We Are Bulletproof

"I mean, he's not the only one touching himself here," Logan said with a shrug. He wasn't going to shame the guy for fondling himself over sexy dancing. Some people did, and as long as they weren't whipping out their dicks, they were left alone. And as long as they paid for their time in the club by purchasing drinks and giving tips nobody really cared.

"But yeah, I guess it doesn't look like his kinda place," Logan said, looking over the fancy buildings. The older man was also a resident of Hazleton, he was pretty sure. Crossing his arms, Logan glanced over at Julio, who was pulling his long hair up into a bun, expression unreadable.

"Not worried, really. He's always taken care of himself and he's been doing this longer than I have... I was joking about the old guy, anyway. I don't remember seeing anyone around here lately that could pay those kind of numbers, is all."

Oof. Logan scowled at Sean for doing exactly what he hated and he elbowed him right back before taking the slip of paper from him to examine it. He raised a brow.

"Yep," he said. "That's downtown."

He looked Julio over critically. Julio had been working at the club since before Logan started as a bouncer part time, a few years back. It wasn't all that strange for him to get private work back in those days and everybody knew what he was really doing, even if they didn't say it aloud. But it had been a while since Julio had taken a private job.

"It's not three hours of hanging out, Sean," Logan said with a knowing Look. Julio reached out and took the paper, giving them both the finger before turning away from them and stuffing the paper into the pocket of his jeans. See? Nobody who was going to just "hang out" would be so defensive. Logan shrugged.

Once Julio was out of listening range, Logan lowered his voice and asked Sean, "Who do you think Steven is, huh? That old perv that comes to see him sometimes? Maybe?"

"Okay," he said, in a tone of definite curiosity as she told him to wait. Wait for what, he wanted to know. Was she weighing up the choice to eat pizza with an old high school acquaintance or sleep? It wasn't like he'd blame her for choosing to sleep. She did look tired, as if all she needed was to close her eyes and she'd be asleep in seconds. He was about to tell her as much, that they could take a rain check on the pizza, but she tore around her new place, finding paper and pen.

Logan continued to watch her curiously as he leaned in the doorway. What was she going to do with--ah. Smiling, he took the properly offered paper and bowed his head slightly in response. Her number. He didn't even have to ask for it. Not... not that she needed to give it to him. He already knew where she lived. She knew where to find him, too. Still, he couldn't stop smiling as he tucked the number carefully away into his pocket.

"All right then. I'll do that." He stood awkwardly and dumbly in the doorway for another long moment then realized that she was probably waiting for his dumb ass to go so she could take her nap in peace. He stepped back, out of the doorway so she could close it without him blocking the way. He slid his hands down his backside, thumbs hooking in the catches of his jeans out of habit.

"All right," he said again, like a brainless idiot. "I'll call you when the pizza shows up then. And if you come by, you come by. Until then... Later, Hana."

"Sounds lonely when you put it that way."

Cobwebs. Did that mean she hadn't dated in a long time? Maybe she just plain wasn't interested. After all, it wasn't like she knew he was a dopey idiot that had a crush on her back in school. And a lot might have changed since then. They were adults now, with different and new weights on their shoulders. Logan wondered what hers were. Since he had hinted at asking her out a couple times now and Hana didn't seem all that receptive, he decided to just... leave it alone. He knew when to go for what he wanted, this was true. But he also wasn't aggressive enough to push a newly arrived Hana into something she clearly didn't want.

Maybe once she had time to settle into her new life, he could try again. Or maybe he could help her out, find somebody. Or maybe she just didn't want anybody. Logan tried to remember if she dated in high school and what kind of people she dated. But it was mostly a blur now. Maybe she had come back here for an old love. Logan honestly didn't know.

"Hm." How could she make it up to him? Now that the last box was settled amongst the others, he was able to playfully tap his chin as if in deep thought. "You know... You don't owe me anything. I wanted to help." His impish smile faded into a more soft, genuine smile. "It's been rough, right? If you need some time to rest, I'll leave you alone. But... if you get hungry, I'm ordering a pizza. You're free to come join me if you want."

"Uhhh, we-elllll...." Logan scrunched up his nose for a second, sliding his gaze away for a moment. It was a good question but... When he slid his gaze back to look sidelong at Hana, he half smiled and his tone was light and airy as he added, "Here's the thing... That's my idea of cool. But not everyone's gonna think it is."

That was his confession of the day: the cool kids were the wallflowers with all the stories. They were the deep thinkers, the ones that observed. When Logan went clubbing for himself and not for work related reasons, those were the people he was most attracted to. He had questions and he also found some kind of joy in coaxing people out of their shells.

"Do I get to be the Swayze?" he joked as he watched the wind sift through Hana's hair. Good thing his arms were wrapped around a box or he might've done a stupid thing and brushed her hair behind her ear. "Or is that spot reserved?"

"Maybe I'll have to jog your memory, then!" He half smiled in her direction. The box he held wasn't so bad, not really heavy at all. Plus, it was the last one and knowing that the task was almost done made him nearly buoyant. That and the present company, of course.

Not that being lumped in with the cool people was a problem for him. Mostly what he said was in jest. It would be nice to get to know Hana better, though. Now that they were neighbors, there was a chance that they could develop at least a friendship. Watch something together, share dinners, that kind of thing.

...Was that getting ahead of himself?

"Well," he said, tilting his head with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes, "the truth is, the corners are where the cool people hang out. At first, you think it's the ones dancing in the middle of the club, right? But the ones in the corners, they're the ones really taking it all in, and they have all the stories."

"Here, just let me."

Logan took the box from her, countering her hesitation with his confidence. He smiled at her to reassure her that it was fine. It wasn't like he was obligated to do any of this; he decided to do it because he wanted to. There was nothing to it for him to pick up boxes. To stay in shape for his job, he was a regular at the gym. It would take more than a few hikes up and down the stairs with boxes to wear him out.

(Although he definitely would sleep well tonight after his shift and the box moving!)

"Oh don't worry about that. You'd be able to get into the club even without me. But... you'd have to pay the cover charge." Which he made sound like a big deal but it wasn't. "And it won't be as fun if I'm not there to show you around."

He winked.

"I know all the cool corners and people."

"Oh right, you left before you were old enough to go, right?"

Hana was gone before the whole night life phase. Did she have one while she was studying or did she take her schooling seriously? He liked to imagine she had a friend or two that took her out for a good time. Nobody could live life without having some time to themselves, whether it was out dancing or even just sitting in with a book. Not that Logan was the latter type of person but he knew an introvert or two. Half the town was made up of them.

"You should!" he said, encouraging her to come by and see him in his element. "I can even get you in free and you're pretty. You're sure to get a lot of free drinks, too."

He paused, then looked at her one last box, the one she'd picked up for herself.

"I can take it, if you want."

Aha! So she didn't know anything! Somehow that only made it all the more humorous to him. How did she strike it right on the head without even knowing? Maybe her subconscious tossed him into that category. The kind of guy who stuck around in a small town for no reason didn't have a lot of choices, now did he? Logan wasn't a farmer or rancher of any kind and while most teens had a stint at the Happy Burger in town, they didn't stay long. It was never a lifelong career choice.

Not... that stripping was, either. Right now it paid the bills but Logan was going to age eventually and when he did, nobody was gonna see that on the club stage.

"Nope," he said. "Everybody knows me. I work at the club on Center." He waggled his brows. "You know the one."

Did she know? He couldn't tell if she was screwing with him now or if she was just making things up! Laughter welled up; he couldn't stop it. The idea of a strip club being drab was humorous but then she went on to say it got interesting after dark and that's when he lost it. Setting the box he held down, he let himself just laugh, no suppressing it, no hiding it.

"Oh really? That is when things pick up!"

Logan grinned at her, not even noticing the poor woman's exhaustion. Man, if she was guessing, she really ended up saying just the right thing. Strip clubs were drab during the day, no word of a lie. That wasn't Logan's jurisdiction though. He worked during the evenings, when things were rowdy.

"How'd you know?" he asked. "Did somebody tell you?"

If she was curious about his question, she certainly didn't let on. Curious. He wasn't sure if he was reading her or not but he thought that she was backing out on him and dancing around on him because she was uncomfortable. She was still playful and her tone was still light but... Maybe she's just shy...?

This was exactly like it was back in high school, he realized as he made sure to watch his step and keep the box well balanced. Looking over at Hana, she seemed to be having trouble with hers, since she kept messing with it and moving it around. Should he take it? The box he was holding was a bigger box and if he nabbed hers, it would put him off balance. Hm.

They were on the third floor before he had a chance to make a decision. Lucky for Hana and the contents of her box, Logan didn't drop it when he heard her flippant response. He blinked in surprise, then let out a laugh that he tried to disguise by lowering his head but he couldn't hide the shaking of his shoulders.

"At work, huh?" he asked, expression completely mirthful. "How did you like what you saw?"

Whoa! Okay. He turned around and watched her grab the box nearest her.

"All right," he said, leaning down to grab another box to help out. At the very least, he could help her with the rest of her things. But he was worried now that his question had pushed her away. Flirting came second nature to him. Working at the club made him more confident, maybe--dare he say it?--even a little cocky sometimes. Maybe he came on too strong.

"Good question."

So he didn't make her uncomfortable then. Logan... couldn't tell. Hana was too cool, too smooth. He knew she wasn't really stalking him, that it was part of a playful game. But he thought... actually, she might be uncomfortable with his question--because she was deflecting with an artful joke. So now wasn't the time for asking her out. It would come off... pushy. He tucked it away for a different time, choosing instead to play along with her.

"But you must be good at it, if you've been stalking me all this time from... where have you been all this time...?"

"Classified, huh?"

He knew he liked her for a reason. Back in high school, when Logan was tall but not fully grown into his height, he was that guy who was known for playing basketball and hanging out with his jock friends. The thing was, he wasn't locked into the group as a whole. Real life wasn't television--he had nerdy friends, goth friends, whatever. And he didn't just date cheerleaders. Honestly, he was confident, this was true. But when it came to Hana, he might have been just a shade shy.

Because! She seemed so out of his league. Smart, pretty, the kind of girl that probably didn't pay him much attention. She remembered his name, though. That was something.

It wasn't as if Logan pined for her when she left. Every now and again, her name came up in conversation, by friends that stayed behind, by friends of friends who knew her. And he would remember her and wonder what became of her. That was the long and short of it.

Now she was here, though! And only a floor away in the same apartment building.

"Okay, this is the question before the question, then. You're not dating anyone right now... are you?"

Huh? At first, Logan didn't know what Hana was getting at when she spoke of how black holes were originally stars and that maybe the town itself wasn't the black hole after all. He was still trying to connect stars with black holes when she continued and flattered him with her comparison. Now his smile grew and he leaned slightly forward.

"So I'm the reason you're back?"

That's what she was saying, right? In so many poetic words. Logan didn't even know why he was so pleased to hear it. Maybe he muddled what she was saying but that sure did sound like what she meant. One day Hana was gone, going to school, and then she was back here, talking about stars and being pulled back into this weird little old town. Because of me?

Hana was already heading down to the next floor, leaving him hanging.

"Hey!"

It didn't take long to catch up to her, even surpassing her and hitting the ground floor before her to look up at her on the steps.

"Hang on, stalker," he said, putting out a hand. "If you're here for me, I have a question for you."

"Oh yeah? How did I never notice?"

He couldn't keep the stupid grin off his face. She was playing with him and he knew that; Hana didn't seem like the actual stalking type. Not that he was wholly experienced with stalkers, although there were a few handsy people at the club. That sort of thing just went with the business but he could handle himself.

Watching her smile and skirt around him, he only followed her out the door after a few seconds passed. Back down to the rest of the things? He peered over the steps. Whatever jackass left her to do this on her own was... well, a jackass. Hopefully she had help with some of the larger items he saw were already in her apartment.

Loping down the steps alongside her, he listened, then stopped when she stopped at the second floor. He was so busy listening to her that he didn't actually expect the question to be rebounded back to him. Mr. Go. Logan made a face at that name.

"Just call me Logan." He propped an arm against the nearby railing, since they were stopped out in front of his own apartment. "And what about me? Nothing too exciting. I didn't go anywhere or do anything. I thought about the army, you know, but I guess ultimately, the black hole here wouldn't let me go."