Summary: Dan doesn't like having a good night interrupted.
Characters: Dan and Skulker
Written: March 2015
Note: This is set during chapter 48 of Spectacular Specter.

Chapter 48.5B

"I was having a really nice time." Dan leaned his back against the doorframe as he folded his arms. "But then you had to go and ruin it by trying to blow everything up." He turned his head and glared from behind his mask at the man standing up from where he crouched by the window. "But I guess that's no big surprise from you, Skulker."

The man snorted. He was about the same height as Dan, and they shared similar physiques with broad shoulders and strong muscles. From the distance, their silhouettes could be mistaken for each other. "That's hilarious to hear from the maniac that blew up an entire building to kill just one person."

Dan shrugged. "I was improvising." But that was a spectacular explosion! "If I recall correctly, this assignment was capture the target, not kill him."

"You should know that only looked like it would kill someone." Skulker smirked, the light from the window illuminating his dark face. "And anyway, the order was to bring Phantom in alive. It never said he had to be in one piece." He closed some of the distance between them, but both of them knew better than to get too close to the other man. "But I'm curious." Green eyes searched the costumed man like Skulker was trying to figure out all of Dan's secrets. "Why are you here? As I heard it, you turned down this job? But that's even stranger. Since when do you turn down a job?"

"I turn down jobs all the time." Dan shrugged. His reasons weren't any of Skulker's business. "But I'm sure your employer isn't happy that he got settled with the number two man."

Skulker twitched when Dan called him number two. His lips drew back, and his teeth ground tightly before the man could reign back his anger. "I think he'd be more interested in learning about why the man he originally contacted for the job is now getting in the way of the mission," he bit out, narrowing his eyes dangerously.

Dan yawned, raising a hand to cover his mouth because otherwise Skulker wouldn't be able to see the yawn behind his mask. "Oh, I'm sorry. Were you talking?" He cracked a grin at the anger flashing through Skulker's eyes. The other mercenary hated being ignored. "Shall we get this over with then?"

"And I thought you were going to talk my ear off for another hour."

"Well, I can do that later." Dan pushed away from the doorframe then cracked the knuckles of one hand. "You've put me in a pretty bad mood right now."

"Oh? You'll have to tell me what I did to piss you off." Skulker slapped a hand onto one shoulder and rolled that shoulder a few times. "Then I can do it again in the future."

Dan planned on letting nothing slip to the other man. He only survived this long because he made sure his enemies wouldn't find anything to hold over him. Everyone who knew him saw him as a coldhearted mercenary who accomplished every job ever presented to him. It wasn't entirely accurate though. There were certain jobs he wouldn't take, but he would never explain his reasons to anyone. He would prefer to be thought of as coldhearted rather than his enemies taking advantage of any "softness" he showed.

"Let's get this over with." Dan fell into a defensive stance, ready to fight Skulker. "There's a marathon on tonight that I'd like to catch."

"Hope you set it to tape because you're not going to make it back on time." The corner of Skulker's mouth curled upward.

Dan didn't take the bait. He knew the other mercenary was simply trying to provoke him into attacking blindly. His eyes flicked about the room, searching for the traps Skulker was so fond of using. If Skulker wanted him to step forward, Dan suspected the reason was because there was trigger or trip wire in front of him. He might not see it, but he had a good idea of the way Skulker worked.

"What's the matter? Too chicken to attack me?"

"I could ask the same of you." Dan cautiously stepped forward, tense and ready to bolt of he heard the familiar sound of a trap being triggered. "For all that muscle you have, you're always hiding behind a wall of traps. Is that just for show?" He cocked a smirk, even though it went unseen by the other mercenary. When Skulker's expression darkened, his eyes narrowing with hate, Dan knew he had hit a nerve.

"Enough!" Skulker shouted and charged forward.

No traps then. With a grin, Dan dodged the hard punch thrown at his head. He countered, slamming his fist into Skulker's gut. The green eyed mercenary grunted from the force of the blow then returned the favor by dropping his elbow hard on top of Dan's head. A foot pressed into his chest. Dan managed to grab hold of it for a second before the kick shoved him backward. His back slammed into the doorframe, the sharp edge digging into his spine.

"You're not so tough." Skulker sneered as he set his foot on the ground.

Dan laughed, and it gradually grew in volume. Skulker jerked back half a step, his mouth pressing thin and watching Dan like he was witnessing another person's mental breakdown. Dan ran a hand under one eye, pretending to wipe away a tear. Then he straightened up, his demeanor easily shifting from joking to serious. "I'm not too bad at traps and tricks myself."

"What?" Dread settled across Skulker's face.

Dan's mouth slowly spread into a grin. "Boom!"

The boot of the foot Skulker had used to kick him earlier exploded. It wasn't a powerful explosion, but it was enough to wound the mercenary. Skulker shouted out as he dropped to the ground, smoke rising from his bloodied leg. Dan sauntered over while Skulker gritted his teeth, struggling to keep back whimpers of pain. Crouching down beside the other mercenary, he drew out the knife hidden in one Skulker's pockets.

"Let your employer know that if he continues hunting down Phantom, he will regret it," Dan explained in a slow, even tone. Then for good measure so message would stick in his mind, he stabbed the knife into the crook of Skulker's right arm, earning a deep throated growl from Skulker.

Author's Note: I promise next week's update is back to the main story!

YumiStar: Tucker, run away~~ D: