-Run-
A mechanical, keening shriek ripped through the night, alerting the city to trouble. Sirens screamed and searchlights panned the already illuminated cityscape. Electronic signs flickered from traffic information and advertisements to a public service announcement:
JAILBREAK! We implore you to stay indoors. If you see the prisoner, call for police assistance at once!
Following the scrolling warning in yellow LED lights, a picture of a tall, lean man with long navy hair and heterochromatic eyes filled the screens. Orange prison garb clashed with the man's pallor and dark hair. The identification placard read Prisoner #6917762, Rokudo Mukuro.
The jailbreak had been a mystery. Prisoner #6917762 had been in an isolation tank, with around the clock surveillance and a team of scientists monitoring vitals. Unfortunately, fluctuations in the magic field had a tendency to play with even the most state-of-the-art facilities. That's what security chalked it up to. Regardless of the why or how, there was a jailbreak and they needed to find and contain this criminal.
Rokudo Mukuro was a wicked manipulator, a siren of the deep, who preyed on wealthy, attractive men to convince them to break their arranged engagements. Breaking a betrothal was a cardinal sin in Pollux, therefore not to be taken lightly. Very few could resist his siren's song. It was no surprise, then, when Dino Cavallone had fallen victim to him. The inspectors responsible for picking Mukuro up had patted the blonde on the head and apologized for not catching Mukuro sooner, leaving Dino ratherconfused. Dino was the one who had offered to take Mukuro to dinner, as a thank you for assisting with a particularly difficult business negotiation. Things had escalated, sure, but Dino had been the initial instigator, expressing to Mukuro his interest, then letting him lead the game. Everything was entirely consensual.
Mukuro, as well, had been confused. Sure, he was a flirt (and a bad one at that), with his habits usually resulting in flushed giggles or slaps to the face, but never criminal charges. Dino had tilted his head at him with a cocked eyebrow. Mukuro had just shrugged. He probably would have been flippant about it even if he had known just how much trouble he had gotten them into. So that was how Mukuro had gotten in trouble this time. A crime of affection, though the two paramours had been so caught up in each other that they had forgotten their precarious situation.
Which led the current situation of cacophonous alarms, roving searchlights, and emergency PSAs.
Dino pulled Mukuro into a tight back-alley as one of the lights glanced over where they'd just been. His heart pounded in his chest, thud-thud, thud-thud. Mukuro laughed breathlessly, pressed close to his criminal-in-love. Adrenaline coursed through their veins, the life that gave to their survival. Dino had to laugh, too, if only because Mukuro did, and the man's emotions were contagious. This was absurd to the point of hilarity, though. All this uproar and fanfare over one little "homewrecker" who's first and only offense was choosing Dino.
An officer brushed by their hidden alley. Dino tensed, lifting a hand to bite his thumb. Mukuro grabbed his hand and shook his head. Blood magic would do no good here. The atmospheric fluctuation would alert the pursuers to their presence. Any novice knew that. Dino would be an idiot to even try. The blonde relaxed, glancing at Mukuro. He shrugged in response to the condescending look in heterochromatic eyes. It didn't hurt to be cautious, right? But it did to be careless. Mukuro rolled his eyes as he was tugged through the alley and up a fire escape.
Dino eased a grimy window open and slipped inside, pulling Mukuro in after. Thank the stars for bad parts of town – easy to hide and maneuver without my suspicion. They stole through the dilapidated apartment complex, one of many that the Housing Improvement Bureau's had been promising for years to bring up to housing code. For now, they were glad for the HIB's procrastination. The tenants here were all criminals or degenerates, and no one was hard pressed for any structural improvements. That would be too much exposure to the shady residents of this block of town. Both Mukuro and Dino exploited that tonight.
Slinking through dingy hallways, they stayed as close as possible without tripping over each other. Getting separated here would end in disaster. At least here, though, they were safe from searchlights. The tenants, too, were inclined to mind their own business. Anyone slinking about with sirens baying wasn't meant to be trifled with. They flew up several flights of stairs and crossed through windows, over alleys, using the squalid housing as their cover. As they passed a hole in a wall, a protruding pipe caught the chains connecting Mukuro's ankles and jerked them both back onto the floor. Dino landed into Mukuro's chest, wheezing. He forgot about the chains. What kind of moron puts chains on the ankles of someone in a straightjacket suspended in a liquid isolation tank?
Mukuro laughed again. Of course it would be their luck to tumble while trying to escape. Dino pushed himself up and eyed Mukuro. He sighed in exasperation at the laughter, smiling himself. The blonde shook his head and looked around, in hopes of finding something to break the chain or unlocking the shackles. Nothing in the hallway, but a door was wide open, revealing a sickly looking teen reclined sluggishly, a needle in hand. Dino pursed his lips in distaste, but got up and took the needle anyways, breaking it from the syringe. The kid was too far gone to notice. Grabbing that, and a set of clean-ish, dark clothes, the blonde returned to Mukuro.
Mukuro eyed the needle warily, but Dino just shrugged and knelt down, picking the lock on the shackles. Mukuro leaned forward, rubbing his ankles, relieved at their disappearance. Dino smiled and pressed a kiss to Mukuro's forehead. They didn't have much time, though. Dino nudged Mukuro to his feet and pulled the orange jumpsuit off him. The prison escapee arched a brow at Dino's careless undressing of him. Dino rolled his eyes and shoved the dark (stolen) clothes at him. Mukuro chuckled and re-dressed without complaint. He also swiped a pair of socks and shoes that were a little big. They didn't have the luxury to search for clothes that fit properly.
Light flickered through a window and filtered through the hallway. The race was on again. The two took off down the corridor, through another window and into the next building. Dino led him through another hallway, out another window, and down another fire escape. They hurtled through the remaining alleys and cleared the city's imposing wall, slipping through a fracture just for them.
Outside the wall, wilderness ran rampant. Nature provided them with untamed cover. They dashed through the ancient wood, short of breath and exhilarated by their crimes. Branches reached out and scratched their cheek skin, tore their clothes, a simple and expected punishment for bringing the corruption of Pollux's capital after them. Sirens continued to wail from the city behind them and spotlights sliced the darkness that was their ally, marking the urgency of their situation. Dino grasped Mukuro's hand tightly, as if it were his lifeline, as they stole through the wilds. They flit over the ground like air, adrenaline surging them on. Hounds howled at their heels.
Not soon enough, but not too late either, they broke through a thicket and stumbled into a small clearing. The moon ducked behind cloud cover, obscuring their sanctum. At least something was on their side tonight.
"Dino, what are you doing?"
"Do you trust me?"
"Don't answer a question with a question." Mukuro narrowed his eyes at the blonde. "You know I do."
"Then wait. You'll see soon." Dino hummed, biting down on his thumb and drawing elaborate door sigils with the resulting blood. The air shimmered with heat.
"...You're opening a door to Castor?" Mukuro looked affronted. "You're sending me away."
"For now." Dino offered a smile. "I promise I'll join you. I just have to take care of the Vendicare hellhounds on your trail. After that, I swear to you, Mukuro, I will not leave you. No matter how long it takes, I will follow you. You have to hurry, though. I can't keep the door open for long."
Mukuro hesitated. One one hand, Dino was right. Castor was far out of Vendicare's jurisdiction. He would be safe there, and Dino always kept his word, which meant he'd follow soon. On the other, he didn't know how soon was soon. And he'd be leaving Dino alone to the Vendicare.
"Go, Mukuro, I'll be fine." Dino smiled, leaning down and pressing his forehead to Mukuro's. "And you won't be alone. Alaude and Kyoya are waiting for you."
Mukuro snorted at that. Dino played dirty, if he managed to get those two to cooperate. The door to Castor rippled impatiently.
"Go."
Mukuro hesitated again, eying the door warily. It rippled again. Dino sighed, grabbing Mukuro's chin and forcing him to look at him. "We don't have time. You have to hurry, or we'll have to wait a month."
Mukuro grunted, turning his head away. Dino sighed, and rubbed his temple. Mukuro, now was not the time to be stubborn. The blonde smiled and pressed a kiss to Mukuro's lips. He dropped a heavy chain over Mukuro's head, the weight foreign and comforting on his shoulders as a ring plinked against his chest.
"Go, Mukuro. You have to go. I'll join you soon, I promise."
The door rippled again, angrily this time. Mukuro stole one last kiss from the blonde before he was shoved through the door and disappeared. The door blinked into oblivion.
A/N
I'm probably biting off more than I can chew, writing two multi-chapter stories at the same time, but... D69 is a not-so-secret weakness of mine, and I can't seem to find enough fanfics for the pairing, so I figured I'd write my own. And, well, I guess if I don't have inspiration for Tethered, I could always work on this fic, and vice versa. I'll try not to let them get inactive for months at a time, though! If you feel you're waiting too long for me to do something, feel free to shoot me a message!
Anyway, this project was very loosely inspired by the Ringing creepypasta that's been floating around on tumblr. I hope you enjoy!