Past-Part Fills Part 7
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Past-Part Fills Part Seven
Fills from past parts can go here!
Fills from the current part (part 22) MUST go in that part's post until it is full.
Link to the original request (and if an ongoing fill, any previous chapters/sections).
Don't forget to link your new fill at the fill ( Read more... )
“If it wasn’t for your appearance, I’m sure I would be lying dead in the streets by now.” Herakles continued. He raised his eyes from the tattoo to meet Kiku’s impassive gaze. “Thank you.”
“It was not truly my intent to rescue you,” Kiku admitted, his tone low. “I only noticed you were not part of the group I had been observing. In that sense, I merely reacted out of instinct.”
“Is it instinctive of you to aid strangers from certain death?” Herakles ventured carefully. He could feel Kiku shifting slightly in his seat, but the man held Herakles’ gaze steadily.
“But you’re no stranger, are you Mister Karpusi? Even if you are one but many, you are still an heir to Romulus’ empire. And my cousin is particular about keeping his business associates safe and alive, if possible.”
Herakles could only blink, slightly taken aback. And then, he gave a short, breathy laugh; his previous suspicions more or less confirmed.
“Who are you searching for? ” Herakles asked, slowly ripping up a separate piece of kerchief into thinner strips of cloth.
“A family heirloom, actually. We have a number of probable suspects, the Lafayettes being one of them.” Kiku winced, feeling the wound sting. “Though, if they were firing bullets at each other, it seems like they have their own domestic issues to concern themselves with...”
Herakles continued to dab the wash cloth, washing the wound as gently as he could, before he said, “Let me help you.”
Kiku’s eyes widened in mild surprise. “What?”
“Let me help you search for the heirloom.” Herakles repeated.
“I can’t possibly allow that. It’s too dangerous.”
“I promise I won’t run blindly into a fighting mob again.”
“That isn’t exactly what I meant, Mister Karpusi.”
“You can’t do this alone, not with your arm like this.”
Kiku released tired sigh, lowering his gaze to ground, before allowing the tiniest of smiles to paint his features. “You are a persistent man, Mister Karpusi.”
Herakles only gave him a nonchalant smile. “Sometimes, when I set my mind to it.”
In all truthfulness, Herakles himself wasn’t quite sure why he was so insistent in offering his help, especially when he was now painfully aware of the nature of Kiku’s work. There was no guarantee that Kiku would find his stubborn persistence nothing more than mere annoyance; a small obstacle in his quest to finish his job.
There was also no guarantee in the slightest that Kiku would not turn on Herakles and drive his sword through his gut, there and then.
Even so, Herakles found himself somewhat intrigued and drawn to this man. It was stupid, he knew, and he was probably pushing his luck (not that he’d ever thought he had the luck of the gods before), but then again, how often could Herakles say he’d done something entirely different in his mundane, carefree life of heir to one of the world’s biggest shipping company? Of attending countless business meetings and client proposals?
Perhaps it was for this every reason, Herakles would find himself engaging in the occasional fist-fight with Sadiq (although, really, those were entirely the ugly bastard’s fault, for always imposing himself on Herakles, and subsequently triggering a violent reaction from him). Herakles was mostly lazy by nature, that much was true, but even he wasn’t spared from bouts of boredom, and there were days he would seek out something new, something different.
“How about a compromise then?” Herakles offered, licking his lips tentatively. Kiku turned to meet his gaze once more, eyebrows raised questioningly.
“I’ll help you to look for the heirloom, but anytime you feel it’s too dangerous for me to continue on with you, I’ll leave right away and you don’t even have to protect me.”
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