forum •Apotheosis of Abnormality• [one/one]

Started July 27, 2022 by @Dayzed forum

tune

“That’s fair, it is a complicated subject”. Xio mused, shrugging lightly. She was a bit of a nerd… she had spent plenty of time perched on the edges of buildings listening to college lectures. It was surprisingly easy to stay hidden.

Xio froze at the touch, the feathers on her neck fluffing up at the surprisingly enjoyable sensation. She watched Rae investigate, staying strangely still for fear of interrupting.
She looked up at Rae at the same time the other did, offering her a warm smile.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind the curiosity, all you have to do is ask and I’ll show you.” She reassured, slowly taking her hand back. It wasn’t often a human found her interesting.

Xiomara stood with Rae, smoothing out her skirt and humming softly. She glanced at the bag Rae held but didn’t comment on it, understanding right away.
It made her smile a little.
“Shall we then?” She asked with a small giggle before starting towards the counter, gently running her fingers along the feathers Rae had touched.

---

“Ah, been listening to the rumors on the street? I’m honored you think of me.” Marcus snickered softly, thought some part of him worried over exactly what Jake had heard.
He hoped the other hadn’t dug too deep into what others had said. He didn’t want Jake to learn anything more about Marx and his… relationship habits.

Marcus opened his mouth then promptly shut it at Jake’s words, huffing at the emotional whirlwind Jake had just given him.
On one hand, he was annoyed and slightly offended by Jake calling him out… but on the other hand his face was suddenly very hot and he had to turn his head almost all the way away to hide it.
“You don’t have the balls to plan a good date.” He grumbled back.

Marcus flashed a shit-eating grin at Jake’s dirty look, tilting his head slightly. Even with his taunting, there was something soft behind his expression, something understanding hidden there.
“Just checking, you seem nervous.” He added, throwing his hands up in mock surrender before stepping back to let the piercer do their job.

He made a face as the needle passed through Jake’s tongue, shivering lightly in discomfort. He didn’t like that visual one bit.
He did, however, strangely like how the barbell looked once it was in. It almost made him want one.
Almost.

Marcus caught the glance and gave the piercer a suspicious look, not liking where this was going…
He flushed bright red at the next words, flipping around to hide his fluster and mutter about how “he and Jake weren’t even together like that.”

There was a sort of happy smile on Rae's face at Xio's words, it looked almost child-like in nature.

"Thank you," She said softly, not being able to contain the warm fuzzy feeling inside of her chest, watching Xio now touch the same spot she had. It made Rae's face flush a little, wondering if Xio felt any particular way about it and if Rae should actually reel it in a little with the extra touchiness and familiarity she had picked up with both her and Wynn almost right away. She wondered if that was a wrong thing to do, knowing that not everyone would be so receptive to her at first glance.
Wynn had been that way when she started talking to him, but he had eventually warmed up to her.

"Yeah- we shall," Rae said, slightly giddy, now following Xio to the front.
It was a nice break from everything at the moment, and by hell would Rae enjoy every second she had of this.

---

Jake gave Marcus an amused smile for his words instead of answering. He had heard a lot about the guy, maybe some of it he had gone looking for himself, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that he had heard a lot and his friends only seemed to confirm what he had heard to be true.
All this talk about Marx and his right-hand man, how could he not be curious about that? Jake was pretty sure the whole world- or at least those who knew- were curious as to who these people were, though, Jake knew exactly what his intentions had been when he had gone out looking for those answers.

Jake seemed very proud at the reaction he got from Marcus, only to hear him grumble a challenge. Everyone who knew Jake knew not to challenge him. He would try his hardest to prove the other party wrong, on various occasions, taking it way too far. Like the time Jen had said he couldn't eat a whole bakery. He later came to regret it. They had had pastries for weeks after that.

"Oh really?" Jake spoke, his voice sounding slightly seductive, switching to his work voice for a split second. "I bet I can pull something better than your leader" He taunted, wondering if that would hit a nerve. He knew that if Marx were here right now, he'd have ripped Jake to shreds for just interacting with one of his gang members this way. Jake always had a way of being too familiar with people who he was not supposed to be familiar with.

Jake merely narrowed his eyes at Marcus' grin. Yeah, he was an attractive motherfucker, it wasn't hard to see why Marx had picked someone like Marcus. He rolled his eyes at Marcus', what he perceived to be, fake concern.

Once everything was said and done, he gave a curious glance at Marcus who seemed very flustered at the moment, Jake only catching the tail end of his words, and for once, deciding to respect Marcus and his relationship status.
"He's right, we're not together, in fact, I forced him to come here with me," Jake said, a smile on his face, though it didn't seem quite amused or proud or much of anything, just very plain- normal. It was a smile you gave everyone, a sort of polite one.
"But thanks, I appreciate everything you've done for me" Jake shook the other's hand who gave him the same smile in return, though, seeming a bit warmer than before.
"Of course, you're always welcome here," They said as they started to clean up once more. "I'll see you later," They said, noticing how Jake was getting ready to leave. Jake gave them a small dismissing wave as he led Marcus out of the small room.

Because Jake had paid for everything as soon as they had come in, he walked Marcus right out the door, giving faint nods to the others who were still working around.
"Well, that's it" Jake gave Marcus a half smile. "Thanks for coming with me, I know it was a lot to ask for," He said, a soft yet deep laugh leaving his throat, his eyes now going to Marcus' new piercing. They softened as he stared at the black jewelry.
"Is there anything I can do for the lovely pastry before it leaves?" He mused, staring down at the other male. Jake seemed awfully polite and formal now, some part of him being genuinely grateful for the other coming with him, even if Jake had basically blackmailed him. It had been a lot of fun, probably the most fun he had had in a while.

Xio nodded and chirped her reply, the sound happier than it had been.
Truth be told, Xio was sort of loving the attention. It felt… nice. And she wouldn’t admit it out loud but the last time she had her feathers touched - not counting Marcus and Wynn and Rae helping free her from the wire - was ages ago and even then that was her father chiding her on letting her feathers get so rough; and much like a mother worrying over their child’s hair, he had sat her down and fixed them for her.
And that had been far from the gentle touch Rae had just used.
It made her feathers stand on end again, though she played it off as excitement for ordering as she wandered over to the counter, smoothing down the feathers along her arms when they refused to return to their positions.

At the counter, Xio smiled at the one behind it; a rather tall, pale individual covered from head to tail with rather soft floral tattoos. He wore his half shaved dyed black hair up but even with that one could tell that the remaining hair there was long. And because it was pulled away from his ears, all of his many piercings were now on display.
He grinned down at Xio, recognition lighting up his face.
“Xiomara, long time no see, I was beginning to think you’d flew south.” He joked, his eyes flickering for a moment over to Rae before returning to Xio. There was a curiosity burning in his eyes now, one that Xio knew she’d probably have to answer too once Rae had left.
Xio grinned back regardless, twittering once or twice before rolling her eyes.
“It’s nice to see you too,” she hummed, giving him a small wave.
He opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted;
“Atlas. Hurry up and take their damn order, you can chat after.” Another male grumbled as he joined Atlas’s side. He was much more average-looking, with shorter brown hair and a permanent RBF. But his eyes were a startling amber-color and the feeling of his magic frequency tasted of iron and smoke to most Abnormalities.
He paused for a moment, like he had just bit his tongue before taking a deep breath and closing his eyes, rubbing at his face. Atlas turned his grin to him, snickering.
“Such vulgar language, Cole, you could have asked kindly.” He purred, though his hand moved to gently tug on the other’s sleeve, a soft concern in his eyes as he searched the others face.
Cole returned the soft expression with one of his own, more reassuring ones, tapping on Atlas’s hand to get him to let go.

“Whatever, sorry, I wasn’t… I’m fine just take the order.” Cole replied. His voice seemed… different now in a strange way, as if the one from before was someone borrowing his voice box.
Xio didn’t bat an eye at it, instead laughing softly and leaning forwards to steal a quick glance at the cakes and pastries in the display.
“We’ll take a bacon, egg, cheese croissant and a valerian tea. And a…” she paused again, making a soft clicking sound while she decided. “Vanilla coffee cake and hot chocolate.”
“Good choice good choice, we’ll have that right out for you Xio.” Atlas nodded as he placed the order and took Xio’s payment, giving her a discount per Hebe’s orders.
“But now that’s out of the way,” he stepped slightly to the side, leaning his elbows on the counter. “Who’s this with you?” He smiled at Rae, the expression almost as bright as the sun.

---

It was hard to avoid gossip and talk when one mentioned the gang and it’s two literally fiery leaders. Anyone who knew something was eager to talk about it, spewing their theories and repeating information they had gathered themselves.
That was what Marcus hated the most, though. Everyone treated the situation like some hot new scandal, watching it play out with candid enjoyment like they were watching some kind of twisted play.
The general consensus was that Marx was some kind of Abnormality terrorist mastermind and Marcus was his dangerous, pretty little consort.
It pissed Marcus off to hear in passing how people romanticized his relationship with Marx, calling them “akin to a gay Bonnie and Clyde couple”.
He was sure his father was absolutely livid about it all… not that he cared much about the man anyways but it was a bit of a funny thought…

Regardless of all of that, Marcus was sure Jake had heard it all. He just didn’t want the other to think the rumors were true.
He wasn’t as into it as everyone said he was.
But he sure as hell didn’t want Jake to know the truth either. That was almost worse.
He’d prefer it if Jake would promptly erase any knowledge of Marcus from his mind.

The hairs on the back of Marcus’s neck stood on end. The tone switch was just as alarming as it was intriguing. Alarm bells rang in his head but he ignored them for a moment, actually considering accepting if not just to make Jake falter a little.
There definitely wasn’t a curiosity there. Nope not at all. He definitely didn’t think that Jake was right in his words and probably would do a better job…
At least, Marcus had to tell himself that so he wouldn’t fold right there out of spite.
“You’re making it harder for me to want to accept.” He lied through his teeth instead, acting like he hadn’t considered Jake’s propositions a couple of times already.

He paced a bit as Jake spoke to the piercer, sighing softly when the other confirmed his words. He didn’t necessarily mind the fact they thought he and Jake were together. He just couldn’t risk any rumors getting back to Marx, no matter how small.

He followed Jake out of the room, waving goodbye to the piercer and thanking them again.
He stayed fairly silent until they exited the shop, where he sighed deeply and glanced back before reaching up to feel the piercing once more.
He shrugged when Jake spoke to him, giving the other one of his own smiles.
“It was a good excuse to be out and about for longer.” Marcus laughed softly, though the sound was strained.
He stared at Jake for a long while as he debated the question. What could Jake do for him? Distract him for longer? Pretend kidnap him so he wouldn’t have to go back to the gang house that night?
Though tempting, that was out of the question.
“Give me your number so I know who to bill if my piercing gets all fucked up.” He muttered, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Rae picked up on the different pitch Xio's chirps were, she sounded…happier? Rae's eyes softened at that, she must really love places like this, and to be fair they were really calming, she couldn't blame her.

Once at the counter to order, she watched Xio attempt to tame her feathers, Rae found it infinitely adorable that her feathers would listen to her when excited. It was a good way of knowing what kind of mood Xio was in she noted. Though, that thought led to another- wondering what it looked like when Xio was very pissed off. Did her feathers also fluff up like some birds did to appear larger? A small soft sound left her as she thought about these things- she would have to ask Blake when she got back home. The excitement of wanting to know more about Xio consumed her as the other ordered for the both of them.

Because Rae had been so deep into her thoughts, she hadn't gotten a chance to meet the gentleman at the counter who was speaking with Xio now, staying behind the other as if trying to isolate herself from the others, as if somewhere in her mind she knew she didn't belong- letting Xio take the reins on this.
When they spoke, however, it was when Rae looked up to see and- holy shit. The guy looked a little more than intimidating, but Rae's eyes widened slightly to see the guy's style, seeming impressed, almost in awe of them.
The guy had long hair, it seemed, kind of like Niveus, though wondering if it was just as long too.
Rae listened to the back-and-forth conversation, these two seeming to know each other. When his eyes met Rae's blue ones for a moment, she tensed up a bit.

It wasn't long before another guy joined the first, Rae being more relaxed around them as they seemed…well, not that intimidating at first glance.
There was a split second where Rae frowned, confused, as she touched her bottom lip, wondering if at one point she had bitten her tongue or lip. She knew for a fact that blood tasted like iron, though very faintly, like it almost wasn't there.

The switch in tone from the other snapped Rae out of her curiosity about having a cut somewhere.

After the order was taken, Rae shifted a bit on her feet when Altas leaned forward on the counter, flashing her a charming warm smile. It seemed to catch her way off, the only thing she was able to do was give a nervous smile, wondering if they would hold it against her if they knew who she was- or worse, if they decided that she was no good for Xio and thought her a threat. Rae could be dangerous in her own regard but she didn't use it unnecessarily. Just like there was a dislike for Abnormalities on her end, she assumed that there must be a dislike for Apotheosis too on theirs, Apotheosis wasn't exactly known to be kind….

"I'm Rae!" She blurted out, sounding a bit frantic. She stuck her arm out very stiffly, her whole body tensing as she did so to shake his hand. "I-I just met Xio not a little while ago while she was hurt- though, I wouldn't ever do anything like that to her-" She quickly added after, feeling it was necessary. "It's nice to meet you…uhm, sir" She dipped her head slightly because by all hell she was not going to mess this up, especially if it was one of Xio's close friends.

---

Although Jake had heard those rumors and more, he did well in brushing them away, it seeming like it didn't really bother him- because why should he get messed up over the fact that the prettiest guy he had ever seen was with someone like that? Like he gave a fuck. Everyone had their preferences.
Jake absolutely believed Marcus was into that type of thing, believing some of the rumors as they held valid evidence about the situation with Marcus and Marx, but again, he didn't comment on it.

Jake rolled his eyes at Marcus, although a smile decorated his face as he got the reaction he had wanted. He didn't know how to set up dates like that- how would he go all out?? He also didn't have nearly enough money for something like that-

Talking to Marcus outside of the piercing shop like this made a sort of sad expression pass by Jake's face. Maybe it was the fact this was the end of his little adventure with the other, or that after this it was back at being at each other's throats- not that they weren't now, but it was different, it's not like Marcus had completely hated this- he hoped.

Though, at the exchanging numbers bit he sort of froze, blinking with the same stupid yet surprised look he had before when Marcus had called him over to his side while he got pierced. He looked much like a spooked cat, if barely. A small relieved sigh left him as he rummaged in his back pocket for his phone, taking out his cigarette carton in the process which was a bit crushed now.
He turned the phone on, swallowing harshly at all the missed phone calls and texts. He swiped them away, searching for his number once again.
After a second he handed his phone to Marcus so he could jot it down on a piece of paper or something- Jake not having anything on him at the moment, just a half-used chapstick, the keys to the apartment, and crumpled up dollar bills.
"You have a strange way of asking to see me more" Jake mused, though, that was just wishful thinking.

Atlas’s face slowly lit up with a smile as Rae introduced herself. He shook her hand calmly, nodding curtly in greeting.
“Atlas is fine. That’s Cole,” he nodded towards the other worker, going as far as to bump hips with him. Cole shot him a dirty look but Atlas only laughed and turned back to Rae.
“You don’t need to worry about me, Rae. Or even Cole. Xio doesn’t act this happy around just anyone.” He reassured, grinning. “Besides, if you hurt her you’d have to answer to her father and Hebe first and seeing as how you aren’t dead yet, you’re just fine.” He winked, grinning from ear to ear.
Cole huffed lightly, rolling his eyes as he turned to start on the drinks the two had ordered. “Listen, as long as you keep your bullshit to yourself and actual Abnormality criminals I don’t give a fuck what you do.” Cole warned, eyeing the strange weaponry Rae carried with an understandable amount of caution.
Perhaps he should have just told her to mind her own shit… he wasn’t the most legal either.

Atlas gave his partner a sympathetic glance before he turned to prepare the food items.
He handed them over on small plates, taking a small moment to look over Xio. The bandages were a concern but he understood the harpy’s situation enough to have a fairly good guess about what had happened.
“Hebe will be angry. She just helped him out.” Atlas said quietly, his voice and tone shifting to something melancholy. Xio twittered, tapping the edge of her plate as she took it.
“I know. But maybe she’ll finally decide he isn’t worth the time?” She replied bitterly, glancing up when Cole let out a low, inhuman growling sound.
“Listen, we all respect Hebe and she’s nice enough but I don’t think she gives a damn what kind of people her contractors and customers are. Hell, she hardly cares who her workers are,” He gestured to Atlas and himself, as if to prove a point.
Atlas sighed, suddenly looking very tired “She is rather morally gray. But she still doesn’t appreciate it when people hurt her friends.” He mumbled, though he didn’t sound fully convinced. Cole set the finished drinks on the counter and gave Atlas’s hand a gentle tap - his own form of strange comfort. The other seemed to relax with it, tapping Cole back.
Xio puffed her feathers up, lifting one foot to clack her talons against the ground. “He’ll end up crossing a boundary with someone one of these days. Maybe A.C.E. will finally get him and he’ll get what’s coming to him.” She huffed, looking over at Rae and letting her feathers slowly relax. “Enough of that, though. I’ll tell you guys about it all later, I don’t want to bring the mood down.” She added, smiling warmly at Rae.
Atlas glanced between the two and grinned again, his mood shifting once again to something bright.
“Well, don’t let me interrupt your coffee date, then. Stay safe, Birdy, seriously.” Atlas gave them both a sunny wink, grinning as he turned to Cole who only sighed and glanced over at Xio and Rae.
“Don’t be stupid. We’ll both be here if you need us if that happens but try not to be.” He warned, though the edges of his words were soft.
Xio nodded, grinning as she waved them both goodbye and took her items, looking over at Rae to make sure she was also ready.

---

Marcus raised an eyebrow, taking Jake’s phone from him. He pulled his own phone out and quickly added the number to a note, not willing to risk having the contact just in case.
He did, however, put his own number into Jake’s phone, handing it back while avoiding eye contact with the other.
“I said what I needed it for.” He said simply, pocketing his phone and turning away sheepishly.
If he were being honest, he had more fun than he thought he would. It was a nice reprieve from, well, everything and Jake was weirdly easy to talk to.
Besides, when had Marcus ever not gotten himself involved with something dangerous? It was sort of exciting to be chatting so freely with the enemy. And if it cost him his life eventually he wouldn’t mind much. He didn’t have much of a life anyways.

“I guess this means you gotta go?” He asked awkwardly, briefly wondering what he himself would do. He wasn’t going back to the house, that was for sure. He’d give the hotheaded gang leader a night to cool off before he went back.
Maybe he’d see if Xio would let him crash at her place? Or perhaps he’d just go find some bus station or something.
He sure as hell couldn’t afford to pay for a motel - even a shitty one - and he sure as hell wasn’t going to ask Jake for that. The other would get the wrong idea. Or at least joke about it.
His best bet for a warm safe place was going to be Xio, it was just a matter of getting over the guilt he felt about taking her space.
He sighed as his mood dropped, rubbing at his face. He wasn’t supposed to be so emotional and yet here he was, frustrated and angry with Marx and… disappointed? with the disappearance of his current company.
God.
Wynn was going to kill him if he ever found out Marcus was getting cozy with the enemy.

Rae nodded at his words. These two were Atlas and Cole.
A small blush made its way onto her face, though immediately the fuzzy feeling got crushed by his next words, giving a nervous smile at that. She wondered if she could promise something like that. Protecting Xio….she glanced over at the harpy.

There was a pricking sensation on the back of her neck, almost like a shiver at Cole's words. He really was not the friendliest even though with his appearance you would think otherwise.
"Y-yeah…right.." She looked away now, feeling a deep sinking sensation in her chest, though, tried her best not to show the clear disappointment on her face. Not with anything that Cole had said, but just feeling deeply uncomfortable…with herself. For being this. Whatever she had become. Sometimes, it almost felt like there was no humanity left in her even though she tried desperately to hold onto the tiniest bits of them that she could. She knew that the whole of Apotheosis felt that way, some more than others, but it's not like they got to complain about it- or anything really.

Rae took her plate, only listening to bits and pieces of their conversation. Her mind wandered off to different thoughts, thoughts that honestly made her feel sleepy for lack of better words.

At the mention of A.C.E. it seemed to almost be a trigger for Rae, snapping out of her thoughts so quickly and standing a bit straighter- her shoulders tense, now facing Atlas and looking to the others around. Her face heated up when she realized the small actions on her part, looking away and blinking a bit to attempt and push the embarrassment she felt away.

Rae gave Xio a small smile when she decided to end the conversation. For the most part, Rae had been silent but her mind was racing, a million thoughts jumbled together, full of things that she couldn't say out loud. She dipped her head slightly to both Cole and Atlas, thanking them for their time and work.

Once the interaction ended and they sat back in their booth, Rae reached for the sandwich, her hand shaking only slightly, almost to the point where one wouldn't be able to catch it, but it was there. Over the years, this had been a necessary thing. Hiding the way you felt had been the only way to survive. Her father would have never treated her this way…. the thought gave her a jab of pain in her chest, finding it almost hard to breathe for a moment.

Rae took a huge bite of the sandwich suddenly as if trying to use it as a way to cope. Food had always been a comfort for her. She ate more than most but never gained unnecessary weight because of the grueling training they did- not to mention their actual jobs.
Her need to constantly be eating to distract herself had gotten worse over the past few years, it never having been that bad before, but no one had picked up on it as something abnormal, thinking it was just her fast metabolism, getting very hungry very fast- sometimes, she even got praise for making herself sick by eating so much to the point she threw up, it being seen as impressive.

---

Jake gave a low chuckle at Marcus' stubbornness.
"Right, right, my bad" He sang, taking his phone back when handed to him, watching the other's mannerisms for a moment.
"Why? Want me to stick around?" He asked, a slanted smile on his face, wondering when it would be too much for Marcus. He looked down at his phone, looking at his contacts, humming lightly when he saw the new number that had been added. He quickly edited it so the contact was named "Strawberry Fraisier" with a cake emoji followed by a fire emoji at the end of it, snickering softly to himself.
He pocketed his phone after it had been successfully edited, giving Marcus a once over.

"Listen, I have the whole day to myself- believe it or not, getting shot does not have its perks, not being efficient enough to track you guys down, however, gets you a day or two more to heal than what the doctor prescribed." He said, a smile on his face. "And while I have nothing to do and could go home to sleep, you won't catch me dead in that house," He said his facial expression shifting to something dangerous, a hatred behind his eyes for a split second, all amusement gone from his face for that moment.

"So" He continued, casually extending his hand for Marcus to take it, hoping that he would. It looked almost like what one would expect to see when they made a deal with the devil. "Want to go cause trouble and really rip A.C.E. a new one?" He questioned, there being a genuine sadistic smile on his face at the thought. This was one of the many reasons why no one ever got involved with Jake. He always had crazy ideas that would get others killed- he had come close so many times.

Jake had, on his own, done things that A.C.E. and Nexus didn't know of, like sabotaging more things than their precious experiments, Blake completely freaking out when she came to find out her specimens had been tampered with. Sometimes slashing the tires of the large tank-like cars that were used contain the abnormalities. "Misplacing" high-tech weaponry that was in the process of being completed, most times being prototypes and one-of-a-kind- something they could not replicate easily.

Maybe, just maybe, once, he may or may not have distributed medical supplies and equipment to certain people so that they then got handed into the "wrong" hands of people, those people being abnormalities who could use advanced medicines to help with the damage that would otherwise be irreparable without A.C.E.'s aid.
However, Jake never took the credit for anything. God forbid A.C.E. found out. He was happy enough getting back at A.C.E. and seeing them frantically trying to clean up his messes. It was the least they could do for Jake after putting him through hell.
There was satisfaction in watching the organization nearly crash and burn from time to time.

Both Cole and Atlas nodded at Rae’s thanks but only Atlas offered her a warm smile and a wave goodbye.
Cole gave her yet another once over but this time his expression was softer. Rae wasn’t all bad, he had decided, though it was too early to fully make a decision.
The two chatted idly while Xio and Rae returned to their seats, watching the two with curiosity before they returned to their work, Atlas occasionally purposefully bumping into Cole just to get a reaction out of him.

Xiomara took a couple of bites out of her coffee cake, idly watching people pass by the large windows at the front of the little cafe.
After a moment she turned her gaze back to Rae, looking a little more nervous.
“I don’t think you’d do anything to me.” She said quietly, a gentle tapping sound starting up as she nervously tapped her feet on the ground. “You’re not dangerous. Or at least not bad, I’m sure you could handle yourself but I don’t think you’d ever attack someone for no reason.” She picked up her drink and took a long sip from it, hiding behind it just in case what she had said backfired for any reason.

---

Marcus glanced down at his feet at the question, huffing but not answering. Unfortunately for him, the glance said it all; he wasn’t opposed to the idea of Jake sticking around. Or at least if the other followed he wouldn’t say no.
The pink in his cheeks seemed to be a permanent addition to his appearance for the meantime, it didn’t let up even as he tried to rub it away.

As Jake spoke, Marcus turned back to face him, staring at the spot just to the left of his ear rather than looking him in the eye or anywhere in the face - he couldn’t bring himself to look at the other directly, too afraid of the shit-eating grin he’d probably find on there. He was convinced the other would mostly go and make fun of him.

So imagine Marcus’s surprise when Jake held his hand out and offered a deal he couldn’t take back rather than anything stupid.
He was being serious.
Oh shit! He was being serious!

The witch took Jake’s hand after some hesitance, shaking it and nodding gently. “I’m surprised you’re so open to fucking with them.” Marcus admitted, huffing a little when he realized what exactly he had gotten himself into.
“But yes… I want to rip A.C.E. a new one. They’re too cocky for their own food.” He grumbled, shaking his head.

Rae's eyes flickered up to Xio when she started talking again, her chews getting slower as she listened to what she had to say. It took a moment for Rae to completely swallow her food and even then, there was a silence that fell over them for a moment longer after that.
"Thank you…" She said softly, but the expression on her face said she wasn't fully convinced by Xio's words. Maybe there was something Rae wasn't saying, but it's not like she was keeping any secrets. Everyone in the Abnormality community knew who Apotheosis was- and if they didn't? They were in for a rude awakening.

…do anything to me…
Rae took another bite of her sandwich feeling increasingly anxious. She sure as hell hoped it didn't come down to that. Rae herself would never want to do anything to Xio, but A.C.E. was notorious for taking the things you loved and using them against you. A prime example of that being Jake.

At being called "not dangerous" Rae's eyes widened slightly, blinking a bit in disbelief at her words, the warm fuzzy feeling coming back to her. She quickly finished chewing again and gave Xio a big smile.
"T-Thanks..!" She gushed, her voice soft and low as if afraid to jinx it. Rae's mood lightened up again, seeming happier to hear those words. Rae had never wanted to be labeled as "dangerous" towards anyone in her life, but that's all she heard on a daily basis and had come to accept it, but hearing someone from the group who despised them say that held a lot of credibility- there was no way Xio was saying that just to say it, if she didn't like her, she wouldn't even bother with Rae.

"You know, I can't wait to try the stuff your father made, it smells really good…"

Rae then proceeded to ask Xio about the feathers and what kind of foods were in the bag, the conversation leading into Xio's parents and then more about the gang, Hebe, Atlas, Cole, and a bit of where she had come from.
There were also mentions of Apotheosis, but Rae tried her hardest to keep it light so the mood wouldn't be brought down, usually only talking about how much of a dumbass Jake and Jen were and how they were constantly at each other's throats- in a good way….most of the time anyway.

---

Jake took Marcus' silence as a yes, a soft smile replacing his taunting one. Well. It was a bit of a surprise to Jake, but he wouldn't question Marcus' tastes- I mean, he definitely would in his head, but not out loud. The guy was with Marx of all people, he thought that said enough. He didn't need people pointing it out all the time. Bad habits were hard to break and sometimes, you got addicted to the terribleness of life, not really having known anything else. Adjusting to something normal or healthy almost gave you withdrawal symptoms- not that Jake had tried that once. Not at all. Certainly not him.

Marcus' surprised look really seemed to make Jake extremely excited. He probably wasn't counting on Jake to say something so out of left field, his smile growing and almost bordering on seeming insane, but the thought of having someone help with this, who was an abnormality, was the ultimate "fuck you" to A.C.E. and it would top most of what he had done so far- not that they would ever know, but Jake would, and that was enough for him for the time being.

At the shake, Jake grabbed onto Marcus' hand a bit tighter than one would expect and pulled him closer. His initial excitement having died down only slightly, now replaced with a mischievous look. He gently tilted Marcus' chin up so that they were making eye contact, Jake's eyes seeming a bit cold yet there being a lot of determination behind them.
"Remember strawberry fraisier, you don't know anything about me, just like I don't know anything about you" Still, the grin wasn't wiped off of his face at Marcus' next words.

-

It had gotten dark out when Jake met up with Apotheosis back at their apartment, looking to be in much of a better mood than most days which made Jen arch an eyebrow at that. The TV turned on to display the late-night news and on it?
A huge explosion having destroyed most of the west side of A.C.E.'s main building, the one in charge of the other smaller branches of their same organization. They had their staff spread out across the country, but Apotheosis always stuck close to the main building- the largest building, topping even the main government itself.

The news displayed the absolute chaos around the building, the fire still raging on as the recording went on- smaller explosions going off as the fire spread to the other gas tanks and they were unable to put it out in time. They spoke about it being another terrorist attack, someone having opened the gas tanks on the bottom floor so that it filled the bottom portion of the building. There was a lot of speculation that it had been an inside job, but no one knew who it had been, the guards positioned around the building taken down. Not killed, simply knocked out.
Then the mention of fire. An "abnormal amount of fire" having set everything off.
Jake hummed to himself as he listened in on the news, as if intrigued by it all. Usually, Jake's stunts were sloppy, but with Marcus' help, this had been a piece of cake. It would take A.C.E. ages to repair the damage done. He was almost certain they were scrambling to cover everything up right now.

Xio seemed proud of herself when she got Rae to come back out of her funk, her eyes lighting up alongside Rae’s. She let out a happy chirp, nodding her head enthusiastically.

“He makes very good food! I hope you like it.” She replied excitedly, puffing her feathers up proudly. She couldn’t wait to tell her father that someone else enjoyed his food. He’d be proud as well.

Xio chittered and cooed as Rae spoke, adding her own commentary and sharing small things about herself when prompted; explaining her feathers, talking about her home life, explaining Hebe and the cafe - she even spoke on other harpies and the reasonings behind Xio and her father’s choice to remain out of a brood.
Xio thought it to be a delightful time, listening intently about Rae’s life and laughing at Jen and Jake’s antics.

---

Marcus took one glance at Jake’s near-insane grin and almost started to regret his agreement.
Almost.
The temptation to really fuck with Nexus and A.C.E. was too strong. He still could feel the wounds A.C.E. had given him despite the fact they were well healed and scarred over.
He also wasn’t so ready to forgive Nexus for stripping him of his magic while he was in their care.” That emptiness wasn’t one he’d soon forget.

Marcus’s expression grew hard as he was pulled closer, lifting his head to snarl slightly at Jake in warning. But that died somewhat as Jake lifted his chin, forcing their eyes to meet.
He huffed lightly at the other’s words, searching his expression for a long moment.
“You think I hadn’t figured as much?” He replied cooly, reaching up to grab Jake’s wrist, his fingers strangely cold despite the dull glow that started across the tattoos on his body. He grinned wickedly in return, tilting his head more into Jake’s touch, if only but to get a reaction.
Truth be told, he was unnerved by the other’s bold actions and words, and a little flustered by them. But he played it off as best he could, swallowing hard.
“You better be interesting.”

-

Marcus sipped idly at a cup of hot chocolate as he watched the news, leaning back in the cafe chair he had chosen with a soft hum. He ignored the dark sky outside as well as the frustrated gazes of baristas trying to get ready to close for the night.

If they understood the ache in his bones and skin they’d let him stay for several more minutes to prevent an unfortunate amount of arson within their little cafe.
He was itching to keep burning shit, the satisfaction of feeling his fire grow and destroy was addictive and the adrenaline of doing it with Jake of all people was something he soon wouldn’t forget.
And the damage it did to A.C.E.? Perhaps it was just enough to put the gang ahead, even slightly so.

He’d leave once the news finished their report, and perhaps give the workers what was left in his pockets as a tip.
The rest of his night he’d spend awake, avoiding the gang house as much as possible until the cold got too unbearable even for his trigger-happy fire.

---

[A Bit O’ Time Later]

“YOU DUMBASS!!”
Marcus dove out of the way of a thrown liquor bottle, cowering beneath the spray of golden liquor that now dropped down the wall.
Marx’s expression soured. He stomped his way over and forcefully grabbed Marcus’s arm, ripping it away from where the witch had thrown it to protect his face.
Marx sneered at the terrified expression given to him, twisting the other’s arm painfully to remove the terror he saw.
It worked wonders as Marcus’s face contorted in pain and he cried out. Only a few days prior the witch had dislocated that very same shoulder, and Marx was sure the pain was still heavy there.

“Had you not stuck your pretty little face in danger, perhaps A.C.E. wouldn’t be so hard on us. Look what you’ve done, Marcy,” The gang leader roughly grabbed Marcus’s face and forced him to look at the old television set sitting on the other side of the room.
On its screen played an Abnormality news report, warning of harsher punishment to any Abnormality who broke the law - regardless of the reason or severity of the crime.
On screen, multiple blurry photos of Marcus and Marx and the gang flashed, the reporter urging any Abnormality who wanted the harsher punishments lifted to give any information regarding the terrorists on screen.

It hadn’t taken long for A.C.E. to find some way to blame the “inside terrorist attack” that Marcus and Jake had preformed on Marx and his gang.
Marx had - at first - welcomed the allegations, spewing how if they took credit it would show A.C.E. how dangerous they really were.
And now here the gang leader was, pissed off about the consequences of taking responsibility for one of the largest attacks on the main A.C.E. building.
And he was blaming it on Marcus… again.
Because of course Marx knew exactly who had gotten involved, he could smell the magic and fire on Marcus when the other returned that night.
Marx wasn’t stupid.

The witch shuddered when Marx slipped his hands into Marcus’s collar, ripping him up to his feet and snarling.
“You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today, Marcy, or I’d lock you downstairs with Em for another two weeks.”
“Please don’t…” Marcus choked out, tears pooling in the corners of his eyes. Marx lurched forwards, making the witch flinch until he realized Marx was doing so to kiss the tears away.
“No need to cry, yet, love. I’m giving you a chance to fix your mistake. I do love you after all~” Marx cooed, a deadly edge to his tone. “I’ll give you one chance to redeem yourself in the form of information. You’re good at that, Marcy, I know you are. You’ve heard from Hebe that something is going on, right? The old bitch knows more than she’s letting on but it’s enough to scare even her into silence. You’re willing to satiate my curiosity aren’t you, baby?” His hands moved to take Marcus’s wrists, pinning the other against the liquor-stained wall and smiling sweetly.
“Find out what A.C.E. is planning before it happens and I’ll think about forgiving you. This is your area of strength, I’m confident you’ll succeed.” Marx leaned forwards and stole a kiss away before he released Marcus, ruffling the witch’s hair and giving him a soft smile.
“Now, I’m leaving for a few meetings, I expect you’ll get right onto finding that out for me, yes? I’ll see you later, love.” Marx waved as he left the room, leaving Marcus to slowly slip down the wall and hug his trembling knees to his chest, the tears in his eyes finally spilling over.

Marcus sobbed into the stuffy air, sniffling as he aggressively wiped at his face.
“Fuck me…”
This was an impossible task. Marx knew that.
It was just another way to fuck with Marcus’s feelings. He wanted to watch the witch struggle for a little while before he broke him again.
To get info out of Hebe was impossible. To get it from A.C.E., however? That was insanity.
And for something so vague?
Who knew if Marcus would find something only for Marx to deem it “not important enough”.
He did things like that all the damn time. He’d ask Marcus to collect information on vague subjects to purposefully punish him when the answer wasn’t good enough.
And it never was good enough.

Marcus cried well until the liquor soaked in the back of his shirt dried and left a sticky mess on the wall.
He didn’t even bother to pull his shirt off, instead reaching into his pocket to pull out his phone.
He stared at its dark screen for a long time, helplessness filling his chest.
He had to at least try, right?
Even if it was out of desperation?
There was one person he could try to get information out of… but would it be worth it enough to potentially face the consequences?

No.
He’d try Jake after begging Hebe to give him anything.
For now all he could do was pray A.C.E. actually had something going on….

Well, Jake was in some deep shit now.

He knew the possible consequences of pulling a stunt like that, but he hadn't ever thought that A.C.E. would go into action over something they had no proof of. But still, even if they had no proof who else could it have been? Surely not some rando by himself- no. This had to have been the work of someone with an abnormality.

Ever since they had announced it, Jake's constant thought had been turn yourself in, turn yourself in, tell them it was you and no one else- you have to tell them but the fear that ripped through his body every time he worked to nerve to talk to his father was too much. He'd throw up.
Again.

Jake had considered putting everyone he knew and loved in danger simply to finally admit for once that this had been him.
Ever since Jake had been a kid he'd do whatever the hell he wanted, A.C.E. never really said much because they adored the little serial killer they had made Jake into, but in recent years with Jen and the others chastising him for never thinking about anyone but himself and the hurt he would cause to everyone around him when he took it too far one day….well, he was starting to realize the gravity of being reckless- even if it didn't affect him directly. It was quite apparent now the extent of the damage he could do, something that had him feeling sick all morning.

Unknowingly, he had caused a chain reaction, one that was set in motion and could not be stopped, because once A.C.E. announced it, it was set in stone.

The announcement in question?

A public execution.

A.C.E. had decided they were doing a public execution on a few of the Abnormalities they kept captive. The ones chosen for the execution being composed of five beings who hadn't seen their families in years and had been experimented on over and over again while in captivity. The reasons for this? It all came back to Jake. His stupid actions now costing the Abnormalities more than ever.

It was a display of intimidation. To put them back in their place and have them think twice about doing something like that to a government building again, because if they attempted to demolish a building, what was to say that they wouldn't turn violent towards the humans too, or worse?

"What is it, Jake?" Aristide spoke, his eyes glued to the computer screen in front of him, furiously typing away, a frown etched between his eyebrows as he read something before starting to type again.
"I did it." Jake said, his eyes cloaked with fear as the words came out of his mouth. Aristide hand's froze over his keyboard, now crossing them on the desk to give Jake his full attention.
"Good, now that they've been loaded onto the trucks, double-check that everyone is ready to leave in a few minutes. Once I'm done typing up this report on who we extracted from the cells and that night's occurrences, we'll leave." He said, expecting Jake to leave as soon as he finished talking. But he didn't. Jake stood there like a deer in headlights, fidgeting with something in his pockets, looking like he wanted to say something.

"What is it now?" Aristide said tiredly, already having a lot on his plate to deal with.
"What if I don't want to do this?" Jake spoke quickly, the words almost getting caught in his throat at the end. "We don't have to do this, right?" There was instant regret as soon as they left him, his eyes trailing up to look at Aristide.
Jake's body was always tense when talking to his father, his eyes trained on the floor when in his presence, this time, however, he dared to look at his father's face.

Big mistake.

Two icy cold eyes stared at Jake as Aristide was silent for a second. Jake swallowed harshly, Aristide's lack of words speaking volumes.
"It's not that I don't want to do this!" Jake quickly added, a shaky smile on his face, the words tasting like an elixir in his mouth, bitter and making him want to throw up. "I'm just very tired and I know I've had enough time to heal from the bullet wound and that my exhaustion is no excuse, but I've been doing everything you've told me to do all these years so I was hoping you'd let me sit this one out- just this once," Jake said desperately, almost bordering on pleading.

Jake was no stranger to killing and torturing both Abnormalities and humans alike, but that was all behind closed doors. This would be the first time the whole world of Abnormalities would know who he was and what family he belonged to. What he was capable of. He hadn't made too much of a huge impression on the nonhuman beings yet, sure, they knew him and steered clear of him because he was part of Apotheosis, but Aristide and his brother Darius were the main ones who were feared. They were the ones you didn't want to cross, the brutal ones who seemed to have no compassion towards anyone, even their own. Jake was just the younger child of this family of executioners and hadn't made his debut yet.

"You're asking me to let you pass on a huge opportunity?" Aristide questioned, there being no hint of emotion in his tone, trying to understand what Jake was saying, thinking it impossible that one of his children would stray away from the path that was already set for them. He had taught them better than that.

Jake swallowed harshly, staying silent. If he answered that question he didn't know how his father would react. It was always fifty-fifty with him.

Suddenly, Aristide stood, making his way over to Jake, his stride leisurely, pushing Jake almost over the edge with his nerves.
"Hit me, Jake" Aristide spoke as soon as he stopped in front of Jake.
Jake's heart quickened, was this another command he had to carry out, or was Aristide testing him? Testing him, surely he had to be testing him and even if it was a command, there was no way Jake could do something like that.

"I-I…" Jake stuttered and before he knew it Aristide's knuckles connected with Jake's jaw, effectively knocking him back, but not enough for Jake to lose his balance. Jake's eyes shot up at Aristide as soon as he had gathered himself which took mere seconds.
"What's wrong Jake? Why can't you hit me?" He asked, walking towards him again. Jake's body screamed for him to run, but he had been conditioned to know that if he ran, he'd be in for a taste of hell later.
"I-I can't, you're my-" And just like that another hit connected with Jake in almost the same spot as before, his cheek getting the brunt if it this time, the right hook knocking him to the floor. He was sure that would leave a bruise that wouldn't go away for days after this.
"How many times have I told you to not call me father or dad or any variations of whatever kids call their legal guardians? You call me Aristide. Nothing else. Now answer the damn question, Jake. It's really not that hard." He hissed, starting to lose his temper.

Aristide crouched down and grabbed Jake by the hair, forcing Jake to lift his head up and look at him, Jake's eyes wide as he kept perfectly still, hands by his side placed on the floor, there being a bit of blood dripping down his nose now.
"Don't make me-!" He said, a dangerous edge to his tone, bordering on a warning as it almost turned into a yell. Arisitde's eyes wide and livid as he gave Jake a look.

"I can't!" Jake suddenly cried out at seeing Aristide reach for something in his back pocket. "I'm scared!" He choked back a sob, and it was only then that Aristide let him go, Jake's body slumping a little as he tried to keep himself in an upright sitting position.
Aristide stood up, looking down at Jake.
"That is why we are doing this Jake. If there is enough fear instilled into them they won't dare to touch you." Aristide spoke, his words cruel. "Surely you have noticed by now that they have never stepped out of line until recently, you want to know why? It's because we've been the ones to keep them in line all these years. If we let up now, the next thing you'll see on the news is our deaths. We are simply defending our lives from them. So, tell me, do you still want to sit this out?" He asked.
Jake's body shook slightly.
"Get up Jake, stop disgracing yourself like this"
And without another word Jake stood, his eyes glued to the floor.

"Did I hit you too hard, Jake?" Aristide asked again, wondering when Jake would answer his previous question.
"No sir, you didn't." He lied.
"Then?"
"I don't."
"More words Jake or I won't have a choice but to take one of your friends to go in your stead."
"I'm not running away, I'll execute them. I want to." Jake's voice took on an unusually cold tone, now looking a bit distant as Aristide nodded in approval. It made Jake's skin crawl.

"Great, good to have you on the same page. Now change of plans. You will be executing all five." He stated, Jake's head snapping up so quickly he almost gave himself vertigo, the fear back on his face. Jake's mouth was suddenly dry at Aristide's final decision, not finding the words to try and persuade his father to not do this. Originally, Jake was only supposed to execute one, but now, it was all five. "Your brother and I will watch and if things get complicated we'll step in," He said, now walking back over to his desk, grabbing a few papers, and then walking over to stand in front of Jake again.

"I heard you asked someone from one of the other departments to print these out for you- what for? I haven't the faintest idea, but you're looking at five lives that will end today" He shoved the papers onto Jake's chest, Jake not moving to take them.
The five pages drifted to the ground, two of them landing upright to reveal two reports of two abnormalities, the page detailing who they were and what they were capable of. Their names, ages, genders, families, friends, lovers, kids, food preferences, intelligence level, and blood type among other things. Small pictures had been clipped to the top left-hand side of the pages.
Jake stared at one of the images that landed closest to his shoes, the picture displaying a young girl with the most animated smile on her face, her eyes bright as she stared right at the camera when her picture had been taken. She probably couldn't have been more than ten years old in that picture.

Jake swallowed back the bile that threatened to make him gag.

Someone just kill me….before I make the biggest mistake of my life. He closed his eyes tightly when Arisitde left the room, trying to steady his breathing, hoping that if there was a god out there like Jen believed there was, that it would hear him and do the one thing that he had failed to do over the years.

Very little ever got to the sphinx. She had lived many lives over many centuries, seen many wars and horrors beyond the comprehension of the average human - very few things surprised her anymore.
And yet Hebe found herself bothered by the information she had been given only hours before. It wasn’t surprising, not in the least bit - humans were infamous for their violence and cruelties - but Hebe knew what the consequences would be for such a drastic action.
Fear always brewed fear. And hatred led to genocide and riots.
This time would be no different.

Hebe’s fingers tightened around the mug of tea, mostly there to provide comfort more than anything functional at this point.
She didn’t mind. She had plenty of the herb in her gardens, what was one wasted cup in the face of comfort?

“Relax, my dear, they have always been this way. I have never not seen them go more than a few decades before they pick another group to hate. It is the way of their people.” He spoke softly from the bar stool across from Hebe, His warm and kind eyes softened by the drink in His hand.
She had yet to get His name and had taken to simply calling him, well, Him. And yet He had become a comfortable friend. Gods were secretive fellows, she assumed. It wouldn't be productive to ask which of the pantheons He served anyways - she got the strange feeling that He served none of them, a sort of new god ruled and associated with no one. Perhaps He had no name.
“I am worried over my customer base. The more panicked people who visit me the greater the risk of being found.” She replied, glancing over His handsome features for a moment. Sometimes she swore she recognized Him, that in of itself a clue to his heritage, if gods could have heritage.
“I see.” He said simply. Hebe knew He wasn’t convinced. Oh well.
A comfortable silence fell between the two for a moment, one in which Hebe took the first sip of her tea and sighed.

Just as she was about to speak, the cafe’s door swung open harshly, hitting the stopper with a concerning crack.
Hebe glared at the intruder, tilting her head up coldly. The intruder stared back, tired and panicked. The god at the bar glanced over the new figure, humming lightly in thought.
“Marcus. We are closed. I’m afraid I’ve also told your hot-headed friend he has limited aid from me. I cannot help you. I ask that you leave.” She huffed, standing immediately to her full very tall height and scowling.
Marcus looked awful. his hair was more unruly than usual, his face swollen and red from the tears that still stained his cheeks, and his clothes ruffled and singed. It was obvious he had tried to pull himself together and appear presentable before entering. Unfortunately it only managed to make him look more pathetic in Hebe’s opinion.
He was admittedly a tragic character - it was unfortunate he was so stupid and caused many of his own tragedies. Hebe hoped he could wise up eventually. She had definitely been pushing him towards it.

Marcus dipped his head down, squeezing his eyes shut and muttering a quiet apology.
“I need information, I know you know what is happening.” He pleaded, keeping his head frustratingly low so she could not look into his eyes.

“Your newfound ‘friend’ understands what is to come, the one you match,” The god spoke up, gesturing to the still-healing piercing. “It’s not a pleasant thing, though I suppose you already know that. Your aggressors are planning something rather horrible. I understand you mortals have limited knowledge but isn’t it rather cruel to hold those different than you so low that they are dispensable when fear feels like the only tactic to keep them in line?” He tutted his tongue, downing the rest of the golden liquid in his glass.
Hebe turned to glare at Him, but He only shrugged. “It is not in my nature to let someone like him remain in the dark. He must have some lead if he is to have a chance at survival.” He glanced at a thankful, yet confused, Marcus and scoffed “Do not thank me yet, you still have a long road ahead. Now, I’m sure you’re curious about that friend of yours. Go, seek what he knows.” He waved the ginger away with a grin.
Marcus only nodded, his eyes slightly glazed over as he turned sharply on his heel and walked out of the door. It closed behind him with a click, signaling that the lock had turned on its own.
Hebe narrowed her eyes at Him, glancing out at a now confused Marcus. Her suspicions were confirmed when He chuckled to Himself and leaned across the bar counter to pick another liquor to pour into his glass.
“Kid has a lot of issues, but you don’t need to deal with that at the moment. Now sit, drink some more with me, I have more information to give to you on the matters you’ve inquired of me.”

---

Outside, Marcus shook off the remaining fog from his mind, feeling a little more than lost and a lot cheated.
That hadn’t gone the way he had thought - which at this point was both a good and a bad thing.
He had some information, though it was frustratingly useless. Of course he knew A.C.E. treated those they took horribly, what did that have to do with anything?! Was A.C.E. planning on transferring more to their hellish laboratories? That wasn’t anything new though he supposed it could be enough to satiate Marx? They hadn’t attacked a transport vehicle in a hot second.

Though… Hebe’s company had also told Marcus to consider Jake, something Marcus really was on the fence about.
Jake seemed… not so bad all in all. But he was still technically the enemy. And it seemed… dangerous to ask Jake for information, no matter how fucked Marcus would be without it.
He pulled his phone out, staring at its cracked screen for a moment before he groaned and wandered back out into the streets.

It would take Marcus four blocks before he sent a single anxious message to Jake:

”Can we meet up? I have a favor to ask…”

(Small side note, I changed Arisitde's wife's name from Stella to Sienna (lotta world building in the past few weeks) and Merlin to Matvei- also "Aster" is just a nickname now, her official name is Astrid :))

Jake walked down the hallways of the building, blood smeared around his nose area in an attempt to clean the constant dripping of blood before he reached a bathroom. Some of the blood dried on his hand as he passed the bathroom which he should have gone into to get cleaned up- but he was heading somewhere else right now.
He didn't have it in him.
He didn't have it in him to kill those five people, especially when he knew who they were. Having met two of them when they were only kids, the whole of Apotheosis also having been young at the time. Jake knew the other three too, but they had been older at the time- the three adults never having gotten along with A.C.E. or even Apotheosis when they were small.
So where was he heading now? To his sister of course.
What for? For motivation.
Whenever Jake felt he might back down from something he had been ordered to do, she was the one he ran to, even though there was nothing she could do. Astrid was a huge motivator and the biggest reason Jake did what he did. He had made a promise to both his mother and sister that he would do what it took to keep her safe.

Astrid had been six when the accident with his father had happened, having found out about Sienna's infidelity and absolutely destroying everything around him in the process. Everyone had gotten caught in the crossfire between Matvei and Sienna's affair, Darius, Jake, and Astrid being Aristide's punching bag, Darius and Jake for a year or two longer until he had cooled down. Darius had taken the brunt of the abuse, growing to resent Jake and Astrid because he was the "oldest" and was expected to take everything for them.
That night when Aristide had come home, no one had suspected a thing, Darius had been Jake's current age, sixteen, and had been in for a hell of a beating, having known about Sienna's affair but covering for their mother. Darius loved Sienna with all his heart, so of course he had. Next had been Jake who had been questioned at age eleven, then Astrid, who was six. She hadn't been questioned but Aristide had tried to kill her that night, Darius getting between them when Astrid had been knocked unconscious at that point, the amount of blood everywhere being enough to make Jake throw up.

If Jake hadn't called the police as quickly as he had, he was sure Aristide would have killed both Astrid and Darius, with him being next in line for that death sentence.

Jake held up his wrist to the door's scanner, it registering him as someone who was allowed to go in, a small beep! sounded out as the light turned from red to green.

He took in a deep breath as he pushed the door open and closed it behind him, standing by the door for far too long as if caught in a trance.
Once he shook his thoughts away he stepped forward, going to the side of the hospital bed Astrid was in, shadows cast on her fair freckled skin. Most of the lights in that room were never on, the light source being two lamps that dimly lit the place. Before he sat down, Jake checked the bags of fluid, and then her chart for any updates. Sometimes there were small notes written down.

"Brain activity has increased since the last time we gave Astrid a dose of the trial drug."

Aristide having signed off so they could basically use her as a lab rat for their "trial drugs" that were technically safe to use on humans, but Jake hated it. Even if it was something that could help Aster, he hated it.

After reading through the sheets upon sheets of Astrid's reports, something he did every time he came in, almost like a ritual at this point, he sat down. He practically had everything memorized, how much of which drugs they gave her, which had been complete failures, which were the ones currently being tested, and her overall health which had plummeted a few times over the years.

Astrid had grown a lot while bedridden, her black hair long. Jake was basically the one in charge of Aster even if Aristide was the "father". Jake being the main thing in between his sister and his father- if not for him, she wouldn't be alive. Sure, it was a shitty way of keeping someone alive but Jake clung to that small bit of hope that she would wake up one day. I mean, as much as he hated the drug trials, someday, hopefully, they would work.

"I'm hangin' in there…." Jake took Astrid's hand, squeezing it a bit. "So you hang in there too. Don't flatline on me again" He spoke softly. Silence filled the room as Jake pulled himself together, not wanting to cry. There were too many cameras around.

"Mom's probably not coming back. Aristide made that very clear. But she's still our mother, she's probably just scared of him, don't hold it against her" He said, the memory of how cruel Aristide had broken the news to him still fresh in his memory. Letters. His stupid hope and writing letters which he thought were being sent out to his mother.
A small sound of disbelief left him, sounding almost like a sad laugh. Even now without the letters he refused to believe Aristide had pulled that elaborate of a plan to keep Jake together. Like he cared.
Well. He supposed they had served their purpose.

Jake sat there for another moment longer in silence. Nowadays it felt like he had nothing good to say. He never had in the past, but he had taken the small scraps of happiness he had gotten from his friends to share with Astrid. He didn't want to share depressing news with her in case there was a chance she was hearing him.
Right when he was about to say something else, a chime came from his phone. Jake ignored it as usual. He always ignored phone calls and messages when he was with Aster, but with everything going on, that didn't last long, the anxiety that it was in relation to the execution being enough to make him take his phone out.
Jake scowled as he furiously dug into his pocket and looked over the message. His blood ran cold at seeing who it was from.

A favor? This clearly had to be a trap.

Gas station by Yarborough's, be there in ten

Yarborough's was a small family-run ice cream place. He constantly went there with Rae, both of them seeking out new places to eat at, discovering that Yarborough's pretty much topped at other fast food chains in the area. The ice cream place was on the outskirts of the city but even though it was a bit far away, it was worth it.
For this occasion, however, it was more than worth it. Jake did not want to get caught making this stupid move. He had already pulled enough of those to last him a lifetime.
It seemed like Jake never learned his lesson, but there was an idea brewing in his head, maybe Marcus could help stop this. It was a big maybe, but Jake would do anything it took to attempt to put a stop to this. I mean- he had to try….right ? It was what Jen would do, and so that was what he would do too.

The quick reply back made Marcus pause. He hadn’t actually expected the other to answer him, in full honesty. He was sort of grasping at straws despite the guidance he had just received.
Marcus checked the maps on his phone, squinting at the distance. He could make that in ten minutes, easy.
He shoved his phone back in his pocket before turning to slip silently into the alleyways, where the gentle glow of his runes lit his path and warded off the beings leaning in the shadows.

The alleys provided a much quicker route for those brave enough to traverse them. You had to make sure you knew where you were going, or else you might run into the unfortunate circumstance of getting mugged or jumped or much worse by the desperate enough human.
The Abnormalities knew that those humans were the least of their concerns - there were much worse things creeping between the buildings that wouldn’t hesitate to feed on the unfortunate passerby.

Most of them had learned early on, however, that Marcus wasn’t something edible. He smelled of lighter fluid and the smoke off matches, not a very welcoming smell for creatures of the night.
They were certain, however, that he would burn like a hot ember if eaten and continue to eat away at their very being out of pure spite.
There was a spark there they saw that Marcus didn’t.
That same spark kept his runes lit brightly as he snuck around corners and glanced out at empty streets to read their names.

The moment he reached the building he pulled his phone out to check the time. He was a little disappointed by how long it had taken him to get here but he had managed to do it in time.
That’s all that mattered, right?
He hoped so.
The buzz in his bones kept getting worse the more he thought about it.

He took a small breath as he moved to lean against the side of the building, cringing as he caught sight of himself in the reflection of a window. He looked awful.
Marcus fluffed his hair out a little, trying to make it look less messy and a little less singed.

Jake had already been there before Marcus ever had, having a slight head start on him due to his chosen vehicle of transport.
Technically Jake and the other members of Apotheosis were too young to drive, but they had been practicing for years prior- it seemed as if A.C.E. didn't really care if they got hurt in an accident, wanting them- no, needing them to know how to get around quickly if they should call for it.
They all had special permits in case anyone stopped them, though, by that point, most knew who they were, being a big deal in law enforcement fields. The two sometimes worked hand in hand in some cases.
Jake had parked his motorcycle in front of the gas station's convenience store. The place looked to be pretty empty all things considered, though, that didn't come as a surprise to Jake, knowing that at this hour of the evening, almost everyone had gone home from a long day at work.

That's right. A.C.E. wanted to do the executions at this hour- when everyone was too exhausted to fight back, or at least, that's what A.C.E. thought. They wanted everyone at their weakest, most vulnerable, and this was perfect- ideal.

The handle on one of the store's freezers was suddenly yanked open, Jake's eyes scanning the different types of items they had before picking out the first small bag he saw- it was a packaged bag of mixed berries.
He brought it up to the counter along with yet another can of caffeine. And very sugary energy drink. The taste was a little off than your regular soda cans, but Jake enjoyed it all the same.
Once paid for, he took both things and headed out of the small store, turning around and almost instantly throwing the bag of berries at the wall as hard as he could. He walked over to the bag and assessed the damage. Okay. Good. It hadn't torn, but at least now the berries inside weren't stuck together anymore.
Jake placed the bag to his face, hissing a little at the cool sensation over that side where he had gotten clocked twice by Aristide. It was very tender and hot to the touch, with some swelling starting to become visible, but nothing too drastic yet.

Once he had that pressed to his face he took his phone out to text Marcus, not seeing the guy around.
Are you close?
Came his message to which he heard a phone notification go off towards the side of the building, Jake wasted no time in making his way around the corner only to see Marcus standing there. He seemed to visibly relax at that, even though this situation was not one he should be relaxing in.

Jake watched as the guy tried to fix his hair, a smile brought to his lips at the scene in front of him despite not being able to fully, the side of his cheek too sore to allow for more than what was necessary.

"You look tempting as always, even when you're covered in blood, your hair looks fine," Jake said, the first words out of his mouth being another shot at flirting, though, the slanted smile on his face was soon wiped off, now turning a bit more serious.

"What do you want? I'm busy you know" Jake said, trying to play off the fact that he hadn't been desperate to arrive, coming a minute or two earlier than he had told Marcus to meet him. If one put two and two together, Jake really shouldn't be there and technically it was quite impossible for him to be, meaning that this really had to be an emergency if he was taking time out of his working hours to meet with an Abnormality of all people.
His voice, however, didn't hold the usual edge to it when addressing Abnormalities while working. It was very casual and maybe even soft this time around, but still, there were undertones of anxiety hidden in his voice- something that could be hard to miss.

Marcus had been reaching for his phone to check the message when Jake spoke. The witch nearly jumped out of his skin, his hand jumping to his hip for a moment until his brain clicked into place.
“Oh… it’s you.” he reached up one last time to fix a stray strand, looking over Jake for a moment before he smiled nervously.
“You don’t look so bad yourself. Good to know I’m not the only one having a shit night.” He hummed, his shoulders relaxing a little. Marcus leaned back against the wall, squeezing his eyes shut and sighing as he finally let his sore body rest.

He tilted his head slightly at Jake’s tone, opening one eye to give him a once over. They both were having not so great nights it seemed. Whatever was making Jake anxious, however, made Marcus much more worried.
He had yet to see the other actually nervous about something that didn’t have to do with Marcus.
“Listen, we fucked up.” He started slowly, rubbing his face and scowling when he smeared the dried blood on his face.
“A.C.E. is doing something big enough to scare the Sphinx - which is extremely worrying - and Marx seems to think I can somehow figure out what that thing is.” He paused for a moment, looking unnerved as if he had just realized something. He stole another glance at Jake before sinking to the ground with a groan.
“Fuck me…” he huffed, leaning his head back. “Let’s hope he doesn’t know my contact within A.C.E. is you or we’re both fucked.”
Marcus fell silent for a moment, his anxiety growing. The runes along his arms glowed faintly, and the spots his fingertips touched his own skin smoked as if he were burning wood.
“Do- do you know what’s going on?” He asked finally, his voice quiet and scared. “I need to know but I can’t tell you why I do. I just do and Hebe wouldn’t help me and I have literally no other place to go.”

Jake scoffed at Marcus' words, rolling his eyes.
"Oh, I'm sure I look wonderful," He said shaking his head, knowing that was the farthest thing from the truth. He probably looked like a hot mess at the moment, his hair out of place and his face starting to bruise a little. Whatever. It's not like he hadn't had worse before. This was nothing, he decided, trying to block the pain out that told him otherwise, but his efforts failing.
He moved to walk closer to Marcus as the other pressed their back against the wall, looking exhausted. It was something he knew well. There really was no resting given their positions on opposite sides.

At the “Listen, we fucked up.” part Jake paused. He listened to Marcus' predicament with an icy coldness in his eyes that said everything, his entire demeanor changing in an instant. As much as Jake wanted to be warm and inviting and even help Marcus out, he felt, that if he did not act the part of an A.C.E. official, Marcus would get too close, start to get too comfortable with him- maybe even start to ask him about what it was he did and if he could know more things about the organization.
Jake wanted Marcus to get comfortable with him, he wanted to spend time with the idiot who humored him that day, but there was a huge part of him that didn't want Marcus to get carried away and expect that Jake would be there every time he wanted to know something from behind A.C.E.'s closed doors.

He needed to be careful about presenting himself in a way where Marcus thought he could trust him. Because he couldn't. Or well, shouldn't.

There was a look on his face that told Marcus to tread carefully in what he said and asked of him, the name Marx, which was casually thrown into the conversation, seeming to jolt Jake back to reality, looking more serious now as Marcus finished his mini-rant.
Jake watched as Marcus slid down the wall, his expression remaining serious but his eyes looking softer now, a subtle frown etched between his eyebrows as if feeling for the guy.

Even though Marcus hadn't asked the direct question he wanted to, Jake already knew what it was going to be, given what he had already told him just now, but Jake didn't say anything. He knew better than to say something that probably wasn't what Marcus was looking for and give something away that he really shouldn't. He had to be sure before he said anything.
"Or what?" Jake challenged. "Your boyfriend will fillet me?" An annoyed smile tugged at the edge of his lips, his eyes narrowed. He knew exactly what Marcus was getting at, but for some reason, it really seemed to spark something inside him. Something like a bit of anger, or maybe it was jealousy. He couldn't tell, but the emotion was ugly and enough to draw out the coldness in his voice.
"Maybe he'll fillet you afterward too once he's done with me" Jake scoffed again, this time, it sounding mean-spirited and meaning to pull a reaction from Marcus- maybe an undignified or angry look.
He half expected the guy to say something cruel back towards him.

The silence that filled the air afterward did nothing to unnerve Jake. Yes he also had a few things to say and being difficult to talk with wouldn't get him anywhere but he refused to speak again, waiting for Marcus to say his piece. Why he had called him.

And finally, when Marcus spoke again, asking the dreaded question, Jake was quiet, now staring at him. He knew what his answer would be, he didn't have to think about it twice, it would be a firm "no" at first. But even if his answer was a firm no, there was something in Jake that made him curious as to why Marcus would even ask him of all people. Jake knew Marx was a terrifying individual and Marcus was probably madly in love with the guy to the point where he would carry out his every wish- but, why come to him? Why not try others? Why not tell his boyfriend that he hadn't found anything? What was he so afraid of? They were dating so Marx should be more than understanding, giving his lover some leniency.
"I do know what's going on." Jake answered but said nothing more. There was something inside of Jake that was holding onto the information, not wanting to pass it on to anyone else because once he did, he wouldn't be able to take it back.

Jake swallowed harshly at Marcus asking him of all people for help. It made his heart ache that it had gotten to this point, that Marcus was so terrified he would come to the enemy as a last-ditch effort.
And yet…..

"You need to know," Jake said flatly, emphasizing the "need" part. "And I can't know why" Jake continued, as if mocking Marcus. "That sounds like a great deal," Jake said, his voice sounding like steel, watching as Marcus looked frightened. Of what? He didn't know. Maybe of Jake, but he didn't seem so frightened when they had spent the day together. He wondered what changed.
"I give you information on what A.C.E. is doing, you run off and tell the leader of the one group we have been trying to catch this entire time, someone who poses a huge threat to us and probably everyone else around them, and what? I expect nothing to happen if I give you this information? Do you realize what you're asking me to do?" He said firmly, it sounding like Jake wasn't going to tell Marcus anything. But Jake was testing the waters. How far would Marcus go?

Jake was only bluffing of course, he would tell Marcus, not because he wanted to help him- or well, he did, just couldn't given any other scenario, but it was more so because it would indirectly help Jake right now. Still, he wanted to know what Marcus' game plan was. The guy didn't seriously think Jake would just…give the information out for free right? What would he give him in return? Intel on the gang? Would Marcus really backstab them like that? He didn't think so. He had to make sure that if he did tell Marcus what was going on and if he ever asked anything of Marcus it would be the truth and not some bullshit lie.
What would stop him from taking the information now and fucking Jake over later? That was the biggest thing Jake was caught up on. He made mistake after mistake, but now, there was hesitance. He wouldn't do or say anything else until he made sure it wouldn't hurt the people around him.

Marcus cracked a small smile at the response, shrugging. “What can I say? I like a mess.” He joked, more so to try and lighten the mood.
His sad tone didn’t make it very convincing.

Nor did the sudden shift in mood as Marcus began to speak. He ignored the cold look Jake gave him, shuddering in the cold air and hugging himself slightly.
Marcus wasn’t going to take Jake’s reaction personally. He was asking for a lot, something that could get them both killed - or worse - in an instant. He didn’t need to see the silent warning on the others face to know that it was there, silently reminding him of his position.
As much as he wanted to be friendly with Jake - not that he’d ever admit to that, mind you - it wasn’t something they could do in their current positions.

Jake’s cold words solidified the reminder of that in Marcus’s mind. His own expression grew annoyed, a snarl tugging at the edges of his mouth.
“Shut the fuck up.” He growled, his tone and mood suddenly shifting to something the other hadn’t seen from him before, something dark and frustrated.
Jake got his reaction. But it seemed to have made Marcus draw considerably more back into himself, his expression hardening.
Tonight he wasn’t going to take any shit about Marx. The topic was sore enough at the moment.
“Filleting would be the best case scenario for me. He’s not kind enough to kill me.” Marcus spat in return, forcing the familiar burn in his throat and eyes down.

He settled a bit into the silence, but that frustration and anger never left his body.
He risked only one glance at Jake, taking in his expression with a growing anxiety.
There was a sort of helplessness that flashed across his expression when Jake admitted to knowing what was going on.
It left just as quickly, one could argue it hadn’t happened at all.

“Do you think I’d be here if I didn’t understand what it was? Do I look like someone who thinks they have a choice in who he’s asking? Does it look like I’d be able to do anything with the information you give me?” He asked, his voice low as he stared at the ground in front of him like it had personally harmed him.
“What do you want from me, then?” He asked, suddenly snapping his attention to Jake, his eyes narrowing.
“Name the price for it. What do you want from me for this? Secrets of the gang in return? We’re grasping at straws anyways so why the fuck not?! Take what you want, it won’t be useful to me in a couple of hours.” He ran his fingers across the now-active runes on his arms where smoke had started to swirl more vividly, a dark gray in color.

There was a faint blush on Jake's face at the comment, but he looked away, playing it off like it had nothing to do with him.

At the reaction, however, it was and wasn't something he had been expecting. He didn't expect Marcus to sound so hurt? Was that the right word? No. Not hurt, but something along those lines, a mixture of convoluted emotions, negative emotions, more than he thought would come out.
Jake was silent at Marcus' next words, it shut him up, not knowing what to say to that and the expression on the other's face that he had seen on some of his friends time and time again. It was one that gave the impression that one would cry out of anger or frustration but was attempting extremely hard to shove it down.
Jake clenched his jaw, feeling like an asshole for saying those words, but he had meant it. He had full-heartedly meant it even though now, he regretted it. It was usually like that with him.

"I don't know." Came Jake's words, his voice still holding that air of coldness. "I don't know anything about you, so I don't know. You can look like one thing, but be the complete opposite. You don't ever truly know someone, not really" Jake said, his words sounding forced- because they were. His last sentence however seemed harsh, like he knew that from personal experience.

Marcus asking Jake what he wanted seemed to put a stop to him. Jake's initial thought had been information on the gang- maybe something he could pass onto A.C.E. but that wasn't exactly something he would do- no matter how much of a threat Marx's gang posed. He would never give A.C.E. information like that willingly. Maybe it was more of something he wanted to know to be prepared, to keep him and Apotheosis prepared, knowing that they had brushes with death far too many times. They were only sixteen but the amount of times they had come face to face with death was not something that could tallied anymore. It kept multiplying by the day and it would be impossible to keep track of.

He watched Marcus' eyes narrow as he spoke, the runes on his arms giving away the frustration that was brewing inside of him.
Although it was alarming to be next to Marcus as he seemed to spiral a little, knowing how volatile his magic could be, Jake could not be calmer in this situation, which that in itself was also very unsettling. He looked like someone who had a death wish, or maybe just someone who didn't let on how anxiety-inducing this really was. Having the chilling bravery of someone who wasn't human.

Jake had a question in his mind, it was going to be "Do you know what Marx has planned next? If anything at all?" But instead, what came out of his mouth was:
"Why are you so afraid?" His face still had that same neutrality, yet somehow seemed more serious, it being a mirror of his father's expression when he spoke to Jake, except there were undertones of worry in his.

"I want to know what you're so scared of." He repeated. "I know you're not afraid of me because if you were you wouldn't get so close. You don't seem afraid of much, especially not Apotheosis or even A.C.E.- certainly not death either." He took a step forward despite the smoke that rose off the other. He didn't know why he was attempting to get closer to someone who could lash out and hurt him, but there was a deep desire within Jake to reach out even if he didn't know how to comfort others, even if he got burned.
"So what has you here nearly losing your mind?"
He couldn't stand the thought of someone facing everything alone. Maybe it was for selfish reasons, knowing that Marcus' pain felt similar to his and he wished someone would do the same for him. Save him. Because although Jake had Apotheosis that didn't change anything. It didn't change his deep-set loneliness and how there was no escape for him. For any of them.

There was no saving him but Jake wanted to believe that there was. There had to be, he couldn't keep doing this his entire life. He wouldn't make it.
If saving others was something he could do despite it adding to his struggles and pain- it would be worth it. In his eyes anyways. Maybe it wasn't worth it, but Jake still had his empathy intact even though Aristide had tried to torture it out of him again and again as a kid- even now.

Jake had a vague idea of what was bothering Marcus, all the signs of a cornered animal being there, but he couldn't say for sure even though Marcus' comment about Marx not being kind enough to kill him resounded in his skull.

There was a small, twisted satisfaction within Marcus’s stomach at Jake’s silence. Everyone had all of these expectations of what Marx’s right hand man was, and they all assumed they could pick at it to get a reaction out of him.
It annoyed the fuck out of him.

“I already know that.” Marcus replied coldly, his eyes narrowing once again. “I don’t know you either.”

Marcus watched Jake struggle with his thoughts for a moment, the runes on his arms slowly dimming once more though their smoke never stopped - like the coals of a dying fire, still dangerous and hot but appearing docile and controlled.

“I already told you I can’t-” Marcus cut himself off, reminding himself what was on the line. He had asked what Jake wanted, he had done this to himself.
He shifted nervously, falling uncharacteristically silent for once.

“Marx. I’m scared of Marx.” he started, his voice so quiet it was hardly even a whisper. “There’s a place under the gang house you only get to see if you cross Marx. He keeps this… thing down there - we call him Em - who is the reason why no one ever finds the victims of our gang. There are no bodies to find, Em eats them.”
Marcus risked a glance up at Jake, looking over how tense the other had become. He shook his arms out, trying his best to extinguish his magic to avoid another violate outburst.
“Marx has taken to using Em as persuasion for those he questions. Or as a punishment for those who cross him. More recently, it’s been his favorite place to keep his favorite little toy when he acts out.” Marcus snarled out that last part, taking in a deep breath to avoid the flare up of actual fire brewing in his throat.
“The more information I take back to him, the less amount of time he’ll keep me there. So there. Turns out Marx’s favorite isn’t all too keen to be treated the way he is, I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors about me.” He huffed as he brought his knees up to his chin and huffed them.
“Is that all you want? Want me to spill all of my relationship troubles?” He grumbled, his words stuck on a biting edge.

The silence after Jake had stopped talking made him shift slightly on his feet, while the previous silences that filled the air hadn't fazed him much, Marcus being stuck in thought made Jake only slightly nervous. Maybe it hadn't been a good idea. Maybe he should have gone with asking Marcus about Marx's plans.

"You know what, you don'-" Jake was cut off once Marcus finally spoke again. He swallowed harshly at that. To think that people in the gang would be scared of their leader- sure, they were a gang, and not everything was as cute as thinking of them as one big happy family, but Jake had no experience with gangs and the like. Wynn's words still stuck in his head.

"I did manage to find people I like much more than the ones I used to have to deal with."

But then again, he had never said he loved it or even preferred it. Maybe some part of that sentence was true but it was clear now that Wynn mostly said it to keep the negative from overpowering the positive.
Jake didn't seem like it but he hung onto every word he was told, especially those of strangers. He was an avid writer and questioned life a lot, and no matter how embarrassing his notebooks sounded when they were read out loud he would keep writing till the universe told him his time was up.
Pretty much everything that had happened in his life up until now was written down in those books and he found solace in the pages when there was no one there to hear him out. He had written a few suicide notes in his life, and they were all there on those pages too. Everything from fun vacations, which were rare, with his family (Apotheosis) to the things that kept him second-guessing himself were written down.

When Marcus looked up at Jake there was a look akin to worry there, his brows furrowed in a near frown.
"So I was right." Jake said firmly. "He really doesn't love you." He said, recalling his small outburst from the other day, not that it seemed like an outburst to anyone but Jake knew when something really triggered him, no matter the emotions he was going through. He was very good at telling apart what he was feeling, but there were times when he would also blank out on knowing how he felt, it was a lot of contradictions. But well, he was one.
Once Marcus finished speaking, Jake had a question in mind, but he already knew the answer to it, so it never left his thoughts. Why are you still with him then?
Jake stepped forward and crouched down to Marcus' level, taking the frozen package off his face for a second, noting how the guy had made himself into a small ball, Jake now trying to catch his eyes.

However, instead of making a snide comment about his relationship with Marx or about wanting more- Jake definitely wanted more, but not in the way Marcus was implying, he took in a deep breath, like the thought of Marcus being in that situation was a lot to take in.

"No. You don't have to tell me anymore….but, if you ever need somewhere to go…" He trailed off, carefully thinking if he should say the next part. "I'm always available." He said at last. "You can't stay at Apotheosis' apartment, it's full of surveillance cameras now, and my family's home is the last place you'd want to be at, but…I can help arrange a place for you to stay, just if you ever need it." He said softly, wanting to give Marcus a comforting touch, I mean, he was right there in front of him in arm's reach, but instead, Jake stood back up and sat beside him.

"And I know you can handle yourself" Jake waved him off before Marcus even thought of saying the obvious. "But it's there. For emergencies- when there's nowhere else to go" He said, looking straight ahead at a car that was pulling up to one of the gas pumps.
It was finally then that he cracked open the energy drink, but instead of taking a sip, he sat there holding it in his hand, as if trying to find the courage to say what he needed to say.

"We're doing a public execution in less than three hours," Jake said casually like it wasn't the singular most horrifying thing that would take place that day. Like he wasn't the one who had been elected to carry it out.
"My fath- Aristide, is currently transporting five Abnormalities to an unknown location. It'll be aired on a specific channel, their deaths." Jake brought the can up to his lips and took a sip. "Their information will be put on screen along with them and their crimes- which are none mind you," Jake said. "But they'll be painted as criminals- terrorists. You think Marx would do something about it if you told him?" He asked.
Jake knew better than to ask for Marx's help through Marcus, but it was his last option- and best bet.
"If I told you the address, would he stop it? It doesn't matter if he attempts to kill everyone there, but would he rescue them?"

Jake knew how this sounded. It sounded just as equally desperate as Marcus was, but throughout the entire time he spoke, he didn't look at Marcus once. He felt a lot of things at that moment that almost made him sick, but he was an Abnormality hunter, he had to act the part. So he drank his sugary drink, hoping it would help. It really didn't.

Marcus flinched.
He didn’t need anyone to tell him that Marx didn’t truly hold love for him, hell Wynn never went one day without reminding Marcus of that fact. And yet for some reason the words cut deeper coming from Jake’s tongue. With Wynn it was easy to brush everything off as playful banter but Jake didn’t cut back on his harsh words.
“I don’t want to believe that.” He muttered quietly, staring hard at his feet as if they had personally offended him. “Sometimes it feels like he does.”
Marcus tried even harder to avoid Jake’s eyes as the other crouched in front of him. He eventually gave into the gray stare, feeling much more panicked and vulnerable when Jake didn’t snicker at him or poke fun at the situation.

The witch hated vulnerability.
He hated having to confront the feelings bubbling up in his throat. He hated seeing the pity other’s gave him when he told them about his situation. He hated showing people what was really going on.
And so as Jake brought up his offer Marcus bristled, his brain immediately jumping to: ”I’m not doing that. I don’t need it or your help.” He opened his mouth to say as much and was met instead with Jake calling him out.
His shoulders relaxed immediately, the angry, bristling feeling in his chest replaced by something warmer, softer. He didn’t much like the new feeling, it was strangely uncomfortable. But he let it fill his chest anyways, looking over Jake curiously for a moment.
“Emergencies. Alright. I’ll take what I can get.” He mused lightly, turning his eyes back to the ground and reaching up to idly play with his piercing. “As long as the payment for it isn’t another piercing.” He joked lightly, not actually minding another trip with Jake.

The witch took little comfort in the silence that followed, waiting and listening for Jake to say what it was he wanted to say. For some reason the air felt more heavy than usual, it made the hairs on the back of his neck raise.
Marcus’s neck snapped up to look at Jake the moment A.C.E.’s plan was revealed.
“Execution!?” He nearly screeched, something terrified and angry escaping his chest. He slipped his hand over his mouth to silence the reaction, though his eyes burned with confusion and anger.
He knew A.C.E. was full of cowards but this was taking it way too far.
Did they think this would stop things?! Put some semblance of fear into the Abnormalities across the nation?!
All this would do would be to cause mass panic.
“No crimes…” he echoed, the runes across his body suddenly lighting up again, their light more intense. A few even burned their way into his shirt - the smoke smelling strangely sweet. Curiously, the heat did nothing more than provide a slight warmth for Jake. Marcus wasn’t looking to harm him.

“You want me to ask Marx to stop this?” The witch asked, reading a little between the lines. He paused for a moment to think it over, panic clouding his mind. How could he ask such a thing of Marx at the moment? If he showed desperation Marx was sure to use it as some kind of punishment for the witch - a sick and twisted way to show that Marcus only got what he wanted if he didn’t do anything against Marx.
Not to mention the timing of it. If he told Marx about it on such short notice would the gang leader even do anything about it? Was Marx willing to sacrifice everything for a few innocent Abnormalities?
More than likely Marx will want A.C.E. to fuck up this badly.

“I don’t know if he’ll do anything, but I can try to get him to do something.” Marcus anxiously tapped his fingers on his arms, chewing on his lip for a moment as the air around him grew steadily more hot from the amount of magic he was subconsciously burning.
“He’ll want the outrage. I know he will. But maybe if I convince him that us showing up to call A.C.E. out on using innocent Abnormalities will cause outrage enough…” he paused for a moment, glancing over at Jake.
“He’ll try and kill anyone from A.C.E., including those who work for him. You might end up in the line of fire.” Marcus was sure Jake already knew this, but he was curious about what the other was going to do about it.

Jake gave Marcus a curious look as the other stared at his own feet, Jake's eyes naturally trailing over to the energy drink can again.

"It does, doesn't it?" He commented, the quote sounding too honest coming from Jake, yet too dismissing at the same time. Almost like he couldn't bring himself to dwell on it for too long.
The truth was, Jake felt the same. Logically, he knew Aristide didn't love him, not like he had in the beginning. Still, the praises here and there made the thought that maybe Aristide had a heart resurface. There were moments when Aristide was incredibly soft towards Jake, which confused the hell out of him, but he welcomed the affection nonetheless. It was stupid, he knew. But Jake couldn't push that away. Not when he wanted it.

He smiled and rolled his eyes at Marcus' comment about the piercings.
"Don't worry, I won't make you do anything else" Jake's smile dropped into something a little more tired but didn't say anything else. His eyes seemed distant now too, more so than what was normal for him.

Jake cringed a little at Marcus' outburst, immediately swallowing harshly afterward. He listened to Marcus' few words, looking at the guy from the corner of his eyes and the way his runes lit up. Jake could feel the warmth and while it didn't exactly scream danger in the way where if his heat was actively scorching him, it did alarm Jake some.
Jake had no problems dying, but he couldn't die yet. Not here.
Still. He didn't move away. If Marcus wanted to do some real damage, he would have already. And if he was saving it? Well. There was no getting out of it either, not while he was already this close.

"When you put it like that…" Jake groaned, tilting his head back so it hit the wall slightly. "It's fucked isn't it?" He asked, but surprisingly, Marcus was willing to work with him, still trying to formulate a plan.
There was a small bit of hope that this would work, that small bit of hope as big as his mother coming back to be involved in his life again. Jake had been preparing himself since Aristide had given him the news, that five people would die today. Deep in his heart, he would never be ready, but not once had he stopped repeating "It's over. They're gone, now you live with it. Their blood is on your hands. Nothing you can do about it."
If there was a chance they could be saved, good, but if not…it was just another thing he would have to cope with. He would have all the time in the world to think it all over when it was done, but he couldn't afford to think about it before anything even started. Turning into a complete mess before he had to do something as "important" as this would only fuck him and everyone around him over.
Jake listened to Marcus' makeshift plan on the spot. It obviously would need more work but it was a start.
When Marcus glanced over at him, Jake turned slightly to look at him. He looked very unwell at this moment, not because of Marcus' words but because he had started to think about the lives that were on the line. Even though he told himself he wouldn't think about it, his brain wouldn't stop trying to force the images of their faces into his head. Every single memory he shared with the three of the five who were being put up for basically the death penalty was trying to tell him not to go through with this because, at the end of the day, he did have a choice, even if he hurt those around him. He did.
But he didn't.
Not really.
"Good." Was all Jake said, a slight burning hatred in his eyes, yet it seemed very watered down by something that told the other this would be his tipping point, a gloss in his eyes that looked like the beginning of Jake's downfall. He turned away, his eyes now looking back up at the sky, like he had been doing previously.

If Jake went through with this, and Aristide knew this too, Jake would never be able to come back from it. And untimely that was the goal. Blurring the line between enemy and ally. Only to leave orders, commands for Jake to go off of. What was wrong or right? It didn't matter. It wouldn't after this.

Just do your job. It was all anyone in A.C.E. had ever wanted. Their own guard dog at their beck and call. They already had Apotheosis, but they never fully had Jake. Anyone with a pair of eyes and a brain could see and understand that.
"What I want is irrelevant anyway" Jake muttered, taking in a slow deep breath. "I don't think I'll die but if I do, I would like to think that my friends will keep the one thing I love the most safe. I hope they do…" His voice seemed to turn into a whisper near the end. It was all Jake could do. Hope.
Apotheosis was his family but for some reason, there was doubt there that they would help Aster, or even go to the lengths he would for her. Jake was convinced no one would be able to protect her like he would. No one would take on an army or set the world on fire for her. No one.

The witch only nodded along. He didn’t need much on the matter, just enough to confirm his delusions for the time being.
The small moments of love were enough. Marcus had decided that a long time ago. He deserved the little he received. Love was to be worked for. It was conditional. It always had been.

“Mm, that’s reassuring.” The smile Marcus gave back to Jake didn’t last long. He had picked up on Jake’s distance, and let his own brain start to drift into the comfort of a fuzzy disassociation.

For a moment, at least. Just until Jake’s voice brought him back out of it.
Fucked was to put it lightly…
Marcus could hardly see any part of this plan going right. But he wouldn’t admit that. That would make it a truth in his mind and he didn’t want that to be his main focus.
Ignorance was best.
Because if he ignored it for now, he would be surprised by what Marx decided to do later. Or less distressed by what the gang leader decided to not do.

The witch didn’t speak after Jake’s response. He understood it plenty, don’t get him wrong about that, but he didn’t quite have a response ready. He had mentioned the line of fire purely to… warn Jake? That didn’t sound right. Let Jake know there was that aspect to look out for? Perhaps.
He nodded instead to let the other know he understood, turning his gaze down to his fingers when Jake’s went skyward.

Marcus shifted slightly so he could pull his lighter out of his pocket, flicking it open and lighting it in one smooth motion. The flame immediately jumped from the wick to the witch’s open hand, where it curled around his fingertips for a moment before settling there - like a strange animal welcoming the touch.
The moment Marcus closed his Zippo and slid it back into his pocket, the flame went from calm and steady to wild and flickering. Marcus didn’t seem to mind it, twisting the flame between his fingers.
It was the best way he knew to calm the magic broiling in his gut. He wished his abilities weren’t as emotionally driven as they were. He needed more control over something as versatile as the fire frequencies could be.

“I’m sure they would…” he murmured after his shoulders finally relaxed and the dull glowing on his arms faded once more. The warmth never left, however, still slightly there as if Marcus was holding onto some sort of comfort.
“Your friends, I’m sure they’d take care of things. They all seemed… close.” He didn’t look up, keeping his eyes trained on the small flame he played with.

At the moment, it felt a lot like just two kids sitting side by side against your run-of-the-mill gas station, the sun setting and casting them into a mix of darkness and warm tones, the only thing bringing them any sort of comfort was the fire in Marcus' palm.

Jake didn't say much as his eyes panned down from the sky to the fire that raged slightly when the lighter was closed.
They hadn't been there for long but the sun seemed to be setting so much faster than it normally would- or at least, it felt that way, especially with the small gusts of wind that brought the cold with it. There were a lot of things Jake hated in this world and the coldness was one of them, so it was no surprise when he subtly tried to get closer to Marcus, the warmth that came off of him was something he wanted, or maybe needed.

Marcus' words were nice and it brought something to him, maybe hope? It didn't feel quite like hope, maybe just a nice facade of comfort. His friends were all close- every single one of them, but strangely he felt detached from the others, no matter how close they seemed.
"Thank you…" Jake said softly, messing with the can in his hand.
There was another beat of silence. Even though there were so many unspoken words that needed to be said, they opted for the calm they were briefly given. They both knew this didn't come often so it was almost like breaths were held when they did find it. When would it be ripped away?
Soon. In fact, right now.
"I have to get going." Came Jake's words. "Is there anything I can get you? The gas station doesn't have much, but maybe you'd like something from it regardless?" He questioned.
"It's the very least I can do" He turned back to face Marcus, looking him over. Jake wanted one last good look before he had to go back to pretending that they didn't know each other. Or well, maybe it wasn't so much as pretending as he thought it was.

He reached over to Marcus, his hand stopping midway for a second before he continued, he brushed Marcus' curls to the side to expose the piercing they had got together.
"You're strong, you'll get through this too," He said, thinking to earlier and Marcus' words and expression.
Jake pulled away after having said that, now getting up and dusting off the back of his jeans, it was time to go back to the shitshow that was his life.

Marcus allowed Jake to lean closer, it was starting to grow cold after all. And… it was nice. He liked when his fire was seen as comfort rather than destruction.

He nodded gently in return, glad he could offer Jake some nice words. He didn’t much feel like making any more enemies…
Not now.

Marcus’s shoulders fell slightly, and his flame flickered as if the wind had blown it close to out. He stared at Jake for a moment before glancing at the gas station.
“I don’t… you don’t have to buy me something. I’ll be fine, I don’t expect anything in return.” Truth was, he didn’t think he could stomach anything at the moment. He didn’t want to be feeling sick when he returned with the news, in case things went badly.

Marcus flinched when Jake lifted his hand, but the pause was enough for him to realize what was happening. He froze regardless, letting Jake touch him. The words didn’t sink into his head until Jake had pulled away and was already standing up.
“Oh. Well…” he moved to stand, reaching into his pocket to pull out his lighter. The moment he opened it the flame jumped to return to it, where it stayed until he closed it and held it tight in his hand.
“Thank you?” He mumbled, shifting on his feet and trying hard to ignore the heat in his face. He hadn’t expected such a gentle touch so randomly from Jake.
“I… good luck.”

(Shall we do a skip?)