[Team One] Nightcap
A short snippet inspired by the (Vampire) Detective Agency 'verse. Which is incredible. It's one of the most intricate, plotty, well thought-out universes and set of stories I think I've ever read, and I can't recommend it enough, even if you're reading it as OC-fic ♥
The edge of the building loomed, ominous and threatening in the dark. Mikey's heart rose slowly into his throat with every step closer Alicia took until she was peering over the side, staring down at the sheer, fifty-foot drop. Before he could so much as move, she winked at him over her shoulder and leant forwards, arms splayed as she dropped from sight.
"Goddammit Alicia," he muttered, edging closer, then raised his voice, "Would you stop showing off?!"
"Aww, Mikeyway!" Alicia grinned up at him from below, voice carrying on more than the wind and hair wild around her face, "Are you worried about me?"
"Worried about me, more like." Mikey grumbled, turning to take the long way down himself. "Just because you can-" he started, banging through the outer door and into the street, then froze when he took in the scene before him.
Alicia was floating. The floating wasn't such a strange occurrence; she was always upsetting some witch or another, always getting various benign curses cast on her, but this wasn't a normal curse. Her whole body shimmered darkly, like the moon struggling to break through a cloud of heavy fog, as she fought against the spell. Her body stayed completely motionless but the effort was visible in her face, a tightness around her eyes and mouth that made Mikey ache to help her. He tried to move toward her but found himself frozen in place, the same shimmering light surrounding him.
"Stay there, Michael." Adam's voice thundered in his head, so loud, so deafening that Mikey had to grit his teeth against the pain and the pressure between his ears. Adam was strong, but he shouldn't be this powerful, not after five years in high security.
"How did you get out?" He ground out, half-choking on the words and wondering distantly how it was possible for their date to take such a turn so quickly. For five years, ever since Adam had murdered Mikey's brother during a ritual gone wrong, Adam had been locked up in a Midnighter prison so secure even the governor herself couldn't see his face. As far as they all knew, Adam wasn't to be released for any amount of good behaviour or community service, and there were more faerie than Mikey could count gunning for his head.
Adam just shrugged. "Magic." He said simply, and this time his voice came from his mouth. His smile reached his eyes, but that almost made it worse. Mikey's stomach churned with the anticipation and suddenly he regretted convincing Alicia to leave the forest. He prayed for his brother, but when he opened his mouth, it wasn't Gerard he called for.
"Brian!" He yelled, hoping to all the deities that the warlock was listening. "Schechter!"
Adam's smile turned manic, and Mikey felt his stomach drop. Brian couldn't hear him.
"Where's Gerard, Michael?" Adam asked again.
Mikey said nothing. Adam shrugged and waved his hand, and Mikey doubled over, a hot knife slicing through his abdomen. His hands flew to the gash, but there was just cool skin and soft cotton where he expected to feel the slippery heat of blood, and his hands came away clean. The pain, though, the pain was fresh and sharp, and it took all of Mikey's willpower to stay quiet.
"Where's Gerard?" Adam asked again, and when Mikey refused to speak up for a second time, the next gash pulled a cry from his throat. Over and over, Adam asked, voice calm and even every time, and every time, Mikey refused him and took the beating that followed.
When Adam tired of Mikey, he turned on Alicia, and this time Mikey could see the blood as Adam ripped into her. He squeezed his eyes closed as she screamed, the sound ear-piercing and inhuman and like nothing he'd ever heard before. He started to wonder why nobody was coming to their aid, but realised the answer almost before he'd finished the question. They'd come here on purpose, come to the border between Midnighter and Daylighter territory. Mikey knew from experience that screams out here... they always went unheard.
"I'm not telling you where he is." Mikey said, so softly he wasn't sure Adam would be able to hear him over Alicia's cries. Until Adam looked up. "You can kill her," Mikey continued resolutely, "but I still won't tell you where he is."
The moment the words left him, even though the mere thought of it broke his heart, he knew they were true. If Adam really did kill Alicia, Mikey wouldn't be able to live with himself. But if he gave up Gerard... If he handed him over to Adam, Mikey wouldn't have a life worth living. There was nothing on earth he wouldn't do to keep his brother safe.
Mikey steeled his glare and met Adam's eyes with a confidence entirely his own. "You can try and kill me, too. You can kill us all if you think it will help, but it won't. I won't tell you. None of us will."
Anger flashed across Adam's face, yellow in his eyes and a twist around his mouth. He snarled and Alicia crumpled to the floor, hacking and coughing up blood onto the pavement. Stalking over on legs longer than Mikey was tall, Adam leaned in close until Mikey could smell the sour tang of his sweat, feel his uneven breath on his cheek, and sneered.
"I will find your brother. I will find him, and I will kill him. Again. And this time, I will not fail."
yararanger, I choose you!
The edge of the building loomed, ominous and threatening in the dark. Mikey's heart rose slowly into his throat with every step closer Alicia took until she was peering over the side, staring down at the sheer, fifty-foot drop. Before he could so much as move, she winked at him over her shoulder and leant forwards, arms splayed as she dropped from sight.
"Goddammit Alicia," he muttered, edging closer, then raised his voice, "Would you stop showing off?!"
"Aww, Mikeyway!" Alicia grinned up at him from below, voice carrying on more than the wind and hair wild around her face, "Are you worried about me?"
"Worried about me, more like." Mikey grumbled, turning to take the long way down himself. "Just because you can-" he started, banging through the outer door and into the street, then froze when he took in the scene before him.
Alicia was floating. The floating wasn't such a strange occurrence; she was always upsetting some witch or another, always getting various benign curses cast on her, but this wasn't a normal curse. Her whole body shimmered darkly, like the moon struggling to break through a cloud of heavy fog, as she fought against the spell. Her body stayed completely motionless but the effort was visible in her face, a tightness around her eyes and mouth that made Mikey ache to help her. He tried to move toward her but found himself frozen in place, the same shimmering light surrounding him.
"Stay there, Michael." Adam's voice thundered in his head, so loud, so deafening that Mikey had to grit his teeth against the pain and the pressure between his ears. Adam was strong, but he shouldn't be this powerful, not after five years in high security.
"How did you get out?" He ground out, half-choking on the words and wondering distantly how it was possible for their date to take such a turn so quickly. For five years, ever since Adam had murdered Mikey's brother during a ritual gone wrong, Adam had been locked up in a Midnighter prison so secure even the governor herself couldn't see his face. As far as they all knew, Adam wasn't to be released for any amount of good behaviour or community service, and there were more faerie than Mikey could count gunning for his head.
Adam just shrugged. "Magic." He said simply, and this time his voice came from his mouth. His smile reached his eyes, but that almost made it worse. Mikey's stomach churned with the anticipation and suddenly he regretted convincing Alicia to leave the forest. He prayed for his brother, but when he opened his mouth, it wasn't Gerard he called for.
"Brian!" He yelled, hoping to all the deities that the warlock was listening. "Schechter!"
Adam's smile turned manic, and Mikey felt his stomach drop. Brian couldn't hear him.
"Where's Gerard, Michael?" Adam asked again.
Mikey said nothing. Adam shrugged and waved his hand, and Mikey doubled over, a hot knife slicing through his abdomen. His hands flew to the gash, but there was just cool skin and soft cotton where he expected to feel the slippery heat of blood, and his hands came away clean. The pain, though, the pain was fresh and sharp, and it took all of Mikey's willpower to stay quiet.
"Where's Gerard?" Adam asked again, and when Mikey refused to speak up for a second time, the next gash pulled a cry from his throat. Over and over, Adam asked, voice calm and even every time, and every time, Mikey refused him and took the beating that followed.
When Adam tired of Mikey, he turned on Alicia, and this time Mikey could see the blood as Adam ripped into her. He squeezed his eyes closed as she screamed, the sound ear-piercing and inhuman and like nothing he'd ever heard before. He started to wonder why nobody was coming to their aid, but realised the answer almost before he'd finished the question. They'd come here on purpose, come to the border between Midnighter and Daylighter territory. Mikey knew from experience that screams out here... they always went unheard.
"I'm not telling you where he is." Mikey said, so softly he wasn't sure Adam would be able to hear him over Alicia's cries. Until Adam looked up. "You can kill her," Mikey continued resolutely, "but I still won't tell you where he is."
The moment the words left him, even though the mere thought of it broke his heart, he knew they were true. If Adam really did kill Alicia, Mikey wouldn't be able to live with himself. But if he gave up Gerard... If he handed him over to Adam, Mikey wouldn't have a life worth living. There was nothing on earth he wouldn't do to keep his brother safe.
Mikey steeled his glare and met Adam's eyes with a confidence entirely his own. "You can try and kill me, too. You can kill us all if you think it will help, but it won't. I won't tell you. None of us will."
Anger flashed across Adam's face, yellow in his eyes and a twist around his mouth. He snarled and Alicia crumpled to the floor, hacking and coughing up blood onto the pavement. Stalking over on legs longer than Mikey was tall, Adam leaned in close until Mikey could smell the sour tang of his sweat, feel his uneven breath on his cheek, and sneered.
"I will find your brother. I will find him, and I will kill him. Again. And this time, I will not fail."
yararanger, I choose you!