p"Respite before hell"/p
pDisclaimer:br /
The characters of John Wick, the Lucifer series and the Avengers are the exclusive property of their respective authors./p
pI derive no financial benefit from this fiction./p
pCrossover with Lucifer, Avengers and John Wick. This fiction is set in the universe of "Redemption" and "The Miracle Child"./p
pJohn, stunned by his fall from the roof of the Continental Hotel, sees an indistinct shadow in the corner of his eye./p
pStunned by pain, exhaustion, and fighting with High Table's henchmen, he was slumped on the dirty, wet, rough floor of the alley where he had landed after Winston's betrayal and Winston had tried to eliminate him with a weapon./p
pFortunately for John, the Italian suit had served its purpose and stopped the bullets. The blurred silhouette moved in the former hitman's field of vision and John grunted as he saw her approaching./p
pThe man had often seen this shadow, barely perceptible to the eye, during missions or hand-to-hand combat where John had escaped death within a second./p
pIn the world of contract killers, governed by codes and a strong sense of honour and duty, superstition had its place./p
pEven if adjusting things to the nearest centimetre meant leaving nothing to chance and luck./p
p"You're not going to get me, Bitch!" John said, with a rage that only grew. I still have some business to attend to. Afterwards, if you want, you can come and take me away. But until then, fuck off! "/p
pThe silhouette froze and a pleasant, cheeky voice was heard:/p
p"-Oh, dear! You must confuse me with my sister, the Angel of Death! No, no, I am only Lucifer Morningstar, King of the Underworld and a member of the Avenger family! I'm here at the request of Clint, who is a friend of a friend who cares about you. »/p
pJohn's exhausted mind momentarily wondered who this "friend" could be who could care about him. Marcus, his one and only friend, being dead, murdered by Viggo Tarasov./p
pBefore falling into a welcome and beneficial coma for his exhausted body, John had a vision of a man, in a three-piece suit, smiling and with thin, regular, pale features./p
pIt occurred to him strangely that this Lucifer had the ethereal beauty of an angel.../p
p /p
pJohn opened his eyes, took a sharp, alert, examining look around him and realized that he was in a large, medical room with a window overlooking a lake and clear walls./p
pCarefully, he got up on his bed and found that no pain was hindering his movements. Not unsurprisingly, he noticed that the wounds on his hands and arms had disappeared./p
pThe sound of a door opening alerted John, who raised his head sharply and his eyes widened in amazement at the person he thought he would never see again./p
pFrank Castle, dressed in a black T-shirt and cargo pants, sat down, without hesitation and quietly, with impassive features, on the chair beside John's bed./p
p"-Hey, are you okay? "Frank said, as a greeting and seeing that his former lover hadn't moved./p
pJohn contemplated for a long minute the one that was to be a one-night stand, during a meeting in a bar where the need to decompress, after his adventures with the Tarasov family, had become urgent./p
pHe had forgotten, for a short but intense pleasure, his pain, his grief and the outside world in the arms of a stranger as talkative and mysterious as he was./p
pThen the two lovers of one night had met again, at the same bar, and with the help of beer and alcohol, the two men had shared another night. Then another.../p
pFrank's insistent, piercing look pulled John from his memories and he shook himself mentally./p
p"Yeah," John replied, accepting the glass of water handed to him by Frank. Where am I?"/p
pFrank was about to answer when a red-headed young man appeared in the room, carrying a cane and wearing tinted glasses./p
pHe confidently looked for Frank's hand, and Frank gave it to him. John sensed the complicity and tenderness evident in this intimate gesture between the two men, and thought he discerned a small pout of jealousy on the lips of the redhead./p
p"-Matt Murdoch, my soul mate," Frank presented, peacefully. /p
pThe mention of soulmate awakened memories that John preferred to forget, and a dull pain overwhelmed the former hitman./p
pHelen, his wife, was not John's soul mate, but that hadn't stopped the two young woman and man from loving each other passionately and leading happy, serene and calm lives./p
pThe brief glimmer of suffering seen in the green eyes of someone who had turned out to be John's soul mate came back to John's mind./p
pJohn quickly and uncomfortably smothered the guilt and uneasiness beneath this untimely memory./p
p"-You're in the Avengers' compound," Frank said, impassively. Apparently, here they have access to machines that can cure a man in no time. You're safe, John. High Table, powerful as it is, can do nothing against the Avengers. »/p
pJohn showed no emotion when he was told that he was in the headquarters of Earth's most powerful heroes. Indeed, High Table and its members avoided touching the affairs of Stark Industries and the Avengers, and Tony Stark was one of the few socialites and V.I.P feared by La Grande Table's high authority./p
p"Frank has heard rumours about you," Matt said in a neutral tone. That you were a non grata person at the Continental Hotel and that High Table was after you. He didn't want to leave you in this situation. He saw himself in you again. »/p
pFrank cleared his throat, embarrassed by his companion's statement./p
p"Yeah, you've got yourself into a hell of a mess, John." he said, crossing his arms./p
pJohn did not reply to that. He thought that in a few days, for some people, it would be shit and hell at the same time./p
p /p
pThe meeting room fell silent when John, accompanied by Frank and Matt, entered the room. Steve, Clint and Scott watched him, in silence and expectation, aware that they were facing a legend, a living myth./p
pTony stared at him frankly and said, direct as usual:/p
p"-You don't look so terrifying for the Baba Yaga, Hitman. It's the same with Hellboy too! He's supposed to be the Devil but he looks like an angel! Just like you, by the way. Chinese or Italian? »/p
pShocked to be addressed with so little ceremony and no fear, John remained petrified for a second or two before realizing that Tony had just asked him if he wanted Chinese or Italian as a meal./p
p"Hem, I think you just broke the Baba Yaga, Tony," Lucifer remarked, with a hint of amusement./p
pJohn immediately recognized the stranger who had rescued him from the deserted alley where he was dying. He noticed the young chestnut man sitting next to Lucifer and that the two men were holding hands./p
p" -My husband, Daniel. " said Lucifer, seeing that John's gaze was fixed on their wedding rings./p
pDan smiled, putting John at ease and greeted him with his head. He sat down at the table with Frank and Matt and adopted a placid attitude./p
p"So, Chinese for everyone! "supposed Tony, who told Friday to place the order. /p
pThen leaving his cheerful expression, the billionaire added, in a serious tone:/p
p"Afterwards, we'll discuss the legitimacy of your future plans, Agent 47."/p
p /p
pTo be continued./p
p /p
pTranslated with Translator (free version)/p