Le Tourbillon de la Vie (11/12)
Title: Le Tourbillon de la Vie
Characters: Claude, Sandra, an occasional OC or two
Pairings: Vague and one-sided Claude/Sandra, vague Claude/Noah if you really squint.
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language, violence, wordiness. The usual.
Word Count: 634
Spoilers: In this part not terribly much but for the story overall it really helps to have read the Golden Handshake series of the GN, as well as Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, Part 1 (marginally) and The Caged Bird, Part 2, but it's not essential.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah.
Summary: A Company trip to Paris takes a turn for the...interesting.
A/N: Exposition chapter. Hate it. Sorry.
As always, special thanks for englishmuffin2 for beta'ing and being awesome.
[ Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6]
[Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Epilogue]
“Are you awake, Mr. Rains?”
Claude groaned, and tried to turn over. Couldn’t. That’s right, hospital, but then who…he opened his eyes slowly.
And it was Brahim, standing over him, giving him that slightly smirking smile of his, hand positioned slightly above Claude’s eyes.
Claude coughed, and stared. “What are you-“
“Repaying a favor,” the young man said, and tapped at Claude’s forehead. “Or repairing harm I cause. Either way.”
Claude found that he could reach his hand up, to where the earlier gash had been, and find it entirely missing. No scar, no bandage, nothing but fresh skin.
“Couldn’t take care of this, though,” he waved vaguely at his abdomen. “Could you?”
“I’m not that good at it yet,” he shrugged. “And also, how would you learn, if your actions did not come with, uh…”
“Consequences?” Claude offered, and Brahim laughed.
“That is it. Consequences.”
“What do you…” he tried to sit up again, and Brahim actually went so far as to try and help, for all the good it did. He let himself fall back again. “What do you mean yet?”
“Pardon?”
“Not that good at it yet,” he tried to run a hand through his hair and realized that the IV taped to it made that decidedly uncomfortable, and came to another realization that made him even more so. “Just picked it up, didn’t you? Who from?”
Brahim’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and then got a bit of a spark, which Claude was predisposed to wince at.
“I meet your boss,” he grinned, and plopped down on the side of his bed. “He told me little more about…about your profession”
Claude sighed and let his head fall back.
“What did you…what’d you tell him?”
“Apparently I was very helpful,” Brahim’s tone was especially smug. “Helped save two agents, shoot bad woman.”
“But you-“
“Well, I did not say I was all honest,” he shrugged. “But I help you, and help myself. Sandra does not remember.”
“What the bloody hell do you mean Sandra doesn’t-“ He should’ve surged up, he knew. In his mind he had. But his body had quite sensibly informed the rest of him that it was not going to happen.
“Oh, she will remember the night before, very much,” Brahim gave a little leer and if he’d been feeling up to it Claude would’ve...well, probably wouldn’t have managed to do much, in the end, if he couldn’t even sit up. “But yesterday will be a bit, how you say, foggy?”
“What is she going to think happened-“
“She thinks you are quite brave. Standing up to that…that thief. Or perhaps it was stubborn? I don’t-”
“You can’t go ‘round messing with people’s heads like that!”
“Of course I can,” he said obviously, dark eyes genuinely surprised. “You prefer she remember the truth about you?”
“Yes,” he said automatically. “Least I’d prefer it be her choice, if she-”
“Even if it put her at risk? Even if your Mr. Linderman were to find out?” Brahim shrugged. “It does not matter, what you would prefer, it is done but…you know it is for the best.”
“Know no such thing, mate,” he moved to cross his arms and actually managed it. Did know he looked petulant, but that didn’t matter. The young man was no stranger to petulance.
Brahim sighed. “I should have asked first?”
“Yeah, for a start,” Claude dropped his head to his hands, and took a breath. Glanced back up again. “What’d Linderman offer you? Place at the Company?”
“He said I had potential,” the young man laughed. “As if it were something I did not know, eh?”
“Yeah, eh,” Claude snorted.
“He also said they would need tests and I would need training, but I do not see how much better I could do.”
“Lot you don’t see,” he said quietly, knowing the boy would ignore him.
“Maybe we could be partners someday, yes?”
“’s not how it works, mate,” Claude shook his head. “One of us, one of them.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Means someone like us,” he waved a hand between the two of them. “And someone like Noah.”
“Someone…boring?”
Claude let out a surprised laugh. “Well, sometimes it works out like that, yeah, but I meant…someone without.”
“Without?”
“Without powers. Someone-“
“Normal?”
He’d always had hated putting it that way, but it was technically accurate, and so he shrugged.
“Well then I could have Sandra,” Brahim said brightly, and laughed when Claude’s eyebrows went up. “She is smart, confident, kind.”
“That she is, mate.”
“She is a beautiful woman, also,” he said, contemplative.
“Oi!” Claude chuckled and snapped his fingers after a few seconds of watching him stare into the distance. “She’s much too old for you, lad.”
“And you?” murmured with the usual smug glance, out of the corner of his eye for a change.
“Much too old for you, too,” he said automatically, and expected the young man to roll his eyes. He didn’t, just gave a small chuckle of his own.
“Anyways,” Brahim said after a moment, as he stood. “Sandra will be returning soon. She is glad you are not dead.”
“As am I,” he gave a small smile, and leaned back.
“And I will see you soon,” Brahim smiled back. “After all, we are colleagues now, yes?”
“Just as you say, mate,” Claude gave a quick nod, and only let his smile fade once the young man had walked out of the room.
*
Characters: Claude, Sandra, an occasional OC or two
Pairings: Vague and one-sided Claude/Sandra, vague Claude/Noah if you really squint.
Rating: PG13
Warnings: Language, violence, wordiness. The usual.
Word Count: 634
Spoilers: In this part not terribly much but for the story overall it really helps to have read the Golden Handshake series of the GN, as well as Our Lady of Blessed Acceleration, Part 1 (marginally) and The Caged Bird, Part 2, but it's not essential.
Disclaimer: Not mine, blah blah.
Summary: A Company trip to Paris takes a turn for the...interesting.
A/N: Exposition chapter. Hate it. Sorry.
As always, special thanks for englishmuffin2 for beta'ing and being awesome.
[ Prologue] [Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6]
[Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 9] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Epilogue]
“Are you awake, Mr. Rains?”
Claude groaned, and tried to turn over. Couldn’t. That’s right, hospital, but then who…he opened his eyes slowly.
And it was Brahim, standing over him, giving him that slightly smirking smile of his, hand positioned slightly above Claude’s eyes.
Claude coughed, and stared. “What are you-“
“Repaying a favor,” the young man said, and tapped at Claude’s forehead. “Or repairing harm I cause. Either way.”
Claude found that he could reach his hand up, to where the earlier gash had been, and find it entirely missing. No scar, no bandage, nothing but fresh skin.
“Couldn’t take care of this, though,” he waved vaguely at his abdomen. “Could you?”
“I’m not that good at it yet,” he shrugged. “And also, how would you learn, if your actions did not come with, uh…”
“Consequences?” Claude offered, and Brahim laughed.
“That is it. Consequences.”
“What do you…” he tried to sit up again, and Brahim actually went so far as to try and help, for all the good it did. He let himself fall back again. “What do you mean yet?”
“Pardon?”
“Not that good at it yet,” he tried to run a hand through his hair and realized that the IV taped to it made that decidedly uncomfortable, and came to another realization that made him even more so. “Just picked it up, didn’t you? Who from?”
Brahim’s eyes narrowed for a moment, and then got a bit of a spark, which Claude was predisposed to wince at.
“I meet your boss,” he grinned, and plopped down on the side of his bed. “He told me little more about…about your profession”
Claude sighed and let his head fall back.
“What did you…what’d you tell him?”
“Apparently I was very helpful,” Brahim’s tone was especially smug. “Helped save two agents, shoot bad woman.”
“But you-“
“Well, I did not say I was all honest,” he shrugged. “But I help you, and help myself. Sandra does not remember.”
“What the bloody hell do you mean Sandra doesn’t-“ He should’ve surged up, he knew. In his mind he had. But his body had quite sensibly informed the rest of him that it was not going to happen.
“Oh, she will remember the night before, very much,” Brahim gave a little leer and if he’d been feeling up to it Claude would’ve...well, probably wouldn’t have managed to do much, in the end, if he couldn’t even sit up. “But yesterday will be a bit, how you say, foggy?”
“What is she going to think happened-“
“She thinks you are quite brave. Standing up to that…that thief. Or perhaps it was stubborn? I don’t-”
“You can’t go ‘round messing with people’s heads like that!”
“Of course I can,” he said obviously, dark eyes genuinely surprised. “You prefer she remember the truth about you?”
“Yes,” he said automatically. “Least I’d prefer it be her choice, if she-”
“Even if it put her at risk? Even if your Mr. Linderman were to find out?” Brahim shrugged. “It does not matter, what you would prefer, it is done but…you know it is for the best.”
“Know no such thing, mate,” he moved to cross his arms and actually managed it. Did know he looked petulant, but that didn’t matter. The young man was no stranger to petulance.
Brahim sighed. “I should have asked first?”
“Yeah, for a start,” Claude dropped his head to his hands, and took a breath. Glanced back up again. “What’d Linderman offer you? Place at the Company?”
“He said I had potential,” the young man laughed. “As if it were something I did not know, eh?”
“Yeah, eh,” Claude snorted.
“He also said they would need tests and I would need training, but I do not see how much better I could do.”
“Lot you don’t see,” he said quietly, knowing the boy would ignore him.
“Maybe we could be partners someday, yes?”
“’s not how it works, mate,” Claude shook his head. “One of us, one of them.”
“What’s that mean?”
“Means someone like us,” he waved a hand between the two of them. “And someone like Noah.”
“Someone…boring?”
Claude let out a surprised laugh. “Well, sometimes it works out like that, yeah, but I meant…someone without.”
“Without?”
“Without powers. Someone-“
“Normal?”
He’d always had hated putting it that way, but it was technically accurate, and so he shrugged.
“Well then I could have Sandra,” Brahim said brightly, and laughed when Claude’s eyebrows went up. “She is smart, confident, kind.”
“That she is, mate.”
“She is a beautiful woman, also,” he said, contemplative.
“Oi!” Claude chuckled and snapped his fingers after a few seconds of watching him stare into the distance. “She’s much too old for you, lad.”
“And you?” murmured with the usual smug glance, out of the corner of his eye for a change.
“Much too old for you, too,” he said automatically, and expected the young man to roll his eyes. He didn’t, just gave a small chuckle of his own.
“Anyways,” Brahim said after a moment, as he stood. “Sandra will be returning soon. She is glad you are not dead.”
“As am I,” he gave a small smile, and leaned back.
“And I will see you soon,” Brahim smiled back. “After all, we are colleagues now, yes?”
“Just as you say, mate,” Claude gave a quick nod, and only let his smile fade once the young man had walked out of the room.
*