[Luke/Ty] New Place, Old Friends

[Sparky]

[Luke] [Ty]

    There was never much reason to go visit any of the other sections of the capital outside of work. Deep Sea Sanctuary was too gaudy, Ignis reach was cool enough but way too much gold, and Pillar steppes was... well, it was ok. But, that O.K. status might soon be elevated. According to the Bartender, there was a new music store that was all the rage with the current youth. In fact, it was one of the rare few situations where the Bartender was fully adamant about something. With that sort of sales pitch, of course Luke had to go check it out. 

    Spring was one of Luke's favorite times of year. Sure, it wasn't as great as autumn, but at least it wasn't as bad as winter. Leaves returned to the trees, the temperature went from freezing to nice and cool. Best of all, no more fucking snow. The young man sucked in a breath full of fresh air as he rode his skateboard along the sidewalk, feeling the wind through his hair. It was refreshing, he could just take the time to enjoy himself, not have a care in the world, just ignore everything. 

    It gave him time to think. 

    The City was one of the worst places in the world, a literal hell hole thanks to some gods forsaken history that now, unfortunately, everyone was now born into. Like a curse that thrived off the suffering of the masses. But, he'd made many trusted friends there. People that, to this day, Luke still missed. Sure, Luna was back in Luke's life, and the young techy was the happiest he'd ever been because of it. But he still missed everyone else. Zach. Ty. 

    Luke never said goodbye to any of the lost boys when he left, but Ty left well before he had. No one knew what happened to the infamous rebel batter. Some rumors said that the light families got fed up with his brother and killed them. Others said they just... made them disappear. Deep down, the young techy didn't want to believe any of those stories. He liked believing the idea that Ty got out. He'd said as much to Luna. 

    The guy was hard as fuck to kill, and his brother was even harder. No way in fuck some thugs would put them down easy.

    With a skid, Luke came to a stop in front of the building. The neon sign advertised the place alongside a cartoonish gorilla. Speaking of Ty, the guy would have loved this place. Luke thought with a smile. A few highschoolers were hanging out front, chatting among themselves. The young punk tech-head popped his board up and tucked it under an arm. A bell jingled as he pushed the door open. The whole place had a... calm feel about it. Almost homey, without being an actual home. It was busy, but not packed. People were just hanging out. 
    
    Silver eyes swept the room, taking it all in. Kids and students from the local academy, just chilling out. Vibing. Listening to music or hanging out on the couches with snacks. It was like a rebellious kid's safe haven. A punk's safe dream. 

    Luke's sweep abruptly halted, however, as behind the counter he noticed something. An all-too familiar baseball cap. The tech-head felt his heart stop in his chest. No fucking way. His feet moved on their own, the boy slowly walking around the counter, past the snack shelves. The world felt distant as the clerk came more and more into focus. No way. No fucking way.

    The young man with eyes hidden eternally under a simple ballcap was chatting with a customer as he rang up their items, blissfully unaware of the young punk slowly closing in. Everything felt... slow. Unreal. Distant. Luke couldn't even feel his own body, the only sensation tying him to reality was his heart hammering in his chest. Threatening to crack his own ribs. No way...

    "Aight man, have a great day. Who's  ne-" Ty turned from the prior customer, freezing as he register the other. "...next..."
   
    Silence. The air was dead still, not a single word. Luke stared slack jawed, while Ty's eyeless expression  was one of pure shock. Is this why the Bartender was so adamant about me coming to see this place? 

    [smear:#5ee6c5]"No fucking way."[/smear:#bf87bf:0] 

    "Luke?" Asked Ty.

    "Ty?" Replied Luke. 

    "Holy fucking shit." Ty leaned forwards, the excitement building as his expression broke into a smile. In return, Luke's lips formed into a wide grin. 

    "I know right?" The two broke into laughter. "Gods. I can't believe you've been hiding under my nose this whole fucking time. You wild ass piece of shit."

    "Where the hell have you been? How long have you been in Avalon?" 

    "Only moved here recently. I'm over in Hurricane Keep, working as a freelance mechanic. Do coding shit as well. There's not many people who do what I do, so it's really good money." Luke couldn't believe it. This was actually real. One of his oldest friends. Now not only did he have Luna back in his life, but Tyler to. He almost wanted to cry. Almost. He wouldn't though. "Luna's here in Avalon too." 

    "No shit? Damn, send her my way. I miss that ruthless maniac." The other boy's laugh would ring out. "Man, I'm here with my brother, he helped me pay for this place. Got me started."

    "Bangarang man! Hell yeah." Luke punched Ty's shoulder, eliciting another laugh from the capped crusader. "Yeah nah man, Luna's staying with me while she gets set up. She's working at a club called The ∇ri∆ngle."

    "Oh-ho~? You finally make a move on her?" Ty flashed Luke a cheeky grin. The black-haired punk narrowed his eyes. The other boy did his best to try to hold back a laugh, but it came out as a muffled 'snrk' sound.

    "Oh shut up, ass. There's no way she still likes me after what I did. Nah, we're just friends still. I'm helping her get on her feet." Luke couldn't say he didn't still have feeling for her, but he had to  save face. Ty laughed openly and shook his head. The young techy expected a follow up comment, but Ty kept his lips sealed this time around. "Man... I'm glad you're doing ok. Seeing you've gotten out. Shit makes me happy."

    "You know I'm hard to kill." Ty replied. 

    "Yeah, ain't we all?" Luke raised his fist. Ty tapped his together with it. "Bangarang. I'm definitely gonna swing by here, introduce you to some of my new friends."

    "You? Making friends? Who the hell are you and what've you done with my friend!?" 

    "Oh shut up." Luke laughed cheerfully. He was happy to see that Ty hadn't changed. "Nah, they're chill as fuck. You should definitely come visit by Hurricane keep sometime soon though. We'll all get together." 

    "Check check." The two continued to talk for a time, eventually the punk had to clear out to make way for Ty's customers, but before he  left, he made sure to toss his old friend his contact information and address. For a moment, the two looked at each other. With a nod, Luke turned and slipped out the door.