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"Where to gent’s?" The man asks, his smile warm and welcoming in the rearview mirror, voice slightly muffled by the plexiglass separator.
"Hold on a second, I've got the address written down." Bdubs says, squirming as he rummages in his jean pockets. Giving up with a huff as his fingers get caught in the restrictive fabric. Etho rolling his eyes before mumbling the address to the man. He nods with a smile and starts down the road, classical music flowing from the speakers, quiet and calming. A pleasant background noise.
"You really need to retire the skinny jeans, Bdubs." Etho says, a fond glint in his eye.
"Well excuse me for wanting to look stylish!" the shorter man said, at a volume that was hardly appropriate for a small cab in the middle of the night.
Etho gently shushed him, buckling himself into his seat and catching the eye of the driver in the mirror. The driver looks away. Etho places a large, thin hand on Bdubs knee as he relaxes back into his seat.
The plan was simple, there is really no reason to run through it with Bdubs again. They would simply walk into the office, take the speaker's notes on the bill off of her desk, and walk out without a hitch. It truly is that simple. The bill itself is also simple, and not of great importance, no one should notice its even missing. A law criminalising the use of plastic cutting boards in commercial kitchens? No one would have voted for it either way!
But still. Any excuse to hang out with Bdubs is a worthy excuse in Ethos eyes.
Looking at the city from the window, Etho can almost imagine that he's stationary. That the world is simply moving on around him, lights blurring into stripes of colour as the car speeds down the roads only locals would know about. Etho could almost entertain the thought of settling down somewhere like this, with tall concrete buildings, and red lights illuminating the stick thin women who loiter on the street edge, their faces gaunt and hollow, smiling and pushing their chests out to the car as it drives past. He waves at them. A small polite wave you would give a neighbour as they walk past your front window. A friendly wave, as he is a friend to them, be it they know or not.
Rolling his neck with a satisfying click, Etho rests his eyes on Bdubs. His partner was also gazing out the window, a small smile on his face as he traced the gutter with a finger ghosting the glass. Needles and glass bottles and various other litter blocking drains. Etho squeezes his knee gently, the man turning to him with a questioning tilt of his head.
“Do you think it was False's idea?” Etho mumbles, pulling his mask down under his chin as he leans in. He smirks as he watches the shorter of the pair shiver, his breath warm on Bdubs skin. It must stink, mortals often wrinkle their nose when they come too close. Beef had once described his breath as sour, and had gently suggested he visit the company's dentist. Etho had laughed and ignored his concern. Afterall, Bdubs liked foul smells, and his opinion was the only one Etho cared for.
“What was her idea?” Bdubs replies, loudly.
“The music, it's supposed to make you calm. They play it in McDonald's late at night, supposedly it reduces ”anti-social behaviour,”” He explains, voice still low as he glances at the taxi driver. His eyes were still on the road, but Etho knew better than to think he wasn't listening.
Bdubs shrugged, bringing his hand up to his mouth to bite at his nails. Etho grimaces, Bdubs never washes his hands. He's half tempted to bat them away from his mouth, but he knows from experience how fruitless that would be.
“I don't know, she wants the fighting though, doesn't she?” He asks, chewing at his thumbnail.
“Yeah, I guess we'll just have to ask her next time we see her.”
“Thats soon, yeah?” Bdubs says, the question rhetorical, they are both aware of how soon it truly will be.
“Yep, five years now.”
“Sheesh, not long now!” The polluted man grins, dirt and grime stuck between his teeth. Ethos sure his breath would also be rancid if he could smell it. But seeing as he can't, it doesn't bother him. His partner's joy is infectious, as he smiles back.
“We should probably change, before the meeting.” Etho says, scratching a manicured nail at a dark stain on Bdubs shirt.
“Yeah,” Bdubs agreed.
A silence grew between them. Comfortable and relaxed. Silences are easy when shared with your partner of multiple centuries. But unfortunately not for the eavesdropping taxi driver.
He let out an awkward cough before speaking, his eyes meeting Bdubs’ in the mirror. “So where are you two from?” He asks, voice still muffled.
“Canada.” Etho lied, simultaneously with Bdubs who said “Hell.”
The driver chuckled awkwardly at what he assumed to be a poor attempt at humour. Eyes flicking to Ethos as he cleared his throat. Etho deduces it to be a nervous tick.
“Canada, huh? What brings you down here?”
“Business.” Etho says bluntly. The driver nods once, expectedly glancing back for him to elaborate. Etho sighs as he tries to formulate a believable lie.
“Our boss is going through a nasty divorce!” Bdubs says without skipping a beat, a sick glint in his eye. The type of look he gets when he's fucking with someone, and expects everyone else to follow suit.
“We've been called in as character witnesses, trying to help them get custody of their kid.” he elaborates, elbowing Etho hard in the ribs.
“Thats right,” Etho says, leaning forward into his hands, raising his mask up once more to hide his smirk.
“Her daughter, she's a…special child. And her father is too strict. She needs freedom, an escape from the rigid rules and constraints of society, so she can truly spread her wings and- succeed. So she can succeed.” Bdubs says, barely catching his tongue.
“Oh wow,” The driver mumbles. Shifting in his seat, clearly uncomfortable about the seriousness of the conversation. Clearing his throat once more, he asks, “Is that where you two met? At work?”
“No,” Etho says.
“Sorta,” Bdubs says simultaneously. The pair glance at each other.
“No,” Bdubs says.
“Yes,” Etho says, chuckling as Bdubs groans. The driver laughs along stiltedly.
“We met a long time ago, in Spain, didn't we?” Etho says, nudging Bdubs, who hid his face in his palms. Receiving nothing but mumbles in response, Etho sighs. Supposed he'd have to come up with a lie all by himself.
The driver whistled, “Spain, huh? Lovely country, always wanted to go.”
“I was there for business, but yes, beautiful place.” Etho replied.
Smiling fondly at the memories, the children had cried as the women begged and pleaded with merchants for any scraps of bread or meat. Ration sheets clenched tightly in their fists as the weary men shook their heads sadly.
He remembers Bdubs, knocking bags of grain into the water and pouring olive oil into the streets. The golden sun shining down on him as he laughed at the mess. It wasn't the first time they met, but it was the first time they properly hung out. Causing trouble with each other was twice as much fun as causing trouble alone, Etho treasures those memories. Treasures the quiet moments they stole, simply talking late into the night, and holding each other early into the morning. Without having to be ‘famine’ or ‘pollution’, they could just be themselves. With each other, they could just be Etho and Bdubs. And Etho treasures that.
“It's where we officially became partners, we just worked so well as a team, didn't we Bdubs?” Etho says, a teasing lilt to his voice, poking at the shorter man's side.
“Yes I remember Spain,” Bdubs adds, batting away Ethos hand, “We then left for England, you didn't like it there too much, did you?” He finished with a smirk.
Etho rolled his eyes. “You knew they had gotten rid of the books, you took me there on purpose!”
“Oh please!” Bdubs yells, “How was I supposed to know!”
The books, of course, were ration books. Etho had loved the rations, and had worked very closely with False for their creation. It was one of his greatest investments, and it broke his heart to see them disparaged.
The taxi driver laughed, the car slowing down as he pulled into the bay besides their destination. Bdubs practically lunches out of his seat, muttering complaints about electric vehicles as he paces the pavement. Etho and the driver ignore him. He rattles off the price to Etho who reaches into his leather wallet and pulls out the cash and exact change.
“Thank you,” He says, with a polite nod, unbuckling his seatbelt and moving to open the door.
“No problem,” The driver says with a bright grin. “You and your ‘partner’ have a good night now, you hear?” He says with a sly grin.
Ethos glad Bdubs had already gotten out the car, so that he couldn't see the blush heating up his ears.
“We will,” He says quietly. Stepping out of the car and into the cool air of the night.
“Come on slow poke!” Bdubs shouts, flinging his arm around Etho's thin shoulders. “We have a bill to steal!”