#highlander adam

And a slightly bare Methos 😅😆

****

It had all become a bit of a joke, a campus-wide game of Russian roulette. The microbrewery was across the street from campus, in the basement of an office building, and the experience of drinking there differed greatly depending on who was serving.

Simon got Kronos.

He thought he had been feeling lucky all morning but he suspected that it had just been wind.

The big guy, Silas, was ok. He messed up orders frequently so you were never quite sure what exactly you were going to get but he gave change back and could talk about wildlife and nature for hours.

Caspian was unpredictable. He had put everything from crushed glass to a live cockroach into people's drinks and refused to refund them until they tasted them. Campus legends said he had even urinated into someone's bottle once, but that was likely just a rumor spread by a disgruntled patron.

Adam was known as the 'boring' one. He served customers promptly, the drinks were always correct and cold, and he gave exact change. The philosophy majors loved him because he was always willing to join in on philosophical debates and would often lead them face-first into a heavy rethinking of themselves and their place in the world.

But Kronos?

Kronos poisoned his drinks.

Simon stared at the shot in front of him. He was pretty sure peppermint schnapps wasn't supposed to have a streak of dark green running through it.

He glanced up at Kronos, who smiled at him.

Simon picked up the glass- Kronos was still staring at him- and quickly knocked it back.

Schnapps and...mouth wash. That was definitely mouth wash.

He choked a little, which made Kronos chuckle, and ordered a whisky.

It came with a spoonful of cough syrup mixed in.

'A glutton for punishment?' Kronos' eyes gleamed as Simon swallowed the concoction, only barely managing to hold down a slight retch.

'Here.' Kronos brought a perfectly ordinary looking glass of Amaretto out from under the bar. 'A reward for your bravery.'

Simon eyed the glass.

He sipped it warily, then properly as the smooth alcohol tasted fine. Just as he was finishing it Adam wandered out of the back room of the brewery and stopped short with a sigh.

Chapter One

Highlander au - brief blood/gore

@effulgentpoet Our conversation inspired me 😆😁

@czytling Thank you for pushing me to finish it 😄

Also on AO3

Ritchie found him first.

Duncan barrelled around the corner when he heard the first horrifying cry, Methos at his heels, weapon drawn.

Joe was lying on his back, his head cradled in Ritchie's lap as the young man shook his back and forth in stricken disbelief. Duncan almost gagged when he saw the jagged wound across Joe's chest and stomach, but he pulled himself together for Ritchie's sake.

'Oh, Joseph' Methos knelt beside the body, sheathing his sword. He swallowed, looking pained, then reached out a tentative hand and closed Joe's eyes.

'Let's get him inside' Duncan croaked. Ritchie nodded, and took up the weight of Joe's shoulders while Duncan supported his lower back and Methos opened the front door of the bar.

Everything was as it always was after closing; spotlessly clean tables with chairs stacked upon them, and a tidy bar. The floor had been mopped. Joe must have been about to lock up for the night when-

'Put him down over here' Methos pulled a few chairs out of the way and they set Joe down on the table. Duncan opened his mouth to apologise for making a mess, then stopped.

'He.. he must have been mugged after closing' said Ritchie, as he wiped his eyes on the back of his sleeve.

'By someone with a sword' Methos said quietly.

Highlander au - brief blood/gore

An unknown Immortal sends a message to Duncan via Joe. Things get...interesting.

Also on AO3

Chapter Two

Joe let out a long, loud sigh and glanced up at the ceiling, praying for strength.

‘How the hell did none of you notice?’

Duncan had the decency to look sheepish.

‘I was focussed on revenge for Darius’ he admitted. ‘I was distracted.’

‘I thought I felt something the first time we met’ Ritchie admitted.

‘You did? Why didn’t you mention it to me?’ Duncan asked.

Ritchie half-shrugged. ‘I thought it was the Buzz. You know; an Immortal came near, changed their mind, and ran away.’

‘...I knew’ Methos said, quietly.

Joe hopped awkwardly down off the table, taking his cane from Duncan who handed it back to him as he passed.

‘You didn’t tell me because you were undercover, right? What about after? Why not later?’

‘I didn’t want a student! Besides, I thought I wouldn’t have to; you were supposed to live a long and relatively peaceful life'

Joe shot him a withering glance and started to open his mouth to say something.

He paused.

A sly grin slowly creeped across his face.

'..Joe?' Methos swallowed, suddenly nervous.

'I'm immortal..and you're immortal..'

'Yes, what are you getting at?'

'All those smart-ass comments down through the years..' Joe hobbled closer towards Methos, who raised his hands defensively in front of him as he backed away.

'All those snide little remarks about my habits and my memory and my clothes-'

'Joe!'

'Finally I can give you the asskicking you deserve!'

A character dies? No they didn't.

It's the time of the Gathering? No it isn't.