#xcommon

          “look, i don’t have a lot of time left. any minute now they’ll be inside my head, and you gotta get as far away as you can, alright? just go. don’t look back. keep running. as long as it takes.”

There’s a tight bundle of nerves sitting somewhere behind Manny’s tongue, and it doesn’t help when Istavahn freezes like a deer in headlights. Okay, Manny’s thinking. Damage control. Time to backpedal the fuck out of this little ill-conceived confession and find a way to make a quick exit with what’s left of his pride.

But then he feels it      the thick, syrupy rush of warmth across their bond that’s so rich and keen that it brings a smile to Manny’s face and heat to his cheeks. It’s not that Istavahn’s rarely happy; it’s just usually muddled up with about a hundred other things, and those hundred other things aren’t usually open for discussion. Kind of puts a damper on things. 

There’s still something under this happiness, but Manny recognizes it. Resolve. Determination. Maybe a touch of resignation. He’s not sure what he’s expecting when Istavahn opens his mouth, but what comes out is ... definitely not it.  

          “ they picked the road the second they put hands on you. ”  there is a storm beneath soft words,  rage boiling behind soft touches.  he wants to  hurt them  ;  kazimir is the only reason he  hasn’t.  “ you know i can’t let them get away with this,  kaz.  not this,  not to you. ”

          he flexes the fingers of his left hand, trying to control the tremor. early morning mist makes the air feel damp. there’s a chill, but nothing a jacket can’t cure. everything is gray.... not exactly the most beautiful sight, or the best way to start. 

          “my services come a la carte, but... they’re not cheap. are you certain you want this?”

@xcommon (felix)

          this was a hell of a change of pace, maybe because felix and henry tended to be on top of things just a smidge better than this. the scenario they found themselves in was too dire to stop long enough and think clearly. anna was still out there. felix’ fingers grope in the dim light of the dingy warehouse, looking for henry’s hand. he takes it, holding tight. he knows henry has to be crashing. it’s been too long--

          “ ---   come on, henry. i need you to stay with me. we’re going to get outta here in one piece,” he says, leaving his accent and all pretenses at the wayside in favor of focusing entirely on keeping them alive. “And then we’ll get the her back.”

Istavahn’s projecting a sense of please, leave me the fuck alone. And hell, if it were anybody else, Manny would probably oblige. Let people do their thing. Live and let live, and Manny’s not in the habit of inflicting his company where it’s not wanted. 

But it’s not anybody else. It’s Istavahn, and he’s bloody and tired-looking, and every movement is tender. Manny hurts just looking at him, and Manny tells himself to leave it. To take the fucking hint, because he’s not wanted here (or, probably, needed), and leave Istavahn to lick his wounds in peace. But he just ... can’t. 

“ C’mere, ” he says instead, coaxing Istavahn closer so he can slide the coat off his shoulders. The way Istavahn’s moving, the discomfort rolling across their connection, has him worried there’s more than just the cuts on his face. He’ll get his shirt off, get him sitting down, and get him cleaned up. After all the shit Istavahn’s put up with from him, it seems like the least he can do. And more than that, Manny just ... he just needs to make sure he’s okay. 

Manny feels Istavahn before he sees him. Anger rolls like waves of pressure and heat across this tenuous, unspoken link they have. It sets Manny’s already frayed nerves on edge, but it’s comforting, too. Means Istavahn’s okay. Means he’s alive, because Manny was so worried. 

He’s barely let out the breath he was holding when the door flies open, and Istavahn’s crossing the room in long strides. There’s blood all over him, and Manny’s heart’s in his throat, even though he doesn’t feel any pain from him. Just anger. Just fear. Just desperation. 

He doesn’t flinch when Istavahn takes him by the arms, crowding him against the wall like he needs the world to be nothing but him and Manny for a moment. It hurts; his body aches from his run-in with the what-the-fuck-ever that was. He’s never seen anything that strong    strong enough to hurl him like a fucking frisbee (he’s sure Fiji or Lem or Joe would have a name for it, but he was too busy showering off the tree-sap and pond scum to ask). 

Whatever it was, he only has to look at Istavahn to know that it isn’t anymore. 

          the first thing henslan thinks when he sees this man is ‘this can’t be right’ but he knows-- he knows that it is. he’s been on this job for months, and it’s taken him so long to get all his facts straight and know for sure but even with all the facts and logic at his back, he looks and just... can’t believe his own eyes.

          “i’m going to need you to stop what you’re doing and put your hands where i can see them, mate.”