Chapter 5

The cold weather persisted, and Cain had the heat blasting in his small black Accord as he pulled up beside the restaurant where Abel worked. The green-haired man was waiting just inside the doors, and he dashed out as soon he heard Cain's honk. The hood of his jacket was pulled far over his head to try and block some of the freezing rain that was coming down in a downpour. He yanked open the car door and slid into the passenger seat, letting out a long breath as he lowered his hood and shook out his messy hair.

"Hey hot stuff, need a ride?" Cain grinned as Abel climbed into the car.

"Thanks," Abel huffed, pulling on his seat belt as the redhead began to pull away back towards the road. "Trying to walk in this rain would be a disaster."

Cain nodded his head but didn't look over towards his partner, keeping his eyes on the road. He'd dropped Abel off to work and was picking him up to take him home; the latter usually walked, but the freezing rain and wind had made that all but impossible. It had been raining since the day before, and the roads hid dangerous patches of ice, so Cain had to put all his concentration into driving. He was going slowly and carefully down the road, barely touching the gas.

They had been driving for a few minutes when Cain made a sudden, quiet noise, almost like a small gasp. Abel turned his head, but the redhead's face was calm, and he thought perhaps he had almost imagined the noise. Turning back to the road, Abel squinted to see through the torrential downpour, and he felt a bit guilty for asking Cain to be driving in such weather. The latter had begun to speed up, his foot moving down on the gas a bit harder. Out of the corner of his eye, Abel noticed that his partner's knuckles had gone white as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. Leaning forward to glance out of the window, Abel noticed that his building was coming up, but Cain wasn't slowing down; if anything, his speed was still steadily increasing.

"Cain…?" Abel said hesitantly, not wanting to interrupt the other while he was so intent, but trying to point out the turn.

"It's fine," Cain said a response that didn't make sense, passing the turn and continuing on down the road.

Abel frowned, looking at the side of his partner's face that he could see. Cain's auburn gaze was flicking up constantly, glancing in the rearview mirror with narrowed eyes. Craning his neck in his seat, Abel noticed the headlights that were shining right behind them, coming from a SUV that wasn't nearly far enough back. He silently shamed whoever would think to tailgate in such weather, but when he looked back towards Cain, the other's increasingly worried face made him think that whoever behind them was more than just than a careless driver.

Cain's eyes were staring intently at the road; his headlights weren't much help in such rain. There were no other cars on the road beside his and the one that was following very close behind him. His heart was beating in his chest; he could see Abel's concerned face in his peripheral vision, and he took a deep breath, trying but failing to relax his features, not wanting his partner to worry. He could handle it… or at least, he was trying to convince himself that he could.

He continued down the road, with the dark-colored SUV following just behind him. He was leading it away from where Abel lived, but he knew he wouldn't be able to lose it so easily. After a few more moments of tension, the car shook slightly, and Abel yelped in surprise; the larger vehicle behind them had gotten so close that it had tapped the back of their car, and Cain struggled to keep control on the slippery road. Taking a long breath, he kept his eyes locked onto the road. "Hold on to something," he said commandingly, not waiting to make sure that Abel followed his instructions before slamming down on the gas.

The car shot forward; Abel had grabbed onto the door handle just in time to avoid knocking his head on the dashboard. Cain's foot was nearly touching the floor as the tires squeaked on the pavement, his small black car racing down the road; to Abel's horror, he realized that the car that was behind them matched their pace. "Cain, what the hell—!?"

"It's fine!" Cain repeated what he had said earlier in a louder voice, still not tearing his eyes from the road. Abel was scared; he didn't know how Cain could possibly see where he was going, and it was so dark outside that he couldn't tell where they were. All he could do was trust that the redhead knew what he doing.

Cain sped down the empty road, his knuckles white as he gripped tightly on the steering wheel. His jaw was clenched, and he shot only one more glance into the rearview mirror before yanking the wheel to the left, making a sharp turn down a small road between two buildings. His small car could turn quicker than the bigger vehicle, and he increased the distance between himself and the SUV following him as he made another turn at the end of the small road. It wasn't enough; the dark-colored vehicle still followed, and it was slowly regaining the lost ground.

The redhead had the slight advantage in that he was ahead, knowing where he would turn before his follower did. This advantage disappeared, however, when he hit a large patch of black ice on the road. His small car skidded out of control, beginning to hydroplane; Cain couldn't spin the tires in the right direction before he slid off the road altogether. Luckily for them, the area where the car ended up was devoid of trees; only a large patch of grass separated the road they had been on from another.

The car definitely wasn't made for off-road, and it was a bumpy ride as Cain drove through the grass, leaving muddy tire tracks in his wake. It wasn't far to the next road, and once he reached it, he floored the gas once more, but he had lost all the distance that he had gained in the turns; the large SUV made it across the grass much easier than he had.

Silently cursing, Cain continued to race down the road, with his harasser following his every move. After a few more moments, he hit another patch of black ice, and the car skidded once more. He was prepared this time, yanking the wheel in the opposite direction and keeping control even as the tires squealed loudly. The car was practically facing sideways now, and Cain hit the gas once he had the opportunity, speeding off in the other direction. The SUV had hit the ice as well, but the larger car couldn't handle the skidding quite as well as Cain had; the redhead made a sharp down another small road, whipping past buildings in his attempt to lose the persistent chaser.

Cain could hear the engine of the SUV faintly, even over the sound of pouring rain, but it was far enough back for him to do what he needed. Racing off, back in the other direction, he made more turns, not slowing down through them but keeping excellent control over the car. Tires squealed on the pavement as Cain slammed on the brakes, stopping the car suddenly; Abel's seat belt was the only reason he didn't get thrown forward and bash his head against the windshield.

"Get out," Cain ordered, unlocking the doors and practically shoving Abel out. "Go!"

Abel obeyed, pulling off his seat belt and throwing the door open, hopping out quickly and slamming it behind him. As he ran for the shelter that covered the entrance to some building, he could hear the sound of tires screaming on the street, and he turned to see Cain speeding off down the road, leaving the smell of burning rubber behind him. Even though it was freezing, Abel stayed outside for a moment longer, green eyes narrowed in concern. A few seconds later, the SUV turned the corner of the building and whizzed by, splashing water up and narrowly missing where Abel stood; it was unconcerned with him.

Frowning, Abel clenched his hands into fists. There was nothing he could do, and frustration brewed inside of him. This wasn't the first time Cain had acted strangely without reason, but it was the only time he had ever felt as if something was really, really wrong. There was something Cain was hiding from him that was dangerous, and he almost didn't want to know what. Turning back around to face the building, he realized that it was his apartment complex; somehow, Cain had still managed to get him home while avoiding whoever was chasing them. He let out a little sigh, casting one last glance to the now-empty street before going inside.

Worry pricked at him, and he looked at his phone many times, fighting the urge to call Cain; if the latter was still driving, it would only distract him. He just had to trust that his partner would be able to get out of the scrap on his own; Cain was notoriously lucky, and had a habit of having things work out in his favor, but that didn't stop Abel from pacing back and forth.

After a while of this, Abel heaved a sigh of defeat, finally stopping his pacing. Worrying wasn't going to do himself or Cain any good. All he could do was try and calm down—his heart was still beating rather fast from the fear in the car—and wait until morning to contact Cain. He opened the cabinets in the kitchen, pulling down a cup; he glanced at the teapot, but it was too late in the evening to make tea, so he just pulled on the sink tap for some water instead. He leaned against the counter, bringing the cup to his lips, taking a small sip of the liquid; it wasn't as calming as tea, but at least it soothed his parched throat.

Just as he was beginning to calm down, darkness suddenly flooded his apartment. Abel gasped in surprise, the cup dropping from his hands; he felt the water splashing on the floor around his bare feet, but the glass didn't break. He gripped onto the counter, moving carefully to avoid slipping on the spilled liquid. The emergency lights flickered and then finally came on, giving his usually homey apartment a rather ominous yellow glow. He suddenly felt very uncomfortable, scared to be alone, and he found himself wishing that Cain was with him. He quickly pulled on his shoes, intending to go out to the lobby of the building; it was just a power outage, but the events of the evening had him incredibly on edge.

He could hear loud talking before he even reached the first floor stairs; he wasn't expecting to see the lobby crowded with people as it was. Glancing around, he stayed at the back of the crowd, trying to pick up information on what was happening, but the sound of everyone trying to talk over each other was so loud he could only hear bits and pieces; his head started to ache almost immediately just from the noise.

"He'll kill us!"

"I saw him outside the door!"

"Liar, stop trying to scare us!"

Abel was confused; the shouting people seemed concerned with something else than just the power outage. Weaving through the crowd, he finally spotted someone he recognized; Ogma jumped as Abel grabbed his shoulder.

"What's going on?" Abel asked, confusion shining in his wide green eyes. Even the larger man seemed to be tense, and that only made Abel more worried; if Ogma, stoic as he was, showed signs of worry, something was seriously wrong.

"Someone ran in claiming to see a man outside with a gun," Ogma explained, a frown on his face. "Then the power failed and everyone panicked. There's—"

The blonde's explanation was cut short by the sound of a loud whistle. The two of them looked towards the source of the noise, as did the rest of the crowd. A stressed-looking policeman was standing on the reception counter. A scared worker was just behind him, but on the floor; she had been the recipient of most of the angered screaming, and fear was obvious on her young-looking face.

The group of people looked at the cop expectantly, finally quieting down. "There is no need to panic," he began in a voice that betrayed his own worry. "A suspicious man of bulky build and long black hair was spotted roaming the area with a gun—" A roar filled the room as all the residents began yelling at once; a couple people even screamed. It took a minute or two before the crowd calmed enough for the sweaty policeman to begin announcing again. "We ask that you stay calm and go back to your rooms. Keep your door locked, but don't panic, we are tracking down the perpetrator even as I speak."

Abel's heart dropped, and he felt a sense of impending dread. He couldn't help but feel as if this situation had something to do with Cain and the person who had been chasing them earlier. The description of whoever had the gun didn't match Cain, and Abel wasn't sure if he felt relieved or even more worried at that. Mostly he just felt nauseous, and he stumbled away from the crowd; Ogma glanced over his shoulder as the green-haired man went, but the distance between them was immediately filled with more people.

Exiting the lobby, Abel lingered in the stairwell, sitting down to try and clear his head. He stayed like that for a while, trying to ignore the muffled yelling of the people who were still arguing in the foyer. Once his stomach settled, he stood, still holding on the railing to keep his balance. He slowly made his way back up towards his room, stepping inside and locking the door as the policeman had suggested; he even slid the deadbolt into place.

The power was still off, and he flopped down onto the couch, staring blankly at the black television screen that was in front of him. He was scared and worried, and didn't quite know what to think, so he wasn't thinking at all, just feeling numb and staring into space. The sound of his phone ringing caused him to jump, his heart racing at the sudden noise. Glancing at his mobile, he realized that the caller was Cain, and he answered it quickly.

"Cain? Are you okay?" He couldn't keep the worry out of his voice.

"Calm down, I'm fine. Listen, you need to stay inside, okay? Don't go outside for any reason. Just trust me." Cain's voice was coming through from the other side, but the sound of pouring rain was muffled in the background, as if the redhead was outside somewhere.

Abel was gripping the phone tightly in shaking hands. "Okay," he agreed, but his worries weren't quelled. "Where are you?"

"I'm in my apartment," Cain claimed, but the sound of rain was too loud for that to be true.

"Cain," Abel said seriously, feeling that sickening feeling in his stomach again, unable to think of why Cain would be lying. "Where are you?"

"Okay, you got me, I'm still outside. But I'm fine, Abel, everything is alright. Just don't go outside. It's late, try and get some sleep. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay…" Abel agreed once more, but he was frowning. He hesitated for a moment before speaking again. "I love you."

"I love you too."

Those words held only the slightest bit of comfort at the moment. Abel's brow was furrowed as his face contorted in worry, unsatisfied with how the conversation had gone. "Cain… please be safe."

There was only silence for a moment on the other line, save for the sound of muffled rain. When Cain finally spoke again, his voice sounded almost sad. "I'll see you tomorrow, Abel."

The phone clicked off, and Abel lowered it from his ear, staring at the small device, blinking back frustrated tears. "Will you?"

The rain had stopped by morning. Cain was stirred awake by the sound of someone knocking on his door; groaning lightly, he rolled over, grunting loud as he fell onto the floor with a thud. He had collapsed on the couch last night after coming home, still fully dressed; he hadn't even kicked off his shoes. Sitting up, rubbing his groggy eyes, he almost thought he had imagined the noise, until it came again; a distinct knocking sound, more urgent this time.

He quickly blinked himself awake, standing up and smoothing out his clothes. A sense of dread was creeping over him; no one ever came to see him, and when they did, it was never good. Even Marth, who always called to make sure it was safe before showing up, had stopped coming recently. Every instinct in his body was screaming at him to not open the door, but the knock came a third time, louder, and it was clear whoever was there was not going to give up easily.

He peeked through the peephole, but saw nothing but blackness, as if it had been covered from the outside. The dread only continued to grow, and he took a deep breath before undoing the deadbolt and reaching for the handle of the door. He opened it slowly, and the sight before him drained the blood from his face.

"A-Abel? What are you doing here?" Cain stared in disbelief as the green-haired man hovered in his doorway. The green-haired man had never been to his home before; Cain had tried to make sure that his partner didn't even know where it was, but somehow, the other had found his address and showed up without prior warning.

"Cain, we have to talk," Abel began, his brow furrowed seriously.

"You… You shouldn't be here," Cain stammered, casting a worried glance down the hall; it was empty, but not unwatched.

Abel's gaze was conflicted and confused, and the frown was still settled on his face. "What the hell is going on, Cain?"

"Look Abel, it's fine—"

"It's not fine!" Abel was so tired of hearing that. His shaking voice came out louder than intended as the words sent him over the edge. He had barely been holding it together, and he hated hearing Cain continue to insist that everything was okay when it clearly wasn't.

Cain's auburn eyes widened; he hadn't realized just how upset Abel was, and he felt sweat pricking at his brow. He didn't know what to say to calm the other down, and he certainly couldn't tell him the truth… not now, not here. "Abel, everything is going to be okay, just don't worry about it…" His words were weak and he knew it, but there wasn't much else he could say.

"I have to worry about it," Abel argued; anger was mixed in with the hurt on his face. "Because I fucking love you!" His loud-spoken words were full of stinging bitterness. "I can't take this anymore. Why won't you talk to me?"

There was only silence, and Abel was growing impatient. The angered frown on his face was fading, replaced with a terrible look of hurt. He was so confused at Cain's strange actions, and as much as he didn't want to walk away, he didn't have much choice if the other would refuse to tell him anything.

The silence was heavy and filled with tension as terrible confliction wracked Cain's heart. If he let Abel go, he risked the other walking out of his life forever; that thought was unbearable. If he reached out, he risked putting his partner in danger. He knew the others were always watching; he could practically feel their eyes on him at this very moment. He was stunned still, unable to move as his conflicted auburn eyes locked with Abel's hurt gaze.

After a few more moments of that awful, hanging silence, Abel realized that he wouldn't get Cain to talk; he had had enough, and he shook his head in defeat, turning to leave. Cain's heart dropped as he saw the movement, and he felt his own selfishness taking over. Reaching out, he grabbed Abel's arm, pulling the other back before he could take more than a step. "Wait," he pleaded, desperation in his auburn eyes. Guilt washed over him, and he felt as though he had just condemned Abel; by proving that the green-haired man was of value to him, he had put his partner's life in danger. Even so, he simply couldn't stand the thought of letting Abel leave in such a state. "I will explain everything, later," he promised, forcing his voice to stay steady. "I just… can't right now. Please…"

Abel stopped as Cain grabbed his arm. Something in the redhead's voice told him that he was being genuine in his promise, but Abel still hesitated. He couldn't bring himself to walk away from Cain so easily, and he met his partner's gaze once more before pulling the other into a tight hug. "I love you," Abel said again, his words slightly muffled as he pressed his face into Cain's shoulder. "But I need to be able to trust you."

Cain returned the hug, but it held no comfort; not for him, at least. Terrible dread washed over him, and he did his best to hide it from Abel, glad that the other couldn't see his face during the hug. "I love you too," he murmured, closing his eyes and trying to enjoy the closeness of his lover for at least a moment. "I'm sorry…" He breathed in Abel's scent for a second longer before reluctantly breaking the hug. "Look, Abel," he said seriously in a lowered voice. "It's not safe for you here. When you leave, don't go directly home. Get somewhere public and call me from there, okay?"

Abel felt annoyance pricking at him from the vagueness of Cain's instructions, but he nodded. He had told himself that he was going to trust Cain, believing that the other would tell him what was going on when the time was right.

"And Abel… If you see someone bulky with long black hair, run. Run as fast as you can and don't stop until you're out of his sight."

Abel froze at those words. The image Cain had just painted matched the description that the policeman had warned the crowd of the night before, confirming his suspicions that Cain was involved with the man with the gun. He bit down on his bottom lip to avoid saying anything; he had just promised himself that he would trust Cain, but the redhead certainly wasn't making that very easy. Instead, he only nodded, but his body was still tense. He turned to leave, noticing the way that Cain shot worried glances down the hall again before closing the door; he could hear the deadbolt sliding into place.

Abel still didn't feel satisfied at the way things had gone. He combed his fingers through his messy green hair; when he lowered his hand, he realized that it was still shaking. He felt so helpless, and with another long sigh, he finally began the long walk back towards the other side of town, thinking of where to stop on the way.