Work Text:
It was the middle of the night and Lawrence was flipping through TV channels, his insomnia not allowing him any rest as usual.
He sighed and came upon a news channel; a bank heist turned shoot out was being broadcast by helicopter.
“The notorious Fake AH Crew strikes again” the headline crawl read.
Lawrence knew of them, hell everyone did, the only difference was that he had done some freelance work for them in the past (which wasn’t that big of a deal, Lawrence did work for anyone who would pay him).
He watched with little interest as the Fakes shot at what seemed to be police officers at first, but with a closer look turned out to be another crew.
The grainy camera zoomed in as much as possible to get the faces of both crews on camera.
Lawrence recognized a couple of the other crew members as Fakehaus, a smaller group that he had done some freelance work for recently and was one of the Fake’s biggest rivals.
All of them seemed almost giddy as they took pot shots at Fake AH, their faces filled with bright smiles and eyes bright as they seemed to yell to one another over the noise.
The camera zoomed back out just in time to see the Vagabond set up a rocket launcher and fire at the helicopter.
The channel cut out and went to static and Lawrence groaned as he shut off the TV and tossed the remote.
“Welcome to Los Santos” he muttered to himself as he made his way through his dark apartment and back to his bedroom.
XXXX
Lawrence’s eyes were starting to hurt as he continued to type strings of code out on his laptop.
It was one in the morning and instead of sitting at his desk as usual he was in bed on his laptop, a few notebooks where set out and open next to him on the empty side of the bed, notes on who he was working for and extra codes written out in sloppy handwriting.
Tonight he was doing work for the Fakes again; Geoff had asked him to hack into some police files for him in exchange for a big payload.
As he was typing another line of code his laptop suddenly froze, just for a second, and then it was back.
Lawrence raised a brow and watched as all the windows he had open suddenly stacked together and shifted to the left side of the screen, allowing an instant message box to pop up on the right.
Sniper69: Hiya!
Lawrence was extremely confused and honestly, kind of annoyed, so he glanced around his dark room and even out the window before replying.
LSonntag: Hello.
Almost immediately he received a reply.
Sniper69: How’s the work going? Heard Ramsey wanted you to get into the LSPD :)
Lawrence sighed and decided to humor whoever the hell this was.
LSonntag: Fine. How did you get into my computer?
Sniper69: Let’s just say I have pretty smart friends or…friend I guess. Anyway how’s your night going? :P
LSonntag: Look I don’t know you and you don’t know me (if this is Gavin or one of the other Fakes messing with me again I swear to god) This is important work I’m doing so get out of my fucking computer right now.
Sniper69: Lol I know who you are Lawrence :) <3
Lawrence’s eyes widened slightly and he hesitated about typing back.
LSonntag: Do I know you?
Sniper69: Probably not, I’m more of a behind the scenes kind of guy and don’t really like to go out. You probably know who I work for though…
LSonntag: So you don’t live up to your username then? Who do you work for?
Sniper69: Haha no this is my smart friends account. I’m not even supposed to be on it, it’s just late and I’m bored and can’t sleep.
Sniper69: Also I don’t kiss and tell lol <3
Sniper69: And you can call me Spoole btw, sniper69 is my father’s name. :P
Lawrence couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him.
LSonntag: Ha
Sniper69: :) :P <3
A minute or two passed with no messages so Lawrence decided to reply before closing the chat.
LSonntag: Well, I need to finish this work. Goodbye Spoole.
Sniper69: Nighty night Lawrence, see you soon <3 :)
Lawrence couldn’t help the unease that settled in him as he reread the last message.
XXXX
It was late, or early, Lawrence couldn’t really tell anymore these days as he stepped into the convenience store.
The clock behind the bored cashier read two am as he made his way towards the coolers in the back.
Lawrence had to be up anyway to finish a bunch of work he had for a small time car theft ring, the leader of said ring wanting to hack into his rival’s computers.
After grabbing a red bull from the coolers Lawrence headed over to the isle full of chips and over junk food and began searching for something to eat.
After a minute or two of searching he heard the chime of the door and some chatter and then the cock of a gun.
Lawrence froze and listened as two male voices threatened the cashier and the cashier began begging.
“Just shut up and give us the money jeez!” the first voice groaned.
Lawrence dropped to the floor and pushed himself into the corner between the last cooler and the wall, his back pressed to the cool metal siding, probably not the best idea but at least he couldn’t be seen anymore (he hoped).
“This is taking too long, you want anything Adam?” the second voice asked.
“Nah grab some drinks for Sean though he asked for another pack” the first voice, Adam, replied.
Footsteps soon began to move farther into the store towards the coolers and Lawrence squeezed his eyes shut and tucked his legs as close to his body as he could, praying he wouldn’t be seen.
He listened as the second person stopped a few coolers down and began to pull some stuff out.
The person began to move farther down the aisle and then stopped completely; that’s when Lawrence remembered he had left his items on the floor, dropping them in his haste to hide himself away.
“Adam, someone else is here” the voice called out.
“Fuck really? Well find them and make sure they didn’t see shit! I got the money” Adam called back as he knocked the cashier out.
Lawrence began to panic as the footsteps drew closer and closer before seemingly veering off into the next isle.
He breathed a sigh of relief and then he noticed the other set of footsteps.
A harsh yank on his hair caused him to yell as he was pulled out and up from his hiding spot.
“Well hello, having a nice night?” The man, supposedly Adam questioned as he forced Lawrence to his knees and cocked the gun again.
“Pl-Please don’t. Don’t hurt me” Lawrence begged as tears began to prick the corners of his eyes.
“Bruce I got him!” Adam called as the other man rounded the corner.
“Aw Adam let go you’re hurting him” Bruce said as he yanked Adam’s hand out of Lawrence’s hair and grabbed the gun.
Lawrence began to shake a bit, anxiety hitting him as the possibilities began to flood his mind.
All the illegal shit he’s done and this is how he goes out, gunshot to the head on the dirty floor of a gas station.
“Look at me” Bruce demanded as he gently nudged at Lawrence’s head with the barrel.
He choked back a sob and slowly lifted his head, watery eyes scanning the older men.
Adam was practically hanging off Bruce’s side, doe eyed and a smirk on his face as he looked to Bruce, the man’s eyes wide with surprised as he scanned Lawrence.
“Fuck Adam this-this is the guy” Bruce stuttered as he lowered the gun and stepped back.
Adam looked confused for a moment before his eyes widened as well, recognition overcoming him.
“Fuck, it is isn’t it? Dammit we weren’t supposed to see you until tomorrow” Adam explained as he grabbed Lawrence’s arm and pulled him to his feet.
Lawrence was too stunned into silence to say anything or move at all, his fear overtaking him.
“Sorry for scaring you, no hard feelings right babe?” Bruce asked with a laugh as he gently brushed off Lawrence’s shoulders.
Lawrence was still shaking and starring at nothing.
“Aw fuck Bruce I think he’s in shock” Adam groaned.
Bruce opened his mouth to reply but the sound of police sirens cut him off.
“Fuck! We got to go, nice to meet you Lawrence!” Adam yelled as he grabbed their bag of stolen goods and bolted out the door.
Bruce smiled at Lawrence and began to back towards the door, gun drawn and cocked.
“Sorry for botching the first impression, see you soon Lawrence”
And then he was gone, the screech of tires signaling their departure.
Lawrence stood there too scared to move even when three cops came in with their guns drawn.
XXXX
That same day Lawrence didn’t get home until six am, the Los Santos police department not being well known for their efficiency.
They questioned him for what seemed like forever, showing him the CC tapes of the incident and asking about what the two robbers had said to him.
Lawrence didn’t say much, passing it off as being too shocked and scared to remember.
As soon as he walked through his front door he was ready to pass out on his couch until night time, or maybe have a quick drink, but his phone began to ring in his pocket.
He groaned at the thought of someone giving him a job right now, and checked the screen to see an unknown number (not unusual but still).
He answered it with a grunt as he sat himself down on his couch and grabbed the TV remote.
“Hi there” a soft female voice replied, startling Lawrence somewhat.
“Um…hello?” Lawrence replied; very rarely did women call him for work so he was surprised to hear such a happy and kind voice on the other line.
“Sorry my friends scared you earlier, they can get kind of carried away sometimes” She said voice cheery.
Lawrence’s stomach dropped and he was way too tired to deal with this shit.
“Jesus Christ three of you in one fucking day? Look I don’t know who you are or what your deal is but leave me the fuck alone!” He practically yelled.
Lawrence-“ The woman started before a shuffle in the background cut him off.
“Aye! Don’t you yell at my wife dammit! I don’t care if you’re special you don’t yell at Elyse!” A new male voice called back.
“James stop it now” the woman demanded before another shuffle happened and then silence.
“Sorry about him, James can be over protective” the woman chuckled.
Lawrence couldn’t believe what he was hearing and he felt so frustrated he wanted to cry.
He took a deep breath and pinched at the bridge of his nose.
“Just-Jesus Christ what the hell do you want from me?” He asked.
“Nothing just yet, don’t worry. You’ll only have to deal with our antics for a bit longer I promise. Have a good night Lawrence” Elyse said and then the line went dead.
Lawrence couldn’t deal with the overflow of emotions he had so he simply turned up the TV and curled up on the couch, falling asleep almost immediately.
XXXX
Another day passed and Lawrence tread lightly, his nerves getting the best of him since the phone call.
He felt like he was being watched 24/7 now, even when he was home with all the blinds closed.
He had been given another job from Fake AH and needed caffeine, so he headed to a cafe just down the street with his laptop, pepper spray clutched in his other hand.
He set himself up in a booth in the back of the busy cafe with a large coffee and set to work cracking the codes given to him by Jack.
He had been there for about an hour before suddenly a figure appeared in the seat across from him.
Lawrence froze, fear setting in as he clutched the pepper spray in his other hand.
The man was short but had an intimidating gaze, partially hidden by a large beard.
“Are you one of them?” Lawrence asked, straightforward and curt.
The man said nothing, only glancing at Lawrence’s clutched hand before nodding once and looking him in the eye again.
The man slid something across the table and then stood and left without another word.
Lawrence was confused as he looked down and found a muffin from the cafe, big and full of chocolate, sitting on a napkin.
Lawrence picked it up and inspected it before glancing down at the napkin where something had been scribbled in pen.
Hey!
Tomorrow night, Club 47, downtown Los Santos
Meet us out front at 9pm exactly!!
See you then :D
-The Gang
(P.S Sorry if Matt didn’t say anything or scared you! He just doesn’t talk much)
Lawrence groaned and set the muffin down so he could bury his face in his hands.
XXXX
Lawrence chalked this up to curiosity; these people, whoever they were, had been fucking with him for almost a week now so why not see it through right?
Or he was just an idiot who was about to be murdered. (Lawrence hopped that wasn’t the case)
It was eight fifty four and he had been standing in front of Club 47 for about thirty minutes now.
He tapped his foot insistently against the cement, the loud thump of the club behind him and the talkative line of people waiting to get in helped him drown out his own thoughts.
A figure appeared next to him and he froze up, his entire body going stock still.
“Hey, you got a light?” the man asked, there was no cigarette visible but he held a phone in one hand and his other was opened palmed and waiting.
“Oh um…yeah I think so?” Lawrence stuttered as he dug into his pockets and produced a metal lighter; even though he didn’t smoke he always kept it on him since it had been a present from a friend years ago, his initials engraved on the front.
The man thanked him and then looked the lighter over before tossing it back.
Lawrence’s fumbled with it as his heart dropped and he looked up into the man’s eyes.
“What are you doing?” Lawrence deadpanned.
The man was larger than him and way taller with tanned skin and short black hair styled to one side.
“Verifying you’re the right person. Our ride should be here soon” the man answered with a smile as he looked at Lawrence and slipped his cellphone back into his pocket.
Lawrence opened his mouth to question it, to ask what the hell he was talking about, to ask if he was one of them, but he couldn’t because the man’s smile fell and twisted into a look of surprise and shock.
Lawrence tried to look behind him, tried to see what the man was startled by, but he was spun back around and pulled into the man’s arms and a harsh kiss was pressed against his mouth.
He gasped into it and quickly tried to press a hand between them so he could pull away.
“Sonntag? What the fuck?!”
The familiar voice of none other than Michael fucking Jones startled him and the man finally allowed him to pull away and spin around.
He only caught a glimpse of the Fake member’s, Michael starring at him in bewilderment and Gavin of all people already on his cellphone, probably speaking with Geoff.
A car pulled up next to them and the man was shoving him into the back, not even allowing him a moment to collect his thoughts before the door was being slammed behind them and the car was speeding off.
“Thanks for the pickup Joel” the man said as he situated himself and Lawrence in the backseat.
“No problem, we’re still heading back to the base right?” the curly haired man in the front seat asked.
The man in the back nodded and then turned to Lawrence.
“I’m Omar by the way” he said as his arm went around the back of Lawrence’s seat.
“What the fuck is going on?” Lawrence replied, still in shock as he resigned himself to stare out the window next to him.
Omar laughed and took Lawrence by the chin, forcing him to look his way.
“You’re about to find out” was all he said before pressing his lips against Lawrence’s again, this time much softer and easier.
Lawrence was so done at this point; he recognized the man in the front seat from Monday’s newscast, fucking Joel Rubin of fucking Fakehaus.
Seven days of complete nonsense interrupting his relatively safe and mundane life style and he was just tired of it all.
He didn’t even care anymore if this drive was him being taken to get murdered or something, ending his life with a kiss from such a perfect looking guy like Omar wasn’t so bad.
Omar pulled away reluctantly as the car slowed to a stop after a few minutes and he got out, leaving the back door open for Lawrence.
The younger man slid out of the backseat and watched as Joel got out and tossed the keys to Omar before approaching another more burly man waiting for them on the sidewalk.
Joel pressed a kiss to the man’s cheek and then headed into the building behind him along with Omar, leaving Lawrence alone with the man.
“You’re the guy from the convenience store” Lawrence stated.
The man chuckled and nodded before stepping forward and stretching his hand out for Lawrence to take.
“Yeah Bruce. Knew you’d remember me, consider that little run in your official acceptance letter”
Lawrence raised a brow and looked between Bruce’s hand and his face.
“Welcome to Fakehaus” Bruce said when he realized Lawrence wasn’t getting the hint and watching as the young man’s face morphed into shock and surprise.
“I…don’t really have a choice do I?” Lawrence replied.
Bruce chuckled and shook his head.
“After all the hard work my crew has put in, no, you really don’t”
Lawrence sighed and shrugged his shoulder, to overwhelmed and to fucking done with everything to argue.
“Guess it’s better than nothing” he replied before taking hold of Bruce’s hand and shaking it firmly, and then going willingly as the older man lead him into the building.
What the fuck had he gotten himself into…?