Oh my loves. How I adore thee!
For the one who requested my tumblr it is addict2shashbii. If you search for it and you find one with a load of Tom Hiddleston pictures...you've found the right one. -cough-
ANYWAY! On to the goodness that you most certainly deserve!
How can so much change in just a short amount of time?
Just a few short months ago I never would have let myself be so angry and yet so cold. I would have lashed out, cried and ranted until everyone knew exactly what I was feeling.
I was weak.
I am strong now. My anger is no longer backed up with tears and whimpers. Now I can think through this crushing betrayal because no matter what my outer self showed, it was betrayal that coursed through my veins and made my heart clench up.
I had thought I understood betrayal but I was a fool. There is nothing in this world like the pure ice that flows over and through you when you first learn of the lie. Nothing like looking into the liars eyes for the first time after you find out. You'll never look at them the same again. Nothing with that person can ever be the same.
I had thought I understood revenge. I have never understood revenge. Not like I have come to understand. This burning desire to hurt him. To make him beg and cry for mercy. I want to break him down piece by piece. Tear every person who is important to him away, plant the seeds of doubt and watch as every ounce of trust he has ever put into a person is slaughtered.
Five days after I found out, I was finally ready to confront him. Variedy had informed me everyday that he came by and would go through details of the interactions between either, himself and the red head or Vincent and the red head, in great detail.
"He's here." came Vincent's voice. I looked up from where I had been sitting on the floor of the living room. I slowly got to my feet and moved toward the front hallway. Vincent grabbed my arm as I passed. "Don't do anything either of us will regret." he said. I looked up into red eyes and gave my best empty smile.
"Our secret is safe with me." I said before I pulled away and headed down the hallway. I ended up in his bed almost every night. I'd try to sleep but eventually my dark thoughts would have me out of bed and into his very quickly. I paused at the edge of the hallway and prepared myself. I had walked myself through this so many times that I had a script in my head, imprinted on the back of my eyelids.
"I demand to see Roxas." Came Axel's voice from the opened front door. Variedy was blocking his view so he couldn't see me standing in the hall way. I moved to the sitting room and took my seat on the couch just as Variedy stepped back and allowed the red head to enter. He was tense as he stepped into the foyer, his eyes scanning for a threat, when known came he relaxed slightly.
He was wearing a pair of black dress pants and a purple button down shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. Work appropriate, yet casual. His red hair was spiked back from his face as usual, and as usual he looked absolutely wonderful. My hands balled into fist against my will as his eyes landed on me. Variedy motioned toward me but Axel seemed frozen for a moment before he started toward me. His eyes swept over me before they settled on my face. I allowed our eyes to meet and made sure he saw nothing. He crossed the room and lounged into the chair across the low coffee table from me.
"I see your training is paying off." was the first thing out of his mouth. He was so confident that I had to restrain myself from grinding my teeth together in frustration.
"Yes well, Variedy is a good teacher." I said. I leaned back into the couch and crossed my legs. "But lets skip the pleasantries and get right to the unpleasant." His eyes slit into a glare and his left hand clenched.
"Very well. As I am sure you've been told, the paternity test that I had done came back that I am the father of the child that my wife is carrying." he said, his voice bland and uncaring. He even looked down at his nails. The little bit of old Roxas that was left in me died. He had been foolishly hoping for the red head to deny it. Hoping that it had been some kind of mistake, hoping for something from the red head. This nothingness was killing the old and the new.
"Well then, congratulations. I hope you both live happily ever after." I said and I might have sneered slightly.
"Fuck off Roxas." he hissed, his calm demeanor dropping almost instantly. "This is as much of a surprise to me as it is for you." At that I let out an abrupt spurt of bitter laughter.
"Oh I highly doubt that." I said and I felt myself slip a little as my anger rose. "You were so adamant that the child wasn't yours, couldn't possibly be yours." I shook my head and pulled it back in. Not now. I chided myself mentally.
"I didn't know for certain." he said. "I still don't remember sleeping with her in the time frame that would line up with the pregnancy."
"Sex must be terrible." I said as I leaned back into the couch once again. He seemed confused for a moment.
"What?" he asked. I had to fight myself not to roll my eyes.
"If you can't remember, it must have been terrible." I said my voice very dry. "Unmemorable sex. What a terrible marriage your stuck in." He glared at me for a moment before he seemed to deflate.
"I don't want this marriage Roxas. Why can't you see that?" he asked.
"I see that you don't want it. I also see what Namine saw; you want me, but not enough." I said, my arms crossed over my chest now, my eyes locked with his.
"You have no idea how much I want you Roxas." he hissed at me.
"No, your right I don't. I just know that its not enough."
"Enough? Enough for what?" He asked and he stood, pissed, his anger almost physically in the air around us. "What would I have to do to prove that its you that I want?"
"Leave her." I said and I stood as well. My own anger was winning out on the war raging inside me. "Do what needs doing and go through with the divorce."
"It's not that simple!" He said as he racked his fingers through his hair. "If I divorce her without reason, I lose everything Roxas! Its in the marriage contract between our families! I can't do that." There was still a coffee table between us but I could tell he wanted to reach for me.
"Yes you can." I said, my voice calm. "You can leave her, you just don't want to. Your power and money is more important to you then I am." He moved around the table and I faced him, no backing down from me. He towered over me, his hands balled into fist at his side as his green eyes burned into mine.
"You have no idea what your asking me to do." he said. "If I lose the power Roxas, I'm as good as dead. Do you have any idea how many enemy's I've made over the years? Do you think that just because the money and power is gone that all the problems will be as well? Its just the opposite, without the power all those people I've pissed off will be lining up to take a piece out of my ass. That's if Larxene's family doesn't have me killed first."
"There are ways around all of that, we just have to disappear. Surely among all those enemy's you've made friends as well?" I said, my own glare easily as dangerous as his.
"You want to spend the rest of your life on the run?" He asked, "Because I sure as hell don't."
"If I was with you, I'd run for the rest of my life." I said, my voice going soft. "Because that is how much I want to be with you."
"Running away didn't solve your problems before, I doubt it will solve our problems now. I am still trying to prove that she is sleeping with someone else. With the right proof I will be able to divorce her." he said as his eyes searched mine. I shut myself down, pulling in the little bit of anger that had leaked out. "I want to be with you Roxas, you and no one else." he said.
"Well that's not enough for me. I won't play secret lover anymore." I said as I took a step back. "It's either me or her, but not both. Not anymore." He was frozen, his eyes locked on mine. I turned my back on him to leave the room but I knew I wouldn't make it. I made it to the little step up that led into the main entry when he grabbed my arm.
"Don't turn your back on me!" He snarled as he spun me around. I allowed him to man handle me just for the sake of not wanting to start a physical fight.
"Let me go Axel." I said, my voice calm. He shook me slightly.
"How dare you think you can break it off with me!" he hissed in my face. I shifted my footing slightly so I was ready.
"I'll tell you one more time. Axel let me go." I said, my voice still level. I felt more then heard Vareidy and/or Vincent come into the main entry way. Instead of take my warning Axel pulled his hand back as if he would slap me.
I grabbed the arm that he was holding me with and jerked him forward, throwing off his balance enough that he dropped his other hand down to catch himself on the door frame. I let go of him and moved into the entry way with out turning my back on him. He advanced on me, his anger all over his face and his eyes filled with so much rage that I should have been shaking in my boots.
Good thing I wasn't wearing any.
He came at me, reaching for my arm again but this time I side stepped him and swept his feet out from under him. He fell but was on his feet again in seconds. He swung around and was on me in the blink of an eye. I had miscalculated how much he was willing to hurt me, stupid.
His first punch caught me in the stomach and I doubled over. I saw movement to my right but I waved them down. I grabbed his second punch and swung it over my head and came up behind him, his arm bent at an awkward angle.
"You should have listened to me." I whispered as I brought my knee up and placed it on the back of his elbow.
"Roxas don't!" I heard someone shout but I was too lost in my anger, the betrayal, the hurt, the tears. I pulled his arm back and pushed with my knee.
Suddenly my leg was jerked down and a hand was prying my hand off of Axel's arm.
"That's enough." Came Variedy's voice in my ear as he pulled me away from the red head, whom Vincent was helping to his feet.
"It's not enough, it will never be enough." I said as Axel looked up at me.
"Don't think this is over." he said. "I will not give you up this easily."
"There is nothing to give up Axel. I was never yours." I said and I turned and left the room, headed for the living room. I could hear muted arguing but I ignored it as I leaned against the wall across from the downstairs bathroom. I closed my eyes and concentrated on evening out my breathing as I fought to not think about what I had just done.
"It went relatively well right up to the point where you tried to shattered his elbow." Came Variedy's voice from near by. I opened my eyes to find him standing with his arms crossed at the mouth of the hall way.
"I don't have your perfect control." I said with a shaky smirk. "I did the best I could considering." His eyebrow raised at that.
"Yes, considering I would have at least punched his pretty face in if I were you." I let out a snort and pushed away from the wall.
"Has he left?" I asked as Variedy turned and headed into the living room, me following close behind.
"Vincent is showing him to his vehicle." he said. I felt a pang of worry but squashed it down fast. No need to let that fester for fear that Variedy would spot it.
"How much longer till I have to fight him?" I asked. Variedy turned to me, his eyebrow raised once again.
"Vincent?" he asked, doubt in his voice. "You want to fight Vincent?" I shrugged my shoulders and kept an ear open for the sound of a door.
"I don't necessarily want to. I just figured I was going to at some point." I said as I shifted my footing slightly.
"He is injured and is recovering, you will not be fighting him." he said, his eyebrows drawn together now as he examined me. "I find it odd that you assumed you would be fighting him." My pulse may have sped up slightly. I needed to tread very, very carefully here. I could set off a whole chain of events I wasn't ready for just yet. I kept my face completely blank as he started to circle me, still examining. "The only reason you would think I would want you to fight him would be because you think that I think the two of you fighting will push your buttons somehow."
"I just figured because of our history, you would eventually make me fight him." I said with a shrug and crossed my arms. He continued to circle me.
"No. No that's not true, not completely." he said. "It's that and more then that. You're scared to fight him, though I can't seem to pinpoint why." My pulse jumped a bit and I know he saw it.
"So then let me fight him." came Vincent's voice from behind us. I went completely still.
Shit.
"Now that," Variedy said, pointing his finger at my face. "That, got a reaction." He seemed suspicious and yet intrigued by this new development. He started to back off of the mat and motioned for Vincent to step forward. Panic started to rise in my chest.
"You just got done telling me he is still injured." I said with a tilt of my head. "I really don't want to be blamed for setting back his recovery." I managed to put in a bit of a sneer as I eyed the approaching raven haired man.
"You won't be able to lay a hand on him." Variedy said from the side of the room. I shot him a glare as I turned to face Vincent. "You have improved a great deal but Vincent, even still recovering, is much better then you are." I let my eyes meet red eyes and saw nothing there.
I was on my own.
"I really don't want to do this." I said as I shifted ever so slightly, ready to move.
"And that fact alone is the reason why you will do this." Variedy said and for the first time since the start of this escapade, I hated him.
"Vincent, lets not do this." I said to the raven haired man that was now starting to circle with me.
"Don't worry." he said and a small smile may have slid across his face. "I won't hurt you." I opened my mouth to make a cleaver retort but was cut off by the first fluid attack. He was in my space in seconds, his right fist taking me in the ribs, I managed to dodge the next hit but I was so busy trying to dodge that I wasn't able to attack. He was gone again before I could get my barrings.
"You're going to need to concentrate more on your self and less on not hurting him." Came Variedy's voice. I shot him a glare before stepping forward and delivering several well placed kicks that never even made contact. He was always just one step ahead of me, moving back as I came forward.
With out warning he had hold of my right leg and gave it a painful twist. I jumped with my left leg and brought it over my body, aiming for his face but he went down onto one knee and tossed my right leg. The momentum of my kick carried me away from him and had me rolling across the mat. I was on my feet but he was already standing over me. I came up attacking, my fists flying for his face and then his stomach, I had him back peddling and fast. I pulled my fist back to deliver a blow to his chest, he was too close, there was no way he could dodge it! At least I thought...
He launched himself backwards, his back arching and his hands came into contact with the mat. His foot caught the under side of my chin as his legs sailed over him. I didn't see him land because the kick to my chin had me on the mat, my head reeling from the pain.
The image of him doing that flip would be forever seared into my memory in the section marked 'badassary'.
I heard the distinct sound of a snort of derision from the other side of the room and I had enough sense to raise my middle finger in his direction as I clutched at my jaw with my other hand.
"Yes, close combat with Vincent is never really a good idea." came Variedy's voice from much closer. Something cold was pressed to my hand. I looked up and gave him a glare as I took the ice pack from him and pressed it to the under side of my chin. I looked over to find Vincent much closer then I thought.
"What the hell was that?" I managed to ask whilst glaring.
"It's called a backhand-spring Roxas." He said, his face still blank, though there was a distinct smugness about him.
"What were you a cheerleader in another life?" I asked, my voice coming out as a hiss.
"Don't knock it Roxas. You're about to spend the next 3 weeks learning the art of Gymnastics." Variedy said with a smirk. I looked at him like he was crazy.
"So I can snap my neck trying to do a back flip?" I asked, sounding doubtful.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're much more likely to snap your writs or ankle doing a flip then your neck." Vincent said. I looked at him shocked, then to Variedy.
"You're both serious?" I asked and when they both nodded I just groaned and pressed the ice to my chin again. "Well fuck."
"Take 15." Variedy said. "Vincent with me please." I looked up to Vincent to find him watching Variedy walk away. He glanced down to me and I finally was able to see the anger. He was pissed.
At me.
He knelt down next to me and grabbed my chin as if he were examining it but his eyes slid up to mine and I wanted to run.
"You do realize that you just fucked this up." he said, his voice so soft I almost didn't catch it. His hand squeezed down on my chin and a small whimper slipped from me. He let go of me and stood. He glanced down and I managed to not physically flinched away from his glare as I placed the ice back on my face.
"I didn't mean too." I said but he just kept walking. I guess that meant that Variedy knew now. I sighed and let myself lie back on the mat. "Fuck!" I groaned as I ran a hand through my spikes. I let myself lay back on the mat and closed my eyes.
I could hear them talking in the dinning room but I couldn't make out what was being said. The over all tone seemed to be rather neutral and not heated as I had expected.
I couldn't really say I was afraid of what Variedy would do to me for sleeping with Vincent while here but if he sent Vincent away.. I groaned as I pressed harder on the ice pack. I didn't know what I'd do if he sent Vincent back to the manor.
I let my thoughts drift of a moment and concentrated on their voices in the other room, trying to make out what was being said but to no avail. Eventually the talking stopped and I could barely hear the foot steps headed back toward me. I heard a door open and close somewhere else in the house and I opened my eyes as the foot steps reached the mat and set up to find only Variedy.
"I'm disappointed in you Roxas." he said as he stopped a few feet away from me. I kept my eyes on him but kept silent, no need to incriminate myself. "I expected it of course, but I can't deny that I had hoped.." he sighed.
"What is my punishment, oh Lord Variedy?" I asked as I slowly got to my feet. Careful to keep the sarcasm in place.
"There isn't going to be any." he said and I looked at him, shocked and then weary.
"But?" I said and his lip twitched.
"This time, there won't be any, but I do expect it to stop. If it happens again a lock will be placed on your door and you go back to pretending he doesn't exist." he said, his arms crossed. "My fist reaction was to send him back to the manor but I need him for the gymnastics training." I kept my face blank but gave a nod.
"I know they say don't look a gift horse in the mouth but why?" I asked. Something in his demeanor changed, it wasn't much of a change but I picked up on it in the way his hips shifted and his arms went to his side.
"Possibly because I like the fact that Vincent is going against Axel. I like that this is a huge betrayal of Axel's trust. I like when things get entertaining." he said and if he had stopped there I would have gone on thinking of him as the bat-shit crazy Variedy I knew... "But also because if I had had some way to protect myself from this I would have." That had me going completely still and my mind going blank.
"I.." I stated to say but I was rendered speechless by the glare that was directed at my face.
"If I had been given the option, if I had known there were options, I might not have let myself dive so deeply into this life style." he said, his voice hard but the words were so full of self doubt and hate that I didn't even know...what do you say to something like this? What do you say when a person completely opens themselves up like this?
"You regret this?" I asked finally after a moment. He gave me a look that said 'Don't be stupid.'
"Not at first, but meeting.." he cut off for a moment before he took a deep breath. "Meeting Phystie changed a lot of things for me." I gulped and tried to calm my pounding heart. I felt as if I was getting a close look at something no one had ever seen before. Variedy's humanity. He took another deep breath. "If I had met him sooner, if I had known him before.." he cut himself off here. "Things would be different." There was a long pause and I really couldn't think of what to say.
"Do you miss him?" I finally asked. Stupid question I know but hey! This was new territory for me, at least with Vareidy of all people. His mouth twitched slightly, almost as if he was fighting back a smile.
"Every day." he said, his voice soft.
"Bring him here." I said. Finally a thought process! "I mean, if you miss him why isn't he here anyway? Go get him." Variedy didn't seemed as impressed with my idea as I was. He just stared at me, his red and gold eyes slowly growing more and more blank.
"He's safer where he is." he said and he turned around as if he would walk away.
"And where is that?" I asked, following him. He was not going to get out of this conversation easily. He stopped walking and turned to face me again and his eyes were back to the dead look they normally had.
"I don't know." was the response. I stared at him for a moment, not sure if I should believe him while my mind was going a mile a minute.
"You don't know?" I asked, sounding suspicious. He just gave me the same blank, dead stare. "So Axel hid him for you and from you?"
"Yes." he said. "I am a dangerous man with dangerous enemies."
"I understand that but surely we could keep him safe here?" I asked. His eye brow went up at that.
"We?" he asked, his face was completely blank except that raised eyebrow but I could sense the smirk that was looming just out of site.
"Yes, we. Between the three of us I think we could guarantee his safety at least for a little while." I said, trying to sound reassuring and reasonable. He stared for a moment, his eyes portraying nothing and I almost thought he was considering it.
"No Roxas. To the gym." He said and turned to walk away again.
"Hey! It would give you a month to spend with him! And then you could figure out a way to stay with him!" I said as I followed him into the front of the house.
"Drop it." he said without turning around.
"Hey!" I said again and grabbed his wrist before he could start up the stairs.
Okay so lets count out my mistakes up till this point. 1. When Variedy says no, it means NO. 2. When he tries to walk away, let him. 3. When he says drop it, you had better either drop it or run. 4. NEVER, never touch him.
I barley had time to register what was happening before I was slammed into the wall next to the front door, my feet about two feet from the floor and his hands wrapped in the front of my shirt. I was staring into glaring, angry red and gold eyes from inches away. Granted they were rather blurry red and gold eyes...
"I am only going to say this once, so listen close. The three of us, Physitie, Axel and I, have an agreement. He is hidden from me and from the people that are out to get me. He knows where I am, he is free to come out of hiding when ever he wants and he has unlimited resources to keep track of me and those around me. If he wanted to be here, he would be here. The fact that he isn't proves that he doesn't want to. He's been in hiding for six months. Since he went in I have terminated most of the threats to myself and to him. The few that are left are not a big worry but he has stayed away. That is his choice and his right." This last sentence was snarled in my face. He feels rejected.. was the thought I had as he let go of my shirt. I stumbled away from the wall as he backed up but managed to stay on my feet.
"You don't know why he's not here. Don't assume things Variedy." I said as I rubbed at my neck. He just glared at me for a moment longer before he turned and started up the stairs.
"To the gym. Now." he said. I grumbled under my breath for a moment before I followed him up the stairs. I couldn't help but let my mind run with the new information I had about my truth-teller. If all that he had said was true then Phystie knew about this house, knew about me, knew about everything. At least to some extent..
We entered the gym and started our rounds but I let my mind drift still. What really bugged me was that the only person who would know would be Axel and I'd be damned if I went to him for a favor. Maybe Vincent knew? I felt a small spark of hope spring up, if anyone else knew it would be Vincent. I turned my complete attention on the task at hand (arm curls) and tried to concentrate on getting everything done so I could turn in for the night.
"Alright, get cleaned up. Dinner at same time." he said after we finished. I picked up one of the small hand towels and wiped at my face.
"Yes sir." I said as I went for the door. I paused before I closed the door. "Where did Vincent go?" I asked, feeling a little brave. Variedy looked up from the bench he was seated on and met my eyes in the mirror.
"He left to find a sexual partner for the evening." he said. I felt my insides freeze up but I kept my body language neutral. I hadn't been expecting that answer, at all. I fought to keep my face blank.
"Alright. I'll see you at dinner." I said and left, closing the door behind me. I made it to my room and closed the door before I let myself feel anything. The first thing that came over me was pure anger and then jealously reared its ugly head and I wanted to smash my fist into something. I leaned against the door and took several deep breaths.
FUCK! I turned and let my fist collided with the door, the wood splintered slightly but not as much as the skin over my knuckles. I hissed as I pressed my now bleeding hand into my shorts. I couldn't believe this! Vincent was out there right now, possibly screwing someone else! I bared my teeth and had to fight back the impulse to hit the door again.
It's not like we had discussed what our 'relationship' was or if we were even going to be exclusive to each other. Hell I wasn't even sure if sleeping together every night for a few nights even meant we had any kind of commitment to each other at all.
"God damn it!" I snarled as I ran my non injured hand through my mess of blond spikes. I grabbed my towels and headed for the shower. I needed to calm the hell down.
I made quick of my shower but found I was still incredibly angry and frustrated. I went back to my room and threw on some cloths and then I set on the floor in the middle of the room and started to breath deeply.
In.
Out.
In.
Out.
I concentrated on pushing all the emotions that the day had dragged up, back down and locking them tightly in a box. With each breath I let out, I felt calmer and calmer. Finally after a while of just sitting and breathing I got up and went to my dresser. I pulled out the first aid kit that was stored there and then set on the edge of my bed and began to doctor my hand.
I placed several butterfly band aids on the busted skin to hold it together and then spread antibiotic ointment over it before wrapping it in gauze. Jumping around, learning how to do flips was going to be a bitch with a busted knuckle.
I sighed after I finished and let my mind run through the day one more time. Officially breaking it off with Axel...getting kicked in the face...Variedy finding out about me and Vincent...Variedy and Phystie...Vincent and someone else...I rubbed at my face and stood from my bed. Alright, dinner time.
I left my room and was headed down the stairs when the front door came open. I froze about half way down as Vincent came through the door. At some point in his outing he had changed, he was wearing nice black jeans that showcased his long legs in the best way possible. From what I could see of his shirt that was under his black leather jacket, it looked as if it had been poured on, it showed off every inch of his perfectly defined chest and stomach and was a dark shade of purple. Our eyes met as he shut the door and I unconsciously licked my lips.
I didn't even care that he had dressed with the thought of attracting someone else. He looked so god damn good. I had never been so happy for all my training before, it was very hard to not attack him. I was concentrating on just simply not moving. Maybe he would just walk away and then I would be able to move without fear of what I might do. I was concentrating so hard that I didn't realize that he wasn't moving, just staring up at me.
"Good evening Roxas." he said and a very small, very manly whimper may have escaped my lips. I clutched at the hand railing of the stairs as I stood a little straighter, trying to get a hold of myself.
"Evening Vincent." I said and calmly reminded myself of the punishment that awaited me if I gave in to what my body was screaming at me that it wanted. Silence fell over us after that, me standing on the stairs, clutching the railing and staring at the door just behind Vincent and him standing there, watching... waiting.
"Are you just going to stand there all night?" He asked as he shifted his weight to his good leg and leaned back against the door. "I'm sure dinner is ready." My eyes met his and I felt like a deer caught in the head lights. He was fucking teasing me! I imagined this was how Lucifer convinced Eve to take the forbidden fruit. Stood there and sexed at her...
"After you." I said with a strained smile. A very feral grin flashed across his face and then was gone.
"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were afraid of me." he said and I swallowed rather loudly.
"Not of you. Of what I might do to you if I come down these stairs." I managed to give him an overly sweet smile but made no move to come down the stairs. He chuckled and it sent shivers down my spine.
Oh GOD. I groaned to myself.
"That which has been made forbidden is all the more sweeter a temptation." he said, his eyes locked with mine. I gulped again and had unconsciously taken a few more steps down. A slow smile was spreading its way across his face as I fought with myself to stay where I was.
"Yeah." I said and I might have been a little breathless. "The sexual tension is normally pretty bad but this is ridiculous." At this he out right laughed and it was such a foreign sound, such an unexpected reaction that I was at the bottom of the stairs before I knew it. The laughter faded but it left his eyes a little lighter then they had been.
"Come here Roxas." he said. My heart stuttered and I took a step toward him. He could undress me with nothing but his voice! I needed to think of something! There was something that I needed to ask him, I had a way out of this. I could change the subject! UGH if I could only remember what it had been!
"Variedy will put a lock on my door." I said, my voice soft as I took another step toward him. He made no comment to that, simply watched me with those dark, red eyes. "He'll make me go back to ignoring you."
"I enjoy the effect I have on you." he said as he pushed away from the door and closed the distance between us. We stood toe to toe, as he stared down into my eyes. His leather jacket brushed against the front of my shirt and I was suddenly hyper aware of nothing but him. Think Roxas! I hissed at myself but that went to hell when he reached up and is fingers brushed along my jaw.
I flinched a little at the pain that radiated from the area where his foot had connected earlier but my brain had already shut down.
"Did you know that you are the first thing to lead me astray from my job?" he asked as he lowered his face down till his lips where centimeters from mine. I gulped but couldn't help if my pride swelled a little at that.
"I.." I started to say but was cut off by the sound of shattering glass. We flew apart and had our backs pressed to the wall on either side of the opened door way that led back to the living room. Vincent had a gun out and ready, he held up a hand to indicate that he would go first. I nodded and he swung around the corner his gun trained a head of us. I followed close behind, my heart was racing but I was calm as we entered the darkened living room and headed for Variedy's bedroom door.
A noise from the kitchen had us switching direction and headed for the open arch way. Vincent went in first, his gun sweeping the room. I followed close behind him.
"Variedy?" Vincent called out as he swept the room. I followed his movement and noticed that the back window that overlooked the dinning table was shattered, fragments hanging loosely from the wooden frame. I moved toward the window to investigate when Variedy finally spoke up.
"Kitchen." came the pain replied. "Shot. Keep your eyes peeled." I froze and at the same moment Vincent grabbed my arm and jerked me into the kitchen and onto the floor, using the counter as a shield from the now broken window. Variedy was leaning against the island, a dark stain slowly spreading over the front of his shirt.
"Fuck!" Vincent hissed and handed me his gun. "Take this." he said and I fumbled with the device as it was pushed into my hands.
"Vincent I don't know how.." I started to say but he cut me off.
"Hold it like this." he said as he grabbed my hands and repositioned them around the gun. "And if and when I tell you, aim and squeeze this." he said as he pressed my finger to the trigger. I nodded and he removed his jacket as he turned back to Variedy.
"They had...had to be..in the backyard." Variedy said, his voice was soft and his eyes were distant.
"If any one comes through that door Roxas. Shot them. Ask questions later." Vincent said to me. I nodded and carefully maneuvered myself so I was kneeling and peeking around the edge of the counter so I had a clear view of the dinning room and the broken window.
"Alright Variedy." Vincent said. "This is going to hurt." I wanted to look but I kept my eyes glued to the possible threat. I heard Variedy hiss and I clenched my teeth and clutched at the gun, trying to keep myself focused. "Fuck." Vincent said again. "We're gonna need help. I need to call Axel." I glanced over at them then. Vincent had removed Variedy's shirt and wiped away a lot of the blood but more was quickly replacing the old from a nasty hole in his left shoulder. As I watched Vincent helped Variedy lay down on the kitchen floor. "I've got to put pressure on it." Vincent said and I could just make out Variedy's nod. "Roxas your shirt." Vincent said. I quickly took off my shirt and passed it to him before picking the gun back up and turning my complete attention back to the door and window. "Here." Vincent said and the sound of plastic sliding across the tile and I snatched up a phone. "Call Axel." I flipped the phone open and dialed the number by memory.
He answered after only a few rings.
"I didn't expect to hear from you so soon Variedy."
"Axel, we're in trouble here." I said, my voice very soft as I kept my attention on the door.
"Roxas?" he asked and he sounded a little confused but mostly angry.
"Trouble Axel. Variedy's been shot." I said as I maneuvered to hold the phone with my shoulder so I could have a two handed grip on the gun. I saw a flash of something in the back yard and I froze, my breath hitched. "Shooter is still here." I hissed into the phone."Vincent, I've got movement." I said a little louder.
"If you get a clear shot take it. I need to get the bleeding to stop." he said. I felt my pulse began to race.
"Roxas just stay calm and do what Vincent says. I'll have backup there in 15."
"Faster then that Axe." I whispered into the phone as the person came closer to the house. I could just make out the shape of them, running in a crouched position toward the house.
"I don't know if you've had any training with a gun yet but try to aim to wound, not kill. If they're alive then we can find out who sent them, dead they are of little use."
"I'm a little more worried about them not shooting anyone else to think about that right now Axel." I said. They got to the house but pressed themselves up to the wall on the side of the door so I didn't have a shot.
"Put me on speaker and set the phone on the floor." I did as he asked and the focused on the door, looking for any opportunity to take a shot and end this. The door was pushed opened, banging against the wall but never a clear shot of anything vital.
"You're going to die today." came a breathless voice from the back door. "I've waited for this day for a long time Assassin." None of us made a noise, I didn't dare look away from the door to see what the other two were doing. Who ever it was moved into the doorway at a crouch and I took a deep breath and pulled the trigger.
The gun fired and the man jerked backwards with a scream. He fell to the ground and I quickly stood from my crouch.
"Roxas! Stay where you are!" Vincent hissed but I was already moving around the counter, the gun pointed at the ground but still in a two handed grip as I approached the screaming man. I came up beside him and kicked his gun away from him. The bullet had hit him in the shoulder, almost the same spot as Variedy but a little lower. He wasn't going to last very long.
I looked up to check the back yard again and had just enough time to hit the ground as another bullet shattered the back door. Glass rained down around my head as I hit the floor.
"Roxas!" I heard Vincent yell.
"I'm fine!" I called back, not completely true but a few cuts from broken glass were the least of our worries. I started to army crawl my way back toward the counter. "There's a second shooter. Male, about five foot nine dressed in all black."
"Hear that Axel?" Vincent asked. "Make sure Cloud and Leon know." I couldn't hear the response over another shot being fired into the room. I heard it ping off of something in the kitchen. I got around the counter and pressed my back to it and raised the gun. I looked over to Vincent to find him still kneeling over Variedy, my shirt balled up and being pressed into the wound. The shirt was now solid red.
"How close is back up?" I asked the phone that was beside me on the floor.
"They're there." Axel said. I held my breath and listened with all my might.
"Variedy," Vincent said and I crawled over to them. The wounded man had his eyes closed and his breathing was becoming shallow. "Help is here. Just hang on." Variedy's eyes opened and met Vincent's and then mine.
"Kid." He said and I wanted to tell him to stop talking. "If this kills..." he coughed. "If this kills me, find Phystie. Tell him.."
"Don't." I said as I shook my head. "You can't die. You're motha fuckin Variedy. Some shitty bullet isn't going to kill you." He grabbed my arm and I shut up.
"Tell him I'm sorry. And he was right." he said and I could only nod. He closed his eyes again as Vincent shifted slightly.
Another shot sounded but this time it was in the backyard.
"They got him." Came Axel's voice from the phone again. The screen flashed to show that he had hung up.
"Roxas? Vincent?" Came my brothers voice. "We're coming in, Don't shot."
"Alright." I called out. "We're in the kitchen." I said as I let my eyes go back to Variedy.
"Roxas, hold this here, put all your weight on it." Variedy said, indicating the shirt on Variedy's chest. I nodded and we switched places. The shirt was sticky with blood and I felt my face drain of color as I applied my weight to the wound and he groaned under me.
I had never heard or seen Variedy show any kind of weakness. That one groan let me know just how far gone he had to be.
"Hold on Variedy. Please hold on. I really don't want my first time to meet Phystie to be to tell him that you got yourself killed." I said through gritted teeth.
He didn't respond.
"Variedy!" I hissed as I put a little more pressure on the wound.
He didn't respond.
"Vincent!" I yelled, looking around wildly for some help. I was pulled away by strong hands on my shoulders as my brother replaced my hands on Variedy. Riku was there as well, bandages and some kind of clear pouches. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion.
Vincent turned me away and pressed my face into his shoulder. I clutched at the back of his shirt as I tried not to listen to the sound of my brother giving Variedy CPR.
"He'll be alright Roxas." Vincent said into my hair.
I wasn't sure who he was trying to convince more. Me, or himself.
But neither of us was buying it.
I am so sorry this took me so long. My excuse list is a mile long but I will not bore you with it. Just know that I am off of work for an entire week. I plan to have the next chapter up by next weekend. I promise.
Review? I know I am not worthy for your words of encouragement but I'd like them none the less. Thank you all for your continued support.
(Also on a side note, I am working with my friend who owns Phystie to help me get Variedy's story up and going.)