is gone.

[a_little_cocoa]

...That ultimatum is also some kind of threat, he's sure of it. Leave it to Eric to make it sound sexy at the same time.

And Lafayette totally does not check out Eric's ass when he gets out of the car, and totally does not notice the hem of his shirt rising a half inch to expose a sliver of bare skin in the process. No, he totally does not.

He looks back down at the car keys in his hand. And he runs his fingertips along a seam of smooth, buttery leather.

He sighs.

Everybody does have a price.