Miles & Warren, Monday afternoon
Aug. 3rd, 2015 05:26 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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xp_logsWarren and Jefferson surprise Miles with an elaborate gift for his 16th birthday. He's speechless.
In an attempt to be a slightly better human being, Warren had called Miles' parents and asked permission to buy him a car. It was Miles' 16th birthday soon, and Warren wanted to do something nice for his young friend.
Río, of course, balked immediately, but a few conversations later, Jefferson had agreed with the following conditions:
1. Used car. Non-negotiable
2. Practical car. Nothing flashy
3. Conditional car. Jefferson and Río reserved the right to return it if Miles's grades slipped.
Warren could live with that.
Because he wanted to retain a small element of surprise, he asked Miles to come along on an errand, no details given. As they pulled up to the car lot, Warren smiled. "Want to guess what we're doing here?"
"Uh, showing off to the 99 Percent?" Miles asked. A used-car lot hardly seemed like a place that Warren would even consider spending time. Miles was actually a little surprised that Warren even knew what a used car was.
"Funny. How come you can make tasteless jokes, but I'm prohibited?" Warren scanned the parking lot but didn't seem to find what he was looking for. Pulling into a stall, he parked and turned to look at Miles. "I can be funny. I'll have you know that my gardener finds me hilarious."
"Whatever happened to that racial sensitivity class you were supposed to take? That'd answer your question." Miles glanced out the window and then turned back to Warren. "What are we doing here, though?"
"I slept with the instructor," Warren said casually, looking around the parking lot. A familiar car finally pulled in and he brightened up. "Is your dad always late for things?"
Without waiting for an answer, he got out of the car and straightened up. He could see Jefferson walking towards them. Warren had to keep reminding himself that he couldn't take charge. Miles had a wonderful dad who actually cared. Best to respect him.
Miles followed Warren and gave a double-take when he spotted the large-set man approaching them. Miles glanced nervously between his father and Warren. "Dad? What's, uh, what's going on?"
Jefferson responded by pulling Miles into his trademark tight hug (eliciting Miles's trademark teenage groan of embarrassment) and then extending his hand politely to Warren. "Very nice to see you again, Mister Worthington."
Warren shook Jefferson's hand and smiled. "The same to you, Mr. Morales. Now, as for you Miles, I thought you were a smart boy." Warren gestured to the lot. "Why do you think we're in a car lot with your father? Bonus points if you use an SAT word."
"One might think that we're here to buy a car, duh," Miles answered. "Buuuut that doesn't make any sense. Why would we . . ." Miles could maybe blame the lingering effects of the fight with his uncle for him being slow on the uptake. Had he suffered brain damage? Maybe he should get an MRI. "Wait wait wait. We're not actually buying me a car, are we?"
Warren glanced at Jefferson but it appeared the other man was letting Warren explain. "Yes, we are. That is to say, I may be financing it, but it is ultimately your parents' decision, so don't start asking for a Jag or a BMW." He paused. "That's for when you graduate university." A joke. Kind of.
"Jefferson, anything you'd like to add?"
"You have shown us a lot of initiative this year, mijo," Jefferson addressed Miles. "I know it's been hard for you, moving schools twice, seeing what esos malditos did to New York." Miles held back a frown but glanced nervously at Warren and offered him a silent "sorry" for his father's slur. Jefferson didn't seem to notice and just continued. "But you've done very well so your mother and I think you deserve this. But you know the rules. If you slack off . . ."
"Then bye bye car?" Miles finished. It had been the same deal with his cell phone, his computer, and his now-defunct tablet.
"Bye bye, car," Jefferson affirmed.
Warren clapped his hands together. "Great! Now let's go and find you something that doesn't clash with your hair." Motioning to the car lot, he smiled. "After you, Miles."
It took well over two hours for the three of them to agree on a vehicle. Between Warren's extravagant tastes, Jefferson's frugality, and Miles just caring about not looking like a total nerd, it was a wonder that they hadn't come to blows over the decision. But they'd finally found it: a red 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander. It unsurprisingly had well over 100,000 miles on it, but it had been taken well care of and Miles couldn't even tell that it was half his age.
Almost an hour of negotiations and paperwork later, and it was theirs. Even though Miles held the key in his hand, he still stared at it in disbelief. How the hell did he, at 16, have his own car already?
"Nice choice, son," Jefferson said approvingly, warmly squeezing Miles's shoulder. "Good size. This way if you get into an accident, we can be sure that you won't be the one who gets hurt. Besides the pain of being grounded for the next fifty years."
"Yeah, thanks for that, Dad."
"And since you have your permit, I think you should take it back, no?" Warren handed the paperwork to Jefferson, and straightened his jacket. "If you like, I can make arrangements for your vehicle to be brought back to your place. You two should enjoy this maiden voyage. Besides," he added, turning his attention to Miles, "don't forget, you still have one major decision to make: the air freshener."
"Is it pumpkin spice season yet?" Girls will be flocking to that aroma, he reasoned. "And thanks, Dad. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. This is probably the best birthday ever."
This time when his dad pulled him in for a hug, he didn't even try to pull back. "Warren is very persuasive and very adamant," Jefferson replied, but in good humor.
Warren waved away the compliment. "Consider it a job bonus. You've done an excellent job on my social media, and good work should be rewarded. Now! Off you go, you two. Enjoy the car and the time together. Jefferson," Warren extended his hand, "thank you again for letting me do this. Say hello to your beautiful wife for me."
In an attempt to be a slightly better human being, Warren had called Miles' parents and asked permission to buy him a car. It was Miles' 16th birthday soon, and Warren wanted to do something nice for his young friend.
Río, of course, balked immediately, but a few conversations later, Jefferson had agreed with the following conditions:
1. Used car. Non-negotiable
2. Practical car. Nothing flashy
3. Conditional car. Jefferson and Río reserved the right to return it if Miles's grades slipped.
Warren could live with that.
Because he wanted to retain a small element of surprise, he asked Miles to come along on an errand, no details given. As they pulled up to the car lot, Warren smiled. "Want to guess what we're doing here?"
"Uh, showing off to the 99 Percent?" Miles asked. A used-car lot hardly seemed like a place that Warren would even consider spending time. Miles was actually a little surprised that Warren even knew what a used car was.
"Funny. How come you can make tasteless jokes, but I'm prohibited?" Warren scanned the parking lot but didn't seem to find what he was looking for. Pulling into a stall, he parked and turned to look at Miles. "I can be funny. I'll have you know that my gardener finds me hilarious."
"Whatever happened to that racial sensitivity class you were supposed to take? That'd answer your question." Miles glanced out the window and then turned back to Warren. "What are we doing here, though?"
"I slept with the instructor," Warren said casually, looking around the parking lot. A familiar car finally pulled in and he brightened up. "Is your dad always late for things?"
Without waiting for an answer, he got out of the car and straightened up. He could see Jefferson walking towards them. Warren had to keep reminding himself that he couldn't take charge. Miles had a wonderful dad who actually cared. Best to respect him.
Miles followed Warren and gave a double-take when he spotted the large-set man approaching them. Miles glanced nervously between his father and Warren. "Dad? What's, uh, what's going on?"
Jefferson responded by pulling Miles into his trademark tight hug (eliciting Miles's trademark teenage groan of embarrassment) and then extending his hand politely to Warren. "Very nice to see you again, Mister Worthington."
Warren shook Jefferson's hand and smiled. "The same to you, Mr. Morales. Now, as for you Miles, I thought you were a smart boy." Warren gestured to the lot. "Why do you think we're in a car lot with your father? Bonus points if you use an SAT word."
"One might think that we're here to buy a car, duh," Miles answered. "Buuuut that doesn't make any sense. Why would we . . ." Miles could maybe blame the lingering effects of the fight with his uncle for him being slow on the uptake. Had he suffered brain damage? Maybe he should get an MRI. "Wait wait wait. We're not actually buying me a car, are we?"
Warren glanced at Jefferson but it appeared the other man was letting Warren explain. "Yes, we are. That is to say, I may be financing it, but it is ultimately your parents' decision, so don't start asking for a Jag or a BMW." He paused. "That's for when you graduate university." A joke. Kind of.
"Jefferson, anything you'd like to add?"
"You have shown us a lot of initiative this year, mijo," Jefferson addressed Miles. "I know it's been hard for you, moving schools twice, seeing what esos malditos did to New York." Miles held back a frown but glanced nervously at Warren and offered him a silent "sorry" for his father's slur. Jefferson didn't seem to notice and just continued. "But you've done very well so your mother and I think you deserve this. But you know the rules. If you slack off . . ."
"Then bye bye car?" Miles finished. It had been the same deal with his cell phone, his computer, and his now-defunct tablet.
"Bye bye, car," Jefferson affirmed.
Warren clapped his hands together. "Great! Now let's go and find you something that doesn't clash with your hair." Motioning to the car lot, he smiled. "After you, Miles."
It took well over two hours for the three of them to agree on a vehicle. Between Warren's extravagant tastes, Jefferson's frugality, and Miles just caring about not looking like a total nerd, it was a wonder that they hadn't come to blows over the decision. But they'd finally found it: a red 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander. It unsurprisingly had well over 100,000 miles on it, but it had been taken well care of and Miles couldn't even tell that it was half his age.
Almost an hour of negotiations and paperwork later, and it was theirs. Even though Miles held the key in his hand, he still stared at it in disbelief. How the hell did he, at 16, have his own car already?
"Nice choice, son," Jefferson said approvingly, warmly squeezing Miles's shoulder. "Good size. This way if you get into an accident, we can be sure that you won't be the one who gets hurt. Besides the pain of being grounded for the next fifty years."
"Yeah, thanks for that, Dad."
"And since you have your permit, I think you should take it back, no?" Warren handed the paperwork to Jefferson, and straightened his jacket. "If you like, I can make arrangements for your vehicle to be brought back to your place. You two should enjoy this maiden voyage. Besides," he added, turning his attention to Miles, "don't forget, you still have one major decision to make: the air freshener."
"Is it pumpkin spice season yet?" Girls will be flocking to that aroma, he reasoned. "And thanks, Dad. A lot. Like, a lot a lot. This is probably the best birthday ever."
This time when his dad pulled him in for a hug, he didn't even try to pull back. "Warren is very persuasive and very adamant," Jefferson replied, but in good humor.
Warren waved away the compliment. "Consider it a job bonus. You've done an excellent job on my social media, and good work should be rewarded. Now! Off you go, you two. Enjoy the car and the time together. Jefferson," Warren extended his hand, "thank you again for letting me do this. Say hello to your beautiful wife for me."
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