So this is rest. The silence of their house, the ache of their bodies as they trudged in. A job well done, and they were exhausted. So they walked into their shared bedroom, too tired for conversation. Too tired for much of anything. Schuldich removed all his clothes and laid down on the bed, ready to fall asleep. It was a long damn day. At least he had some twelve hours until he had to go out and work again.
"You coming to bed?" he didn't open his eyes.
"No. I have some work to do. I'll come to bed in two hours when I'm done."
Schuldich let out a heavy sigh, "Ah, work work work." He smiled, "You're having a love affair with your desk." Schuldich felt the bed sag towards the edge, as Crawford sat down. Schuldich felt a hand grasp his left arm, felt Crawford's lips brush up against his scar. Crawford had taken to kissing it, as a form of foreplay.
"After that," Crawford's low, soothing voice, "I'll come to bed and make love to you."
Schuldich opened his eyes. Crawford was leaning over him still, a pure calm exterior, nothing of passion yet. Crawford stroked his cheek lightly, affectionately.
"You shouldn't be allowed to use that phrase." Schuldich closed his eyes again, letting sleep take him over. "'Make love' - that's just so wrong for you to say." He sighed again, started to doze off. "Night."
Crawford took off his work shirt and tossed it casually on the floor. He'd pick it up four hours and twenty-eight minutes later. He untied his dress shoes and placed them under a chair next to his dresser so that he wouldn't trip on them four hours and twenty-six minutes into the future. He removed his socks and tossed them at the hamper, they landed next to yesterday's clothes, which smelt like gunfire. He walked into his office and casually picked up a cardboard tube, which had been delivered the afternoon previous. There was no return address. He pulled on a cardboard tag casually, broke the seal and took off the cap, tossed it into the trash. He pulled out building schematics, and slid one underneath a clear piece of plastic. From out of his desk drawer he withdrew six colored dry erase markers.
Red was Schuldich. Black was Nagi. Green was Farfarello. Blue was himself. The other markers were yellow, orange, and purple. With the black marker, he X-ed out all of the exits except for one. Nagi would make sure that this specific exit was the only functional one before they moved in. Then he stopped and considered the rest of the layout.
Schuldich worked best on the inside, and Crawford preferred to keep him close, to act as a relay between the four of them. Farfarello was best working ground floors, or outside. Nagi was his favorite for rooftops, normally, but since there was computer work involved this time, Nagi's station was obvious.
The objective was pretty simple. Go in, make sure their human mark was dead, along with witnesses. Pull specific files pertaining to a specific project, obliterate the office and step out.
Standard workfare, standard wage -- it shouldn't take long, fifteen, maybe twenty minutes tops.
He changed and compared schematics. Standard work building, safety exits on every floor, easily accessible to employees. Japan was a safe place to work.
Crawford wove the fingers from his left and right hand together and rested his chin on them. He looked down at the building schematic and let out a contemplative sigh. Crawford was, in fact, exhausted. As such, he was aware that his thought process was hindered. But he preferred to have his plans finished before he went to bed, so that he could proof them when he woke with a clearer mind.
He raised his eyes, and looked through the open door to their shared bedroom. Schuldich was fast asleep, and had already kicked the covers off. Crawford looked at the time. One hour and fifteen minutes into the future, he would walk to the bed, and wake up Schuldich so that they could have sex. He made no move to alter this future, he saw it as quite agreeable.
He stood up, and walked to the bedroom, sat down on the bed and ran a hand over Schuldich's hair. Schuldich woke up a little, opened his eyes and smiled. "Two hours already?"
"No."
"Ah, altering the future for little old me, I'm touched." And Schuldich drew near, nuzzled Crawford's throat and started to kiss. "Still tired though..." He sighed heavily, "but you like it when I'm still tired, huh? You like it slow..."
"I didn't mean to wake you up." He rested a hand on the nape of Schuldich's neck. "Go back to sleep." He brushed his fingers lightly through Schuldich's hair, and held him close. "I just need to think."
"Okay..." It didn't take long for Schuldich to fall back asleep.
They'd enter the building first, and then he'd have Nagi seal all the exits but one. They would leave Farfarello at this exit to take care of anyone trying to escape. After the exits are sealed, Nagi will move to the computer room and start the hack. Nagi averaged five minutes hack per system. Nagi had been studying their security module for the past two weeks in preparation for the event, and expressed confidence in his ability to get in. Nagi claimed three minutes, but Crawford took into account boot up time as well as unexpected events, so in his opinion it would take more along the lines of five to eight minutes to get all the information he needed before he destroyed the system. Schuldich and Crawford would go after their mark. Crawford will probably be the one to pull off the actual hit, and Schuldich will run relay as usual between them all as well as act his usual post as Crawford's bodyguard, should the need arise.
He checked the future briefly, to get an idea of what was going to happen. Weiss will be there, that adds an additional ten minutes to the job. Shouldn't be much of a problem.
One hour and fifty-six minutes after Crawford said he'd come back to bed to make love to Schuldich, Crawford pushed Schuldich off of him and walked to his office. He made several shorthand notes with the dry erase markers, making sure to keep within the color code. He'd proof them later. He walked back into the bedroom and sat on the bed two hours to the minute he said he would return, removed his slacks, and tossed them next to his dress shirt.
He drew the covers back on as he laid down next to Schuldich, stroked his shoulder. Schuldich woke up and smiled sleepily. "Two hours?"
"Two hours."
Schuldich showed his teeth but kept his eyes closed, "You promise?"
He woke up, and Schuldich was laying against him. He enjoyed this, the feel of a warm body close. He'd gotten used to it. There were times, when he was almost sure that he could think better when Schuldich was close - because was more relaxed, and more able to focus on the task at hand. The ease that comes with familiarity, he supposed. He sat up in bed, and looked down at Schuldich, shifted his gaze to look at the alarm clock that Schuldich never paid attention to. They had one on each side of the bed, a remnant from the days they used to sleep in separate rooms.
He'd screwed up his time schedule, slept in an additional 5 hours. He checked the future one more time, to ensure that it hadn't altered too significantly. The changes that had occurred were to be expected, but nothing too horrible to be dealt with. He nudged Schuldich. "Wake up."
Schuldich made a face and pressed closer to Crawford. "Wake up, we slept in."
"Ugh." Schuldich said, and rolled onto his back. "Fuck, we did?"
"Yes, but I don't think anything will be significantly hindered. Don't dally in the shower, and don't eat a large breakfast."
Schuldich laughed, opened one eye and squinted at him. "Fuckin bright in here, hate mornings..." He sat up and sighed, scratched his scalp and flopped back down. "Fucking haaate mornings." Crawford nudged him again. "What?" He muttered in an annoyed voice.
"I'll shower with you." Crawford said with an amused smile.
"You will?" Schuldich brightened considerably, sat up and kissed him on the mouth.
"No dallying." He stressed again. 'Dally' was a joke word to them, a word they used when they were playing.
"Aw," Schuldich exaggerated, "But dallying is half the fun..."
"Schuldich." Crawford was smiling just a little at him.
"Spoil sport." Schuldich turned and swung his legs off the bed. "I don't see why I love you."
Crawford sighed, but it was a sort of content sigh, as he got off the bed on his own side, "I thought I told you to stop saying that." They showered together, with minimal dallying.
The flight to was boring, and Crawford had his hands full keeping Schuldich occupied. Farfarello looked out of place in the suit they made him wear, but he was behaving himself nicely. Another few hours and they'd be on location, then they would run the drill and come home. Crawford was grateful at least that it was a short flight, and did not see any events happening to make things difficult.
"I refuse to ever fly coach ever again." Schuldich muttered. "They don't even serve liquor here."
"I wouldn't let you drink, anyways."
"Yeah, but the point is to have a fucking option."
Nagi stared out the window, engrossed in the scenery. Farfarello kept on flexing his hands and moving his arms.
They arrived, checked in at their hotel, and immediately re-introduced Farfarello to his straight jacket. "It's good to be home." Farfarello muttered, as the buckles slid in. "Felt naked, you know..."
Nagi was sitting at the hotel table. The thing was brown and ugly, and the food that had been delivered had wilted with the steam, small droplets of the moisture still sitting on the Styrofoam lids. Nagi picked at it lightly. Farfarello was sitting with his back braced against the wall, his arms folded inside the straight jacket with an almost casual air. Schuldich was kicked back on the bed, feet firmly planted on the floor.
Crawford pulled out his revised schematics, and unrolled the map and the clear plastic together at the same time across the table. Nagi moved aside the takeout with his telekinesis without having to be told.
"The objective is obvious. Schuldich and I will take care of the target, Nagi already knows about the information we need. Farfarello, you work ground floor near the exit and take out anyone who tries to leave. Schuldich will relay orders as I issue them." He continued to outline all the necessary information, making sure to convey specifics as was applicable to their situation. "Details will be given as we arrive." Crawford concluded. "And Weiss will be there."
Farfarello immediately started to laugh, and Nagi sighed. Schuldich grinned and said, "Oh, goodie." He laughed and it hit a harmonic chord with Farfarello for a moment.
"Mm," Crawford nodded. "They're there for the same mark, really. So they'll be in our way. If they kill him or if I do, doesn't matter to me, just don't let them fuck up our objective. They'll want to stop Nagi on the fourth floor, so you'll keep an eye out for their computer brat, eh Nagi?"
"Of course I will." He said softly, but he looked just a little amused, and then he flicked his eyes back up to Crawford and made eye contact, "-sir."
Crawford nodded approval at him. "I know you can take him, but he can take you as well if you get careless. We'll do fine tonight, so long as we remain aware."
Farfarello leaned forward and whispered softly, reverently, "May I kill 'em?"
"Yes."
"Aaaah..." Farfarello smiled and leaned back. "Tiger-claws is Christian..." And he tilted his eyes to the window, a soft smile formed at his lips. "God loves all his little children..." He let out a soft sigh, and didn't say much of anything else.
Schuldich rolled his eyes and flopped back down on the bed. "God loves everyone, Farfarello. He loves Kenken just a little bit more."
"Kenken." Farfarello sing-songed. "God loves -"
"Schuldich," Crawford put a note of warning in his voice. "Don't fuck with Farfarello before a mission."
"Hmmm." Schuldich said, "But he's fun. Can't I have some fun, Craw-daddy?"
Crawford sighed and walked towards the window. The light spilt inwards in slats, highlighting tiny bits of lint that floated in the air. "Not at the cost of us as a team, Schuldich. We are not Weiss. We have our unity, we have each other." He took in a soft breath, opened the curtain and let in a stream of light. "There is a reason why they are a joke, and we are not. As a team, no one can ever equal us. As a team, we can rule the world, live life as we see fit. Apart we're just waiting to be locked away. A simple diagnosis away from a disassociative personality disorder. Individual psychos who claim to have supernatural powers. We might as well claim to be god, or from another planet."
"You give us power." Farfarello whispered, and looked away from Crawford, focused his eye at an empty corner of the room. "You do."
"No." Crawford turned and looked at the three of them. "No, we give each other power."
Schuldich, Nagi, and Farfarello sat in silence.
Objective: Dispose of the CEO of a pharmaceutical company that had helped aide in the production and development of a biological weapon. Steal their research data, and make sure it's destroyed. Who gave a shit if the employer wanted to sell it to the highest bidder or make sure it didn't fall into the wrong hands? Money was money.
After business hours, minimal staff. Only research scientists on site, as well as the CEO. Everything was performed with professionalism.
Weiss was there to do good, but Schwarz were there because they were hired to be there. Schwarz did not entangle themselves into the complicated subplots that their employers were weaving. They had long since learned their lesson. After being freed from Esstet, they had simply put out their abilities for hire. They did not talk about their talents in front of others. They did not do anything that would jeopardize their team. There was a reason they were the best: Crawford and his command, their sense of camaraderie for one another. Never fuck with chemistry, never get involved with plots. Do the job, collect payment, and leave the situation.
Stain your hands with blood, not politics.
Crawford walked up to their hit, pointed the gun casually, and pulled the trigger. Comfortable jolt up his arm, He made a mental note to sell the gun tomorrow, he'd already used the same gun for three hits in a row, it was time for a new one.
A flash of knowing, an instant where the world freezes and then moves again. He knew what he was going to hear, he knew what he was going to see. He kept tabs on it from now on, just in case.
"Ah," Schuldich said in annoyance, "they're here."
"I know."
"Of course you do."
There was a moment where Crawford and Schuldich checked their clips, flashed each other wild grins.
This was fun. This whole thing, fun. The tightness in the air, the premeditated control of their actions, the through danger of it all - fun. The darkness of the office, the body that was dying loudly on the floor, the money that was going to be wired to them later. All of it, fun.
"Here he comes..."
And the door opened, slowly, and slowly a sword tip moved in, steadily. Just when the hand holding the katana appeared, Schuldich swung forwards, and planted a momentum laden kick right into the knuckles of the hand holding the katana.
"Aaaah, the pretty red one!" The katana clattered on the ground. The sound of their mark drowning in blood was loud in the office. Schuldich started to laugh and laugh and laugh. And he grabbed Aya by the hair, wrenched his neck to one side and smiled against his ear. "I like redheads." He whispered sensuously, flirtatiously, made certain to slide a hand across bare skin for a moment. Skin contact like this, it horrified him. Schuldich knew that.
And that amused Schuldich infinitely.
Aya bared his teeth, it almost looked like a smile. A low, rolling growl sound was heard and he tried to pull free.
It was, of course, a fight Aya had no chance of winning. Schuldich made Aya confused, made Aya's world go backwards and melt, made Aya hallucinate Schuldich racing around him in circles, faster than humanly possible. Made Aya unable to tell up from down, unable to concentrate and focus. Aya froze, his eyes became wide for a moment, before narrowing to purple slits.
"What no, 'shi-ne'?" Schuldich kicked him and danced back away from him. Aya swung his katana around as if he could jab at him with his senses confused. Schuldich laughed again, and tossed a look up at Crawford. He made a kiss face at Crawford and winked. "What do you think, baby, threesome?"
"Hell, no." And he crossed his arms, but he found the sight amusing.
"Aw." Schuldich said in mock sorrow. He moved his bright gaze back down to Aya, who was reaching out and jabbing at phantasms of Schuldich. Schuldich tilted his head to one side and smiled. If he were a cat, he'd twitch his tail. Schuldich touched his lower lip with the tip of his tongue, and shifted his weight from his right to his left foot. He walked forwards, and grasped Aya's left wrist, twisted it. He pulled Aya close, wrapped one arm around his waist and tightened his arm. "You know, you're beautiful." Schuldich whispered. "Maybe I'll play with you again some other time."
Aya dropped to the ground in a faint.
"Easy enough. Idiot." Schuldich kicked him in the head. He looked up at Crawford and grinned jauntily. "He's so self-important."
In the lobby, Farfarello was pleased. No one had escaped his pike, but for the assassin. He didn't mind losing Ken. Ken was fun.
He lifted his chin, and listened to Schuldich. He sighed, and looked at the corpses that littered the floor. No need to be clean this time, the corporation would do all the cover up for them. Nagi walked in, calm as the grave, his laptop satchel on his back. He glowed of accomplishment.
"Ye do like he said?"
"I always do." His voice was soft and deep. Nagi was prideful, and Farfarello approved. Nagi dipped his eyes and smiled.
Crawford and Schuldich entered the lobby, Schuldich looked like he'd had some fun. Crawford looked like he just made a whole shitload of money. They took three hours to drive back to the hotel, to make sure no one was tailing them. Schuldich drove. They parked the car in a used parking lot, Nagi disabled the cameras, and they took a different one.
"Red." Schuldich said, "let's get a red one this time." And he laughed. "Please?"
"Red it is." And they took the car as casually as they took all the other ones. When they finally arrived at the hotel, Crawford had them convene in Nagi's hotel room, where the computers were.
"Nagi, email our contact. Tell him that we finished. Schedule a meeting with him, if possible. If not, at least get him to give us a coded way to send this information to him. I'm going to bed."
Nagi nodded, and looked away with a bit of a sigh.
"Nagi?"
"Yes, Crawford?"
"You did well."
Nagi looked a little uncomfortable, looked incredibly, shyly pleased. "I know."
"Schuldich did you put Farfarello in his room?"
"Sir yes sir." Schuldich drawled.
Crawford arched a brow at him. "No need to be a smart ass about it, Schuldich."
Schuldich shrugged. "Am I on your agenda for tonight, or shall I go out?"
"I'd like it if you joined me." Crawford answered, "But you'll probably go out anyways." And Crawford went to their room.
Schuldich stood there for a moment with Nagi. "Fuck, I hate it when he does that."
Nagi looked up at Schuldich. "So, you going out?"
Schuldich stood there and twitched. "He makes it hard even to be contrary. No matter what I do he can say, 'I told you so.'" Then he let out an aggravated sigh and followed Crawford.
Crawford was sitting on the edge of the bed when Schuldich walked in. He paused at the door, watched Crawford remove his tie, drape it across a chair back, begin to undo his dress shirt.
"Don't hover, Schuldich."
Schuldich swore loudly, turned and left to go out.
"Told you so." Crawford said lightly, a small amused smile on his face. Walking down the hallway, Schuldich mouthed the words a bit mockingly. He couldn't hear Crawford's thoughts, that was true, but he damn sure knew that's what Crawford was saying.
They didn't think it was necessary to lay low after a mission. If Crawford didn't say otherwise, they all assumed it was safe. So Schuldich went out clubbing. He never could get Crawford to join him, not that he'd fit in much if Schuldich ever succeeded.
The voices of a club made a music all its own. Warm undulations of bodies, mirrored by thoughts of beautiful body parts, sex fantasies, drunken confessions. It was enough to make Schuldich a little high. He liked clubbing, he liked the thoughts of all the people in the room, the way they tangled and meshed and twisted around him. He could reach into the air, pull out a strand of thought, slip them into his mouth and inhale its flavor, it was so tangible.
He danced, he laughed, he got a little drunk. A couple of little mental nudges at a few willing minds and he got himself some free drinks. He flirted rather shamelessly. There was more than one person willing to take him home by the time he was ready to head back to the hotel.
It amused him to snub them. This was his downtime, when he wasn't with Crawford. Just because Crawford didn't like the crowds, didn't mean that Schuldich stopped visiting them. Just because at home there was a willing lay didn't make him any less lascivious when he gazed upon the beautiful.
The only real difference now was that he really didn't want to take them home and screw them. None of them were Crawford. He only flirted with them for fun, he only toyed with them for amusement. When he went back to the hotel, he felt better. Less stressed, less inclined to throttle Crawford to death for being so damn right all the time.
Crawford was sitting their little hotel table when he walked into their room. "Still awake, eh?" Schuldich tossed his jacket carelessly onto the floor. Crawford's eyes were closed.
"Mm." Crawford didn't open his eyes. "It'll be good to be home tomorrow."
"Yeah. I miss the stupid place." Schuldich flopped down onto the bed. "But it's kinda cool not having to wash the sheets ourselves the morning after, hey baby?" Schuldich grinned.
"Subtle as hell on horseback."
"You like it." Schuldich answered smugly. "Quit pretending you don't."
Crawford got up, sat on the bed, and laid a hand on Schuldich's cheek, stroked lightly, traced a tiny path down Schuldich's arm, once again drawing the scar to his lips. "I was hoping you'd come back earlier." He closed his eyes and held the wrist tightly for a moment, the tip of his tongue traced the shape of the dense, numb flesh that formed the scar.
"If you hadn't been so damn uppity about it I would have." Schuldich laid a hand on Crawford's bare shoulder, pressed the palm there and enjoyed the skin. He moved in a circle, smiled up at Crawford with a bit of satisfaction.
"But you're in a better mood from the club." Crawford said reasonably, and started to undo Schuldich's shirt, "Aren't you?"
"Yes, I am." They kissed.
Schuldich woke up later, and found that he'd once again ditched his pillow in favor of Crawford's arm. Hotel pillows were horrible things, anyways. He began to wonder if he should pack his own damn pillow when they went out for jobs like this, but then decided that Crawford's arm was a pretty damn good alternative. He smiled happily, stretched upwards, arms above his head -- and laid back down and moved close to Crawford again.
"Getting soft in your old age." Crawford's voice.
Schuldich laughed, and kissed Crawford's throat. "I'm never soft when it comes to you."
"Sex sex sex, that's all it is with you."
Schuldich lost a little of his amusement. "No, that's all it is with you." He corrected. "I'm in love with you, remember?"
Crawford stroked back his hair lightly. "You never let me forget."
"I love you."
Crawford's fingers stopped playing with his hair. The room was quiet, they could hear a maid walking down the hallway. Schuldich felt Crawford's eyes on him, strong in disapproval. They were having an old argument. "I don't like it when you say that." Just a statement this time, none of the usual sharp impatience that his voice usually contained: Crawford, getting tired of repeating himself. Crawford grasped Schuldich's left wrist tightly, drew the arm close and rested his lips against the scar that was there.
Schuldich jerked his arm away. "Yeah, I forgot, it turns you off." For a moment, he was too pissed off to really think clearly. For some reason, it angered him that Crawford brushed it off so carelessly, he thought he'd be happier if Crawford had yelled at him, made a fuss. At least that way, it wasn't just a casual brush off.
They lay there in silence for a bit. "Oh, fuck it." Schuldich said suddenly. He didn't want to allow himself time to think. "Mornings are bad enough as they are without being all angsty and shit." He took in a breath, "I refuse to argue with you. Are you taking me out to eat or do I have to cook for myself when we get home?"
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