N U M E R O U S

copied from monk script 𓆩🗡𓆪 @billyandhismultiples

       He  was  late.  Which  was  not  ideal,  but  it  was  a  heist.  You  didn't  have  to  really  show  up  on  time  to  be  the  getaway.  …  Actually  no,  wait,  you  definitely  were  supposed  to,  but  it  was  just  a  minute  or  so  which  couldn't  have  hurt  that  much.  It'd  been  such  a  long  time  since  he'd  put  on  the  suit.  It  still  fit!  That  was  not  the  problem,  but  the  straps  used  to  secure  the  kite  to  his  back  hadn't  been  oiled  properly  in  an  age. 

       But  he'd  gotten  out  of  the  habit,  and  slept  in  late.  There'd  been  an  engine  that  just  refused  to  go  back  together  the  way  it  should  with  only  two  hands.  Which  meant  he'd  slept  in  and  had  to  rush  an  oiling  the  harness,  other  than  that  it  was  working  fine.  Now  it  was  just  finding  the  right  alley,  near  the  right  bank,  and  then  find  Billy.  Then  they  could  go  find  Thomas  and  hit  up  that  new  spot  that  just  opened  up  with  the  money  Billy  got. 

       Not  that  it  was  out  of  their  price  range,  but  it  would  be  nice  to  have  a  little  extra  pocket  money.  Per  Billy.  And  the  garage  did  need  a  new  hydraulic  press  because  the  old  one  wheezed,  pretty  sure  it  wasn't  meant  to  do  that.  Per  Vance.  And  having  a  family  night  out  with  the  kid  that  neither  of  them  could  really  return  was  important  for  bonding.  Per  himself.  And  maybe  it  was  also  because  he  just  missed  the  rush  of  it,  the  adrenaline  pumping  as  you  tried  to  get  in  and  get  out  before  the  cops  showed  up.  Or  the  Bat. 

       He  really  hoped  the  Bat  wouldn't  show  up  on  their  first  heist  together,  that'd  really  put  a  damper  on  doing  it  again.  Finding  the  alley  finally  and  landing  on  the  roof  above  was  a  relief,  it  meant  they  were  one  step  closer  to  this  going  smoother.  Smoothly.  It  was  going  to  go  smoothly,  tapping  the  button  over  his  chest,  feeling  a  wash  of  comfort  as  the  mechanics  shifted  against  his  back  retracting  the  kite.  Another  familiar  thing,  god  but  he  missed  it. 

"Hey,  Billy!  Sorry  I'm  la-'

       Watching  the  man's  body  jerk,  the  sentence  fell  flat  from  the  way  his  jaw  fell  open.  Had  a  bullet  ricocheted  all  the  way  over  here?  And  where  were  the  others?  Stuck  in  place  as  he  watched  Billy  shiver,  not  good,  really  bad.  It  felt  like  his  heart  was  going  to  burst  out  of  his  chest,  remembering  the  way  his  wife's  breath  had  rattled  while  she  cursed  him.  …  Little  Chuck.  He  didn't  want  to  do  this  again,  this  had  been  a  terrible  idea,  there  was  a  reason  why  he  hadn't  wanted  to  do  this!

"This  is  very  far  from  fine,  Billy.' 

       Said  by  a  man  whose  knees  had  turned  to  water  at  the  first  stammer,  stumbling  towards  the  man  and  half  collapsing  next  to  him.  He  was  going  to  have  to  steal  a  car,  hard  enough  flying  with  a  conscious  person,  let  alone  an  injured  one.  But  first  he  needed  to  get  Billy  away  from  here,  hands  hooking  under  the  man's  arms  and  tugging.  Get  him  up,  over  the  shoulder,  there  wasn't  any  blood  but  he  still  couldn't  understand  what  was  happening.  It  might  have  been  a  clone?  Did  a  clone  die  and  he  was  dealing  with  the  backlash?

"Shit.  What  are  we  going  to  tell  Thomas?'

Even though he's pretty sure Charles was late.

Lungs feeling like they were on fire with every breath taken and he still had that curious thought pass through his frazzled mind. He'll poke fun at the other man later; nothing new, since they constantly found new things to joke and tease each other about as if it were a new task to fulfill every time they saw one another. He'll be sure to get him when not in the state currently in, but for now Billy just gazed up at him, eyes glossy and uneasy, a shake coursing through his muscles as he struggled to breathe. More flickers of the clone's body a dozen feet away; he could feel him begging to be melded back to the prime.

What a mess, a physical state he wouldn't want anyone to witness, but at least it was Charles of all people doing so.

He didn't know what the other thief was going to do; he couldn't even give it any ounce of thought at the moment, but he knew he would quickly figure it out. Unfortunately, he kind of had to now. Along with poking fun at him later for his tardiness, Billy would probably throw in an apology as well for forcing this situation onto him, even though he himself had no control of this happening at all. Not like he could control a duplicate getting shot square in the heart and for this aftermath to ensue. One shot, one kill, and it was all downhill from there for the original.

Voice followed the footsteps of his vision and began to fail him, words becoming stuck in the back of his throat as he faltered in answering Charles in any capacity. Right now, no explanation could be given for the odd scene before him; no blood, no wounds on the multiplier himself, yet his body was physically betraying him as if that were the case.

It didn't matter either way since he was hoisted up by the other man, slung over his shoulder with no resistance from the thief. Though the movement intensified the turbulence within him, causing his head to further spin, vision to become more clouded, and for a groan to grumble out. It felt like his veins were pulsating, as if they had lungs and were breathing in and out rapidly. So prominent it hurt, and now with his body being on Charles in some capacity, he could only wonder if he was able to feel it against his own self too.

And yet Billy let out a quick breath, a sorry excuse for a laugh of any sort, at the mention of Thomas. What an odd and interesting endeavor that turned out to be, yet it's been delightfully fun so far and increasingly so. Thomas—the kid didn't need to know too much about this situation, since Billy would be fine. He just needed time; his body needed a reset.

Unfortunately, that reset wasn't knocking at the door of his being anymore, it was kicking it in.

The flickers of the deceased counterpart intensified, body fading further with each one as the original's breathing became heavier in tandem. A weak tug at Charles' shirt and a shake of his head, his voice was hoarse but he finally managed to say something.

"'m s-sorry—"

  The Tamaranean couldn't believe her ears, nor her eyes for that matter. He'd just been through a mess of an ordeal, had definitely inhaled whatever gas had come out from that bomb, let alone breaking his ankle from the explosion. He definitely broke it, she could tell from how he was hopping on it.

  X'hal, she mentally cursed, she'd met some stubborn men and he was no exception— but she wasn't just going to let him suffer! That was the hero in her, a blessing and a curse at the best of times. He needed help, and where as most would leave him to hobble and cry out in pain, Starfire was no such person.

  ❝I am not just going to leave you like this—❞ She speaks up as she floats closer, zero intention to leave. His dismissal of her meant nothing. Regardless of his crimes, he was still a person in pain; he was still human. Whatever he had inhaled, it could very well kill him. Though, as his words begin to slur, the princess' eyes widen, not reacting fast enough as the man descends, hitting the ground beneath.

  ❝Billy!❞ The redhead shouts, quickly scooping him up into her arms with ease. He needs medical attention— the best place for that was a hospital, but they'd have the police called and him arrested instantly. Yes, he deserved a punishment for his crimes, but when he was like this? Surely a punishment could wait. Trying to think of a fast solution, Starfire's eyes squeezed closed. She'd come to a decision.

  Zipping away with the man in his arms, Starfire had flown to Titan's Tower, ignoring the complaints and concerns of the other young heroes residing there ( she'd address the matter to them later ), shooting straight up to their infirmary, settling the man down on the closest bed, getting him hooked up for their first aid machines to do the rest. Hopefully whatever gas he had inhaled wasn't actually deadly. Why was she helping someone who she'd just caught trying to steal from someone else? She really couldn't tell you… other than it was the right thing to do.

Though a thick blanket of ache overtook him and quickly became the main focus as soon as his body started to actually wake up. His insides burned with whatever fumes permeated and settled within the cells of the tissue, making him feel sluggish and heavy. The ankle broken, now properly dressed, was a different type of pain, but at least in a week’s time it won't be an issue—thanks, advanced healing.

Location. As his mind began to clear up, he could only assume that Starfire was the one to help him and bring him here, presumably Titan's Tower. Not ideal, not great at all, but at least it was better than a public hospital where too many things would have to be dealt with; revealed identities, kept records, too many questions asked. Sure, here he'd have to deal with heroes, but that's a rodeo he was used to.

Now Billy was at a bit of an impasse. His younger self screamed at him, wanting him to rip out all the wires he's hooked up to and get out of "enemy territory" as quickly as he could. But current self considered how the situation wasn't dire like that, and how almost all odds were against him anyway, from broken ankle, to still feeling the aching, heavy effects of the gas, to simply having no idea how the Tower was laid out. It just wasn't worth the trouble and it didn't really matter anyway.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🔪💋 ⋅  ──── There's a little hum when Billy doesn't seem to pull away from the closeness. And smirk grows into a grin with his response, lips licked as the hear his voice lower. It seems to send an exciting chill up their spine and Roman's arms come up then with that contact furthered. And they wrap arms over the other's shoulders.