Part One: Shadow, Reaper, and Dust
Fuck it was hot in here. She didn’t care, the energy in the room was intoxicating. The music pulsed within, her body moving in rhythm with those around her. Lights danced above them, she could hardly keep her eyes open. Every song was her fuckingsong, throwing up her hands and splashing her drink on the poor schmuck in her range. Tawny skinned and glistening, sticky from sweat and spilled drinks. She was the devil’s temptress, scantily clad in red latex and with hips that moved like she knew what the fuck she was doing.
She finished her drink, spilling the last bit onto herself. “Fuck.”
Just as if she had taken a misstep, Lucky fell into her Shadow as she stared into her empty glass. “Oh.”
Without much of a second thought, she appeared by the bar leaning against the bar and waving to get the bartender’s attention, motioning for him to pour another round. There would be no shortage of drinks tonight, she’d see to that. Soon she’d need something stronger, but she’d have to wait until Grim finished his shift. She threw back the shot her bartender brought her, grabbing her cocktail and throwing him a twenty dollar bill in an indication to keep the change. Just as quick as she appeared, she was gone, back on the dance floor in front of the stage where Grim was performing. Men and women alike gathered around him, enamored. Some of them threw money on his stage, begging for his attention.
“Oo, baby!” Lucky shouted out, giving a mischievous wink as she sipped her cocktail, her body unconsciously moving to the beat. She didn’t mind going to the club with Grim when he worked. She had a way with people, something in the way she moved or maybe it was the look she gave. She moved through the crowd as if everyone was her best friend. She’d always end up making friends with some people for the night. The best groups were always the groups of gay boys who she could dance up on without worrying about their dick getting hard. Sometimes it was a group of girls who just wanted to dance although truthfully most of the time it was some fuckboy who exchanged female company for drugs and alcohol. Hell, she wasn’t going to be the one to question them.
It was around 2am when she found herself back at the bar waiting for Grim, fumbling in her purse to pull out a crushed pack of cigarettes. Mumbling obscenities under her breath, she did her best to straighten out one of the cigarettes, roughly shoving the rest of the pack back into her purse.
“I’ve got better stuff anyway” Grim whispered into her ear as he slid his arms around her, leather covered palms gripping the padded curve of the bar. He’d changed after his shift- removed the black spandex boy shorts and tugged on equally tight black jeans. His chest was still slick with oil, so he’d just left his black button up undone instead. Silver necklaces dangled from his neck, things that meant little and he wore just to make people stare at his chest. Senses dulled from the ecstasy he took mid-way through his shift, Remedy was in a deep lull and made little effort to disagree with their clothes. He was always gone during work. Sometimes it made Grim’s mind ache, the vacancy, but he could always go digging and pull his brother out of the trenches of their mind. He was always there, the drugs just seemed to tug a sheet between them. Privacy, separation… anything to stop their memories from revolting back to six other siblings.
One of which was currently twisting around in his arms, devilishly clad in red. Grim almost wanted to tug Remedy forward, show him this fuckin’ beauty in front of them, but… Remedy meant an end to the fun tonight and Grim was ready to fuck shit up. Squealing with delight, Lucky’s arms snaked around Grim’s neck. Her shadow materialized as a thin barrier where their skin touch, like second nature for her after all these years.
“Babe! Oh my god, you were so f u c k i n g good.”
Grim hummed, smiling delightedly at her for her compliment and her amazing ability to get so close to him. That small space of shadow still drove him crazy, but at least he could feel the warmth of her skin, “Thank you beautiful” He mumbled, sliding a gloved hand from the bar to the curve of her back, “Are you trying to turn Rem on with this outfit? Your gonna give him a headache when he finally pays attention”
Lucky rolled her eyes, giving a knowing smile. Grim was never one for subtlety. She shrugged her shoulders, unable to mask her amusement. “What’s this about better stuff?” She asked, changing the subject and poking Grim’s side.
“Oh, oh.” He nodded, his sporadic concentration happy to focus on his favorite pastime, “Come with me.” Grim grabbed her hand, spinning to tug her back through the crowd he’d arrive from. At 2am, the club was packed, but as a dancer here he had access to the back rooms. Sometimes rented out for their more affluent clients, Grim knew they’d be empty tonight. Hence why he’d demanded a night out with his girl.
The dark hallway only had one couple making out in it, their bodies grinding to the loud music and obviously on their way to a quickie in the bathroom stall. Grim catcalled them as he passed and got no reply- to which he turned back and grinned at Lucky.
The private room was lavish in a fake rich sort of way. Too much red velvet, too much fake dark wood. There was a center circular stage with a pole and a bar to their left, but Grim beelined for the table tucked in the back corner. He stashed his shit underneath earlier- a backpack of really all he need to survive anymore. Remedy would never let them live out of a knapsack and travel the country, but sometimes Grim dreamed. Anyway, they had a loaf of a brother to take care of and the road was definitely not a place for Zombie Boy.
He released Lucky in favor of digging out his banged up jansport. He’d lost the zipper ages ago, so he had to tug the fly open awkwardly. Flinging himself onto the red plastic booth seats that wrapped around the table, Grim motioned for Lucky to get comfy next to him while he dumped his tools out. Lucky wasted no time making herself at home, launching herself into a rant before Grim could even sit down.
“Did I tell you about this bitch I ran into earlier?...” She took heavy drink as if she were preparing to tell the story of an epic saga, her hands motioning to set the scene. “I swear to G O D, Grim….people fucking test me. Every day - they think I won’t say shit….and normally I don’t. Whatever - fuck it. Anyways, here I am living my life just trying to get a pack of cigarettes-”
Grim handed Lucky a rolled up twenty, sliding a small mirror with four perfectly symmetrical lines across the table and raising his brow at her, “Fuck the ciggs, this is way better. And fuck that girl too”
Lucky exhaled, setting her drink down before cheerfully plucking the rolled bill from Grim. “But you know what she had the nerve to say to me?” She slid the mirror closer to her, eyes transfixed as she rambled on. She ran a hand through her hair, pushing it over to one side as she leaned in. Lucky took her line, pausing for only a minute as she felt the chemical afterburn settle all the way down to her tongue. She slid the mirror back to Grim, handing him the bill carelessly as she tried to wash out the taste with vodka. “She said...you know it’s not attractive for girls to smoke. She said,” Lucky used finger quotes as she said the rest, spilling her drink some. “You’re a very pretty girl, you shouldn’t smoke if you want to find a husband to take care of you.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Can you fucking imagine? Being that fucking bold with someone you don’t even know? Man...I shit you not I kind-of wanted to scare the shit out of her just for fun.”
Grim nodded along as he spun the roll in his fingers, only turning his attention away briefly to ingest his own line and exhale roughly. Brain already smothered in a high from his night of working, he only felt another little kick to keep going. “You probably should have” He laughed, leaning back against the booth to point the twenty at her accusingly, “If someone's gonna shit talk you, shit talk them back. You’ve always been so nice” Grim gave her a devilish grin, aiming to provoke her a bit, “But, you know” He shrugged and leaned back forward, attention diverting right back to that mirror, “I always like you riled up like this anyway”
Lucky glared at him from the corner of his eye, as if she had an insult on the tip of her tongue. She didn’t, she never did. He had hit the nail on the fucking head. “Hey, I’m pretty fucking mean in my head...I just don’t want to have to whoop some ass, ya know. I’d much rather just rant about them later to you.” She leaned over to kiss his cheek fondly, shifting her weight against him. Lucky knew he was Grim but sometimes when he looked at her like that she fucking wished otherwise. Reaching out to run a hand through his hair, she smiled with deep affection. Grim had a way of making her feel like she didn’t have to try to be anything but herself around him. Things were never as easy with their other siblings, and rarely as fun.
“Let’s fuckinnng dancee - ” Lucky said suddenly, jostling his side with excitement. “Okay, so...game plan. We finish this shit off, I finish my drink….we dancedancedance. Then shawarma - I fucking need shawarma tonight or I might die…. T H E N we can hit this party these guys were just telling me about. It’s downtown where people have more money than they know what to do with. He said there’s literally going to be crystal bowls of blow and pills just sitting around like candy or sugar.” She spoke a mile a minute, gripping the fabric of Grim’s shirt like it was a lifeline.
‘She's gorgeous like that’ Rems voice was distant, sort of watery and faded like he was speaking through an old microphone. It used to bother them, but they grown used to the dampening effect of drugs on their thoughts. Honestly, Grim was surprised Rem had pried himself up to their consciousness right after two lines of blow. But Lucky's hold over him was dauntless and Remedy was constantly surprising his brother when it came to this girl.
‘You wanna talk?’ but Grim could already feel his brother fading back, that veil pulling between them like he hadn’t even been there. Grim sighed, scrubbing his face in an effort to not go looking for Remedy.
Throwing himself back into Lucky wasn’t hard. She was happy and warm and everything he wanted to be. The brothers had been following her around like puppy dogs since they could remember- Grim, cause he wanted to make Lucky laugh and go on grand adventures, and Remedy, cause he’d been born to love her.
Grim smooshed her face, laughing as he pushed her cheeks together and she glared around them. He handed her a little pink pill, taking one of his own, and practically dragged her back down the hall to the dance floor. She showed reluctance, but only for a moment. Lucky much preferred blow to hallucinogens, she’d seen enough shit in the shadows she didn’t need a pill to make her see more. She’d gotten better with age, or maybe just by doing it enough times. Besides, Grim was a seasoned vet - and they had the whole night ahead of them.
They wove through the dance floor, Lucky pressing herself against Grim as they made their way towards the center. The bass vibrated in her chest, a pleasant hum that made her catch her breath. The pill took its time to take effect, a crescendo that sliced her open and asked the world to come on in. Her fingertips brushed across his chest, steadying herself. Even in this state she could still create a shadow barrier under her touch. Every sensation was divine, even the air felt like fucking heaven - she looked up at Grim, eyes glittering. “Do you feel that?” Lucky hummed into his ear, her breath ragged.
“‘M fuck yeah” Grims eyes were half lidded as he look down at her, his body moving in time with the heavy thudding of the bass. He felt like every part of him was stuck in the rhythm of that music and Lucky was the only thing keeping him grounded, her body wrapped around d his like a tether. The room was full of living bodies- more alive than ever under the neon lights and music. Grim sometimes felt the tingling nerves of his power reminding him they were still there. To wake up, to touch some and feel them. But music, drugs, and Lucky drowned that all out, smothered it till it was only a minor itch in the back of his mind.
Grim bent himself over her, tugging her waist against him and sliding her along him. He was well aware of that other itch in his head responding, that crackle of other life slowly paying attention. Drugs usually gave Grim the upper hand, but…. he slid his eyes up Lucky’s throat, over her jaw, her lips…
The soft smile that shifted Splits face was all warmth, soaking in Lucky's face for a moment. His arms wrapped around her, hands splayed across her hips to tug that body closer. Remedy exhaled roughly, his gaze unwavering as he molded himself around her in the middle of a hundred different bodies.
“Hey” he had to lean in close, face pressed against her cheek as his lips brushed her ear.
Lucky could feel his shadow emerge, she didn’t need to see his face to know it was Remedy. Her barrier against his skin receded, she could feel the heat of his skin against hers. The shadows around her swirled, spinning as fast as her head. Fingers traced along his jawline, recognizing his smile. Eyes wide, pupils dilated - was he really there, or was it just that little pink pill Grim had given her? The room melted away, just background noise. All she could see was him, all she could feel was him. She pushed herself into him, looking at Remedy as if he were a dream.
“I was wondering when you’d show.” Lucky teased, leaning in, her breath hot on his neck. The blow had made her bold, running her tongue along his jaw. She could taste their sweat. Her hands slid under his shirt, grabbing at his sides as if that could keep him present. He could slip away at any moment, she knew that much, but that didn’t stop her from trying to hold on. She leaned in once more, lips grazing his skin. “...always keeping me waiting, aren’t you?”
Rem smiled, the tug of his lips obvious against her cheek. He shifted as her hands explored him, pressing his forehead to hers and breathing her in. “I was here” he mumbled softly, sliding a hand from her waist up into her hair, “Grim was hogging you”
While Grims mind took to the drugs like a match to fire, Remedy’s did the opposite. Like everything with them, nothing ever seemed to align for either of the brothers. He could feel Grims good mood, high and happy and blissfully able to ignore the controlling need of his powers. Remedy, on the other hand, always felt numb under his brothers drugs. Washed out, stripped bare, he had a hard time clinging to reality and often slipped away for days. It was equal parts terrifying and relieving, that void of their mind he fell into. But even with everything Grim had snorted and inhaled tonight, Remedy had crawled to the surface for this.
He twisted a handful of her dark hair in his hand, his other gripping almost roughly at her hip. The music- if you could call it that- was suffocatingly you loud and it was making it hard for him to keep hold. He focused on her and mimicked the flow of the bodies around them even though dancing really wasn’t his thing. He hasn’t felt her body against his in a long time- small but still incredibly strong, curved perfectly at the right angles. He wanted to curl her against him and never leave, throw a shield around them and ignore everyone else in the club.
“Fuck,” the word escaped her lips like a moan as he grabbed her, the sensation heightened from the drugs. His hand in her hair, she was breathless. His touch was intoxicating, reaching for her with a sort of hunger she recognized. Her hips moved in sync with his, grinding into Remedy. He felt so fucking divine.
“I -“ her words faltered, there were no words. Eyes barely open, room thick with smoke and heart beating so fast she thought it might just fall out of her chest then and there. His lips were just inches from hers, their foreheads still touching. She wondered if they still tasted the same, biting her own to stop herself. Did he ever wonder the same thing of her? Lucky cradled his face in her hand, something precious to behold. “I’ve really fucking missed you.” She said, leaving only centimeters between their lips.
The tug of Rems lips in a smile was faint, slow like bourbon cause he wasn’t really there. He gripped her hair one more time, a squeeze filled with yearning and apologies.
Grim leaned away, effectively cutting off whatever intensity had simmered between them. His stance wa slooser, like he was about to lean against any surface. Grims eyes were darker though, more shadowed and sunken. It made the blue of them stand out eerily, as opposed to the mellow sky blue of his brothers.
“Sorry to cock block ya sis, Rem gets sleepy fast nowadays” he tugged on her hand, putting enough distance between them that Lucky couldn’t hurt herself on his skin, “Let’s forget about that intense old man for the night, yeah? I wanna see you with the worst hangover tomorrow” Grim spun her, hoping the drugs would swallow up her brain at the movement. He loved them both to death but god were they the most dramatic things on the planet.
Lucky couldn’t express disappointment even if she wanted to, the sudden movement triggering a chemical reaction in her mind that made her see stars. She surrendered herself to the dance floor, letting the music wash over her. The sun would be up in a few hours, they had plenty of night left to fill. At a certain point, Lucky dragged Grim off the dance floor, rambling once again about the shawarma her life depended on. They found some dingy hole in the wall spot where she’d most assuredly end up getting food poisoning. She devoured it happily in silence, like a child who had gotten their own way. They snuck in another rail on the sink in the bathroom of the shawarma joint before heading to the party downtown.
“I think this is the place.” Lucky said as they reached the high rise, indicating for Grim to follow. A chimp dressed in a uniform opened the door for them with a smile that could blind you. When she asked if he knew what floor he party was on the pointed out the way. Lucky thanked him profusely as she tugged Grim along. As they entered the elevator she linked arms with him, smiling like a goon. She looked over at Grim, as if she were expecting praise for finding such a posh party for them to crash, giddy with excitement.
The elevator doors opened into a penthouse, filled with beautiful people and flooded with lights that flashed colors across the room along with the music. Everyone was dressed as if they had been at the Academy Awards, or something else equally pretentious and insufferable that Lucky didn’t have the stomach for. If they noticed the two club rats spilled in, they didn’t indicate as such. She gave a look to Grim as if to say, “Oops,” shrugging.
“Oh, shit - look.” She said, trying to inconspicuously point out a massive crystal bowl sitting at the end of the bar, overflowing with pills of every color in the rainbow.
Grim did a once over of the room, impressed and equally unimpressed. He was still in his tight leather black pants and black button up shirt that he hadn’t bothered to close all the way. He had a passing thought of maybe convincing one of these rich assholes to fuck him, just so he could fuck up their nice little outfits but…. Lucky had pointed out pills, and a shit ton of them. Pinprick blue eyes zeroed in on the glorious bowl like they’d found the holy grail and he beelined for it, grabbing two champagne flutes along the way.
If he carried a phone he would have taken a picture, but Grim was a little too forgetful for expensive technology. So he stood and stared at it, glanced at Lucky, and broke into the biggest shit eating grin. Then he dove both hands into the random of pastel colors and carried his stash over to a nearby empty couch. One of those couches with no legs, no arms, and a dumbass low back meant for zero comfort but looked cool as fuck. He slouched down, patted the seat next to him for his Luck, and just waved his hand at the pile.
“I’ve died and you’ve brought me to heaven. What am I supposed to do with this much shit?” He held up a bright green one with a four leaf clover on it to Lucky, quirking a brow, “Obviously you get first dibs as the savior of the night” She clapped her hands excitedly, sticking out her tongue like she were catching snowflakes, Grim pressed the pill to her tongue intently.
“Thank you, doctor.” Lucky said with a wink.
“What’s good for goose is good for the gander.” Lucky said in her best impression of their mom, picking out a purple pill shaped like the devil emoji, one side smirking the other scowling. “This one’s kind of like you guys.” She made airplane noises like mom used to, giggling as she fed it to him. Falling back into a fit of laughter, she had to prop herself up by her elbows to keep herself upright. Man, it had been a minute since she’d seen her….
Grim nodded, leaning back to enjoy the bliss washing through him and glance around the room. The party was full of wealthy people that had the money to look younger and way more beautiful than they probably should. He stared openly, running his eyes over every man in turn. Most of these men had the power and luxury to be openly gay- pink suits, some dude had a fucking flamingo tie. He wanted to laugh, but it also made his shopping trip way easier. Nothing was worse than trying to nail down a fellow ass fucker in a crowd of strangers. He caught a mans eye finally and smirked- huge, skin the color of chocolate, and definitely eye fucking him right back. Grim winked at him over his champagne flute and got a smile right back.
“Man….I fucking love mom.” Lucky said out of the blue, sitting up and shifting in her seat as she looked around for a bathroom. She tapped Grim’s leg to get his attention and leaning in to whisper, suddenly urgent. “I have to pee...right fucking now.”
“I’ll be right back.”
Within a blink she was gone. Grim watched her for a moment and then turned back, pleased to see the man setting down his drink and circling the crowd for his vacant couch.
“You’re alone” Oh, fuck yeah. And his voice sounded like that? Thick and deep, like some sort of commercial voice over. He sat uninvited, a tad closer than Grim was usually okay with but they were both fully clothed.
He smiled and leaned a bit away but angled his body to better face him, “Well not anymore. Thanks for that…”
Lucky had to try a few rooms before she found the bathroom, it was a big place with the strangest fucking shadows because someone wanted to have trendy modern design. Whoever lived here definitely had money, probably a drug dealer judging by the actual fuckton of drugs literally all over the place. Every room you went into there was a bowl of goodies, something for everyone. She took a bump and freshened herself up, wondering how many hours it had been since she slept or ate. At least she had showered that morning, so she had her priorities. When Lucky came back down to the bar, she could see Grim had already found someone to play with tonight, which meant she’d have to find herself a distraction.
“Hellooo - yes, can I get a gin and tonic, please? Actually - no, um...you know what, just vodka and water.” Lucky said to the bartender, all rather quickly and drumming her fingers across the bar. She felt like he was giving her a weird look as he made her drink, but that was probably the drugs talking. What she really needed was some fresh air, and a smoke. There was a massive patio that wrapped around half of the penthouse, with a pool on one side and a fire pit on another. There were some people outside, but they were mostly gathered around the pool. The fire seemed to have been put out hours ago, but it still let off heat. She sat down to rifle through her purse, yet again pulling out the disappointing crushed pack of cigarettes.
“Need a light?” said a voice, causing her to look up. He seemed attractive enough, probably. She couldn’t really tell because as soon as she saw his face she recognized his type. Entitled, cocky, a fucking dick. She shook her head, trying to mend one of her bent cigarettes.
“No, thank you though….I’ve just realized I’m out.”
“Oh, well - for a girl like you,” he offered his pack, “anything.”
Barf.
Lucky didn’t know if she wanted to laugh or gag. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes, declining his cigarette. She knew better than to accept anything from his kind of guy. He gave her an incredulous look, stepping closer. God, was he really going to do this? Right now? Here? Ugh, she did not want to have to cause a scene. Huffing to herself, she forced a smile, shaking her head.
“Thanks, sorry - I feel bad stealing other people’s cigarettes.” She deflected, hoping that’d appease him by taking one of his cigarettes.
“Oh, but not their drugs?”
Lucky stared at him unblinkingly in disbelief for a few seconds before he laughed, taking a seat next to her and flickering his lighter for her to spark her cigarette. She sighed, thinking back to what Grim had said earlier that night. Yeah, she was definitely too fucking nice. She let him light her cigarette begrudgingly, staring into the fire pit to avoid eye contact.
“Sorry, it’s a joke...this is my home!” He said, throwing his hands up as if he wanted her to behold his kingdom, admire his reign. “So, obviously all the drinks and drugs are provided by me - which is why it was a joke.”
Lucky gave a stiff smile, nodding her head. “Oh, well - you have a lovely home.”
“And?....”
She blinked, offering no response.
“AND, thank you for the drugs!...and the cigarette….and your drink.” He fell back into his seat, scooting closer. “What’s your name?”
“Lucky.”
“Woo-oo, well that must be my name too because I am lucky to meet you.”
Ugh, so fucking cringe. She gave a dim smile, already having turned off the switch inside that paid attention. He started talking about himself, how much money he had, the types of parties he throws, the people he knows. She just smiled and nodded, because that’s all he wanted. It wasn’t worth the hassle to piss him off, and she could tell he was the type to get his ego bruised easily.
The first time he put his hand on her thigh, she crossed her legs and brushed him off, scooting away. The second time she didn’t move it, wondering how quickly she’d be able to find Grim and teleport out of there before the guy started screaming about how some girl had vanished into thim air. When he went to kiss her, she moved back, unable to keep herself from giggling. That….that really pissed him off. “What are you laughing at?” He fumed.
“Are you fucking serious?” Lucky laughed.
Grim was thoroughly wrapped up in his man of choice for the night when something itched at the back of his mind. Remedy, pulling himself out of wherever he went, bothering Grim even though they had rules against this. Grims smile strained as he tried to pay attention to the pearly white smile in front of him, way too close but so fucking hot he couldn’t pull back.
“So you’re a dancer?”
Grim nodded, finishing off the last of the drink the man- Geoffrey- had gotten for him, “Among other things, yeah. You should come by the club sometime… I could give you a private show”
‘Where’s Lucky?’ Grim almost audibly yelped at the sound of his brothers voice, loud and clear and awake in his head. He’d gotten so used to the silence it was a shock to hear him so loud all of a sudden.
“You alright?” Geoffrey look concerned, which made his handsome face look even more fuckable. God Grim hopped he was into some nasty shit, cause all he wanted to do was nasty shit with-
‘Grim’
‘What the fuck?!’ He stood from the couch, turning away from his conquest so he could screw his face up in annoyance at his brother.
‘While your mentally dry humping this jackass you’ve lost our Luck’
‘She’s a big fucking girl Rem’
‘Do it or I will’
“Fine!” He yelled accidentally, wide eyed and obviously pissed, “Hey, Geoffrey...could puke Judy. Stay still? Don’t move a beautiful fucking muscle. I gotta go check on my sister and then I’ll be right back to stare at you some more”
Geoffrey laughed and nodded, crossing his legs indication that he would stick around. Grim grinned and made sure his ass was visible as he made a round of the place.
She wasn’t at the bar and he was sure she wasn’t crammed in the bathroom this whole time. Grim glanced around, sure that Lucky would stand out in this crowd of overdressed asshats.
Outside, the air was fresh and actually sent a chill down his spine. A group of people stood around the pool, a few on the longue chairs….two over by the smoldering fire pit.
Lucky was sitting next to a man- Grim really didn’t care who she fucked but….. Remedy cared immensely.
Rem hadn’t tossed Grim so roughly from control in a while, storming across the tiled pool area for the fire pit. It was dark, the only lights coming from the illuminated pool and what streamed through the wall of glass behind him. But fucking hell he could see that man's hands on her. She looked caught- Rem knew she had the power to save herself but she’d never reveal it in a place like this.
He grabbed the back of the man's shirt collar and roughly yanked him from behind off of Lucky. The douchebag made a squeaking sort of scream, his tie yanking tight around his throat as Rem used it to hoist the man back towards him.
“S-stop! What’re you fucking doing?” He was clawing at Remedy’s hands, marks healing almost immediately. Rem glared down at him fiercely- his powers gave him no ability to harm, but fuck he really wished he could trade with Grim right now. Instead, he cocked his arm back and slammed his fist into man's nose, letting go of his tie so he would fall to the concrete ground. The crunch of nose bone breaking was satisfying, but also the whalling of the asshole as he tried to stop the blood.
The drugs delayed Lucky’s response time, Remedy had the man in his grip before she could say anything. The guy was sniveling like a child, obviously he wasn’t used to someone putting him in his place. Lucky couldn’t look away, she knew she should intervene, but she didn’t want to. It had been a long time since Remedy’s shadow had completely taken over. She always could still sense Grim lingering, but this was all Remedy. The guy fell onto the ground like a sack of flour after Remedy’s first punch, she would have laughed if she wasn’t wondering what the fuck Remedy was planning to do from here. I mean the guy had it coming, but if she had wanted to rough the guy up, she’d have done so herself - no problem. But damn, if Remedy didn’t look fine as hell right now….
The asshole scrambled back as Remedy crouched down. His hand was covering his nose and mouth, blood covering the bottom half of his face. Which made his cursing and babbling nonsense. “What was that prick?” Remedy asked, reaching for the guys red stained collar. His suit was expensive- and ruined. There was no way he was getting blood out of that velvet baby blue fabric. Remedy almost laughed as they guy tried to answer him, only managing to make out “ass hole” before he dragged him closer and punched him in the face again. Grim was cackling inside of him- Remedy’s uncharacteristic anger always seemed to rile his brother into fits of laughter.
Vaguely, Remedy was aware of people yelling. He glanced up to see a forming crowd, onlookers had their phones out and were whispering behind martini glasses. No one was rushing forward to help the asshole out, so Remedy stood and delivered a swift kick to his ribs. While the man screamed and coughed, Remedy turned around to Lucky.
“Are you okay?”
Lucky looked between Remedy and the bloodied piece of shit laying on the ground beneath him, nodding her head. “I’m fine Remedy...I had it under control.” She said, trying not to sound like she was passing judgement, only concern.
“Didn’t look like it. If you’d disappeared there would have been an even bigger problem” Rem took a step forward, reaching out for her arm slowly, “He was a prick and deserved it. We should-” Rem paused and glanced back, hearing louder noises from inside the party, “We should probably get going”
Just as he turned to make a swift exit- they could use Lucky's powers, but they still had a crowd of assholes and cameras pointed at them- when two officers pushed their way through the crowd.
Shit.
Part Nine: The Long Road To (Not Quite) Home
Gavin doesn't even remember the last time he saw Reginald. It was days before he had completely left home, but the event itself was as unmemorable and bleak as every other memory of his 'father' happened to be. What he does remember though is saying bye to Mom, eating one last breakfast that she had made. Gavin always understood that Mom wasn’t...as real as he imagined her to be. But a part of him always believed that Mom could truly feel things for them. Having mechanical parts and wiring instead of blood and bones didn't make her any less his Mom and it hurt in ways that he couldn't explain when he thought about the last time he hugged her goodbye. Despite that, Pogo had been tougher, because he knew that Gavin wasn't coming back. There would be no pop in visits, no calls, not even a postcard. He was going off on his own, and nobody would know where he was (except for Lucky, because none of them could hide from her.) And that made it that much harder to look Pogo in the eyes as he left.
Some memories are better left in the past, distant echoes shut away from the world. But sometimes it wasn't that simple. Couldn't be. It was unfair, but that was life. And Gavin knew that he couldn’t hide himself away this time. No, this time he would need to face things head on. Take the salt straight to his wounds.
Gavin’s race (home) has slowed to a regretful crawl. Each mile gained another lost to comfort and peace of mind. Living in the middle of nowhere has its advantages right up until it doesn't - one of them being that it takes a solid eternity (and a small fortune in gas) to get anywhere. And he wonders why he’s doing this anyways. What could he possibly owe to the old man that would make him bother to go through the trouble of returning. He’s sure that nobody would have blamed him for staying away. Just as he wouldn’t blame them for doing the same.
Oh well, he’s stuck in the thick of it now.
No going back.
Being around anyone but himself right now feels like a bad idea but halfway through his journey the gaslight turns on and he's forced to pull off the highway and into a busted down old station that's seen better days. The windows are covered in filth but there's a neon open sign signaling that it's not as defunct as it looks. That's good enough for Gavin.
He pulls into the first pump, cuts the engine, and takes a moment to gather himself before hopping out and heading towards the unwelcoming front doors. There's a fine layer of dust on everything, including the teenager sitting with his feet propped up on the counter. The kid barely takes a second to glance at him before returning to the phone in his hands. Gavin is surprised that there's even a signal out here at all.
They must be close enough to the city then. Gavin digs his phone out of his pocket, frowning down at the cracked screen as he powers it back on. Almost immediately there's a barrage of texts and missed calls from Kate. He ignores them With a heavy heart, knowing that he can't do anything about that right now (he can’t focus on the idea of this driving a wedge between them, when everything is already so hard to deal with.) His focus instead landing on the most recent message that wasn't from Kate.
"Hey, phones been dead. Just found out. Here now. U coming?"
Lucky.
Of course she'd be the only one to properly contact him. Too little too late as usual. But he knows better than to read into the message - that's always what led them to their fights. A misunderstanding of intention when all either of them wanted was to find solid ground. He doesn't reply to the text because he doesn't want to admit that this frenzied journey is taking him right back to the one place he doesn't want to be.
"Dude are you going to buy anything or what?" The monotone drawl of the teenager brings him back to the real world. The tension in his body melting away just enough to let him unclench his aching jaw. Gavin doesn't waste his breath on the kid, just pays for the gas and goes along on his way. Wishing with everything in him that this didn't feel like the slow march towards insanity.
He fiddles with the watch on his wrist, and though it doesn't work it's still a solid and comforting weight that keeps him from floating too far up into his own mind. Especially now with miles of road stretching before him, simultaneously too long and too short. It isn't long before familiar landmarks start cropping up. He's never liked driving in traffic, especially the kind that came with heavy doses of anxiety. The inner city slows his pace to a crawl and that's much worse than being on the fast track.
By the time he arrives he’s barely functioning above autopilot. His clunky old truck sputtering and protesting when he finally pulls into that familiar drive. Nails tapping out a maddening rhythm against the steering wheel as he cuts the engine and leans forward to peer through the windshield. For the longest time, he sits there, unsure of exactly what it is he’s waiting for. The place he once - a very long time ago - lived in taunts him with its looming visage.
No time like the present.
The solid ground beneath him has a calming effect on his nerves. Allows him to let that mask of uncertainty slide right off his face. It’s obvious that he isn’t the first to arrive, not that he expected to be anyways. They didn’t all run as far away as they could the moment they had the chance, or at least, they didn’t disappear into the middle of nowhere.
Seeing Lucky feels like taking the first breath of fresh air after struggling in the vast ocean of his own overworked brain. He almost doesn't recognize the other person standing with her, has to double take because it's been so long since he last saw Santino. Probably longer than most since they weren't exactly the best of buddies - no, that was more Lucky and Grim than him. Gavin always liked to shelter himself away, even when he didn't have to.
"Hey ...you made it.”
"Hey, yeah…" He nods, hands in his pockets to hide his nerves. "I guess I did." he doesn’t quite believe it himself really. He also doesn’t want want to linger here for too long.
“I’m gonna head in,” he says to Lucky, excusing himself from any further awkward conversation. “Good seeing ya man.“ He offers the smallest of waves towards Santino.
What Gavin really wants to do is crawl out of his skin, but he stows that feeling away for the time being.
He’s gotta pull himself together.