Eight days later, Adam was standing in front of Tukson's shop once more. He was supposed to visit the day before, but slipping away without arousing suspicion of Sienna's agents was sufficiently difficult.
And, any mistake at this point would have been deadly, so Adam chose to delay his visit rather than take the risk.
"You're late," Tukson said as he saw him, but Adam didn't miss the relieved expression on his face.
"That's the best I can do," Adam said. "Any more, and I risk getting caught."
"Maybe I should just send it over the scroll," Tukson said, though his smirk.
"Yes, and maybe you should also add Atlas Council directly, and not bother their poor agents," Adam chuckled. It was hardly a mystery that Atlas was actively tapping into every single scroll communication using their advanced technology advantage.
"Right," Tukson said with a chuckle before his expression turned serious. "I have talked with a few old friends, and mentioned that I had been looking for some extra revenue source using my old skills."
Adam nodded, approving his tactic, which was much better than going around throwing the name of White Fang. There was a reason he chose Tukson to gather information.
"They were helpful enough to give me quite a bit of information about Torchwick, mostly to help me stay away from them, of course," Tukson said with a chuckle. "Thieves, such helpful people."
"And the information," Adam said.
"I have compiled everything, let me go pick it up," Tukson said, confirming that he wasn't keeping the information with him. Another smart move. Even in a bookstore, keeping sensitive information around was hardly the smartest idea.
"Good," Adam said, watching him nod enthusiastically. It seemed that the possibility of changing White Fang's path appealed to him even more than Adam had expected. "Where should I wait?" Adam asked.
"You can stay here, as long as you don't take your anger on my poor counter again," Tukson said as he pointed at the new counter, replacing the one Adam reduced into matchwood with just a punch during his previous visit.
"Sorry about that," Adam said insincerely, and Tukson laughed before leaving, locking the store with Adam inside.
Adam didn't feel panicked, because if Tukson wanted to do something to him, there was no need for him to try to put a trap. A scroll call to Sienna, or Vale, would have been enough to end his life.
Making so many enemies had its cost.
He chose to pull a book and started to read, not bothering to pay too much attention to his surroundings.
So, when his combat sense blared suddenly, he was shocked.
He threw himself to the side, and a familiar weapon passed through the space his head had been occupying moments ago.
Gambol Shroud, the weapon of his former girlfriend.
He turned, just in time to dodge another attack. He was shocked at Tukson's betrayal, and he was even more shocked at its ineptitude of it. Blake was strong, but not nearly strong enough to rival him even in a two-to-one scenario.
Yet, even as he dodged, trying to see where Tukson was for the inevitable follow-up, nothing arrived. Tukson was not there, confusing Adam about what had been happening.
Then, Blake spoke, solving that particular mystery. "Where's Tukson, you monster," she shouted even as she attacked again, this time using the ribbon of her weapon for an extended attack, sloppy in anger.
It was another thing that people were mistaken about. Fighting in anger was not as easy as Adam made it look. It was an ability he developed only after years of practice.
Adam avoided it easily, and rather than running away or escaping, he grabbed the ribbon and tugged hard. It was a difficult maneuver, but Adam was too familiar with her fighting style to miss the opportunity.
Before Blake could react, her arms were already bound with the ribbon of her own weapon, immobilizing her. "Long time no see," Adam said casually, trying to ignore the anger blooming in his heart. Her betrayal hurt, not just because of their romantic relationship, but because Adam had done a lot to protect her from Sienna's mechanisms, most she was unaware of.
Her distrust and escape hurt him badly.
Even worse, no matter how angry he was feeling, he still wanted her, his Semblance making things even harder to control.
"What are you doing here, you monster?" Blake said, trying to look brave, but unable to hide the tremble in her tone.
"You lost the right to ask me questions, Blake," Adam answered with a sigh as his anger dissipated, leaving him exhausted.
"Why, because I didn't want to be a part of your murderous gang," she shouted, even angrier.
Adam sighed even as he brought his hand to her head. She flinched like he expected him to hit her, which made him even more disappointed, showing just how little she truly knew of him.
He had loved her unreservedly at one point, and though she was the same, apparently, it was a one-way street, if she was willing to believe the worst about him that easily. He didn't say anything though, instead just pulled the bow from her head.
The bow that was hiding her cat ears.
"This is why, Blake," Adam said, not bothering to hide his disappointment. "Running away is one thing, but hiding your ears like a coward and trying to buy acceptance by selling our kind…"
That was enough to cut the wind off her sails. She suddenly looked ashamed. "It's not like that, I needed to get away—" she tried to say.
"Yes, and of course, you couldn't just return to Menagerie, it's not like you know anyone that could keep you away from White Fang there," Adam said, and Blake blanched even more.
"It's not that simple —" she tried to cut in, but Adam didn't allow her. He was disappointed, disappointed enough not to hold his tongue, unlike the other times.
"Life is never simple Blake. Even someone as pampered as you should have realized it by now. But no, just like always, your life is too smooth, and you need to create problems for yourself. You could have just sent a message to your father, and left White Fang without a problem. But it wasn't angsty enough for you, is it?"
"It's not like that!" Blake tried to counter, but Adam spoke over her.
"No, it was not fun enough. It needed to feel like a story, right. Poor, misunderstood hero, trying to earn acceptance by hiding her true self, unable to trust anyone, trying to gain acceptance of her new friends." Adam scoffed. "Of course, our poor little heroine probably ignores the fact that her father is the chieftain of one of the Kingdoms, albeit the poorest one. Did you really think that Ozpin allowed you there for anything other than getting leverage over Ghira and a useful card against White Fang?"
"But-" Blake tried to say, but Adam pushed her against the bookshelf, wanting to silence her.
And just like that, old habits took control, bringing his instincts to the surface. Instincts that he did his best to suppress whenever they were together to respect her more.
It wasn't the first kiss that they shared, which would have been surprising with the number of times they shared their bed. But all those times, Adam was soft and tender, respecting her boundaries, and allowing her to choose the way things would develop.
This time, his tongue invaded her mouth mercilessly, silencing her in the most effective way possible as he stole her breath. Adam wasn't happy with the way he took it, expecting Blake to push him back.
Which was why he was surprised when her lips responded instead, trying to launch a counter-assault. It was not an effective one, easily destroyed under more steady assault, but it was enough to flip a switch in Adam.
If she wanted to play, he was more than happy to accompany her, truly this time.
It was the time to show her the cost of being a spoiled bitch. If she was going to act like that, Adam was going to tame her the way she deserved.
Maybe even using a feature of his Semblance he had never used before…
His tongue invaded her mouth even deeper as he let his fingers dance over her body, feeling something growing in his body, throbbing in his soul. It was his semblance, but this time it wasn't the chaotic explosion of anger, but the more steady growth, throbbing with his heartbeat.
He brought his finger on her neck, and released a burst. It worked wonders to trigger a moan off her, which he silenced effectively without wasting even a second.
Even in her dazed state, Blake realized that things were getting out of control.
She realized that maybe her reaction to attack Adam was too excessive, but seeing him without Tukson, it was easy to jump to a conclusion. However, she didn't know how she ended up from attacking him to being pressed against the shelves, his tongue invading her mouth…
In a way he never did when they were in a relationship, triggering some of her kinks that she wanted to stay buried, the kind that included silk ropes and ball gags.
She responded to the kiss, as it was better than trying to think about his cutting words. So, she did nothing as his hand pressed against her thigh, forcing them wide before rubbing her inner thighs repeatedly, each touch giving her a pleasure much higher than she expected.
If he had been doing that from the start, she would never abandon him in the first place.
No, she corrected a moment later. His words were wrong. She didn't abandon him because she started to feel bored, and needed to feel like a victim. She did it because he was a monster that could not be redeemed.
Right!
Luckily, his huge presence, pressing against his leg, did wonder to pull her mind from the more comfortable truths he had spoken.
But, before she could lose herself in pleasure, the door opened.
Adam pulled away from the kiss when he heard the click of the door once more, and Tukson walked inside, not wanting to show him the kiss.
He pulled back, not because he was afraid of Tukson, but his relationship with Blake was, despite all its complications, private. He had no intention of revealing his private dealings to anyone, let alone to an ally of convenience.
Also, despite his speech, he was aware that the only reason Tukson was listening to his words was the belief that Adam was more than a simple thug.
But mistreating the closest thing the Faunus had to a princess in front of him would push him unnecessarily.
"What's going on," Tukson asked with a deceptive calmness. Meanwhile, Blake looked at him dazedly, like she couldn't process what was going on. Adam was surprised by her reaction as well, not expecting her to simply melt under his merciless rush.
"Just an overenthusiastic visitor who was afraid for your security because of the evil presence of Adam Taurus, Tukson, nothing to worry about," he said, adding just a touch of hurt to his tone —which, admittedly, he hadn't needed to fake.
Hiding it was the thing that took effort. But, there were no kid gloves for Blake, not anymore. "But I clearly overspent my welcome, so I should leave," he said. He grabbed the bundle Tukson brought him, and left a bundle of lien on the table to cover the cost of the repairs and some. "Sorry about the store," he said, mentioning the damage that he had created during their little scuffle.
Then, he left, pointedly not looking at Blake, ignoring when she muttered his name as the door closed behind him, and he stepped into the chilly night air.
"Fuck," he murmured as he walked away, trying to suppress his desire to go back and fuck his ex until she was begging for his forgiveness. He had more important things to do…