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“Love is a familiar. Love is a devil. There is no evil angel but love.”
-William Shakespeare, Love's Labour's Lost
When Scott had looked at him with beady eyes and his laptop pulled up to a website that listed a music festival a few hours away, it had been impossible for Legundo to say no. After all, Scott had barely been beyond the outskirts of the city and commonly depended on his flight to go anywhere. A road trip with just the two of them would be good.
It had taken a while for them to prepare (it wasn't like either of them really knew how a road trip worked) but just two days before the music festival was set to begin, they were ready. Legundo had double checked his car to ensure it wouldn't break down like it had last November and booked them a hotel room to stay in the night before driving the final stretch. Driving for long periods of time strained his legs, so he knew the break would be necessary.
However, as the two of them parked the car and started up the long parking lot slope to the entrance of the hotel, he could tell that Scott was having some doubts. "The front looks very…short." Scott frowned as he gently tapped at the entrance's overhang. It was quaint, the walls shaping to almost look like the front of a house roof.
Legundo pulled up his jacket a little more as a cold wind blew through. The temperature had dropped the further they had gotten away from the city despite it being spring. "It's fine. Come on, let's get ourselves checked in."
"Checked in?" Scott asked as they walked through the tiny sliding glass doors.
"Just watch." Legundo bumped his shoulder against the vampire's. He led the way, exchanging a pleasant conversation with the two women working the front area. It took a little bit of conversation, but eventually Legundo found himself with two keycards in hand and a bag of chips he nabbed from the little hotel store. Most of the items in the store had been cleared out (minus the wine, which filled Legs with a sour feeling in his stomach, he hadn't drank alcohol since that day) but the chips had managed to hold on.
"I barely understood most of that." Scott shook his head as they strolled out of the hotel and headed back to their car. "They're really just trusting you to bring the keycards back? And you trust them to have enough of a quality room to give them money on the spot?"
"They deactivate the keycards once we check out." Legundo shrugged as he grabbed his suitcase out of the car. Well, attempted to grab it. The suitcase's wheels snagged on the side of the backseat, halting the process and straining his wrist slightly. He groaned as he dropped the suitcase handle and massaged his wrist.
"I see. I know there was similar places to stay in my days, but I never needed to use them." Scott mused as he reached over and grabbed the suitcase in one tug. He used his other hand to grab his own neon blue suitcase, taking them out of the car at the exact same time. "After all, I mostly stayed in my castles." He did a little flourish as he set them on the asphalt, a goofy smirk on his face.
"How did I get such a pompous man to be my boyfriend?" Legundo asked loudly as he walked ahead back towards the hotel.
"How did I get such a charming, handsome one?" Scott singsonged as he trailed after the other. Legundo snorted.
"Of course you-" He started as his boot caught on the edge of the hotel's floor separator, tripping over it and rolling onto the tiles. His throat made a weird rasping sound as the air was knocked out of him, finally coming to a stop just in the middle of the lobby.
"Like I said, charming!" Scott shouted, voice sounding far away.
A great start indeed…
.☘︎ ݁˖
When the two went up the elevator and into the third floor, Legundo could tell the moment Scott's distaste set in.
The vampire never had particularly low standards to begin with, but he had managed to adjust especially with living in a small apartment. However, when Scott absolutely detested something, it was a challenge to try and convince him otherwise. Legundo kept glancing behind him to see Scott's expression getting more and more pinched as they headed to their room.
In all fairness, it was no grand hotel. The ceilings were low and the lights were dim, creating an uncomfortable environment. Even so, Legundo could still make out the telltale traces of random pieces of dirt and crumbs that told him the hallway had yet to be vacuumed in a while.
He didn't mind. After all, he had stayed in worse places. But he knew Scott was noticing all of it.
"Here it is. Room 313." Legundo announced as they made it to the end of the hall.
"Maybe it'll look better on the inside." Scott muttered to himself as he adjusted his grip on the suitcases. Legundo chose not to comment on it as he swiped the keycard on the door's lock.
Nothing happened. No light or noise went off to indicate he had unlocked anything. He frowned and tried again. Still nothing. The doctor reached out and tugged at the door.
It opened easily.
"…Well, that's not supposed to happen," Legundo chuckled, trying to ignore the paranoia fogging his brain. "Hopefully it actually locks at night."
"You know if anyone actually tried to come in, we'd both be up and ready to fight them off," Scott reassured as he practically leaped into the room. It was a simple set up with a double bed and tiny kitchen with a tiny living room. The double bed was walled off into its own little half-room, allowing some separation between the areas. Scott stopped as he came in, staring at something on the couch.
"What?"
"Who on earth thought this would be a good idea?" Oh, he could hear the nose wrinkle from miles away. Legundo peeked around Scott's body to see two pillow buried into the middle of the couch, diagonally pointed upwards.
For quite literally no apparent reason.
"What?" Legundo repeated, shaking his head at the pillows. "Why would…"
"I don't know. I really don't. Some sort of hazy interior decorating idea straight from the heavens?" Scott sighed as he moved the suitcases into their sleeping area. "Are most hotels this…quirky?"
"Not usually." Legundo reached over to turn the lights on and lighten up the place so they could start unpacking.
Click.
…The lights didn't turn on. He moved to a smaller light switch on the wall next to the counter.
Click.
The tiny fan near the countertop turned on instead. He moved to another light switch.
Click.
Finally, the smaller box-shaped lights in the main area turned on, allowing some sort of light. "Okay, that's definitely not supposed to happen." Legundo mumbled as he moved to check all the light switches. A majority of them worked, at least.
Still, it was definitely…strange.
"Hey, cherry?" Scott's voice drifted from the other room. "Come here." When Legundo walked over, Scott pointed to an area near the bathroom. "Is this normal?" The sink was next to the bathroom, fully decorated with a mirror and all. The only noticeable thing was that it was outside the bathroom. Mainly because the bathroom was so tiny it could barely fit a shower and toilet.
Legundo buried his face into his hands as Scott gleefully flicked the mirror lights on and off repeatedly. "Hey, at least these ones work!"
ཐི ྐ❤︎ ཋྀ
As soon as night fell, Legundo wrestled open the only window inside of the hotel room. "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Scott looked up at the doctor from where he was perched on his shoulder in bat-form. Legundo smiled softly at him and if Scott still had a beating heart, he knew it would've skipped a beat.
"Believe it or not, I can stay in a room by myself for a hour. Besides, Martyn's been begging me to help him with the Wordle. I'll keep myself busy." Scott glanced up at the window with uncertainty. "Also, if you don't fly, you're going to be complaining the whole night and I don't want to hear it." Legundo poked him and Scott rolled his eyes.
"Fine, fine. I won't be too long." He took off without much ceremony, tiny body soaring into the night sky.
It was a good opportunity to scout the area. While most of the current city they were in was filled with buildings and shops, the hotel was surprisingly near a dense forest that stretched on for a good while. Scott pivoted to fly over it, scanning for any sort of snack he could get. As he did, his mind drifted to thinking about Doctor Legundo.
Of course it did. On the rare times they were seperated, Scott couldn't help but think about him. Mainly because of what happened the last time he had left the doctor alone.
Damn doctor. Scott huffed as more concern panged through his heart. Before Legundo came around, he could hunt in peace. Nowadays, he was worried about the man and it was distracting him terribly.
It wasn't like watching Legundo wake up in a cold sweat from horrible nightmares helped. From what little bits he could understand from his cherry's sleepy mind, the nightmares he usually had were getting worse; they were getting more specific. No longer did he just dream of his actions in war or agonized over messing up surgery with patients-instead, he dreamed of his friends being dragged into the terrors with him. He dreamed of Scott mainly, he had puzzled out as much. Legundo would wake up on the cusp of a scream and Scott would end up having to soothe his half-asleep frenzied mind with soft words and touches.
Legundo never remembered any of it, or, if he did, he was more likely to dismiss it away as another part of the dream. Scott knew this because Legs never talked about the nightmares to him. Instead, the doctor got up and acted like he had slept well, even when Scott could see the bags under his eyes.
There were small mercies. In some ways, Legundo had gotten better instead of worse-if he needed a distraction while he was awake, he would go to Scott or go out with Cleo, Pearl and Martyn instead of staving off the eventual breakdown with drowning himself in work. He was physically healthier (mainly because Scott could smell his now-sweeter blood and hear his steadier heart that no longer raced like a small rabbit at the smallest of inconveniences-although, it wasn't like Scott's presence helped with that much in the beginning of their relationship) and smiled more without a weight on his shoulders.
Scott just wished he would get better faster. Time was always ticking and it bothered him. It was always a perk of immortality he had bragged about to his then-fledglings: the ability to have as much time to change or not change as one pleased. Then his mouth soured as his thoughts shifted to the prospect of turning the doctor. He wouldn't, no matter how much it tore at him.
Legundo didn't want that. It would kill him faster than any natural march of time could. Scott knew it in his bones.
Suddenly, the sharp scent of blood hit his nose and Scott dived towards it. It wasn't a human's, he could tell that much-but it was already dying, which meant it was easy prey. And who could blame him for wanting an easy dinner?
When he ducked below the treeline, Scott quickly transformed back into his human-form and floated down to see a deer splayed on the ground. Based on the gaping wound in its forehead, it had died from a hunter's shot. Humans and their ability to waste good food always astounds me. Instead of taking home the deer or even marching around with it as a trophy, the hunter had clearly been the type to just enjoy the feeling of murder rather than make a use out of the creature. However, the wound wouldn't have been enough to catch his attention from so high. Scott stepped around the deer to notice large, gaping slash wounds on its hide, blood dripping down in large rivulets.
He had to bite his cheek to stop himself from lunging and eating the meat, because the whole situation felt shifty. A hunter's shot was plausible, but a human slicing open the deer and leaving it for the rats? That was suspicious.
Scott only managed to step forward once before a hot burning sensation attacked his skin. He cried out as he stumbled to his knees and gritted his teeth to not let any more embarrassing sounds out. Pain racked up his spine and he cursed himself for not paying more attention to what was around him. Scott looked up and blinked through his blurry vision.
"Sorry." A man with black hair had bent down to look straight at him. His silver cross earrings dangled with him as he tilted his head. "It's for your safety more than mine, if you think about it." Scott smoothed out his clamped jaw into a smile as he shakily stood up.
"Been a while since I've had even a drop of holy water on my skin." Scott glared at the other man. "I just didn't place my bets on you being the one to get the jump on me."
"You're hungry." Abolish shrugged as he glanced at the deer. "Probably should take care of that." When Scott gave him a distasteful grin, he sighed. "Believe it or not, I'm not here to kill you. Though, based on your history, I really ought to."
"Awww, Abolish, really? Taking me out for dinner?" Scott traipsed over to the deer, now more cautious than ever. He sniffed the carcass for any hint of garlic. "You do know I'm already taken, right? You did meet the handsome doctor."
"Somehow you are, yes." Abolish muttered as he fiddled with his gun in his other hand. Scott noticed the knife on the ground that Abolish must've used to rip open the deer. He sniffed a little at being so well-played. If Abolish had done the same thing over six hundred years ago, Scott knew it wouldn't have fallen for it so easily.
Mainly because he actually had a steady source of blood back then.
"So you really don't want to kill me?" Scott asked in between sips of blood.
"It would be easier to kill you. Mr. Goldsmith, you have been a thorn in my organization's side for centuries."
"Oh, you're apart of that little group?" Scott mused as he tapped his finger against his chin. "I was wondering if you all were still around." So Abolish wasn't just a vampire hunter like he had suspected-he was a trained vampire hunter. Those were a different breed entirely.
It had been a while since someone had posed a threat to him. This could be fun.
He had to shake his head to snap himself out of the mindset. He didn't have time to play cat and mouse with a vampire hunter, not when he had a festival to attend with Legs. Not to mention, Cleo was planning on taking him to a bowling alley, then Shelby was going to try and hold another book club meeting and then at the end of the week he and Legs had already booked a reservation at a nice diner. "What do you need from me?" Scott demanded, cleaning up his hands as he finished his meal. "If you didn't know already, I do have things to do."
"Just one favor." Abolish leaned against one of the trees that surrounded him. His dark clothes blended in with the scenery and if it wasn't for the throbbing pulse of silver in the air, Scott would've thought him a disappearing vampire. He fluttered a small paper over to Scott and he caught it with a small frown on his face. It was an image of a plain looking man with a scruffy beard. "This man is in your hotel. Talk to him and lead him to the back of the hotel. I'll deal with the rest." Scott couldn't help but let out a harsh laugh.
"You want me to do your little spy work for you?"
"Partially," Abolish admitted. "After this, I'll never ask again. I won't need to." His eyes watched every little movement Scott made. "But for the most part, this is your test, Mr. Goldsmith. After my higher-ups got word you were back from your unexpected disappearance, they wanted me to take care of you." Abolish slowly looked up, a frown on his face. "But I managed to convince them to give you one more chance."
"Really? Why?" Scott twirled a lock of his hair absentmindedly. Granted, he would also agree with the organization's assessment that he was dangerous. Mainly the only reason he wasn't actively dangerous was the fact that he had been choosing to keep his fangs blunt more often than not lately.
A path of least resistance. He knew he could adapt.
"Because you saved Legundo." Abolish looked back at him and a strange sensation blocked Scott's throat.
"How did you know about that?"
"I found him, Scott." Abolish's voice was low. "I used what resources I could to find out where he was going. And when I did, I told Martyn, and you know the rest of the story." He pushed himself off of the tree trunk and started pacing around Scott. "I was there at the Christmas party. I've seen you when Legundo's around. If I was a far crueler man-" Abolish stopped, crossing his arms behind his back. "-I wouldn't care about any of the above. And there are people like that in the organization. There are people who wouldn't hesitate to use Legundo or Cleo or anyone else against you." Scott clasped his hands together but didn't respond. "So. I know you're not happy to see me, but I think you should count yourself lucky that I don't care if you're a vampire or a human. I care about your character." He pointed to the paper. "And I'd be far more able to defend your character against my supervisor if you would just do me this one favor."
"You have some damn good blackmail, Mr. Veylocke," Scott complimented tersely . A small smile flickered over Abolish's face.
"I don't think you want to see what I do when I actually blackmail someone." Scott simply laughed dryly as he fanned the paper.
"Right. So what time do I need to do this?"
"Tonight. He should be outside by the hot tub in about a hour."
"Then we have a deal." Scott ominously turned around before groaning. "Oh. I forgot about the holy water." He scowled at Abolish. "You ruin my dramatics."
"I have plenty enough for the two of us," Abolish deadpanned. Scott rolled his eyes and turned around before turning back again.
Abolish was gone.
Scott's eye twitched and he headed back (on foot, much to his dismay) to the hotel.
ཐི ྐ❤︎ ཋྀ
Legundo wasn't supposed to be involved. But when Scott had come back and mentioned going to the hot tub, he had insisted on coming.
Legundo was very lucky that he was the one who had the suitcase with their swim outfits.
It was a beautiful night out and the hotel was quiet enough as is, leaving the pool area to be claimed by just the two of them. (And the mysterious man Abolish had told him to talk to, but he hadn't arrived yet, so Scott figured they were alone for now.) Legundo wore his atrocious bright green swim trunks and still wore his glasses (it wasn't like he could go underwater with his false eye, anyways). Scott had picked out swimwear during his first summer with Legs and he was still very proud of his choices. He wore Halloween-themed swim trunks with a vampire fang pattern and had added a black dress-like cover up that wrapped around his chest before flowing down.
Legundo had said it was pretentious. Scott had told him it was meant to be.
Scott sighed as he sunk down into the hot tub, the scalding water sinking into his cold skin and feeling like heaven. He closed his eyes even as he felt his ears twitch in satisfaction. Moments later, he could feel Legundo leaning against his shoulder as they sat on the bench in the tub. "It's been a while since I've been in one of these," Legundo breathed as he trailed his fingers through the water.
"I haven't been in one of these ever. Even as a noble, it was rare to get such pristine hot water," Scott murmured. Surprisingly, he found the water making him sleepy despite him not needing to sleep at all.
"We should get you in hot tubs more often. You look like you've melted," Legundo teased as he kissed Scott's cheek.
"Just leave me here. I don't even have to go back in the hotel. This is divine." Scott smiled without ever opening his eyes once.
"Yeah, but I'll be in the room by myself," Legundo sighed mournfully. Scott swatted him.
"Nope. The hot tub is better than you at your heater job. You're fired and I'm staying here forever." Legundo rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, become the hot tub vampire. I'm sure that'll be a nice legacy."
Footsteps. Scott snapped his eyes open.
It was the man. He was wearing a swimsuit and was steadily approaching the hot tub. Scott's nose crinkled as he smelled a bit of him on the air.
Fledgling. And a stupid one at that. He could tell by his scent that he had been feeding on rotten animal flesh and humans. It was rare for vampires to acquire such a taste, but not unheard of. Either way, Scott could see how he was likely a bit of a problem for the organization.
And he was certainly going to be an annoyance for him. The man was clearly using the quietness of the hotel to hunt for stray humans. And the other vampire wasn't going to be happy about another vampire near the one human the area. Scott reached towards Legundo's hand and grasped it. Concerned, Legundo looked up at him. Scott let his eyes drift over to the man that was now just about to go into the hot tub.
"How are you two doing?" The fledgling asked, seemingly unaware of the danger he was putting himself into. Clearly, he hadn't been taught to spot an elder vampire-an advantage for Scott, but ultimately would lead to the fledgling's own downfall. A shame that his sire had been so neglectful. At least Scott's fledglings had been taught proper etiquette even if he mainly let them go off on their own.
Not that they had survived long enough to be alive till his resurgence. Scott could feel the emptiness of his bonds with them if he tried to reach out to them.
"Great." Scott smiled with all of his teeth. He could already feel himself scooting closer to Legundo. Just get him interested enough to follow you to the back of the hotel. "Enjoying the hot water."
"Mhm. Real nice, in this chillier weather." The man slunk down into the hot tub, an annoying smirk on his face as he eyed Legundo. Scott could practically feel his hunger from across the tub. Oh, this was worse. The fledgling thought he could take Scott in a fight.
The elder vampire had to stave off the urge to laugh at him.
"Really warms up a cold soul, doesn't it?" Scott noted conversationally, never taking his eyes off of the fledgling. Legundo was looking between the two, clearly trying to see why Scott thought of him as a danger.
"Indeed," The man drawled. "I'm Garrett."
"Scott." Scott tilted his head. "That's Legundo. He's my boyfriend." Legundo was wisely staying silent, letting Scott lead the conversation.
"Boyfriend?" Garrett's eyebrows raised. He could see in the vampire's eyes that he thought boyfriend meant meal. It was almost tragic how stupid of a thing he was.
Scott took a faux breath and pulled a power from his chest he hadn't used in a very, very long time. Mainly because it was exhausting when he wasn't at his full strength. But he knew it worked on other vampires.
"Garrett," Scott said smoothly, watching as the man's eyes went blank. "Come on, let's talk out of the tub." Garrett slowly rose out of the tub and Scott followed suit, taking Legundo with him. Legs watched the other man with fascination as Scott continued talking. "Follow me."
"Why?" Garrett asked. Oh, amazing. He's stupid enough to be combative. Scott strained his power as he let out a low growl.
"Because you listen to me. You listen to someone who you are meant to respect. Now follow me and don't ask any more ridiculous questions."
Scott pulled the two along, one physically and one mentally until they made it to the back of the hotel. As soon as they made it to the area where there was a dumpster and an emergency exit staircase leading back into the hotel, he stopped. "Stay put." He hissed to Garrett before turning to Legundo and nudging his shoulder. "You too."
"I probably should've warned you to watch the cameras before you came here, but that's fine. I can deal with those later." Abolish appeared out of nowhere, holding silver cuffs in his hands. He was perfectly put together and a twinge of annoyance went through Scott because he knew he looked a mess compared to the other.
"Just chain the damn man already. I can't deal with being connected to such a lowly creature any longer," He muttered as he clutched his head.
"Abolish?" Legundo's eyes widened in surprise as the vampire hunter cuffed Garrett smoothly. "What?"
"You're good." Abolish nodded to Scott. Scott dropped the power and instantly leaned against a wall. Vampires didn't get nausea, but what he felt was as close as they could get. Legundo immediately rubbed his back before turning to Abolish.
"Okay, now that I assume we're no longer actively in danger-" He raised an eyebrow at Garrett, who was actively straining against the cuffs but being able to go nowhere, "-would you two please explain to me what that was all about? Now."
"Abolish is a vampire hunter, he needed my help, there's the vampire. Mission complete." Scott gestured from where he leaned against the wall.
"Vampire hunter is a very specific term. I prefer to call myself a vampire expert. As much as I can be, anyways." Legundo stopped and looked at Abolish, really looked for the first time. Understanding dawned on his face.
"One hell of a graphic designer, huh?" Legundo chuckled. A good-natured grin appeared on Abolish's face.
"Yeah. You could say that." His expression turned serious as he grabbed the fledgling and directed him away from the two. "Now, I do have to go back." He nodded towards Scott. "…Thank you. If we're lucky, this is the last time we meet under professional pretenses." Abolish turned and paused. "…And you didn't have to use your power. I think Garrett here would've been dumb enough to follow you without you straining yourself."
With that, Abolish was gone. "He's a fun guy, isn't he?" Scott rested his head against the gross wall of the outer hotel. "You just never see him coming."
"Let's get you back up to the room," Legundo suggested softly as he pulled Scott away from the wall.
"I'm fine, silly. I can tell you're going into doctor mode. Stop it."
"Let me take care of you." Legundo's voice was practically begging and Scott couldn't help but allow it. He stepped back and dropped himself into Legs' arms.
"Take me back, then. I'm just too tired to walk, cherry." Scott smirked up at the doctor. Legundo rolled his eyes.
"I love you."
"I love you more."
.☘︎ ݁˖
Legundo was not as calm as he thought he was. He was shaking as he felt the shower water beat against his back.
Scott was fine. Surprisingly, the vampire was the one he was least worried about. Not that he wasn't worried, but the person currently at the front of his mind was Abolish.
"Vampire hunter is a very specific term."
The suicide vial cleverly disguised around his neck that he had noticed the first time they had met.
The way he carried himself.
Soldier. Soldier. Soldier.
And Legundo hadn't been able to help. He had been the one in danger, the one who needed to be saved by two people far more capable than him.
He was becoming useless. Decrepit. A burden.
Rationally, he knew it wasn't true. There had been nothing he could've done when clearly the situation had been handled by Abolish and Scott far before he had even seen Garrett.
But that was the thing. Scott hadn't told him.
The walls of the shower room were closing in on him. He couldn't breathe. Distantly, he could hear the shower water being turned off, but he was too out of it to notice. A warm towel was wrapped around him and suddenly he was on the floor.
He still couldn't breathe.
It had been a while since he had had a visible episode. Mainly, the sources of his terror were in his dreams, but he supposed the lack of physical episodes meant that this one was a long time coming. A ticking time bomb that had been residue from Christmas week.
It was like no matter if he tried to be happy, the other shoe would always drop.
"Your heart is too fast, darling," Scott was whispering quietly to him. He could feel his touch on his cheeks along with the water from the shower. "Your body is too hot. You're going to pass out if you don't start breathing slower. I can tell."
The words felt like mush in Legundo's mind.
Abolish was so young. Yet he had handled everything like it was normal.
That wasn't normal.
"Make me stop thinking," Legundo pleaded. "Just…just for a little bit." Scott frowned before blinking and suddenly the world felt fuzzy. Scott was here, but he was also in his mind, his heart, his body and he was telling him that everything was okay.
And Legundo trusted him. So he believed him. He slowed his breathing and eventually the world came back to him just as Scott dropped the power. "I probably shouldn't do that again," Scott wheezed out as he looked over the doctor. "Are you alright now?"
"Yeah-I'm-yeah. That was…wow. I never knew you could do that."
"What? You liked it?" Scott teased before looking down. "It's not something I can do often unless I drink a lot of blood. I used to do it to…to a lot of humans and vampires alike. It's easy to control someone when you can quite literally get in their head. It used to be fun. But after Garrett and you…I'm glad I can't do it anymore. I don't think I should have that power." He leaned against Legundo, embracing him. "I'd rather know you the hard way. Mainly because it involved me getting stabbed and that's much more entertaining."
"That's true." A fond smile spread over Legundo's face. "I just…I didn't expect this night to be so eventful."
"Me neither. I thought I was just going to go for a fly, but that's when Abolish asked for my help." Scott shrugged. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."
"It's fine. You had it handled, anyway. Abolish did, too."
"Let's go to bed." Scott helped Legs up from the ground. "You have driving to do tomorrow."
"Yeah," Legundo agreed as he pushed his worries to the back of his mind. When he saw Abolish again, he could ask his questions and express his concerns. For now, he was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to lay down with Scott and sleep.
"Just next time we get a hotel, let me pick it out." Scott kissed his nose. "Please."
"I'll allow it."
.☘︎ ݁˖
"The younger they are, the more capable they are."
The easier they are to mold.
"They're strong, smart, fast. The young ones make for amazing soldiers."
Good soldiers die young.
Legundo watches from where he's sat on the battlefield. He's not sure where he is. He's not sure what memory of his his brain is trying to replicate.
All he knows is Abolish is there, with a gaping claw mark in his chest. It was the first time he had seen the man in his nightmares.
"I'm better than you are." Abolish murmurs. "And yet we all end up the same."
"You're wrong." Legundo shook his head. The nightmare was blurring as he fought against it.
"We'll see." Not-Abolish smiles, and Legundo wakes up.
And Scott was there, a soothing balm against the heat of his fear. Legundo relaxed as he fell back into sleep again.
ᯓ★
Abolish watched from afar as Legundo and Scott blended into the crowd just as the music started. While Garrett had been taken care of, he still felt the urge to monitor them a bit more.
Maybe because he knew the longer he took, the more he could stave off having to go back to the organization and explain Scott's goodwill to them. The two of them had gotten lucky that they hadn't been found by his higher-ups earlier, or else he wouldn't have been able to stop them trying to make Scott Goldsmith pay.
It was right. But it was not fair.
Abolish observed as Scott and Legundo cheered to the beat of the music, only having eyes for each other. He smiled to himself as he thought of Martyn back in the city.
He watched them a little longer before heading off.
Scott Goldsmith would eventually pay for his misdeeds, he was unfortunately sure of it. But it wouldn't be for a while yet.