A Journey of Remembrance

"I was starting to think I wasn't going to see you today!" Baptiste said cheerfully, tossing Jesse a beer as he walked through the side door.

"Lord knows I didn't wanna leave," Jesse drawled, catching the beer and joining him on the couch. Han was nice enough to let him take a shower and clean himself up before he left, so all he needed to do was change into some fresh clothes.

"How was it?" Bap was in the greatest of moods! After their little tryst last night, they both fell into a blissful sleep, tucked securely against each other all night. It was the best sleep he'd gotten in his life! They woke up and spent the morning lounging in bed until Niran said he had some business to take care of and left, promising his return.

"When will you be leaving for your job?" Niran asked, tracing small circles on Bap's chest as they lie in bed tangled together.

"Maybe tomorrow or Monday morning," Bap said with a sigh, relishing the morning breeze flowing through the open window. "I'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow."

"Well, while I can't accompany you, I will watch over you and keep you safe," Niran didn't think anything would happen, but he could never be too sure. He had a feeling this was an important job, so they were sure to have a safety net of some sort, right? He was just going to make sure that 'safety net' of theirs wasn't hostile.

"Yeah? You'll protect me?" Bap crooned, smoothing his hair back and pulling him in for a kiss.

"Always," Niran kissed him a bit more before sitting up and manifesting some clothes. He was feeling particularly lazy and didn't feel like getting dressed manually.

Bap watched him magically dress himself and couldn't help but notice he looked like he was leaving. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Want me to stay in bed with you all day?" Niran giggled, standing in his mirror and fixing his hair.

"I wouldn't be opposed to that," Bap crossed his arms behind his head, appreciating the beauty before him. "But I'm guessing you can't."

"I have some business to handle," Niran turned to face a comfortable Bap, wanting to crawl back into bed with him, but he wanted to check on his old friends to see what they were up to. If he was lucky, he'd find out what Talon was doing. "But if you need me, you know what to do."

All Bap had to do was call out for him if he wanted to see him. Hell, he might even show up before he got the chance to! He cracked open his beer with a grin, thinking about their spicy interaction the previous night.

"Man," Jesse kicked his feet up and opened his beer, wishing he would have taken Han again before he left. "It was better than I expected."

"That's it?" Baptiste snorted, taking a swig. "Come on, spill."

"I don't even know where to start," Jesse told Baptiste about the class and how Han only lived a few floors up, and how he pounced on him as soon as he took him back to his place. He reminisced fondly, loosely going over the details of how he held him all night and got to know him in ways no one else did.

"So, he's cursed to live with his actions forever, huh?" Bap scoffed, turning up his beer. That was shitty! "I guess that's what he gets for killing his brother."

"Hey! Be nice!" Jesse scolded him. "He had no control over it!"

"Then it was a gun-to-the-head situation?" Bap couldn't ever imagine killing a family member, but Asian cultures were different, he supposed.

"He was a member of this big Japanese clan, an' apparently, he was supposed to make his brother cooperate at any cost," Jesse explained. "I'm thinking his father roofied him, or something. He doesn't give me that vibe, y'know?"

"Roofie?" Baptiste guffawed. "Come on."

"I'm serious! He told me he couldn't control his actions! He's way too docile to murder a loved one," Jesse smirked, remembering how sweet and sensitive Han was.

"Docile! That's a funny one!" Baptiste laughed, finishing his first of many beers. "Didn't you say he was an expert swordsman or something?"

"Archer, too!" Jesse beamed.

"I see why they want him dead," Baptiste snorted. "A demon with a bunch of abilities that also happens to be a professional assassin?"

"Oh, c'mon. He's harmless! He ain't botherin' anyone! He's been modelin' for that class a few years, keepin' to himself."

"Until someone pisses him off," Bap muttered, opening his next beer.

"I think he's pretty content living how he is," Jesse thought about their conversation and how Han said he didn't really want to leave his place. He could tell he was comfortable there.

"What are you going to do about the job?"

"Oh! 'Bout that," Jesse reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a vial of blood. "He gave me this so I can just lie an' say I got the job done instead of goin' an' gettin' in trouble. Ain't he sweet?"

"Wow! You told him, and he gave you his blood?" Baptiste asked incredulously. It was hard to believe that a demon would give up his blood so easily, but from what Jesse told him, they connected quickly. 'Just like lotus and I,' he thought to himself with a smile.

"Yup. Now I ain't gotta worry 'bout headin' down to Rome. Just gotta send this off an' I'll be all set," Jesse was proud of his accomplishment, but what would happen if Talon found out he faked it? Surely, it would cost him his job! Maybe even worse with how ruthless they were!

"Looks like we both got lucky," Baptiste pulled out his phone and stared at the screen, wishing he could just text Niran, but as far as he knew, he didn't have one!

"What's with that new gig you got? How'd ya manage that?" Jesse inquired, picking up the remote and surfing through channels.

"When you left, I was just about to set an appointment when the boss called. He told me he'd let the last mission go if I accepted this one," Baptiste grabbed his laptop and pulled up the job details before passing it over. "Check it out. I get to travel!"

"Japan, huh?" Jesse zeroed in on the pay, eyes growing wide. "Is this for real?"

"I said the same thing," Baptiste said with a nod. "It was too good to pass up!"

"Yeah, I would take it too!" Jesse read over the details, curious about the box he was supposed to be retrieving. "Must be nice to get outta town fer a bit."

"Come with me. I could use the backup," Baptiste offered, knowing he was also feeling cooped up. "Not like I need you!" He laughed.

"Yeah, yeah, sure ya don't," Jesse chuckled. It'd be nice to get out of the house for once, especially to go to Japan. Anything to learn more about his foreign beauty. He should have asked where he was from! "I'll tag along. I ain't got nothin' else goin' on."

"You sure you can be away from… what was his name, again? Kenzo?" Baptiste wasn't sure how he was going to manage being away from his lotus, but he said he'd be watching over him, so he knew he wouldn't be too far.

"It's Hanzo, an' what d'ya think I am, some sort of animal?" It was somewhat true, ever since he got his hands on that hot bod, he wanted to wear him as an accessory twenty-four-seven! But unfortunately, they both had lives, so he couldn't just kidnap him or stay in his studio forever! "I can be away from him, jeez! I just met the man!"

Baptiste only grinned while Jesse tried to lie to them both. "Who are you trying to fool?"

"I ain't tryin' to fool anyone! What are you goin' on about!" Jesse's face darkened a shade, a little embarrassed that he was already so attached. This was so out of the ordinary! He felt like his clingy friend, here!

"Denial isn't just a river in Egypt," Baptiste joked, openly laughing at his good friend. It was nice to see him find someone to ease the loneliness he always tried to mask. How funny was it that they both found something at the same time!

"An' yer such a strong guy?" Jesse shifted the topic over to Baptiste, who he knew was lonelier than he was! "If I'm havin' a hard time, I know yer strugglin'!"

"Heh, my lotus is always with me," Baptiste boasted. "I can have him whenever I want, like last night!"

"I figured you were up to somethin'!" It was sort of another reason why he didn't return until Saturday afternoon; he'd known Baptiste had been wanting to have some fun with his angel and would likely have jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of having the place to himself. "How'd it go? Get yer fill?"

"Somewhat," Baptiste sighed, wishing he would have taken it a bit further. "But I'll get it in due time," he said, nothing but dirty thoughts on the brain. "Probably sometime when we get back."

"When were you tryin' to go, anyway?"

"I was thinking of heading out tomorrow or Monday, depending on how I'm feeling. What do you think?"

"We can go whenever." Jesse briefly thought about popping up at Han's place one time before they left, but that'd be weird, wouldn't it? "The sooner we go an' get it done, the sooner we can get back an' relax."

"Agreed."

That evening, Jesse packed a small suitcase in preparation for their job after deciding to head out the next day. All he could think about was Han and how he wouldn't be able to attend the new class starting on Monday. He really wanted to finish his painting and made some good progress in the week he'd been working on it. Why let that effort go to waste?

It got him wanting to paint another, with Han as his subject, of course, but he felt like he needed to finish the one he started first! He just couldn't help the burst of inspiration he got whenever he saw him! When he got back from Japan, he was definitely going to make an effort to spend as much time with him as he could!

He tossed a few of his serapes into his suitcase and zipped it up with a sigh. He checked the time; it was getting late, and he was still a bit wired and wishing he could tire himself out with a certain someone. "Shoulda stayed longer," he muttered to himself as he made his way back to the living room, planning to watch shows until he passed out.

He hated the little lull he'd always fall into before a job!

It was when he passed by the front door and saw a silhouette of a man that he thought he was losing his mind! "The hell…?" He cursed under his breath, reaching for the gun he kept under the side table. They never had visitors this late at night, so whoever decided to show up was in for a rude awakening! He kept his gun up, quietly heading to the door and unlocking it carefully. He counted down in his head, flinging it open on 'one' and pausing when he saw who it was. "Han?"

"I take it you do not get many visitors," Hanzo said, trying to hide his embarrassment. Why did he think it was okay to just show up like this? Aside from that, Jesse was looking quite handsome! He found it hard not to ogle his shirtless body, darkened by the dimly lit room he was standing in. "I am sorry for the intrusion, I will—"

"Wait!" Jesse caught his arm as he turned to walk off. There was no way he was going to let him leave after gracing him with his beautiful presence! "Ya can't just show up then leave like that!"

"I should not have shown up in the first place," Hanzo muttered, unable to look him in the eye.

"Why the hell not?" Jesse pulled him inside and shut the door, taking him into his arms. "How'd ya find me, anyway?"

"I just…" Hanzo hesitated. He felt silly for missing him after just seeing him that morning, but Jesse truly didn't mind, did he? "I wanted to see you and I appeared at your doorstep. I do not know how it works, so do not ask."

"Well, yer free to visit me anytime, sweet pea," Jesse took his hand and led him to his room, amused that he could hear Baptiste snoring. He felt like a teenager sneaking someone inside! "I was just thinkin' 'bout ya," he closed his bedroom door and pulled him over to his bed, happy to hold him again.

"I suppose that makes this a coincidence," Hanzo glanced around his room as he sat on the edge of his bed, his hunch of him being a cowboy true. He had a few wide-brimmed hats lying around, a cape or two hung on the wall, not to mention his row of boots, with and without spurs. It was all tied together with Western décor, and it made him feel like he was truly in the States!

"I'm glad ya came by," Jesse flipped the switch on his lamp and turned the light off before pulling him into bed. "I'm leaving for a job in the mornin', an' I was wishin' I spent more time with ya."

"Another job already?" Hanzo got cozy under the covers, a lot more comfortable than he felt like he should have been. He let the smoky scent of his breath and the warm, musky safety of his embrace coax him into relaxation he felt undeserving of.

"Technically, I'm just taggin' along with my roommate," Jesse said into his chest, voice muffled by the shirt he wished was non-existent.

"Roommate?" Hanzo raised a brow. "You work with your roommate?"

"Yeah, he's a medic, so sometimes we pair up on missions," Jesse explained. "Since he has to travel for this one, he was wantin' some backup."

"How long will you be gone?" Hanzo too was suddenly glad he showed up! While he wasn't a fan of this newfound neediness, getting to see him off was a nice feeling.

"Dunno, but it shouldn't be too long. Just a simple recovery," Jesse sighed, hugging him tightly. "Why? Don't want me to go?"

"I cannot keep you from doing your job," Hanzo said bashfully, thankful that it was dark and Jesse couldn't see his face. "Just… please be safe."

"Now that I got someone to come back to, I will!" Jesse hummed.

"Where are you going?"

"Funny you ask," Jesse looked at him with a grin. "I'm goin' to Kyoto, Japan!"

"Kyoto?" Hanzo sat up, everything in his body telling him that was no coincidence, but with no evidence or concrete proof, he could only think of it as one. "You said this was a recovery job? Exactly what are you recovering?"

Jesse shrugged. "I dunno, some box, I guess. I don't know all the details. You from there?"

A box? Hanzo knew of an old wooden box of great importance that his family kept under wraps, but what was the likelihood of it being the same thing Jesse was talking about? What was the likelihood of it even still being where they stashed it? There was no doubt in his mind that his old home had been ransacked repeatedly by now, and anyone with a brain would see its value… though with some thought, maybe not. "I am."

"I was hopin' ya were! Anything that'll help me learn more 'bout ya, I'm all over it!" Jesse wished he could bring him along, but he knew absence made the heart grow fonder. Their reunion sex was going to be amazing!

"There is not much to learn." Hanzo felt like he didn't have his own identity growing up. He was never allowed to do what he wanted, learn what he wanted, make the friends he wanted, all he was put on Earth to do was run the clan, no questions asked. "If you truly wish to know more, just look into the Shimada clan."

"I don't wanna learn about them," Jesse held his chin and pecked his lips. "I wanna know 'bout you."

"I… was never my own person. I do not have a personality."

"Nonsense! Yer literally nothin' but sass!" Jesse gripped his lower cheeks. "An' I can't get enough of it." He nuzzled his neck, kissing him all over. He needed to slow his roll before he got too worked up to stop!

"That makes two of us," Hanzo admitted shamelessly as Jesse threw a leg over his. He was such an affectionate man, how could he not chase this feeling?

"That why ya came to see me? 'Cuz ya miss this?" Jesse crooned into his ear, pushing his hips into him.

"Would you think me weird if I said yes?"

"Not at all, darlin'."

"What's on your mind, chico grande?" Olivia asked between bites of her pasta. She was a huge fan of Alfredo and hadn't had any this good in a while. Thank goodness for that alabaster! "You've been quiet since we decided to go get Baptiste. Missing him?"

"Guess you could say that," Mauga poked at his salad, unable to gather up the appetite to finish it. All he could think about since Sunday was Baptiste and how he'd been corrupted. What would their reunion be like? Was he holding a grudge? He did shoot him after all, but he was digging up a friend! How else should he have reacted? Even still… he wanted to see him on normal terms. He didn't want to rekindle anything—as much as Sloan wanted them to—or try to reminisce over old memories with him, he just… fuck! He wasn't sure what he wanted!

"He's probably about to fall over from lack of nutrients!" Sloan laughed, mouth full of the best burger they'd ever had. "I don't get how a big guy like you can be a vegan! Don't you miss burgers?"

"Not really." Mauga wasn't always a vegan, but after the whole Baptiste fiasco, he decided he needed a serious lifestyle change. The majority of his life revolved around him, they spent so much time together, he felt like a lot of the stuff he liked was because Baptiste liked it. He needed to reinvent himself. So, he stopped eating meat which was hard at first, but when he realized his body was reacting positively and started feeling healthier, he went full vegan and hadn't looked back since.

"Your loss!" Sloan took another bite with a mocking hum, sipping sweet tea without a care in the world. After Liv found a buyer for the alabaster, they made enough to eat well for weeks! And it was even more exciting that they were going to find Baptiste and get the gang back together! Things were looking up for once.

"Nice day," Mauga looked at the sky, shielding his eyes from the sun. He was glad they chose to eat at a park; the fresh air was well-needed, and he wasn't sure when they'd be able to eat worry-free like this again. "We should get going," he stood from his seat on the concrete tabletop and tossed on his backpack.

"Aww, but I was just getting comfy!" Sloan whined.

"Can't stay too long. It's Monday; he could be halfway to Japan by now," Mauga walked his trash to the can, putting back a bottle of water before making the other two hurry it up.

"Hey! Just because you can eat your rabbit food quickly doesn't mean the same for us!" Liv complained, putting the lid on her bowl. She was not going to toss it when she could save it for later!

Sloan, on the other hand, saw Mauga getting ready and took that as them needing to hurry up, so they finished their burger in two more bites, deciding to walk with their fries. "Done!"

"Let's go. We're not far." Mauga's stomach was in knots, and he couldn't figure out why. Maybe it was because he'd seen an old flame that brought forth both pleasant and unpleasant memories, or maybe it was because said old flame was on his way to unintentionally cause the undoing of a good portion of Earth. Either way, he couldn't shake the feeling that they were too late.

They left the park and walked through the neighborhood, looking at all the fancy cars and nice houses, all in their own thoughts until Sloan spoke up first. "Baptiste lives around here? He must be loaded! Maybe I should go work for Talon," they joked with a laugh.

"Don't even joke about that!" Mauga fumed, pulling a hologram of a map up on his watch. "There's a possibility they provided the housing. Don't get too excited."

"Still," Sloan looked around, already finding a favorite house. "Beats squatting around," they muttered.

"What? You don't like traveling around with us?" Liv joked, elbowing them in their side.

"Come on!" Sloan clung to Liv goofily, knowing it would push her buttons. She wasn't a fan of physical touch, but oh well! "You know I love you guys! It would just be nice to have a place to call home, y'know? Get some mail!"

"It's not as lavish as you think it is," Mauga said, leading them through an alley. "With a home comes bills. That's mostly what mail is, anyway." Sometimes he missed his civilian life. It was nice to only have to worry about rent and light bills, but helping people was much more fulfilling.

"I wouldn't know!" Sloan stuck their tongue out in a tease, somewhat envious of that big brute. He and Baptiste used to have a place together in Haiti, living carelessly until they built this little faction from the ground up, whereas they were plucked from an unfortunate event and taken in right out of late adolescence! They never got the chance to go out and get a job and a place of their own. It was only natural to wonder what it was like, right?

"Don't think about it too much. We're doing good work together," Mauga turned to face his two best friends with a grin. "Let's keep it up."

"He's right," Olivia linked arms with Sloan, leaning on their shoulder and continuing their journey. "Considérate afortunado. We took you in before you had to learn how to survive on your own. It sounds nice, but it's boring."

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Te conozco, you would lose your mind sitting around doing nothing," Liv giggled.

"Yeah, you're too squirrelly," Mauga poked fun, trying to imagine Pigpen trying to live on their own and failing. "You're not the type to sit in one place for too long."

"You know what I miss? That one place in Split," Sloan raved about the time they spent in Croatia, deeming it their favorite country so far. It was incredibly beautiful, but there wasn't much work, so they crossed the Adriatic and found refuge in Italy. "We should go back!"

"Oh yeah, that little bunker in Varoš," Mauga nodded. "It was a sweet place, but there was nothing to do there." Nguyen was the one who found the bunker; he had a knack for finding spots to crash. He supposed that was another reason why they were sort of sitting idle in Italy, but it worked out since Talon's headquarters was in Rome. There were always problems to solve.

"Speaking of something to do," Liv activated a screen from her watch, pulling up their untraceable web page and scrolling through messages. "We've got something. They'll pay us, too!"

When Mauga and Baptiste started their group, they had to resort to the old-fashioned method: word of mouth. It was sort of a challenging task since they were supposed to be discreet, so it got them in a few scrapes, but nothing they couldn't get out of. It was only a few years or so later that they did a job for Olivia and recruited her, who in turn brought over Nguyen, another skilled and intelligent hacker.

Together, they created an official yet anonymous website for their faction, offering their services to anyone in need, from the most menial of tasks to the most difficult. They especially took pride in their distaste for Talon and how they did things, so they offered their assistance for free to anyone affected by them.

"Finally!" Sloan bounced with excitement. "We've been sitting around doing nothing for forever!"

"I dunno if we can take that right now," Mauga liked the idea of taking a gig, but stopping Baptiste was more important. "We have more pressing matters to attend to."

"At least let her read the details!"

"Read it later," Mauga said, stopping at the end of a residential street. "We're here." They stood in front of a tannish-orange two-story house that was small but had more than enough space for one or two people to live in comfortably. He looked up at the home, staring at the blue window shutters as the knots in his stomach intensified.

Liv looked up at Mauga, seeing a twisted-up look on his face. She knew it was hard to see the place that Baptiste now called his home, and she knew he may not have been ready to see him in person again, but who was to say he was even there? Maybe he still had some time. She put a reassuring hand on his back. "I'll scan the area to see if anyone's home. Pigpen, go check out the perimeter."

"Doesn't this bother you guys that we're doing this in broad daylight?" Sloan asked, taking a few reluctant steps forward.

"We've done worse in public places," Liv shrugged, squatting and swinging her bag around. "Besides, no one's around right now, and all we need to do is get inside." She dug around her backpack for her thermal scanning device, annoyed it had fallen all the way to the bottom.

"If he's there, can't we just knock?" Sloan groaned, stomping up the grass as Liv's scanner flew past their face.

"I have a feeling he's not in there," Mauga muttered, spotting a scooter parked on the side of the house. "Or, maybe he is…"

"Scanner's not picking anything up," Liv navigated the miniature drone-like device, dragging it around the house a few times.

"There's a side door next to the scooter! We can get in this way," Sloan held their hands up to the window in the door, peeking through the cracked curtains. "Can't see anything…"

"I'll get us in there," Olivia caught her scanner and shoved it back in her bag, meeting Pigpen at the door.

"Tch." Mauga sucked his teeth, annoyed that they'd come all this way and wasted time for nothing. What were they even trying to get in there for? If he wasn't there, there was no need to poke around his house! But Sloan and Olivia were nosey as hell and missed Baptiste as much as he secretly did, so anything they could find that would help them narrow down their journey would be helpful, he guessed.

"Stop moping and get over here!" Liv called out, waving her arm toward the door. She checked their surroundings again before slipping inside, not spotting anyone on her radar.

"Whoa, nice place!" Sloan gushed at how lived-in the house felt, poking around and opening the fridge and cabinets. "A fully stocked kitchen! Haven't seen that in ages!"

"What are you expecting to find in the kitchen?" Mauga grunted out, taking a few steps further inside. He saw some empty beer bottles on the table and knew immediately they were Baptiste's. It was nice to know some things hadn't changed. He smirked.

"I dunno. Just lookin'!" Sloan ventured into the living room and plopped down on the couch and got comfy, fighting the urge to turn the television on. "Damn. Don't let me get too comfortable! I could get used to this!"

"Turn on the TV," Olivia sat next to Sloan with a bounce. "I want to see what he was watching!"

"Probably some talk show," they snickered, flipping the screen on and frowning. "Ew! A western? Since when did he watch this junk? Blegh!"

Liv was just as surprised to see the television on some American movies channel; Baptiste liked talk shows and foreign movies last she remembered! Her eyes landed on the folded newspaper on the coffee table and the pair of cowboy boots in the corner she knew weren't his. "I don't think he lives here alone," she deduced, motioning at the boots.

"Cowboy boots?" Sloan thought aloud, a thumb to their chin. "Fits what's on the screen!"

"I wonder what poor sap has to room with him!" Liv joked, opening the drawer in the side table just to be nosey.

"Looks like whoever it is runs a tight ship!" Sloan said upon seeing the revolver in the drawer. "That's not Baptiste's, that's for sure!"

"You're right," Liv picked up the not-too-shabby revolver and checked it out. Whoever it belonged to had some good taste. "He would never use a gun like this. Hey, Mauga! Come check this out!"

"He'd appreciate that," Sloan nodded, knowing that moving boulder had a thing for good-looking firearms. "Wait, where is he?"

They both looked up, Mauga nowhere to be found. "Man, I hate it when he just disappears like that!" Liv groused. "How can someone so big be so quiet?!"

Meanwhile, as the two pains in his side looked around the living room for presumably nothing of value, Mauga went upstairs to see just how Baptiste had been living for the past handful of years. He stopped at the first room and turned the knob, walking into what felt like a country museum. Good Lord. "This shit is ugly!" He couldn't help but declare. It was obvious he didn't live alone, and this was his roommate's room. "He would never be caught dead with décor like this!"

He stepped out of the room and shut the door with a shudder, heading down the short hallway to the other room. He opened the door and paused briefly, the lingering scent of Baptiste's cologne tickling his nostrils. It used to be such a comforting scent, but now all he felt was… pain. He stepped inside, glancing around at the minimalist way he always lived. A bed, covers strewn messily across the mattress, a nightstand with a small lamp, a matching dresser with a television perched on top, a plain brown side chair, and a slim, body-length mirror. No posters or pictures on the wall, no extra decorations, but it still felt homey, warm.

He couldn't stop himself from sitting on the edge of his bed and lying back on it, legs dangling off the side as he dragged the covers across his face. He inhaled deeply with a sigh, ashamed of how creepy he was acting and how he didn't care in the moment. He'd always liked the way Baptiste smelled, and his bed was the most direct source. "Ah, what am I doing?" He muttered, throwing the blanket to the side and getting up abruptly. All he could do was be thankful that the two downstairs didn't see him being a creep!

He walked over to the closet and opened the doors, nodding at the small amount of clothing he had hanging up. Baptiste was never a materialistic guy, so it made sense. Closing the doors, he meandered over to the dresser, opening the drawers and digging around for nothing in particular. Here he was, judging Sloan and Liv for being nosey when he was just as bad, if not worse!

He got to the bottom drawer and froze when he opened it, spotting a familiar article of clothing buried beneath what looked like some unworn clothes. Unable to quell his curiosity, he lifted it out of the drawer and felt a throb in his chest. It was an old red shirt of his that he gave to Baptiste years ago because he said he liked it. It was several sizes too big on him, but he liked to wear it around the apartment when he cooked and cleaned. Why did he still have it? Was he holding onto their memories? Was he keeping it in the hopes they'd reunite?

All sorts of unnecessary thoughts ran through his head, and he immediately regret going through his stuff. That inkling of hope he'd destroyed a few years ago was beginning to piece itself back together, and he wasn't sure he could deal with the pain of destroying it again. His brain knew what they had was unsalvageable, but his heart? His heart wanted to be in that bed sleeping with him, holding him, kissing him, dug deeply inside of him, but he knew he'd never get that chance again.

So, why the hell was he being tortured like this?! Sure, it was his choice to walk into his room, but still!

"¿Qué onda?"

Mauga nearly jumped out of his skin; how long had she been standing there?! He dropped the shirt back into the drawer and shut it with his foot.

"Going through his stuff, amigo? Miss him that much?" Liv leaned against the doorframe with a mocking grin. "I didn't know you were such a weirdo!"

"He's always been weird!" Sloan added, coming up the steps and popping up behind Liv. "What are we talking about?"

"Oh, just the fact that Mauga—"

"Couldn't find anything useful," Mauga cut her off, not wanting Pigpen to catch wind of his shenanigans. He'd never hear the end of it. He brushed past them and went back downstairs. "Never should have come here," he mumbled.

"Hm," Liv caught the hint and left it alone, glancing around the room briefly before following him back downstairs. "Well, we have all the info we need on the drive. We can see exactly where he's going and take the next flight out."

"Yeah, yeah," Mauga was out of it, lost in his thoughts as he walked through the kitchen and to the side door. "Sounds like a plan. Let's get going."

"What? Already?" Sloan complained, looking around to make sure they left no traces of them being there. "We just got here!"

"Yeah, and now we're leavin'!" Mauga huffed, walking through the door and down the walkway. There was no telling what kinds of upcoming dreams he was going to have! The last time he thought about Baptiste this much, he had to have several cold showers!

"Wait up!" Sloan called out, skipping and catching up to him in no time. They had a suspicion being in Baptiste's old room dredged up old memories and he was having a hard time dealing with them. "What's wrong?"

"Nothin's wrong," Mauga answered plainly, leaning against a tree while they waited for Liv to lock the door.

"Okay, sure. Lie to someone else, 'cuz it won't work on me!" Sloan studied his face, he was trying awfully hard to avoid making eye contact!

"Can we go?" He asked, exasperated as Liv caught up to them.

"Yep, let's head to the airstrip," Liv said, pulling up the notes she had stashed in her watch. She only jotted down what was crucial to know in a short period of time, and she wrote it in a way that only those three could decipher it just in case they ran into a surprise ambush. Everything else was locked up, secure on the flash drive, and only accessible when she had her entire setup put together.

The new tech she was planning to get with the money they made from the alabaster was supposed to upgrade her watch so she could access all types of files at any given moment, instead of having to pull out her computer. Unfortunately, she was very specific about how she wanted things and would need to get it custom-made, which took time they didn't currently have, so it was going to have to wait. "He's going to what looks like an old mansion in Kyoto. I'll call in one of our free favors!" She said with a wink.

"A mansion? What's he doing there?" Sloan asked, trying to look around Liv at her notes.

"It was supposedly owned and lived in by one of Japan's most notorious clans, but Talon wiped them all out a handful of years ago," Liv gave them both a brief lesson as she called for a cab through an app on her watch. "They were famous for doing shady business with demons. I'm pretty sure they've even crossed a few."

"Makes sense as to why Talon wanted them off the map," Mauga still didn't know why Baptiste chose Talon after knowing what he knew. How did they lure him in? What did they promise him? How did he even find a way to apply for a position? Talon paid good money to keep their business off the internet and stay discreet, so how did the opportunity even present itself to him? Someone must have approached him, that was the only reasonable option.

"I wonder if Talon wiped them out just to get the key," Sloan remembered seeing something about a box and a key when they looked at the drive.

"Sounds about right. What's a few more human lives as long as Talon gets what they want?" Mauga sneered.

"You're not taking the clan's side, are you?" Liv laughed. "I'm pretty sure they were no better."

"Yeah, but they were human," Mauga defended. "Humans can seek redemption, they can reinvent themselves. Demons are naturally corrupted. There's no hope for them. Hell, they're already dead inside! What right do they have to run into someone's home and take their lives all because they want a key?!" Mauga fumed, always getting heated when he talked about Talon and that group of monsters.

"You have to remember, not everyone working for Talon is a demon," Liv reminded. "They hire humans as their small fries, but I don't have a single doubt that the ones behind the project are inhuman."

"Yeah, most of them probably don't even know what's going on behind the scenes!" Sloan added. "They probably think they're just normal contractors."

"That might be the case for the majority, but not for Baptiste. He knew what he was getting into." Mauga stood his ground, firm in his declaration. "All we can do is hope he's not past being saved."