N/A: this is kinda a response to RL's "Gone Away" anecdote, but it's mostly cause I've wanted to write something b/w these two guys for a while now....
The sweat coating his skin made his tanned muscles gleam in the sunlight shining in the clear sky. He paused a moment, breathing heavily, and leaned his head against the glass he was scaling. It was cool against his hot skin, though did little to soothe his aching muscles. Pulling back to continue upwards, the boy pause at the reflection staring back at him.
The features were the same as he remembered: well defined cheekbones, thin lips guiding his weary smile, long eyes lashes amid round eyes. A simple structure, a blank canvas painted by his feelings inside, making it difficult to hide his thoughts. But the eye, they were wrong. Blue, crystal, far from the deep emeralds that were his. The hair, pasted to his head with sweat, was white. An ivory contradict to the golden locks that belonged there. And the skin, usually a dark tan, was pale, unusually lacking color against the light azure of his sleeveless climbing suit, hemmed with a bright yellow.
"Ti!" a voice shouted from overhead. "You coming or what?"
Alek took a deep breath of thin air, tore his eyes from the alien reflection in the glass, and hauled himself higher up the skyscraper. Though the gravitational-magnetics in his gloves and boots were keeping him from falling the 20 stories to the concrete, they did little to aide in the climbing effort.
Upon reaching the top, Alek pulled himself onto the roof and resorted to laying on his back as his breathing struggled to return to normal.
"Quite fun that was, don't you think?" the elder male asked between breaths. He stood a few feet off, hands on his knees as he regained his breaths. Declan's suit was three shade darker, a dark navy. It reflected his darker, though somehow justified, nature. he straightened after a minute and set his hands on his hips, taking in the view.
"Alright, Ti, get up. We still have work to do."
"I'll only lay here for a moment longer," Alek answered, shutting his eyes against the harsh sun. The light painted the underside of his eyelids red. "Or forever."
The assassin snickered. "It's your fault you had to come along. You should have gone to Venice, much less trouble. You can't slack off."
"I had another responsibility to tend to." His voice was sluggish as the heat threatened to rock him to sleep.
"Girlfriends don't count."
No response to that one.
"Get up," Declan ordered. He tossed the cube in his hand to the half-awake minor. It landed in the gravel beside him. Alek sat up, biting back a groan, scooped up the cube, and stood slowly, moving to join his companion beside the satellite. Enveloping the metal box with a wave of power, Titanium opened the energy-recognization container as Seeker used a collage of tools to open the panel.
"Where's she anyways?" he asked nonchalantly as the final screw came loose. "Your girlfriend..."
"Tara," Alek said. "And I believe she's somewhere... In California."
Declan propped open the panel, shaking his head. "You let her leave?"
Alek crouch and maneuvered the glowing sphere from the open box to the exposed gap in the satellite. "She left on her own. And she does not need my permission to go visit her family. And she'll be back in the week, hopefully."
The assassin's quick hands used a blade to cut a collection of wires, then reconnect them to the bright sphere. His focus never wavered as he spoke. "Still, a week in Cali? How is that different from a day in Venice?"
Alek's eyebrows furrowed at he concentrated on keeping the energy-sphere alight, ignoring the questions. Declan sighed and set the last of the cables in place. "All I'm saying is, it's weird."
"She just needs her space." Alek released his hold on the spark, allowing it to float safely between the wires.
"Alek, I hate to tell you, but your girl is probably considering breaking up with you."
"Or she is cheating on me."
The screws fell from the assassin's open palm as he jerked his head to the side to meet the younger boy's eyes. But the Russian's attention was turned toward the skyline, as if in consideration. "Alek, that's a serious accusation."
"I wouldn't blame her."
"What'd you do?"
"I..." the 15-year-old dragged his calloused fingers through his hair, "I just... She deserves better than a monster created in some lab."
"Alek, common-"
"Are we done here, Declan."
The 18-year-old sighed, screwed the panel shut, then stood. He looked over the Russian. The boy looked paler, more tired, and more drawn than he had ever seen him in the 4 months the assassin had known the young hero. Declan tossed the metal rod to to Alek, who caught it with a look of surprise on his face. "You've done your duty," the assassin explained, taking out grapple hook. "This satellite is back on the grid. The job is complete."
Alek nodded, expanded the rod into his hover board. "Good work," Declan added, then jogged to the edge and took off, not awaiting for a response.
The sweat coating his skin made his tanned muscles gleam in the sunlight shining in the clear sky. He paused a moment, breathing heavily, and leaned his head against the glass he was scaling. It was cool against his hot skin, though did little to soothe his aching muscles. Pulling back to continue upwards, the boy pause at the reflection staring back at him.
The features were the same as he remembered: well defined cheekbones, thin lips guiding his weary smile, long eyes lashes amid round eyes. A simple structure, a blank canvas painted by his feelings inside, making it difficult to hide his thoughts. But the eye, they were wrong. Blue, crystal, far from the deep emeralds that were his. The hair, pasted to his head with sweat, was white. An ivory contradict to the golden locks that belonged there. And the skin, usually a dark tan, was pale, unusually lacking color against the light azure of his sleeveless climbing suit, hemmed with a bright yellow.
"Ti!" a voice shouted from overhead. "You coming or what?"
Alek took a deep breath of thin air, tore his eyes from the alien reflection in the glass, and hauled himself higher up the skyscraper. Though the gravitational-magnetics in his gloves and boots were keeping him from falling the 20 stories to the concrete, they did little to aide in the climbing effort.
Upon reaching the top, Alek pulled himself onto the roof and resorted to laying on his back as his breathing struggled to return to normal.
"Quite fun that was, don't you think?" the elder male asked between breaths. He stood a few feet off, hands on his knees as he regained his breaths. Declan's suit was three shade darker, a dark navy. It reflected his darker, though somehow justified, nature. he straightened after a minute and set his hands on his hips, taking in the view.
"Alright, Ti, get up. We still have work to do."
"I'll only lay here for a moment longer," Alek answered, shutting his eyes against the harsh sun. The light painted the underside of his eyelids red. "Or forever."
The assassin snickered. "It's your fault you had to come along. You should have gone to Venice, much less trouble. You can't slack off."
"I had another responsibility to tend to." His voice was sluggish as the heat threatened to rock him to sleep.
"Girlfriends don't count."
No response to that one.
"Get up," Declan ordered. He tossed the cube in his hand to the half-awake minor. It landed in the gravel beside him. Alek sat up, biting back a groan, scooped up the cube, and stood slowly, moving to join his companion beside the satellite. Enveloping the metal box with a wave of power, Titanium opened the energy-recognization container as Seeker used a collage of tools to open the panel.
"Where's she anyways?" he asked nonchalantly as the final screw came loose. "Your girlfriend..."
"Tara," Alek said. "And I believe she's somewhere... In California."
Declan propped open the panel, shaking his head. "You let her leave?"
Alek crouch and maneuvered the glowing sphere from the open box to the exposed gap in the satellite. "She left on her own. And she does not need my permission to go visit her family. And she'll be back in the week, hopefully."
The assassin's quick hands used a blade to cut a collection of wires, then reconnect them to the bright sphere. His focus never wavered as he spoke. "Still, a week in Cali? How is that different from a day in Venice?"
Alek's eyebrows furrowed at he concentrated on keeping the energy-sphere alight, ignoring the questions. Declan sighed and set the last of the cables in place. "All I'm saying is, it's weird."
"She just needs her space." Alek released his hold on the spark, allowing it to float safely between the wires.
"Alek, I hate to tell you, but your girl is probably considering breaking up with you."
"Or she is cheating on me."
The screws fell from the assassin's open palm as he jerked his head to the side to meet the younger boy's eyes. But the Russian's attention was turned toward the skyline, as if in consideration. "Alek, that's a serious accusation."
"I wouldn't blame her."
"What'd you do?"
"I..." the 15-year-old dragged his calloused fingers through his hair, "I just... She deserves better than a monster created in some lab."
"Alek, common-"
"Are we done here, Declan."
The 18-year-old sighed, screwed the panel shut, then stood. He looked over the Russian. The boy looked paler, more tired, and more drawn than he had ever seen him in the 4 months the assassin had known the young hero. Declan tossed the metal rod to to Alek, who caught it with a look of surprise on his face. "You've done your duty," the assassin explained, taking out grapple hook. "This satellite is back on the grid. The job is complete."
Alek nodded, expanded the rod into his hover board. "Good work," Declan added, then jogged to the edge and took off, not awaiting for a response.
