41 under water

They usually ended up in the shower or in a bath after they came back from a job. Neither of them wanted to go to sleep covered in gore unless they were simply too tired. Sometimes, when Badou was already in the bath and Haine got back, the white haired man would rinse off in the shower, then slip in beside him in the narrow tub, limbs tangling together for a moment as they found a way to sit that they were both comfortable. But there was one time that Badou shoved Haine and they slipped so that water splashed out- but under it, their lips were crushed together in a desperate 'I'm glad you're back'.

42 endings

"Fuck…" Haine breathed tensely for a moment before coughing up another bullet. Badou watched the blood covered lead gleam under the street lights.

Badou hated to watch.

He hated seeing so many endings.

Because each bullet had been meant as an end.

43 fire

There was one night that Badou couldn't remember being more scared that Haine had died.

Some bastard had set fire to the building, and Haine, being the stubborn motherfucker that he was, had stayed, choking, eyes watering from the smoke. Badou had been forced out of the building, and of course, the door had caved in. Haine didn't come out. Badou waited there the whole night as fire crews came and they barely managed to keep him from running inside. They couldn't find him, but Badou hadn't expected them to. None of them were bright and just barely did their fucking job right. But as they were leaving, he was finally able to get inside the ruined building, soaking wet and stinking of ashes and burnt bodies. Hell, they had already been dead for the most part.

"Haine?" he called nervously, "Haine, where are you, you damned bastard?"

"Get- get the fuck over here!" he heard a raspy voice answer and his eyes widened as he tried to find his friend. Friend, lover, bastard, partner-in-crime, what the fuck were they anyway?

"Where are you?"

"I can't get- some beam fell on me or something. Where the fuck've you been?" Haine asked, clearly pissed, hurt, and quite ready to get out of whatever he was in. Badou didn't take too much longer to find him, and Haine really wasn't in the greatest position. He certainly didn't envy him.

Haine was trapped under a beam, covered in his own blood and who knew who else's, burns already healed, but he looked exhausted.

Badou stared at the beam, "Fuck man, I dunno if I can-"

"Just- I'll help. I moved it some but…"

And so, together they were able to get the beam off of him, and Haine started coughing and gasping as his chest healed- he must have had broken ribs and all sorts of internal injuries that hadn't been able to heal.

Badou helped him up, "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Haine said, running a hand through hair gray with ash.

"Fuck it, I was- fuck-" Badou said and kissed him, holding on tight to those narrow, pale shoulders.

"I'll be fine," he whispered.

"Stubborn shit," Badou muttered.

"That's my middle name."

44 wings

Nill fluttered her wings when she saw Haine, glittering with excitement that he was back. She threw her little arms around his thin waist and hugged him tightly smiling. He put his arms around her (albeit a little awkwardly), a soft, rare smile crossing his lips.

He couldn't help but wonder if Nill ever wished she could fly.

45 and?

"Shit Haine, you're so fuckin' skinny!" Badou said one day as they were on their way to Granny Liza's.

"And?"

"You fuckin' never eat!"

"And?"

"Goddammit…" Badou muttered and ran a hand through his hair.

46 during a battle

It always happened so fast. Neither of them were very aware of time, always shocked to see how much had passed. When they finished and they were only ones standing, their eyes would meet in a silent signal to move on.

47 text

"Dude, you have texting?" Badou asked, shocked as he looked through Haine's phone.

"What?"

"Texting! Fuck, Haine, why the hell d'you even have a phone like this?" he waved it in the air.

"So Bishop can contact me if something gets really fucked up."

Badou just sighed. "Utterly useless…"

48 progress

Haine had gotten a lot better about women. He no longer freaked out as badly when he accidentally brushed against a female on the street (now it was just a twitch) but there were times when he was really bad about it. Like at bars and some drunk chick was hitting on him (and he was practically crawling away with really wide eyes). Badou usually found this a little bit amusing and managed to save him by placing himself between the girl and the albino before things got too bad (with a "'Scuse me, honey"), then break the girl's hopes by making out with him.

49 upside down

Haine was sitting on the couch—but upside down, and Badou thought for an instant that the white-haired man might be doing some sort of freaky yoga shit or something.

"Haine?"

"Hmm… what?"

"What the- were you asleep?"

"Yeah."

"What the fuck!?! How d'you sleep like that?" Badou asked, sitting down with a beer.

"Like this," he said, closing his eyes again.

"Freak."

50 unseen

Haine could sometimes feel Giovanni watching him. Observing, Silent.

It sent rage through his veins, wanting to rid the world of the freak.

He wanted to rip him to pieces.

A/N: Lalalalala, I love writing these so much. I re-wrote 41 and 42 right as I was typing them up. XD So, if there are any weird bits, it's because they didn't get through the editing filter. Because I have a system so that I force myself to edit. I hand write everything and type it up, so that I have to edit it as I type. Otherwise it just doesn't get done. XDDD Anywaaaay, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Goodness, two in one day ;D