The Job

It’s a long way to Australia from LA, and Joe had a lot of time to think.

About fifteen hours of thinking.

Mainly because Mike ended up getting a headache, almost throwing up, and then, as Joe worriedly helped Mike feel better by giving him a gentle scalp massage, the latter fell asleep. He leaned into the crook of Joe’s neck and snored softly, making Joe grin.

“Poor kid,” Joe says softly, ruffling Mike’s curly and long brown hair—-the same hair with the bits of gray growing in.

He thought about the first time he met Mike.

How he met everyone.

He knew the boss, Diego. He is the one who asked him personally to take on the job.

And the night he met Mike, at that hole in the wall bar, he thought only one thing: this kid is too young. He’s gonna get killed.

And then, Mike started to joke around with everyone, and slammed a few drinks, and that was when Joe started to like him.

Joe talked about how he went to college to Mike but not why, and only briefly skimmed over his history with Diego.

Diego knew some big players and they had a big plan, that would cost some initial backing from everyone—-but they would be paid way over what they put in.

With ten guys in all, including the guy who used to make the machinery and parts for ATMs, they’d have to haul a lot to get what was owed to them.

Two hundred thousand dollars was estimated to be in each ATM, and they were going to haul and replace at least fifteen different ATMs with different teams in different parts of California and Texas, with a span of two to three days.

Joe and Mike were a part of one team, and they would be taking in their share of close to three hundred thousand dollars after the score.

They started to talk about their plans after the heist, and they also talked a lot in general too—about music and movies and shows and their home life, and finally, even as Diego had strictly told all of them not to share any personal information, including their real names, Mike goes and tells Joe where he lives and his first name.

So, Joe returns the favor.

Joe thinks about about how a simple thing like getting beers and lunch together on the side, and even seeing a movie together, made him realize how much he cared about Mike.

How they could talk for hours and it would feel like minutes.

How they had that really nice time a couple of weeks before Joe admitted he was a cop, and they held each other so tightly, he thought that even if he died right then and there—-at least he was happy. Really happy.

And then, how at night, Joe would think about Mike a lot alone, in his bed.

He’d imagine too many things, and he’d choke up with emotion from how badly he wished Mike was there with him.

But, now, Mike was here. With him.

And Joe swore he’d protect him even if it took his own life.

Finally, once it’s only about an hour before they arrive, Mike wakes up.

“Joe, are we in Australia yet?” Mike says as he wakes up.

“No, you sleepy head.”

“Sorry, I slept the whole time.”

“I told ya not to apologize to me.”

“Why?” Mike asks a bit flustered.

“Because I like ya, and I don’t want to hear you saying anything about being sorry. Okay?”

Mike grinned, saying nothing.

“You liked that, huh? Some sleazy old gangster telling you he likes you?” Joe whispers, and Mike’s face turns bright red.

“Shut the fuck up, Joe. I’m gonna punch your lights out,” Mike teases, rubbing his temples as he still has a headache.

“You still got a headache, baby?” Joe whispers even quieter, and Mike nods.

“My head is fucking pounding, I can’t even keep my eyes open.”

“Just rest on me. I’ll take care of you,” Joe says calmly.

And he does, and Joe feels like he’s finally responsible for someone. He can’t mess this up.

He gave up that money... all that money for Mike. Mike gave up his whole career.

Now, they had to do something good, Joe thinks, but it echoes what Mike said.

And the first thing they did was leave a hundred dollar bill in the tip jar for the cafe staff.

Mike did it, and Joe gave him a look of complete estrangement for it. But, they could tell that the staff was extremely happy and they thanked them enthusiastically.

As they left to go on their flight, Joe saw Mike glowing from the experience, and it made him happy too.

He was thinking of that even as Mike woke up again, feeling slightly better, and started telling him all about his policy academy training.

It was arduous, hard, frustrating, but Joe could tell how proud Mike was of what he had accomplished.

He even told him of how he picked up this chick at a bar, and brought her back to his place after he officially was a cop, and she had a fetish for cops and handcuffs.

Joe ended up laughing with Mike about it.

“You freak!” Joe accuses him.

“No, she was! I just played along.”

“Aha! I found out your kink!”

And they end up hysterically laughing so much that the flight attendant tells them to knock it off.

But, once they are finally in Sydney, Australia, they are both jet lagged and tired.

They get a hotel, a cheap place but not too crappy, a double bed again.

But, they immediately collapse on top of each other after they lock and close the door behind them.

And they sleep, peacefully, with Joe whispering sweet nothings into Mike’s ear right before, and they hold each so tightly they feel like they are really one person.

And Mike starts to think about how they will get along here in Australia, and how great things are already going as he dozes off, never feeling so happy.

Meanwhile, somewhere in LA, a small team of two guys gets arrested immediately as they attempt to haul away an ATM (with an exact replica) early in the morning on a very empty street before anyone was even awake yet. Even as their back up plan of pretending to be maintenance for the machine company that makes the necessary equipment for the ATMs backfire, they are taken into custody.

Diego has his other men pull back, and stop the heist.

The two guys he had spying on Mike and Joe were finally coming back to communicate what they had seen.

Joe and Mike were in bliss and safe together in Australia.

But, as Diego had postured to the other men in the group who had felt betrayed and back stabbed, they wouldn’t be able to feel safe for long.