Chapter Text
The streetcar shuddered as it rounded the corner, metal grinding on metal. Gene flinched at the sound—too sharp, too sudden—and Liebgott watched him from the opposite seat, arms folded across his chest as if he could physically shield him from a whole damn city.
“ Relax, Gene, ” Joe said finally. “ It’s just a tram. Not artillery. ”
Gene’s eyes stayed on the window, catching the blur of storefronts, strangers, neon signs already buzzing even though the sun was barely down. “ I know,” he murmured. “ Just… loud. ”
Joe huffed a laugh, but there was no teasing in it. “ Yeah. San Francisco ain’t exactly the goddamn bayou. ”
At that, Gene’s eyes softened, just a bit. Joe only said it like that when he was trying. Really trying.
The tram clattered to a stop. People pushed past them, coats brushing, perfume and cigarette smoke swirling as Gene stood, shoulders hunched tight. Joe stepped close, hand hovering low on Gene’s back—not touching, not unless Gene needed it—but enough that Gene could feel the warmth of him.
Outside, the city breathed in one long, roaring exhale. Car horns. Street vendors yelling. A jazz record spilling from a bar down the block.
Gene closed his eyes for the briefest second. The bayou had been nothing like this. Water thick with heat, frogs calling at dusk, the kind of quiet that wasn’t quiet at all but still held you like a cradle.
Here, everything clashed.
“ You okay? ” Joe asked, voice gentler than a man with his personality had any right to be.
Gene nodded, though the motion was tight. “ Just… miss home sometimes. ”
Joe’s hand finally settled at the small of his back—steady, grounding. “ Then we’ll go, ” he said simply. “ When you want. I’ll go with you. I been dragged to worse places. ”
Gene let out a shaky breath that turned into the smallest smile. “ The bayou’s not that bad. ”
Joe grinned. “ I didn’t say bad. Just… humid as hell and full of animals that want to eat me. ”
“ That’s many places, ” Gene said softly.
“ Yeah, but only in Louisiana do the bugs have attitude. ”
Gene snorted—a real, honest sound—and Joe looked like he’d just struck gold.
They started walking, Joe matching Gene’s pace without comment. The street noise still swelled around them, but Gene found that with Joe beside him—warm, solid, familiar—it didn’t feel quite so crushing.
“ You sure you’re alright with the city? ” Joe asked, hands shoved in his pockets, voice casual but eyes searching.
Gene hesitated. And then he said the thing Joe had been waiting to hear.
“ I’m alright… because you’re here. ”
Joe’s step faltered for half a second. Then he nudged Gene’s shoulder, cheeks just a little pink in the streetlight glow.
“ Yeah, well… don’t go sayin’ soft shit like that. I’ll never let you live it down. ”
Gene rolled his eyes, but the smile lingered—quiet, content, tugged out of him like a secret. The city roared on, uncaring, but Gene felt something settle in his chest.
Maybe he could learn the rhythm of this place. Maybe the city wasn’t exactly home. But walking beside Liebgott…
It felt like a start.