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The Element of Surprise

Written by Wolfqng

Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction, and I do not own Sense8 or any of the characters portrayed in this story.

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3. The Things We Don't Say

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Wolfgang woke up at eleven thirty-seven p.m. with the buzzing of his phone on the nightstand.

There was an uncharacteristic weight over his chest, pressing on his ribs and numbing the entirety of his left arm. He opened his eyes and stared confusedly at long blond hair similar to his falling in almost too perfect curly waves over his skin, blinking the sleep off his eyes and pushing the body splayed over his gently until there was nothing connecting them save for the mattress covering their nakedness.

With a sigh, Wolfgang moved until he was sitting on the edge of the bed, rolling his back while taking his phone into his hands. There was one single message on the screen, containing simple instructions but no identification; just a short, vague assortment of words that Wolfgang knew exactly the meaning of.

Unknown number: the transaction's done. deliver at the following address...

At the end, there was the name of a neighbourhood and a street, but no house or apartment number whatsoever. Wolfgang groaned, but got out of bed anyway and headed towards the bathroom, turning the shower on.

The water was cold and unforgiving on his skin, but he paid it no mind and instead closed his eyes, feeling the muscles on his arms and back relax considerably. Then there was a pair of hands caressing his chest, and he looked up to see blond hair and a particularly large pair of tits facing him.

He vaguely remembered sharing a few drinks with the same woman that night, but had no recollection whatsoever of taking her home with him, much less having sex with her.

She- Gretchen? Perhaps Brittany?- smiled devilishly at him, but Wolfgang's mouth didn't so much as twitch. He wasn't really in the mood.

Ever since Kala's last visit he hadn't been in the mood for pretty much anything.

She came closer, running her hands through his chest and placing wet kisses along his neck. Her fingers travelled further down, and he groaned when she stroked his length unceremoniously. He felt himself go hard under her touch, but even as she went into her knees and took him into her mouth, all he could seem to think of was how she was not Kala, and how she felt completely wrong against him.

The woman left soon after the shower- he made it very clear to the women he slept with that he wasn't looking for any kind of commitment, so they knew better than to stay the night- and Wolfgang didn't bother to say goodbye, sighing deeply and tiredly, looking for his keys and wallet as well as the little cardboard box that contained what he'd hopefully be selling that night.

He'd been doing small jobs ever since the incident with his uncle. There were still people looking for him; associates of Sergei that didn't feel too happy about loosing their main source of money and drugs and who knows what else. Wolfgang was smart enough to know he wasn't completely off the hook just yet, but staying in hiding was simply not an option.

Felix was still in the hospital after all, and there was no way he'd be able to earn the exorbitant amount of money necessary to keep him there anywhere else.

So, his only choice was to turn to the illegal; something he'd been trying to walk away from for a long time, but that followed him wherever he went ever since his childhood.

Wolfgang crossed the street and walked hurriedly down the steps to the subway. He arrived soon after his train had left, and cursed loudly as he found a place to sit, waiting for the next one in the empty station.

That was when he allowed himself to think of Kala.

She'd been plaguing his mind like a disease, and Wolfgang was well aware of how distracting it could be. He'd started seeing her everywhere he went, wether because of the bond or not. She was in the smell of tea from Berlin's cozy coffee shops, and in the bodies of dark-haired, olive-skinned women he saw on the streets. Her eyes were in the black of his coffee; her smile in the hot spiciness of Indian dishes from his favourite restaurants.

His train arrived and he found a seat inside with an aching clench to his chest that had been bothering him for weeks now, perhaps even months. Sometimes, when he was busy enough and his head wasn't so plagued with curly dark hair- those times it became less apparent; almost silent, but still a quiet reminder that it was still there and that he wouldn't be getting rid of it so soon.

But then he'd think of her, or see her, or talk to her, and it would be back to haunt him, ringing like an alarm only he could hear; pounding loudly on his ears and chest along with the rate of his heart and making it almost impossible to bear.

Wolfgang felt a click on the back of his head and prepared for the worst; for her. She never came, though- or at least, not her.

Instead, it was Sun sitting beside him. Her blue jumper was smeared and dirty next to his jeans and jacket, and he felt a pang of sympathy momentarily overtake the pain within him. Her eyes were roaming their surroundings, and he could tell she was revelling in the flutter in her stomach every time the train took a sharp turn.

"It's been a while since I've been to the subway," she said quietly, voice rough and low from disuse. She'd been in solitary again this week, and he could see- hell, he could feel just how much it affected her.

"I reckon it's been a while since you've been anywhere, really," he countered with a twisted sense of humor- which she seemed to understand, because Sun snorted darkly beside him as they made another turn.

"You've kept me busy," she muttered in the same tone.

"Ah, so you've been keeping up with my life."

"It's not like I can turn it off at any given moment." This time she cast him a significant look, "besides, you look like you need some help."

His eyes met hers briefly as they approached another station, the light of the subway casting bluish shadows on both their faces. "Do I?" he asked; she shrugged. Wolfgang sighed, hiding a wince. "That bad, huh?" she looked at him in turn, eyebrows raised high on her forehead. It was enough of an answer to him. "What do you think I should do?" he asked after a few moments of silence, once their bodies were covered in darkness again and their expressions became barely visible.

"Probably stay away from her," she replied truthfully, because if anything, Sun was honest. Brutally so. He was glad it was dark enough that she couldn't see his grimace.

"Yeah, well... that hasn't really been working out, has it?" he countered.

"Perhaps because you haven't really been trying," Sun replied sharply, her words sounding more like a warning than a reprimand.

Wolfgang chose not to answer, standing up and heading for the exit instead. He'd reached a station far away from where he lived, where the streets were empty and dark despite the few street lights illuminating the path.

Sun followed him out, the only indication that she was still there being the faint press of her prison cell's walls on his back. Wolfgang crossed the street feeling her looming presence behind him, and leaned against a tall brick wall that was supposed to be his client's meeting point, reaching into his pocket for a pack of cigarettes and lighting one up in his mouth.

The smoke filled his lungs and rid his chest of the emptiness he'd been feeling previously. Wolfgang exhaled it through his nose and offered his cigar to Sun as he did. She took it with trembling hands, inhaling its smoke and closing her eyes in delight afterwards, her head rolling back until it touched the wall behind them. "God, I've missed these," she exhaled in a puff of grey as Wolfgang chuckled lowly.

"Keep it," he said after she took another long drag and tried to give it back, and the look she gave him almost made him smile.

Wolfgang stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling his skin grow cold under the midnight air, wishing the weather was hotter more often in Berlin. About five minutes later, a black car made a sharp turn a block away from where he stood, way over the street's speed limit, and came to a halt exactly in front of him. Wolfgang pushed away from the wall, still feeling Sun standing beside him- which was incredibly reassuring considering he never knew what the outcome of these exchanges would be.

The car's windows were dark in a way that made it impossible to see anything inside, and Wolfgang felt something in his stomach stir. From the backseat emerged two men dressed sharply- suit and tie and everything- whose faces Wolfgang couldn't really see in the dark and who stood out completely in the poorer neighbourhood they found themselves in. One of them was clearly the bodyguard, his bulky frame positioned protectively in front of who Wolfgang figured was his boss. "Be careful," he heard Sun whisper behind him, and nodded ever so slightly, trying to tell himself this was just another harmless transaction.

"You have your end of the deal?" the man's deep voice startled Wolfgang the slightest bit, and he nodded once before reaching into the hidden pocket of his jacket. He handed the box to the bodyguard, who opened it immediately to look at its contents. Three small diamonds glimmered under the yellowish street light above them, and the man behind the bodyguard scoffed, the sound sharp and menacing. "This is not what you promised me," he stepped forward and into the light, and Wolfgang tried his best to hide the look of complete horror on his face upon seeing the other man's features.

He knew that man, there was no denying it. Back from when he was a boy and his father and uncle had him come along in their business meetings. His voice hadn't triggered any sort of memory, but the image of pitch black hair and the characteristic horizontal scar etched across his face was unmistakable. They'd met before- had even sat at the same fucking dining table, and just thinking about the cruelty in the man's eyes back then had Wolfgang's heart rate accelerating.

"It's what you paid for," he summoned all his strength to reply; jaw set and body stiff.

"You kids love fucking things up, don't you?" the man chuckled humourlessly in response, the sound making Wolfgang's breath hitch. He then shook his head, examining once more the contents of the box. "Luckily for you, I just lost my previous dealer, so I'll have to stick with you for the time being." He didn't seem to recognise Wolfgang's face at all, which was a relief. "Don't expect us to be so kind next time, though," the man slowly retreated into the shadows, walking away and into his car, followed by his bodyguard.

Wolfgang refused to relax until the black vehicle disappeared around the corner. Sun had left sometime during the exchange, and he had to remind himself to thank her later for her company.

"Fuck," he cursed to himself as his feet carried him back towards the subway.

He was in desperate need of a drink.

...

Kala woke up with sweat trickling down her neck and back.

Her silk nightgown was wet and glued to her body when she sat on her bed, and as her eyes adjusted to the darkness of her room- or rather Rajan's parents' guest room- she could see it was still nighttime outside.

The wooden floor was cold against her feet as she tried her best to detangle herself from her husband's iron-clad grip, and she lifted her hands in front of her body to prevent from hitting anything on her way to the bathroom.

Rajan grew up in a house bigger than the one they'd bought after their marriage. It was filled with paintings and sculptures Kala was aware costed more than any member of her family could ever afford. The hallways were long and large as she exited her room, and her hands reached delicately for the doorknob even though she knew no one would hear her from downstairs. She'd decided not to use the guest bathroom, as it would probably make too much noise- not that it would've been a problem, since Rajan seemed to sleep like a corpse, only coming back to life once there was daylight streaming through the windows.

Kala closed the door behind her and sighed as she looked at herself in the mirror. She'd been having recurring nightmares the past week, and hadn't been able to make them stop no matter how long she meditated, or how many times she prayed before going to sleep.

Her hair was a mess, and the dark circles under her eyes didn't help. Kala was still sleepy as she went to turn off the lights and leave, but gagging noises coming from behind her kept her from going back to bed. She looked up to the mirror to see a figure dressed in a black jacket and dark blue jeans bent over the toilet, coughing furiously and gripping the ceramic with white knuckles. Her first instinct was to stand completely still, not knowing wether to run to their aid or away from them.

Then she caught a glimpse of blond hair and her heart seemed to make the decision for her.

In a few seconds, she was kneeling right next to the toilet, worry making her eyebrows knit together on her forehead. "Wolfgang?" she asked, voice shaky and barely a whisper as he coughed a few more times before wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and looking up at her. "Are you okay?" His eyes were of a dark blue color she'd never seen before, and she gasped the slightest bit at how unlike himself he looked before putting a hand on his back to steady him.

"Define okay," his voice wavered a little and he sat on the ground next to her, hands supporting his weight behind him as he looked to the ceiling. "I'm fine," he said after she didn't say anything in return, "just had a little too much to drink." She relaxed considerably, shifting so she was sitting beside him, rubbing a hand along his back comfortingly- or so she hoped.

"What were you drinking for?"

Their eyes met briefly, "I don't know," he sighed, looking down instead as if in deep thought. She lifted her fingers to hold his hand and realised it was clammy and hot.

Kala frowned again, pressing her hand to his forehead and ignoring the confused look he shot her. "Wolfgang, you're burning up," she murmured sitting a little straighter and pressing her cheeks to his head instead, to be certain. "I think you have a fever," she informed him, to which he only grunted. He didn't seem all that surprised by her statement. "Where are you?" Kala looked around at the cramped little bathroom he was sitting at in Berlin.

"Home."

She nodded and stood up immediately. "Come on," she offered him her hand, pulling him to his full height and helping him out of the bathroom and into his room. The bedsheets were crumpled on both sides of the bed, and Kala tried her best not to dwell on it too much as she watched him lie down.

"Kala, I'm not crippled. I can do this myself," Wolfgang complained as she went to take off his shoes, but the look she shot him was enough to make him keep his mouth shut. She also helped him take off his jacket, folding it neatly and putting it inside his closet.

When she turned back to him, he looked almost fragile, though the thought immediately left her head as she observed the harshness of his features. His jaw was set and he looked rigid even as he lied down. "You should relax now," she said approaching him and stepping into his personal space as she sat beside him, propping her hand on the bed at the other side of his legs for support. "Try to get some sleep."

Wolfgang looked at her with an indecipherable expression on his face. "Why are you doing this?" he asked, and his question sounded so genuine that it made her heart squeeze painfully against her ribs.

"Because I care about you," she answered in a heartbeat, and from her tone of voice he thought she sounded almost offended. "I don't know how to stress this enough, Wolfgang, but this- our friendship," she tried to clarify, suddenly sounding very serious, "it matters to me." Her eyes looked soft and harsh at the same time. "You matter to me," she emphasised, standing closer to him than she probably should; looking at him in a way that she probably shouldn't- and when she said that, the way she said it... Wolfgang actually believed it.


A/N: Hello again everyone! I just wanted to say a quick thank you to all of you who've reviewed, favourited and followed this story! It really makes my day opening my email to find so much love from you guys!
This chapter's a little shorter than the others, but it just felt right to end it there, I hope it doesn't bother you too much...
All in all, I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please let me know in the comment section below ;D

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