In Time RP (Polo!)

"Hey, the rats are fine." Tobias replied with a hint of a smile, although he was evidently trying to hide his Clock. "It's the cockroaches you have to look out for."
He was about to leave, when Myles stopped him again. "Hey, wanna get some coffee or something? Whatever you like - my treat. I owe you for yesterday anyway, and you look like you could use a dose of caffeine." He pondered over this for a while. It sounded way too much like a friendly gesture, but he couldn't really argue. If anything was going to make him feel better, it was caffeine.
"Go get changed and meet me back here. Unless you want to go out like that."
Tobias shot him a withering look.
"It's a little odd, I guess, but I won't judge."
"Oh, shut up." Tobias scowled, but couldn't help but smirk at the idiot's comments. Damn him, he was too likeable to take seriously sometimes. "Okay, I'll meet you in five."

Ten minutes later, he was wearing a slightly damp, dark, v-neck t-shirt and the same jeans as he previous day, and was now wearing the arm-warmers and looking perhaps more comfortable with them than he may have supposed to have been.
"Am I really going to trust you to take me out for coffee? Because there are some dodgy places around, you know." He murmured, leaning coolly against the door with his bold arms folded over his chest.
"And since you know as much about the ghetto as I do about goat anatomy, then knowing you I'll end up drinking maggot shit or something worse." He rolled his eyes, but he was smirking.
"Alright. I'll trust you. Just this once."

When Toby told him to shut up, Griffin just smiled. That was a mark of surrender if ever he saw one.
So, content with the morning's work, he leaned placidly against a wall, and played Angry Birds on his smartphone while he waited for Toby to return. It was an old and outdated game, but Griffin enjoyed it never the less. He got to hurl furious little birds at the evil pigs that had eaten their children - what could be better?
Lost in his game, Griffin didn't even notice Toby reappear, and when the man spoke, Griffin dropped his phone in surprise.
"Am I really going to trust you to take me out for coffee? Because there are some dodgy places around, you know."
"I know, I know." Griffin grumbled, snatching his phone off the floor and dusting it on his hoodie, then shoving it back into his pocket.
"And since you know as much about the ghetto as I do about goat anatomy, then knowing you I'll end up drinking maggot shit or something worse." Griffin narrowed his eyes at the smirk on Toby's face, then nodded in haughty acceptance when the man added, "Alright. I'll trust you. Just this once."
"Good." He answered simply, "Then follow on, Mister Goat Expert."
Beckoning to Toby with curly fingers, Griffin shoved his hands into his pockets, hiding his wrists, and strode out onto the street, looking around brightly. He wasn't afraid now that he had his protector by his side, and he was actually rather enjoying being back in his 'home town'.
Whistling to himself, Griffin walked the streets, looking around for a specific place.
At last, he found it. Nestled between a DVD rental store and a dry cleaner, a little antique sign above a faded pink door announced, 'Madam Munchworth's Teashop'. It was a cutesy, coupley little place, but even so, Griffin had fond memories spent there with his mother every Saturday morning until her death. She had worked there for a while, so good old Madam Munchworth had always been particularly kind to the pair of them. And besides, the food was excellent.
Smiling slightly to himself, Griffin gestured Toby inside, then followed after him, quickly finding a table.
"They have great coffee here." He announced, sitting down and grabbing the menu eagerly, "I hear the cake's good too, but I don't eat that. Too sweet." He pulled a face, wrinkling his nose cutely, then considered the menu with bright eyes. As a child, Madam Munchworth had always brought out a plat of animal crackers for him, but he supposed he was too old to ask for that now. Bacon and eggs would have to do.
Nodding decisively, Griffin closed his menu, then looked up to find a pretty waitress watching him. "What'll it be, honey?" She asked through a noisy mouthful of chewing gum.
"Two coffees. Bottomless."
She nodded, scribbling on a notepad.
"And bacon and eggs, in a smiley face."
"Right... Wait, what?" She looked up, frowning at Griffin in disbelief, as if waiting for him to start mocking her.
"What?" Griffin asked innocently, "How do you start your day?"
The waitress rolled her eyes, murmuring something under her breath that sounded suspiciously like 'weirdo'.
Griffin's eyes narrowed, and when the waitress turned away to take Toby's order, he stuck his tongue out in a childish fashion. Clearly, Griffin had never learned to grow up. Being without parents could do that to a man.

Curious to find out what this strange man had in mind, Tobias began walking down the dusty, old street that held most of the shops of the ghetto. On the far corner was a Time bank, where there was the usual queue of people waiting to make a loan, and further down there was a range of small, tattered clothes shops, tobacco stalls, food shops and the odd DVD rental. Tobias rarely walked down this street unless he was in desperate need of supplies - or tobacco - but he decided coffee was a good excuse, and since Myles was offering, he couldn't argue.
The cafe of choice was one he had been to once or twice, but he was not as familiar with the menu as Myles. They chose a small table in the corner of the room, and Myles began to inform him about it's specialities.
"They have great coffee here. I hear the cake's good too, but I don't eat that. Too sweet."
Tobias nodded seriously, as if Myles had just been talking about the amount of debt Dayton was currently in. He picked up the menu and scanned it curiously, although he wasn't yet feeling particularly hungry.
He concluded that it would be best to stick with coffee, until he noticed they did bacon sandwiches in crusty rolls.
His stomach rumbled.
Okay, he could do with that.
When the waitress approached, he ordered his food and sat back on his chair for Myles to order his. What he said next, however, was enough to earn the strangest stare from both Tobias and the waitress.
In a-
Bacon and egg in a... Smiley face?
"What? How do you start your day?"
She seemed to accept he was an oddball at this point and just scribbled down his order, then disappeared to the kitchen to get it seen to. Tobias caught Myles sticking his tongue out at her from the corner of his eye, and Tobias just stared at him, his brow creased with slight concern.
Then, with a strange little snort, he burst out laughing. And damn, did it feel good!
He had to cover his mouth to keep from making so much noise. And do hide the slight dimples in his cheeks when he smiled wider than his face was usually used to. Of course he had laughed before, but he hadn't been so hysterical in years!
"You're an embarrassment." He mused honestly, pinching the bridge of his nose between his finger and thumb.
Resting his face in one hand to cover his mouth, he snickered to himself, his dull eyes alight with animation.
"You're a weird one, Myles." He mused, having to control his breathing to keep from laughing again. "But Godammit, it makes a change from the usual. My face hurts..."
Groaning into his hand he rubbed his tired face and yawned, letting his fingers trickle over the deep shadows beneath his eyes. He just hoped he'd sleep better the next night, although the odds weren't with him.

Griffin heard Toby make a strange sound, almost as if he was choking, but when he turned to look at the other man, he was shocked to find that Toby had burst out laughing. Griffin certainly had not been expecting this from the surly barman, and at first he just blinked in surprise, then his lips quirked into a subtle smile. He wasn't quite sure what he'd done to put Toby into such a fit of hilarity, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. It was a refreshing sight to see the man actually enjoying himself, even if it only lasted a handful of seconds.
"You're an embarrassment." Toby told him when he had finally caught his breath, and Griffin wrinkled his nose in response, clearly displeased by this observation.
"You're a weird one, Myles. But Godammit, it makes a change from the usual. My face hurts..."
"I'm not that weird." Griffin objected, scratching his chin thoughtfully, "At least, not all the time..." He trailed off, looking at Toby, and then his face relaxed into a smile. He was pleased to see his new friend looking a little more relaxed, even if it was at his expense. He'd rather have the laughter than those judgmental stares or cruel whispers that usually followed him around...
He knew that he was a little different, but over the years he had come to hate that fact. People loathed him for it, and for the life of him, Griffin just couldn't understand why.
To have somebody appreciate his 'weirdness' instead of shun it for once was... Refreshing.
Feeling his spirits brighten slightly, Griffin offered a warm smile in Toby's direction, his wide green eyes shining behind his cracked glasses.
Then some movement near the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Griffin looked up to see that the scornful waitress had returned, looking utterly humiliated to be carrying bacon and eggs in the shape of a smiley face. Griffin smirked as he took it from her.
"Thank you." He said, "Can I have my coffee with a twirly straw, too?"
She blanched, eyes widening in horror, and Griffin just laughed and said with an airy wave of his hand, "Relax, that was a joke. I'm not a child."
Jaw set in annoyance, the waitress narrowed her eyes, then slammed Toby's bacon sandwich down on the table and turned to leave.
"Oooh, temper temper..." Griffin trilled, smirking deviously to himself as he pulled his coffee closer, and shook in a pinch of salt instead of sugar.

Tobias ignored his little excuses, and just watched him with tired, but twinkling eyes. To say he was usually quiet and composed, he had to find it difficult keeping serious with such an oddball around.
For a few moments the two just stared at each other, then the waitress came with the food, and Tobias looked away with an awkward clear of his throat. At Myles' playfulness, however, the smile didn't leave his face.
""Can I have my coffee with a twirly straw, too?"
The waitress gaped at him, horrified. Tobias raised an eyebrow.
"Relax, that was a joke. I'm not a child."
Tobias had to hide his smirk as the waitress slammed his bacon sandwich on the table, and he had to grab the roll before it rolled off the plate and onto the straw. He didn't dare take a bite out of it until the waitress had gone, since he didn't want to be caught spitting food in a public place.
He was about to say something, when Myles sprinkled some salt in his coffee. He pulled a face. Did Myles know that was salt, or was it yet another one of his many specialities?
Shaking his head, he picked up his sandwich, stared at it for a while, then he murmured, "You're on fire today, ain't you?" Then he took a huge, hungry bite out of his sandwich.
"And for your info," he added, swallowing the mouthful, "You don't want to drink anything hot out of a twirly straw. Take it from me," He wrinkled his nose, "It burns."

"You're on fire today, ain't you?" Toby asked, amused. Griffin just shrugged, smiling mildly in response. It was natural, he supposed, to be a little more 'energetic' than usual after his rude reminder the night before. Life was short, no matter how much Time a person had. It was just so easy to lose it all... Griffin's gaze dropped to his plate, and he poked at his bacon and eggs with a distinct lack of interest, his appetite suddenly vanishing again. That incident with Eric certainly had given him a fright...
Lost in his thoughts, Griffin almost jumped when Toby spoke again, saying, "And for your info, you don't want to drink anything hot out of a twirly straw. Take it from me. It burns."
Griffin stared blankly for a moment, then a laugh jumped from his lips, and he took a sip of coffee.
"I'll remember that." He smiled, raising his mug to Toby in a mock toast.

Tobias had been completely serious about his personal experience with drinking a hot drink from a straw, but he was proud that he'd amused someone anyway. It was strange, really, how quick he was able to loosen up to someone. Maybe it was because Myles was the first person who had insisted on meeting up with him again, and since they were doing it for coffee it wasn't going to break any rules, was it? Myles wasn't a 'friend'. Just... An acquaintance. Besides, it was replenishing to have some decent company. Although he wouldn't admit it, he'd missed having someone around to talk to.
He raised his coffee mug, joining in with the mock toast, and took a sip. Myles was right, it wasn't bad coffee.

They ate mostly in a contented silence, glancing up every now and then and pulling faces at each other, making little comments about how nice the food was. Tobias ate the entire roll hungrily, and gulped down the rest of his coffee to fast he had a coffee moustache for a moment. Then, wiping it away with the back of his hand, he sat back in his chair and rubbed his slightly swollen stomach with a content sigh. Even though he had the Time, he rarely ate so much for one meal. Admittedly, he quite enjoyed it.
"That was brilliant." He said honestly, staring blankly over at the strange man, just because it was where his train of vision was heading. "How was yours?"
Before he could listen to a reply, a loud rattling noise echoed from somewhere down the street. It was a noise any other human being would ignore. But Tobias was on red alert, staring with wide eyes out the window to find the source. It may have just been a drill for the road, but his brain was already clicking in that danger was near. That rattling, that innocent sound, to him, was naught but a round of gunshots.
His vision went fuzzy for a moment, and he was certain that he saw his brother's head on Myles' shoulders, but when he blinked, the image was gone.
Calm down.
Myles could have been talking to him, but he was no longer listening. He was on the edge of his seat, ready to flee at any moment. His broad chest rose and fell quicker by the second, and it was soon evident that he was no longer 'with it'.
The drilling started again.
He stood abruptly, so much so that his chair collapsed behind him, legs in the air like a dead fly. His eyes were fixed on the large window, waiting for the armed soldiers to appear, for the Timekeepers to appear. All the time, gunshots echoed through his ears. His vision faltered. A wave of nausea gushed through him, along with the urge to vomit his breakfast. It felt like arms were reaching out to grab him, dark figures closing in on him, long, machine guns pointing at his head.
Calm down.
But he was done listening to hat voice anymore. He was unstable.
The figures closed in on him, and he felt himself back away towards the nearest wall. His legs were shaking violently. It was a wonder he could stand. Images flashed in his mind, of Myles, his brother, gun nibs, then back to the coffee shop he was currently in. A few people had turned to gape stupidly at him, but he didn't care. He had to get away. He had to escape, like his brother had said.
Right before they shot him in the head.
"I-... I have to-" He began to mumble pathetically, but he no longer knew what he was doing. He stumbled out of the cafe, nearly bumping into people in the process, and broke into a heavy sprint down the road. All sense left him. All he knew was that he had to run until he was sick, until he passed out, until he was safe. But that would never happen. He would never be safe. Not when the gunshots were still firing.

"Mine was great." Griffin replied, smiling and stretching in contentment, "I love the food here." He looked up, and frowned when he noticed Toby clinging to the edge of his seat, suddenly looking really tense.
"Toby? Hey are you-" Before he could finish his question, Toby had stood up abruptly, knocking his chair over in the process. He looked like he had seen a ghost. Frowning, Griffin cast a few anxious glances at the curious people watching them, then stood up, reaching a hand toward his friend. "Toby?"
Toby backed away to the wall, legs shaking, and Griffin watched him in confusion, eyes wide with worry. What the hell was wrong with him...? What had he seen?
"I-... I have to-" Toby stammered, backing away toward the door.
"Wait! Don't rush, I'll come with-" But before Griffin could finish his plea, Toby had bolted. Cursing, Griffin dashed over to the counter to pay for the meal, jumping from foot to foot as though he desperately needed the toilet while he waited for the Time to transfer.
Once the payment was complete, he exploded like a racehorse from a starting stall, bursting out into the street and taking off after Toby in a sprint.
He couldn't lose his quarry so soon after finding him, and besides, Griffin didn't want to be left to suffer the wrath of Dayton alone.
"Toby!" He called breathlessly, "Hey, wait!"
He quickened his pace, settling his breathing into a rhythm, and focused on catching up to Toby. This was one aspect in which his slight frame was a blessing, not a curse. Although he was lacking in the strength department, nobody could run like Griffin.
At last, he gained on him, and when he did, Griffin grabbed Toby's arm, pulling him back.
"Hey!" He shouted, his voice surprisingly firm, showing a sense of authority for the first time since they'd met, "Toby, stop." He closed his hand more firmly around the man's strong arm, "Relax. Unless you're being chased by a road drill, you've got nothing to worry about."
His wide green eyes searched Toby's from behind the cracked glasses, his gentle features showing a hint of concern. He didn't understand Toby's reaction, but he knew that his friend was afraid. Why, though, even he couldn't say.

Toby heard footsteps getting stronger behind him, and panic kicked in. He ran as fast as his legs would carry, choking on his breath, his eyes watering with the wind hitting his pale face. The insomnia of the previous night was slowing him down, though, and he felt like he was in one of those nightmares where he was running, but the world was just like a wheel at his feet. He was getting slower. The road before him was getting further and further away, but his captor was getting quicker and quicker...
The use of his fake name was not enough to snap him out of it alone, and Myles' pleading shouts just flew over his head with the rest of the dusty wind.
A hand clamped around his arm, and he yelped in panic. The horror of the situation caused his knees to buckle, and he slipped onto the gravel with a grunt of surprise. Immediately he turned onto his back to stare at his attacker with wide, terrified eyes, and began scrambling away in terror. But the confused Myles didn't advance on him. Instead, he just stared at him in concern.
"Relax. Unless you're being chased by a road drill, you've got nothing to worry about."
Tobias squinted up at him for a moment, his brow creasing with confusion. You're not going to kill me?
Just then, sense seemed to dawn on him once more. He saw the dusty road around him, the dull, grey sky, and the thin figure with the stupid, blonde locks in front of him. His eyes then flicked anxiously at the hand wrapped around his arm, and he sighed.
I've done it again.
Growling furiously, he snatched his arm out of Myles' surprisingly firm grip, and coughed up some bile from his throat, spitting it aside. He must have looked utterly ridiculous. What's more, Myles was going to want to know what the Hell had just happened. But he couldn't know. Danny was the only one who knew Toby had suffered some sort of trauma, and even he didn't know the details. It was best that way.
Calm down.
Quietly, he rolled over and slowly climbed to his feet, not once looking at Myles again. He couldn't have been more ashamed. But for him, shame soon led to other things. Things which needed to be contained.
He shakily brushed off the dirt from his clothes and pointed an accusing finger in Myles' direction, but he still avoided his eye. "Not a word." He ordered gruffly, then disappeared down a dark alleyway. At first it looked like he was running away again, but he soon reached a dead end, and what he'd been looking for.
Coming out of one of the buildings was a pipe, which seemed to be draining out rainwater from somewhere, and running it out onto a drain by one of the walls. He squatted down in front of the pipe, cupped his hands under the running water and splashed his face, shuddering at the cold contact.
That was better.

Shaking his hands dry, he turned back to Myles, looking considerably wearier than before at the use of what little energy he had. He wasn't sure how to react. Myles was not stupid, he would have picked up on something. But Tobias wasn't in the mood for being interrogated today.
Instead, he said flatly, "You're a fast runner." It wasn't a question. "Do you work out, or something?"

"Not a word." Toby snarled when he had finally come to his senses, and Griffin raised his hands in surrender. He didn't need to be told twice. He had seen the damage that Toby could cause, and he did not want to be on the receiving end of it. Still, as the other man began to walk away, Griffin watched him shakily, eyes stretched wide in fright. He still didn't understand what had happened, but Toby looked even more shaken than he felt, and Griffin couldn't help but feel worried about him. This man had been kind to him, and to see him in such a state worried Griffin deeply.
After all, Toby was 'Superman'... Nothing was supposed to take him down. Is this your Kryptonite, Toby...? But what... I don't understand...
Gnawing anxiously on his lip, Griffin crept after Toby, timidly peering into the alleyway to see the man washing his face at a rainwater pipe.
Rubbing goosebumps from his arms, he slowly approached, glancing around edgily for any sign of rats. He looked terrified.
"You're a fast runner." Griffin jumped, startled by the sudden sound of Toby's voice, "Do you work out, or something?"
"Y-You could say that..." He answered, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head. A scuttling sound came from a box nearby, and Griffin cast it a fearful glance. "My neighbors have this yappy little rat of a dog - Chihuahua I think - that keeps shitting on my lawn. The way I have to chase that mangy mutt around, I'd better be a fast runner by now."
He attempted a smile, but even with the warmth of his expression, Griffin couldn't hide his shaking. He saw a dark shadow dart past his feet, and jumped automatically towards Toby.
"There are rats here." He said in a small voice, but he bit his lip to keep from objecting. Instead, he looked up at Toby and asked, "Are you okay? I don't understand it, but... You seemed pretty shaken up." And I know that feeling all too well...

Tobias noticed for the first time how nervous Myles really was, and his gaze dropped with guilt. Of course, he had never asked the man to follow him to the dark alley, but he guessed Myles was still shaken up from the incident with Eric and was still quite insecure about the idea of wandering the ghetto on his own.
Sighing, he stood back and leant against a wall, not at all bothered by the rats scuttling around by his feet. When you hung around them so often, you got used to their company quicker than you'd expect.
"My neighbors have this yappy little rat of a dog - Chihuahua I think - that keeps shitting on my lawn. The way I have to chase that mangy mutt around, I'd better be a fast runner by now."
He nodded, only half listening. Honestly, he was still trying to recover from the terrifying ordeal he just went through. His body felt like it was going into shock.
Myles said something about the rats, then looked up at him with wide, concerned eyes. He looked away, hating that after only a few minutes he'd gone from being a tough barman to a terrified young man. A weakling.
"Are you okay? I don't understand it, but... You seemed pretty shaken up."
"I'm fine." He snapped, then began wandering back towards the open street, his fists clenched. He felt bad for being so harsh to the man, especially since he'd bought his breakfast and coffee. So, with some hesitation, he turned back round. His brow still held some tension, but he made an effort not to look as scary as he had before.
"Are you-... Do you need to be somewhere right now? It's just... I need to cool off, but I don't really want to be on my own right now, if you get me. I can always go the bar if you're busy, but-... Well, I could do with the company, really."

Griffin winced at Toby's retort, instantly quailing away, his frail confidence shattered in a heartbeat. This time, when the man walked away, Griffin made no move to follow him. Instead he stood there, shivering and rubbing his arms, eyes wide in fright as they searched the dingy alleyway for the rats he knew were hiding there. Gulping anxiously, he began shifting tentatively after Toby when suddenly, with a loud squeak, a rat fell from a drainpipe overhead, right into Griffin's hair. Eyes stretching so wide they looked ready to explode, a shiver rippled up and down Griffin's spine, and he uttered a half-silent scream as he dashed toward Toby. He reached the man just as he turned around, and bounced off his chest for the second time that day. Luckily, Toby seemed too distracted even to notice the impact of his featherlight weight.
"Are you-... Do you need to be somewhere right now? It's just... I need to cool off, but I don't really want to be on my own right now, if you get me. I can always go the bar if you're busy, but-... Well, I could do with the company, really." The tough man mumbled awkwardly, still looking rather tense. Griffin smiled at the hesitance in his gaze, then cast a glance back down the alley, and shivered again.
"I'll stick with you." He offered, shoving Toby between the shoulder blades as he pushed him out of the alley, following close behind him, "As long as you stay away from these dingy, rat-infested places like..." He waved an airy hand in the direction of the alley, and shivered dramatically.
"I'm not too keen on hanging around here on my own, anyway." He admitted, smiling slightly as he plucked shyly at his sleeve.
Honestly, he was touched that Toby wanted his company. He hadn't expected to hear such a thing from the surly barman, and frankly, he appreciated it. Still, he wished that his new friend would choose slightly less 'ratty' haunts for their 'buddy time'.

Tobias nodded at his answer, trying not to look too glad that he hadn't scared the man half to death. He didn't have much of a chance to change his mind, though, because soon enough Myles was pushing him dramatically back out onto the street, seemingly needing to use all his might to move him. Toby nearly smiled.
"As long as you stay away from these dingy, rat-infested places like..." He trailed off, waving a hand to gesture to the alleyway behind them. Toby rolled his eyes. For someone who was supposed to be from the ghetto, he wasn't very used to it, was he?
"There aren't any rats there, I promise." He assured him. "Well, not many, at least..."
"I'm not too keen on hanging around here on my own, anyway."
"Relax." Tobias said, releasing the tension from his shoulders in a deep, slow breath. Ironic, really, that he was telling Myles to relax, when he wasn't exactly so himself. "It's dark, but you aren't going to be eaten alive by rodents." He slapped a hand on Myles' back firmly, then began walking forwards briskly in the opposite direction of the drilling in the background. There was still a slightly nervous spring in his step as he went, but he tried his best to hide it by relaxing his shoulders.
"I... I have a spot where I like to hang out, if I want to let off some steam, you know?" He began, looking much more relaxed than before. He allowed himself to smile again. "It's no holiday resort, but it does a job. I found it a while ago. It had been abandoned for years, so I thought I might as well use it."
He reached the bar where his rusty motorbike was parked, and he mounted.
"It's not far, and it's close to a train line if you want to go see your folks afterwards." He continued, jerking his head in a gesture to persuade Myles to get on behind him. Somehow, having Myles acting as terrified as he'd just felt made him feel a bit better, like it was alright to be a bit scared sometimes. Even in front of strangers. Myles didn't judge him, and he appreciated that.

Griffin heaved out a dramatic sigh of relief when Toby assured him that there were no rats. "Dark I can handle." He said firmly, "But rats-" He shuddered. Rats were one thing he could not tolerate, even at the best of times.
Griffin stumbled forward a step when Toby slapped his back, but he smiled at the gesture anyway, and willingly followed after his strange new friend as he began walking away. He was feeling a great deal happier now that he was out of that deathtrap of an alley.

They walked on in silence for a moment and, noticing that Toby still seemed a little tense, Griffin kept close by his side - even though his presence was little comfort.
"I... I have a spot where I like to hang out, if I want to let off some steam, you know?" Toby explained, and when Griffin looked at him, he was relieved to see the man smiling again, "It's no holiday resort, but it does a job. I found it a while ago. It had been abandoned for years, so I thought I might as well use it."
"Where is it?" Griffin asked, blinking curiously.
"It's not far, and it's close to a train line if you want to go see your folks afterwards."
Toby had stopped beside a bike, and as he swung his leg over, he gestured for Griffin to mount behind him. Uncertain, Griffin hung back, hesitating for a moment.
"I must be mad to get on a bike behind you..." He muttered, shaking his head. But despite what he said, Griffin sighed and mounted the bike anyway, shifting to get comfortable in the small seat behind Toby. He automatically slipped his arms around the man's waist, not even bothering to wait for permission.
"Be careful." He warned, "If you crack my head open on the road, I'll see to it that you have to pay my medical bills."

Tobias just stared at Myles with bored glare as he hesitated. What, had he never been on a motorbike before? It was a good five or six miles away, so if he wanted to walk he'd be doing so for at least an hour.
"I must be mad to get on a bike behind you..."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, glaring over his shoulder. But despite the harshness of his words, he wasn't as annoyed as he first seemed. Somehow, the thought of letting off some steam was sobering, even if he did do it a lot.
Myles mounted the bike anyway, automatically wrapping his arms around Toby's waist. He raised his eyebrows at the intimate contact, and for a moment he was about to flinch away. He wasn't used to people hugging him. Even this way. But he guessed it couldn't be helped.
Besides... He kind of liked it.
Blushing, slightly, he leant forward onto the handle bars of the bike and revved up the engine. It took a few tries, but the old, rusty vehicle wasn't quite ready to snuff it yet. He slipped a hand into a tiny pouch bag dangling from one of the handles and pulled out the contents. It was a pair of old brown, leather goggles, built for this purpose. ((Like the ones Cloud wears)) Sighing, he pulled them over his head and fastened them into place.
"Be careful. Myles warned him. "If you crack my head open on the road, I'll see to it that you have to pay my medical bills."
"Oh, relax, would you?" He scolded, watching the road before them. "You're not going to crack your head. I'm a perfectly safe driver."
It was a good thing Myles couldn't see his face, because he was smirking.
Yeah, right.
Myles was going to shit himself.
With one final rev of the engine the old bike jerked forward, right into first gear. Then second. Then third. Within a few seconds they were speeding down the road at what would have been over a limit - if there ever was one, and skidded dangerously around the corners, spraying the odd person with dust as they went.

Soon enough they had hit the lonely motorway, dotted only with one or two dirty cars heading to the ghetto. The road was smooth, but on either side was a dry wasteland that seemed to go on forever. Every now and then they had to swerve to avoid flattened drink cans, plastic bags or other forms of litter, but other than that, the ride was smooth.
At least, smoother than it had been in the ghetto.
"Is this better for you?" He shouted over his shoulder, grinning deviously. It was obvious the adrenaline of his poor driving skills was enough to ease the tension off his shoulders for a bit. "Not so bad now, is it?"

"Oh, relax, would you? You're not going to crack your head. I'm a perfectly safe driver." Toby announced, but Griffin just frowned doubtfully. Usually, when people said that, they ended up being complete maniacs. Sighing heavily, he shook his head, and tightened his grip around Toby. At least then if he fell off, he'd take Superman with him.
The bike stuttered into life, and jerked forward, causing Griffin to bump his head against Toby's back.
"Oh, I'm going to regret this..." He murmured, wincing as the bike leaped jerkily up to speed. As he had expected, they soon went speeding out onto the road, skidding around the corners, but rather than being scared as one might expect, Griffin found himself grinning, raising his head so the wind could rush through his curly hair.
When they finally flew out onto the motorway, Toby called deviously "Is this better for you? Not so bad now, is it?"
Griffin just laughed in response, ducking to the side when they swerved to avoid a milk bottle that was blowing meekly across the road.
"You're a maniac!" He scolded, but his voice was lost in the wind. He didn't even care about the danger - it was nice to have some fun again at last! Recently, everything for him had just been work, work, work. Even though this also counted as work, at least technically, at least he was getting to enjoy himself for once.
As the bike sped up, Griffin tightened his grip on Toby, watching the scenery flash by beside him. He felt safe with Toby around, but he supposed that made sense. Superman had saved him once. The way Griffin saw it, there was no reason he couldn't do it again.

Tobias released a bark of laughter at Myles' comment about him being a maniac. It was true, anyway. He could be careless, sometimes, but what was the point of just sitting around waiting for his Time to count down to zero? Risking his life on a daily basis was much more fun.
And they'd not even got to the dangerous bit, yet!
"Hold on!" He warned, his face splitting into a grin, and swerved the bike suddenly off the smooth, tarmac road and onto the dusty, uneven terrain. The wheels squeaked and strained over the bumps of the loose sand, but his speed did not falter. If anything, he just got faster. By this point he would usually have stood up in his seat to keep from bumping around all over the place, but since Myles would then not have anything to hold on to, he didn't risk it.
They reached the train line soon after, but instead of riding alongside it like any sensible person would, he yanked the front wheel up over the bar of the train line and rode between the barriers, right where the other trains would go.
It didn't take long for one to appear behind them. And, like a matador to an angry bull, Tobias remained on the track. He could hear the huge engine of the train cause the ground to shake, gaining quickly on their tail. They were going nowhere near fast enough to outrun the gigantic machine.
Tobias just laughed.
The train rang it's horn, warning them to move out of the way before they were scraped face-first beneath it's speeding wheels, but Tobias kept going. His eyes were narrowed in concentration now, focusing only on the track in front of them. Meters in front of them the track steered off to one side, and the land around them dipped away into a high-set bridge. But he didn't plan on crossing it.
Tightening his grip on the handles, he jerked the front wheel in the opposite direction of the track, causing the bike to swing off the track. For a moment they were flying, the ground disappeared beneath their wheels, and Tobias released a quiet yelp of adrenaline. Then, with a dull thud, the bike landed, and he twisted around until it skidded to a halt.
Panting, Toby chuckled under his breath and dismounted the bike, yanking the goggles off his face. Beside them was a small dip where the track turned to a bridge, and in that small dip, just below the track, was a door.
"So..." He asked with a slight swagger, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Did you shit yourself? Or did I fail?"

When Toby told him to hold on, Griffin did as he was told, tightening his grip around the man's waist, as they turned off the road, and started bumping over the uneven ground beside it. "What are you doing?" Griffin demanded harshly, eyes widening as he saw a railway track looming in the distance. "Toby?"
There was no answer, but the closer they got, the more Griffin's eyes widened. He wasn't stupid, he knew what his driver was doing.
"Toby, you asshole, don't you dare!"
But his objections were in vain. Toby ramped up onto the tack, and Griffin yelped, closing his eyes and burying his face in the man's warm back. What had been fun was now becoming terrifying, and when he heard the awful rattling sound and the screeching whistle of a train approaching behind them, it suddenly became a nightmare.
I'm going to die! He thought desperately, He brought me out here to kill me. He's a bloody madman!
He clung tighter to the warm body in front of him, his locked fingers slipping as they grew wet with sweat. The wind whipped tears from his eyes, but he just held on, and prayed that - somehow - they would survive this madness.
Then, in a moment, Toby had swerved off the track, and Griffin's eyes shot open as they suddenly became airborne. His heart lifted into his throat, and he gasped as he felt himself rising off the seat. His slender body was too light for gravity to be of much help, so instead he clutched Toby tight enough to cut off his breathing.
After a second that felt like a century, they landed, and the bike swerved to a stop, spilling the wobbly Griffin off to the side as he let go of Toby in his relief. He rolled over, spitting out dust, and clambered to his feet with knees shaking weakly. His legs felt like jelly.
"So," Toby said cockily, "Did you shit yourself? Or did I fail?"
Griffin shot him a mutinous glare, and rubbed the wind-whipped tear tracks from his face with his sleeve, dusting himself off in a dignified fashion.
"That was f*cking cruel, you bastard." Griffin snapped, hissing in pain as he touched a graze on his elbow. He moved his arm around to look at it, and found that he was bleeding.
Blood!
Fear rocketed through him, and as a series of unwelcome images flashed through Griffin's mind, his weak knees collapsed beneath him. He dropped to his hands and knees, gagging, and it was only with a Herculean effort that he managed to keep from throwing up. He felt like a child, timid and insecure.

As the nausea passed, Griffin swallowed thickly, and pushed himself up from his hands, sitting back on his knees with his head bowed. He was scared.
"Why would you do that?" He demanded angrily, pushing himself into a standing position and shooting Toby a glare. "I agreed to come here for you!" He stepped forward, shoving the man savagely in the chest. Toby barely shifted back an inch, and Griffin growled in frustration. Times like these, he hated being so small. But more than that, he hated how everybody, everywhere, always kept messing him around! He had thought that Toby was different, but obviously he was wrong.
"Do you actually get joy out of scaring the shit out of the people dumb enough to give a crap about you? I didn't have to come with you, you know." His eyes blazed with indignation as he stared boldly up at Toby, refusing to back down.
"You owe me an apology." He murmured, eyes narrowed. I'm sick of being treated like a bloody object.

Tobias' grin didn't leave him, but it lingered uncertainly on his lips when Myles mumbled something, and he wasn't quite sure whether he was being playful or not. He must have been. Myles had enjoyed it, hadn't he?
He chuckled in amusement at the man's dusty form rolling around on the floor, and rolled the bike out towards the large, wooden door. "It's one of my many qualities," He replied cheekily, feeling rather proud of himself. Myles was the first person he'd ever shown this before, and he had to admit, he was glad. He'd been worried that maybe the train track thing had been a bit too much for his little stomach to handle, but Myles had done well. Maybe they had something in common, after all.
Having his back to the man, Toby didn't notice Myles' gagging or the fact he'd hurt himself. In fact, he barely noticed the man's distress until the moment he started talking.
"Why would you do that?" He demanded.
Toby shot him a smirk. "It was fun, wasn't it?"
But Myles wasn't impressed. Unfortunately it took Tobias longer than it should have done to digest this.
"I agreed to come here for you!" Myles continued furiously, shoving him in the chest. The force wasn't enough to falter Toby's weight so that he had to step back, but the firmness in his touch caused him to flinch away from it. He didn't like it when people touched him with bad intentions, even when he could easily look after himself. What's more, the look in Myles' eyes was unnerving.
He couldn't understand it... Why was he angry?
"Do you actually get joy out of scaring the shit out of the people dumb enough to give a crap about you? I didn't have to come with you, you know."
"No... No, I know you didn't. I-" He began, shrinking away from Myles' infuriated glare. He couldn't understand... He thought Myles was enjoying it, enjoying being a bit scared. It was adrenaline, wasn't it?
"You owe me an apology."
Wow, it was that bad?
Shaking his head in confusion, he raised his hands in defeat and mumbled honestly, "Okay, I'm sorry." He backed away to the door, as if struck by an invisible blow, and studied the man with a very confused gaze. "I... I thought you-... You liked it. I thought-"
I was wrong.
He looked like he was trying to put the pieces together in his head, but the puzzle was just beyond solving. He couldn't understand it. How could he have taken everything Myles said the wrong way?
Idiot.
"I'm sorry."
You really don't know people at all, do you?
"It's the route I usually take to get here. It-... I-... I just presumed you'd be okay with it. But..." I've blown it. Sighing, he took the bike and unlocked the door with a key from his back pocket, and opened it, revealing a pitch black corridor, no wider than the width of him and the bike. "If you hate me that much, the ghetto's that way," he said, jerking a thumb towards the route they'd just taken. "Long walk, though." He sighed, and flicked on a light from one of the walls, and a dim, yellow light flickered on, revealing a stair case that led to a lower floor.
"Or you could follow me. Your choice." He said flatly.

"Okay, I'm sorry." Toby admitted, and Griffin was pleased to see him backing away like a deer in headlights. "Good." He huffed, raising his chin defiantly, "You should be."
"I... I thought you-... You liked it." Toby stammered, clearly confused, "I thought-"
He broke off, and Griffin sighed softly, shaking his head. Toby had obviously meant well, and that was what counted. He supposed he could overlook what had happened... This time.
"It's okay." He said softly, but Toby didn't seem to hear. Instead, he continued rattling off excuses.
"I'm sorry. It's the route I usually take to get here. It-... I-... I just presumed you'd be okay with it. But..."
"It's okay." Griffin repeated, raising his voice a little this time.
Toby sighed and turned away, pausing to unlock a door that Griffin hadn't noticed until that moment.
"If you hate me that much, the ghetto's that way," Toby jerked a thumb back the way they had come, "Long walk, though. Or you could follow me. Your choice."
"Don't get your knickers in a twist." Griffin scolded, dusting himself off and straightening his cracked glasses, "I said it was okay. No harm done. You just gave me a fright, is all..."
He walked forwards, padding over to Toby and pausing beside him, peering curiously over his shoulder down at the dark staircase before them.
"Go on, then." He said, offering a slightly shaky smile as he nodded toward the stairs, "Show me what's down here."
He brushed past Toby, adventuring down a few steps, then paused and looked back up at his friend.
"By the way," He added, a subtle smile on his lips, "On the way back, I'm driving."

Toby closed his eyes for a brief moment, letting himself relax again. So he didn't have another enemy to deal with. That was good.
"I said it was okay. No harm done. You just gave me a fright, is all..."
"Hm," He grunted, resting the bike against one of the walls so he wouldn't have to carry it back up the stair case when they left. Then, without so much as any hesitation, he began strolling down the staircase towards the thick darkness, his hands slipped coolly in his pockets. He felt Myles' presence over his shoulder, but he was completely unfazed. He was also feeling much better because he knew Myles wasn't.
"Go on, then. Show me what's down here."
"You ever tried walking in pitch black? Give me chance." He replied with a little smile.
"Oh, by the way," Myles continued, and Toby turned on his heel to glance at him. "On the way back, I'm driving."
Noting the subtle smile on the man's lips, Tobias looked away with a straight face and said, "No you're not." He nodded towards the motorbike. "That's my baby, there. I'm not having you hurt it."
Smirking at the irony, especially after the dramatic ride there, he turned back to the staircase and started walking again, counting the steps into the darkness.
"Prepare to meet your doom." He said flatly, unsmiling. The words had so little emotion and drama that it was obvious he was joking. Then, to add to the effect, he laughed eerily into the darkness. "Mwahahaha..."
Once they'd reached some form of sturdy ground, he felt around the wall for a light switch, and flicked it on. When the coridoor lit up, he found they were staring at an elevator door. It was no fancy door, not like the metal things they had in the richer Time zones. It had three different doors, one made of folded up mesh, one that opened up horizontally, then a normal, elevator door. Each one was rusty, but sturdy nonetheless.
After opening each door, Tobias strolled in, and jerked his head for Myles to follow.
A lever hung from the ceiling and Toby pulled it, causing the ground to lower beneath them, and the elevator sank down. It only went down a couple of floors, and when they opened up, Tobias walked out. A small machine sat next to the elevator, and he pressed his wrist to it, exchanging an hour for power. (( )) Then, with a hum of electricity, the lights came on.
Saying the place was huge was an understatement. The ceiling was so high it had to cover up two floors, and there was a small, square dent in the wall where the elevator had come down. The walls were brick, painted a mucky white and the floor had been laminated with a dark, mahogany-coloured wood. A dirty, loose carpet covered most of the floor, hidden beneath a thin layer of dust.
The room itself was huge, and at a first glance seemed to be littered with old junk that no one wanted. A dirty sofa was against one wall, a table against another, and old, half-broken CD player in a corner, and several scraps of metal dotted around. A pair of metal poles were in the middle of the room with thick hooks on every foot or so, like a ladder without any foot bars. A single pole hooked on the lowest hook, that may have only been a metre up, but the bars themselves stretched up to at least three meters high.
In another corner hung three tatty punch bags, along with some punching gloves that had been thrown on the floor between them, forgotten.
Then, in other places were blocks of wood or metal, made into make-shift lifting weights, ranging in size and heavyness.

"This used to be a mine, would you believe." Toby informed him. "There were lower floors, before the train line, but they got filled in when it was abandoned. This was supposed to be two floors, but I didn't like the low ceiling." He walked forward and patted the sofa firmly, causing dust to waft out of the cushions. "It's a shithole, but I like it, anyway. I work out, here." Tobias told him, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can scream and shout all you like, and no one can hear you. It's great."

When Toby refused to let him drive, Griffin narrowed his eyes, but he decided not to press the issue. They could argue about that when the time came, or he could just catch a train back home. One thing was certain: he did not intend to get on that bike behind Toby again. He was still bleeding from the last time.
Blood...
He shuddered at the thought, hurrying on to get closer to Toby as they walked down the stairs in darkness. "Prepare to meet your doom." A quiet voice said in the gloom, followed by a spooky laugh.
"Nice try." Griffin chuckled, "Start squeaking like a rat, and maybe you'll scare me."
At that moment, a light flicked on, and Griffin grunted in surprise, blinking back the blindness from the sudden brightness. "Well," He commented, rubbing his glasses in a bemused fashion, "That's shiny."
He watched curiously as Toby battled with a set of ancient elevator doors, and when he had finally pulled them open, Griffin followed eagerly, crouching down to study the hinges of the doors in a fascinated fashion. When Toby pulled a lever and the elevator started to move, Griffin stood up, swaying slightly.
"Whoopsy..." He muttered, flopping back against the wall for support. It lurched to a stop, and he stumbled forward a step, then caught himself - pausing again to wait for Toby to lead the way. As they walked out of the elevator and into a dark room, Griffin noticed Toby fiddling with some odd device beside the elevator, and with a lively hum, the room was suddenly lit up.
Blinking away the glare, Griffin stepped forward, staring around the crummy old room like a child in a candy store. It wasn't what was in it that fascinated him, but rather what it was. Or perhaps even where it was. He'd had no idea that the place was here... How Toby had found it, he'd never know.
Curious, Griffin trotted around the room, only half-listening while Toby explained about its history as a mine, before the train line was built.
He approached the punching bag, head tilted with interest, and gave it a firm strike with one dainty fist. It swung weakly back and forth to appease him, so Griffin nodded in approval, and quickly turned his attention to the lifting weights. He picked up a small one, smiling in amusement as he lifted it over his head a couple of times. Then he dropped it, and tried to lift a heavier one. When it wouldn't budge, he tried with both hands, managed to raise it a few inches, then shrugged and dropped it with a thud on the floor.
There was far too much in that room competing for his attention, and the result was that he actually forgot about Toby completely until he heard a voice say, "You can scream and shout all you like, and no one can hear you. It's great."
At this, Griffin looked up, frowning, and dropped the bent piece of metal that he had been playing with.
"Toby, you're a creepy bloke, d'you know that?"
Obviously unconcerned, Griffin approached his friend, and flashed a wink as he plonked himself down on the couch. A cloud of dust rose up around him, and he coughed feebly, waving it away from his face as he wrinkled his nose in a fussy fashion.
"This really is a cool place, though." He mused, looking around with a smile, "No stupid rats, and no way that anybody could find you here. Privacy galore, right? It's like the perfect hideout..." Griffin chuckled, folding his arms behind his head as he lay back on the couch in a relaxed fashion. Inwardly, however, the cogs of his intelligent mind were turning.
This was indeed the 'perfect hideout'. And, no doubt, this was the reason that Byron Willoughby had never been found... Or at least, never caught. It was the ideal plan... Run away, hide out until the heat died down, then create a new false alias, and get out on the streets again. He was not surprised that this man had evaded his foolish colleagues... It would take somebody of much higher caliber to take Byron down. Somebody who could unravel even the cleverest of schemes.
Somebody like him.
I'm the one man who could take you down, Byron... And you've got me right here, in the underbelly of the world, where nobody could hear me scream. If only you knew...
"So," Griffin's lips tweaked into a smirk, and he asked casually, "Do you ever hide away from the Timekeepers down here? Pumping some iron so you can beat the shit out of them when they find you..."
He chuckled, shaking his head.
So what if he was poking the bear? He hadn't decided just yet, whose side he was on in this wild goose chase...

"Toby, you're a creepy bloke, d'you know that?"
Tobias unfolded his arms, unfazed by the concern in Myles' expression, and stretched one arm across his chest, pulling ot towards him with his other arm. "Have I scared you, yet?" He teased, grinning.
His teasing may have only seemed playful, but secretly he was worried. I should. You shouldn't have even wanted to come down here with me. Or even got on that bike with me. I can't afford to be making friends right now.
He stretched his other arm. Then his eyes flicked to the man sat casually on the sofa, looking as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Why are you here, Myles?
Sighing, he wandered over to a loose draw under one of the tables and pulled out a vest. It was ratty, thin and grey, but he wasn't going to work out in the shirt he was wearing, would he? Cleaning it twice would be a waste of water and time.
He briskly changed into the vest - since the place was underground it was freezing, until he started working out, that is - and approached a pair of weights.
"This really is a cool place, though." Myles went on as he picked up a dumbell, and slowly began exercising his biceps. "No stupid rats, and no way that anybody could find you here. Privacy galore, right? It's like the perfect hideout..."
Toby nodded absentmindedly, still focusing on the pace he was lifting. Then, when he realised what Myles had said, he frowned.
Yes, it was a hideout. But Myles wasn't supposed to know that. It was supposed to be just a place... Just a place he hung out every now and then when he didn't want to face people...
When he wanted to hide.
Rolling his eyes he began to change the pattern of his lifting, focusing on a different muscle.
"So," Myles began, smirking at him. "Do you ever hide away from the Timekeepers down here? Pumping some iron so you can beat the shit out of them when they find you..."
Tobias stopped. Held the weight where it was. For a horrible, heart-stopping moment he thought He's onto me. But when he actually looked at Myles, making himself at home on that horrible couch, he had to relax. A man as frail as Myles wasn't capable of such a complicated and dangerous job. He was probably just making conversation.
"I don't have... Reason to... Hide away from... Timekeepers." He murmured through his panting, then lowered the dumbells to the floor and picked up a larger pair. "They only really come to me if something has happened at the bar, or to pick up taxes..." He lifted one up, his arm shaking slightly now, but he didn't back down.
"And I wouldn't try beating the shit out of them." He replied, honestly this time. "They're a bunch of snobby, rich-ass-kissing bastards, but I'd never challenge one. They have guns." He resisted a shudder as an image flooded through his mind. Then he added quietly, "I don't."
After a few moments of silence he went onto the pair of tall poles, raised the bar up to his body height and began doing some pull-ups.
"How 'bout you?" He asked in a conversational manner. "Don't you ever get sick of pretending to be somebody for other the sake of other people, and wanna just shut out the world for a bit?"

"I'd think that the fact that they're rich, snobby ass-kissing bastards with guns would be quite enough reason to hide away from them." Griffin pointed out fairly, watching with almost indecent interest while Toby worked out. It was like he was monitoring some sort of science experiment.
"It would certainly be reason enough for me."
In fact, it already is. What do you think I'm doing here?
Smiling mildly, he folded his fingers together and rested his chin on top of them, elbows braced against his knees as he watched Toby doing his pull-ups.
"How 'bout you?" The barman asked conversationally, "Don't you ever get sick of pretending to be somebody for other the sake of other people, and wanna just shut out the world for a bit?"
Griffin looked away as he considered this, letting his intelligent gaze skim the room.
"I suppose you could say that." He mused thoughtfully, "But the world usually does a good enough job of shutting me out..." He frowned slightly, then shook his head, and explained with a friendly shrug, "People don't really get me, usually. But then again, I suppose that's because I don't - as you put it - pretend to be somebody else for their sake. Well, usually." He smirked at the irony, clearly amused, then turned his gaze back to Toby.
"You know," He mused, already distracted from the original conversation, "I'm starting to think you're more like Batman than Superman, all holed up in your little bat cave..." He snickered, "Can you hang upside down from that pole?"

"I suppose you could say that." Myles replied as Toby continued with his pull-ups. "But the world usually does a good enough job of shutting me out..."
Toby glanced at him, then dropped down from the bar to shake off the tension on his arms. He shook them loose, then jumped up again, beginning to do another ten.
"People don't really get me, usually. But then again, I suppose that's because I don't - as you put it - pretend to be somebody else for their sake. Well, usually."
Toby nodded, pulling himself up another ten times, then dropped off the bar again. He had to admit, he didn't really 'get' this man, either. Myles was an unpredictable, very strange sod. But that was a refreshing thing to a barman who did nothing but serve depressed drunkards all day. Plus, Myles made him smile. Not many people could do that.
He felt Myles study him curiously then, and he met the man's eyes with a questioning expression. He didn't really mind someone watch him work out, but he at least wanted to know why. "You know, I'm starting to think you're more like Batman than Superman, all holed up in your little bat cave..."
Toby shook his head at him, smirking slightly. Here we go.
"Can you hang upside down from that pole?"
"That will be my next trick." He replied with a grin, then jumped down again, wiggling off the tension in his muscles. "But first..." He jumped up again and did a small amount of pull-ups. But then, instead of remaining on one level of the ladder like he had before, when he lifted his body up towards the bar he pushed it up to the next level, so it had lifted itself and him up at least a foot up the ladder. Then he did it again.
And again.
And again.
Until he was nearly on the top bar. Then, he just dangled down, his muscles bulging at the effort of keeping him above ground, and shot Myles a sweaty, tired smile. Then, with a grunt of effort, he lifted himself up until his knees were hooked around it, and with one slow, careful movement, he released his hands.
Once he was hanging fully upside-down he grinned at his upturned friend, then winced. "Crap, this doesn't do your knees any good." He grumbled, then slowly began turning and twisting his body, now working out his stomach muscles.
"Is this 'Bat' enough for you, Myles?" He asked cheekily, trying to keep the blood from falling completely to his brain.