OMFG Guys you have no idea how sorry I am for not updating for what, 4 weeks? Everyone thinks summer is so chill and calm, it's not. No one is ever free and my entire summer has been booked since about May. So to make up for not updating in forever we made this chapter as long, and as feelz as possible, I probably cried like 3 times, but lots of fluff to clense your souls. I hope you all love this chapter and forgive us for not updating. Also just for a heads up the next chapter is the last one, and we will try to get it up as soon as possible. Love you all! ~ Kawaiijilli + KiPanda Cutie XD
What was this feeling?
The feeling like something amazing but at the same time something dreadful was about to happen?
Emil opened his eyes, awakening from a deep sleep, then noticeably flinched back as he saw...was that Leon?!
His Asian boyfriend was perched upon his windowsill, like some kind of idiotic bird...thing.
"What the hell are you doing here?!" Emil furiously rubbed his eyes awake.
"You're really quiet when you sleep."
"Yeah, I think that's what's supposed to happen when someone's asleep!" At the moment, he didn't question how or why he was at the window, and why he was being such a stalker.
"No, wait, I mean, like, you don't talk in your sleep or anything."
"Am I supposed to?!" Emil was getting really frustrated.
So that's how Lukas feels all the time when Mathias is around.
"No, no. I just thought that this would be something from Yong Soo's K-Dramas or Mei's fanfictions or something. Like, the girl talks in her sleep about the boy and stuff and then the boy just happens to be in the room or something..."
"Yeah, that's not happening. And don't compare me to a girl again."
"Make me." Leon stuck his tongue out playfully.
"I'll push you off the window. That'll shut you up, right?" Emil slid off the bed and poked at Leon's arm.
"Maybe. But that's not what I was going for." He waggled his eyebrows. "Gotta give me something if you want me to quiet down."
"P-pervert!" Emil backed away from said pervert, only to have him move in closer until they both were backed up against Emil's bed.
"Go away, stupid fool."
"Hey, you sound like that Italian guy. The really angry one."
"I do not! You sound like his tomato bastard of a boyfriend then."
"That means we're together, right?"
"Shut up!"
"Make me."
"Not this again!"
"Then you better shut me up~."
Emil frowned. "If I knew any better, I'd say you'd be an exact replica of your Korean cousin."
"Don't compare me to an idiot, Icy." Leon brushed aside his bangs and feigned a pout, scooting his face closer. His golden eyes bore into the latter's purplish ones, searching into the other's soul, unfurling unspoken words.
"You're annoyed." Leon pointed out.
"I have a reason to be."
"Good morning, Ice."
"Góðan daginn, Hong."
Leon hummed in response, meshing his lips with Emil's. The Icelander's eyes fluttered shut, his expression softening into compliancy and content.
"Morning." Leon whispered again, his lips still connected with Emil's.
"Mm...M-morning..."
Leon ruffled Emil's hair, stroking the nearly ashy silver locks playfully. "We have work to do today."
"I know." The Icelander, in turn, leaned against Leon, so that his legs were on either side of his body.
Leon grinned. "Hey, you know what'd be fun?" He hoisted his arms under Emil's legs.
"...What?" Emil looped his arms around his lover, expecting another kiss.
Leon smirked and stood abruptly onto his feet, lifting Emil with him. The Asian simply laughed as he ran out the door with the Icelandic load with him, while said Icelander shrieked at the top of his lungs.
"You can expect this every morning from now on, Emmy."
"PUT ME DOWN!"
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"Shhhh, Lukas might still be sleeping."
"He seems like an early-waker to me. Hey, what happens if I run down the stairs?"
"Don't!"
"C'mon, it'll be fine."
"No! Stop!"
Leon swung Emil's body to his back, the latter still clinging onto the Asian's body like a baby koala.
"Cute..."
"Shut up."
Leon spun around in circles, almost as if there wasn't another human on his back. Emil groaned weakly, the whole room spinning around him. "You're an idiot...I'm climbing down now."
"No you aren't." And Leon sprinted down the stairs like a madman.
"GOD, HOW OLD ARE YOU?!"
"Twenty one!" Leon laughed as he jumped down the last step, switching back to carrying Emil bridal style.
"Well, you act like a four year old."
"Ouch, not cool. Especially that number."
"What? The number four?"
"Yes." Leon wrinkled his nose up slightly.
"Another superstition of yours that I don't believe in?" Emil brushed himself off and pulled at Leon's sweeping bangs with a small frown.
"Of course, what else?" Leon entered what seemed to be the kitchen. "Do you have any food?"
Emil was set down on the counter. "Yeah. Fish, more fish, and lamb. Oh, we have frozen breakfast stuff too."
Leon nodded and pulled out a box of frozen pancakes, looking for something sweet and liquidy at the same time. "No maple syrup?"
"No, we eat them plain."
"I know a Canadian friend of mine that would really, really hate you right now."
Emil shrugged. "Can't be as bad as Lukas when we run out of butter."
Leon took the now warm pancakes out of the microwave. "Here."
Emil mumbled a simple thanks and unlocked the door. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?"
"Did you forget? We have Ivan Braginsky to catch."
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As Emil pulled up to the nearest parking space, he noticed the time.
For the very first time that day.
"Dammit, why didn't you tell me I overslept, Leon?!"
"You looked so peaceful..."
"Ew, stop it with the cheesy soap lines."
"I have a Korean cousin, sue me." Leon grinned.
"Maybe I will." Emil leaped out of the driver's seat with a small hop, slamming the car door behind him.
Leon followed in suit, sneaking an arm around Emil's waist. "I wouldn't blame you then." He nuzzled his nose further into Emil's personal space until he rested it upon a pale cheekbone.
"Not here!" Emil tried to push him away.
"Aw, c'mon, Ice. Just one kiss?" Leon's amber eyes danced mischievously.
"No. If the Captain sees, it'll be the end of the world!" He squirmed away from Leon's warm breath on his face.
"How come...? I'm sure the Captain will understand...After all, she's been in a couple relationships...and I want the world to know that we're together so nobody takes you away."
"That's not what I mean!" She acts like a madwoman when she realizes her workers are dating each other...
But before Emil could protest, Leon had crashed his lips onto his and was guiding him into the building.
"St...p...eh..." Emil tried to mumble. He tried to fight back, he really did. But he decided to give up shortly after his vain attempts.
Leon smiled, and pushed open the door. It was hard to pay attention where he was going when there was an adorable Icelander connected to him, when he was breathing in the smell of the Icelander's natural scent, that of which smelled distinctly like mountain avens, licorice, and fresh blistering air. It was especially hard to concentrate when his lips were moving against yours in such a shy, adorable way.
"Hei, look who's putting on the PDA show now." A certain Norwegian gave the two a small smirk.
Emil immediately pulled away, rubbing his mouth before speaking. "Shut up. At least we didn't ruin the bathroom counters on the second floor."
Leon raised an eyebrow. "What's this about bathroom counters on the second floor?"
Emil barely lifted his lips in a smile. "Nothing. All you need to know is that they were unrepairable and Lukas left permanent damage on the mirrors." He leaned closer to Leon's ear. "And after further testing in the lab on the second floor, it was confirmed that there was a Danish man's residue left on the sink..." Leon nearly burst into a fit of laughter after hearing the last statement.
The Norwegian narrowed his eyes ever so slightly, his apathetic expression refusing to change. "Captain, get out your camera."
Emil froze. "You..."
Before he could finish, the wild stomping sounds of their Hungarian captain rattled the hallways. "I'M COMING~!"
Leon attempted to sling a protective arm around his lover, but Emil shook his head. "Don't! This will make it even harder for us to escape. Just follow me." Emil grabbed Leon's hand and guided him to the consultant cubicles, quietly closing the door behind him.
"Now what?" Leon whispered.
"Now, we get on with searching for Braginsky's whereabouts."
Leon gave his lover a long whine. "Do we have to?"
"Do you want to get paid?" Emil inquired with a roll of his eyes and started up the desktop that was catching dust.
"Well...yes. Money is great." Leon scooted Emil over, taking over the keyboard. "Shall I work my Cantonese magic?"
"Well, seeing as you already took the keyboard away from me, go ahead." Emil narrowed his eyes, despite the small curve of his lips.
Leon clacked away on the buttons, fingers speedily dashing over letter number keys as if he was merely flicking over them. "I can pull up the police database, but Ivan Braginsky's updated information seems to be...missing."
"What?! How is that even possible?! We apprehended him a couple days ago, he escaped, and NOW his new information in the police files are missing?! Check up on any networking site, go to the dark side of the web, anything! I want to find his information and I want to see him behind bars!" Emil crossed his arms angrily and huffed.
"Cute..." Leon murmured quietly, earning a glare full of daggers from Emil. "I'll try searching the dark web, since Ivan's an assassin and all that jazz. There has to be information about him here somewhere..." After a while, Leon sighed, running a hand through his (most likely gelled) hair. "No luck. I even went to the horny pages filled with-"
"No thanks, I'm good." Emil frowned. "Well how are we going to get him now? He didn't leave a cyber footprint, so how are we going to find him?"
Leon squinted at the monitor, switching back from the HVPD database back to the dark web and countless other pages. "Hm...I'm looking back at Braginsky's old criminal description covering all of the different crimes he committed and all I'm getting are tidbits about a couple of guys with names that are hard to say."
Emil studied the monitor closely.
Tori Laurinaitis.
Eduard Von Bock.
Raivis Galante.
"These guys...We need to speak with them!"
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"I don't understand why I'm here, I have a shift at the pet shop and if I don't finish, my boyfriend'll have my head!"
Tori Laurinaitis; he was really timid and nervous, and he was more nervous about his boyfriend killing him than his own boss.
Eduard and Raivis...they called for their lawyers.
"This will only take a few minutes, Mr. Laurinaitis." Emil pulled out a large manilla folder and started searching through its contents.
"O-oh...Well...Well I guess a couple questions couldn't hurt. But I still don't understand why I'm here."
Leon tugged on one of his long brown strands of hair while taking out his cellphone. "Where were you on the day Mr. Oxenstierna's front yard was ransacked?"
"I-I...I wouldn't call it ransacking...And I was um...closing up shop and feeding my pet cat."
"I would tell the truth, Mr. Laurinaitis." Emil narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. He hated being the bad guy in these situations, hated putting pressure on poor guys like Toris. But this was his job, and this was also connected to a personal matter. It had to be done.
Leon flicked open his cell phone and waved it around, a familiar video on its screen. "This video, Toris, reveals what exactly happened on that day, who exactly was at the scene of the crime, and what said criminals stole from Oxenstierna's household. You have two choices, take this the easy way, and go to jail for a couple of months, or take the hard way, and go to jail for a couple of years."
"If I tell you, the person that blackmailed us might come back and hurt us..." The Lithuanian stared quietly at the wooden interrogation table.
"We'll make sure that doesn't happen," Emil soothed, "If you tell us, we'll give you an escort home and you'll be protected by the HVPD."
Toris looked around fearfully, as if Ivan was actually right behind him, or rather, all around him.
"What's up with this guy...?" Leon whispered to Emil, not taking his blank gaze off of the Lithuanian.
"I don't know...I'll be asking the questions. Go to the other room with the Captain." Emil pecked Leon's cheek once. He heard the Captain squeal loudly through the soundproof glass.
Once the Asian had left, Emil resigned himself to a plastic chair in front of his interrogation subject.
"Y-you two seem pretty close..." Tori noted with a soft expression in his eyes.
"Mm...yeah, I guess. Do you have someone like him?"
"Yes...I...I do."
"Tell me about him." Emil decided it was best to calm the boy down as much as he could before he started asking questions that fit in with the case at hand.
"Well...his name is Feliks, and he's a fashion designer at Karpusi Co. He likes pink...a lot. And ponies. I wish that...that I could've seen him one more time before I got here. He's my most favorite person in the whole world." Tori sighed wistfully, and Emil noticed that when he talked about Feliks, his stutter faded.
"I see...He sounds like a wonderful person, Toris." Emil almost felt guilty about bringing him into the station for questioning.
"Will y-you talk about your p-person?" Toris gave Emil a nervous smile.
Well, this guy didn't seem much of a threat, why not?
"Hmm...I guess that's okay. His name is Leon, he has another name, which is his Cantonese name, and he's one of my most favorite people in the whole world. He likes firecrackers and authentic Chinese food. He also likes cute things," Emil could almost see Leon's frown boring into the back of his neck from the glass. "And we met a while back when I arrested him for blowing up some English guy's house."
Toris smiled softly, and a blanket of calm surrounded the room. Emil couldn't see it; how did this guy connect to Ivan Braginsky? He could hear his stutter, that's for sure, but that could've been just something he acquired when he was young. There was only one way to find out the truth.
"Toris, can you tell me everything you know about Ivan Braginsky?"
Toris froze in his seat, a surprised expression on his face. "Wha...what? W-who?"
"This man." Emil pulled out a photo of the baby-faced Braginsky.
Immediately, something flashed behind Toris' eyes and he shivered. "Nn..."
The Icelandic boy tried to hold his ground. "Toris, I know you have information that is valuable to the HVPD on this guy. We need your help to catch him. If you would just give us the information we need..."
"You're going to p-put me in j-jail...the s-same jail he's in...H-he'll find a way out...H-He'll find a way to k-k-kill me..." Toris' hand kept shaking, fidgeting with the ends of the table and tracing random patterns into the surface.
"He'll be going to jail, yes. But at this rate, since he's an assassin wanted by the government, we'll have to give him the death penalty." Emil didn't know how that was supposed to make him feel any better. "And even if he was just going to be locked up forever, he'll be separated from your cell. During recess, prison guards will keep watch. You're under safe protection, Toris."
"N-no...He'll find a way...I know it..." Toris shook his head feebly. "But I will tell you the information I know...If you're sure I'll be protected." Emil nodded at him, giving him a small smile.
"When I first met him, we were little kids, but I could already tell there was something odd about him. There was always a five mile distance around him in which people would not dare step into. He was always asking for friends, but nobody would dare come close to him. Feliks and I met back then too, back then he and I were friends.
When I was older, after Feliks and I started courting, Ivan showed back up again. This time, there was a more intense intimidating air around him, and he looked much more intimidating as well. Ivan still kept asking for people to be his friend, however one day...
...He just stopped.
His, 'Be friends with me, da?' somehow changed into, 'Become one with me, da?'
"It sounds disgustingly wrong when you first hear it, but...It had an alternate meaning than that perceived. That's when Ivan found Raivis, Eduard, and I.
"Raivis, as you know, is very young, and he was recruited by Ivan at the tender age of seven. Ivan had somehow intoxicated him with alcohol, and it was such a heavy and constant dose that he started getting addicted to the drink.
"Eduard, he was a closet gamer. He told me he had a pile of Japanese games he could hack to do the craziest of things, and he could even create his own personal wifi system in a tap of his mouse. However, he got tired of the same old boring computer tricks so Ivan recruited him as a hacker.
"As for me...I was very low on money, and even moving in with Feliks, I felt as if I should do more to help. I originally wanted to become a veterinarian, however, nobody gave me the job. Ivan recruited me, saying he could supply me with a decent job right up my field. That...ah, that was half true. I got a job working as a pet store employee, however, in return for this job I had to be a part of Ivan's team.
"Our first job was to sneak up about Berwald Oxenstierna's files in his building. Raivis, Eduard, Ivan and I were all there. Ivan really hated the guy because Mr. Berwald won the affections of a Finnish boy when Ivan was very close to recruiting him onto his team as a sharpshooter. He wanted revenge. That was his main plan. However, things didn't go as to planned and we were all arrested. Luckily, Feliks and Raivis' mother had the money to bail us out. However, we were all marked into the HVPD database.
This wasn't Ivan's first time, but somehow he was free without much trouble.
"Ivan was not happy for some odd reason after that. And that was when the true penance for joining Ivan's side revealed itself. There was a day..." Toris swallowed uneasily. "There was a day when we all met up at Ivan's hideout, and he requested I see him for a moment. I asked him why I was called away from the others, but Ivan did not say. Instead, he replied something like, 'I do not think you are very loyal to us, Toris.' And I was very scared, but I said, 'What do you mean? I am very loyal! I stay here with all of you, and carry out the dirty work!' He was not happy after I said that. He then said, 'Dirty work? I do all the dirty work around here, little one. I kill to protect our identities, and I murder to make sure we are sustaining ourselves. Money, food...it is what you need, is that right?' He stepped closer to me, and there was something in his hands. It was a long rope-like thing that glinted like hard metal. I didn't say anything after that, but he kept speaking." Emil was surprised at how clear Toris' voice was. "He said, 'You are not very loyal to us, Toris. You avoid your duties, playing around with that Feliks boy. Your responsibilities are being dismissed. For being so disloyal and irresponsible, you will be punished.' And then...a-and t-t-then..." Toris broke into quiet sobbing.
Emil sat into the empty chair next to Toris and placed his arms around him. "It's okay, Toris. You don't have to say what happened. I can't imagine what he did, but I think I know."
"I-I can show you the scars. They are on my back."
"N-no, that's really not necessary-" Emil started.
"Let him show you." Came a voice from the speaker. Emil cast a glance at Leon, who was scowling ever so slightly, a change from his frown of heavy thinking. "Let him show you the scars."
Emil let out a shaky sigh, and glared at Leon before nodding at Toris. The Lithuanian slowly pulled off his shirt and turned around, revealing angry, jagged scars on his back. A couple of them trailed down towards the small of his back, another disappearing halfway into the back of his straight brown slacks.
There were so many.
And some of them were still fresh.
Emil was about to call for the medical team when Toris turned back around. "Feliks fixed up the recent ones for me."
Emil eyed a soft looking mark on his shoulder blade. "This one looks oddly different from the rest."
The Lithuanian immediately flushed a bright red in response. "I...um...Feliks and I are together...um...and he must've...when he was fixing up..."
Emil realized where Toris was going with his statement, and he quickly shied away from the mark. "Sorry, sorry. I don't mean to prod in that kind of business."
When Toris had his shirt back on, and Leon had finished making cat calls and loud whistles over the speaker, Emil continued his interrogation. "What do you know about what happened at Adnan Inc.?"
"Originally, Mr. Adnan's company was a fashion-oriented business, although they did focus on Turkish antiques and wares. Sadik's company was arch rivals with Karpusi Co., the fashion agency run Feliks works at. But Ivan started blackmailing Sadik, swearing that he would brutally murder him if he did not cooperate and completely turn his company into a furniture business to rival Berwald Oxenstierna's. He was not initiated into our group, however, he was just a pawn in Ivan's plan. We all were, but Mr. Adnan was the pawn he needed to completely get his revenge.
"Sadik was told to avoid the police's questions at all cost, and Ivan went to far extents to make sure his plan went to work. Ivan made us disguise ourselves in masks to make sure we looked like one of Sadik's coworkers. That was the day we were told to infiltrate Mr. Mathias Kohler's cafe and kidnap Mr. Tino. Of course, Raivis was drunk that day. And when Raivis is drunk...He acts...differently. More bold and intimidating. And...I think Ivan had something to do with it.
"When we had burst into the cafe, everybody got chaotic all at once. Suddenly, a huge guy with an axe and a small little boy with a gun started running towards us. Eduard figured that the small boy was the person we needed to kidnap, so Raivis and I decided to hold off the big guy with the axe."
"That is, until this Asian waitress came along. He didn't have any sort of weapon, and he was dressed in a skirt just like Tino. Raivis decided to go after him, and-" Toris blinked in realization. "It was this guy!" He pointed at Leon, who was smirking through the window. "He beat down Raivis!"
Emil gave Leon a flabbergasted look. "I...don't believe it. He really is a waitress..."
"I'll wear my dress for you tomorrow if you want, Icy baby." Leon winked at the now blushing Emil, avoiding the intense stare his Hungarian captain was giving him.
"I always knew there was something going on between you two! You guys are so perfect it hurts my tough Hungarian heart! I have to tell this to Kiku, and-and Mei, and Roddy! Oh, oh! They'll be so excited, but Roddy might not, he's such an uptight little princess! But, but...I'm so excited!" Elizaveta rambled on mindlessly, too caught up in her fangirl-induced daze to catch the strange looks she was getting, and the especially surprised one from Leon when his half-brother and sister were mentioned.
Emil rolled his eyes. "Anyway, please, continue your story."
Toris laughed nervously. "Okay, well...I... After we were all beat down, we were put into jail. Of course, Ivan picked us up, bailed us out. He was not happy with us, and we faced punishment back home. When we-"
"Hold on, hold on. You said you were facing punishment back 'home.' Isn't your home back at Feliks' place?" Emil tried not to answer his own question.
"Well...there was something I didn't tell you. About...um...a-about Feliks. He...when Ivan..after he punished me...the first time...he was very angry with Raivis and I...s-so m-much that h-he...h-he...tortured them...right in front of our eyes...Feliks was so beaten up...So much b-blood...He looked so sad...so weak...The worst part was...Raivis and I couldn't do anything. He was worse off, having watched his mother getting tortured right in front of him. One day, Raivis saw Ivan bring in two large duffel bags, and...a-and when he asked what was inside...Ivan said...no, he smiled. It wasn't money, we knew that. And when Ivan didn't answer, Raivis kind of broke down. He wasn't stupid, he knew. The bags his the broken bodies of the two most important people in the world. Because of that...I had no where else to go...we had no where else to go. So we stayed there, at Ivan's. This happened only recently, I remember, but I do not know the exact amount of days."
Toris' eyes drifted away from reality, as if living back in the exact moment, imagining the dark bags, spattered with dried blood. One containing a woman, with long dirty blonde curls for hair, one of her eyes half lidded and foggy, the other eye wide open and bloodshot, glassy as a wine flute. The other bag contained a boy, shoulder high hair that was made of pure sunshine, now dirtied from ground scum and crimson fluids. His hands were mangled, scratched and wringed inhumanly. His bag would be opened by a traumatized lover, tear stained half-lidded eyes closed by a calloused but gentle hand, a hand full of pumping veins and firm living flesh.
Emil shook Toris' shoulder. "Toris. Toris. Wake up, snap out of it." The foggy drift in the Lithuanian's eyes cleared.
"Ah, I-I'm sorry."
"It's alright. Are you ready for the next question?" Emil was so close, so close to finding out Braginsky's whereabouts.
"Emil, that's enough." Leon spoke through the speaker. "He's been through enough."
"But Leon, we're so close to finding Braginsky! Just one more question and we'll-"
"No, Emil." Leon's voice was stern. "Look at him, Em. He's gone out of his mind."
Emil glared at Leon. "We're so close, Leon. Leon, please..." Leon avoided his gaze.
"No, Emil." The captain squealed a bit, murmuring something yaoi fights.
Emil excused himself from his spot, promising Toris he would come back. He closed the door behind him and turned off the speakers. "Leon, can I see you for a moment? Alone."
Captain Hédevéry mumbled something about how she needed to see a certain Prussian and slam her frying pan into his supermodel face and excused herself.
"Leon, why can't you see that this is important to me? To us? We're so close to catching Braginsky and taking him in." Emil crossed his arms in frustration. "What is your problem?"
Leon ran a weary hand through his hair, the other hand tugging on the ends of his hair. "Why can't you get it, Em? I want you to take a good look at this guy's face, and tell me he's okay to question further. Go on, and like, look."
Emil scowled and turned his attention to the troubled Lithuanian in the other room. Toris fidgeted with his fingers, his eyes wandering around the room nervously.
"You can't go back in there and ask, Em. He's not mentally stable enough."
"But I have to! This is important for the case! If we don't find out where Braginsky is, we'll never catch him, and-"
"What is this really about?" Leon's eyebrows furrowed ever so slightly.
"...W-What...?!" Emil stumbled back a bit, leaning himself against the wall.
"Why are you so obsessed with this Braginsky guy? Why are you so obsessed with learning about this Toris guy's information about him?" Leon narrowed his eyes, but didn't advance forward.
"I...I..." Emil blinked for a minute. "Why do you want to know so badly?"
"Because I'm your boyfriend. And I care about you. Hell, I even love you. And that's always a plus." He managed to get a laugh out of Emil. "So you're going to tell me. Right now, preferably."
"And...what if I don't?" Emil narrowed his eyes.
"I'll make you talk, Em." Leon threatened, though his smirk drained the dangerous nature out of the conversation.
"Oh, really? Take your best shot, then. My lips-" He pulled an imaginary zipper across his mouth. "-are zipped."
Leon placed his index finger against Emil's lips and waved them across the smooth skin. "Let me unzip them then." His finger waved across his lips in constant swipes, smiling inwardly to himself when he felt Emil tremble from his ministrations.
"What the hell are you doing, moron?" Emil scowled.
"Cantonese magic. Are you ready to talk?"
"N-no. I just wanted to tell you that...um...Toris can still see us from the window."
"Good. I want to see his reaction when he watches me use my own methods of interrogation on you." He purred, a glint aflame in his golden eyes.
"You perv." Emil mumbled, earning a gasp from Leon.
"Oh, no, no, no! I'm not implying that of all things, Emmy...but if you want..."
"I'm still not talking." Emil frowned. "And I'm still asking that question."
Leon lowered his gaze, eyes aflame with something different. "Oh, that's fine, Emil." He watched Emil turn the knob on the door, before grabbing his wrist. "But first..."
"What are you-"
Leon brought their faces close, until their lips were almost, barely touching. "In return for being mean and not telling me whatever you're hiding, you shall be punished. Your punishment is...no touching." He smirked and pulled his head away. "Until you tell me what secret you're hiding."
Emil shrugged. "I can deal with that. I'm not some whiny touchy feely schoolgirl, Leon."
The Asian's smirk grew wider. "Oh, really? We'll see about that."
-When Emil Closed the Door-
"Okay, Toris. Can you tell me where exactly Ivan is?"
"He sh-should be at his hideout." Toris tried to hide his blush away, having seen the two consultants arguing...in their own kind of way.
"And...where exactly is his hideout?" Emil tried to stop a frustrated pout from growing on his features when he saw that Leon had gotten a cookie from the break room and was currently nibbling on it as slow as he could.
"Uh...um...I have an address." Emil passed a scrap of paper to Toris, and he scribbled down the location.
"Thank you. That's all the information we need. Officer Mathias will show you to your cell. Don't worry; you won't be in here long. It's just a couple of months, that's a short time if you keep your hope up." He guided the Lithuanian out of the interrogation room, giving him a pat on the shoulder.
"He looks crushed..." Leon pointed out in between bites of cookie.
"Well...At least I got an address." Emil rebutted.
"Well, yeah, but look at the poor guy. He's practically melting into a puddle of sadness. You, like, crushed him."
"I could strangle you right now." Emil glared, wringing his hands in the air as if the emptiness was Leon's lean neck.
"Ah, ah, ah!" Leon smiled sweetly. "No touching. That is your punishment. No matter how much you want to kill me, or passionately make out with me, you cannot touch this happy hunk of handsome until you tell me why you're so obsessed with Mr. Kol Kol Kol."
Emil made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and turned himself around on his heel and stomped off. "I'm going to look for Ivan. You can stay here and play your silly game."
"Hm, that's an invitation." He caught up to Emil's stomping in two strides. "I call driving!"
"You don't even know where the address is." Emil frowned.
"That's why you're going to give me the address in your hand." Leon narrowed his eyes menacingly. "Or I'll tell Lukas that we did the do."
Emil froze in his spot and practically threw the address at Leon. "WHAT THE HELL?! Fine! Take it and drive, I don't care." Disturbing images started popping into his mind, images he wasn't fond of. At all.
"Thank you, Icy baby. Give me a kiss?" He batted his eyelashes flirtatiously.
"Hmph." Emil leaned over to peck Leon's cheek, but suddenly, he found himself face-first into a wall.
The Asian chuckled. "No touchy, Emmy."
"God, I hate you."
-One Drive to a Russian Assassin's Hideout Later-
"Knock, knock. It's the HVPD." Leon sing songed outside the door. "We're here for information and food, open up."
"But you just had a cookie earlier!" Emil protested.
"My hunger is never satiated, Ice." He winked at the Icelander, who, in return, raised a threatening hand to his face.
Leon tapped his foot on the door, when there was no answer, he sighed. "I didn't want to use these, actually I did, but, you leave me no choice." He pulled out a long string of firecrackers from his sleeve. "These firecrackers will explode your welcome mat and your door."
"NO! Don't use explosives, Leon!" Emil swatted the firecrackers away from the door, and Leon snickered and shoved them back into his white button-up sleeves. "Just kick down the door or something."
"As you wish." Leon smashed the bottom of his foot against the door in a powerful sidekick, sending the door crashing into the Russian's hideout in dozens of fragments.
"Hello...? Ivan Braginsky, reveal yourself or face arrest the hard way." Emil searched through the kitchen, while Leon searched the upstairs.
"Ice? Ivan isn't here." Leon called from the second floor.
"It's clear here too." Emil sighed and pulled out his cellphone.
"Hei, Officer Bondevik speaking." An apathetic voice piped up through the static.
"Lukas, it's me, Emil. I'm going to need-"
"Who is this again...?" Emil wrinkled up his nose, knowing that Lukas was inwardly smirking through the phone.
"This is your lillebror, Lukas." Emil groaned through the phone. "And as I have told you already, I need back up to survey the perimeter and interior of the house until Ivan gets back."
"Why? Where are you?"
"I'm at Ivan Braginsky's hideout, and I'll send the address to you via text message."
"Okay, I'll tell the Captain. Stay safe, goodbye now." Lukas murmured.
"See you." Emil flipped his phone shut and walked through the house.
The place was neater than he first expected, he would give the Russian that. But, having three underlings by your side, he would've most likely turned them all into his personal servants while he was at it. However, there was one spot of the living room that struck a chord in the Icelander. It was almost...too clean. Bookshelves were dusted and sorted through by novel and alphabetical order. Soft candlelight flickered, sending shadows across the walls, not a drip of wax leaking through the small candle. However, in the corner of the room, Emil observed, the wall seemed indented, soft. Upon further inspection, his fingers ran across a small hole, that of which he put his index through, the horrific thought of one of his own fingers being chopped off right before his eyes never crossing through his mind. He moved it uselessly through the small hole, not aware of the figure that was sneaking up on him.
"Ice, what are you doing?" Leon looked over Emil's shoulder curiously.
"Stop breathing on me!" The Icelander moved to the side, and, in turn, the indented part of the wall moved beside him, groaning in response as an opening was revealed.
"What did you do...?" Leon peeked inside. "What is this place?"
"I have no clue, why are you asking me? And don't go in there! You don't know if Ivan might be hiding in there, or if he's hiding some kind of body down there, or-"
"Em...look at this."
Emil stepped inside the room, his eyes blinking and squinting as they adjusted to the bright LED light, the switch Leon had found just moments ago. Flattened newspapers scattered a wooden desk, countless files and records stacked in a clean column. The walls inside were painted with other pinned newspapers, those of which looked older than the ones on the desk.
"What...is this place?" Emil examined one of the papers, and flinched back, as if words were burning through his skull. "Oh, God..."
"What? Em, are you alright?" Leon inquired gently, punishment forgotten as he placed both of his warm hands on the latter's shoulder.
"The newspaper...wait..." Emil's eyes skimmed over the other newspapers on the wall, and he staggered back in shock. "These newspapers...look."
Leon pulled his lover close to his side and peered at a newspaper, scanning its contents.
Local Found Dead in Alleyway
On the XX of XXX, year XXXX, a city local identified as Alexander Bondevik was found dead in an alleyway on the far edge of downtown Hetaville.
Investigators believe that this attack may have been the work of the most notorious gang in town, known as the Vrede en Liefde. Motive is unclear. The autopsy done on Bondevik showed that the man appeared to have been drugged, and suffered two gunshots to the chest, ultimately rupturing his trachea.
The drugs used on the victim have been used before, death to these individuals nearly identical. All victims under the drug were found dead in the same alleyway, however cause of death ranged from multiple stab wounds to blood force trauma to the head. Bondevik, age XX, had a wife, Ingrid Bondevik, age XX and one child, Lukas Bondevik, age 2.
Some of the paragraphs seemed to be smudged out completely, the words permanently erased from the paper and faded from time.
Leon swallowed a lump down his throat, and he let Emil bury his head into his shirt. "Em, I'm going to look through the rest of these on the wall. You go examine the ones on the desk. Those ones shouldn't be as traumatizing I hope. If you need anything, just tell me, 'kay?"
Emil nodded slowly and unlatched himself from Leon's shirt. All these newspapers were about...him. His family, himself. There were even files from the HVPD database about him, that of which scared him more than just a little.
"I don't get it, Ice. How come there are files that relate to a man named Bondevik and a man named Steilsson? They were murdered the same way as well..."
"No. My father, Eirik Steilsson, he wasn't drugged or shot. I saw him getting stabbed in front of my eyes. Lukas' father, however, I didn't get the chance to meet him." Emil started reading the first couple papers.
XX/XXX/XXXX
Bondevik;
Enclosed is the last envelope of change you will ever receive from us. I expect you to pay off every last coin in the next three years. Since you have left us for the normalcy of a family life, I figure you don't want to have anything to do with us. Still, I expect these loans to be paid off.
Daan.
The next letter was written about three years later.
XX/XXX/XXXX
Steillson;
It's been three years and all you have sent back is loose change. I don't think you remember the amount that was enclosed to you. Every loan has to be paid off. Failure to complete this will result in the complete annihilation of your family. We're watching you. We knew about your name change, and we know about your two kids too. Pay off what you owe and no one will get hurt.
Daan.
Emil frowned at the letters he was holding in his hands. Name change...? Was he talking about Lukas' dad and his own father?
Name change...
And just when Emil was in the process of getting an idea, Leon decided to ask a question.
"I still don't get all this family business. And I have a family filled with cousins, half brothers and half cousins!"
Emil rolled his eyes. "My mother, Ingrid, and Lukas' father, Alexander Bondevik, had Lukas, and sometime later, more like two years later, he died and my mother remarried to my father, Eirik Steillson. Four years later, he died, as well as my mother."
Name change...
Emil drowned out the rest of Leon's words, his brain finally kicking into gear. This Daan guy couldn't have been talking about my father or Lukas' father if there had been an obvious surname change. The only person capable of getting a name change is...
XX/XXX/XXXX
Daan;
I'm leaving this letter to you because I am leaving the Vrede en Liefde. Alexander and I do not want our child to grow up in a dangerous environment, and I want our children to be raised with better opportunities than we have.
I know that you're our leader, but you're young. Someday, you'll understand, won't you? We don't want any business with you anymore.
However...I am hoping that you will be able to give us money, the last loan we will ask of you. This is for the benefit of our child, please understand.
Ingrid Bondevik.
Emil dropped the letter, letting it flutter from limp fingers. "Ma..."
He could see himself right there again, his small pale frame, his bleeding brother's head, the congealing dribbles of blood running thickly down his father's slack jaw. The way his brother carried him out the door urgently, trying to shield his view. He could hear the strangled shrieks of her mother quiet down half-scream, the splashing sounds of the blood, the loud gunshot.
"All this time...She was involved with them. All this time...they've been tracking us. They've been after us...because of some stupid loan...!" Emil murmured, lost in some other world. He felt himself scream inwardly, his whole lips threatening to spill the noise.
And suddenly, Emil's thoughts traveled to a shady hideout, a tall Dutch man and a horny Frenchman. He remembered being tied with ropes, and he remembered being used for ransom for his brother.
It was all so much to take in, everything was clicking into place too fast for Emil to process. Only a few questions spun in his head, he knew for sure: Why did Ivan have all these papers? Why was Ivan searching things up on him and his family? And how could he get his hands on the Vrede en Liefde?
The last letter answered his pining question about Ivan Braginsky. The letter had been written about three to four years ago.
XX/XXX/XXXX
Braginsky;
I, Daan, welcome you into the Vrede en Liefde. An initiation is not required for your allowance into our circle.
We have come to know your ability of an assassin quite well, in fact, it was you who was hired by one of our rivaling gang to eliminate some of our qualified members. However, we have been recently aware of your ability to track down certain people and pinpoint their whereabouts. Enclosed is the starting amount of money you will receive for your service.
Your tracking subjects are Emil Stiellson and Lukas Bondevik.
Their family owes me money that they need to pay off. Track them, and I can guarantee you that the payload will increase significantly.
Daan.
The money that was supposedly enclosed with the letter was no where to be found, the only evidence Emil needed to know that Braginsky had accepted this assignment, and that he and his brother were being tracked without either of them knowing.
-We Switch to What was Happening to Leon in the Moment-
The walls were plastered with everything about his lover and Lukas. Bank transactions, passport records, birth certificates and medical records. Every footprint they had made in the cybernet was there as well; Leon couldn't help but feel a little perturbed at every piece of evidence in the room.
Emil was currently transfixed in the pile of letters he was reading, but Leon couldn't help but feel like something was very, very wrong. He was about to place a reassuring hand on Emil's shoulder, but his hand instead brushed over a large Manila envelope, knocking it down and sending all of its contents to the floor. Leon immediately yelped as soon as his eyes met the papers that were scattered about.
They weren't documents, rather...they were photos. Slick to the touch, small rectangular photos. There must've been more than a dozen held inside its paper envelope, and on each photo, Emil and Lukas adorned the focus. They didn't seem to notice the cameraman in each one, and they were taken in the most random of places; the grocery mart, the bank, a lawyer firm, as well as in certain parts of the city.
So this guy's an assassin, as well as a stalker.
Once Leon finished placing the pictures back into the manilla envelope, he slipped it into his jacket. Better save this, just in case we need evidence to throw Braginsky in jail.
"All this time...She was involved with them. All this time...they've been tracking us. They've been after us...because of some stupid loan...!" Emil's eyes were almost glazed over, almost like Toris', as if he was somewhere else in far off space rather than in a dingy secret room.
Cue silent Leon freak out.
HOLY SHIT. HE LOOKS LIKE A ZOMBIE.
"Em...?" He ruffled Emil's platinum strands, but he wouldn't arouse from his trance.
"Ice? Wake up." Leon shook the latter's body gently, and this time the Icelander blinked away the fog in his eyes.
"L...Leon...? What are you doing...?"
"Hm, trying to make sure you're okay." Leon answered blandly.
"I'm good...thanks." Emil picked up the letter that had fallen out of his hands, and pocketed it away in his jacket.
"HVPD! Step away from the papers, and put your hands up!" A gruff voice replied.
Emil's eyes widened, and he slowly raised his hands above his head.
"You too, Eyebrows." The HVPD Officer shouted.
Leon followed in Emil's suit, hands above his head. "Cool it, buddy. We're consultants working with the HVPD, Em here was the one that asked for backup." He added a few choice words under his breath; that Eyebrows thing really pissed him off.
The officer snickered. "If that's true, why don't you guys have badges with you?"
Emil and Leon exchanged surprised glances. "We need badges to work as consultants for the HVPD?"
The officer was about to answer, when suddenly he was shoved to the side by another officer brandishing a gun towards his face. "We're you making friends, bastardo?" The curl above the angry officer's head bobbed up and down in a furious manner. "Answer my question, you bastard."
"N-no...? I mean, y-y-yes, Officer Lovino." The full blown snicker was wiped clean from his face, instead an expression of terror had replaced it.
"Let me give you a piece of advice, you dipshit," Lovino snarled. "Don't make friends when you're on the job, got it?" The officer nodded and scrambled away, muttering a small apology to the half amused-half shocked duo of consultants.
"Th-thanks, Lovino." Emil stuttered.
"Don't mention anything about this, got it, Fishbreath?" Lovino crossed his arms and sucked in his cheeks to stop himself from smiling.
Emil nodded. "Sure."
"Nice going there, Lovino. Didn't think that Italians could do more than running away." Leon smirked.
Instead of punching Leon in the jaw, the Italian just snickered. "I'm not your average Italian, Asian bastard. I'm-"
"Hola, mi amigos!" A Spanish officer wrapped his arms around Lovino's waist. "Ah, Lovi, mi querido! I finally found you!"
Lovino jumped and yelled angrily when the Spanish officer pulled on his curl with a happy-go-lucky smile upon his face. "Ch-chigi! Let go, you tomato fucker! I'm going to make you pay for that, bastardo!" His face was bright red, and he looked angrier than he was with the officer earlier.
Leon raised an eyebrow. "And who's this?"
Said tomato bastard let go of Lovino's waist and held his hand out, a wide grin gracing his tanned features. "Ah! I am Antonio Fernandez Carriedo, but you seem like good people, so just call me Toni! And who might you be, señor?"
The Asian outstretched his own hand and shook both. "Leon Wang, but call me Leon."
Lovino rolled his eyes and grabbed Antonio back. "Okay, it's been nice seeing you guys, blah, blah, blah. Come on, tomato jerk, before Liz beats our asses with her frying pan." He turned to Emil before he stomped out, giving the fair-haired the slightest crinkle of a smile. "I'll see you around, Mackerel Mouth."
Toni ruffled Emil's hair. "It was nice talking to you and your querido, Emil! Hasta luego, mi amigos!"
When the grumpy Italian and the hyperactive Spanish man (with the nice ass) had left, Leon and Emil decided to search around the house for Lukas and Mathias, wherever they were...whatever they may be doing.
"Ice, are you okay?" Leon didn't touch him, but the urge to hug him was strong.
"Y-yeah...Why do you ask?" Emil tried to keep his mind concentrated on finding his annoying brother and his stupid fiancé.
"I just wanted to make sure...after what happened in the other room."
"I'm alright. Lovino just scared me a little, that's all." Emil rubbed the back of his neck nonchalantly.
"You and I both know that's not what I meant. Are you really okay, Emil?"
"I'm fine," Emil snapped. "Let's just go find my brother and his fiancé."
Fortunately, they had the luck of an extra loud Danish man's voice on their side.
"AW, NO FAIR NORGE! WHY DID YOU BRING THE SWE OVER HERE?! HE'S NOT EVEN ON THE FORCE!" Mathias practically yelled at the top of his lungs.
Emil and Leon found the two in the front room, along with a tall, stoic, and rather intimidating man with glasses.
Berwald Oxenstierna. Husband to the Finnish Tino Väinämöinen, and president of Möbler, a furniture company known worldwide. Brother to Mathias Kohler (who had a similar situation to Emil and Lukas concerning surnames), and soon-to-be-brother-in-law to Lukas Bondevik.
"Hm? Em'l, wh't're you doin' h're?" Berwald asked, his syllables slurring together into an almost indistinguishable heap of words.
"I think that's a question I should be asking you, Ber." Emil gestured to Leon. "This is my, um...boyfriend, Leon Wang."
"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Oxenstierna. I hope Tino's doing well. Haven't been, like, working at the cafe lately, so I wouldn't know." Emil could tell that Leon was trying to keep his tone light, the frightening aura the Swe gave off was practically boring into his soul.
Berwald smiled then, an action that made the two flinch noticeably. "T'no's doin' j'st fine, th'nks f'r askin'."
Leon nodded his head and ran a hand through his hair as casually as he could before heading out the door, mumbling something about needing to get some fresh air.
"Um...do you want me to go with you?" Emil asked, a worried expression upon his face.
"No, it's fine. You can go, like, catch up with your family." Leon leaned forward to peck Emil's cheek, before suddenly remembering his punishment. "Ah, almost forgot about the no touching." Leon chuckled to himself.
Emil glowered. "Moron. You just broke that stupid rule of yours earlier!"
"Hm...?" Leon gave his lover a smile that only he could notice. "That was because I wanted to make sure you were okay; and if I recall, I'm pretty sure you were the one that latched yourself onto my shirt."
"Whatever," Emil huffed, "You'll be the one to give up this stupid game, not me."
Once Leon had closed the door behind him, Lukas chose to speak up. "So...Lillebror...what was all that about?" His expression was as apathetic as ever.
Emil's expression was grave. "I think you should see something. This Braginsky guy has been keeping tabs on us."
"The HVPD?" Mathias cut in, combing his fingers through his wild goldenrod hair.
"No...Us, as in, Lukas and I."
-linebreaklinebreakbonjourmonamihonhonhon-
"It's through this way." The Icelandic disappeared into the secret room and ushered the rest of his family in.
"I thought he was focused on Tino. Why is he keeping tabs on us?" Lukas' fists were clenched and stiff at his sides.
"Tino was just for his personal motive. Us, however...keeping tabs on us was where he was getting his flow of cash." Emil tried not to hold his gaze on the newspaper-covered walls for too long.
Lukas, however, was not forewarned about the papers and started sifting through one of the pinned pages. Quietly, Emil observed how many expressions on his face Lukas had shifted to. There was confusion at first...
...Then there was mild shock...
...Which shifted to pure rage...
...And finally calmed to absolute disgust.
Emil decided that he had seen the most emotion Lukas had displayed in his life. Ever.
"Who...would do such a disgusting thing like this?" Lukas flipped through more articles on the wall. "All of these disturbing articles filled with information about us... What kind of sick joke is this...?"
Neither of the men from Mathias' side of the family spoke up. They were far too shocked, still processing the fact that Lukas; the most apathetic, stone-faced person they knew, had just changed through several emotions in one go as if he had used all of said emotions his whole life.
"Our bank account info is posted up here...How did this guy even find this stuff?" Lukas sifted through the letters on the desk. "Who is this Daan person? What does he want with us?"
Emil also decided that this was the most Lukas had spoken in one sitting.
"Emil...what's going on here?" Lukas managed to maintain his apathetic composure, though his voice told otherwise.
"This guy connected with our case...He was also hired by the people that killed Ma and Pa to track us." Emil stared at the ground. "Those records of our bank accounts...I think they want money, Lukas."
"Money...? What for? I've never seen this guy in my life before a couple days ago."
"Our parents were involved with this gang, Lukas. The Vrede en Liefde. Look at the letters again, Lukas. It says everything there."
Lukas read the letters with little enthusiasm. "Daan; I'm leaving this letter to you because I am leaving the Vrede en Liefde. Alexander and I... do not want our...child to grow up in a dangerous environment, and I want our children to be raised with better opportunities than we have." Lukas mumbled the rest of the letter under his breath. "However...I am hoping that you will be able to give us money, the last loan we will ask of you. This is for the benefit of our child, please understand. Ingrid Bondevik." Lukas placed the letter down stiffly. "Mor...and Far...were involved with these people...people that kill others for selfish greed...They were involved with them..." His hair covered his eyes darkly, and suddenly the air around them felt right with tension. "...They...killed people...I bet...All the money that came in..."
"That was just from the loans they received from other people, stóri bróðir. Th-they didn't kill and steal from people. They wouldn't." Emil placed a reassuring hand on Lukas' shoulder.
Lukas pulled away abruptly, ice cold eyes staring down surprised violet ones. "How do you know, lillebror? Family intuition?" He looked away bitterly. "Stop kidding yourself, bror. They never paid back what they owed in their loans when they left that stupid mafia, yet back then, they had riches upon riches of money to support us. Now we have to pay off the mountain of cash they failed to pay."
"Nor, it's not your parents' fault. They were helping raise you with the money they had." Mathias caressed the Norwegian's cheek gently.
Lukas batted his hand away. "You mean the money they were given, and expected to pay back. I can't believe they held a secret from us like this, why are we even working at the hand of the law when our own bloodline is tainted with criminals?"
"But Nor, you're not like them. Isn't that all what matters?"
"Stupid Dane; I'm a police officer with criminal blood in me. What runs in my veins are the sins that my own parents have committed. How do I know I won't kill someone in the future? How do I know I won't kill someone I love? How do I know-"
"You're not going to kill anyone, Norge."
"HOW DO I KNOW I'M NOT GOING TO KILL YOU?! OR BERWALD?! OR EMIL?!" Lukas shouted, hot tears flowing down his cheeks. "The future isn't set in stone, Anko."
The whole room became silent, the faded echoes of Lukas' rare yell cutting through the walls like swords.
Lukas held his face in his hands. "For years, I've known that something strange was going on. Our parents couldn't have just gotten murdered out of the blue for no reason. I had to raise my little brother on my own! Now that I know the truth, I feel like they've lied to me every waking moment! I thought I was safe with them as a child! I thought we were safe! But I was wrong, I was so wrong."
"Lukas, it's not their-"
"I can't just forgive them...they forced Emil and I to live on our own...because of a fucking loan that they couldn't pay off..." His voice shattered as he trailed off, and the running river of hot tears continued.
"Nor..." Mathias pulled him close so that Lukas' face was nestled in the Dane's firm chest.
"...Don't touch me." But despite his words, Lukas sobbed harder into the Danish man's shirt, clenching his pale hands into the thick fabric of his uniform.
"Shh...it's okay, Lukas. It's okay..." Mathias stroked the latter's back soothingly, whispering soft nothings into the Norwegian's corn silk hair.
"And the worst part is," Lukas' hoarse voice was muffled from Mathias' shirt, "now we're expected to pay off what they owe."
"But you're not alone in this, Luke. You have me and Swe and Em to help. You both have all of us. You'll be able to pay off the money with all of our help." Strong hands held the latter closer to him. "So don't feel burdened to do everything, ja?"
"...Stupid idiot...when did you get smart?" Lukas rested his head on the Dane's shoulder, his face wiped clean of the rage he was feeling just moments ago. "...You're right, though." He turned to look at Emil. "Lillebror, I'm truly sorry for snapping at you." Lukas wound his arms around Emil and squeezed his hold on him as tight as he could.
"It's...okay...Luke...WOULD YOU LET GO OF ME?!" Emil struggled against his brother's grip until he let go. "I'm going outside to get Leon."
"Y'ng love..." Ber mumbled. "...it's a beaut'ful th'ng..."
"Gee, Ber, when did you start getting all sentimental?" Mathias joked, holding Lukas to him again.
"I've alw'ys been, when did you bec'me s'ch an idi't?" Berwald's eyes narrowed through the rectangular flash of his glasses.
"He's always been an idiot, Sve." Lukas let his lips curve into the slightest fraction of a smile.
-linebreaklinebreakEmilruntoyourboyfriend-
"Where'd you go?" Leon inquired curiously. Both boys were sitting on the front porch, the cold wind brushing back hair lightly.
"Back to the secret room. Wanted to show Lukas and he blew up and looked like he was going to burn the place down."
"Oh."
Silence lulled over the two, neither boys daring to speak up. Eyes searched the the main road, trying to seek out a platinum blonde baby-faced Russian.
"Do you remember...asking me about why I was so obsessed about finding Ivan...?"
"...Yeah?" Leon eyed Emil, a sort of sparkle in his amber orbs.
"Well..do you...um...want to know?"
Leon said nothing for a while, processing what his lover had just offered. "...You must really want to touch me, Ice."
"Wh-what?! No I don't! You said you wanted to know about why I'm going kooky-"
"Kooky?"
"Yes, kooky! You said you wanted to know why I was so obsessed over Ivan so now I'm asking if you wanted to know because you're so-"
"Honestly, Ice, don't kid yourself. You, like, definitely want some of this." Leon smirked.
"GODDAMN ANNOYING!" Emil snarled, and Leon burst out laughing.
"Y-you're so, pfftt, so cute." He held his stomach, doubling over in fits of quiet giggles and snorts, mumbling phrases of "so cute" and "Oh my God, Em" in between his gasps of air.
"Okay, you can, like, tell me the story of your kookiness now." Leon's lips were forced back down into an apathetic line.
Emil frowned and crossed his arms angrily. "Forget it! I'm not telling you. You're too annoying, stupid oaf." Holy crap, I sound like Lukas.
"Aw, c'mon, Ice." Leon gave him a crooked smile. "I'm just playing with you."
Emil desperately tried to push down the redness that was quickly spreading to his face. "St-stop smiling. You're being annoying."
Instead of going back to his previous apathetic expression, Leon just smiled wider. "I love you, you know that?"
"Hn..." Emil groaned, clutching at his blushing face. "Stop being an idiot."
"Are you going to tell me? Or are you going to keep arguing with me?" Leon stuck his tongue out playfully, a small glint in his eye.
"No! It's uncomfortable now!" Emil fidgeted with his coat pockets.
"C'mon, Ice. Just tell me."
"No!"
"Get it over with."
"Shut up! I'm not telling!"
"I'm going to keep annoying you~."
"Don't care."
"Ice, baby, please...?" Leon jutted his bottom lip out in a small pout, shielding his face with his long brown bangs. "Don't you love me...?"
Emil sighed and leaned into the porch railing. "Fine...but for the record, you're the second most annoyingly stupid person on this earth."
"Second most...? Who beat me to first?"
"Mathias did. Now shut up and listen." Not hearing any joking remarks from his significant other, Emil took a deep breath. "I wasn't sure of why I was so caught onto looking for Ivan before. All I knew was that he had information that I wanted when he escaped. Now that I look back on my past, now that I understand my parents' deaths, I want to find Ivan so I can find these people that he's working with. I want justice, Leon."
Silence.
His Asian counterpart simply smiled a true, genuine smile. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it, Em?" Leon's grin twisted into a smirk. "And plus, your punishment is over too, so feel free to passionately show how in love you are with me."
Emil rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"You wound me!" Leon chuckled quietly before setting soft eyes upon the Icelandic. "But seriously, Emil...thank you for telling me. And as for justice..." He planted a small kiss on Emil's forehead. "You'll get it."
"Th-thanks..." Emil mumbled before returning his gaze to the road below him.
Suddenly, a silver pick up truck pulled up onto the driveway, the driver appearing irritated. Baby-faced; platinum blonde hair; and the obvious owner of the house.
"Ivan Braginsky..." Leon muttered quietly before hopping down from the porch. "Ivan Braginsky, you're under arrest for escaping police custody. Put your hands in the air."
"What the hell?! What are you doing here on my property? Do you even have a warrant with you to search my house?" Ivan was obviously not in the mood for small talk.
"Sir, I said, put your hands in the air."
"I will do no such thing. You ransacked my house without a warrant!"
Emil decided to pipe in. "We have police backup, Ivan."
The assassin froze, his usually pale face reddening in anger ever so slightly. "You...I suppose you figured out what I was hiding in the room?"
"Not just us, Braginsky. Lukas and his fiancé found out as well. And let me just say, they are not happy." Emil resisted the urge to smirk.
"I should've disposed of you when I had the chance." Braginsky growled low in his throat before lunging at Emil like a lion catching its prey.
Emil braced himself for impact. I can take on a fistfight, Emil thought to himself for a moment. This isn't as bad as a gunfight, it's just using hands and feet to one up the opponent. I can do this...Maybe after I mess up Braginsky's face Mr. Puffin won't make fun of my weak limbs anymore.
There was a ribbon of brown and gold that flashed through the corner of his eye one moment, then a small grunt the next. Standing in front of him was not an angry Russian with his fist about to slug through his cheekbones, but his Asian lover that had just taken a punch to the lip.
"Leon...? Leon...YOU MORON! I CAN HANDLE A FISTFIGHT JUST FINE, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"
"I'll take that as a thank you," Leon spat out the blood from his lips that managed to slip into his mouth. "You're welcome, Ice."
"Goddamn idiot..." Emil sighed and pulled out his cellphone.
"Hei," Lukas answered through the static. "What is it that you want?"
"You need to come here and bring out the handcuffs. Braginsky is here." Emil hung up at that and went back into the house to notify the captain.
Meanwhile, things between the Asian and Russian had grown quite intense, the Russian seeming to have pulled out a plumbing pipe out of thin air and now using it to clobber the latter. Leon, despite the metal against his limbs, was blocking the blows effortlessly, sporting a black eye and the earlier-obtained split lip.
"Good thing you didn't knock away any of my teeth. But you did ruin my expert kissing lips." Leon tried to smirk through his busted lip, reopening the clotting wound.
"That is no such crime as the one that prevailed in my own house." Ivan swung his pipe again, striking Leon's right shoulder blade and slamming the metal edge against Leon's collarbone with enough pressure to fracture.
Leon grunted and wrinkled his nose up in pain. "It's just a house! You ruined my face!" And my arm, Leon duly noted. He grit his teeth roughly, desperately trying to push back the feeling of sharp shooting pain to the very minor parts of his thoughts.
"And I have no regrets about it." The Russian smiled darkly. "For you have ruined something I care about as well."
"What? The house? We all know you really care about the money that goes with the information you gathered."
Ivan ignored the Asian's words and lunged at Leon once more. "And after I finish you off, I'll go for the person you care about the most."
Leon froze suddenly, and was slugged in the gut with Ivan's pipe. A shot of bile jumped up his throat, mixed in with the blood that was swimming in his mouth. "Hnghh..." The world spun around him, and he swallowed thickly. "...Just...Just like you did with Toris' person?" Rage flickered in his golden eyes. "I won't allow that...to happen again. When...you get arrested, we'll make...sure to put you on the charges of...third degree...murder." Leon pushed away Ivan's heavy body with a sidekick to the chest.
Ivan growled a Russian swear under his breath and wrapped his hands around Leon's throat. The Asian's eyes were on the verge of rolling back, but Leon quickly took out the string of firecrackers from his shirt and wrapped the flammable string around Ivan's wrists as tight as he could before twisting his wrists around and pushing back his hands. The thread dug into Ivan's flesh, causing him to flinch back a little. Using this as a distraction, Leon moved to the back of Ivan and pulled the Russian's hands all the way back until they were against the small of his back. The Asian kicked Ivan's knees forward.
"Never underestimate an Asian waitress."
Just in time, Lukas and Mathias, along with Berwald and a bunch of other officers ran to the scene, and the Norwegian replaced the tightly wound string of firecrackers around the Russian's wrists with handcuffs.
"C'mon buddy. You're not going to get away again this time." Mathias pushed Ivan into the police car and slammed the door shut. "Nice work, Leon!" He clapped his large hand on the shoulder that Ivan had whacked good with his pipe.
Leon winced, but covered it up with a small laugh. "Yeah, thanks. Where's Ice?"
As if on cue, the Icelander ran in with the captain by his side, and he looked awfully peeved by the expression Elizaveta was giving him. However, when Emil's gaze met Leon's battered, but breathing, body, all of the oxygen left his body.
"Leon..." Emil jumped off the porch and stopped in front of Leon. The Asian was quickly met with a hard slap to the face. "You idiot." He tried to keep his time as apathetic as his brother's.
"You were worried." Leon deciphered from the furious hand to the face he just received.
"I wasn't. I know you can handle yourself just fine." Emil glared at Leon angrily. "I was just...still upset from your annoying display of annoying behavior that was...that was, uh, annoying."
The Asian simply smiled one of those genuine smiles that were solely reserved for him and him alone. "Come here."
Emil froze in place. "What? But..." He scanned his eyes over every inch of Leon. Green and black bruises marred the skin on his shoulder blade; his collar bone bent in. The skin around one of Leon's mesmerizing gold eyes was puffy and turning a grotesque purplish brown, and the eyelid was almost all the way closed. "...You're hurt. I don't want to put any pressure on them."
"I'll be fine," Leon insisted, and pulled the Icelander closer, wrapping his arms around the other's waist. "But don't put, like, any pressure on my shoulder."
"This shoulder?" Emil asked, placing a gentle hand on Leon's right shoulder, causing the other to flinch noticeably. "Oh...sorry." He noticed blood oozing out of the cut on the other's lip, and wiped it away with the handkerchief he held in his coat pocket.
"You carry around a handkerchief?" Leon smirked. "That reminds me of the ol' Englishman that I nearly blew up."
Emil rolled his eyes. "You blew up his house; you should be thanking your lucky stars that you didn't blow him up." He lowered his head, brushing his lips against the hollow of Leon's cheek. "Now let's take you to the hospital and get you fixed up."
-linebreaklinebreakIvaninterrogationuhoh-
Lukas decided to take the reins as an interrogator for the rest of the day since Emil had decided to stay at Leon's side in the hospital after his collarbone was snapped back in and his minor injuries were fixed up.
Mathias, of course, watched from behind the window, his job, as assigned by the captain, was to make sure Lukas "didn't brutally murder the guy that injured half of my OTP."
"I bet you have a plan on how to escape jail this time, don't you Ivan?" Lukas' eyes flashed darkly, and a small smile formed into his lips. "I bet you want to get out so you can report to your boss about the photos and information you have on us to get your pay, don't you?"
Ivan glared. "I don't have a boss."
The Norwegian laughed, the chilling nature of it almost scaring the hell out of Mathias. "Is that right? That's...That's just...
...A lie." Lukas stood up from his chair and paced around slowly, as if he was a predator circling around his next meal.
"I saw everything, Ivan. The information on the walls, the letters on the desk. Leon told me all about those photos you took. In fact, I have them right here." He threw the manilla envelope down onto the table, and it landed with a hard smack on the surface, spilling out all the contents.
"These, I admit, are photos that were in my house. But, I did not take these." Ivan crossed his arms defiantly.
"Oh? I know about that too, Braginsky. It wasn't you who took those photos, it was your little workers. Right before you came in for questioning, your 'disloyal' minion, Toris Laurinaitis, came in. Once he saw those photos, he confessed to those too. Of course, I know your motive behind all this. But it's not you I wanted to know about, God no. I want to know about the gang you work for."
"What...?"
"The Vrede en Liefde. Unless you want to face the full extent of the third degree murder charge for all those men you killed, I suggest you give me some information."
-linebreaklinebreakhonhonhonhonhonhon-
-In the Prison-
Toris was scared out of his mind. He truly, truly was scared. He was in a prison, there were scary convicts grumbling about officers and cursing up storms worse than sailors, and to make matters worse, there was a Russian upstairs that pretty much wanted to skin him alive while laughing at the innards pouring out of his body.
"Oh G-God..." He shivered involuntarily. "...I really wish I could get out of here."
The only thing that made his prison days bearable were the times he was able to imagine Feliks right by his side, pink-loving, pony-obsessed Feliks. Of course he couldn't be here though. He was...He was gone. Erased from all existence except for that of Toris' heart. Feliks...he could imagine him right here, sitting next to him, leaning his head on his shoulder and telling him to man up because he was being such a baby. He could imagine the Polish boy bragging in his valley-girl accent about how he could, like, totally survive the prison thug life, but complaining about how the prison garb just absolutely had to change to pink coloring.
"Hey." There was a knock on his cell, and the iron gate was slid open. "You were bailed out. Come with me, kid."
The officer had wild blonde hair, and there was a heavy Danish accent in his voice. He kind of scares me, Toris decided.
They boarded an elevator which took them onto the ground level floor. "So...you got anyone at home you looking forward to seeing?" The Danish man smiled brightly.
Toris laughed nervously. "Well, I...uh...Don't really know. I have two cats, I guess I'll look forward to seeing them."
"Well, anything's better than being alone, ja?" The Dane grinned even wider.
"Yeah," Toris tried to smile at that. It's too bad I'm already alone...what difference does two cats make?
"I've got a fiancé that works here, in fact, so does his brother." The elevator doors opened, and the Danish officer guided him to the front entrance. "Just wait here, kid. There's some paperwork you need to fill out, and sign here and here." He gestured to several signature blanks on the books of paper he received. "By the way, my name's Mathias."
"Toris," the Lithuanian replied. "I'll just...fill out these papers now." Mathias nodded and left him some peace.
Have you been apprehended by the police before? If so, name which police stations you have been arrested by in the blank below.
Hetalia Ville Police Station
What crime(s) were you accused of committing?
Stealing, Attempt at Kidnapping.
Toris sighed and scribbled down the next few pages of answers. "I have a feeling I know who bailed me out..."
Ivan is going to hurt me again. Now that Feliks is gone, he's going to make sure I learn my lesson...whatever that lesson is.
"Toris? Is that you?"
The Lithuanian looked up from the paperwork he was busy finishing and met his eyes to the direction of the seemingly familiar voice; his eyes widened to the size of golf balls.
"...Is this a dream...?" Because there was Feliks, dressed in a hot pink sweater with tiny yarn ponies sewn about, standing in front of him. There were no wounds, no scars. It was Feliks.
"N...No, you idiot! It's me, Liet! I'm the one who, like, bailed you out!" Toris didn't say anything, instead he just continued to gape at the Pole. "Hello? Liet? I'm, like, right in front of you~! Liet!" Feliks waved his hand in front of the Lithuanian's face in an effort to wake him up. He continued to yell out the nickname he gave to the Lithuanian, pouting ever so slightly when the other continued to stare.
He's...in front of me? Is that...really him? The gears in Toris' mind started to focus and turn, and he captured Feliks into his arms. "You...y-you really are r-real..."
Feliks smiled. "Well, duh!"
"I thought you had died..." Toris held the latter closer to him. "I saw the bag...you and Raivis' mother..."
Feliks pulled back and held Toris' face with his hands. "I was nearly dead, I know that. I remember when that evil Russian, like, totally broke all my fingers and did all that bad stuff...but...after he dumped me and that boy's matka out...everything was, like, kind of fuzzy from there. But I, like, woke up everyday knowing that you thought I was gone. I worked, like, really hard, trying to earn enough money to get you back. I knew that the Russian guy would, like, totally consider letting you off if I paid enough money. Liet..." Fat tears started roll down his cheeks. "...Did I make it in time...?"
Toris kissed the tears from his Pole's cheeks. "Yes, yes. Your timing was perfect, Feliks. It was perfect. Thank you, thank you." He kissed his lips. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." Said his most important person in the world. "By the way, how would you feel if I told you I, like, painted your room pink?"
And time to cry in a hole. Poor Toris baby, I love him to pieces. Hope you all enjoyed!